summertime is crochet time

another cozy blanket for a wee one, this time for my dear friend's little boy

yet another crochet blankie in the works

I'm loving the Capresso FrothPro Erik (i.e., Paul) gave me for Mother's Day. It works beautifully, and I've been enjoying cappuccinos out on the front porch lately. 

Other things making me happy these days...

 puttering around in the garden

Anathem by Neal Stephenon on audiobook (absolutely engrossing)

Family Tree, an HBO series by Christopher Guest starring Chris O'Dowd (so funny!)

Doubleknit podcast (Erin and Jessica talk knitting, books, movies... you know, all the important things)

jam tarts, best eaten outdoors

this little guy (now crawling up a storm!):

the bounty of local veggies from our neighborhood farmers' market:

baked summer squash

chocolate chip zucchini bread

brie, pesto, and sweet pepper grilled cheese sandwiches

one pan baked salmon and veggies

Yes, that is the cat sitting on the dining room table, because that is how we roll, folks. 

a blanket for Elise Viola

A housemate from my Madison days just had a sweet new baby girl, so I whipped up another crochet blanket using my favorite pattern.

Sadly, my favorite organic cotton yarn (Knit Picks Simply Cotton) has been discontinued, so I used Knit Picks Comfy instead. It's soft and cozy, definitely a bit more lightweight, and I have a sneaking suspicion that it will pill more than Simply Cotton. That said, it's easy on the hands and wrists and it comes in a lovely palette of colors.

pattern: swaddle me blankie, by crochet kitten

yarn: knit picks comfy worsted

honeydew (8 skeins) + peony (1 skein)

hook: clover soft touch g

my Ravelry project page

notes: 
I always love this pattern -- crocheting it feels very natural and it goes quite quickly. As usual, I skipped the hood portion of the pattern.

spring cleaning

Ness at Bunnies and Bettas is hosting a spring cleaning KAL, and I'm all aboard this train. Spring's the perfect time for a fresh start, and quite a few projects in my knitting basket just need a few more rows, buttons, blocking, or (gulp) sleeves. Here's project no. 1, destined for a friend's new baby:

pattern: diagonal box-stitch crochet blankie

yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted

6.5 skeins, haze heather

hook: G/4.0 mm, Clover Soft Touch
my ravelry project page

notes:
I love this pattern! It's intuitive and easy, and working from corner to corner eliminates those pesky foundation chains (mine are always too tight). I've made at least four of these blankies already. The yarn is terrific, but sadly all the colors aside from marshmallow (natural white) have been discontinued. I needed just a smidge more yarn, and a fellow Raveler came to the rescue. Thank you so much, Sarah443!

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How about cleaning out the fridge, too? I usually have the ingredients for this soup on hand (I keep ham in the freezer), and it's perfect on a rainy day.

Slow-Cooker Yellow Split Pea Soup

8 C. chicken stock
1 lb. dried yellow (or green) split peas, sorted and rinsed
3 medium carrots, diced (~ 1.5 C.)
1 medium onion, chopped (~ .5 C.)
1 medium stalk celery, chopped (~.5 C.)
8 oz. chopped ham or Canadian-style bacon
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
freshly ground pepper, to taste

- Mix all ingredients in slow cooker.

- Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or until peas and veggies are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent the split peas from clumping.

- Serves 8.

movin' on up

Much has been going on behind the scenes chez Caffeinated Yarn. First of all, we're moving! Again!  Egads... change makes me anxious, and the process of moving is terrible, but there are some upsides.

Such as the back garden, a peaceful oasis in the middle of Chicago. Plus we're just moving half a mile east, near the heart of Lincoln Square, a charming German neighborhood. We started packing boxes of books this past weekend, fueled by thoughts of the floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases in our new living room and master bedroom. :-) Not all bad, indeed.

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Hot off the hook:

Oh yes, at long last I'm done crocheting the rustic Noro giant granny! All the ends have been carefully tucked to the wrong side, ready for me to weave them in before blocking this bad boy. It's a fantastic feeling to have it almost complete, as I started it back in February of 2010. Full details forthcoming after it's blocked.

