recent reads + marvelous mail

A few favorite recent reads...

Sorcery and Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
by Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer

If you're a fan of young adult fantasy novels, Jane Austen, and Georgette Heyer, this is the book for you. It's a charming read, set in Regency England. Like the more sophisticated Jonathan Strage and Mr. Norrell, magic is alive and well in England of the past. The book is set up as epistolary fiction; two young ladies feverishly write letters back and forth to one another from London to the countrywide. Magic, romance, and mystery are afoot.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics
by Marisha Pessl

It's hard for me to belive this is a first novel. It's witty, intelligent, and engaging. Blue van Meer, the daughter of an eccentric academic, takes up with an unusual circle of friends led by an enigmatic teacher. Categorizing this novel is difficult -- it's very learned while still being very funny and real. It's part bildungsroman, part mystery, part homage to great literature. Pessl sets up the novel as a class syllabus; each chapter takes its title from a classic book. It's a bit similar to Donna Tart's Secret History, but much, much better.

The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery series,
of which the first is The Beekeeper's Apprentice
by Laurie R. King

These mysteries make for great travel reading. An aging Sherlock Holmes, retired to the countryside with his beehives, takes the young, headstrong, and very smart Mary Russell under his wing. While these books are light reading that are largely plot-driven, they're a huge step up from most mystery novels. King incorporates historical and literary figures in the books (e.g., the Reverand Sabine Baring-Gould and Rudyard Kipling's Kim), and the fictional accounts of travel and detection in the 1920s are engaging. Naturally, Mary Russell is a plucky heroine with a strong, independent spirit (and a real talent for languages, which I always appreciate).

Friday was a marvelous mail day...

Michaele (AKA the Knitty Professor) collects "puking" animal creamers -- china creamers in the shape of animals where the mouth is the spout. She had a contest for a name for her newest acquisition a while back. I contributed the playful name "Vominatrix" and was the lucky winner. She sent me my very own puking cow creamer, an awesome card, and some beautiful dark blue laceweight wool yarn from Sweden that I just love. Thanks, Michaele!

I did some test knitting for Sarah at The Plucky Knitter, and she sent me some gorgeous handpainted 50/50 bfl suri alpaca blend sock yarn. The colorway is "Barefoot in the Park"' I'm planning to knit some simple ribbed socks with it so that I don't have to go "Barefoot in the Cold Apartment" this winter. Thanks, Sarah!

Hattie's Rose Garden

Dropping all those stitches was terrifying, but it worked out quite well in the end! I had to start it at knitting night for the moral support. Many thanks to Ms. Prolix, who dropped the first stitch for me! BTW, her Venezia is coming along beautifully. I wish I had that much knitting skill and patience!

It still needs to be washed and blocked. So far I'm quite pleased. Ideally it would be a bit longer (at least another 100 yds' worth of yarn), but I'm glad to have knit from the stash. This pattern would be lovely as a narrower scarf, too.

Pattern: Hattie's Rose Garden, from Briar Rose Fibers
Yarn: Mountain Colors Alpaca Blend, Wild Raspberry, 1 skein (~440 yds)
Source: Knit 1
Needles: US8 16" circular Bryspuns

Malabrigo + size 6 needles = bulletproof fabric on my Mr. Greenjeans (but I got gauge!). I'm thinking of frogging, starting over on larger needles, and knitting the next size smaller. I don't want to do anything rash, though!

In the meantime...

Pattern: Midwest Moonlight, from Scarf Style
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, Cashmere Blue
Needles: US5 Clover bamboo straights

Elann's Baby Cashmere is one of my favorite yarns -- soft, lovely, and downright affordable. I would like to have pajamas knit out of it! I used the pink for my Falling Water Scarf way back when. Some coordinating Delicato Mitts would be lovely, no?

