Crochet & Sweets: A Taste of Hokkaido, Vol.5 "Tsukisamu Anpan"

Recently, I've been updating my "Crochet with Hokkaido Sweets" blog quite frequently, and with this as an excuse, I ended up buying some snacks again!
Although it is small and the size of a manju, the name "Tsukisamu Anpan" is irresistible.
If you think of this as an anpan, isn't it cute?

This is also one of the Hokkaido sweets that has been familiar for a long time.
And just like the kibi dango from last time, you can buy it at the supermarket.

There were several flavors available, so after some hesitation, I decided on the black sesame paste.
Actually, I had bought some brown sugar paste a few days ago, but it was already my second son's snack before I could take a picture.

I love the jet-black sesame paste that's in mooncakes and bean buns, so I was looking forward to this flavor.

When I was a student, I worked part-time at a (high-end) Chinese restaurant, and the staff meals there were delicious, with tapioca, almond tofu, and desserts.Looking back, it was a luxurious part-time job, and I probably ate mooncakes there too.

Since then, I've been amazed at how delicious mooncakes are, and they've become my favorite, but I don't often have the opportunity to buy delicious mooncakes.

And then I found the black sesame paste in this Tsukisamu Anpan.
Although it's a familiar sweet, it's been quite a while since I last had it, but it's packed with bean paste and is very satisfying!
If you imagine it as a mooncake, it's a little different, but that's only natural, haha.
This may be the size of a manju, but it tastes exactly like an anpan! The bean paste inside is incredibly satisfying.

Furthermore, when I happened to look at the expiration date, it was "22.03.05"!
It's amazing that it lasts for two and a half months. I learned that it's a very long-lasting snack, like a preserved food.
They're compact and eating one gives you a huge energy boost, so it's a good idea to buy some to keep on hand just in case.

Now, as for the knitting I do during my leisurely weekends, I'm knitting a motif-connecting item as a trial.
I plan to make it into a seasonal item, but it won't be for this year, so if it turns out well, I'll probably make it next year...I'm taking my time with my plans.

I haven't done much motif connection before, but that's why I'm making new discoveries and it's quite fun.

I think the reason I haven't done it until now is because I don't have the patience to continue projects that require too much time and effort, and I get bored of knitting the same thing over and over, so I start doing something different halfway through.
So, the motif connections I like to knit tend to be pieces that are made with a small number of motifs and that I can imagine as having a very intriguing finished product.

The most exciting thing about motif joining is the color coordination, but this time I happened to want to keep the finished product simple, so I knitted it in just one color: off-white.

I was worried whether it would come out properly, so I connected a few motifs together along the way, and the knitted fabric turned out to have a great feel!
Connecting motifs in one color is not common, but I was surprised at how beautiful it turned out.

For those who want to have fun with color matching, I think there is almost no point in knitting motifs in one color, but for those who prefer simplicity, this kind of visual is fresh and nice.

This is an attempt that is far from finished, but since the number of motifs is relatively small, I want to get started on knitting it all with momentum.This is the story of an impatient and lazy motif crocheter.

By the way, the yarn used to connect the motifs is Hamanaka's "Olive Merino".
I bought it at a nearby craft store, thinking I'd knit something while I was there.
It's medium thick, so it's easy to use in a variety of ways.

I previously knitted a knitting hat using this yarn, and the color was beautiful, so I still wear that hat.

Although I think that online shopping is convenient for purchasing yarn, sometimes I suddenly feel like knitting, so craft stores are still the best.
Every time I go to a craft store, I realize how much fun it is to actually pick up and look at the yarn.
I sometimes think that when I pick up a yarn and feel an urge to knit with it, it might just be a sign of fate.

Yarn is cute and knitting is fun, and it may seem obvious, but these days I want to keep these things in mind as I continue to have small experiences every day.

Related recipes

In the top image, the coaster under the mug is from RoniqueCircular knit coasters"Knitted using a free knitting pattern.

It only takes a little time and a little yarn to knit, so if you're interested, please take a look at the recipe page!