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a Monday miscellany

- interesting article on Trader Joe's

- tutorial on using paint to transform a ho-hum office organizer into something beautiful
- tutorial on crocheting a cute, vintage-inspired rag rug (I did some googling after spotting this gorgeous crocheted rag rug)

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.

Midsommar rhubarb festival

After a visit to the Green City Market on Saturday morning, Paul and I leisurely fixed a breakfast fit for kings. We smothered our Swedish pancakes with some homemade rhubarb compote. Yum!

rhubarb compote with ginger and orange

1.25 C. sugar
1 T. orange zest
juice of 1/2 orange
1 T. minced fresh ginger
4 C. fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine the sugar, zest, and juice in a heavy large saucepan over medium high heat. Stirring frequently, cook until it bubbles and begins to caramelize. Add the ginger, rhubarb, and vanilla, and cook at a simmer over medium for about 20 minutes, until the rhubarb is tender and beginning to fall apart.

Serve with Swedish pancakes, plain yogurt, vanilla ice cream... whatever floats your boat!

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Some pretty jewelry just arrived on my doorstep from Lillyella's etsy shop (the photo credits are all hers).

I'm very pleased with my order! I love that she lets you specify what length of necklace you'd like.

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Despite plenty of writing, editing, and summer activity,  I have been squeezing in some knit and crochet time. I finished this baby blanket, but I'm unhappy with how it emerged from the washing machine.

 pattern: basic granny square

hook: Clover Soft Touch H (5.00 mm)

yarn: Bernat Cottontots

colors: Lemon Berry

Little Boy Blue

Sun Shine

Wonder White

I usually skip the agitation cycle when I put things made with Cottontots in the washer. This time I tried it on the gentle cycle, which was a bad idea.  This is a shame, as I was planning to give the blanket as a gift, but it looks a little pilly and worn already! Boo...

long weekend

We kicked off some serious R and R with a party at Revolution Brewing Co. to celebrate the end of Chicago Craft Beer Week. Revolution's joint venture with 3 Floyds Brewery, barrel-aged Sodom (an imperial stout), was most definitely the highlight. We even managed to get up bright and early Saturday morning, hop into the Jeep (armed with homemade maple oat scones), pick up friends, and hit the Green City Market, one of the nicest parts of a Chicago summer.  Arugula, rhubarb, and baby salad greens made it into our shopping bag, and fantastic crepes (mmm... rhubarb compote) made it into our tummies. :-)

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happy hexagons...

Still crocheting up a storm around here. I'm using leftover Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton yarn for Nova's ingenious ruby hexagon pattern. Long-time readers may recognize this yarn from my awesome, 70s style stripey blanket. I'll definitely need to pick up more, but it still feels good to use up all the bits and bobs.

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I'm also powering through the first sleeve for my Shalder cardigan. There are so many fantastic cardigan patterns out there right now, including Chickadee and Cria from Ysolda's new book -- I really want to finish this before I give in to temptation and cast on for another... Plus I need to start thinking about the Big Lebowski cardigan for Paul.

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My ice cream maker has been seeing some use! I made some terrific lemon curd ice cream last weekend -- I used this recipe, but simplified it by using a jar of Trader Joe's lemon curd instead of making my own. So tart and yummy -- especially good paired with blackberries.

I loosely followed this recipe for cream cheese ice cream. It's good, but very solid -- the recipe could use a little tweaking. I'll post it once it has been perfected.

seeing stars

Finally some sunshine around here!  I may have bundled up in a wool coat and cozy handknit scarf to ward off the cold temperatures and 30-mph gusts today, but I was pleased as punch to see the sun again (and to leave my umbrella at home).

Despite the unseasonably cool and rainy weather, Chicago's flowering trees and spring bulbs have been making a valiant effort to cheer us up.

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All that rain did lead to a cozy weekend spent mostly at home, petting the cats and wielding the crochet hook. I absolutely loved this project, and I can't wait to give this as a gift!  That said, I'd also like to snuggle up with it myself, but somehow a star-shaped afghan just doesn't seem dignified for a grown-up.

pattern: granny star afghan, by Sami Jo Fitzgerald

yarn: Bernat Cottontots

lemon berry, blueberry, and wonder white

hook: 5.5 mm (I) Clover Soft Touch

notes:

So fun to make! This went super quickly. Like I said in my last post, the pattern leaves out a crucial step. In order for the star shaping to work, you need to skip working a 2 DC "cluster" at the inner angles of the star. Terrible name aside, the Cottontots yarn is very soft, cozy, and affordable.

