A few of my favorite things: March 2016

This is a bit different than my usual "What I've Been Reading" posts, though I'll be sharing those titles I've read in March later this week. There are lots of things I've read and resources I've used that don't make the list, primarily because I haven't read it cover-to-cover, so I don't count them. But if you're a cook, a crafter, a Pinterest junkie, or just a general grazer of ideas and inspiration, here you will find some odds and ends which have caught the fancy of this like-minded individual. (And feel free to follow me on Pinterest for endless boards about books, knitting, recipes, and more.)

In my endeavor to teach myself to knit socks (I've knit 5 pair since October, each one an incredible learning process), Custom Socks: knit to fit your feet by Kate Atherley has been an enormous help to me! Full of information on sizing and construction basics, it also has excellent patterns for beginners and experienced knitters. I liked the library's copy so much, I went out and bought a copy for myself, too.

A book that I've spied waiting to be cataloged here at the library (it should be ready shortly, and I can't wait!) is a new book by Marisa McClellan (author of Food in Jars, based on her very popular blog by the same name) called Naturally Sweet Food in Jars featuring recipes for jams, jellies, conserves and chutneys featuring maple syrup, honey, and other natural sweeteners. My husband does not understand my penchant for canning, but he'll be happy to sample new recipes, anyway!

If you need to get yourself geared up to do a little spring cleaning, all folks can talk about is Marie Kondo's book The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, which talks about keeping what you love and letting the rest go. Just what some of us might need to coach us through the spring-cleanup.

Finally, over the past few years, I've been trying to up my gardening game--you see, I was born with two black thumbs, and have had to work very hard to learn how to grow things. Last year was the first year I successfully grew tomato plants! So I'm looking to learn more and try growing some new things, even though we have a few weeks (like, 6) until we're out of the woods on frost warnings. I've had good luck with container gardens, so the new book Container Theme Gardens by Nancy Ondra has been giving me lots of great ideas to try this year.

I'll be back on Thursday with What I've Been Reading, the fiction edition. In the meantime, happy reading!