knitting, thanks ,and cha cha (cha)

In keeping with the season - and I would have posted this at least a week ago but life kind of hijacked me- some small things to be thankful for. We're not talking love, family, a house to live in , good healthcare or democracy . Nope, I'm talking about small things that just take your day up a notch. Here're three for starters.

1) Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. Seriously, deliriously brilliant. See that bread up there? I made it and it was no freakin' big deal, it was just today's basic loaf. These folks deserve a Nobel prize for Home Baking Genius.
Have you ever noticed I don't go on & on about recipes or the joys of the domestic life especially baking? It is - along with political reasons- because I am a sucky baker . I lack patience & precision. Other than making killer pies, you don't want my baking.

Last spring Christina posted a link about this book. I waited for the weather to get cool. Now, it's fab bread every day. I plan to work my way through but honestly the first two basic recipes for rustic peasant loaves (white /sourdough , and european peasant wheat/rye) are slaying us. Why did no one notice you could do this before- in a few minutes make a sticky unkneaded mass, throw it in the fridge, and have 4 loaves worth of incredibly good crusty bread?

2) Cowls. The kind that can be pulled up to cover your head as a hood and still cover your neck. We're not talking that many less stitches than a scarf but I just love going round & round on these, and it seems like they go zoomingly fast. This one will be a gift, it's Mountain Mohair in the Zig Zag cowl pattern. 88 stitches and size 9 needles do the trick , and it looks like the two skeins will make just the right length. Technically I'm behind on the holiday knitting but not sweating yet. I've got the cowl to keep me happy.

3) 1-800-2 Cha Cha. You dial (ok punch it in) and ask a question. Any kind of question. And an answer is texted back to you. For free . Could that be any cooler? Since learning about this 2 weeks ago, I 've asked about locations of businesses, when a play is coming to town, store hours, if a specific dvd was in stock at a store, and a slew of phone #'s. I have not asked any of the really big questions, like where do all the paperclips go and why do dryers eat socks, and if you eat a pound of something like potato chips with dip, can you gain more than one pound of weight? but give me time.