Spring Projects – Fermentation and Crochet

It is finally starting to feel more like spring in Michigan (at least until next week when the temperature drops again). The robins are back in full force. The crocuses came and went. The bleeding hearts are up about two inches, and there are a few blooms out on the forsythia outside my office window. The wild violets are perfuming the air, and Maxy has been taking regular walk-abouts on his leash. I’ve been working on my list of new plants for the garden and putting together my list of summer reads.

As you may remember, I read the Sandor Katz book The Art of Fermentation as part of the Summer Reads 2013. And I previously made and bottled my own kombucha. Recently I got it in my mind to make and ferment our own sauerkraut.

It is incredibly easy to start. Cut up cabbage. Put it in a bowl and salt it. Massage the salt into it for ten minutes. It will get weird, wet and frothy.

Put the liquid and the cabbage into a stoneware pot. Tamp it down. Put weights on it. Add more brine if there’s not enough to cover everything. Put the lid on the pot and wait. I’ve been checking it every day to see if the liquid is okay or if it needs skimming. So far, so good. I expect it to be ready in three weeks or so. Hopefully it will turn out fabulous!

It seems everyone is having a baby now. I just finished this hat to send to Alaska. It’s crocheted on a G size hook using Bernat Baby Softee in cream, single and double crochet rows as the desire struck. It’s not really a pattern, but I think it turned out cute. And this blanket, again a G hook with Bernat Baby Softee, single crochet with a weave pattern and a scalloped edge, is for Baby Silvio:

The final project is a purple blanket for a friend out at Southern Exposure. I hope to get it done in time for the Martini Madness event May 14. I haven’t been reading or playing accordion as I’ve been working on these projects. After the final blanket, I plan on taking a little break from crochet and catching up on reading. We’re just over a month away from planting season, and that will take up a lot of my time once it starts. We’ve got big plans for the garden this year!

What spring projects are you working on?