busy little elf

I've been a busy little elf with the gift knitting lately. Somehow my knitting productivity has increased dramatically -- I credit the decreased sunlight and chilly temperatures. Cuddling up with a cat, some tea, and my knitting seems like the perfect activity.

pattern: chevron lace cowl, by sarah neal

yarn: plucky knitter merino cashmere nylon fingering, 

Tracy Lord Haven, 1 skein

needles: US 5 Clover bamboo circs

my Ravelry project page

notes:
Brilliant pattern -- very easy lace, it made for perfect travel knitting while we were in Door County last month. You're essentially just knitting a scarf, then seaming the ends together. Next time I would use a provisional cast-on, then work a three-needle bind-off. The yarn is soft and squooshy, and I love the color. This is a birthday gift for my mother-in-law, though I'd really like to keep it for myself. Confessions of a selfish knitter!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

the mad hatter strikes again

Erik is sporting a new handknit hat these days. It is going to fit his large head (ninety-fifth percentile!) for approximately five minutes, so I'm not waiting for Christmas for him to wear it.  Stranded colorwork is my knitting bête noire, so I'm glad to finally make some progress.

pattern: sheep may safely graze, by caoua coffee, adapted for a hat

yarn: patons classic wool merino, leaf green, 1/2 skein

knitpicks swish worsted, grey, 1/4 skein

needles: US 4 + US 7 circs + DPNs

my ravelry project page

notes:
I was inspired by blanchn's beautiful adaptation of a sock pattern. I love bighorn sheep! I folowed blanchn's notes and cast on 72 stitches, using US 4 needles for the 1x1 ribbing, then I switched to size 7 since I wanted a larger hat. The ribbing's a little tight -- I'd use US 5 next time. I followed her notes other than that, and it turned out super cute. I wish I had used cream yarn for the sheep for more contrast, but Erik hasn't complained.

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Lots of hats off the needles lately! I've already blogged about the Saint Anthony cable hats and the Milanese lace topper, but new to the collection are Barnwood, Magnolia, and Betsy.

Magnolia (above) and Betsy (below) are essentially the same stitch pattern -- a nice lace pattern that has an almost cabled look. Magnolia is a free pattern for worsted weight yarn, whereas you have to pay for Betsy, which is written for chunky yarn. The crown decreases are very different. I ran out of yarn on Magnolia and had to do some improvising on the decreases, so it's not quite as pretty as it could have been. The perils of stashbusting! The yarn is Malabrigo Worsted in Bobby Blue.

I had plenty of yarn for Betsy (more of the lovely Orange Flower Twist HW yarn that I also used for two Saint Anthony cable hats), so I followed the pattern as written. Barnwood still needs to be blocked, so full details another time.

constant as a northern star

The Packers' Super Bowl victory saw much rejoicing around here.  We woke up to yet another winter wonderland scene on Sunday:

We donned Packers gear, braved the snow, and headed north to Milwaukee to watch the game with Paul's family.  It was intense!

 

I'm not the biggest sports fan, but I love how the Packers are owned by the community, not by rich fancy-pants big wigs, and the enthusiasm from Green Bay fans is just amazing.

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Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so I'm listening to this:

The Magnetic Fields' alternately bittersweet and incongruous 3-disc magnum opus, 69 Love Songs.

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I'm knitting a Hap Blanket as a sample for Sarah. The yarn is just lovely -- The Plucky Knitter MCN Aran.  It's light, lofty, and soft, and the colors are gorgeous. What more can you ask for?

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The weekend wasn't just filled with football (and plumbing problems, but this is not the place for woes). I spent Friday night at the Riviera Theatre with one of my favorite bands:

Great show, aside from a maddening avant-garde extended riff on "Chimbley Sweep"! Many songs from the new album, The King is Dead. For me the highlights were hauntingly spare versions of "January Hymn," and Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You."

decemberists in january

I came home today to find both kitties snuggling in the much-beloved heated cat bed. Kind of a tight squeeze, but what could be cuter? Many thanks for all the comments and well wishes for my sweet Kylie.  She's walking a lot better these days.

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For those of you in the pro-Decemberists camp, here's a delightful array of links:

- The new album, The King is Dead, is streaming in its entirety here. Hear that jangly Rickenbacker on "Calamity Song"? Love!

- An interview with Colin Meloy here -- I don't love the interviewer, but Colin's charming (as usual), and the live songs are marvelous. I was thrilled to hear Colin to talk about R.E.M., another old favorite of mine.

We have tickets to the Feb. 4 show here in Chicago, huzzah, huzzah!

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A very pleasant Christmas was spent at home as our sweet Kylie recovered.  We started off the day strong with gingerbread pancakes (yum!) for brunch. For dinner I cooked up what must be one of the healthiest Christmas feasts on record -- curried vegetable and chickpea stew (sans the cauliflower) with whole wheat couscous and goat cheese and leek focaccia. 

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Not the most flattering photo of me, but I do want to share the scarf and slouchy beret I knit for my mum for Christmas.

Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret, by Natalie Larson (free!)

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Worsted, "Golightly," .7 skein

Needles: Clover US 9 and 10.5 16" bamboo circs and DPNs

my ravelry project page

Notes:

My mom's favorite color is aqua, and this yarn is so pretty and soft!  It's just variegated enough to be interesting, and it's just as soft and cushy as Malabrigo Merino Worsted. This hat pattern is a delight to knit.  It's the second one I've knit, and it's most definitely not the last (especially since I'd really like one for myself!).

Pattern: Chunky Ribs & Ruffles Scarf, by Nancy Kleiber (free!)