Everybody Likes Sandwiches is a recent blog discovery. Great blog, lovely photos, delicious recipes, down-to-earth, what's not to like? I made the Chai-Spiced Apple Oatmeal Bread a couple nights ago. It's easy as can be. Spicy and yummy, not too sweet. Not great for packing in lunches, though, since it's very tender and easily falls apart.

Have fun at Rhinebeck, all you lucky ducks!

contest winners

drumroll...


Baby Knits and some baby-friendly yarn are winging their way to:
Ellie, at Scientknits

Photo from Colorsong Yarns (my usual source for FA) - the skein is much brighter in person

Fleece Artist sock yarn in blackberry is heading out to:
Denise, at Nana and the Cats

Many thanks to all who entered! I managed to screw up while drawing lots, so I'll have to find something to send Pam, too. Have you seen her new socks? Gorgeous!

Tonight I'm binding off and dropping a ton of stitches on my Hattie's Garden Shawl! If all goes well, I'll post photos tomorrow. If not, I'll be sobbing in a corner somewhere. :-)

swaps and things

Wow! There's a lot of dedicated sock knitters out there! Thanks to all for entering my little contest. I'll keep taking entries for the rest of today, and I'll draw a couple names tomorrow.

Unless you're one of my swap partners, this entry is probably not too interesting.

KNITTERS’ COFFEESWAP QUESTIONS

1. Whole bean or ground?
Whole bean

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Fully-loaded, full-throttle

3. Regular or flavored?
Either! Flavored usually wins out, but really good regular is awesome, too.

4. How do you drink your coffee?
I make a pot of drip coffee just about every morning, and drink my coffee with fat-free half & half (thank you, modern science) and sugar as I check my email. I sometimes break out the espresso maker or the French press. For a special treat, I add a nip o’ Bailey’s to my coffee.

5. Favorite coffee ever?
Steep & Brew’s Icing on the Cake, from the State St. shop in Madison, Green Mountain Coffee’s pumpkin coffee

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
Medium-fussy. Not a big fan of my mom’s Folgers or my in-laws’ Maxwell House.

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Biscotti, scones, coffee cake, cookies. I grew up in a Minnesotan-Scandinavian-Lutheran household like in Lake Wobegon. Sweet tooth, lots of coffee. I’m trying not to eat too many sweets, though, so please don't go on overboard on treats.

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
I love trying new coffees from indie roasters, esp. flavored coffees.

9. Yarn/fiber you love?
Soft, natural-fiber yarns are the best! I’m a big fan of Malabrigo, Rowan 4-ply soft, Mission Falls 1824 Wool, and Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (yes, it’s a blend, but it’s amazing for baby knits).

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
Not a fan of 100% acrylic, boucle, or anything too wild.

11. What's on your needles?
- “Hattie’s Rose Garden” shawl in Mountain Colors alpaca blend, in deep shades of raspberry, blue, brown, and green.

- diagonal striped baby blanket in DB Cashmerino Aran - lots of colors!

- Mr. Greenjeans cardi in violet Malabrigo

- squirrel and oak mittens in Knit Picks’ Wool of the Andes

12. Favorite colors?
Blue (light or dark), plum, dark red, lavender, chocolate brown, green, natural, wine... Not a fan of really bright or pastel colors.

13. Allergies?
Cigarette smoke, dogs, molds, pollens – nothing too much to worry about. No yarn spun from Golden Retriever fur, I suppose. I'm allergic to cats, too, but that doesn't stop me from having two of them. :-)

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
I’m looking forward to trying some new coffee and getting to know some knitters! I really like mugs – ones with UK or sheep themes, Polish blue floral pottery mugs, even plastic travel mugs.

No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap Questionnaire

1. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?

Almost 2 years. I learned at a coffee shop here in Chicago.

2. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Intermediate. I’m fairly new to colorwork, and so far I love it! I’m into cables and easy lace.

3. What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?

Blue is my absolute favorite color, pretty much all shades from periwinkle to navy. I also like dark red, plum, green, lavender, aqua, chocolate brown, and cream/natural. I’m not a fan of really loud or bright colors or pastels.

4. Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?

I love how they look, but I haven’t tackled any actual Lativan patterns yet! I’m pretty excited about Scandinavian-style mittens, as well as whimsical variations. My favorite pattern is “Squirrel and Oak” mittens from Hello Yarn. I’m working on a pair in chocolate brown and tan.

5. Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?

Me! My husband wouldn’t wear mittens, and we don’t have any kids yet (just cats).

6. What other things do you enjoy knitting?

Baby stuff, socks, shawls/wraps, hats, scarves…

7. What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)

Straights or circs. I haven’t tried magic loop yet. I stick to bamboo or wood most of the time, but I do like Pony pearls for socks and the Knitpicks metal circs. I would like to try Swallow flexible casein needles at some point.

8. What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?

Squirrelly Swedish Mittens! Close runner-up = Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Norwegian Mittens

9. What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?

Beaverslide!

10. What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?

I’m very into cooking and baking (love Cooking Light magazine). I’m a big reader (mainly fiction), I’m into music (indie rock but also things like Simon & Garfunkel), and I like to quilt, embroider, and cross-stitch.

11. Besides yarn, do you collect anything?

I like mugs – esp the blue floral Polish pottery mugs, mugs with UK themes, and mugs with sheep/knitting themes. Books, too!

12. What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?

I like sweets – chocolate (milk or dark), mint chocolate, scones, biscotti, and dried fruit. I’m trying to lose a few pounds, so not too many goodies, please! I love trying new teas and coffees. I’m not into gummy or hard candies.

13. Do you have any kids? Pets?

No kids yet. We have two beloved brown tabby cats, Capricha and Kylie.

14. What is your favorite part of Winter?

Almost everything! Snowflakes, cold air, snuggling under a down comforter, ice skating, sledding, cross country skiing, ice-covered trees, wearing handknit woolen socks and mittens, drinking hot cocoa in front of my wood-burning stove… I grew up in Minnesota, and winter is my favorite season.

15. What is your least favorite part of Winter?

Driving in Chicago and trying to parallel park between snowpiles.

baby knits extravaganza

Lois Daykin's Baby Knits arrived on my doorstep the other week.
It features a wide array of projects, from a sweet, lace-edged wrap cardi to intarsia baby blankets, to textured rompers. Daykin most definitely likes pockets, adding them to the rear ends of baby dresses and the chest of a cute little baby vest.

You know what though? I'm not really into intarsia, rompers, or pockets. Baby knits designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann, Debbie Bliss, and Louisa Harding are more my style, and my baby knitting queue is pretty full right now. It's a good, solid baby knits book, but just not the one for me.

Leave me a comment if you're interested in my copy of the book, and I'll send it to you along with some wool-blend, machine-washable baby yarn!

Not into baby knitting, but like contests? How about some bright-colored hand-dyed sock yarn? Leave me a comment saying that you're a sock knitter.

Deadline for contest entries: Saturday, Oct. 13.

Here are a few links to beautiful free patterns for baby knits that have captured my eye recently:

- Chronicles of Narnia Cardigan at Looking Glass Knits (what a wonderful blog! Her little sheep sweater is heart-meltingly cute)
- Eyelet Baby Cardigan Pattern, also at Looking Glass Knits
- Clementine's Baby Kimono, at Clementine's Shoes
- High Energy Baby Socks (that rock) at Jodi Green's blog
- Drops Wrap Baby Jacket
- Organic Guernsey baby sweater, at F. Pea's blog
- Seed Stitch Baby Jacket, at Exercise Before Knitting

FO #1

Pattern: Oz Vest from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies and Moms

Size: up to 6 months
Yarn: RYC Cashcotton DK, #601 "cool", 1.5 skeins
Needles: US4 circs and US5 bamboo straights

Notes: This is not a difficult pattern, but the instructions for shaping the V-neck and armholes are woefully inadequate. I'm sure Harding was trying to make it easy for knitters with different row gauges, but I ended up writing out row by row instructions. The yarn was quite nice to knit; I like it better than RYC's Cashsoft line. It's soft and slightly elastic, and the cashmere gives it a soft glow. I easily could have made the largest size (up to 12 months) with two skeins.

