Snappy!

We looked at a lot of adorable ranch houses from the 1940s through the '60s recently, and I was really struck by how fresh and modern "retro" can be.





A jaunty pair of crocheted potholders, worked square and on the bias!

Snappy! offers lots of possibilities for customization; each stripe requires only a few yards of yarn. The coordinating pair makes a great hostess present.

Any worsted weight cotton will work, although the size of the finished potholder will vary. Exact gauge is not important as long as you achieve a dense fabric. Each potholder requires 1 ball of yarn for the main color; the border takes less than half a ball.

The potholders are double layered for extra insulation.

Skills required chain; slip stitch; single crochet; simple embroidery stitch of your choice, such as chain stitch, back stitch, or cross stitch. Pattern includes instructions for working embroidered chain stitch with the crochet hook.

Pattern is written in US terms (US sc = UK dc).

Available for $3.00 on Ravelry or Craftsy.


Craftsy

Super exciting: the wonderful pandorra7 and photospice from the Annual Dishcloth Swap are guest-hosting the 4th annual potholder swap.

Rav group!

Craftsy

I'm now selling patterns on Craftsy, where you can find me as RepublicOfYarn.

http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/477974

Wasabi Coleslaw

I love wasabi coleslaw! It's great for adding bite, crunch, and a veg (well, also some mayo) to a meal.

We first had wasabi coleslaw at a Korean restaurant as one of the banchan. When our waitress came by with refills we asked her what it was and she said, "Ummmmmmm...wasabi coleslaw" with "you ninnies" implied. Ha.

This is so wicked easy it barely counts as a recipe.

1 bag coleslaw mix
some mayo
some rice vinegar
wasabi powder

Stir together a spoonful of wasabi powder and a couple spoonfuls of water. You want to make a slurry, not a paste like you would for sushi.

Put the coleslaw mix into a large wide bowl. Add a few blops of mayo (maybe half a cup) and a couple splashes of rice vinegar (maybe a quarter cup) and mix thoroughly with a fork. Add the wasabi slurry and mix some more. At this point I just start tasting and add more of whatever it needs. I like it best with enough mayo and vinegar to moisten the cabbage shreds but not so much that they stick together. Let it sit in the fridge for at least half an hour before serving.

That's it!

Soup!

I made some REALLY good soup the other day. Felt like eating something for lunch that was a "meal" and not just a sandwich, but didn't want to go to the store.

oil (I used olive oil because I like the taste)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic (I love garlic; you could use less)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp. cayenne
4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
1 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1/2 can diced tomatoes
salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Chop HALF the onion and the garlic cloves.
Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat, add the chopped onion and garlic, and brown them lightly.
Add the spices, stir and fry for a few seconds.
Add the lentils and broth. Boil, lower heat and cover pot to simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. They'll kind of fall apart.
Whisk soup until the lentils are mostly smooth.
Add tomatoes and salt, cook for a few minutes more.
Immediately before serving, stir in the lemon juice.
Garnish bowls of soup with fried onion strips (see below).

Fried Onion Garnish:
While the lentils are simmering, slice the remaining half onion very thinly. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a small nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the onion slices; stir and fry until they are brown and crispy. Spoon them out of the pan and drain on paper towels.

fantastic customer service

When I recently had problems with a ball of Meilenweit 100, the people at Muench Yarns really came through for me. I emailed asking how I could exchange yarn since mine was defective. Although the color was discontinued, they offered to send two replacement balls if I'd let them know my taste in colors. It's really nice that they made the problem right.

Anyways, I just wanted to share my good opinion of them.

I've been stung . . .

Yup, I've started a Beekeeper's Quilt.