autumn leaves, just in time for winter snowflakes

My Autumn Leaves scarf is complete, just as Jack Frost arrives. Project Details

Pattern: Leaf Lace Scarf, a free pattern by Janet at Twisted Knitter
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Fingering, "Oak Creek Canyon" - 1 skein
Needles: US 5 Clover bamboo straights

Notes: The pattern is very easy to follow, and the yarn is a dream to knit. I highly recommend both! Janet calls for Malabrigo laceweight yarn, which is on the heavier side of lace yarns. I went with the fingering weight because I loved the colors. A solid or semi-solid yarn would be a better showcase for the pattern, but I'm happy with my choice.

Speaking of nice things that are orange, Mia sent me this cute little guy last month:

hiding in the dining room jungle

It's the Purl Frog! He has been keeping me company through all the end-of-term grading. By the way, Mia is organizing Small Comforts, a drive to collect handknit items for military hospitals right here in the US. It's a great cause.

I had sent Mia a couple care packages a while back, and, man, does she know how to reciprocate. Here's a huge array of quilting books, many with wintry themes perfect for the season:

Oodles of Jo Sharp DK merino yarn:
I'm planning to use these for a simple cabled vest for my dad. Many thanks, Mia! I've already plowed through a few of the novels, too.

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!

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...

on the mend

Many, many thanks to all of you who left such thoughtful comments on my last post. Knitters are the nicest people! I have good news to report: Kylie's labwork came back A-OK, and she seems much better. She's still sneezing, but no longer suffering from her earlier (best left undescribed) ailments. Our vet actually called us on Thanksgiving!

Here she is at one of her favorite tasks: squeezing herself into spaces that are perfectly Kylie-sized.Capricha was also quite pleased that we skipped our trip to MN and stayed home with the kitties instead. It was odd not to celebrate with our family, but thoughtful friends included us in their festivities at the last minute.
Much progress was made on my Leaf Lace Scarf. Knitting scarves with sock-weight yarns is a slow task. At least the chart is easy to read and memorize; I can watch a movie while working on it.
The color is hard to capture on film during these grey November days. Here's another shot:
Both of my Christmas cacti have buds this year, which pleases me to no end. Last year I ended up with St. Patrick's Day cacti.

Thanksgiving worries

Kylie cat has been under the weather lately, and I'm very anxious about leaving her at home while heading to Minneapolis for the Thanksgiving holiday. A friend will check in on her, but still...
Please send some positive thoughts my way tomorrow morning at 9:30 when I take her in to the vet.

The first Newfoundland Mitt is almost done. What's underneath the mitten has been occupying most of my time lately. That, and celebrating Paul's 30th birthday. :-)

knitting things that aren't blue

Every once in a while it happens...
Leaf Lace Scarf is a free pattern from Twisted Knitter. I'm using the "Oak Creek Canyon" colorway of The Plucky Knitter's merino fingering weight yarn. The lace pattern would show up better in a semisolid yarn, but I like the effect of a pile of autumn leaves.

Newfoundland Mitts in progress:
Both of these patterns are Ravelry discoveries, and they're easy and fun to knit.

In other news, I received a wonderful and generous parcel from Tricotine for the Knitter's Coffee Swap 3 yesterday. Details here. Thanks again, Tricotine! Mia sent me an amazing package of books and yarn this week, too. I'm still sorting through all the quilting books. Photos over the weekend, I promise.

Schoolwork, tea, and knitting.

That's the story of my life, my friends. Watching The Office on DVD, too.

Midwest Moonlight is off the needles and ready for a blocking! Great pattern, marvelous yarn...

Pattern: Midwest Moonlight, from Scarf Style
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, "cashmere blue," 5 skeins
Needles: Clover US 5 bamboo straights

Making this scarf narrower would work quite well, and it would make for faster knitting. I enjoyed every minute of this project, though.

Some top-secret gift knitting:
Like tea? See what the Onion has to say about one tea drinker. Good ol' Onion... I wonder how well tea would go over if it were marketed like energy drinks and sold with an electric teakettle advertised by George Foreman (or Brett Favre... yummy). :-)

chugging along on the gift knits...

Midwest Moonlight is growing by leaps and bounds. It's an easy lace pattern, and the yarn (Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere) is oh-so-soft. I did manage to screw up a bit while working on it at knit night, but the problem was easily remedied. I thought I had already learned the lesson not to knit lace at knit night, no matter how simple it is, but apparently not.
Holiday knitting is underway...

Milan Jacket from Louisa Harding's Natural Knits for Babies and Moms.

I'm using Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora bought in a closeout sale at WEBS. The yarn's a bit splitty, especially with Knit Picks metal needles; it's not so bad with bamboo needles. It's nice and soft to the touch, but it's hard on the hands and wrists, and I've read a couple not-so-great reviews of it (including this one).

