Crochet & Sweets: A Taste of Hokkaido, Vol.6 "Northman"

When winter comes, there are some sweets that you'll want to go out and buy.

There is a long-established confectionery shop called "Senshu-an" that is known to all Hokkaido residents, and they have a classic product called "Northman," which is a pie crust filled with red bean paste.
It's so delicious.

Furthermore, Norseman has seasonal flavors, and a type with chocolate bean paste is only sold in the winter.
There is a Senshuan store in the shopping mall near my house, so I can't help but check out the storefront around this time of year.

These kinds of sweets are usually thought of as souvenirs, but after returning to Hokkaido from Tokyo, I began to think they would also make a good little snack.
Even if they are readily available, there are probably a surprising number of sweets that you have never tried before, or that you have only received as a gift or have never eaten before.

I happened to be in a shopping mall, so I popped into Senshuan and discovered the chocolate flavor of Northman! I bought it along with the standard Northman and headed home.

Sapporo has just experienced a heavy snowfall, and sudden blizzards are still occurring, but in between, the sun shines through the window, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
My eldest son is at cram school, my eldest daughter is playing in the snow with her friends, and we've finished shoveling the snow...it's a quiet home.

The Norseman packaging has snowflakes inside, which makes you feel like it was made just for us after the heavy snowfall!
I took a picture of the Norseman, and then my second son, who was lounging around the house, and I shared half of it with him.

It really is a delicious taste no matter when you eat it.
It's not too sweet, not too heavy, and it's satisfying without the guilt. The pie crust is delicious, and the bean paste inside is also delicious, so there's nothing to complain about.
This is also a recommended souvenir from Hokkaido.

As for knitting, I've been doing it to change my mood.
Right now, there are so many things I want to do, in fact there are so many that I don't have enough time.

In theory, you can prioritize what you should do and what you should do, but when it comes to actually starting, it's difficult unless you start with something you feel like doing...

I'm working on some things, so I think I'll start by doing what I can so that I can quickly turn my attention to the higher priority things.

The item I'm currently knitting is grey.
Gray is a classic color, but this time I'm planning a piece that will allow me to play around with the color.

As you can see in the photo, this is a ribbed knit piece.
The stitches are tightly woven and stretchy, so I think it will be quite easy to use, but the knitting method is simple, so I would like to put in a little more effort so that it doesn't end up just being half-knitted.

This ribbed piece uses Motohiro's City Melange medium grey.
This yarn is "Winter yarn shoulder bagI also used a different color for ", and it's a nice melange yarn that's easy to knit with.
I liked the three colors - gray, beige, and brown - and bought a lot of them in the fall to stock up on.

City Melange Medium has not been seen much since then, but Mini Sports Melange Medium is a similar yarn.

Even so, the things I want to do are all things that personally excite me. I want to organize my thoughts and make plans for next year, and I'm working on them with that in mind.

Perhaps because we're already in end-of-year mode, I feel a sense of urgency as the year draws to a close, but I'll try to take it easy and continue knitting.

If you think about it, talking about the end of the year when Christmas hasn't even come yet is way too early, not to mention relaxing lol.

I hope you all enjoy December and knitting!

Related recipes

This work is made with Motohiro City Melange Medium Thick yarn, which is also used in the work I am currently working on.Winter yarn shoulder bag” recipe is available at the Ronique Store.

This bag is a round, easy-to-use size, so why not take it with you on your winter outings?

In the top image, the coaster under the mug is from RoniqueRound-trip knit coaster"Knitted using a free knitting pattern.

It's fun to knit lots of them for yourself, your family, and your guests.
Please take a look at the recipe page!