News From the Nest, March 16
🍀Top of the Morning to you, my friends! And for all my Irish friends, “Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit!” 🍀
I hope you’ve enjoyed a productive week, with a good bit of relaxing thrown in for measure. I wish I could tell you I was productive last week, but I’m struggling to remember what I did! I do know that I was pretty thrown off balance with the time change! My sleep really struggled.
The only thing I can think of is that I treated myself to a day of knitting seated in front of the telly, enjoying several episodes of the most recent season of Bridgerton! We will be welcoming two baby girls in my circle this summer, so I need to get busy!
I did get out to fiddle in the garden a couple of times over the past week. Sadly, Winter isn’t giving up without a fight, so we are waiting to plant our tender vegetables and flower seedlings until the end of the week.
We are out of town for the next two weekends to attend weddings, and I’m gone all week next week visiting Kate in Cleveland, so I’ll spend a good bit of time this week preparing for that.
Table of Contents
New on the Blog
I’m excited to share this Hearty Chicken Soup recipe with you! When our friend, Annie, stayed with us for two weeks in January, she made this soup for us. It is truly the best chicken soup you’ll ever taste and way up on the list of best soups in general. Roasting a whole chicken takes this chicken to a new level… don’t skip that step. If Winter is still stuck in neutral where you live, this soup really needs to be served this week. And this is the soup Annie makes whenever anyone in her family is under the weather.
From the Knit + Crochet Studio
Whether you’re knitting for a new baby or looking for a cozy weekend project, these free knit blanket patterns cover everything from chunky one-day throws to delicate lace baby blankets. There’s something for every skill level and every season here, all in one place. Reader Cynthia wrote in to say she taught herself to knit entirely through our patterns and is now making her own linen stitch blanket in panels with a custom edge — it’s comments like these that makes sharing these projects so worthwhile!
These daisy-stitch knit washcloths knit up quickly and make a wonderful gift tucked into a little basket with some handmade soap or a good bar of lavender castile soap. The stitch creates a lovely, textured fabric that looks far more complicated than it is, and the optional crochet border gives it a beautifully finished edge. Reader Ibolya Antal shared that she made a set in three shades of the same color, and the result was just fabulous — now there’s an idea worth stealing borrowing.
Once you’ve knit up a stack of those washcloths, these free printable gift tags and wraps for knitted gifts are exactly the finishing touch they need. There are wrap-around bands designed for washcloths and dishcloths, and round circle tags that tie beautifully onto blankets, throws, and purses. That small “handmade with love” detail really does elevate a knitted gift to something extra special — and they’re free to subscribers in the library!
We’ve all been there — knitting along happily and then spotting a hole that definitely wasn’t part of the plan. This post on how to fix holes in knitting covers three different scenarios so you know exactly what to do depending on where you are in your project. Whether you catch the errant yarn over right away, discover the hole mid-project, or only notice it after binding off, there’s a fix for each situation. A great one to bookmark for those “oh no” moments.
From the Kitchen
Start a pot of this authentic Bolognese sauce mid-morning, let it simmer low and slow all day, and you will have the most satisfying bowl of pasta you’ve made in a long time. It’s a proper ragù alla Bolognese — ground beef and pork, pancetta, white wine, milk, and vegetables meld into something deeply rich and wonderful — and it freezes beautifully, so a big batch is absolutely worth the effort. I like to serve mine over fresh pappardelle.
Spring is rhubarb season, and this rhubarb jam is a lovely way to put it to good use before it’s gone. The recipe macerates the rhubarb in sugar before it ever hits the stove, drawing out the juices and resulting in a fresher-tasting jam with a shorter cook time. A hint of vanilla takes it somewhere really special — delicious on toast, on a warm biscuit, or swirled into yogurt. And if you’re new to jam-making, the companion post on jelly and jam-making basics is the perfect place to start before you pick up your maslin pan.
The jelly and jam making basics 101 post covers the differences between jelly, jam, preserves, conserves, and marmalade — plus all the basic equipment you need and why each ingredient does what it does. I started my own canning journey 20 years ago with a simple plum jam, and I wish this post had existed then. Read this one first, then go make that rhubarb jam.
