Mod Flower Susemi

Use two colours of acrylic yarn, with hook size recommended for that yarn, or a size smaller for a denser item.

Make adjustable loop to begin.

Round 1: Ch 3, 13 dc into loop, sl st to beg. ch. (14 sts.)

Round 2: Ch 1, 2 sc into space beside chain, 1 sc into next space. Continue around, alternating 2 sc/1 sc into each space, ending with 1 sc in space right beside beg. ch. Sl st to beg. ch. (21 sts., not including beg. ch.)

Round 3: Ch 1, 2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts. Continue around in pattern (2 sc, 1 sc, 1 sc), ending with 1 sc in st before beg. ch. Sl st to beg. ch. (28 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Round 4: Attach 2nd colour of yarn in any stitch, and ch 1. 2 sc in same stitch, 1 sc in next st. Continue around, alternating 2 sc/1 sc in each st, ending with 1 sc in st before beg. ch. Sl st to beg. ch. (42 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Round 5: Ch 3, 2 dc in same stitch as base of chain. Skip next 2 sts, 1 sc in 3rd st. Skip next 2 sts, 5 dc in 3rd st. Continue in pattern (1 sc, 5 dc) around, in every third stitch, ending with 1 sc in 3rd st before beg. ch. 2 dc in same stitch as base of chain, with other 3 stitches to complete 5 dc fan. Sl st to beg. ch. (42 sts.)

Cut yarn and sew in ends.

Rainbow Flower Susemi

Use acrylic yarn in five adjoining colours on the spectrum, and a smaller hook than recommended for that yarn.

Chain 5 and sl st to join into a loop.

Round 1: Ch 2, 11 hdc into loop, sl st to beg. ch. (12 sts.)

Round 2: Into any st, attach 2nd colour and ch 3. 1 dc into same st, then 2 dc into each stitch around, sl st to beg. ch. (24 sts.)

Round 3: Into the space between any two sts, attach 3rd colour and ch 2, 1 hdc into same space, 1 hdc into next space, 2 hdc into next space. Continue around, alternating 1 hdc/2 hdc into each space, ending with 1 hdc in space just before beg. ch. Sl st to beg. ch. (36 sts.)

Round 4: Into the space between any two sts, attach 4th colour and ch 3, 1 dc into same space. 1 dc into each of next two spaces, 2 dc into next space. Continue around in pattern (1 dc, 1 dc, 2 dc), ending with 1 dc in each of two spaces before beg. ch. Sl st to beg. ch. (48 sts.)

Round 5: Into space between any 2 dc in one stitch from previous row, attach 5th colour and ch 3. 2 dc in same space. Skip next space, 1 sc in following space. Skip next space, 5 dc in following space (this will be between 2 dc into one space from previous row), skip next space, 1 sc in following space. Continue around, in pattern (5 dc, 1 sc) in every other space, until 2 spaces before beg. ch (which should be 1 sc). 2 dc in same space as beg. ch and sl st to beg. ch. (72 sts.)

Cut yarn and sew in ends.

Single Crochet Square Susemi

Use fairly bulky acrylic yarn for this one, and size of hook suggested for yarn.

Round 1: Make an adjustable loop to start with, and ch 1 in loop. 1 sc, ch 2, (2 sc, ch 2) 3x, 1 sc, sl st to join to beg. ch. (8 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Round 2: Ch 1, 1 sc in next st, (1sc, ch 2, 1 sc) in ch space, (1 sc in each of next two sts, 1sc, ch 2, 1 sc in ch space) 3x, 1 sc in next st, sl st to beg. ch. (16 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Round 3: Ch 1, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, (1sc, ch 2, 1 sc) in ch space, (1 sc in each of next 4 sts, 1sc, ch 2, 1 sc in ch space) 3x, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts, sl st to beg. ch. (24 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Round 3: Ch 1, 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, (1sc, ch 2, 1 sc) in ch space, (1 sc in each of next 6 sts, 1sc, ch 2, 1 sc in ch space) 3x, 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, sl st to beg. ch. (32 sts, not including beg. ch.)

Cut yarn and sew in ends.

Simple Flower Susemi

Use three colours of acrylic yarn, and size hook recommended for that yarn.

Make an adjustable loop to begin.

Round 1: Ch 1, sc 8 times in loop, sl st to beg. ch. Pull loop tight and secure end. (8 sts., not including beg. ch 1)

Round 2: Attach second colour just before beg. ch 1 of previous round, and ch 3. Using ch 3 as 1st st, make 2 dc into the 1st st. of previous round to complete a 3-dc puff, and ch 1. (1 3-dc puff, ch 1) in each of next 7 sts, sl st to beg. ch. (8 sts., one puff being counted as one stitch)

Round 3: Attach 3rd colour in ch space just before 1st st of previous round, ch 3 and sl st into 1st st of previous round. Ch 3 and sl st into ch space. Ch 3 and sl st into next st. Continue around, and attach last ch 3 picot to beginning of round. You will have 16 ch-3 picot bumps. Cut yarn and sew in ends.

