However, looking back to my early work, I think much of it fails to reflect the level of skill and professionalism I currently bring to my designs…and that’s important to me. Effective immediately, I am making all of my previously self-published patterns unavailable (designs published elsewhere will still be available, obviously). I will be reviewing these older patterns and will edit, reformat, and re-release those that pass muster in the coming weeks.

What does this mean to you? Not much, unless you’ve been meaning to download one of my free PDFs and just haven’t got around to it. If this applies to you and you really want one of these patterns before it’s re-released, just drop me an email at tastefuldiversions AT gmail DOT com and I’ll be happy to send you a copy (this is true of any patterns I decide not to re-release, too, but be aware that I won’t be making that decision lightly, so caveat cerdo).

See there? “Eat ‘em whole; rind & all!” it says. “A sweet little burst of vitamin C!” Sweet, my ass. I bit into one and my face did that thing it does when you bite into something unexpectedly bitter.  I think it took me about 20 minutes to completely unscrew it.

So I went on Pinterest, like I do, to see what I could find to do with these bitter little things (it’s the rind, by the way — I could taste the sweetness of the fruit but the rind just killed me). I considered candying them, and I considered making jam or marmalade out of them, but then I saw that someone had used them in a white sangria and since I had a 5 liter box of wine just hanging out in my fridge (judge not lest ye be judged), that seemed like the way to go.

It was not the way to go. Don’t get me wrong: it was drinkable. But it was just meh. I also threw in some pineapple, pear, and strawberries for a little added sweetness, and because eating the fruit is half the fun of sangria. Unfortunately, while the sangria itself was drinkable, the fruit was pretty much inedible. It seemed to leach up all the bitterness from the kumquats. That said, I think I’ll be doing the sangria thing again sans kumquats. If it works out, I’ll throw a recipe up here next time. I can promise it will be well-tested. Because that is the kind of sacrifice I am willing to make for my readers.

Image courtesy Becky Yona. Next time I’ll be more specific and tell her to include my head rather than my skirt.

To wit: the top is much deeper than it should be. Either a) there’s an error in the row count in the pattern (unlikely given the number of projects), b) my row gauge was WAY, WAY off (also unlikely, given how on-target my stitch gauge was and how normal the stitches look) or c) I can’t count. The tank looks cute on me, but the front drop goes way down (I’ll have to wear a tank under it, which is okay) and the bust darts are at the bottom of my rib cage (no one will notice unless I point it out). Still going to make another one (or three) — love how fast and easy the pattern is. I used Martha Stewart Extra Soft Wool Blend in Celery for this one.

Other things I did wrong/differently: I did not use the smaller needle, because I did not read the pattern properly. It seems fine. Also, I only worked tbl on the first two rows because it was making my wrist hurt. Again, it seems fine.

I’ve actually started my second one at this point, in Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton in Pistachio. I’m making the next size down and will actually try this one on (as recommended in the pattern) to make sure I don’t have the same problem twice. See? I can be taught!

The good news is, this means Tantivy is finally, finally ready to be released. I’m going to write a nice, long, thoughtful blog about her and then release her into the wild sometime next week.

I’ll also be showing you some other projects I’ve been working on, both original and not. And did I mention delicious recipes? Maybe, possibly, there will even be a Found it on the Internet Friday post this week. Dare to dream.

I love bleach pens for stuff like this — the gel stays pretty much where you put it. and it rinses out really easily, too. I freehanded a design right over the coffee stain, then expanded it out so it would look more like a deliberate design and less like I was bleaching out a wee little stain. I’m really pleased with the result and can’t wait  to wear my “new” favorite jeans out on the town!

The main polishes are from Julep’s Maven box, which I tried out for the first time this month. I got the Bombshell Box, which had this gorgeous almost-red fuschia color and the pretty gold-leafy color you see there. I’ll be honest, the Maven box is a little pricey for me, but the polishes go on really nicely and lasted without chipping a couple of days on me (which for me is a lot). I’m skipping this month, but will keep an eye on future boxes to see what they’ve got. (Full disclosure: if you click that linkie and sign up, I get reward points.)

Since Wednesday, I have been wearing skirts and flip flops and driving with the sunroof open and — most importantly — have gotten my annual Spring sinusitis. I declare Spring officially sprung!

* Okay, technically the second, but that one day when I was sick and had to take the kids to school and didn’t have the energy to put on my boots doesn’t count. Man, did I get some looks that day.

Amongst the many other projects I’m working on is a sweater for a commission  On the plus side, there’s no actual deadline on this one (unfortunately, practically speaking, that means it keeps getting put off, and I really need to stop that because it’s going to be big and heavy at some point and I’ll probably be pretty unhappy if that point happens mid-August) (although really, it’s beginning to seem like it’s never going to be warm again up here in the frozen North, so maybe I’ll want a lap blanket in the middle of summer), but I have a little break between deadlined projects, so I started swatching.

