pretty as a peacock

I met this handsome fellow at Monches Farm on Friday. He never displayed all of his plumage, but he certainly was friendly and willing to strut his stuff a bit. My MIL and I decided to forgo the standard Black Friday shopping and instead drive out to the countryside. I highly recommend a trip to Monches if you're ever in the Milwaukee area-- it's very unusual and charming. Not only can you visit their heirloom chickens and other animals, you can shop for Christmas trees, perennials, gargoyles, antiques, and a lovely and unique array of homegoods. I'm especially taken with the gorgeous local pottery there -- more on that in another post.

My Christmas cactus is beginning its seasonal display:
I just finished seaming up a pair of fingerless mitts in a similarly rosy shade:

Pattern: Irish Hiking Wristwarmers, by Delia Rau
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Worsted Merino (Single Ply) ~ "Cheeky"
Needles: US 6 Brittany Birch

Notes:

I've knit this pattern twice before, and I'll probably make more! Next time I'll knit them in the round, as I always put off seaming. These coordinate nicely with the Windy City Hat I made from this yarn -- you can squeeze both projects out of 1 skein and still have a little bit of yarn left over. Sarah's yarn is oh-so-soft and lovely to knit.

caught in the act

wearing handknit wool socks for the first time this fall

------------------------

enjoying clean, warm laundry

------------------------

finishing up my Toasty mitts rather than editing a manuscript

Pattern: Toasty, by Leslie at a friend to knit with
Yarn: Frog Tree Merino Worsted, #405, just over 1 skein
Needles: US 6 Brittany Birch DPNs

Notes: A quick, easy knit. Next time I would cast on at least a couple more stitches for the thumb, and do some k2togs after a couple rounds. Warm, cozy, and perfect for fall. Thanks for the great pattern, Leslie!

unoriginal fun

My Juliet scarf project is in time-out for now, as my yarn cake somehow turned into this disaster:
Instead of turning to my long list of WIPs, I (quite naturally) cast on for something else entirely last night:
An "Unoriginal Hat," as devised by the Yarn Harlot herself. This was incredibly fun and quick to knit. Marvelous yarn, very clear chart, lots of cable-y goodness...

Pattern: An Unoriginal Hat, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Zen String, Bliss Bulky, in "Naiad," less than 1 skein
Needles: Clover US 10.5 bamboo DPNs

Would I knit it again? Most definitely! The yarn is very soft and squooshy BFL. It doesn't hurt that "naiad" is Greek for "fresh-water nymph." Yep, I'm a sucker for anything classical.

------------------------------

In a similarly unoriginal vein, I'm copying Leslie from A Friend to Knit with today. I cast on for her latest pattern, a pair of Toasty fingerless mitts.
Armed with Frog Tree merino and a mug of Darjeeling, what else could a girl want on a cool, crisp autumn afternoon?

Oh yes, pumpkin cookies, fresh from the oven.
I used the Pumpkin Drop Cookie recipe (also from A Friend to Knit with). Despite having oodles of butter, they're light and fluffy, almost cake-like. I added chopped pecans, as well as a sprinkling of cardamom (that's my Nordic blood coming through) and nutmeg (the German side, this time). I can never add just cinnamon to a recipe! The last pan also has chocolate chips.

OK, time to get back to doing actual work...

trains and things

The whole movie thing was no April Fool's Day joke. Seriously, my block was a movie location all last week. I didn't get to see either Johnny Depp or Christian Bale up close (alas!). Instead, I slept poorly all week because a truck with about 5000 cables coming out of it ran all night long directly outside my bedroom window. Sigh...

Here's a pic of a scene they filmed using a vintage (or reproduction?) El car. If you look closely, you can see that the "riders" are actually mannequins dressed in 1930s garb.
Despite spring fever and lots of reading, some knitting has taken place:

Pattern: Cherry Red Handwarmers, by Creativeyarn

Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK (sadly discontinued)
Needles: US 5 Lantern Moon rosewood straights

Notes:

DK-weight is the way to go with this pattern. The pattern's yarn specifications are slightly cryptic, because Creativeyarn lives in Italy and yarn is categorized differently there. The mesh pattern is slightly looser than the ribbing. The ribbing itself is slightly tight on my arms, so I would go up one needle size for the arm ribbing, then stick with the smaller needles for the lace pattern and hand ribbing. I'm a big fan of this yarn; it's too bad that it has been discontinued. It's very springy and soft.

An old FO that never received a proper post:

Not the best photo, I'm afraid, but it's all I have.

Pattern: Easy-and-Elegant Cabled Mittens for the Whole Family, by Marci Richardson
Source: 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders
Yarn: Mountain Colors, Mountain Goat, Lupine
Needles: US 3 bamboo DPNs

Notes:
What a great pattern! It's easy to follow and well-written. Plus it has a wide range of sizes. I had to go down a couple needle sizes, as usual. The yarn was very hard to photograph, and looks much nicer than the photo. The mohair made me itchy and sneezy though, which is a bummer.

Recipe Round-Up
Rave reviews go to:
- Chewy Brownie Peanut Butter Chip Cookies over at Baking Bites
- Lemon Artichoke Pesto, by Kristi over at Fiber Fool
I tossed it with thin spaghetti and served it with grilled chicken breasts seasoned with Penzeys' Trinidad seasoning (a mixture of coarse salt, lemon peel, garlic, clove, and ginger).

last one on the bandwagon

Project Details
Pattern: Fetching
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 1 skein
Needles: Clover US4 bamboo DPNs

Marvelously fun to knit! I'll be making many more of these. This pair is destined for the cold hands of a fellow graduate student. Hopefully they'll bring a little cheer to the chilly library.

