It's time for Fred Flare's annual Next Big Thing contest. 27 winners get their thing sold at Fred Flare next to a bio, and the fan favorite wins a thousand bucks. I've loved everything that has come out of past years. If you're interested in entering the contest details are here. Good luck!

I just wanted to let you know that Scott's new album Save You From Yourself (which I've talked about previously) is now available on iTunes.

I was so excited to be finished with my light gray Ribby Cardi that I forgot to include a few notes for posterity. So, here is a final wrap up: [Read more →]

the pattern: Central Park Hoodie
the yarn: Dark Horse Fantasy in Charcoal (#13)
the previous entries: 1

It's true what they say, the CPH pattern manages to be fast and interesting. This sweater is coming along very quickly, it's luxuriously, thrillingly satisfying. Especially for very slow knitters like myself. [Read more →]

You, Too, Can Be (at) McLeod, at Seattle Weekly. McLeod is open to the public.

vegetarian resaturants in Seattle

Trophy Cupcakes is going to be on the Martha Stewart show!, and they have having a viewing party on April 3rd.

MSG150 is called Seattle's Most Useful Food Blog by Voracious.

eject powerstrip at Unplugged. I should use one of these to unplug my iron, it would be far safer than kneeling down to a level where the hot iron could potenially fall right on my head.

Find Lost Web Pages at Wired

How to stop young dudes from taking over library ‘puters, at Ask Metafilter. I like that she adds, "You've gotta admire their skills."

Light Switch by Tobias Wong, at Unplugged. Alows you to put a wireless dummy lightswitch on the other side of the room.

Photoshop Express, the long-awaited free online image editor from Photoshop maker Adobe, will be released as a public beta on Thursday. at Wired. (But don't forget about Picasa.)

I've started knitting the Central Park Hoodie which (you already know this if you knit) is a very popular pattern. It was printed in the Fall 2006 Knitscene magazine but you can purchase a downloadable pattern at the Knitting Daily store that comes with expanded sizes and corrections. (More on the corrections in the next post.) [Read more →]

Marine Navigation light pen, the tip has an LED so you can write in the dark. Scott needs one of these for the sign up list at his rawk shows.

What little things do great friends do that sets them apart from others? at Ask Metafilter

Has anyone ever succeeded in faking their own death? at Ask Metafilter

Linda Davidson, Genie was shown online at The Slog and much to the shock of the gallery somebody just went and bought it. I like it too.

Neal Stephensons next novel Anthem is due in August! at Diary of a Phanatique. Yay. You can pre-order Anthem at Amazon.

Author recommendations: Solve the pattern: Patrick O'Brian, Alan Furst, Neal Stephenson... who comes next? at Ask Metafilter

Disney Treasure Ring at Fred Flare. The tiny lid opens to reveal treasure!

DIY Spa Treatment: Homemade Hair Remover at Bellasugar

What to put in a modern day survival kit? at Ask Metafilter

How can I better understand social cues? at Ask Metafilter. The number of questions similar to this at Ask Metafilter make me feel like I'm not alone in my cluelessness.

Ladies, have any of you had success clearing your skin for good by foregoing foundation of any type? at Ask Metafilter

Lotta Jansdotter is offering fabrics in her shop! via Anh-Minh.

DIY Concealer at Pink of Perfection

Browning Passage Pet Cave at Uncrate. Expensive but neat, no?

Could anyone recommend a book/movie/show/game/whatever that features a character as crafty as Veronica Mars? at Ask Metafilter

Marc Jacobs is coming out with Pear, Grapefruit and Basil fragrances for this summer, via Chow. I wish I had enough reason to spend money on these.

I'm looking for bronzing and self-tanning products for the very fair-skinned. at Ask Metafilter

I'd like to learn a new language during my daily commute. What is the best language learning audio cd available? at Ask Metafilter. I've had the French Pimsleur tapes on hold at my library, the queue in front of me is so long that it's been years and I still haven't gotten them. They must be popular.

Skimming through this hosue tour at the Design*Sponge guest blog I discovered that one of the the tins I was considering tossing are Daher, and might be collectible.

Do you really need to duck when getting in/out of a helicopter? at Ask Metafilter

Chef'n SleekStor veggie steamer

Our old metal steamer from Ikea started to rust so I finally had an excuse to buy this one. The feet won't scratch pots and it is flexible silicone so it moves to fit nicely into most sizes of pot (it doesn't work in my small 1-quart saucepan). It's easy to clean and doesn't take up much storage space, we hang ours on the side of the fridge. I like it. Mine is Avacado green and it also comes in cherry pink and translucent.

OXO Food Scale

I never did get around to buying the Escali Primo digital scale I was so cheerful about back in November and since then the OXO Food Scale has caught my eye. The display pulls out so you can read it if a large bowl is put on the scale, and it's thin enough to store easily. It even has a backlit display for when you are, um, baking in the dark?

Simplehuman Sensor Soap Pump

It's touchless, you just put your hand under the spout and it dispenses your soap. Actually, I wish I had never head of this because then I wouldn't think about how awesome it would be every time I reach out to my normal soap pump with my flour/oil/blueberry juice/melted chocolate covered fingers. I resent you Simplehuman Sensor Soap Pump. No come back I love you!

Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 4-Quart Saucepan

Last year I had a crush on a small All-Clad saucepan but put off buying it, and eventually was lured by the "dishwasher safe" sticker on a small Calphalon Kitchen Essentials saucepan at Target. It's been working great but I realized too late that, duh, the glass lid will inevitably shatter when I drop it (and I will drop it).

So when my four quart saucepan bit it I decided to look for a replacement with a metal lid. I was happy to find that the June 2007 issue of Cook's Country recommended the Pinzon 3.5 Quart Stainless Steel Sauce Pan at Amazon for a very nice $20, but now I'm sad because it's not available anymore (or currently, let's hope currently).

Cook's Country also recommended the Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 4-Quart Saucepan, but it's about $60. Do I buy the Cuisinart Chef's Classic? Or hope Amazon brings back the inexpensive Pinzon saucepan? Maybe get the saucier-shaped Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 3-Quart Chef's Pan that is a not-too-bad $30? Why couldn't I have needed a larger saucepan last summer when the recommendation came out?

Wüsthof Come Apart Kitchen Shears

This post at Baking Bites reminded me that I really need to replace my six year old Ikea scissors and get a proper pair of kitchen shears. The Wüsthof Come Apart Kitchen Shears are exactly what need and are recommended by Cook's Illustrated. And apparently they are comfortable for left-handed people as well.

the sweater: Ribby Cardi
the yarn: Cotton Ease in Stone
the previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

I have thoroughly annoyed myself with how long it took me to get the zipper into this. I finished the actual (re) knitting back in mid-February but couldn't seem to find the energy for the amount of focus it takes to put the zipper in. Happily I managed to get it last weekend and it's FINALLY OVER. [Read more →]