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So, I loved making the yellow and blue star afghan to such a great extent that...

I started another one right away, using leftover yarn from my stash. I do need to pick up another ball of Lemon Berry (the darker yellow in the middle) to finish it up. It doesn't look lumpy in real life -- that's just the effect of spreading it out on the chesterfield.

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I'm finding crochet to be incredibly addictive. It goes more quickly than knitting, and it uses up oodles of yarn, so it's a great way to make a serious dent in my stash.

This tea scarf just needs to be blocked! I used some hand-dyed cormo (picked up at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival a few years ago) and a J hook. The pattern's very easy -- I made a few mods that I'll post after I block it and take a proper photo. Capricha certainly is quite taken with it. Side note: cat owners, do not select Schumacher cut velvet upholstery, no matter how much you may fancy it. Cat. hair. magnet.

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Speaking of things I'm hooked on, Tazo's Green Ginger tea makes absolutely fantastic iced tea, sweetened with just a few drops of honey. The ginger gives it a very nice spicy kick!

OK, back to the salt mines for me...

a spot of sunshine

Remember how I claimed I wouldn't start a new crochet project until AFTER the big brown (boring) border on the Noro giant granny square was done?  Yeah, right... I *know* there's one more skein of brown yarn hiding in my stash somewhere, but I haven't plucked up my courage to dig through and find it.

I couldn't resist any longer, plus a dear friend has a baby due to make his entry into this world quite soon. Enter the granny star afghan:

I'm mostly following this pattern (rav link), which is very cute and fun to make.  Be forewarned, though, that the pattern leaves out a crucial step. In order for the star shaping to work, you need to skip working a 2 DC "cluster" at the inner angles of the star.  I'm probably halfway done with this already -- it's going very quickly.

The yarn is Bernat Cottontots, an affordable 100% cotton yarn that comes in cheerful colors. I knit a baby blanket with this yarn years ago... it turned out beautifully, held up well, and received lots of love. The yarn is a little tough on the wrists to knit, but it's much easier to crochet.

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Sadly I haven't been knitting or crocheting nearly as much as I would like, as I've been swamped. Reading, cooking, and TV watching have also gone down the tubes, so pretty much any form of relaxing has been abandoned.

Somehow I did manage to squeeze in a baby sweater for (yet another) shower, though it took me over a month.

pattern: owlet, by Kate Davies

yarn: precious handspun yarn by Mia

needles: US 7 and 9

my Ravelry project page

notes:
What a great way to use Mia's beautiful handspun yarn! Truly a treat. Many thanks, Mia. :-)

I love the little owl cables, but I'm not a big fan of bottom-up sweaters. Attaching the sleeves was a pain, and I suspect that instructions for how to do the underarms are a bit wonky. You're supposed to leave the body's underarm stitches live to graft later, but there aren't any matching live stitches from the sleeves! I fiddled around a while until I just gave up, bound off the stitches, and seamed it up.

The short rows to raise the back of the neck don't look great when you do the owl yoke in a contrasting color, just fyi. They do the trick, but it looks a bit odd.

FO: Xs and Os

Remember how February was devoted to a Finishing Frenzy around here?  This seems to be the theme for April, too. I dug out a little design that I had abandoned at least a year ago -- there wasn't much left to knit, so finishing really only took a couple of hours.

 pattern: love letter baby vest, by yours truly

yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 2 skeins

needles: US 5 and US 7 Clover bamboo 16" circs and DPNs

notes: 

My favorite touch is the ribbed cable border at the hem. I'm not thrilled with the neckline, but this project had been languishing far too long, and I didn't have it in me to re-work the details.  It should be cute and cozy on a little guy!

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The Noro giant granny square has also been unearthed. The natural brown border is deadly dull to work (I miss all the lovely Noro color changes), but it would be awesome to finish this up and actually use it! My fingers are just itching to start a new crochet project (ruby hexagon blanket, perhaps?), but I'll hold off for a while longer.

More baby showers are on the horizon, so expect a few wee projects as part of my April Finishing Frenzy. I seamed and blocked a little hooded cardigan early this morning!

