These videos are Ben Taylor and David Saw, playing two of my favorites by them: Digest and Nothing I Can Do.

Nephews are great for a lot of reasons but one is that they're good to make blankets for. When I found out Rachel was having a baby back in February I started this blanket for him. The pattern is no longer online (I have it printed out if anyone wants it) but its a simple variation on entrelac. The squares happen to be ribbed although you could put any stitch in each square. I'd be interested to see how a cable would turn out. Or putting animal shapes or letters in each block.




A long time ago I mentioned that I was working on a bolero, and now years later, after starting and stopping, I finally finished it. It looks nothing like the pattern because I tried to alter the sleeves (I can't remember why and I wish I didn't because they are way too baggy). And somehow it ended up shorter than it's supposed to be. I did throw in a few cables, which I like, down the sleeves, under the arms and at the waistline. Its hard to envision how the minor changes you make will affect the whole pattern and its too risky to experiment only to find out later that you need to rip it all out and change it. That's how you end up with a nice garment that you won't ever wear.Waistline detail.
Underarm detail.
One last thing: I found a recipe for this fabulous pie that sounds disgusting (atleast it did to me) but if you try it before you know what's in it you won't believe what you're eating. It is a great way to use up green tomatoes at the end of the season, or in my case the ones that sort of fell off the vines as I was trying to walk through the garden. I didn't want to waste them and ripening them in a bag took too long so I tried this instead.

Mock Mince Meat/Green Tomato Pie
Cover 2 cups chopped geen tomatoes (I cut mine into larger pieces thinking they would cook down but they pretty much kept their shape so I would recommend dicing them) with water and bring to a boil. Drain. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of vinegar ( cider vinegar would be best), 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins (I only had a few raisins left so I threw in frozen currants to make up the difference), 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 whole cloves and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. (I looked up a mince meat pie recipe and added some of their ingredients: 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, a slosh of lemon juice and about a 1/4 cup of brandy (I used rum). With all the extra liquid it came out kind of soupy. Maybe a couple tablespoons of flour too?) Use a pie plate lined with a bottom crust. Add filling. Put on top crust and cut steam vents. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

So good!

Aren't chinese lanterns so cool looking?