Thursday, August 18, 2011

crochet heaven


I moved the stripey crochet blanket out to the sofa, and the cats are absolutely enamored of it. They're oddly drawn to crochet blankets, much more so than their handknit counterparts. The mysterious inner workings of cats...

Kylie the tubecat, basking in a sunbeam
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Another round of new babies is upon us, so I quickly knit up this little jumper for a baby shower.

pattern: the Emma tunic, by Jennifer Alexander
yarn: Lion Brand Superwash Merino Cashmere, 2.5 skeins
needles: Clover US 6 and US 7 bamboo circs
size: 6 months

notes:

I love it! The pattern's very quick to knit, and it's pretty darn easy. The little tucks in front are a cute detail, and it was fun to figure out how they worked. Jennifer Alexander's instructions for them are pretty clear. The yarn is leftover from another baby shower gift, the butterfly baby cardigan, and I liked it much better knit at a slightly tighter gauge. The color is great, especially this is a gift for a mom-to-be who's very eco-friendly and not too much of a girly-girl.
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Busy, busy around here lately, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I did take a break, however, to meet a certain barefoot rooster in person last week! How fantastic to have blog friends turn out to be just as warm, wonderful, and friendly in person. We stopped by The Goddess and Grocer for delicious artichoke and prosciutto panini, definitely in the running for the yummiest quick sandwich in the Gold Coast.
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miscellaneous
- Have you heard about Coastal Knits, a pattern book collaboration by Hannah Fettig from Knitbot and Alana Dakos from Never Not Knitting?  This looks absolutely fantastic! I'm immediately drawn to Alana's Gnarled Oak Cardigan (so pretty) and Wildflower Cardigan.

- This recipe for easy beer mac and cheese looks amazing.

- The state of Illinois is cracking down on Nice Cream, a local artisanal ice cream company, in a move that seems pretty ridiculous. I understand food safety concerns, but this seems so minor... This may have major implications for many of the small-scale local food makers here in Chicago.

- We're heading to what may be the nerdiest summer event in Chicago tomorrow night! The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is playing music from the Fellowship of the Rings at the Ravinia Festival. While the movie is shown on a jumbotron, thousands of fans will picnic on the lawn, sip champagne, and nibble on elven lembas bread. Egads... it should be legendary indeed.

10 comments:

Rue said...

Adorable baby knit! I'll have to look up that pattern. Quick knits are always a plus!

Have a fabulous time tonight - it sounds like a ton of fun! Tomorrow's concert in Millennium Park looks great, too (Verdi's Requiem).

And thanks for pointing me towards the new pattern collection. That Gnarled Oak cardigan is great!

marycatharine said...

Maybe the cats like the texture of crochet better? Cute little baby knit!

barefootrooster said...

love that baby tunic. flagging that, as there are lots of babies arriving in my world! so great to meet you. and enjoy the concert!

Chris said...

That tunic is adorable!

Hmm. I'll have to borrow a crochet blanket from my SIL and see if the kitties go nuts. Or maybe not, since it's the sort of thing that Chaos would rip up just for fun...

nicole said...

Another post filled to the brim with cuteness. Love the dress and the cats!! Soo adorable.

I would totally go to that LOTR symphony thing. They're serving lembas bread!?!?! And I love the Coastal Knits collection too. A design match made in heaven! I had the great good fortune of knitting up a sample for one of Hannah's designs (the Bayside Pullover) which I will post about soon.

Katie M. said...

Cats are always a surprise! The love the baby tunic, too ... perhaps I'll have to cast on soon? Enjoy the concert -- it sounds epic, indeed!

peaknits said...

Your cats appear to have the right idea! I often used to wish I was my cat when I am leaving or work in the morning. Thanks for the link to the mac n cheese - looks wonderful! Beats Kraft for sure!

Sharon said...

You have such a great eye for baby knits and yarn. I'm always checking in on your for ideas.

Hilary said...

Very pretty baby knit! And I've met barefoot rooster, too! Isn't she awesome?! (Now you and I have to meet and the circle will be complete.)

Lindsey @ Yarnia said...

I've never thought about adding beer to my mac 'n' cheese, even though it's a regular for me, in many forms. Genius!