Oolong knits

Land & Sea by Andrea Yetman is a simple pattern for a cardigan knitted top-down and seamlessly. The collar and front bands are knitted after picking up stitches at the edge. This standard pattern is free and can be a good resource for knitting a cardigan. Unfortunately, the beautiful yarn used in the photo is both very expensive and difficult to obtain except if you live in the US. Their webpage explains it is shipped from Canada and I could not find any international delivery information (paradoxically they do not even mention delivery to Canada, only the US, prices are in USD only too).

The tubular cast-on is without a doubt the best cast-on method for ribbing (specifically for 1x1 and 2x2 ribbing). That is, if you consider the absolute perfection of the end result. It provides an edge that is invisible, in the sense that it blends seamless with the fabric, and is perfectly elastic. However, if you consider the work done in order to obtain such perfection, you may feel that this cast-on is too much trouble and other elastic cast-ons are good enough and much easier and faster to execute. This is the reason I have not so far bothered to learn it. Quite paradoxically, considering how common ribbed edges are, it is not a cast-on that I have found much use for. This is because I usually like knitting hats top-down, socks toe-up and sweaters top-down. For the latter, this is the perfect cast-on for the collar, but I find that collars that have been worked in one piece with the rest of the sweater tend to stretch too much and deform the sweater. Hence, for best results, I...

Sunday Tee by PetiteKnit, a very simple and very cute sweater.

In gardening bolting is a bad word. it happens to green leaves: lettuce, spinach, rocket, chard, cabbages, etc. A plant bolts when it starts to produce seeds. First, it generally grows a longer stalk, which is may be hard and hence inedible, with smaller leaves that are often bitter or at least more bitter than normal leaves. At the end of this stalk blooms will start to grow and eventually turn to seed pods. The real problem with bolting is that the plant will stop producing new leaves and at the end of the process it will simply die. We are talking about plants that are not perennial. Here is what I have learned from my very little experience at the allotment: contrary to what most people will tell you, once a plant bolts, you can still harvest and eat the leaves that are left. If you find them too bitter and hard for salad, cook them. All of the aforementioned plants are really tasty cooked. In many countries, for example in the Mediterranean and Far East, bolted plants are consi...

I absolutely love the texture and shape of Pàs by Sari Nordlund. A sweater that is both sophisticated and understated despite its complex texture.

I read this somewhere, but no longer remember where. My vague memory tells me that one investment expert, Nobel prize in economy or something like that, once claimed that all anyone needs to know about investing can be written in an index card. And here is (with some minor changes) the list that index card contained: Maximize employee pension contributions; Buy inexpensive, well-diversified mutual funds (ex: Vanguard Target 20xx); Never buy or sell individual security (i.e. stocks and shares); Save 20% of your income; Pay your credit card balance in full every month; Maximize ISA accounts; Pay attention to fees and thus avoid actively managed funds; Make your financial advisor commit to a fiduciary standard; Promote social insurance programs. I actually have a couple of advice I would add to the top of this list: If you have any debt, pay it before investing. The exception to this rule is a house mortgage. Make sure you have some money easily and quickly available for an...

Most of Lisa Hannes designs are triangle shawls knitted sideways, like Terzetto . One thing I like about her shawls is that they always look good on. There are too many designs out there that are a lot of fun to knit and look amazing when spread, but once you put them on all the main details disappear and you get a pretty boring look. A lot of designers do not even provide a photo of how the shawl looks around the neck, because they are trying to fool you into buying. But I am ranting, when I should be praising Terzetto. Don't you just love the way the colour work and the lace complete each other?

Sorry, no photo for this recipe, which is most unblog like. A true crime against blog etiquette! Quite unpardonable, I know. This is my go to recipe for chicken. I like the result so much I hardly ever cook chicken any other way. It is both light and tasty. It is also very easy to prepare. It is not exactly quick, but only because I thoroughly skin the chicken before cooking it. This is not absolutely necessary, but if you do not at least remove most of the chicken's fat, the dish will be a lot less light. As I cook it, the sauce has almost no fat and I like its flavour much better. However, if you do like the flavour of chicken's fat, you may avoid the nasty work of skinning and cleaning the chicken. Ingredients One chicken 4 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped finely 1 teaspoon of herb mix 1 laurel leaf 1 cup of red wine 1 cup of water a pinch of salt a pinch of chilli powder Recipe Skin and remove the fat of the chicken. In a pressure cooker, add the water an...

Hello you! It's been a long time! Here I am again to tell you about the book I have just read this morning. This post is about a short novella — I think I read it in one hour — written in 1939 by a Jewish Austrian writer exiled in Paris. Joseph Roth died of alcoholism very shortly after writing it. It is generally considered a masterpiece. It is also a very strange novel. It tells an extremely sad story in such a light way, and with such humour, that one cannot help smiling through it all. Even its tragic ending leaves the reader with a sense of almost joy. The story itself can be told in one single short paragraph, but I will refrain to do that and tell you to read it instead. It is very much worth it. Such a strange and precious thing. Michael Hofmann, the translator of my book, explains the lightness of this story in a single sentence: "A drinker's blackouts, confusions and carelessness — or liberality — are a way of experiencing the world." Roth, a heavy...