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random whatnot

- Already made it to a Cubs game this season!  A friend from my knitting circle had extra tickets to a luxury box with a great view. Oooo la la, now that's the way to watch the game. Plus the Cubs actually won. :-)

- The new Knitty is up! The Corinne cardigan is quite nice. 

- Have you seen the show Party Down? It's quite the hoot, especially the second season. A motley crew of aspiring actors and writers pay the bills by working for a catering company. Each episode centers around a catered event, and some of them can be rather off color, so consider yourself forewarned if you have delicate sensibilities. You can stream it on Netflix.

- FYI: Cascade Eco Wool is on sale at Webs this month. I ordered enough for the Dude Sweater, ostensibly for Paul (but that doesn't mean a certain knitter can't borrow it from time to time).

February Finishing Frenzy

Episode III: Attack of the Feline

Capricha downright insisted on taking part in the photos for my latest project. What a beautiful grand dame!

I started this blanket way back in May in the midst of preparations for our big move. Crochet is downright soothing to my senses, so it was just the ticket. The crochet part didn't take too long -- that was done in July.  Weaving in the ends, however... Let's just say this blanket hibernated in a cozy corner of the rec room, waiting for hints of spring.

pattern: stripy dog blanket, by Nikki Trench

source: The Cool Girl's Guide to Crochet (terrible title, but some really cute patterns)

yarn: Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton

dusty sage, dusty blue, strawberry, blueberry, almond, walnut, & pistachio

hook: Clover Soft Touch ~ "J"

on ravelry

notes:

Clearly this is no dog blanket! The foundation chain had 166 sts, and I should have used a larger hook for this, as it's a little tight. The pattern's essentially just half double crochet, changing colors every row. It’s super soft and cozy. The yarn is so fluffy that it’s almost like working with cotton balls, and curling up with the blanket is like snuggling with a cloud.

I kept running out of yarn and buying more. In the end it took something like 42 skeins (or maybe 49, but let's not go there). Just thinking about the quantity of yarn makes me shudder. It does, however, fit our queen-size bed. And I love it.

Capricha clearly loves it, too. 

>^..^<

P.S. Think Charlie Sheen seems nuts lately?  Me too! See cats quote Charlie Sheen.

February Finishing Frenzy

Episode II: Revenge of the Crochet Hook

Not one, but two long-term crochet projects are done and dusted! I've been weaving in ends like a crazy person for the past couple of weeks (yep, I save the "best" for last). I'll just share one today:

pattern: basic granny square afghan

yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky

hook: Clover Soft Touch J Hook

on ravelry

I started this large-ish baby blanket to use up scraps from my beloved giant granny (best. project. ever.). As is the case with essentially all of my stashbusting endeavors, I soon ran out of yarn. Oddly enough, Cashmerino Chunky isn't that easy to find anymore, so I ended up buying bits and bobs from kind Ravelers to finish up this project. Gotta love the interwebs!

The blog Attic 24 features the loveliest and most colorful crochet projects and patterns. I followed her instructions for joining granny squares -- crochet them together using slip stitch.  Fabulous and not at all difficult!  Certainly far superior to sewing the squares together, imho. 

I wanted to work a granny square border around the whole darn thing, and the areas by the joins were giving me headaches. The border was crinkly and floppy and looked terrible. After ripping it out, I did some "research" (AKA googling) and found this mini-tutorial. Worked like a charm, plus I learned something new to boot -- dc2tog (crochet double decrease). I'd love to add a contrasting scalloped edging, but alas, I'm out of yarn again, so I'm deeming this one good to go.

progress

A road trip to Minneapolis last weekend made for excellent crochet time.  Three of the four granny squares are off the hook:

I'm still loving them, but the autumnal colors no longer seem quite so apropos after we saw 9" of snow fall while I was in MN.  The snow was just beautiful, and I got to trim the tree, decorate the china hutch, and bake pfeffernüse with my mum.

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The new Johanna quilt is just perfect for winter. 

Capricha has taken to spending every morning snuggled up in the down comforter at the end of the bed. Smart girl!

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Pattern designers seem to be reading my mind right now:

- Ysolda has put her Last-Minute Stockings pattern on sale. I'd *just* been thinking about knitting some stockings to hang over the fireplace.

