Today’s rocking hot cheap steal purchase?
A 21 quart “Maid of Honor” brand pressure canner for $15! Oh hell yeah. It just needs a new rubber gasket ring and we’re good to go. I am so all over the farmers market! I can pressure can things now. Fuck you, botulism! I can now bring food to 15 pounds pressure and process for 30 minutes! I will kill you, botulism! I will kill you in my super cheap pressure canner.
I wish to thank the good people at Steeple People Thrift Stores for not knowing the actual value of what they were selling and many thanks to Matt who saw, recognized it for what it was and called to tell me it was there. Thanks, guys! Saving almost $100 on a pressure canner is super keen!
The added benefit is that it looks like a kitschy 50’s robot thing. Very cool. I think the guy behind the counter thought I was buying it for it’s kitsch value. I did not want to take the time to explain that I’m not so big on kitsch and then find myself yelling about kitsch and camp and how angry it all makes me because when I get to that point I suddenly find a needle in my arm and people wheeling me away. I did point out that I was planning on actually canning things. I’m gonna ‘put up’ for winter!
ps if anyone else would like to join Anna and I on our SUPER CHICKEN TREK TO NORTH DAKOTA let me know. You have to bring your own chicken costume.

I’ve been commissioned to crochet food items for a little play kitchen set. This is just too much fun! It’s for a pair of twin girls who are turning 2 in November and they will be getting a play kitchen set as their birthday present. I will crochet the food to go with it. Right now I am in the planning stages, figuring out what I can make, keeping the items within certain color boundaries so as to not purchase an entire ball of yarn for just one item and determining what kinds of foods kids would actually want to play with.
I went through some cook books and magazines last night to inspire me and I realized that there is a huge difference between food that you can make in the kitchen and food that you can make with yarn (duh). As fascinating as cassoulet might be to me, you can’t really crochet it. Or more to the point, you shouldn’t crochet it for 2 year olds. They’re not going to really appreciate that blob of yarn sitting there.
On the other hand, there will be hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese, ham, bread, blobs of ketchup, mustard and mayo, clusters of grapes, pairs of cherries, slices of pie, and so on. I am particularly excited about the cupcakes because I can decorate them any way i want.
She’s also asked me to make sets of finger puppets! I am so all over that. I love making finger puppets. As we go, I’ll post photos.
If you are interested in a set for someone you know, drop me a line and we can work out a deal.
Like you buy the yarn and then instead of paying me for my time you donate to the Walk for Animals!