Oolong knits

Beeswax Cowl by Amy van de Laar . I love the cables in this cowl. Obviously, there is nothing to stop you from using them in another project. In fact there is a matching hat which is even better eye-candy.

This is a simple pattern for a cowl I have knitted three years ago. I love this cowl so much, I decided to share it. There is nothing original about this pattern, it is a simple all-over mistake rib stitch and you will find several very similar patterns on Ravelry. However, when knitting a cowl, getting the circumference right can be quite tricky. First of all, you need to decide if you intend to wrap it around your neck once or twice (or possibly more). I only like the look of cowls that stay quite close to the neck. They are also the most useful for when it is seriously cold and that is when I usually wear one. So for my liking there are only two options: a very, very high cowl with a short circumference wrapped once around the neck in relatively thin yarn or, even better, a cowl with a long enough circumference to be wrapped twice. So, the main reason I decided to publish my pattern, which is also the reason I like this cowl so much, is that I think I got the size super-right. It...

I must confess this was a bit of a disappointment. Not because it is bad, but because it is not quite as good as I expected, based on the reviews that made me want to read it in the first place. Put quite simply, Saki's short stories are good, but I am not entirely sure they are worth the time considering how short life is. However, let me make myself clear, this is the only reason I doubt their worth, because they are pretty good. These stories are highly peculiar and imaginative, quite unique. So I understand people who love this sort of peculiar may love them passionately. In case you are wondering what sort of peculiar we are talking about, Saki has a very English appreciation of the eccentric and the absurd. He also has a certain obsession with children, which are the main characters in a lot of his stories. Most of the time the fact they are children is used to emphasize just how stupid adults are. Most often the adults involved are small-minded middle-class women, a major ...

So cheap I almost feel tempted to label it free, this is the Irish Rover Pullover by Teti. A lovely cabled cropped pullover.

I have three friends who decided to get pregnant all at the same time, even though they never met or heard of each other and even live in different land masses. Just one of those coincidences. So I have been knitting baby things to gift when the babies arrive. I was surprised at the chaos I found when looking for baby booties' patterns on Ravelry . There are a couple of hundred patterns that are free, so, unless you are ambitious and want to knit something really eye-catching, there is no need to pay for a pattern. Surprisingly, the most popular patterns are some old patterns that have not only been written long ago (which is not a problem), but have never been corrected (which is a problem). I suppose I should not be too shocked since these are free patterns after all. I have spent so much time looking at these patterns, that I have decided to write a post with my findings. The most popular pattern by far is Saartje's bootees . These are sort of girlie and my friends are all...

Of all the hap (traditional Scottish shawls) patterns you can find, Hansel by Gudrun Johnston is (imo) the most authentic and so beautiful. ‘Hansel’ is not the German given name, but a Scottish word for a gift to mark a special occasion, such as the birth of a baby. There is also a half version (a triangle, instead of a square, shawl) of this pattern.

I have already written a recipe for a brisket stew , but, trust me, if that one was delicious, this one is divine. You will not believe the taste of the sauce! 1 portion of beef brisket (about 1Kg); 250g of pre-soaked red kidney beans; 3 carrots, peeled and sliced; 1 packet of chopped kale (about 150g); 2 onions, peeled and sliced; 5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; 1 teaspoon of dried herb mix (sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc); Salt, pepper and chilli powder; Olive oil; 1 cup of red wine. Add enough olive oil to the pressure cooker to cover the bottom. Heat it and brown the brisket. Add 1 cup of water and the wine, herbs and spices. Close the lid and bring the pressure to high. Cook for 1 hour. During that time, regularly check the pressure remains on high. You may need to turn the heat up or down. Release the steam and add all the other ingredients. Close the lid and bring the pressure to high again. Cook for 15 min more. Reduce the pressure slowly. Following this...

I have three friends that are currently very pregnant (all of them will have a boy!), so I have been looking at baby projects. Today's candy is not a pattern but a project by solly-k. This lady has improved on two patterns to knit this really pretty cute and matching sweater and booties. The patterns are: Milo by Georgie Nicolson and Suspension Bridge Bootees by MaryJane Thompson (the latter is free).

The idea behind the star toe is quite simple. To shape the toe, one works a certain sequence of increases (or decreases if working from the cuff down), but, unlike the standard toe where these increases are worked on the two sides of the toe, in the star toe they are distributed evenly . This creates a rounder shape that adapts to the shape of the toe surprisingly well. Its fans argue that it provides a better fit than the standard toe. The aforementioned sequence is not fixed, but can be adapted to provide a slightly better fit, according to the shape of the wearer's toe, so you will find many different recipes if you look into tutorials and patterns where this toe is used. For example, some knitters increase 6 stitches on increase rounds, but most I found do only 4 increases (which is the same number of increases done in the standard toe). Another difference between different recipes is how often to work the increase rounds. I found the some recipes recommend starting with alter...