News from the Nest, July 13

From the Knit + Crochet Studio

You still have time to knit this for summer! Worked in fine cotton thread from the bottom point up, the Knit Lace Bandana is one of those projects that looks far fancier than the effort it actually takes. It’s the kind of portable, pretty project that’s perfect for a summer evening on the porch or keeping your hands busy through a good movie.

If you’ve ever made an unwanted yarn over, dropped a stitch, or wondered why your fabric looks twisted, you’re in good company. This roundup on common knit errors walks through the mistakes every knitter eventually makes and, more importantly, how to fix them without panicking. One reader added her own trick for picking up stitches after unraveling a few rows (or thirteen!), which just goes to show — we’re all learning from each other here.

New to crochet, or looking to dip a toe in without much commitment? The Lemon Peel Stitch Crochet Washcloth only asks you to know four basic stitches, and there’s a video walking you through every one of them. It’s a sweet, quick project with a scalloped edge that makes it a useful and appreciated gift, or for you to keep!

Looking for a project you can put your 💗 into (literally)? This Knit Heart Potholder Pattern uses just two colors of cotton yarn and simple knit-and-purl stitches to build a sweet heart motif right into the middle. At just a few hours of knitting, it’s an easy weekend project that doubles as a genuinely useful kitchen gift.

From the Kitchen

Focaccia is a great vehicle for all those tomatoes you’re harvesting right now, and this Sourdough Focaccia is worth the wait for that bubbly, airy crumb. It’s a high-hydration dough finished in a cast iron skillet for a crispy, golden crust, and no special equipment is required. One reader called it the “best beginner-friendly way to make focaccia” and said it’s become a crowd favorite in her house — high praise for a bread that looks this impressive and tastes this good.

I easily make several quarts of milk kefir and kefir yogurt for the family (dogs included!) every week, and it’s become one of those habits I don’t see stopping. This Milk Kefir guide walks you through turning plain milk into a probiotic-rich, tangy drink using nothing more than kefir grains and patience — no fancy equipment, no precise science required. If you’ve been curious about fermenting but found kombucha or sourdough intimidating, this is hands-down the easiest one to start with (and not for nothing, it also has the most health benefits!)

Keep your kitchen cool this summer with this Thai Pasta Salad, which comes together in about 25 minutes thanks to a rotisserie chicken shortcut. Crunchy cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and peanuts get tossed with vermicelli noodles and a bright, creamy peanut-lime dressing that ties the whole thing together.

With abundant strawberries in the market, this Strawberry Jam Cake is the kind of accommodating recipe that works as a fancy brunch centerpiece or an easy after-dinner treat. Swirls of fresh strawberries and jam run right through the batter, so every slice comes out moist and a little jammy in the middle. One reader wrote in that she’s already dreaming about trying it with peaches, blueberries, or rhubarb — the jam-swap possibilities are basically endless.

Combining sweet blueberries with tender apples under a crisp, buttery topping, this Blueberry and Apple Crumble is the kind of quick, no-fuss dessert that comes together with pantry staples and looks like you tried a lot harder than you did. A couple of simple tricks (no pastry blender required) get you that perfectly crumbly, never-soggy topping every time. One reader made it with a frozen mixed berry blend instead of blueberries and said she loved it just as much.

These peach preserves! Summer in a jar, and it doesn’t get much simpler than this. Peach Preserves uses just two ingredients — peaches and sugar, with an optional hint of vanilla — and can be water bath canned or tucked in the freezer depending on how you like to preserve. One reader scaled the recipe up to use an entire half-bushel of peaches and reported that the cold-plate doneness trick worked like a charm.

If your pup could use a healthy, simple treat, these Sweet Potato Dog Chews are about as easy as it gets — just one ingredient, sliced and slowly dehydrated until chewy-crisp. They’re a vet-approved way to sneak in some extra vitamins for your four-legged love, and readers with dogs on limited diets have found them to be a safe, simple go-to. Our June needs to shed a few pounds, so I’m going to dehydrate diced sweet potatoes to give as treats.

From the Arts + Crafts Studio

Stay out of the heat, binge a favorite show, and get your french knot on with this Monogram Embroidery Pillow. It’s built almost entirely from French knots filling in a big, blocky initial — a wonderfully mindless project for evenings in front of the TV. It makes a sweet, personal gift, whether it’s headed to a college dorm room or your own living room couch.

If your hands take a beating from gardening, crafting, or cooking, this Moisturizing Hand Balm is a simple melt-and-pour project worth keeping on your desk. It’s a firm balm rather than a goopy lotion, made for working into rough knuckles and dry cuticles between projects, and it comes together in just a few minutes with common bath-and-body ingredients. At under five dollars a tin, it also makes a genuinely lovely and affordable handmade gift.

In the House + Home

Another way to stay out of the heat and be productive: our Summer Decluttering Checklist walks you through all those seasonal odds and ends that are easy to overlook the rest of the year — think pool toys, sunscreen past its prime, and garage clutter. It’s a simple, room-by-room (or bin-by-bin) approach that helps you feel like you accomplished something without an entire weekend lost to it.

If your linen drawer is bursting at the seams, there’s a refreshingly simple fix. This piece on how to easily organize table linens shares a clever hanging solution that frees up drawer space and keeps tablecloths wrinkle-free — no fancy organizational system required. Readers have chimed in with their own tricks for avoiding that stubborn center crease, so there’s some good crowd-sourced wisdom in the comments too.

In the Garden

Depending on your grow zone, it may be time to start broccoli seeds indoors — and pairing them with the right neighbors from the start makes all the difference. This guide to broccoli companion plants covers which herbs and flowers naturally repel the pests that love to target broccoli, plus a few plants you’ll want to keep at a distance. It’s a simple way to boost your harvest without reaching for anything from the chemical aisle.

Not sure where to start with companion planting at all? This Companion Planting Chart + Guide breaks down the basics — which plants help each other thrive, which ones to keep apart, and why some pairings (like tomatoes and basil) have stuck around for generations. There’s a free printable chart to keep by your side all season, so you’re not trying to remember any of it from memory at the garden store.