This picture of blueberry frozen yogurt at Delicious Days set my mouth a waterin'. I have made blueberry ice cream many times in the past, and it's wonderful. I hope to get my hands on some blueberries this weekend, so I may be posting a recipe sometime soon. But the gist of it is this - make a plain vanilla ice cream, but substitute strained blueberry puree for about half of whatever milk product you're using (half and half, cream, whatever). There's something very unctuous about blueberries that creates a smooth, creamy delight. Plus antioxidants! What's not to love?

Being the hip, with-it people you are, I'm sure you're all aware of the I'm Not a Plastic Bag bag, and the surrounding hype. Although these bags are sold out almost everywhere on the planet, you can still try eBay and get a bag for the low, low, Buy-It-Now price of $230. Plus $20 shipping. I rolled my eyes for a bit about this bag, but I was still rather excited to see one in the wild yesterday. The girl carrying the bag did so almost self-consciously, holding it so carefully it might have been made of fairy wings while she searched for bus fare. News flash - you spent your bus fare on the bag, sweetie. I rather like this alternative to the INAPB, but it's a little in your face for my taste. So if you haven't seen one of these in person, I can tell you that it's rather boring and small. If it's meant to replace plastic grocery bags, I guess English people survive on very small amounts of groceries. One teabag, some HP sauce, a bottle of Fairy liquid, and a small treacle tart, and you're about done. And sillyness of all sillynesses, this bag has been banned in China after some women were badly trampled trying to get their paws on a bag. Considering that these totes were made in China, you'd think they could have just taken a few home from work. Oh, just think of all the slightly irregular INAPBs clogging Chinese dumpsters....

This Sweet Juniper post reminds me that it's blueberry picking time in Seattle again! Last year's harvest was an almost complete waste of time. We picked for hours and netted about 2 pounds of sour pellets. Blah.

Behold my completed Rib and Cable socks (Nancy Bush, IK Fall 2005). I didn't share any WIP pictures because these were a gift. These socks were pretty darn fun to knit, but I had the darndest time figuring out when to turn each cable, However, it's hard to tell if one cable is a row longer or shorter than it's supposed to be (at least that's what I'm telling myself). The yarn is Kool-aid dyed Knitpicks fingering weight merino. This socks taught me a new toe technique - I'm not sure how comfortable these will be compared to the typical double decrease toes, but I'll follow up with the recipient to see how they fare in the wild. She does live in New York, and I've heard that wool socks are just the thing for a New York summer.

To take the edge of the hot weather we've been having in Seattle recently, here are two cool things I found recently. First, via Shelterrific instructions for an awesome piece of art made from old magazines. I have a ton of old magazines that need to go, so this would be a useful and fun weekend project. Now I just need to buy a square hole punch. Second, I just got back from a fabulous trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, where I sampled many tropical cocktails. My favorite was the Sugar Beet Margarita at the Hilo Bay Cafe. I interrogated the very friendly bartender about this drink, and he divulged that the beetyness comes from beet puree added to a regular margarita made with Patron Silver and orange liqueur. I already have a killer margarita recipe, so I'll be hunting up some beets and reverse-engineering the recipe this weekend. For starters, here's a recipe for the Ruby cocktail, which uses a beet-infused vodka. I wonder if this might be easier in the long run than beet puree.

We took a quick trip to the Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island a few weeks ago, staying overnight at the Wild Iris Inn in La Conner (highly recommended!). It's hard to believe that all of this is just an hour or two away from downtown Seattle. La Conner's Rainbow Bridge Nautical scene at the La Conner waterfront. There is a yarn shop nearby, but I didn't find anything interesting there. I think something may be wrong with me? Shells and sea glass collected from Rosario Beach The view from a bluff over Rosario Beach. The Deception Pass bridge underbelly More Deception Pass bridge Getting the "hang" of hang-gliding at Fort Ebey park (I was just spectating) Irises outside Whidbey Pies cafe at Greenbank Farm. We picked up a loganberry pie here - super yum. Mind the ducks!

Check out my gorgeous Clematis (Blue Ravine variety). We bought this last year, and it grew a lot of greenery but nary a flower. Then the sucker died from the roots up, and was a complete crispy critter by winter. We contemplated throwing it out, but didn't have adequate motivation. Lo and behold, the dead rose again this spring, and our patience (OK, laziness) was rewarded with huge purple flowers the size of salad plates! If you don't believe me, check out the pic of the bloom next to our outdoor string lights for perspective. If only they had an aroma to match their beauty.

Pictures taken during a stroll through the rose gardens at the UW. And you KNOW they smelled good, too! There's nothing like the smell of a hundred sun-warmed rose bushes in full bloom. Mmm delectable.