I'm running out of yarn on the diagonal baby blanket, so it's on hold until I make a yarn store trip. I cast on for Hattie's Rose Garden, a dropped stitch shawl pattern from Briar Rose Fibers, using Mountain Colors Alpaca Blend in "wild raspberry" from my stash. It's a lovely and easy pattern. I had intended to use my Briar Rose Wistful from the WI Sheep & Wool Festival, but it's being saved for the Morning Glory wrap from Knitspot instead.
Not the best picture, I must admit.

Real Simple's Pumpkin-Leek Soup recipe was a real hit around here. It has a great texture since you use both canned and fresh pumpkin, and it's wonderfully healthy.

Here's the delicious pesto recipe, as promised. The spinach really makes it outstanding!

2 C. basil leaves, firmly packed
1 C. spinach leaves, torn, firmly packed
1 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 C. pine nuts
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. olive oil (or even a little less)

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT olive oil in a food processor or blender. Cover and process using the pulse feature until a paste forms, scraping the sides occasionally. With the machine running slowly, gradually add olive oil and process until you reach the desired consistency. It whips up a bit.

Great with pasta, chicken breasts, even just thrown in with rice to give it some flavor.

parting is such sweet sorrow

Good-bye, my sweet squirrelly friend:
Alas, my hands are too big. I'm going to frog and reknit. This was knit on 3s using KP Wool of the Andes (worsted weight), and I can just barely squeeze my hand into it. Should I go up to 4s or head straight to 5s? Any opinions?

Still no FOs, but here's a sneak preview:
F. Pea's Super-Natural Stripes baby cardigan, knit up in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton (in need of a button and a bath). The 4-patch quilt top just needs a border.

More baby knits underway:
Sandy's Diagonal Baby Blanket, a free pattern from Jimmy Beans Wool. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran on size 9 needles.

I couldn't find my mom's tried-and-true pumpkin bread recipe last night, so I tried something new to bring to knitting group. This is based on a recipe from the Land O Lakes website (one of my favorite baking resources), with a few tasty additions. It's not the dark, rich, super-moist version that Mom makes, but it received rave reviews from the knitters. The crystallized ginger gives it a nice spicy kick! I used Penzey's crystallized ginger. Penzey's is just fabulous -- high quality and low prices. Adding walnuts or pecans to the recipe would be great, too. You can substitute 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice for the individual spices.

Pumpkin Bread

1-3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 C. canned pumpkin puree (not the same as pie filling)
3/4 C. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 C. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
dash of cardamom (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
-----
1 T. crystallized ginger, minced
1/2 C. dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except last 2 (crystallized ginger and cranberries) in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed. Gently mix in ginger and dried cranberries.

Spoon batter into greased 9"x5" loaf pan. Bake 45-55 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan.

summer's end

The new quarter started yesterday with surprisingly little fanfare. I had forgotten how much I enjoy running into my former students at the start of the new school year. They're filled with so much enthusiasm and they look full of energy. A completely different state from when I last saw them during finals week.

I've been knitting like a fiend lately, but no photos this post. With any luck I'll have two FOs to share by week's end.

Have you seen this yet?

Photo: Knitting Daily/Interweave Press

Pam Allen's Knitting Needle Bag is the latest free pattern from Knitting Daily (download here). It's in the new Bag Style book, too. What a hideous name for a book, BTW! I'm definitely knitting one (or two or even three). This will necessitate a yarn store trip, though, since my stash doesn't contain any chunky yarn in the requisite quantity (about 330 yds, I think). Maybe some Cascade 109? I've never tried it.

More things coming soon chez Caffeinated Yarn:
- a book/yarn contest
- book reviews/recommendations
- an awesome pesto recipe

lesson learned

How to block a baby hat? How about using a small mixing bowl?So far, so good...

