my heart belongs to the snow

There's a distinct possibility that I've been the happiest person in Chicago for the past two weeks.  The cold and the snow are delightful, and they remind me of my Minnesota childhood. Blue skies, the sun reflecting off the frozen tundra, steaming mugs of hot coffee... perfect.

my new coffee mug from Jennie the Potter

I credit my mother with my love of winter. She strapped me into ice skates when I was 2-1/2, took me sledding, helped me build snow forts, and always had hot cocoa waiting when I came into the warm house with my rosy cheeks. Mom grew up ice skating even on week nights; she was especially enamored of the aqua skating costume my grandmother made for her -- complete with her initials embroidered with pink pearl beads!

Anyway, here's a wintry mix to cheer you up. It's bookended by the Decemberists, with a little hint of spring at the end.

I would have included the Fairways' "Winter Song," too, but I couldn't find it on Grooveshark.

P.S. Apparently the jonquils are beginning to come up in London, as reported by a friend who's in the UK on holiday right now.

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Many of my fellow grad students at the university come from warmer climes, and they're miserable when winter hits. I think a lot of it has to do with not having proper winter gear (especially warm coats -- a cute wool coat from J. Crew just won't cut it, nor will cheap acrylic gloves).  This post has some great ideas for how to keep warm; I would add a few things:

buckskin or elkskin chopper mittens

L.L. Bean carries some very posh choppers, but you can buy them at a substantial discount at almost any farm & fleet in the upper Midwest. Mine are 20 years old and still going strong.

down throws

So warm and cozy! We have some in pretty much every room in the house. The cats love snuggling up in them, too, and they're machine washable.

warm boots

Bogs and Sorels are my favorites. My Bogs are completely waterproof and warm, and the fit is great.  The Sorels have great traction and are also toasty warm! Plus you can buy replacement liners if they wear out -- or just keep a spare pair to switch out.

P.S. I'd also add an automotive category: good tires, a decent battery, a real snow shovel to put in the trunk, a winter emergency kit, a big snow brush, and a serious ice scraper. In terms of more expensive investments, 4WD or AWD make life so much easier, as do antilock brakes and ESC/traction control. These aren't just silly add-ons dreamed up by greedy car company execs. Heated seats, while delightful, are an added bonus.

winter in the city

Scenes from a wintry walk:

an unexpected pop of color.

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city streets frosted with snow

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A new knitting project on the needles (so many babies on the way this year!):

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Tasty orange and dark chocolate buttermilk scones fresh from the oven:

wintry fun

Old Man Winter sent us about a foot of snow on Tuesday. Paul worked from home, and we took made the most of it by going for a midday walk around our neighborhood and a quick jaunt to the Southport Grocery and Cafe for lunch (mmm... the grilled mushroom/spinach/brie sandwich is to die for).All this wintry weather has been perfect for curling up under my giant granny square afghan with a good book (currently The Children's Book, by A.S. Byatt). I'm still weaving in ends, but that hasn't stopped me from enjoying it. I would have liked to make it a little larger, but I ran out of yarn. Man, this project truly was a yarn-eater.

Pattern: Craftstylish granny square tutorial + Grand Granny Square Afghan

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky, various colors, countless skeins
Hook: Clover Soft Touch "J"
Size: 44" x 44" (unblocked)

I'd love to start another big crochet project, but my stash just isn't up for it. I prefer machine-washable yarn, as the prospect of hand washing a giant blanket fills me with dread. I just don't have that much yarn in the same weight, in coordinating colors, in the proper amount. Time to visit the knitting shop?!? :-)

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Last weekend's trip to Madison with our friends for the Camp Randall Winter Classic outdoor hockey game was fabulous. One of the best weekends ever, plus the Badgers beat the Wolverines!

keeping warm at the game

In less than 36 hours we managed to visit:
- State St. Brats
- Capital Brewery
- Great Dane Pub/Microwbrewery
- Genna's Lounge
- Sunroom Cafe
- Lakeside Fibers/Coffee Room (great view of Lake Monona)
- New Glarus Brewery, which has a beautiful new building

a new day

Not only are we free at last from the dreaded Bush, but Illinois also just said good riddance to bad Blagojevich! Hurray! The only downside is that the local news is going to be much less exciting to follow. The new governor, Pat Quinn, looks like a major improvement already:

