Beth Morey, Writer + Artist

I do other things besides cook and bake all the time. Weird, right? I know. But it's true. Really. I promise. I do things like reading [blogs], writing [blogs], taking pictures (and blogging them), and crocheting. I don't crochet nearly often enough, but when I do I really enjoy it. It's great fun, and sometimes even relaxing, to chat with a fellow crafting friend while your fingers work away at the fibers, or to know that your time spent watching old episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are redeemed by the fact that you made something (or made progress on something) during that sugary forty-five minutes of angsty, vampire-pwning, altogether delightful (and addictive) entertainment. (Note: I usually don't do this. Instead, the Best Husband Ever simply watch said sugary forty-five minutes of angsty, vampire-pwning, and altogether delightful entertainment straight up.)

But cooking and crocheting don't have to be exclusive of each other. In fact, there is quite an army of crocheted plush food creations that are spinning from hooks across the four hemispheres. This little stuffed lovelies (also known as amigurumi) are usually quite adorable, and can be just about anything. From tomatoes to lattes to, of course, these sweet muffins, crocheted (and, at times, knitted) foodie projects are fun, fast, fairly easy, and are really, really cute. I even made an amigurumi turtle a while back for my niece's birthday.

I'm feeling crafty at the moment. I just finished a scarf that will soon make its way across the Atlantic in the luggage of a dear friend, and will hopefully warm the neck of some international student there who is ill-equipped to stay warm through St. Petersburg's deep winter. Perhaps I will start on an amigurumi fruit bowl, or some tasty chocolate-covered strawberries. Perhaps indeed.