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

my ravelry project page

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.