There is a nightmare in my knitting basket

I found a pattern on Ravelry several months ago that's just the stuff I love to knit - one piece, yolk, barely any seaming. It's called Owls by Kate Davis. I am writing this post on the eve of finishing the sweater. For all of you knitters out there, you know the elation one feels when you finish something, and for yourself none the less. There is only one problem - I've had to rip out the entire body and the yoke and start all over. Nothing entertains my husband more than watching me spend hours and hours knitting something that he can then rip out in 2 minutes, muttering to himself, "One stitch, two stitch, good stitch, bad stitch".

Why do restart, then? Through my experience with clothing I've realized that those pesky little problems that you notice at the beginning will stay with the garment no matter how much you try to ignore them, and for me, it comes down to ripping it apart before I do all the finishing work, or letting it sit in the closet for 2 years while I "forget" to wear it and then ripping it apart and reknitting.

To all of you knitters who are thinking about making this pattern, keep these things in mind:

1. Because of the thickness of the yarn, this is a chunky sweater and if it's not made correctly, will make you look chunky (like it does for me). In fair disclaimor, my yarn is a little thicker than what the pattern called for.

2. The back increase and decrease is really for the strong at heart because on me it looks hideous. The top part bunches unpleasantly, so I've ripped the body out and I will make the shaping on the sides. I will try to make it smaller - something like 3 decreases and 4 increases, to see if it looks better at the end.

3. For me, the yolk (or the top part of the sweater after you've joined body and sleeves) is too short. I've seen this on pictures of other knitters for this pattern. It seems that for size L, you should knit about 1-2 inches in stockinette before starting the owls and potentially with a small decrease before the purl first owl row. I'll give it a go and see how it comes out.

Baby got wheels - stroller evolution

My daughter is a year and a half and we're on our second stroller. It's a nice stroller - a Maclaren, the biggest and best that Maclaren makes. And we're starting to think about getting a new one. Don't get me wrong. We have a great stroller. But it's falling apart because we use it in ways it was never meant to be used. You see, we live in the city, with potholes, uneven sidewalks, stairs, curbs and other obstructions that reak havoc on the stroller that, according to Eli - the owner of Magic Beans in Brooklne - is a shopping mall stroller. Ours has never seen the insides of the shopping mall. I don't own a car, so the stroller is our only mode of transport during the week and we log at least a mile a day, sometimes even more.

I am an honest believer that there is no perfect stroller, so I don't blame our for falling short. Perfection is an art that has alluded the stroller world, even with some hefty pricetags that are out there. Take our first stroller for example. We had a MicraLite. True to its name it was very small and very light. But it had a terrible basket on the bottom that couldn't hold anything. But it had full wheels on the back which could go up stairs beautifully (a trait I didn't appreciate until we got our Maclaren). It also had long U shaped handle, which was perfect because you could drive it with one hand thanks to the middle bar, but also had horns on the ends for hanging things like blankets and bags and groceries. We really miss the middle bar because it's really hard to drive the Maclaren while talking on the phone or as my husband always says - it's hard to drink his coffee and drive the stroller.

Why do we like the Maclaren? First and foremost, we had the spiffiest model which reclines to a comfortable 5 degrees. This was key when we go for day long trips or on vacations because our daughter can sleep in the stroller pretty comfortably. Secondly, we love how well it can fold. There is a slight negative part to this, since it becomes very long when it folds, so in some of the smaller cars we've rented, it has been a real challenge to get it into the trunk. Also, the basket and all of its contents are crushed when the stroller is folded.

So, what's next for us? At this stage, it's really unclear. I would like a light stroller, wich chunky wheels at the back and a big basket. I would also like for it to fold easily and compactly. It must have a middle bar so my husband can get his coffee. It must have a basinet so that when/if we have baby#2, we can have a properly positioned infant. And if possible, I would like for it be no wider than my hips. Otherwise, I fear that my hips will expand to fill the space.

Simple Green Beans

It was 8 pm and my stomach was growling and the fridge was looking decidedly empty. I had just finished a yoga class, so my hunger was exacerbated by the ache in my muscles. I had a bag of green beans from our farmer's market, so I decided to give them a try. Typically, green beans are prepared in 2 steps. First, you boil the beans and then, plunge them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. I am not a big fan of this kind of beans - they seem too tough and not flavorful enough.

Last night I cooked my beans a little longer than typically recommended - 5-7 minutes. And I didn't plunge them into an ice bath - it's too much work and I don't like the result anyway! In my recipe, the beans are cooked a bit more and are thus softer. And they are warm when you pour over the sauce, so they have a chance to absorb it. I'm not proud to admit it, but I ate the whole thing right then and there. It didn't even make it to the plate - and I mopped up the remaining sauce with bread. This is also an excellent side dish for beef.

Simple Green Beans (Haricot verts)

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of green beans, cut off ends, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/4 red Vidalia onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove

5-7 tbsp olive oil

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preparation:

Boil water in a medium pot and add the green beans. Boil for about 5-7 minute until the beans start to be tender but still nicely green. This is just past the bright green stage. Pour off the water and add the beans to a mixing bowl. Add the onion. Put the garlic, olive oil, salt and lemon juice into a food processor and process until the mixture is uniform. Pour the sauce over the bean and onion mixture. Mix and serve.

Mint Flavored Iced Tea (No Sugar)

OK, OK. I've sworn 100 times that I would write down recipes that I create on the fly, and I almost never do. And then comes the time 3 months down the line when I try to recreate that perfect thing and it NEVER comes out the same.

So, here, I will try to avoid this scenario and share with you a recipe for Mint Flavored Iced Tea.

Ingredients:

boiling water

2 tea bags (English breakfast decaf is my favorite)

1+ tsp honey

1 tea bag of mint tea or some dried or fresh mint leaves

2 lemons

water

Boil 3-4 cups of water and add the English Breakfast teabags. I brew the tea right in the pitcher because mine is tempered glass but you can also use a bowl or a pot and pour it into a pitcher once the water has cooled. Add the mint tea bag or put the mint leaves into a tea pouch and add to the water. If you have fresh mint leaves, you can add them to the water without a tea pouch. Add the honey and stir. Let this brew sit for about 20-30 minutes. It should have a nice brown color and should smell of mint and honey. Then squeeze the juice from 2 lemons into the tea and give it a try. You may have to add a little bit more honey if the tea is too sour. Then fill the rest of the picture with water and refrigerate. The tea can last a couple of days in the fridge, but ours never even makes it that far!

Now, it's time for me to delve a little into the movie critic shoes. I saw The Reader yesterday. I have to say that I love Ralph Fiennes so my view of this movie is biased.

Let's start with the fact that it's been about 24 hours since I've seen it and I still can't stop thinking about it. I see the character's faces, I am revisiting scenes from the movie. It's an amazing film. About love, about life, about the impact strangers can have on our lives.

I love the truthfulness of this film. It's rare these days to find a movie where the end isn't sugar coated. Where people have real faults, and you take them for the way they are and love them your whole life. Ok, that's all I'll say. Go and watch it (on DVD probably).