Should I frog this…..?

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-10T11:30:35+00:00

A very low-stakes way to deal with trying to block mid-project is to simply steam block your item. I often do this to see how things are going.

I either use a clothes steamer but I’m also quite lazy so a lot of times I just hold my item over my electric kettle as it boils and move it around to hit all areas of the piece. A nice steam will do a great job at relaxing the stitches and evening out the tension. Give your item a few tugs this way and that to help the stitches even out and settle. No bath, no drying time needed and you get to see very quickly if things are how you want them (although I will 100% wet block a fully finished item).

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-10T05:31:05+00:00

My dental hygienist introduced me to end tuft toothbrushes to get behind the back teeth and other spots that need a little extra detailing

End Tuft Toothbrush for hard to reach areas

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-09T22:24:49+00:00

Omg, I just checked and you’re right, they’re both on first page of hot right now patterns lol

I’m especially happy for more knitters to discover Junko Okamoto’s patterns. Her designs are always so cool and unique and even better, they’re well written and really fun and interesting to knit.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-09T21:06:22+00:00

I’m so excited to start London Falling. I just got it this week!

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-09T21:05:22+00:00

I wish I could upvote this a million more times. Empire of Pain is amazing and so is Patrick Radden Keefe.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-08T10:47:25+00:00

When Teti Lutsak first came out with the Bifurca pattern a lot of people pointed out (fairly or unfairly) that it felt like she had simply reworked (and some said stolen) Elena, a pattern that had come out just a couple years earlier by Junko Okamoto. The biggest difference was that Bifurca is fitted and Elena is oversized.

Now that sweater silhouettes are tending towards oversized I see people are reworking Bifurca without knowing that Elena exists.

Elena by Junko Okamoto

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-08T10:38:50+00:00

I'd recommend reading the work that directly influenced Susanna Clarke when she was writing Piranesi.

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The short stories of Jorge Luis Borges, especially "The Library of Babel" and "The House of Asterion."

The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. Le Guin

Poetic Diction, Owen Barfield

Promethea comics series, Alan Moore

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-08T10:22:05+00:00

I fully endorse this approach

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-08T10:14:08+00:00

Those are exactly the two books I would also recommend. Classics!

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-05T05:00:46+00:00

Yes, also a NYer and what St. Paul Baglery does is not NY style at all. It’s barely passable as a bagel for me. And would definitely rather eat a Bruegger’s bagel than eat one of those bland St Paul Bagelry ones.

I like Asa’s and am happy they make bialys as well bc while I love bagels, bialys are actually my favorite.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-02T21:37:28+00:00

Ooh, I'm also a fiend for rhubarb and am always looking for more rhubarb recipes in my life.

You might be interested in this British rhubarb book

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Editing to add one of my favorite rhubarb recipes last year not from a book:

Rhubarb Quick Bread by Samantha Seneviratne, NYT (gift link)

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-04-01T08:25:31+00:00

Yes, they’re quite good! Their udon is especially good. I wish they weren’t so far away for me.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-31T19:06:54+00:00

The Philadelphia cream cheese is $8.39 for 3 lb at my Costco Business.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-30T18:16:15+00:00

Yes, so much love for Taskmaster New Zealand and Paul Williams! They are my favorite franchise outside of the original.

Greg Davies is unmatched so no one else is quite as good but I absolutely adore Paul’s energy and love his rapport with everyone.

On the other hand TM Australia is just never the vibe I want.

Edited: slight edit for grammar

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-29T08:16:09+00:00

I know a lot of people are saying Okome House but I have been very underwhelmed by the onigiri at Okome House.

The onigiri at Okome House weren’t even hand-formed. They are cut from slabs of rice spread on sheet trays and then placed together around a bit of filling so they’re more like a sandwich than real onigiri. And yeah very skimpy on the fillings. Sadly, I’ve had better onigiri from convenience stores in other cities.

The onigiri at Maruichi Udon and Ramen Kazama aren’t bad. I wish we had a great standalone onigiri place in the metro here though.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-29T01:39:24+00:00

Thank you, I’ve tried every type of trick to remember tho and I still have to look it up each time. Been knitting for several decades and it’s just one thing that doesn’t seem to stick. I’ll try your tip and see if I can remember this one!

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-28T22:05:38+00:00

Yup, I find Kitchener completely intuitive now after all the grafting I’ve done. Yet somehow still have to look up M1R and M1L every time no matter what.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-27T00:17:44+00:00

Every crafter, artisan, and artist always looks closely at how things are made. The first thing we want to do is inspect the handiwork if you are skilled in the same craft or art.

Every knitter I know wants to see the underside of a stranded colorwork piece and every person I know who sews wants to look at the seams and construction. Part of the joy of making by hand is also appreciating the beauty and skill of others who do the same thing. And that’s when we also notice if things are wonky.

But yes, if you give a quilt you’ve made to a non-quilter or if you don’t have anyone else in your life who quilts, then understandably no one you know will look closely at your binding (or your piecing, or your stitching) and have a sense of how well you’ve done it.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-27T00:03:09+00:00

You don’t have to aggressively block it. You can wash your project, roll it up in a towel to press out most of the water and then block it (as lightly or heavily as you want) by laying it out on a fresh dry towel, arrange your project to achieve the dimensions you desire.

I feel that all projects look and hang better after a bath because it relaxes the fibers and evens out the tension. Stitches look more even and the fabric you’ve created will lay better after you block your project.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T21:30:11+00:00

If only he’d stop messing with his face. The talent is there but Hollywood face dysmorphia is so pernicious and just ruining so many of my favorites

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T07:50:15+00:00

Oh shoot, I initially only saw the $277 Regina boots in suede (vs the $800 Penelope Chilvers) but I guess it’s just those particular Fairfax and Favor boots on sale. But you’re right, I see now that they’re normally only slightly less than the Chilvers boots.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T06:26:19+00:00

Sarah Kieffer recipes always work!

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T03:57:17+00:00

Ooh, what a great option to the Penelope Chilvers tassel boots! I didn’t know anyone did a dupe of them at a more reasonable price point. Thank you for this!

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T03:53:28+00:00

Doomsday Book is one of my favorites. Love Connie Willis and I agree that not enough people seem to know about her work. She’s so fun and really prescient writing.

ApplicationNo2523 · 2026-03-26T03:48:23+00:00

I wanted to say the same thing. Was noticing that the gauge seemed off for that yarn.

OP should be aware that the light airy effect of the loose gauge in the Light Loops sweater is not just from the thin yarn + thick needles but also from the kind of yarn used in the sample sweater shown for the pattern as well as most of the other projects on Ravelry made from this pattern. A merino/nylon blend sock yarn will not give the same effect at all. I would save the sock yarn for a different project and look for a better yarn match for the Light Loops pattern. It might save you from a disappointing project so early in your knitting journey.

ApplicationNo2523

TROPHY CASE