The Tomten + Chouette

Erik is a whirlwind of activity these days -- so hard to get a shot of him in focus. What has him so fascinated?

A fairy garden just down the block, though Erik is convinced that the wee gnome is actually the Tomten, which we have been reading every night lately.

Not only am I dreaming up plans for our veggie/herb/flower garden this summer, now I've added a Tomten garden to the list.

pattern: Chouette by Ekaterina Blanchard

yarn: Malabrigo Chunky, blue surf, less than 1 skein

needles: US 9 (5 mm) bamboo circs

size: toddler

my Ravelry project page

notes:
I did a 3-needle bind-off rather than kitchener stitch, and it worked great. Also, skipped the button eyes -- Erik needed a hat one day, so I grabbed this off the stack of handknits to finish and then completely forgot about the button eyes until now.

P.S. Joining Ginny for the Yarn Along today.

a study in purple

Off the needles and onto the little guy:

 

Hooray for finishing Erik's purple sweater while it still fits! I started knitting this while he was wearing 2T and finished it after he moved up to 3T. Thank goodness I cast on for the size 4-6. It's warm and cozy and fits just perfectly, plus it's Erik's favorite color, which he tells us at least three times a day ("Purple's my color" -- such a cutie).

 

 pattern: flax, by tincanknits (free!)

size: 4-6 (yielded a 3T/4T)

yarn: knit picks swish worsted, eggplant, 5 skeins

needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)& 7 (4.5 mm) Clover bamboo 16" circs and DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

Easy-to-follow pattern, sleeves are a little long as written, but would probably be good for an older (skinny) kid. I made the arms a bit shorter, even though Erik actually does have long arms for his age. Soft and cozy superwash yarn, but I know from experience that Swish will stretch out and pill over time. That's OK for a kid's sweater, in my book, since he will grow out of it quickly -- the stretchiness will buy us some more time, and the last thing I want him to do is refuse to wear it because it's itchy.

 

 "Nevermind my new handknit purple sweater, enough with the paparazzi!" --Erik

yarn along: books and buttons

Joining Ginny for this week's yarn along:

I picked up All the Light We Cannot See again and am mesmerized -- can't wait to see how the two narratives mingle together. Also reading Beautiful Ruins for book club -- good, but I don't like it when authors take the easy way out when drawing characters by referring to technology and current trends -- not only is it sloppy, the book will become dated very quickly, and usually not in a good way. Also contemplating buttons for a Granny's Favourite Cardigan for Bridget. Need to decide quickly, as it will fit her for about five minutes!

resurfacing

These are busy days. Full of snuggles and Duplos and spit-up and manuscripts to edit. Not only did I go back to work in December after twelve short weeks of maternity leave with sweet Bridget, we moved house. AGAIN.

 

We had just moved in September, two weeks before Bridget was born, and were planning on staying put for a while, but Paul received a terrific job offer and now we live in Michigan on the shores of Lake St. Clair. In the suburbs. Yikes.

Talk about culture shock... At least we can walk to a terrific independent coffee shop and bakery, and an old-timey grocery store is just down the block, but it's nothing like the vibrant city neighborhood we're used to, with its myriad coffee shops, microbreweries, restaurants, playlots, etc. Our new neighborhood is picturesque and charming, but it's so quiet. And everyone drives everywhere, in huge American cars. Paul parks two blocks from his office, and, no joke, there's a shuttle bus to his building.

There has been knitting. Not enough, but some.

pattern: tofty, by Justyna Lorkowska 

yarn: From the Wool Room Handspun

needles: US size 3 and 5 circulars and size 5 DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

All those twists make the hat a bit fiddly to knit, especially with handspun! Love the final look and the lovely shades of periwinkle and lavender. I’d definitely knit the pattern again in a commercially spun yarn -- the texture would show up better. This turned out a little too small for me, so into the gift basket it goes.

More soon, I promise. We still have mountains of boxes to unpack, but getting back to knitting, reading, cooking, and posting here helps make life feel more normal.

yarn along: purple

Joining Ginny for today's Yarn Along:

The Girl on the Train (suspenseful, but just OK -- read Gone Girl instead if you haven't already), The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (amazing, heartfelt, and funny -- highly recommended), and Erik's purple Flax pullover.

rosie posie

A completed Rosie Posie Grannie Square afghan, at long last!

