Hey, look what still exists!

I've actually been working on the blanket a bit. Remember when I thought I would have it done in time to use it this winter? Or did I never state that publicly because I secretly knew that I would get distracted by something shiny and abandon it for months?

I bought some new plants this week, including that sweet grape hyacinth up there. Spring does that to me, brings all of my latent plant-ownership longings to the surface. In the past, I haven't had tremendous luck with anything flowering nor with herbs, but I couldn't resist. Plus, the greenmarket at Borough Hall is a little sad these days and I didn't have a lot of choices. I really should start looking for recipes that use fresh thyme and oregano before they die or are irrevocably infested with whiteflies.

Since I haven't been doing a whole lot else that's bloggable, I give you today's top five list of Blogs I Love But Do Not Believe I Have Previously Mentioned. Enjoy!

1. One of my favorite relatively recent finds is Peculiar Beauty, on which Bonnie excerpts beauty, fashion and glamour guides of yore (and, seriously, if you're only going to click on one link today, make it that one) and celebrates the wacky, the whimsical and the charming. Just this week, she posted these photos from the December 1970 Playboy.
I would buy a print of the bird in a heartbeat. And that's something I definitely have never said about anything in Playboy before.

2. Scouting New York. A professional location scout posting photos of tiny, overlooked details of New York City buildings and neighborhoods: swoon! Some favorite posts: before and after at the Fulton Fish Market and a look at Hart Island. That photo of all of those shoes at the asylum just slays me every time I look at it.

3. A nice companion to SNY, Patell and Waterman's History of New York cover all sorts of New York history-related topics. They teach a couple of courses at NYU (I think) about literature set in New York and maybe some history stuff too. All-round interesting blog. I'm a fan.

4. Knitkicks, which covers knitwear from a more high-fashion-oriented perspective. And since she's a knitter herself, it's a more interesting perspective than a lot of both mainstream and niche fashion coverage, like this post on Derek Lawlor, where she tries to figure out how he achieved some of his effects.

5. Haute Macabre, which is another fashion site that focuses on "alternative dark fashion with the occasional splash of culture." They post gorgeous stuff like this photo spread and these utterly fantastico eyeglass frames. Plus, their "Knock It Off" category makes the higher-end looks more accessible, which is servicey and fun.