Soooo, I was knitting a weirdly shaped cardigan–kind of a shrug-with-sleeves, knitted all-in-one–and wondering how to block it. (Blocking is the act of pulling wool to shape during the drying process) Because it’s not a flat piece, it’s a puzzle to block. I saw a pciture where people had pinned out the body and then… Continue reading 3D-Printed Sleeve Blockers, a knitting innovation
Category: Passions
All my posts about things-about-which-I-am-passionate-other-than-writing: you’ll find posts here on parenting, knitting, cooking, frugality, the environment, gardening and whatever else catches my eye this week.
Let The Summer Time Roll
I enjoyed our two weeks away, and it was definitely long enough for me to start thinking about all the things I wanted to do when I got back. There are many writing-related things, of course, but I’m trying to let them take a back-seat to family life, since I have my boys (9 and… Continue reading Let The Summer Time Roll
Lemon Water In the Morning
I keep running across articles about the health benefits of drinking lemon water on ye Internets, so you know, it must be true: 5 Reasons To Drink Lemon Water Can Lemon Water Help You Lose Weight 10 Reasons Why You Should Drink Lemon Water In The Morning While I’m extremely skeptical of their ‘scientific’ content,… Continue reading Lemon Water In the Morning
Frugal Flapjacks (cereal bars – not pancakes) Recipe
When I was back in Scotland this summer I rediscovered several things I had completely forgotten about. One of these things was, oh joy, Flapjacks. Flapjacks are not, as in the US, pancakes, but rather a gooey cereal bar consisting mostly of butter and golden syrup and oats, cut into squares and served almost anywhere… Continue reading Frugal Flapjacks (cereal bars – not pancakes) Recipe
Fun Food For Kids – Dinner Bricks
I like to feed my kids real food as much as possible – rather than something processed and canned and overpriced — so I like to cook for them. Back when they were babies I cooked everything for them. But when they were hungry, there was no time for waiting around for chopping, steaming, pureeing. One… Continue reading Fun Food For Kids – Dinner Bricks
Looking for Wool To Finish a Knitting Project?
Knitters, crocheters, yarn-fans everywhere, this one is for you: You’re working on a project. You’re proud that you’ve almost finished but then, the unthinkable happens. You run out of wool! What to do? You know you’ll never find the right colour or dyelot at your local yarn store, because this project has been on the… Continue reading Looking for Wool To Finish a Knitting Project?
Build Your Own Leaf Bin
[This is from the archives, but it’s the perfect time to pull out this post again] I hate waste, so autumn drives me kind of crazy. All my neighbours sweep their leaves to the front kerb, where a big borough lorry comes along and sucks them up. Then, in the spring, everyone has a truck… Continue reading Build Your Own Leaf Bin
No Money for Public Transportation in Energy Bill
So, remember when Barack Obama stood up and said we were going to have to increase public transportation to help with the energy issue? I cheered, but thought ‘no way you’re getting the people I know in the US to take public transport’. Then I heard this report about how teenagers are less likely to… Continue reading No Money for Public Transportation in Energy Bill
Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing EVER
(as defined by my seven year-old son, so you know it’s good!) This is a delicious, rich dark chocolate butter-cream frosting recipe, with hints of orange. Perfect for icing an 9×13 cake or 8″ or 9″ round layer cake. Rich and chocolatey. No eggs in the mixture, but firm enough to spread. Substitute vanilla essence… Continue reading Best Chocolate Buttercream Icing EVER
Well Done, SpaceX and Falcon 9!
That’s a beautiful sight. There’s a video of the launch too: (stay tuned for the 3:00 – 3:20 min mark when you can see the edge of space and the stage separation. Very cool.