Documentation

I've updated the sidebar with the things I'm currently into.

Earlier this year I watched a lot of old movies. Here are the ones I can remember:

All About Eve
The Bicycle Thief
Double Indemnity
Gaslight
Grand Hotel
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
The Maltese Falcon
Mildred Pierce
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Strangers on a Train
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

There's always money in the banana stand

We've been experiencing record-breaking heat in the Pacific Northwest. We've eaten out a lot, but I did manage to make chocolate-covered frozen bananas.

I also made a spicy slaw from Suvir Saran's American Masala, in an attempt to fight fire with fire. The original recipe is here, and there's a modified version here, but some of the amounts seem a little wonky.

Um, hi.

I finished these Austermann Step socks in March:
I am currently working on some cotton ankle socks for which I learned a new technique, Judy's Magic Cast-On (for toe-up socks). I'm still thinking about trying some sort of lace shawl or scarf, but I've also been thinking about getting a haircut for months, and that hasn't happened yet, so....

I did try to write a blog post about a month ago, but this was all I had saved in the draft:

"What is up with the wall-to-wall couch in this picture? It's crazy! I think there's a built-in step. I also think it's depressing the dog."

There was also a link to an old Nirvana video and a comment about guys in dresses equaling the '90s. This came about because I was reminiscing over some old ("vintage") videos at mtvmusic.com.

Recent items from my kitchen:

• Wheat berry salad with fresh peas (and fennel) from Eating Close to Home: A Guide to Local Seasonal Sustenance in the Pacific Northwest (a recipe book that fails to provide any idea of how many servings the recipes make):

• Walla Walla onion rings--Very tasty, but I ate too many and felt a little sick, and the leftover oil is kind of gross. If I make them again, I'd like to try putting some smoked paprika in the coating. No picture because we ate them very quickly.
• Lentil, apple, and banana salad from Rosa's New Mexican Table--It's unusual, but I decided to make it because I liked all the ingredients and the book acknowledged the fact that it sounds weird. I plan on making it again for a potluck in a few days.
  

More FO's from 2008

My mom received two pairs of cotton/lycra socks (Greenwood Fiberworks yarn) knit toe-up over 68 stitches. The purple ones have some calf shaping, as seen above, and are really this color.

These are the Gentleman's Half Hose in Ringwood Pattern (from Knitting Vintage Socks) for my dad. I think I followed the pattern exactly as written except I used size 2 needles. These are the largest socks I've ever knit and really hope they fit well. Yarn is Knit Picks Essential in navy (2+ balls). These also have calf shaping!

As for what I'm doing now, I ripped out this sock, last seen in March, because it was too tight all around. I'm now knitting it over 72 stitches and with a stockinette leg.