diff --git a/interp/baker/__init__.py b/interp/baker/__init__.py
index 4b4b3c9..b60139f 100644
--- a/interp/baker/__init__.py
+++ b/interp/baker/__init__.py
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ import sys
 
 import numpy as np
 
+from functools import wraps
+import itertools
+
 import logging
 log = logging.getLogger('interp')
 
@@ -99,7 +102,7 @@ def get_error(phi, R, S, order = 2):
   B = [] # baker eq 9
   w = [] # baker eq 11
 
-  p  = pattern(order, len(phi), offset = -1)
+  p  = pattern(len(phi), order)
   log.info("pattern: %s" % p)
 
   for (s,q) in zip(S.verts, S.q):
@@ -183,42 +186,74 @@ def run_baker(X, R, S, order=2):
   return answer
 
 
-def _boxings(n, k):
-  """\
-    source for this function:
-    http://old.nabble.com/Simple-combinatorics-with-Numpy-td20086915.html
-    http://old.nabble.com/Re:-Simple-combinatorics-with-Numpy-p20099736.html
-  """
-  seq, i = [n] * k + [0], k
-  while i:
-    yield tuple(seq[i] - seq[i+1] for i in xrange(k))
-    i = seq.index(0) - 1
-    seq[i:k] = [seq[i] - 1] * (k-i)
-
-def _samples_ur(items, k, offset = 0):
-  """Returns k unordered samples (with replacement) from items."""
-  n = len(items)
-  for sample in _boxings(k, n):
-    selections = [[items[i]]*count for i,count in enumerate(sample)]
-    yield tuple([x + offset  for sel in selections for x in sel])
-
 def memoize(f):
   """
-    I only cache on power and phicount; I figure that one should stick to a
-    particular offset throughout one's codebase.
+    for more information on what I'm doing here,
+    please read:
+
+    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memoize
   """
   cache = {}
+  @wraps(f)
   def memf(*x, **kargs):
     if x not in cache:
       cache[x] = f(*x, **kargs)
     return cache[x]
   return memf
 
+def combinations_with_replacement(iterable, r):
+  """
+    What I really need for the pattern function only
+    exists in python 2.7 and greater. The docs suggest
+    the implementation in this function as a
+    replacement.
+
+    see: http://docs.python.org/library/itertools.html#itertools.combinations_with_replacement
+  """
+  pool = tuple(iterable)
+  n = len(pool)
+  for indices in itertools.product(range(n), repeat=r):
+    if sorted(indices) == list(indices):
+      yield tuple(pool[i] for i in indices)
+
 @memoize
-def pattern(power, phicount, offset = 0):
-  log.debug("(power = %s, phicount = %s)" % (power, phicount))
-  r = []
-  for i in _samples_ur(range(1, phicount + 1), power, offset):
-    if not len(set(i)) == 1:
-      r.append(i)
-  return r
+def pattern(simplex_size, nu):
+  """
+    my useful docstring
+  """
+  log.debug("pattern: simplex: %d, order: %d" % (simplex_size, nu))
+  return [i for i in combinations_with_replacement(xrange(simplex_size), nu) if len(set(i)) != 1]
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+  print len(pattern(3, 2)), pattern(3, 2)
+  print len(pattern(4, 2)), pattern(4, 2)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 3)), pattern(3, 3)
+  print len(pattern(4, 3)), pattern(4, 3)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 4)), pattern(3, 4)
+  print len(pattern(4, 4)), pattern(4, 4)
+  print len(pattern(3, 2)), pattern(3, 2)
+  print len(pattern(4, 2)), pattern(4, 2)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 3)), pattern(3, 3)
+  print len(pattern(4, 3)), pattern(4, 3)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 4)), pattern(3, 4)
+  print len(pattern(4, 4)), pattern(4, 4)
+  print len(pattern(3, 2)), pattern(3, 2)
+  print len(pattern(4, 2)), pattern(4, 2)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 3)), pattern(3, 3)
+  print len(pattern(4, 3)), pattern(4, 3)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 4)), pattern(3, 4)
+  print len(pattern(4, 4)), pattern(4, 4)
+  print len(pattern(3, 2)), pattern(3, 2)
+  print len(pattern(4, 2)), pattern(4, 2)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 3)), pattern(3, 3)
+  print len(pattern(4, 3)), pattern(4, 3)
+
+  print len(pattern(3, 4)), pattern(3, 4)
+  print len(pattern(4, 4)), pattern(4, 4)
diff --git a/test/pattern.py b/test/pattern.py
index f21bc87..f55b067 100644
--- a/test/pattern.py
+++ b/test/pattern.py
@@ -13,35 +13,35 @@ class Test(unittest.TestCase):
     from interp.baker import pattern
 
   def test_baker_eq_8(self):
-    b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in ((1,2),(2,3),(3,1))])
-    p = sorted(pattern(power = 2, phicount = 3))
+    b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in ((0,1),(1,2),(2,0))])
+    p = sorted(pattern(3,2))
     self.assertEqual(b,p)
 
   def test_baker_eq_17(self):
-    b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in ((1,2,2), (1,3,3), (2,1,1), (2,3,3), (3,1,1), (3,2,2), (1,2,3))])
-    p = sorted(pattern(power = 3, phicount = 3))
+    b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in ((0,1,1), (0,2,2), (1,0,0), (1,2,2), (2,0,0), (2,1,1), (0,1,2))])
+    p = sorted(pattern(3,3))
     self.assertEqual(b,p)
 
   def test_baker_eq_15(self):
     b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in (
-          (1,2), (1,3), (1,4),
-          (2,3), (2,4), (3,4))])
+          (0,1), (0,2), (0,3),
+          (1,2), (1,3), (2,3))])
 
-    p = sorted(pattern(power = 2, phicount = 4))
+    p = sorted(pattern(4,2))
 
     self.assertEqual(b,p)
 
   def test_smcquay_(self):
     b = sorted([tuple(sorted(i)) for i in (
-          (1,2,3), (2,3,4), (1,2,4), (1,3,4),
-          (1,1,2), (1,2,2),
-          (2,3,3), (2,2,3),
+          (0,1,2), (1,2,3), (0,1,3), (0,2,3),
+          (0,0,1), (0,1,1),
+          (1,2,2), (1,1,2),
+          (0,2,2), (0,0,2),
           (1,3,3), (1,1,3),
-          (2,4,4), (2,2,4),
-          (3,3,4), (3,4,4),
-          (1,4,4), (1,1,4))])
+          (2,2,3), (2,3,3),
+          (0,3,3), (0,0,3))])
 
-    p = sorted(pattern(power = 3, phicount = 4))
+    p = sorted(pattern(4,3))
     self.assertEqual(b,p)