Discovering the difference between raisins and currants

I'd never consciously considered it, just thought: currants...gritty...yuk...raisins and sultanas...chewy...yum. However, all is now made clear to me thanks to a new book on around the UK via its regional baking: A Slice of Britain: around the country by cake, by Caroline Taggart (AA Publishing, £14.99). It may seem obvious but raisins are made from seedless grapes, and currants are made from seeded grapes!

Pick up and knit (not the same as 'pick up your knitting')

I've been knitting a jumper for myself for a couple of months. Before Christmas I went wrong, very wrong, and I've just gone back to it this week. I managed to get the knitting on the needle the right way round (there's no obvious RS and WS with this yarn), and off I went. And the next step was 'pick up and knit' (PUK) to create a collar. I was delighted to discover that it's very simple: just insert the needle a little way in from the edge, loop the yarn, pull through and there's your stitch. Now it's just a question of more PUK to knit a ribbed border for the armholes and it's done! Apart, that is, from mending a few dropped-stitch holes and weaving in far-too-numerous loose ends...