Pencil-Knit Coffee Cozy

After about three years of knitting, I have finally come up with my own pattern! :)

It's pretty simple and not entirely how I'd hoped it would look, but I like it.

Materials:

-2 colors of worsted weight yarn
-2 #2 pencils

Using the pencils as knitting needles, cast on 13 with both colors of yarn together (double-stranded knitting).
Rows 1-3: Knit
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K1, YO, K2tog, K8, YO, K2tog
Row 6: Purl
Repeat rows 1-6 until the piece will wrap around a coffee cup (I tested this by grabbing one of the cardboard slips at Starbucks and knitting until it reached that length). When measuring, stretch it a little as it should be a little tight to hold onto the cup.
Knit one more row and cast off.
Sew together on each end and tuck in loose ends.

You now have pencil-knit your very own coffee cozy!

What's in Your Candy?

     “I dare you to eat that bug!” As a kid, you may have heard this expression at least once. However, what would you say if you found out you actually have?

     Today, many of our foods are made from insects. After drying and boiling or simply grinding up bugs, you get a nice red color. The red dye in those M&M’s or those Skittles is probably listed as “carmine” in the ingredients. It can also be found in ice cream and even yoghurt. Cochineal is another thing to look out for. It, like carmine, is a red dye obtained from bugs, but basically just under a different name.

     It doesn’t just stop at red, though. A female lac bug’s secretions, or shellac, is liquefied and turned into a coating for such candies as Junior Mints (though M&M’s is one exception). Many of the friendly coated “Easter Egg” chocolates or jelly beans also use this. On the ingredients list, it is probably listed as either “resinous glaze” or “confectioner’s glaze”. It’s what helps to give it the glossy sheen that makes it look more appealing to the eye. As shellac is used to help make furniture more attractive, why not candy?