Pattern: Vine Lace Baby Hat

Designer: Sandi Wiseheart (which must be one of the best last names ever)
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter, 100% Merino Single Ply Fingering, "Woodland Brown"
Needles: US3 Brittany birch DPNs
Size: Newborn

Hmmm... not so good after all. Looks more like very odd yarmulke. Embarrassingly enough, I didn't know how to pronounce that until I was 19. There was exactly one Jewish kid in my grade in my entire Minneapolis suburb (which was not small), and somehow traditional head coverings never came up in casual conversation.

I'll have to block this again before sending it off to Sarah. The newborn size is quite small indeed, so I would recommend knitting the largest size if you want it to be worn more than once. The annoyance of the YOs at the beginning and end of the needles has motivated me to learn magic loop or 2 circ's.

Mr. Greenjeans from the new Knitty is on the needles. I'm using Malabrigo merino worsted in "Violetas", and the yarn is as marvelous as ever. Some of you may remember it from my ill-fated attempt at the Hourglass sweater. A cardigan will see a lot a more use. I'm a big fan of the YOs along the raglan increases.
My knitting group met at my place last night since our coffee shop was closed, and it was great fun. Martha Stewart's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares were absolutely yummy. It also inspired a frantic cleaning frenzy! It's so nice and clean in here now.

Saartje's Bootees

The fruits of my test knitting for The Plucky Knitter, using her fabulous merino fingering weight yarn. So soft, so easy to knit with. These booties knit up very quickly. They still need buttons.

Pattern: Saartje's Bootees Yarn: The Plucky Knitter, 100% Merino Single Ply Fingering colorway unknown ~ I'd call it "Woodland Brown" Needles: Knit Picks US 2 circular (metal) Size: large

Next up? A Vine Lace Baby Hat to match, already on the needles. Cute so far, but YOs at the beginning and end of DPNs -- what a b^&*$. Magic Loop knitters would probably enjoy this knit more than I do.

Apparently I've been living in a cave. I had been strangely resistant to Neko Case for a long time (even despite Paul's love of The New Pornographers). I have no idea why. On a whim,I picked up a copy of Fox Confessor Brings the Flood last week, and it has been in heavy rotation ever since. I *heart* Neko Case. That voice... the thoughtfulness of the lyrics... the storytelling! I would love to hear her sing "Long Black Veil", my favorite Johnny Cash song.
I haven't been this excited about any music since I first heard The Decemberists. Speaking of which, Colin Meloy's old band, Tarkio, is great, too. Much more alt country -- finger-picking, violin, etc. There's still the storytelling element, but it's not quite as literary. Sometimes it's a bit forced (I'm thinking of a particularly painful line about Albert Camus).
Omnibus is, as you would expect, a compilation album.

Any new music suggestions for me? Other new-to-me things I've been enjoying lately are Matt Pond, Cat Power, and the tribute album to Elliott Smith. I have tried using Last FM, but I can't get into it. Maybe I need to rate more music or something?

The Flaming Lips show last Friday was great fun, despite the 100 degree heat. Wayne went off on some long-winded, non-specific political rants that detracted from the show a bit. Be concise! Just being disgruntled doesn't set you apart from the crowd and motivate people to act.

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool

Wisconsin Sheep and Wool was a lot of fun. It's not a huge festival, but there were some gorgeous sheep and marvelous vendors there. Connecting with sheep farmers, meeting the little woolie guys who provide me with yarn, petting a soft angora rabbit -- much better than Stitches Midwest. The highlights:

~ Shetland sheep - so little and fluffy!!!
~ angora rabbits - I can't believe I made it home without one
~ Briar Rose Fibers - so many beautiful, saturated colors

I'm doing a little test knitting for Sarah (AKA The Plucky Knitter), so I'll be posting FO pics of Saartje's booties knit up in a super-soft merino fingering weight very, very soon. It feels like fingering-weight Malabrigo.