I picked up the yarn at a new-to-me yarn store in Milwaukee, Loop. It's a really cute shop; the staff was friendly and helpful, but not pushy. Dream in Color Classy was in great abundance there, as well as plenty of Debbie Bliss (which is hard to find in Chicago), Frog Tree, Malabrigo, and other lovelies. I'll definitely be back, especially since it's close to my husband's favorite Milwaukee record shop, Atomic Records, as well as a nice coffee shop. This area of Milwaukee is undergoing a great revitalization.

Unique Sheep Superwool, "Spruce Sprigs"
Woolgirl Sock Club ~ December

As I neared the half-way point on a little garter stitch baby cardigan, a horrible sinking sensation in my stomach developed. Yes, indeed, I was going to run out of yarn. Not only would I run out of yarn, I would run out of the December shipment of Woolgirl's sock club exclusive yarn. I emailed Jen at Woolgirl; not only did she dig up the very last skein of sportweight Unique Sheep Superwool in "Spruce Sprig," she also gave it to me for FREE, even shipping it priority. Talk about fabulous customer service... Thanks again, Jen!! :-) Knitters really are the nicest people.

I finished Owl Hat numero dos at knitting night, popped it on my head, discovered it was too big, and handed it off to a fellow (larger-headed) knitting friend. So no photo yet; I'll knit another one, modified for my medium-sized noggin.

Apparently this is hat season. I'm working on Le Slouch in Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed Aran:
Pattern choice was inspired by Melissa at Owl & Acorn; yarn choice was inspired by Sarah at Blue Garter. Let's hope this fits, as it would look lovely with the charcoal grey wool coat that I ordered yesterday and am now anxiously awaiting. The yarn is lovely to knit; usually tweeds are rough and scratchy and wear out my hands and wrists. A good amount of angora really softens up this yarn, and the color is amazing. It seems to attract even more cat hair than usual, though.

Have you seen Alice Bell's new (free) pattern, the Brompton cardigan? It's cute as can be; I predict that it may be the Drops Swing Jacket of late winter/early spring 2008.

Note to self
New Year's Resolution: Don't wear clogs in the house, especially while working in the kitchen. Poor Capricha loves to be underfoot, and she doesn't deserve to be stepped on by big clunky Danskos.

December already?!?

A winter storm dropped 5 inches of the white stuff on Chicago last night. Paul and I went for a moonlit walk in the snow, and it was absolutely magical. Our neighborhood is mainly comprised of 20- and 30-somethings densely packed into condos and apartments, so it was a delightful surprise to see people out throwing snowballs, building snowmen, and walking their dogs.

The quarter is almost over; I've been too swamped with grading and schoolwork to post, although I have desperately wanted to and there are plenty of things to share. The grey dreariness of November is also to blame -- decent photography has been nearly impossible. The reflection off the snow really helps with the photography.

Inspired by brainylady, I knit up a pair of pocketbook slippers. What a fast and easy pattern!
They don't look too much like slippers, do they? Here's an action shot:

Project Details

Pattern: Pocketbook Slippers, a free pattern from Knitwits Heaven
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Superwash, less than 1 skein (maybe 150 yds?), Blue Diamond
Needles: US 7 Brittany Victorian walnut, the old pretty dark brown ones that are discontinued
(one of mine is held together by Scotch tape -- very classy)

These are incredibly easy, and the results are interesting. A little odd, but also strangely charming, possibly even elven. They're cozy, very stretchy, and they fit my size 9 feet quite well. I used a skein of Lamb's Pride Superwash that had been marinating in my stash for quite some time, courtesy of Micki.

Next time I would try the modifications by Miss Twiss, available here. Why? The button is very cute, and the button/strap combo looks much nicer than the lumpy seam in the original pattern.

What else? I'd go down to size 6 needles; I might even use a heavy worsted. These would be heavenly in Malabrigo, but superwash seems like a better idea for slippers. Especially since these would make great quick gifts (esp. combined with other cozy things, like fancy hot cocoa mix and a wintry mug).

Why, oh why isn't there a superwash yarn as soft and lovely as Malabrigo? Any suggestions, you guys? My stash contains hardly any worsted weight superwash.

I'm working on a very basic stockinette watchcap from Charlene Schuch's Hats On for my dad. He's a no-frills kind of guy. The yarn is Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran Tweed, in a dark blue (surprisingly enough, not purchased in the big WEBS sale).
The unfortunate part? This is a horrible thing to knit. The dark blue is hard to see, the tweedy bits in the yarn are hard on my hands, and the Knitpicks metal circs are killing me. And it might be too big. At least it's just a hat and should be over soon. :-)

Marianne sent me a lovely pair of fingerless mitts for the Fall Fingerless Mitts swap:
It's the Miss Potter pattern from Yarn Forward, and they're absolutely perfect for me. I've been wearing them a ton already, even at the very cold library while typing. The yarn is Freedom Spirit by Twilleys of Stamford, and it's quite nice and woolly. I've never seen it in the US! Marianne sent loads of other thoughtful goodies, too, which I'll share in my next post.

Another nice surprise -- the new Knitty is up! I quite like the Matrix mittens.

Back to grading term papers...