 

I crocheted all the squares while I was pregnant with Erik, but abandoned it after his birth when I didn't have the gumption to tackle the finishing work.

Squares joined, ends woven in, border added, and ready for Bridget to enjoy. Sorry, Erik! As the first child, you have plenty of handmade blankets to enjoy already. (More details on my Ravelry project page.)

Bridget in a sweet little cardi and bonnet set knit by a dear friend.

yarn along: birds without wings

Quick iPhone pictures as I join Ginny for this week's Yarn Along:

Knitting away on Erik's Flax pullover and just starting Birds Without Wings.

Bridget looking bright-eyed in a little green cardigan that I designed -- I'm not sure I took good enough notes to share the pattern, but we'll see.

yarn along: h is for hawk

A Flax Pullover in the works, in purple, Erik's favorite color.

While reshuffling Erik's dresser and closet when the cool weather hit, I realized that Erik didn't have any handknit sweaters that fit. Talk about the cobbler's children!

Poor Erik! That is what I keep thinking as he adjusts to being a big brother. To go from being the star to sharing the spotlight in the blink of an eye can't be easy. I was essentially an only child (my brother was in his late teens when I was born), so this is new territory for me. Then again, soon Erik will have a playmate and compatriot, something I didn't have growing up, turning instead to books as my constant companions.

A Chouette owl hat for Erik is almost done, to boot.

Joining Ginny in the Yarn Along today: I'm reading H is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald, a beautifully written (at times perhaps over-written) memoir about how the author (a Cambridge academic and poet), prompted by the loss of her father, immersed herself in training a young goshawk. Essentially falconry as therapy. A rare turn for me to read two nonfiction works back to back (Love, Nina last week, which I thoroughly enjoyed).

October warm woollies

Spending this cool and crisp October morning with this sweet girl, the Avett brothers, and a mug of hot coffee. Blissful! Heather from my knitting group knit this wee cardigan for Erik when he was a baby, and I knit the booties just for Bridget. They stay on, they're warm, and they're super cute. Handknits for the win! Unfortunately I have no recollection of the pattern details. Sigh... The yarn is Malabrigo Rios. They would make a terrific go-to quick baby gift, so I'll try to figure out which pattern I used.

bitty cabled cardigan, again

Bridget, alert and wearing the bitty cabled cardigan I knit for her big brother.

Flashback to Erik, sporting the same cardigan two years ago -- my, how time flies! We celebrated Erik's second birthday with family last weekend, and he was a little shell-shocked by all the attention, cupcakes and presents.

Yes, he adores chocolate. Totally gets that from me.

 

 Lots of snuggles with wee Bridget these days. She's plumping up nicely -- look at those cheeks!

 

Yarnalong: just starting Love, Nina: A Nanny Writes Home and casting on a Nurmilintu shawl with some pretty Orange Flower yarn.

yarnalong: crooked heart

a cozy autumn stroll, complete with handknit candy corn hat (thanks, Anne!) and cozy baby chalice blankie

joining Ginny for the yarnalong this morning:

Crooked Heart, by Lissa Evans and the start of another Barley hat

a knitter's child

 warm and cozy baby Bridget, wrapped up in handknit love

how quickly newborns move from sweet sleepiness to bright-eyed alertness

The baby surprise jacket was made by one of the gals in my knitting circle (thank you, Sam!), and I knit the blanket using yarn from the mill-end sale at Lorna's Laces, which is just a few blocks from our house here in Chicago.

pattern: baby chalice blanket, by Karen S. Lauger

yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, Monkeyshines, 2 skeins

needles: US 9 (5.5 mm) Clover bamboo circs

my ravelry project page

yarnalong:

I'm reading The Artful Parent and feeling woefully inadequate. No knitting at present (soon, I hope!), but I'm crocheting the edging on my long-neglected rosie posie granny square afghan:

fo: Bridget Linnea

Welcome to the world, Bridget Linnea

 8 pounds, 3 oz., 21 inches of sweet little baby

fo + wip

pattern: seamless yoked baby cardigan, by Carole Barenys

yarn: quince and co. chickadee, leek, 2 skeins

needles: U.S. 5 (3.75 mm) bamboo circs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

The stitch pattern on the yoke and collars is super cute and fun to knit. I worked five buttonholes total. I wish the instructions for the length of the body and sleeves were more explicit. It is a free pattern, though. I love the yarn -- it is delightfully springy and woolly. Same yarn that I am using for the Sunny Lou dress, just a different color. I bought it right after Quince and Co. launched five years ago!