So I went grocery shopping a few days ago. Which was a bit of a feat, as the landlady didn’t bother to mention to me that they were going to redo the concrete on the side path to my house (they had ripped it up a couple weeks ago, just before Chusok, because of a blockage in one of the drains to the house–I think the hole they made there was another random hole and not where they actually found the blockage. This seems to be common around here…when there was a flood in my house a couple years back, they started ripping holes in each room of my house even though they really didn’t know which pipe had burst. Now THAT was fun. Remind me to tell you about it sometime.) So anyway, when I went out to go to the market, I found the path out of my house blocked. I suppose I could have found a way to scale the concrete wall behind my house, but I didn’t really feel like climbing something almost as high as my head in a skirt. So I removed the blocking pole and walked across it anyway, after making sure that it was at least dry enough to walk on. (She “happened” to call while I was at the market to tell me not to walk on the concrete. I say “happened” because I’m sure she was just being her old nosy self and actually saw me leave the house. By the way this was at about 8:30 at night, so I doubt it was just a coincidence. Which means she never really intended to inform me at all. Do I sound ungracious towards my landlady? There’s a whole big story behind that too. Remind me to tell you sometime, if you’re not one of the people to whom I have already vented my spleen, most of my liver, and possibly one of my kidneys about it.) Apparently, there IS another way to get out to the street from behind the building, but it requires squeezing through a 6″ opening beside my boiler room. I always thought that was walled off. Now I know. Can’t fit through it anyway.

So ANYWAY, I went grocery shopping. I kinda like grocery shopping. (Except for this weird thing that happens every time. As soon as I make the decision to go, it immediately starts raining. Very strange.) I especially like it when nice people chat with me a little while I’m at a counter or at the till. (That’s one of the things I miss about being a native speaker in Canada–the pleasant small talk with strangers.) And for some reason, I’ve been buying a bit more beef than usual, so I’ve had to ask for things at the butcher counter the past couple of times. The first time, the older butcher started off chatting with me (of course, finding out my age and my marital status as soon as possible–but I like the way he did so. Instead of blasting me with the question, point blank, he asked me what “sir’s” job was, after I mentioned that I had been in Korea for nine years.) Which sir, I asked? Oh, you mean my husband? Oh, I’m not married. He seemed surprised that I have stayed in Korea for nine years of my own volition, not because of my husband’s job. Soon after this, the young butcher came out, and the older informed him quite enthusiastically that I was not married and sort of got him to take over the rest of my order. So butcher the younger proceeded to chat me up while he was mincing my beef. Quite fun.

So this time, even though they had the stewing beef I needed prepackaged in the refrigerator case, there was no ground beef out, so I had to go up to the butcher’s counter again. And, well, who do I see but butcher the younger, again, at my service. He didn’t chat so much while he was cutting up the beef I needed but as he handed it over, he spent quite a while telling me how important it was for me to believe that they have the freshest beef, even though you see that this beef I have cut off, here, has a different colour on the outside than on the inside…that’s just because it’s later in the day, but we really do have good quality beef here, and you must trust our quality, and it’s really good beef, and that slight discoloration is really nothing to worry about, and you absolutely must believe in us. Smiling charmingly the whole way through. Of course, I’m laughing and agreeing with him enthusiastically the whole time. Hmm, I think I’m flirting with the butcher, or he’s flirting with me, or something. Expect more recipes featuring beef for the next little while.

Oh, and as I was leaving the store? It started raining. Hands full and no umbrella. Next time that happens, I’m going back in and borrowing an umbrella from butcher boy.

Beef and Barley Soup
Adapted very liberally from Extending the Table, because I didn’t have peas (used green peppers instead) and I realized I still had some squash to use up.

1/2 lb. cubed stewing beef
1 lg. onion, diced
6 c. beef broth
3-4 stalks celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 lg. carrots, diced
1/2 medium butternut squash, cubed
1/3 c. pearl barley
2 T. vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. basil
Salt and pepper to taste

In bottom of soup pot, brown beef with onions and celery. Add broth to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender. Add green pepper, carrots, squash, barley, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and basil and simmer until barley, squash and carrots are all cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more water if needed, especially if reheating the next day, as barley may absorb a lot of the liquid.

Serve with warm, buttered slices of homemade bread.

And just to give you an idea of what I’ll be posting soon, this (below) is what I was up to this morning. I’m going to try to actually post recipes AS I make things (though that has always been the plan, of course) because I was looking through the over 800 food photos I have and I realized that even though I could probably locate the recipe that I started from, I now have no ripping clue how I actually made them. Dang.

Anyway, brownies. And pasta.