"You want to know my philosophy? One day a peacock. The next day a feather duster."
- Pat Quinn, on the spotlight

Now that's something that never would have come out of G-Rod's big mouth.
Paul noted a striking similarity between the Blag's voluminous coiffure and the detachable hair helmets on the Lego-men of our youth.
Maybe I would have liked Legos more if I had the James Bond set? Who knows...

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My Bleepin' Golden Shawl is off the needles, just in need of a good blocking. Name inspired by the Blag's potty mouth (plus the actual name of this shade of Silky Wool), of course, and knit throughout the Blagojevich scandal. And now that my Knitters' Block kit has arrived, I'm golden when it comes to having the proper supplies for it.

The shawl turned out OK, but I made a really dumb mistake with my yarn. I had 10 skeins in one dye lot of "Golden" earmarked for a sweater project (stored in 2 ziploc bags), and 5 skeins in another dye lot set aside for a shawl or small project. Can you guess which bunch I grabbed to knit my shawl? Yep, 5 skeins from the larger lot. D'oh! Plus I just didn't think through how long it would take to knit that project in a much thinner yarn. Not bright choices...

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Paul and I headed up to the Chicago Curling Club last weekend with some friends and gave curling a try! It was great fun. Curling is both a surprisingly good workout (all those core muscles keeping you upright) and a surprisingly social activity. I'd join the club if it weren't way out in the 'burbs.

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Knitters' Coffee Swap 4

QUESTIONS
1. Whole bean or ground?

Whole beans. I do buy ground Illy for espresso, though.

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?

Fully-loaded. I'm a grad student, so I can use all the extra energy I can get.

3. Regular or flavored?
I like both -- regular for espresso or French press coffee, and flavored for drip coffee.

4. How do you drink your coffee?
Milk and sugar, sometimes a wee nip o' Baileys.

5. Favorite coffee ever?
Shade-grown coffee beans straight from Costa Rica!

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?

Medium fussy. I don't like Folgers, but I'm not a huge coffee snob. I don't like coffee to be too bitter or earthy.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Chocolate, scones, or cookies. I love baking!

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?

Not a big Starbucks fan! [I certainly enjoy a latte or mocha there, but their beans don't do much for me.]

9. Yarn/fiber you love?

Soft wool and wool/silk blends. My favs are Malabrigo merino worsted and Manos Silk Blend. I also love knitting with DB Cashmerino, esp. for baby gifts. Really anything soft and woolly.

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?

Sadly I'm allergic to alpaca and mohair. Sniff! Cotton, linen, and hemp yarns are too rough on my hands/wrists. I'm not a big acrylic fan, either. Yarns that are too wildly variegated make me nuts. I'm pretty full up on sock yarn right now, and I'm a SLOW sock knitter.

11. What's on your needles?

A chunky cabled throw in a lovely shade of light blue. So cozy and warm during this chilly winter!

12. Favorite colors?

Light blue, dark blue, cherry red, plum, aqua.

13. Allergies?

Mohair and alpaca. Llama's probably not a great idea, either.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?

Looking forward to getting to know you! Hurray for coffee and knitting. :-)

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Yesterday's snowfall:
A side street right near Wrigley Field:
There's more snow in the forecast for tonight, too. :-)

Marianne sent me a wonderful parcel of goodies from the UK for the Fingerless Mitts Swap -- neat magazines, yummy biscuits, chocolate, and tea, fancy soap (always a big hit with me), a twinkly tree pin that I will wear on our annual Christmas sweater pub crawl tomorrow night:
Best of all (aside from the great mitts), there's this super soft yarn in scrumptious colors:
It's Rooster Almerino Aran, a 50/50 merino/alpaca blend that's just not sold in the US, as far as I can tell. The darker teal is destined for a pair of Fetching mitts. Thanks, Marianne!