Making your own chili seasoning is one of those small kitchen moves that pays dividends every single week. This smoky, spicy bulk recipe means you’ll always have this pantry staple on hand, and the post helpfully clarifies the difference between chili powder (the seasoning blend) and chile powder (a single ground pepper) — a distinction worth knowing. Once you make your own, the little store-bought packets feel pretty unnecessary.
When a cool spring evening calls for something cozy and nourishing, this white bean and cabbage soup comes together in one pot with ingredients you almost certainly already have. Cannellini beans, cabbage, carrots, and your choice of chicken or vegetable broth make for a simple, wholesome bowl that’s genuinely satisfying without being fussy. It’s the kind of recipe you make on a Tuesday and are glad about all week.
Four ripe bananas on the counter and a pint of fresh spring blueberries are practically a sign to make these blueberry banana muffins. The ripe bananas add natural sweetness and keep the muffins wonderfully moist, while the blueberries bring a burst of brightness to every bite. Bananas aren’t ripe enough? Not a problem, we’ve got solutions. And once they’re out of the oven, head over to the how to store muffins post for the simple trick that keeps them from going soggy — it’s a game changer.
And if you’ve ever reached for the tomato sauce mid-recipe only to find the tomato sauce space in your pantry vacant, this post on substitutes for tomato sauce is one to keep in your back pocket. It walks through smart pantry swaps that actually work, so you never have to make an emergency grocery run in the middle of cooking dinner.
From the Arts + Crafts Classroom
Learning how to make seed paper from recycled scraps is a satisfying, zero-waste craft that results in something genuinely useful — paper you can actually plant and watch grow into wildflowers. It’s a wonderful spring project and one of those ideas that makes you feel clever for doing it.
Take that homemade seed paper one step further and turn it into wildflower seed paper cards — the kind of gift that blooms long after you send it. These cards make a memorable, plantable alternative to a standard greeting card, and they’re especially lovely as teacher gifts, Mother’s Day cards, or a sweet hostess gift as spring entertaining picks up. Two posts that work together beautifully.
In the Garden
Shout out to Supertunias! I planted these in the fall, and they survived the relatively harsh winter we endured and have hit the ground running!
With spring planting just around the corner, now is exactly the right time to start thinking about growing your own cutting garden. This post covers the best flowers to grow for cutting, with varieties that will give you fresh bouquet-worthy stems from spring through summer — dahlias, zinnias, lisianthus, peonies, and so many more. There is nothing quite like walking out to your own garden to clip a fresh arrangement for the table.
Before you put your carrot seeds in the ground, it’s worth knowing which plants will help them thrive and which ones to keep well away. The post on carrot companion plants digs into the companion planting strategy for carrots — one of those no-cost garden moves that can make a real difference in your harvest. Smart gardening, not harder gardening.
This patio tomatoes post covers everything you need to know about growing tomatoes in containers — which compact varieties perform best, what size pot you actually need, and how to get a real harvest from a sunny deck or balcony. No in-ground garden bed required, which is great news for those of us working with smaller spaces this season.
In the House + Home
Spring cleaning energy is real, and the office and craft room declutter checklist channels it productively. The post works through everything from old papers stuffed in binders to dried-out craft supplies and forgotten office clutter, with a checklist approach that makes it manageable rather than overwhelming. A cleared, organized workspace really does change how you feel when you sit down to create or work — this is the post to nudge you into getting it done.
My Recent Garden Purchases
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When you can’t get dirt under your fingernails, sometimes shopping in anticipation of getting dirty helps! I’m ready!
- I got these obelisks put together (super easy) and planted them in pots with Japanese Jasmine this weekend!
- Of course, I ordered my 45% vinegar in preparation for my Vinegar Weed Killer.
- Last year, those wascally wabbits decimated my zinnias, new dahlias, and other plants. This year, I’m taking no prisoners! I’ve encircled the entire flower bed with this edging or chicken wire against the fence. I’ve also purchased both Fox Urine Granules and Rabbit Mace to sprinkle around once the plants are in. The edging is a little flexible, so it bends around corners.
- I do love these willow plant supports for my dahlias, so I’ve added to my stash of them.
So, now all I need are temps that stay above the mid-30’s and I’m ready to go!
Well friends, it’s a rainy, chilly day here today, so I’ll be doing inside things! I have some of that Chicken soup in the freezer, it will be just what the doctor ordered for dinner!
Have a great day and a fantastic week. I’ll ‘see’ you next week!