Moment of Zen:

Capricha in one of her less dignified poses

holiday crafting

By now most of you have probably heard of the fabulous project at Sew, Mama, Sew! Beth is posting links to great holiday crafting projects every day of November. I've been ever-so-impressed.

Here's an inspiration for holiday crafting that I'm currently entertaining:

Garnet Hill is selling this very cute handmade hats and mittens Advent calendar banner. Now I'm not much for Advent-themed decor, but I do like wintry hats and mittens. This would be very cute with, say, the initials of each family member/pet done in duplicate stitch. And it would be a great way to use up some scrap yarn. Or some of my many balls of pill-tastic Patons Classic Merino, which is great for knitting but craptastic when it comes to wearing.

I knit just one Korknisse last year; this time I'm aiming for many, many more. All using Patons Classic Merino, of course. :-)

The new Knitty surprises? FABULOUS!!!

Nothing makes me happier than a knitting project with a classical theme. Juno Regina, you will be mine. Oblique is quite nice, too.

A full knitting update will have to wait for later, as blogger ate my photos this morning. Bad blogger... no donut.

more mittens

I have made a good start on Elizabeth Zimmermann's Norwegian Mittens, and I certainly learned a good deal about the genius of EZ.

Please ignore the dreadful color combo (delft and delphinium)! This was the only Telemark around, and I couldn't wait for my new order to arrive to swatch.

So, EZ recommends using an i-cord cast-on for this (knitting 56 rows of i-cord, joining the ends, then picking up 56 stitches). Yeah, I thought that sounded like a pain in the a%&, so I used the long-tail cast-on, knit a couple ridges of garter stitch and began the colorwork. Bad plan! Look at the awful curling.

After my new yarn arrived (alpine frost and snow leopard -- nice wintry names!), I tried out her fancy cast-on.
Guess what? It rocks! No curling, there's a really neat, corded edge, and I'm thrilled with it. EZ was right, but I was right, too -- it was a pain in the a$% to do. It's worth it, though. Hmm... the color combos don't look too different on the computer, but they look quite different in real life.

In other news, a marvelous parcel from Allison arrived on my doorstep for the Knitter's Tea Swap (details on that blog). Thanks, Allison!

Happy Halloween!

I'm spending the evening at home in front of a roaring fire, knitting, and possibly watching season 1 of Angel. Oh yes, grading papers, too.

Diagonal Baby Blanket

Pattern: Sandy's Diagonal Baby Blanket
Source: Jimmy Beans Wool website
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 5.5 skeins (1 of each color except 1.5 dark blue)
Needles: US9 Clover bamboo circs

This is a very easy pattern to follow, and it's nice not to cast on or bind off a ton of stitches. I made the stripes wider than the pattern, and I substituted aran weight yarn for chunky. I wanted the blanket to be soft, floppy, and cuddly, so I went up to size 9 needles. In retrospect, size 8 would have been better. The final segment comes to a strange point. I may end up adding the corner tassels as per the pattern just to disguise the goofy corner.

Recent favorites in the kitchen:

Curried Lentil Soup
Modifications: Added 2 medium carrots, diced, along with the lentils. Substituted chicken stock for water.

Chili-Cheese Black Bean Enchiladas
Modifications: Substituted light cream cheese for fat-free. Added Tabasco sauce to the filling mixture. The soy crumbles have a little soy aftertaste, but they're so darn easy to use that I would do it again in a heartbeat. Alternately, browning lean ground beef with the onion would work fine.

Bell Pepper Chicken with Feta Orzo
Modifications: Made extra orzo. Used only red peppers, no green. This recipe is a long-time favorite! Highly recommended.

an ode to mittens

For many, socks are the comfort food of knitting. Not me! I like mittens.
They knit up so quickly, the shaping makes them interesting, and they're not too fussy in terms of fit. Since there's not too much yarn involved, it's a great way to experiment with new yarns, ones that would be too expensive for a larger project, or that ball or two you found in the clearance bin at the LYS. This is my first time knitting with Rowan Kid Classic, and I'm enjoying it immensely. The mohair gives it a nice fuzziness, and the lambswool reminds me of the sweaters I wore as a little kid during those freezing Minnesota winters. I want to knit a little Tomten jacket in this exact shade of cherry red.

BTW, does anyone know a good pattern for cabled mittens in worsted or aran weight? I haven't had much luck, even on Ravelry.

The Winter 2007 Interweave Knits preview site is up. There's not much of interest to me this time. All the photos and styling look rather dated or amateurish. The Sweater Girl Pullover, Refined Aran Jacket, and Gathered Pullover are OK.

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.