shattered sun

When I saw a sample of the shattered sun shawl at Windy Knitty (my favorite Chicago yarn store), I just had to make it. Immediately. I bought the yarn that night and cast on right away. Lo and behold, a finished shawl! This is really unusual for me. I tend to dither about what to knit, and yarn marinates in the stash for a good while. The experience was refreshing, and I love the shawlette.

pattern: shattered sun shawl, by Felicia Lo

yarn: madelinetosh tosh merino light, esoteric, 1 skein (420 yds.)

needles: Clover US 5/3.75 mm bamboo circs

my Ravelry project page

notes:
Tosh merino light is incredibly soft and cozy. Yes, it will pill, but it's like butter to knit, and it's wonderful to wrap around your neck. Unlike my last Madelinetosh yarn experience, this skein had just one break/knot. The pattern is well-written. My only complaint is that I don't love the ruffle and the bind-off, but that's minor and merely a personal preference. I had a little yarn to spare at the end, but not much.

clog socks, part II

The second pair of Turkish Bed Socks are off the needles and onto my feet!  The weather has been surprisingly lovely for the past few days, though, so I suspect that not too many wool-sock wearing days are left this spring. Not that that's a problem. ;-)

Pattern: Turkish Bed Socks, by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, "Bearded Iris," 1/2 skein

Needles: US 2.5 (3.0mm) Harmony 6" DPNs

on Ravelry

Notes:

Great pattern! It's a bit fiddly, but they're quick to knit, and the resulting socks coordinate quite nicely with my Dansko clogs. I was disappointed that the yarn pooled so dramatically, but they're still cozy.

Knitter and blogger extraordinaire Kristi recently published Masala, a gorgeous slipper pattern that looks to have a somewhat similar shape (I think -- this is just judging from the photos, as I haven't purchased the pattern yet). Masala has the most eye-catching colorwork pattern, and she has knit them up in beautiful color combinations that really POP!  Most definitely going to the top of my to-knit list once I've finished up a few more WIPs.

A certain someone always insists on helping me change sheets or make the bed.  Oh cats! I'm still loving my crocheted blanket, btw, and am just dying to start a new crochet project. Must. finish. WIPs. first.

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I'm taking a night class on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next few weeks, so I'm adjusting my cooking habits -- easy larger batches that result in tasty leftovers. After looking at a few lasagne recipes and deeming them either too much work or too heavy,  I dreamed up my own quick spinach lasagne recipe last night, and it turned out fantastic.

Spinach Lasagne

12 oven-ready (no-bake) lasagne noodles

24 oz (2.5 C.) Barilla Italian Baking Sauce

8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2/3 C. Parmesan cheese, shredded ~ divided

15 oz. whole-milk ricotta cheese

dash nutmeg

1 clove garlic, pressed, or 1/2 tsp. garlic salt 

freshly ground pepper

1 egg

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped, or 1 tsp. dried parsley

3  oz. baby spinach leaves (or more!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray (or lightly coat with olive oil).

2. In a medium bowl, mix 1/3 C. Parmesan, ricotta, nutmeg, freshly ground pepper, garlic, and egg. Mix in parsley and spinach.

3. Spread 1/2 C. sauce on bottom of baking dish. Top with 4 lasagne noodles; top with half of the ricotta/spinach mixture, another 1/2 C. sauce, and 3/4 C. mozzarella. Repeat layers one more time. Do another layer of 4 noodles. Pour remaining sauce over lasagne; sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and 1/3 C. Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil; bake 45 minutes. Remove from oven, and let it stand for 10 min. before cutting into it and serving.

Serves 6

the christmas elf is hard at work

knitting hats, night and day...

 Pattern: Cranberry Sauce, by Brittany Tyler

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky, 1 skein (~ 100 yds.)

Needles: Clover US 7 and 9 bamboo 16" circs + US 9 DPNs

my ravelry project page

Notes:

I switched to smaller needles than this time, and it worked perfectly!  The cables are squooshier and cozier, and I managed to knit the whole pattern this time using just one skein of yarn.  

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PSA
Melissa LaBarre, AKA knittingschooldropout, is having a pattern sale (25% off) through 12/20. It's just her self-published patterns (not ones in books or through yarn companies), and some very lovely ones are included. For example, I have a Crooked Paths hat underway:

The yarn is madelinetosh tosh merino (in "saffron") -- it is bleeding like crazy, not just on my needles while I knit, but all over my white shirt. Boo. :-( We’ll see how much good a wash with vinegar does… Great pattern, though -- very fun to knit.

Next I'm casting on for Acorns (which comes with instructions for both worsted-weight and chunky versions!). The Christmas budget is a bit leaner than usual this year (due to acquiring Jeep #2), so it's handknit hats for everyone!

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on the hi-fi

- Florence + the Machine ~ Lungs

- Arcade Fire ~ The Suburbs (definitely wins my vote for best album of the year)

- Vince Guaraldi Trio ~ A Charlie Brown Christmas

What are you listening to now?

tea and knitting

Tea and knitting -- what could be a better way to start the new year?I'm just past the halfway point on a lacy baktus. The yarn is proving impossible to photograph! It's madelinetosh glazed sock in "turquoise." It's a souvenir from my trip to Portland last summer and my meet-up with Sarah (Blue Garter) and Jodi at Knit / Purl. Oh, to be on vacation again!

Taking a break over the holidays really spoiled me. I am now (re-)addicted to sleeping in, drinking copious amounts of tea, and wearing microfleece yoga pants, AKA the coziest garments ever. Follow the link at your peril -- you'll have trouble wearing real trousers ever again.

Socktober? I must have meant Scarftober!

Scarftober doesn't have quite the same ring, but apparently that's what October turned into around here.

Pattern: Crest of the Wave Scarf, by Judy Jacobs
Yarn: Madelinetosh Pastoral, Oxblood, 1.5 skeins
Needles: US 10 bamboo straights
*on ravelry*

Notes: Since I substituted aran-weight yarn for fingering, I decreased the cast-on to 41 stitches. The scarf is still nice and wide. This is a wonderfully intuitive pattern that has such pretty results.

The yarn is so soft, and it has a gorgeous sheen. It's very similar to Sundara Aran Silky Merino. Like its Sundara cousin, it bled a good amount in the wash.

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on the needles...

A scarf pattern by Ysolda that isn't terribly popular. How can that possibly be?!?!? It's even free!

It's the Ariel Scarf, and I cast on 42 stitches to make it just a bit wider. The lace pattern's almost sculptural -- I love all the texture. I'm using Sundara Aran Silky Merino in Ruby Port for this, and it's already bleeding like a mofo. My hands are red when I finish knitting, and I can see the dye swirling down the bathroom sink as I wash my hands. My bamboo needles are now red. I'll have to try adding vinegar to the wash water; I'm a bit anxious about it, especially since Sundara yarn is so darn expensive and difficult to acquire. Sigh...

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getting ready for the big show...

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on holiday knitting...

I'm considering knitting a Modern Garden cardigan for my mother for Christmas (ravelry details here). Mom has lost a lot of weight in the past year due to health problems, and this looks like it would keep her warm and cozy. As an added bonus, it would not take too long to knit! Double-stranded Eco Wool + size 15 needles. :-)

I had thought about knitting an o w l s sweater for her, but trying to guess about the waist shaping sounded like a recipe for disaster, plus it may be too twee for her.