Here is a jacket I finished at the beginning of winter.

Made from a chunky wool/alpaca blend, it’s very warm, but also, makes me look like the very hungry caterpillar once he wasn’t so hungry anymore. Them’s the breaks with those chunky knits though i suppose. Kat was discussing the chunk factor recently, and to add my bit; my boss tried it on the other day, and though she is around the same size as me, she looked half my size in it. Thus I deduce that broad shoulders, and small boobs (neither of which i possess) are most suitable for chunk.

I took the pattern from a cute Japanese craft book, but had a lot of trouble understanding the instructions. So, most of it was just winging it. There isn’t too much risk with something that chunky. Also, i changed the recommended wool which was cheap (yay!) but very scratchy (boo).

Well, i had some good handicat action to share with you guys today, but my SD card decided to eat it all up. Piece of crap.

So, instead, I will share my Sunday night recipe with you. I was craving fish and chips and beer, but when we got to the supermarket, they were having a big sale on scallops. Usually, i would eat them raw with just a squeeze of lemon, or chuck them quickly in the frypan with some butter and parsley, but I already had my heart set on dirty greasy fish and chips, so i covered them in beer and flour. Sacrilege, I know.

Beer Battered Scallops with Homemade Chips and Tartare Sauce

Fish.

Mix half a can of beer with 1 cup of flour and your choice of seasonings. Dust your fish or scallops with cornflour then dunk them in the batter and fry in a couple glugs worth of olive oil. Put on a paper towel to drain.

Chips.

Before you cook the fish, wash and scrub potatoes, and cut into finger sized pieces. Parboil them, then toss with salt, pepper and olive oil and oven roast until nice and crispy.

Tartare Sauce.

Mix one cup of mayonnaise up with some chopped pickle. I used about 4 tablespoons worth, but adjust to your taste. Throw some capers in, about half a small onion, very finely diced, a handful of chopped parsley and lemon juice and seasonings to taste. Voila!

This is very rich, so you will need to wash it down with lots of beer.