Why do I always end up baking at 3 o’clock in the morning?

I didn’t make my knitting meeting this weekend, and it looks like my wacky sleep schedule will be interfering with the second of the lectures on Korean culture this evening…but at least I cooked.

I tried out a new sandwich loaf recipe, and it looks like I did things right this time: I didn’t end up with two bread-shaped doorstops. I think it was a combination of using less flour, not being too timid with the temperature of the water for the yeast, waiting until the yeast was good and foamy before mixing in the flour, and preheating the oven.

The original recipe comes from the wonderful world of King Arthur flour, but i tweaked a few things, so this is how I did it:

Basic White Bread

2 c. warm water
2 tablespoons golden sugar
1 (scant) T. dry yeast
1/2 cup whole milk powder
2 T. vegetable oil
5 c. (or more) bread flour
2 1/2 t. salt

Make sure the 2 cups of water is about the temperature that you would love for a bath–you know, bearable when you stick your finger in to test it, but you start really feeling the heat after a few seconds. Basically, as hot as you can handle. Pour the warm water into your mixing bowl, along with the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Then, sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water very gradually (this seems to help it dissolve faster, rather than all lump together.) Wait for the yeast to completely dissolve, then add the milk powder.

At this point, have a friend call you unexpectedly and interrupt you for about 15 minutes. When you come back, you’ll see that your mix is nice and foamy. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add a further two cups of flour and mix. Sprinkle most of the remaining flour on the kneading surface and scrape the dough out onto the surface.

Knead the dough for two to three minutes, until it seems to be coming together, using more flour if you need to, but not too much (the dough will let you know when it’s had enough flour). Let it sit for a little while so you can wash and grease the bowl you were using, then knead for a couple minutes more. Place in greased bowl, turn over, and set in a warm place, covered with a damp towel, to rise until doubled (an hour or so).

Punch the dough down, and on a floured surface, knead it to remove any air pockets. Divide into two (even! why is that so hard?) pieces, shape into loaves, and place in two non-stick loaf pans. Slit the surface lengthwise, at least a centimeter and a half deep, and let rise, covered, until almost doubled (probably less than an hour).

Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 35 minutes.

As soon as possible, cut off two thick slices, toast them lightly, slather them with butter, and scoop some nectarine butter on top. Coz that’s what I did.

This one is for Charlie, to match the dishcloth that I made for him earlier.

Pattern

Centre:
Use three colours of acrylic yarn and smaller size needle than suggested for yarn, to make a tighter stitch.

Round 1: Make adjustable loop, ch 1, 10 dc, sl st to beg. ch (10 sts., not including beg. ch 1)

Round 2: ch 3, 1 dc in next st, ch 1, (2 dc, ch 1) in each of remaining sts, sl st to beg. ch (20 sts, including beg. ch 3)

Round 3: ch 1, 2 sc at base of chain, 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in next ch space, (2 dc in next st, 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in next ch space) all the way around, sl st to beg ch (40 sts., not including beg. ch 1)

Round 4: ch 3, 1 dc in each of next 3 sts, ch 1, (4 dc, ch 1) all the way around, sl st to beg. ch (40 sts., including beg. ch 3)

Round 5: ch 1, 1 sc at base of chain, 1 sc in each of next 3 sts, 2 sc in next ch space, (4 sc, 2 dc in ch space) all the way around, sl st to beg. ch, cut yarn and sew in ends. (60 sts., not including beg. ch 1)

Fold piece in half (in the middle of row 4’s four dc’s, so that the little holes line up on both sides. If you do this susemi in watermelon colours, those holes can be the “seeds”)

Border:
Attach 2nd colour of yarn and ch 3. 1 dc in same st, 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st. 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, continue with (2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc) all around, sl st in beg. ch, cut yarn and sew in ends. (40 sts., including beg. ch 3)

Attach 3rd colour of yarn (or stay with 2nd colour) and ch 1, 1 sc in same st, sc in each st all around, and either cut yarn and sew in ends, or make a 10 ch loop, sl st to join, cut yarn and sew in end.

Questions, concerns, confusions? Leave a comment below!

P. S. (Sept. 26) Charlie came over for lunch (though he didn’t eat anything coz his stomach was upsetting him) and I gave him his susemi. He seemed quite pleased.

After I saw a picture of this one, I just HAD to figure out how to do it. I love the effect of the raised posts. (It wasn’t that difficult, though. I found blurry diagram, and after lots of squinting and magnifying, I think I’ve got the right pattern.) The pictures I saw showed the susemi done in three colors in a gradient, from lightest in the middle, to darkest on the outer round, but you could probably do a four-colour gradient, or any other colour combination. This is a really good, thick susemi. I used the front-post double crochet (FPdc) in the citrus susemi, but this pattern uses the back-post double crochet (BPdc) as well. My new favourite stitches!