Paul and I are heading back to Wisconsin for Saturday's Brewers game. This time I'm rooting for the Bratwurst! Hopefully we'll hit an apple orchard on the way home. I'm jonesing for some homemade applesauce.

Check out the fabulous horns on this guy!

smitten with mittens

Heat and humidity have hindered further progress on my Tapestry shawl. Lap full of wool in 90% humidity = not my cup of tea. A smaller project was in order:

Basic Mittens

Source: Knitting for Peace
Size: Adult Medium
Needles: US 6 Brittany birch DPNs
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool

An odd hole is created in the ribbing when you begin to increase for the thumb gusset in the first stockinette round. Next time I would knit one round plain before beginning the increases. These are for the Favorites Fall Swap! I'm in a frenzy over all the awesome mitten patterns out there.

More mittens in progress:

wonderfully whimsical Squirrel and Oak mittens from Hello Yarn
Knit Picks Wool of the Andes (snickerdoodle & chocolate)

Hopefully they'll be done by the time I'm home from the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival this weekend!

My computer had a minor meltdown, so blogging has been light and will be so for the next few days, too.

haulin' oats

Watch out boy, she'll chew you upOh, here she comes
She's a yarn-eater
Ah... the immortal words of Hall & Oates. When I was little, I thought the name was "Haulin' Oats."

The "Simple Yet Effective Shawl" is growing, and it is just eating up the yarn. 3 balls down, 3 to go. I want this to be luxuriously roomy for staying warm and cozy while researching at the freezing cold library this fall and winter.

Rowan Tapestry is a loose singles yarn, and it's easy to knit with larger needles than recommended. I'm using bamboo needles with blunt tips, which I think helps a great deal. I wouldn't want to knit a sweater at a tight gauge with super-pointy Addi's, that's for sure.

Fall is on its way... :-)

tea and sympathy

Alas, I'm wallowing in the depths of a summer cold. Last week I could sense it coming on, so Friday night Paul and I skipped a b-day party and stayed home to watch Pan's Labyrinth. (an excellent but disturbing film). My Spanish is OK, but I knew I would have to look at the subtitles some, so I cast on for an easy project.
Apparently I've caught not only a cold, but also START-ITIS! I hear it's highly contagious. This is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl from cosmicpluto knits!. I fell in love with Larissa's version back in June. The yarn is Rowan Tapestry. I'm using US 8 needles, and it's creating a nice, drapey fabric. My SP10 sent me a couple skeins, and I found a couple more (of the same dyelot, no less) in the sale bin at Arcadia last week.

Saturday and Sunday were spent in The Land of Milk and Honey (AKA Wisconsin). After surviving a family gathering in the green rolling hills outside of Mt. Horeb, Paul and I took a brief detour through Madison on the way home. We walked down State St., around the Capital, and down Langdon. My throat hurt too much to enjoy a beer at the Terrace, so I alternated between people-watching and sneezing ferociously while Paul enjoyed a Spotted Cow. We stopped for dinner at the new Paisan's on Lake Monona, which attempts but fails to recreate the dark, rather dingy atmosphere of the old University Square location. I'll stick to their more upscale cousin Porta Bella in the future. :-) Many an event has been celebrated there over the years (like the night Paul proposed!!!!).

Speaking of good things from Wisconsin, many thanks to Peaknit for the award! I like the spirit of the thing, even though the button sports a very Barbie shade of pink.
I accept with pleasure! I'm passing this honor on to a few more marvelous female bloggers:
- Micki at A Thing 4 String
- Nicole at cocoknits (who has inspired me to use bloglines at long last)
- Jana at Exile in Knitville

dispatch from the frog pond

RIP
Dublin Bay Socks
19 August 2007

The Hagrid-sized Dublin Bay sock has morphed into a cuter, smaller sock:

Dragonfly Socks, a free pattern by Jocelyn Sertich

Fleece Artist merino sock yarn, mahogany
US 1 bamboo DPNs

My sock model? Lakefront Brewery Organic E.S.B. It doesn't get much more elegant than that, does it?

