This came out of the Adagio Advent calendar pre-made in a triangular tea bag.
It definitely smells of fruit. The liquid is a mauvy/pink.
I can get bits of apple and red berries as its infusing.
This is a herbal tea with little to no caffeine. I’m also not adding anything to it.
Taste wise, its a light tea. I find it pleasant. It does remind me of a Spanish sangria, just without the alcohol.
I have another Tea Co Brenner Tea today. I have discovered that this is the Aldis Brand Tea.
It definitely smells like a chocolate strawberry.
Taste was very subtle, but there. I definitely enjoyed this one.
So we made it. It’s 2026.
Last year was, a lot, wasn’t it.
Between the American Political System, the tarriffs, Joann’s closing, and life in general.
This year, I’m actually hoping to improve my online presense as I will be reducing the number of in-person shows I will be doing do to IRL work obligations.
I’m in the process of re-organizing the menus for both the blog as shop. My hope is that this makes it easier to navigate the website.
I’m planning to add a lot my crochet content this year. I have tutorials in the works, as well as pattern collections, and reaserch I’ve been doing on the different crochet styles.
I’ve also been working on reviews on the various crochet books that I have, so I can get those listed.
The tea reviews will be an ongoing thing. I just have to get better at finiding time to drink the tea so I can actually do the reviews. I am going to add other tea brands beside Adaigo and Friday Afternoon, I promise.
I do plan on doing working on my personal crochet challenges. I’ll make posts about each of the creatures as I get them done. I have Lovecraftian, and Cryptid creatures in the works and I hope to have those posts up soon.
I have a few other side projects that i’m working on but I’m not ready to announce those just yet.
Is there anything that you’d like me to do this year?
So this is not one from my advent calendar.
It is from my mom’s advent calendar.
Before brewing, the scents reminds me of warm sugar cookies.
After brewing its definitely giving cookie flavor. Which I was not expecting given that it is a black tea.
I did use slightly to much water longer brew time than is recommended, as I had this at work and not with my usual brewing set up.
All that said, this in one I would drink on a regular basis.
I will update this when I get home and figure out how to obtain more.
As a reminder, I do not get paid for these.
I’ve decided to try something new for 2025, a Tea Advent Calendar.
I will be honest, I’m not a pumpkin spice girl.
That being said, as dry ingredients, this has a very strong pumpkin spice scent, with cloves being the strongest of the spice scents.
I did the recommended 5 min brewimg time using water from an electric kettle.
Once brewed, it tasted of black tea and cloves. The pumpkin spice flavor didn’t really show up until after the brew had begun to be more cold than hot and during the afterrtaste phase of the tea.
Overall, its not a bad tea.
Isn’t one I would like to aquire more of? Not really, but it’s a decent tea.
BrittanyDinosaur is a small shop for many nerdy needs. It all started with a dinosaur jacket and has just grown from there as new hobbies and skills were gained. From hand sewn dice bags to cute frosted glass cups and shadow boxes, so there are gifts or items for everyone’s interests.
https://brittanydinosaur.etsy.com
She also, for those of you in the Virginia area runs D&D games with Rouge Game Masters.
She uses alot of different mediums in her work and does 3-D printing.
Her 3-D prints will be available on this site within the next few days.
If you run a small business or know someone who does, please send me an email at octojellycrochetstudio@outlook.com with the business name, any info you would like me to mention and any links you would like me to add.
So it’s the start of Q4 of 2025.
The amount of things that have happened in the last 2 weeks means I’m making a lot of changes to my eaarly 2026 plans.
The show I had planned for the end of Febuary in 2026 has been postponed to Feb of 2027, due to the location being sold, and a new location not yet confirmed, I’ll have more details on that next update.
The show I have planned in November is still a go. The will be Tournament at the Castle at Bacon’s Castle in Surry, Virginia. I’ll have a whole post on that in the coming weeks.
The blog series I have planned for this quarter will start in January of 2026. This will also give me time to plan out and record Youtube videos and a podcast that’s been in the works for a few months now.
Around December, I’ll announce what’s going to post and when.
There will be a shop update tomorrow of dice bags, 3d dinos (printed by BrittanyDino) and other finished products.
So things have been a lot lately.
I have 19 days until the Isle of Wight County Fair, and a good chunk of inventory still to make.
I will be streaming tonight from 10pm until I either can’t physically crochet or until its time for me to get the kiddo ready for school tomorrow. www.twitch.tv/octojellycrochet
All of of the blog series I have mentioned this year, will start in January of 2026. My plan between now and Decemeberr 31 is to get all the blog series posts (Cryptids, Lovecraft, Tea, Crochet Patterns) written and scheduled for January thu March.
Somewhere in the next 4 motnhs, I will also start recording YouTube videos and start recording podcast things.
I have a list, broken up by Quarter and Month, on what I want to get done and by when. I’m trying something new with business planning this coming year. I have hopes that it will help my stay on track better.