Square Gradation Susemi Pattern
Use acrylic yarn in three colours, from lightest to darkest, and a hook in a size recommended for the yarn, or slightly smaller if you want tighter stitches.

Round 1: Make an adjustable loop to start, and ch 3. 2 dc, ch 2, (3 dc, ch 2) 3 times, sl st to beg, ch. (12 sts.)

Round 2: In 2-ch space just before the slip stitch join at the end of round one, 1 sc, ch 2, then 1 dc in same space. (1 FPdc, 1 BPdc, 1 FPdc along next 3 stitches, then 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc in ch space). Repeat same post stitches and chain-space stitches around to end, stopping with 2 ch, sl st to beg. ch. (28 sts.)

Round 3: Join new colour and proceed the same as round 2, only with 7 alternating FPdc/BPdc’s. Each 2-chain space will still have 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc. (44 sts.)

Round 4: Same as round 3, only with 11 alternating FPdc/BPdc’s, and with 3rd colour. Cut yarn and sew in ends. Make sure to pull tight the original loop and secure, as well. (60 sts.)

If I’ve made any mistakes, or I haven’t been clear enough, please feel free to leave a comment.

For some reason, I really like this pattern, which is something that I wouldn’t have predicted. I tend to like colourful, bold, geometric, repetitive patterns in crochet–stripes, squares and dots. This has no repeats, it’s an irregular shape, and it’s kind of finicky and old-fashioned looking. Maybe it’s because the shape is surprisingly complex compared to how simple the pattern of stitches feels; the shape just seems to “happen”. Maybe it’s that the form is so useful. It’s the perfect hand-size for washing dishes, you can put two fingers through the hole at the top to make it easier to wash cups, the fact that it’s a pouch means that it can have multiple uses: soap saver, candy bag, mojo amulet, etc., etc.

Pineapple Susemi
Use any acrylic yarn, with the suggested size of hook for that yarn

Make adjustable loop (see my previous post for a description of this) so you can pull it tight later.

Round 1: ch 3, 1 dc, ch 1, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1, sl st in beg. ch. Pull loop tight and secure. (10 sts.)

Round 2: ch 3, 1 dc in base of chain, ch 1, 2 dc in next st, ch 1, (1 dc, ch 1) in each of next 2 ch spaces, (2 dc, ch 1) in each of next 4 sts, (1 dc, ch 1) in each of next 2 ch spaces, (2 dc, ch 1) in each of next 2 sts, sl st to beg. ch. (20 sts.)

Round 3: (1 sc, ch 2, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1) in first ch space. (1 sc, ch 1) in each of next 3 ch spaces, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1) in next chain space, skip one chain space, then (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1) in following chain space. (1 sc, ch 1) in each of next 3 ch spaces, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc, ch 1) in next chain space, sl st to beg. ch. (22 sts.)

Round 4: Same as round 3, but there will be four (1 dc, ch1) in a row, along the four chain spaces (24 sts.)

Round 5, Same as round 3 and 4, but there will be five (1 dc, ch1) in a row, along the five chain spaces (26 sts.)

Round 6: (1 sc, ch 2, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in first ch space, ch 3, 1 sc in 4th st, 1 sc in ch space, 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in next ch space, 1 sc in next st, ch 3. Skip next 2 ch spaces and (2 dc, ch 1) twice in third chain space, skip the next ch space, (2 dc, ch 1) twice in next ch space, chain 2 more, 1 sc in 4th st, 1 sc in ch space, 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in next ch space, 1 sc in next st, ch 3. Skip next 2 ch spaces and (2 dc, ch 1) twice in third chain space, sl st to beg. ch. (26 sts.)

Round 7: Same as round 6, but do 3 sc in a row, in 2nd, 3rd and 4th sc from previous row. (22 sts.)

Round 8: Same as row 6 and 7, but do only 1 sc in center of sc on previous row. (18 sts.)

Round 9: (1 sc, ch 2, 1 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in first ch space, 1 dc in sc, (2 dc, ch 1) twice in 2nd ch space, skip one ch space, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next ch space, 1 dc in sc, (2 dc, ch 1) twice in 2nd ch space, sl st to beg. ch, sc in next ch sp, ch 12 for handle, sl st to attach in next ch space. Cut yarn and sew in ends. (18 sts.)

Phew!~

Okay, if that doesn’t make any sense, or if I’ve made a mistake somwhere, please leave a comment!

This pattern and other susemi patterns to follow in later posts are based on a tutorials/photos from Korean websites and a photos of Japanese visual patterns. In many cases, the photos are blurry and hard to read, so I have had to guess at a lot, or I have modified the patterns somewhat, and am writing them out in full, in English, for my (and others’) future reference. I think that’s enough to satisfy myself that I’m not violating copyright.

