Why do I blog?

To celebrate making a thing.
To pat myself on the back. To convince my subconscious that something has been achieved. I’ve always made things. A few years ago, I found that I was not getting any satisfaction from the making. I’m usually thinking about the next projects before the one underway is done, and when I finished something, I just brushed it aside in my mind and moved on. So I felt like I wasn’t achieving anything and it all felt pointless. If I write a blog post about each project though, it’s a little celebration of having made a thing. It does good stuff for my head.

Analysis and review
That may sound silly, but I’m never totally pleased with my makings. There are often good things to note, but usually also some things I wish I’d done differently. Choice of materials, construction errors, quantity changes. I find it really useful to spell out some of these to help myself make better decisions next time.

Journal and record
This is especially useful for recipe type posts. I rarely follow a recipe to the letter. I’ve learned that my future self appreciates it when I record what I’ve done.

I like to share
Actually, I was brought up to share. When I was a child, everyone in the family made things, and when something was done, or well started, we would all show each other. “Look, I made a thing”, or “what do you think of this?”, whether the thing was an item made or some task like achieving a neat garden bed. Now I do it online, especially when people are not available to witness in person. I’ll admit it, I love receiving “likes”, but intelligent comments, questions and discussion are even better.

Edit- Hmm, there is more:
To please and inspireI like to think I’m doing my little bit to put things of beauty or inspiration out there for people to enjoy. I hope my readers get pleasure from the posts, or the pictures, and maybe think “hey, good idea, I could do that”.

To rest
Sometimes I blog to make myself sit down and take a break. This is linked to the aspect of drawing a line under a project before moving on to the next thing.

 

The pictures are from a blanket I made 7 years ago and still love, dubbed “Queen of Hearts”. It’s on my bed right now even. One day I’ll make another thing involving embroidered pieces.

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Bottled

My latest beer has just gone into bottles. Hurrah. The fermenter and other kit is clean and now I’m thinking about the next one.

I took up brewing 6 years ago and have been enjoying slowly learning a new craft. I like all sorts of things about it. I love knowing how things are made from scratch. In the case of food, from actual plant/animal ingredients, not pre prepared industrial food-like products. Even better if I can make from scratch myself in a way that fits in my lifestyle. The beer making is fun and has almost infinite combinations of recipe and method options to experiment with. It also reminds me of laboratory work, the good side of that, all the measuring and being careful with temperature, cleanliness, process, record keeping. Extra bonus points for being a money saver too. I make beer for around a third to a fifth the cost of commercial beer. Plus a bunch of my time of course. I only buy beer these days either in a pub where I can’t byo, or to taste test, the latter is often while considering recipe options.