My list is on a note pad and in a paper planner. While I do make use of multiple google calenders, I find using a paper tracker helps me focus better.
I know there are people who swear by computer programs, but honestly, between the business, my day job and my child and his school and scout schedules, I’ll stick to my white board/ gooogle calendar and paper agenda.
There will be a product update in the shop following the Isle of Wight County Fair.
When you hear the name Cthulhu, you might picture a monstrous entity, ancient beyond human comprehension, lurking in the depths of the ocean. But how did this tentacled titan of terror come to haunt our cultural imagination? Let’s delve into the history of Cthulhu, a symbol of cosmic horror, and explore how it grew from the pages of pulp fiction to a modern myth that inspires countless works of art, literature, and pop culture.
In 1928, H.P. Lovecraft introduced the world to Cthulhu in his short story The Call of Cthulhu, published in Weird Tales. Set against a backdrop of mounting dread, the story described a monstrous entity lying dormant beneath the Pacific Ocean in the sunken city of R’lyeh. Lovecraft described Cthulhu as “a monster of vaguely anthropoid outline” with “an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers.”
Cthulhu wasn’t just a creature; it embodied Lovecraft’s philosophy of cosmic horror. Humanity, Lovecraft argued, was insignificant in the face of ancient, indifferent cosmic entities. Cthulhu became a symbol of that terrifying vastness.
Quote: “In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.” – H.P. Lovecraft
While Cthulhu is Lovecraft’s brainchild, the mythology didn’t stop with him. Writers in Lovecraft’s circle, such as August Derleth and Robert E. Howard, expanded the Cthulhu Mythos. This shared universe included other eldritch beings like Nyarlathotep, Azathoth, and Yog-Sothoth.
Derleth introduced the idea of a cosmic struggle between “Good” (Elder Gods) and “Evil” (Great Old Ones), giving the mythos a structure that Lovecraft himself never intended. Over time, Cthulhu became the figurehead of this pantheon, overshadowing even its more powerful counterparts.
Though Lovecraft’s work remained relatively obscure during his lifetime, the mid-20th century saw a resurgence of interest, thanks to authors like Ramsey Campbell and filmmakers like Roger Corman. By the late 20th century, Cthulhu had found a home in mainstream pop culture, appearing in everything from tabletop games like Call of Cthulhu (1981) to TV shows like South Park.
Today, Cthulhu is a cultural icon, representing everything from existential dread to satirical humor. You’ll find him on plush toys, board games, and even coffee mugs—a strange fate for an ancient, godlike entity.
Cthulhu’s lasting appeal lies in its embodiment of the unknown. As science uncovers more about the vastness of the universe, Lovecraft’s vision of incomprehensible cosmic forces feels more relevant than ever.
Psychologists suggest that fear of the unknown is a fundamental human trait. Cthulhu taps into that primal anxiety, reminding us of our small place in an infinite cosmos.
Contemporary creators continue to reimagine Cthulhu. From literary works like Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald to the cinematic horrors of The Mist and The Lighthouse, the essence of Cthulhu lingers. Even video games like Bloodborne draw heavy inspiration from Lovecraft’s cosmic horror.
Stat: A 2021 survey by the gaming platform Steam found that games inspired by Lovecraftian horror had grown by 40% in the past decade, a testament to the mythos’ enduring popularity.
Beyond fiction, Lovecraft’s themes of cosmic insignificance have influenced fields like philosophy and science fiction. Writers like Stephen King cite Lovecraft as a major influence, while scientists like Carl Sagan have acknowledged the humbling perspective of cosmic scale—a concept Lovecraft fictionalized through Cthulhu.
Cthulhu isn’t just a monster—it’s an idea. It represents the ungraspable truths of the universe, the fragility of human understanding, and the terror of what lies beyond. As long as we’re captivated by the unknown, Cthulhu will continue to haunt our collective imagination.
So next time you see a tentacled plushie or hear a whisper of “R’lyeh,” remember: this ancient being isn’t just sleeping—it’s dreaming. And maybe, just maybe, it’s dreaming of us.
H.P. Lovecraft’s racist ideology and xenophobia were not peripheral aspects of his life—they were deeply woven into both his personal beliefs and fictional works. Understanding this side of Lovecraft is essential for a full and honest view of his legacy.
Lovecraft held openly racist, xenophobic, and antisemitic views throughout his life. Examples:
📜 For example, in a 1912 poem titled “On the Creation of Niggers”, he described Black people as a separate and lesser creation—this poem is widely cited as one of the most disturbing examples of his overt racism.
Lovecraft’s racism also appears in his stories:
His fiction often reflects his fear of “contamination,” “degeneration,” and “the other” — themes that align with early 20th-century racist pseudoscience and eugenics.
Lovecraft is a foundational figure in horror and speculative fiction, but his work cannot be separated from the white supremacist worldview that shaped it. Today, many readers and writers approach his legacy critically—admiring the cosmic horror while confronting the human ugliness behind it.