To make a beginning loop that can be tightened later: Hold the tail of the yarn in the palm of your hand and wrap it (moving away from you) twice around the end of your index and middle fingers held together. Press all the threads together where they converge at the top with your thumb and slide this loop off your fingers, and hold the loop with your thumb and forefinger. Reach in through the middle of the loop, hook the yarn and pull up a loop, then reach over the top of the loop, hook the yarn and pull through to secure. Now you can start at the same place you would if you had chained a loop and slip stitched to secure.

Citrus Slice Susemi
Three colours of acrylic yarn, size 6 hook, or size small enough to make a fairly tight stitch
For mine, the colours were:
Colour 1: Yellow
Colour 2: Orange
Colour 3: Bright Orange

Note: When you are switching colours, make sure to keep the travelling yarn loose in back, and to not twist or tangle your strands of working yarn. In fact, keep the balls of working yarn separate so the yarn is coming from two different directions.

Front Piece:
Make a beginning loop as described above
Round 1: with colour 1, ch 1, sc 8x in loop, sl st to beginning chain. Pull tail of loop tight to completely close the middle hole, and secure. (8 sts., not including beg. ch 1)

Round 2: ch 2 , secure colour 2 yarn to working yarn near the top of the chain, ch 1 with colour 2 (so that the beginning chain is ch 3, with the top ch in the second colour) , 2 dc into same stitch (first sc of previous round), but do not pull through last loop of second dc–with 2 loops remaining on hook, pick up colour 1 again and pull through to complete second dc. 1 dc into next stitch with colour 1, but again, complete the last loop of the dc with colour 2 yarn. 2 dc with colour 2 in same stitch, complete last loop of second dc with colour 1 yarn. 1 dc with colour 1 yarn in next stitch, completing dc with colour 2, and making 2 more dc in same stitch. Repeat all the way around so that there are 24 stitches total (including first chain), 3 stitches (one colour 1 and 2 colour 2) in each sc. On last dc of round, make sure to finish it with the final loop in colour 1, then sl st to beginning chain.

Round 3: ch 2, switch to colour 2 and ch 1. 2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc in next st, switching to colour 1 on last loop. 1 front-post dc (FPdc), switching to colour 2 on last loop, 2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc in next st, switching to colour 1 for FPdc, continue around so that there are 32 st total, and last loop of last dc is colour 1. Sl st to top of first chain.

Round 4: ch 2, switch to colour 2, (1 sc, 1 hdc) in next st, 2 dc in next st, (1 hdc, 1 sc) in next st, finishing off last sc in colour 1, 1 FPdc, switching to colour 2 on last loop, (1 sc, 1 hdc) in next st, 2 dc in next st, (1 hdc, 1 sc) in next st, finishing off last sc in colour 1, 1 FPdc, switching to colour 2 on last loop, continue around and sl st with colour 1 to end row. (56 sts)

Round 5: (This round all in colour 1) ch 3, 1 dc, 1 hdc, 2 sc in each of next 2 st, 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 FPdc, repeat around, omitting last FPdc, and sl st to beginning chain after last dc. Cut yarn and sew in end. (72 sts)

Back Piece:
Round 1: Make loop, ch 1, 8 sc, sl st to beg. ch, pull loop tight and secure.

Round 2: ch 3, 2 dc in first sc, 3 dc in each sc around, sl st to beg. ch. (24 sts)

Round 3: ch 3, 1 dc in first st, 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next, repeat (2 dc, 1 dc) around and sl st in beg. ch. (36 sts)

Round 4: ch 3, 1 dc in first st, 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in each of next 2 sts, (2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc) all the way around and sl st in beg. ch. (48 sts)

Round 5: ch 1, and in order to make 72 sts like front piece, alternate 1 sc/2 sc in each stitch around. Sl st to first ch, cut yarn and sew in ends.

Border:
With colour 3, single crochet all the way around, 1 sc per stitch, and going through both top loops of stitches on both rounds. Cut yarn and sew in ends.

You can make this susemi larger by adding one more round.
On the front piece, one repeat would look like this:
Round 4: 1 FPdc, 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc
Round 5: 1 FPdc, 1 sc, (1 hdc, 1 dc), (1 dc, 1 hdc), 1 sc
Round 6: 1 FPdc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc, 2 sc, 2 sc, 1 hdc, 1 hdc (72 st total around)

On the back piece, one repeat would look like this:
Round 5: 2 dc, 1 dc in each of next 3 sts
Round 6: 2 sc, 1 sc in each of next 5 sts (72 sts total around)

Also, you can chain a little loop handle before you cut the yarn on the border row.

And there you have it. I know I haven’t written in standard crochet pattern format, so if there are any mistakes or if anything is unclear, please leave a comment.

