Good Things July

It's been since January that I made a Good Things post!  Now that I finally have time to slow down and pay attention, here are some good things that I've taken notice of lately.

• Hard cider.  Hell hath no fury like Mother Nature this year, and with temps these high, drinking beer just seems, well, ugh.  So I've turned to cider.  It's bubbly, it's tart, and it's slightly-but-not-sickeningly sweet.  Woodchuck Hard Cider Crisp from Vermont is one of my favorites.  I can find it in my supermarket.  I also like Uncle John's Fruit House Winery Perry, which is from a local cider mill.
• I need another knitting project bag like a hole in the head, but these from Lavender Hill Knits are really cute.  I bet you can guess which one is my favorite.
• In this heat, all I want to eat are cold foods.  I've been eating all sorts of salads.  On my list to try next are Mozzarella, Tomato and Avocado Salad; Crab, Corn, and Tomato Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing; Poppy Seed Chicken Salad; and Summer Chopped Salad with Garbanzos.
• Speaking of cold foods, I hit the mother lode with Design Crush's Popsicle Roundup.  With 50 popsicle recipes, there's got to be something here for everyone. 
• Over at Spoonflower, Emma Jeffery shows us how to turn old recipes into kitchen towels.  What a fabulous way to preserve a family heirloom.  These would make the perfect gift for some people in my family.
• Wool People 3 is out.  There are several cardigans in this issue that are just great.
• Westknits Book 4 is slowly being released.  I just love, love, love Bolting.  It's a SHAWL, not a wee little shawlette.  And the pictures of Stephen are great.  What a fun photo shoot!
• I've been listening to podcasts while slogging through some knitting I am making for Ravellenics prizes.  Just found Voolenvine's podcast YarnGasm.  Love it!  My favorite segment is Stash Bust Army, in which she discusses various patterns she's found that have caught her eye.
• I've cleaned up my blog feed and added a few new ones, so take a look.  Today I just came across Simple Bites and will be adding this one as well.
• If I had the space, my pantry would look like this one over at Burlap & Denim.  I may have to steal some of these ideas.
• Lastly, I have been tweeting.  I can be found here on Twitter.

I'm off to pick up some popsicle molds.  I hope it's cooler in your neck of the woods!