We have a work-in-progress underway here, too -- a baby girl, due September 13! We are through the moon, and we are hoping that Erik adjusts well to his new role as big brother. So far he enjoys reading My New Baby and Waiting for Baby, and today he declared that one of the tiny babies at storytime was "his," so we are hoping for the best. Any tips or book suggestions are very welcome.

I knit this Window Cat for Erik using some leftover (sadly discontinued) Knit Picks organic Simply Cotton. I have christened it Moxie Jr., since this cat allows Erik far more liberties than our actual marmalade tabby ever does.

 exhibit a: eye-poking

yarn along: sunny lou

Joining Ginny et al. for the yarn along today:

Knitting a Sunny Lou Dress with Quince and Co.'s Chickadee in Carrie's Yellow, a delightfully cheerful color.

Listening to the audiobook of Neal Stephenson's latest weighty tome, Seveneves. So far I like the thinly veiled fictional version of Neal Degrasse Tyson, Doc Dubois, but I'm not sure it's going to be as good as Anathem, Cryptonomicon, or The Diamond Age.

off the needles: hamamelis

off the needles and onto the hydrangeas:

 pattern: hamamelis shawl, by kirsten kapur

yarn: dream in color smooshy, nightwatch, 1 skein

needles: US 5 (3.5 mm) Clover bamboo circs

my ravelry project page

notes:
I am so pleased with this shawlette! The tonal dark blue is gorgeous, it has a lot of body, and it's lacy without being fussy. Initially I had trouble getting the lace pattern to click, but once I was a couple of repeats in, it made complete sense. I'm definitely going to try more of Kirsten Kapur's patterns, perhaps Cladonia or Cerasifera next. The yarn transferred a lot of dye to the needles and my hands, but surprisingly not as much as I expected when I washed and blocked it. I didn't bother to pin it out when I blocked it, which was a good choice.

yarn along: labor of love

Knitting and reading along with Ginny again.

For once I'm not reading a novel -- rare! Jera Brandvig's Quilt-As-You-Go Made Modern is inspiring -- I can't wait to try this technique, which takes a lot of the fussiness and bulkiness out of quilting and focuses on the fabrics and the fun parts. Love the Home You Have, by Melissa Michaels from The Inspired Room is helping me reframe how I think about our small flat -- one thing I really enjoy about reading blogs is realizing how much we have in common with people who initially seem very different (age/religion/politics) -- it's humanizing.

On the needles: The Dude -- truly a labor of love, as this pattern was written for the end result (a Big Lebowski sweater), not for the of knitting. Looooong floats, allover 1x1 rib, yikes. This thing has gone in and out of hibernation for the past eight months. I'm aiming for Paul's birthday in November -- wish me luck.

summertime

Steamy, sticky days here in Chicago after a cool and rainy start to the summer. Playground trips, fort-building, running through the sprinkler, swimming, picnicking, flying kites. Summer is much more fun with a busy toddler, though exhausting.

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pattern: yoked cardigan, by hannah fettig

yarn: mountain colors 4/8's wool, winter sky, 1 skein

needles: US 7 bamboo circs for the body, US 8 for the sleeves

size: 2 years

my ravelry project page

notes:
I'm not sure that this cardi is really a size 2T! Seems a little small. Easy pattern, fun to knit, and I love the yarn. Smooth and springy, lovely dark shades of blue and purple, plus it had been marinating in the stash forever. Next time I'd try smaller needles when picking up stitches for the button band.

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my favorite easy-peasy summer sandwich

French bread or ciabatta rolls topped with roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a healthy sprinkle of garlic salt, broiled or baked in a 400-degree oven for 8 min. or so, then topped with fresh basil from the garden

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reclaimed prairie at Winnemac Park