Susemi is the word for dish scrubber in Korean, same as the word tawashi in Japanese. They’re fun little things to crochet, and over the past couple years in Korea, they’ve become quite the popular housewife project. Apparently, according to the companies’ claims on the ball bands, susemis made with this type of yarn are totally antibacterial, and I’ve also heard it said that they don’t require soap to wash with. I’m a little skeptical of such claims, and it is certainly not the case that antibacterial means that you can wipe things with the susemi to disinfect them, just that the susemi itself doesn’t harbour bacteria. I think it’s just a case of the yarn companies in question capitalizing on the natural properties of acrylic yarn compared to wool or cotton, not that it is some type of specially developed fibre. Anyway, I made up a couple to replace my last store-bought dish scrubber, because I do believe that these homemade ones are better than the store bought. They are far more durable, they don’t seem to “hold on” to food bits as easily, they can be healthier, because you can wash them as often as you want, after every use if you feel like it, and I have also found that they don’t need as much soap–in fact, they do seem to work just as well once most of the soap has rinsed off. (I haven’t tried washing a load of greasy dishes without soap yet to test it, though.) So, all in all, a good kitchen hack.

These first two I made without a pattern, just because I needed them right away. Then I got curious and started looking for more patterns on the Korean web, but I will post more about those later. Here are the patterns for these two rectangular susemis, just in case anyone wants to know:

Rectangular Susemi #1 (Green and Pink)
Use acrylic yarn, and a hook smaller than size suggested; however, use a hook two sizes bigger than that for the foundation chain and the first row of dc, as the chain edge tends to be tight. I did my stitches throught both loops of the top of the stitch, though you could go through the front or back, or into the spaces between the stitches for different effect.

Chain 15
Row 1: 1 dc in 4th chain, 1 dc in each of next 11 chains, ch 3, turn. (13 sts.)

Row 2: 1 dc into next stitch (not the one at the base of the chain), 1 dc into each of next 10 stitches, 1 dc into top chain of previous row, ch 3, turn.

Continue row 2 until you have 9 rows (or to desired length).
Sew in ends, and single crochet around edge.

Rectangular Susemi #2 (Orange and Purple)
Use acrylic yarn and a hook smaller than the size suggested.

Chain 9
Round 1: 1 dc into 4th chain, 1 dc into each of next 4 chains, into next chain (last chain): 1 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 3, 1 dc. Then, 1 dc into same hole as base of each of next 5 stitches. Then, into base loop of beginning chain: 1 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 3, sl st to top chain of beginning chain. (20 sts.)

Round 2: sc into first space (between beginning chain and first stitch of previous row), ch 2, 1 dc into each of next 5 spaces. Into ch 3 space: 2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc. Then, 1 dc into each of the next 2 spaces, then into next ch 3 space: 2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc. Then, 1 dc into each of next 6 spaces. Into next ch 3 space: 2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc. 1 dc into each of next 2 spaces, then into the next ch 3 space: 2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc. Sl st to top loop of chain. (32 sts.)

Round 3: sc into first space, ch 2, 1 dc into each of next 6 spaces, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) into ch 3 space, 1 dc into each of next 5 spaces, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) into ch 3 space, 1 dc into each of next 9 spaces, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) into ch 3 space, 1 dc into each of next 5 spaces, (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) into ch 3 space, 1 dc into each of next 2 spaces, sl st to top of chain. (44 sts.)

Sew in ends and single crochet around edge.

Seriously, who needs Reese’s? Which is a great discovery, because peanut butter and chocolate is not a popular combination here in Korea, so if I want any peanut butter cups, I have to haul them back from Canada in bulk in my suitcase. The less i can depend on bringing stuff from Canada, the better, so I was really happy that these turned out to be just as good, if not better than the store-bought stuff, and with ingredients (mostly) available at my local grocery store! Yay!

Adapted from recipe here

Chocolate Peanutbutter Squares

Base:
3/4 c. digestive cookie crumbs (crush up and whirl in blender)
3/4 c. light brown sugar
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, melted
3/4 c. peanut butter

Top:
180 g. dark chocolate bars, broken in small pieces
3 T. butter

Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in bowl, sift powdered sugar and flour in, and mix well. Add melted butter and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix well again. Press into two 8″x8″ baking pans lined with wax paper. Heat chocolate and butter in pyrex measuring cup in microwave for one minute or so, or until half melted. Take out of microwave and stir until smooth. Pour evenly over both trays, and use the back of a spoon to spread carefully until smooth on top. Chill until set, then pull out of trays and cut into 1″ squares. Makes 128 squares, though many of them “go missing” before you can actually store them in a container in the fridge to keep.

I learned to knit, like a lot of girls, when I was about 10, from my Nan (I love my Nan). I didn’t do much with it at the time, but then picked it up again when I was in high school and knit this big ol’ striped blanket using a pattern another knitting friend gave to me. My ex-fiance still has that blanket. Then university got in the way and I didn’t knit again until just after I got to Korea. There was this Roots blanket that looked like a work sock, which I had seen at Sears for some exhorbitant sum, and I thought, as all knitters/crafters do, “Hey, I could make that cheaper!”

