Peanut Butter Temari

When I first made this temari, it reminded me of coffee and caramel. But sitting here, eating the last of the vacation fudge, I realize it reminds me more of peanut butter and chocolate.

Temari is a centuries-old Japanese craft, first made with the silk thread from worn-out kimonos. The balls were given to children to use as toys. Now temari are used mostly for decorations, and can be placed on a stand, in a bowl, or hung on a holiday tree or a hook. My daughter even has one hanging from the rear-view mirror in her car.

This is a craft that's very friendly to recycling, and I use old (but freshly laundered!) socks or stockings, yarn reclaimed from abandoned knitting projects, leftover yarns and threads, and sometimes bottlecaps and tiny orphaned toy parts if I want to make a ball that rattles.

This temari is available in my Etsy shop, where you'll find others in different patterns and colors.