Digs Magazine does it again — I want to know how to use my coffee press properly, and what do I find? how to use my coffee press properly!

Stitches West (a huge knitting convention which I just learned about, coming here Feb. 22nd) is just a Bart ride away for me, hopefully they will have some of that non-wool yarn I lust after.

good tips for roasting chestnuts over at marthastewart.com

Allrecipes has a few recipe a day coundowns going on – cookie, candy and cake. They also have collected recipes into a Christmas Guide.

how to make those sugar scene ornaments (like the easter sugar scene eggs) on the carol duvall show. check it out – it’s very similar to making bath bombs! link via project annie, thanks!

and I want to make these lovely golden syrup window biscuits – recipe at podular in the kitchen

things I definetly plan to make for the holidays*:

• chex mix
• individual chocolate melting cakes
• sugar cube house
• gingerbread house with meringue powder royal icing
• little chocolate trees

  and I nearly forgot the Christmas morning treat!

• The Best French Toast Ever

* does not imply suggestion or promise of producing any of listed foods

yippee! guess what very excellent addition to my (as of yet nonexistant) gingerbread house display just arrived? these are so great!

I was hoping to get around to photographing some instructions for these but I don’t think I will: how to make paper snowflakes (also known to a select few as Office Snowflakes) with George the Gnome and this guy

also, diy decorations at the Hoopla Advent Calendar – I’m going to make that chain and string it from cubicle to cubicle here

also, an article in the Bay Guardian stitch and bitch

there is a story in the Irish Independent about how cool knitting is and how all the celebrities are doing it including, yes, you already know this one, Russell Crowe

link via knitter’s review

and if you’re in love with the man, or just want some sort of proof, chicknits offers this (scrumptious) photograph

I want more yummy holiday recipes! Got any to share?

More to report from the weekend, I made it out to General Bead and it was very different than what I was expecting (very different than the impression the site gave me). The store was a good size, not massive, and colorful, the walls and countertops and ceilings were covered in bright colors (like being inside a Dr. Seuss book). Everything which wasn’t nailed down was covered in beads and jewels, the calculators and lamps and all. And the very friendly and helpful employees were cool, even when I changed my mind twice about stuff I wanted to buy. The way it works was well explained at the door – you take a small clipboard, form and pen. Example beads, cord and findings are displayed on the walls with product number, amount per sold, and description. This is nice because you can touch the beads, but you’re not buying the beads everyone has fondled. You fill out a line for each type of bead you want to buy, take it to the counter and somone retrieves the beads from the numerous bins in the back. There were so many huge plastic jewels, I might be back there very soon. Other things I noticed – parts for chandeliers, plenty of bead kits, they seem to have everything you could want.

how to make Glace de Viande at Textism

I went to Fengari yarn shop in Half Moon Bay yesterday [400 Main Street, (650) 726-2550] and it was lovely! So much yarn, and a substantial amount of non-wool. I found some Sirdar Snowflake Chunky, but they didn’t have any red (I was thinking of another red and white striped something or other). Snowflake is very soft and very ligweight. I was traveling with Scott and he held a ball in his hands, squeezed it (this yarn encourages everyone to go all Charmin on it) and said it reminded him of angel food cake. I ended up buying some grey Geisha by Plymouth, which is ecstatically soft and bumpy-fuzzy. The label recommended US 11 – 13 needles so I bought some 10″ #11 Pony Pearls which are a bright deep orange, nearly magenta (I love the color). The needles are surprisingly lightweight as well. I might switch to #10 US needles though, and I might try a wood set this time.

So far I like the Pony Pearl needles better than the Bryspun Flexible. By comparison the Bryspuns feel heavy (the knob at the end especially seems to have unneccessary weight) and hard, they would begin to hurt the joints on the inside of my fingers. This is regarding very thick needles, I’m sure their respective properties are different for the thinner sizes. And I’m realizing that Zap, while very fun, is too heavy to make a long scarf (like the one I made) out of.