Inspired by thoughts of Festivus knitting, I wrote up a little hat pattern for worsted weight yarn (Knit Picks Andean Silk). If it turns out well, I may ask for a couple test knitters before I post it.

While we're on the topic of all things red, here's the Smarty Kat Love Bucket in action:

100% Capricha-approved

Available at Ye Olde Target, of course.

Recipe Round-Up + Tuesday Fun

Baking Bites is one of my new favorite blogs. I tried Nicole's recipe for a Parmesan Tomato Tart to accompany the always delicious and incredibly healthy Summer Minestrone from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special cookbook. It was wonderful, and I never would have thought of this simple combination of ingredients. I used some fancy schmancy heirloom tomatoes that I had real qualms about buying because of their high price, but it was well worth it. I economized on the Parmesan; I bought a block of the slightly waxy, less expensive stuff (minor gripe: the new Whole Foods near my apt doesn't sell Grana Padano, my economical Parmesan of choice).

Other successful new recipes I've tried lately:

- Martha's Easy Chocolate Cupcakes
Truly easy, sinfully rich and moist. I substituted light sour cream for regular.

- Chicken, Chickpea, and Zucchini Stew
Flavorful, healthy, and not sinful at all. I omitted the tomato paste and served it with yet another Parmesan Tomato Tart.

- Dorie Greenspan's Swedish Visiting Cake
Found via Knitter in the Kitchen. The lemon zest is a great touch. You need to take this out of the oven when it doesn't seem quite done yet to keep it nice and moist. This is good, but not quite as good as my standard Scandinavian Almond Cake (I would post the recipe but it requires a fancy Scandinavian pan).

Tuesday Fun
Check these out:

- the Action Park entry in Wikipedia. Sounds like the most dangerous place in the "civilized" world. I would love to hear from anyone who has actually been there!

- the Stanford University Marching Band entry in Wikipedia. Very rarely do I wish I had attended a different college, but this made me briefly reconsider. Sick and wrong, but oh so very right!

super - (not so) natural stripes

I'm happily settled back in at home here in Chicago after a few days in Minneapolis. Babies were visited, baby sweaters were presented, and much fun was had by all. Alas, I forgot to take my camera. Plus all the sweaters were too big, just as intended -- that way they'll fit this winter! Hopefully parents will send me some photos of sweaters in action.

Finally the heat has broken for real -- the a/c is off, the windows are open, and I'm content as can be. There's another baby sweater in the works:
This time it's the super-natural stripes cardigan by f. pea. I'm subbing Mission Falls 1824 cotton from my stash, so it's not all that natural, but it sure is cute and fun to knit. Top-down raglan = not many seams. Thank god, since there's a ton of ends to weave in as a result of all the color changes. Needless to say this is the back view, as I can't bear to show off all the dangling ends in the front. Great pattern, easy to knit. I think there are a couple errata for the stitch counts for the 6-12 mo. size that I'm knitting. I'll look at the math again and email Ms. F. Pea herself before posting any numbers, though.

I hit Stitches Midwest with a couple girls from my knitting group last Sunday. We had a good time, and it wasn't very busy. I didn't even go too yarn crazy, instead making an effort to buy yarns from the Midwest -- a handspun thrummed mitten kit from Handspun by Stefania and some oh-so-soft merino 3-ply Shepherd's Wool from Stonehedge Fiber Mill for Christmas knitting.

