The winner of the Laura Nelkin ornament kit is…… Sandi! Congrats Sandi! I’ll send you an email soon to get your address.

My Favourite Articles & Links This Week

This made me laugh so hard I actually cried. An accurate, very hilarious, recounting of what all maternity clothing stores are like.

I know how often we are all plagued by a nagging, doubting voice, but what if it all worked out? 

The cold weather is coming! Or maybe it has already arrived where you are…. regardless, here is a great roundup of 29 ways to enjoy the colder months. I loved this list- rather than dreading winter, I feel like there are lots of things to look forward to!

My Favourite Pins This Week

This caramel apple cream cheese spread is the perfect fall party appetizer- sweet, different, and involving fruit (so it’s practically healthy, right?!)  And maybe you don’t need a party, just a weekend family treat. Because you know everyone is going to love snacking on this! Pinterest link is here, and original recipe link is here.

Mashed potatoes can get a little blah, but not this beautiful pumpkin swirled version. The pumpkin can be prepped a couple days in advance, so the extra step doesn’t’ add hardly any time to putting this dish together. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.

Are you one of those people that can’t keep plants alive for more than a couple of weeks? Then maybe this DIY is just right for you. I am seriously in love with these brightly coloured paper plants, potted in tiny containers using rice as ‘soil’.  Wouldn’t these be fun at your desk, or in a corner where the light is never quite right but you want to have a pop of something bright? Pinterest link is here, and the original post is here. 

Longtime readers will know that I love cardamom, so this cardamom hot chocolate recipe is right up my alley. I’m pretty much always game for hot chocolate , and I especially love it from scratch- there’s something magical about the subtle alchemy of combining milk, chopped chocolate, and a handful of ingredients that make the hot chocolate that little something special. In this case, the cardamom is a lovely, spicy touch. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.

I’m smitten with these little crocheted ice cream cones- if you know any little kids that like lay food, I think these would be a perfect gift for them! The post has full instructions for making them. Pinterest link is here, and the original post is here.

I don’t generally like to wade into politics or current news events here on Knitted Bliss (I like keeping it positive!), but  since last Friday, it has felt hard not to talk about the tragic events happening all around the world, and the different ways we feel affected. this is pretty much what I think. And it’s okay if you don’t agree, there is room enough in the world for varying opinions.

Fear is the enemy. And we fear what we do not know, what we do not understand. I believe that the horrible tragedy that happened in Paris was perpetrated by individuals acting out of anger because they have lived sad lives filled with fear and violence and do not know how to rise above it. They have used religion as a tool for creating even more violence and fear, and that is never okay. Nothing justifies their actions, nothing at all.

But the result is a challenge, a challenge for all of us- we must rise above it. We must not let the fear they have given us twist our minds into thinking that there is any country or religion out there where everyone is the same.  There are damaged, violent individuals belonging to all races, all religions, all countries. To then link this fear to the horrible humanitarian crisis that is affecting many countries now with the millions of refugees fleeing this very same sort of terror in their home country… seeing on the news what happened in Paris in one night and then realizing that’s what happens almost every night to the men, women, and children in Syria gave me a fresh perspective. What if that was where I lived? It’s disappointing to hear so many places want to close their borders to a group of people desperate to avoid the same violence we have all found so horrible.