E. F. Schumaker

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius–and a lot of courage–to move in the opposite direction.”

Pattern: Rainbow Flower Susemi

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.

John Lubbock

“A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.”

Aristotle

“Anyone can become angry–that’s easy. But to be angry with the right person to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, in the right way–this is not easy.”

Anonymous

Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

Pattern: Single Crochet Square Susemi

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.

Douglas Adams

In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

Pattern: Simple Flower Susemi

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.

Recipe: Beef Barley Soup

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.

Henry David Thoreau

Do what you love. Know your own bone, gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still.