So I went to the awesome wholesale yarn market at Dongdaemoon and bought a ton of cotton for 40 bucks and went to town. Though, being an inexperienced knitter, I didn’t realize that the cotton was pretty much laceweight and, by choosing to knit it in a 3×3 rib, how much it would expand to, and cast on way too many stitches. Eight years and just over a quarter of a million stitches later, the darn thing is still on the needles. Only about 15,000 stitches to go, and it will be done! And it shall be the coolest and most idiotic thing I have ever made.

But I wasn’t working on it constantly for eight years. I think I didn’t even look at it for three years at one point, so even though I had something on the needles, I can’t really say I was really into knitting all that time. But the desire to craft was percolating in the back of my brain somewhere, and then, without much warning, last year, something snapped as I walked past the little knit shop in the subway station near where I was working–there was a big table full of bins of cheap and colourful acrylic (green! green yarn! the colour of grass in the spring!)–and I walked away with a huge bag of rainbow colours and a crochet hook. I came home and taught myself to crochet that weekend and went to work on another blanket (hey, they’re square and you don’t have to fiddle with things like sleeves and collars and buttonholes…). Then another, with the leftover scraps, then another, and then yet another. I kept waiting for the thrill to wear off and for this to turn into one of those temporary obsessions that peter out after the first little while, but it didn’t happen.

Then I was in Canada, hanging out with family for the whole winter. I scoured Value Villages all over Toronto for bags of unused yarn and sweaters to unravel for yarn; I went to Michael’s and Walmart for cheap yarn, and I even got a chance to go to a real (oh, bliss!) yarn shop (they had sheep outside!) and drool all over their handspun yarns and displays and spend way too much money for two hanks of Sea Wool (oh what, oh what shall I make with them??). I went to the library and took out almost every single book and magazine they had (the librarian scowled at me as if I was doing something wrong–neither of us knew exactly what, but taking out 44 books on knitting HAD to be wrong, somehow) and then proceeded to cram my brain full of every scrap of information I could about designing and shaping knit garments. At the same time I cast on for nearly a dozen projects, and knit and frogged, and knit and cursed, and screwed up and started over and knit and knit and knit, and then ripped out again, changing designs as I went and being woefully wrong, time and time again. I loved (am loving) every single minute of it. Especially when I had to completely frog sweaters that I had already spent hours/weeks on…my mother was horrified that I could so gleefully pull and pull and pull until there was nothing left of something I had spent so much time on. No worries! More knitting for me!!

And while I knit, though I do think about my life, my career, and how long I can go without a job, and human nature and a million other things, I think quite a bit about knitting. And of course, since I am really the only one I know who knits (this much), and since the knitting bug seems to be intensifying, rather than fading, I think about why I knit. This is what I have come up with (so far):