I had hoped to meet up with a few Midwestern bloggers, but I was so busy getting ready for the MN trip that I didn't get organized! Oh well... there's always the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival coming up in a few weeks (Sept 7-9). It's in Jefferson, WI, home of one of my close friends from college, a rather smelly Friskies plant, and the late Rosemary Kennedy (a very sad and frightening tale).

danke schoen

Viele danke to Helga, my Sockapalooza pal! Not only did she knit me these beautiful blue ankle socks:

She also knit me these gorgeous Regia Canadian Colors socks:

Die Socken sind wunderbar! My feet will be very warm and happy this fall and winter. Both pairs fit perfectly, and I couldn't be more pleased. Helga sent me lots of goodies, too:
The chocolates and tea are delicious, and I'm excited to try a new sock yarn (Woll Butt). She sent along some Opal bamboo dpns, too -- I had no idea Opal even made needles. There' are even some beautiful-smelling handmade guest soaps! Everything is so thoughtful. Thank you so much, Helga. I hope your Sockpal knit you some wonderful socks, too.

Continuing in the Sockapalooza vein...

I finally finished my socks! For a while there I felt like little miss Goldisocks. Remember the Fleece Artist Dublin Bay socks that were too big? Then the Little Shell socks turned out too small. New pattern + new yarn = just the right size.
The Breeze ankle socks from Knitty made for a pretty quick knit in spite of all the fiddly cables and lace. What a great pattern! The yarn is Rowan 4 Ply Soft in "Clover". I used size 1.5 Pony Pearl dpns, and I combined the sizing for medium and large. My pal's feet are wider than mine but the same length, so I used size large for the width and size medium for the length.

I just need to weave in a few ends, wash them in some penny royal Meadows wool wash, and send them off! I feel bad that I took so long and that they're just ankle socks, but this has been an exhaustingly busy summer for me. I also learned some valuable lessons about sizing and gauge.

a decaffeinated afternoon

What a lovely Friday! The heat has been relentless here in Chicago, but it has eased up a bit today. Nevertheless I've switched to iced tea as I settle in with the new issue of Interweave Knits.
This iced tea is fabulously refreshing, and the color is quite eye-catching. It's made by Rishi Tea, a little company up in Milwaukee. It's not all that peachy, despite the name -- I mainly notice the rooibos and the hibiscus!

Ah... the new Interweave. I really like a couple designs:

- Tangled Yoke Cardigan, by Eunny Jang. Beautiful shaping, great garter rib elements. I already have enough Rowan Felted Tweed for it.

- Tilted Duster, by Norah Gaughan. Very cute and swing-y, in quite an unusual shape. It might look horrible on me, though.

- Tyrolean Stockings, by Ann Budd. Love all the cables! They have a very retro look, and they would be super cute in the winter with a short skirt. Or peeking out between jeans and clogs.

The staff sock projects are appealing, and the Minimalist Cardigan and Counterpane Pullover are OK. The rest wasn't of much interest to me. Some things (like the elfin scarf/hat and the luna knitted dress) are downright hideous. I was surprised to realize that Brooklyn Tweed/Jared's Cobblestone pullover didn't do anything for me. Usually I love his knitted projects.

Breeze ankle socks are on the needles:

I'm using Rowan 4 ply soft, and they aren't kidding -- it's wonderfully soft. It reminds me of baby cashmerino without the accompanying vaguely acrylic-y feel. Also, I love Pony pearl DPNs! They have a good amount of bend and give, they're not too long, and they're nice and smooth. I want to pick up more sets of these.

I finally looked through my new knitting books from the big KnitPicks sale. I love these two titles, even more than Knitter's Almanac and Knitting without tears. EZ is so charming, and they're a joy to read.
A while ago I cast on for a Baby Hat with Leaf Edging using DB Baby Cashmerino. So far I've just done the edging, which was a ton of fun and incredibly adorable. I'm not going to work on the rest of the hat, though, until I finish my overdue Sockapalooza socks.

Speaking of Sockapalooza, my pal, Helga, just sent me a sweet e-card telling me that there's a parcel on the way. YAY! I can't wait to try them on. Many thanks in advance.

My heart goes out to all those affected by the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis.


I used to take this bridge across the mighty Mississippi to the East Bank of the U of M campus every day, and it's just unimaginable.