Playing with Photoshop, food and yarn

My kids know way more about playing in Photoshop than I. I wanted to add a couple of handwritten lines to my vest photo using a tablet and pen, and I didn't have a clue how to go about it. The resulting photo should be credited to them!

The circled area #1 is the spot where I originally was dissatisfied with the stitch-picking-up so I ripped back a few rows and redid it, adding an extra stitch in the cast-on row. Much better now.

The edge #2 is the cast-on for the front armhole, which I'm afraid to say I also had to do twice. The first time, I knitted on 45 stitches but found them way too loose, so again had to go back and re-do it. I am not 100% happy with the edge and may end up crocheting around all the edges when the knitting is done to make it look neater.

While Ninja Boy and Lego Nut were enjoying their art class this afternoon, Tai Chi Man and I went to buy our health foods for the week then wandered around Chapters. I found this book --->
which seems like an excellent one to have at home. It has many of the poses that I have been doing already (using library books) plus lots of other information. For the price of a couple of classes, I can use this at home and not worry about having to return it to the library!





Tonight, I made some mincemeat. Yule is not Yule without mincemeat. Mince pies were always traditional at Christmas when I was growing up, but many commercial brands have suet in them. I have a fat-free recipe in my handy kitchen file that I use every year....here it is for your enjoyment.


Mincemeat (vegan and fat-free)

3 cups dried currants
1.5 cups golden raisins
1.5 cups raisins
.75 cup candied peel
1 pound apples, peeled and finely chopped
2.5 cups sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
zest and juice of 2 lemons
.75 cup brandy or fruit juice

(Notes: I don't use the candied peel as I can't find any that is additive-free. I just leave it out. I reduced the sugar to 2 cups when I made it today. Only use the zest of lemons that are organic and unwaxed. I use apple or grape juice, not brandy.)

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, cover and leave overnight. Put into sterilised jars and leave in the refrigerator for 4 - 6 weeks. (This recipe will fill four 500ml/2 cup jars.)