1. It allows me to explore my creative energy
2. It is a source of aesthetic joy
3. It fulfills my need to create/nest; even though I don’t want kids, my biological clock does influence my levels of domesticity
4. It is a way to celebrate the domestic arts
5. It is in harmony with the ideals of sustainability and simple living (making your own stuff, opting out of rabid consumerism, being able to repurpose used materials)
6. It fosters an ethic of self-sufficiency
7. It is a form of materialistic anti-consumerism–enjoying the items you make and posess, while not having to depend on large corporations as much
8. It is an act of being different/non-conformist
9. It provides amazing sensual/tactile pleasures
10. I can play with colour–wheeee!
11. It is a reminder to honour the labour that goes into each item we own, teaching us empathy and respect for others from a global perspective
12. It values slow living and lets me practice delayed gratification
13. It’s all about design–design, baby, that awesome place on the corner of Art and Science
14. It allows me to focus on detail, by giving me the context in which to explore freely the OCD side of myself, without seeming abnormally anal
15. It gives me the enjoyable sense that I am good at something
16. It embodies the spirit of giving and nurturing–to self and others
17. It is a source of warmth and comfort
18. It allows me to be productive–at least I can do something with my hands while I wait or watch movies
19. It gives me more choice and better fit of clothes (especially as a plus size woman); I can choose styles I want in colours I want and I don’t have to schlepp through soul-destroying malls to find clothes
20. It is a skill I can use in order to re-use fibers and use natural fibers
21. It is a tradition, and by knitting, I can honour the women who came before, who passed these arts down through the generations
22. It fosters patience, a sense of humour, and peace and quiet
23. I devilishly delight in the linguistic elitism of knitting–i can rattle off knitting jargon (SABLE, UFO, KIP, tinking, frogging) and sound all cool, and nobody knows what I’m talking about, unless I deign to explain
24. It’s a good way to de-stress (watch your tension, though!)
25. It encourages me to participate more in life, by involving myself in the process of what I own
26. I knit for the pure pleasure of both the process and the product
27. It can be a spiritual/philosophical/intellectual challenge–knitting has deep meaning and symbolism
28. It is an instance, for me, of Maslow’s discussion of peak-experiences: “These experiences were of pure, positive happiness when all doubts, all fears, all inhibitions, all tensions, all weaknesses, were left behind. Now self-consciousness was lost. All separateness and distance from the world disappeared as if they felt one with the world, fused with it, really belonging in it and to it, instead of being outside looking in.”
29. It is fulfilling
30. It gives me time to think
31. I can have fun little conversations with the wool/pattern/designer
32. It is a path that leads to insight and discovery
33. I can kinda be part of the new DIY craft/punk movement
34. It is a product of my impatience–sometimes it actually takes forever to find what I want and I want it now
35. Through knitting, I can express my uniqueness/individuality
36. I’m friggin’ CHEAP–my Scottish blood??
37. It’s extremely practical
38. Taurus traits lend themselves to this kind of activity (stubborn, practical, down-to-earth, domestic, homebody-ish, sensual, materialistic, patient)
39. It is a way to practice mindfulness
40. I enjoy complexity
41. I like to learn
42. I’m a bit of a show-off (Look! Look what I made! I made this with my own two hands! Isn’t it awesome?!)
43. I love classic, romantic, timeless, graceful styles, and sometimes the fashion of the times leaves a lot to be desired (especially in my price range); on the other hand, the really great styles of the moment are also quite often out of my price range (did I mention that I’m cheap?)
44. Today’s clothes are cheaply made, and the price doesn’t really reflect the true cost of making the item
45. I like not flashy, but quality made designs
46. I’m single–knitting fills the time, replaces sex, gives me something to do other than change diapers and cook for a husband
47. It is one step in my Master Plan to become the crazy old maid cat lady who talks to herself, has wild hair, and goes to the grocery store in her housecoat (note to self: must get cat)
48. I like collecting (can you say SABLE? I’m working on it)
49. Maybe I will smoke/sleep/snack less?
50. It is deceptively simple–I can appear hugely talented without actually being talented
51. The coolest thing is that there are only two stitches but infinite combinations–kind of like the yin and yang of Taoism resulting in the myriad things, or like DNA, or language patterns/syntax, and other discrete combinatorial systems
52. It satisfies my inner geek: knitting patterns are like computer code
53. Misgivings about knitting being a bourgeois activity make me appreciate my life more
54. It encourages me to experiment more with different colours and styles that I would hesitate to choose off the rack
55. It’s a natural alarm clock–I wanna get up and knit now
56. It makes me feel feminine and domestic
57. It gives me something to say when people ask me what I’ve been up to lately
58. It also gives me a topic I can drone on infinitely about, allowing me to get certain people to go away and stop talking to me
59. It makes me feel like part of a community (yay for Ravelry!)
60. It’s probably the only area in which I have no fear of making mistakes–in fact, I want to make as many mistakes as possible, and there is absolutely no sense of personal failure if I do–in contrast to just about every other area of my life

That enough for ya?

DSC01836, originally uploaded by nikkislipp.

Photo of orchids taken at a display at the university in Wolfville, March 2008

Another meme: seen here
This is how it works: Type each letter in the search box of your browser and list what the auto-complete function jumps to first.

Since I use both browsers, I’ll do both lists:

Firefox

A anthropologie
B bcbg
C cubis
D dramatic hamster
E ekdma
F frilling magknits
G g마켓
H hot dog appetizer
I ikea
J japanese spinach sesame
K knit encroachment
L lily elsebeth lavold
M my cake wardrobe
N Nashua Handknits: occasion
O ok캐쉬백
P purl encroachment
Q quicktime
R rose and radish
S sherman heel
T threepotatofour
U utube
V velvetlava
W why me nickpapageorgia
X xp sp3
Y youtube
Z zara

Explorer

A amazon 200 ripple
B bcbg
C cherry clafoutis
D dulce de leche
E eyelet border facecloth
F flickr
G gookjae Electronic Center
H honeybee pattern knit
I infiniti
J jandabown
K knit ripple pattern
L logen 이사
M mission falls kits
N naver
O oxford day korea
P platoon ost
Q quotes of the Day 12 February
R ravelry
S studio marlowe
T themoment nyt
U usb headset skype speakers
V vorbesti si
W whitehorse time
X xbox
Y yarn over eyelet border
Z zuma

1. Untitled, 2. SmartiEz, 3. Little Miss Muffet Illustration, 4. Verde no Aquarius, 5. Tokyo Nightscape, 6. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 7. Summer knitting qualities, 8. clafoutis aux cerises, 9. if you put your mind to it., 10. bookshelf, 11. Stubborn, 12. Macro NonSlip Liner

The concept:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name