Those marshmallows

Okay, okay... I know you are dying to know about the marshmallows.

It had been a long day, trying to keep little children happy. A rainy day. And to top it all off, my husband was working late. Being a telephone repairman, bad weather generally meant overtime. This was good for the pay check of course, but sometimes stressful for me.

I opened an old cookbook, looking for something to make with the children. When I came across a recipe for marshmallows it caught my attention, as I had never made marshmallows before nor seen anyone else make them. Come to think of it, I had never known anyone who had made marshmallows.

I am by nature, very curious. So I began to read. Sugar, water, gelatin. That was all I needed. The recipe did call for a special type of gelatin, available through a druggist; but I tend to make do with what I have on hand when I'm cooking. Plain gelatin seemed like it would do.

As I recall, all I did was boil the mixture, and then start beating it with an egg beater as it cooled. At the appropriate point, I scraped it out into a pan. Then when the mixture was set, it was time to slice my little marshmallows. That's when I knew that it might have been better to be patient, and to have made the recipe after acquiring the higher quality gelatin.

My pan of marshmallows was incredibly sticky, and they were also rather dense. Nevertheless they WERE marshmallows. I dipped my knife in hot water between slices, and after a bit of a struggle I had all of my gummy little squares separated. The final step was to toss them into a bag with powdered sugar and cornstarch so they would not stick to each other again.

No one else seemed too interested in my project, not even the children. No one seemed too interested in eating them either. But me...I was content. I felt proud. I now knew the secret of how to make marshmallows.

Hot Koolaid

Ah... the fragrance of koolaid in the air

WHAT in the world am I doing??? Dying some of my wool fleece! Directions say not to use your hands... but of course I did. So I now have purple fingernails.

And of course I couldn't start out simply, using just one color. Oh no, I had to try rainbow dying. I must say the result is interesting. Once it has dried, I will card it and see what it looks like after it has been spun.

I used Watermelon-Kiwi... which is green, Raspberry... which is blue, Cherry & Grape. I was dying some Lincoln fleece that is a natural grey color. So, the colors are not real bright. The wool has a heathered look.

Reminds me of the time I was bored and made my own marshmallows! My family likes to give me a hard time about that one! BUT... I enjoyed it, and I know longer have to wonder about those marshmallows. ;-)
Mary

Quilt Gallery

One of my main outlets for my fabric/color love affair has been quilting. Though this interest has been set aside this past year for knitting and spinning... I have in the past 12 years completed over 50 quilts. Take a look at a few: www.geocities.com/quilt_a_song

The website is not up to date, as I no longer have the password to get to it. And my email address has changed, so I can't have it mailed to me. But... until I can set up a new site it will have to do. ;-)

How it all began

My love affair with fabric, color & crafts.... where did it all begin? I drift back to Watertown, South Dakota... that lovely, dreamy, lilac scented scene of my childhood. From the top of the stairs, I see my mother seated at the dining room table. She is stamping a red and green floral design along the hem of a creamy colored dress. So soft... so lovely... and for me.

Then there were our bunnies. We had five... one for each of us children. The zinnias in the garden: bright orange and pink, with their spiky petals, colored my summers as the frangrance of dill filled the air and the "king of the mountain" mound of dirt by the rhubarb called my name.

The summer crafts on the playground of Roosevelt Elementary School intrigued me as well. I remember plaiting lanyards and playing checkers with pop bottle caps.

When my own children were small, I would go into the fabric stores telling them we would only be there a few minutes and emerge hours later with very relieved children. Now this lifelong fascination with color, fabric, and beginning at the beginning has brought me to spinning... which is without a doubt the best match for my interest in color and fabric that I have ever found.