I used the chart I had made up when I originally swatched for the submission, and got about, oh, 30 rows in before I realized that my new swatch looked nothing like my old swatch. So I got out the old swatch and tried to figure out what was going on. I got it mostly right, but there was something that was still eluding me…and I finally realized that I’d completely changed the pattern. Punchline: I had written out, in detail, the new pattern. Right underneath the chart I’d been referring to. Sigh.

Third time was the charm, though, and now it’s looking pretty awesome. This is another one I can’t wait  to share with you, not just because the pattern is going to be gorgeous  but because the yarn is so nice to work with (coughKnitPicksCityTweedcough).

1. The upcoming relaunch of this here bloggy thing. I spent some time away, but found myself missing it, so I’m coming back. I think a couple of things contributed to my hiatus, mostly that I tried awfully hard to keep all of my posts mostly non-personal — which is really just not my style — and also that I wasn’t able to customize it the way I wanted to. Well, going forward I’m going to be a little less uptight about what I post (look forward to more pics of my awesome children and possibly responses to crazy people on the internet when they give me internet rage, but not at the expense of posts about food and crafts). And I ponied up so I can make the blog look and feel the way I really want it to (for starters, see the nifty pic of Pete the Owl there in the background?).

2. The sooper-sekrit project I just finished. Can’t show you pics of this one just yet, but trust me, it’s pretty awesome.

3. The pattern I have in the final stages of tech editing right now. My incredibly awesome and patient tech editor is doing an awesome job and I can’t wait to release it to you. I’m hoping it will be able to coincide with the official relaunch of the blog next week, and I’ll probably run some sort of special promo. This one, I can give you a sneak peek of:

It is called Tantivy, which means “At full gallop; at top speed.” and it is so named because it works up so quickly. It’s got bell sleeves, waist shaping, eyelet details, and a generous cowl neck. I really love this sweater, both the knitting of it and the wearing of it…so, so comfy.

4. Getting back to writing recipes and making fun little projects! I’m going to be bringing back Tasty Tuesdays and Found It on the Internet Fridays, and I’m super excited about both. My Pinterest overfloweth, and I can’t wait to share all the cool stuff I’ve found. I’ve already got several recipes that I’ve been working on over the past couple  of months, and I know at least one of them will surprise you if you know me at all (hint: it involves cooking veggies).

It’s so good to be back!

I used this recipe I found online at The Cajun Grocer (which is where I get my andouille, alligator sausage, and ‘gator fillets, incidentally). I actually made the dough a while back and froze it but never got around to frying any up, mostly because it seemed like a waste of oil and time to just fry up a couple of beignets. However, I was recently reminded that I love fried mushrooms, and it occurred to me that I could have beignets in the morning and fried mushrooms for dinner, and that plan made it make sense to get the oil out and start frying.

I actually had this plan last weekend, and ended up not being hungry in the evening when it came time for the ‘shrooms, so I saved the oil for this weekend and a second round of beignets. Also, last weekend my oil was a bit too hot and the beignets ended up being raw in the middle. This weekend, the temperature was just right (about 360 deg. F) and they fried up perfectly. They’re very tasty, but this particular recipe is coming out really, really dense, and I’m not sure if it’s because the dough’s old or just this recipe. Guess I’ll have to make some more beignets and find out! (No recipe just yet, as I want to play around and find/make one that comes out nice and fluffy.)

Don’t get me wrong — we’ve been inconvenienced plenty…my darling children haven’t had school for a week and the bloom is quickly coming off the stay-at-home-mommy rose (seriously, homeschooling friends, I have no idea how you do this)…we can’t really go anywhere due to dangerous roads…grocery stores around us have very low stock on perishables… my paycheck didn’t get deposited due to the timing of the storm…but these are truly minor inconveniences compared to the losses and devastation those around us have gone through.

I’m releasing a new hat pattern today, Haimish. 100% of all proceeds for the month of November will be donated to a relief fund for those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Haimish is a Yiddish word meaning “warm and comfortable; homey; folksy.” Easy to knit and wear, this comfy hat exemplifies these characteristics. Offset cables surround the hat, topping off the thick rib and rolled edging. It is rustic simplicity at its best. Offered in three sizes (child, adult small, adult large) for the whole family.

Size:

Child (Adult Small, Adult Large) / 14.25 (18, 21.25)” (NOTE: Hat is very stretchy and is designed with about 2″ of negative ease. I.e., if your head circumference is 20″, the 18″ size would fit you properly.)

Materials:

• 80 (100, 150)yds Aran weight wool (shown in Katmandu Aran Tweed: Color 115 – Olive (104yds 50gm)
• US 9/5.5mm 16” circular needle and dpns
• Stitch marker

Gauge:

18 stitches and 22 rows = 4″ in pattern. Please take time to check your gauge, as this helps to ensure a successful project.

You can purchase the pattern online from Ravelry.com (you do not need a Ravelry account to purchase).