- Jane Richmond is having a 50% off pattern sale.  Hurray, as I've been eyeing the Oatmeal Pullover pattern for quite some time, and winter break seems like the perfect time to knit one.

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For all of the Jane Austen aficionados out there:



Delightful! Richard Armitage, be still my heart.

harvest time

I baked carrot cupcakes for a birthday gathering for Paul that we hosted last weekend.

The carrot cake recipe was unremarkable, but I do want to share one tip. I added 2 tsp. orange zest to the cream cheese frosting, and it was quite nice!

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I'm crocheting some autumnal-looking granny square covers for throw pillows for our downstairs den.  The yarn is some long-stashed Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, and I'm using a D hook, which feels TINY! Usually I crochet with worsted or chunky weight yarn.

My Greenfield cardigan is in time-out right now, as the first sleeve turned out enormous.  Crazy big. My gauge is spot-on, so I'm very annoyed.  I'd love to wear this cardigan over winter break, though, so I'll have to rip way back and add a whole bunch of decreases.

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 Cooking Light's recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta was delicious the other week!

I loved the contrast between the sweet roasted squash and the crispy bacon.  Be forewarned, though, that this is a complicated recipe -- lots of dirty pots and pans, plus a rather odd recipe for white sauce. Lots of flour, no butter -- the sauce itself tasted a little weird and floury, but once incorporated into the recipe it was just fine.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

hemlock amoeba?

Hemlock Ring is looking more like an amoeba now, or perhaps a jellyfish.  Thanks to yet another heat wave, I've been holing up in the downstairs rec room (AKA the man cave) and knitting while drinking endless glasses of iced tea.

I used the magic loop technique with a 40" cable rather than DPNs to start, which worked great. At some point it just slid out of magic loop and I switched to regular knitting in the round.  At this point I'd love to switch to a longer cable, but apparently I don't own one!  Something to add to the next Knit Picks order.  I'm using stitch markers between each feather-and-fan repeat, which is super helpful now that there are a bazillion stitches on the needle.

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The postman delivered one last round of yarn for the stripy crochet blanket.  I refuse to buy any more yarn for this project, and I don't want to calculate how many skeins have already gone into this thing.  I do love the ice cream colors, though, and it's absolutely addicting to make.  With any luck it will fit our queen size bed! 

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I caved and bought a double-walled iced coffee travel cup from Starbucks, and it has turned out to be a great purchase! I usually just fill it with homemade iced coffee and tea; it's even perfect for toting around the house because condensation doesn't build up on the outside.

dispatch from box island

Boxes, boxes everywhere. I listened to an NPR piece about hoarders yesterday while I was packing for our upcoming move, and it hit a little too close to home. Books! Yarn! Cookbooks! Tea! Yikes...

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What's keeping me sane right now:
- Nightingale Wood, by Stella Gibbons (who wrote Cold Comfort Farm, one of my all-time favorite books and movies). I'm enjoying it, though it's not nearly as witty as CCF. Perfect for the Anglophile, though.

- a new (enormous) crochet project, the so-called "stripy dog blanket" from The Cool Girl's Guide to Crochet (terrible title, dumb cover, but cute patterns). Perhaps a better name would be "stripy human blanket"? ;-)

I'm using six shades of Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton -- dusty sage, dusty blue, strawberry, blueberry, almond, walnut, and pistachio. Mmm... doesn't that sound delicious? I love when the strawberry, walnut, and almond colors coincide, as it looks just like Neapolitan ice cream. The yarn is soft and cushy, probably destined to pill, and it's going to be a very heavy blanket. I'm using a J hook, and it's just half double crochet, changing colors every row.

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in the kitchen:
Peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! You couldn't squeeze too many more good things into those, could you? I found the recipe on someone's blog, but for the life of me I can't find it now. It's adapted from this recipe, with a few variations:

- skip the eggs and substitute 2 T. flax seeds + 6 T. water, stirred together
- add 1 C. chocolate chips at the end

I used all butter rather than 1/2 shortening, as shortening kind of skeeves me out.

A couple more cookie recipes calling out to me:
- white chocolate and pistachio sugar cookies
- hazelnut chocolate chip cookies