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Worsted, "Golightly," 1.3 skeins

Needles: Clover US 10 bamboo straights

my ravelry project page

Notes:

I  cast on 124 stitches since I was working with a lighter-weight yarn than the Misti Alpaca Chunky specified in the pattern. Just fyi, the pattern repeat = (multiple of 4) + 3.

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I'm totally hooked on Freaks and Geeks, courtesy of the marathon on IFC over Christmas weekend.

What a great show!  I didn't really appreciate it when it was new, even though a friend was very into it at the time. James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel, and John Francis Daley all in one show? John Francis Daley, the shrimpy little brother, looked so familiar to me, but I just couldn't place him for a while.  Then it dawned on me... he's Lance Sweets on Bones now! Linda Cardellini is convincing as the former mathlete turned "freak." The only downside is that the adults are all a little wooden and not very finely drawn.

Anyway, I love the show -- it's less melodramatically angsty than My So-Called Life, and it captures just how awkward and painful high school can be, but also how it can be exciting and full of new experiences. Some of the geek storylines can be too painful for me -- I find myself cringing in the most visceral way. So far my favorite episodes are the keg party and the fake IDs.

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Happy 2011 to all! Here's to a fresh start.

walking on sunshine

Pattern: Whippoorwill, by Carina Spencer

Yarn: Yarntini Semi-Solid Sock (Honeytini, ~ 90 yds) &

Plucky Knitter Superwash Merino Wool Handpainted Fingering Weight 

(Madeleine Elster, ~280 yds.)

Needles: Clover US 6 bamboo circs

Size: Small

my ravelry project page

Notes:

I love the finished project -- it's a great shape, a useful size, and the graceful curve of the border is delightful. That said, it wasn't that fun to knit. The pattern is definitely aimed at the perfectionist who wants all the details to be just so -- mirrored increases, special types of yarnovers, etc. I am just not that kind of knitter.  My life provides me with enough small details to stress out about already!  If I'm going to be super picky about details, there had better be some fancy lace in play, not basic-looking stockinette with a few yarnovers and garter rows.

The yarns were nice to knit but not remarkable -- both are springy merino wool with a fairly tight twist. The Yarntini might be a little thicker than the Plucky Knitter yarn.  I wish that the grey were just a bit more even and less splotchy.  The combination of the two colors makes me very happy, though -- sunshine on a cloudy day.

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Today has been unseasonably glorious for November in Chicago -- upper 60s, sunshine, a light breeze.  Lo and behold, what did I see while driving home?

A city worker wearing a jaunty Santa hat while repaving our street.

Other terrifying signs that people are starting in on the holidays way too early:

- Christmas carols blasting from the outdoor speakers at the gas station

- Trader Joe's is pushing its specialty holiday goodies. The upshot, though, is that Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe Joe's are amazingly delicious.

sunshine on a cloudy day

It must be fall -- there's a cool, crisp bite to the air, my Jeep's covered in leaves, and pumpkin spice lattes are back in season. I baked pumpkin cream cheese muffins yesterday afternoon, and they turned out quite well!

The recipe is here.  I added some extra spices in addition to the cinnamon -- nutmeg and cardamom. Ginger would be nice, too, or substituting 1 T. pumpkin pie spice for the 2 tsp. cinnamon.  These are pretty light on the cream cheese filling, so if that's your favorite part, I recommend making a 1.5 batch of the filling. What else... I used half olive oil and half canola oil, as my olive oil was perhaps a bit more full-flavored than would be ideal.

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other sunny things

A Whippoorwill shawlette (rav link), in the scarf size.  I'm using the rest of the grey Plucky Knitter yarn from the contrast edging of my Damson, plus Yarntini in "honeytini" for a splash of accent color. 

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These are from the Renegade Craft Fair here in Chicago last Sunday.  Sofia Masri makes these lovely porcelain earrings and pendants.  I picked up two pairs of her earrings at last year's Renegade, too!

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pumpkins growing in the vegetable garden at Chenonceau, an amazingly beautiful castle spanning the Cher River in France

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Capricha, looking as gorgeous as ever

FO: second in a series

Today has been a very good day. Beautiful weather, the end of a taxing project at the journal, the start of a new round of guitar lessons tonight, and I just had a nice telephone chat with my wonderful parents (it's their 49th wedding anniversary today, holy cow!).

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first the knitting...

Second in a series of FO posts, but fourth in a series of Opera Scarves (see #1, #2, and #3).

Pattern: Opera Scarf, by Deb Peterson (rav)
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Cashmere Nylon Sport, 1 skein
(sadly I'm not sure of the colorway)
Needles: Clover US 9 bamboo straights
~ my ravelry project page ~

Notes:
This pattern's always a quick and easy knit, and I love this yarn! Sarah's MCN sport yarn is so soft and buttery. I only had 1 skein (250 yds.), so the scarf's on the shorter side.

I wish I had dug out my blocking wires, as you can kind of tell where I pinned it out. We moved recently, though, so I'm counting myself lucky just to have found my blocking squares and pins!

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then the swapping...

A lovely, thoughtful parcel arrived on my doorstep today, from Lauree:
So many lovely goodies! This is for the Super Crafty Swap, which I loved doing because it wasn't just an excuse to buy things. It truly was a swap. It's a way to send on perfectly nice things from your stash that you might not get around to using, but that someone else will appreciate. You can include up to $10 worth of goodies, too, but that's not the emphasis. I sent a parcel to Debby.
Not only did Lauree send me a nice array of yarns (including LB Nature's Choice Organic Cotton, which I love), books, super cute ribbon trims, wool for felting, and embroidery floss and designs, but she made me the sweetest little tea carrier, stocked with tea of course. Perfect to pop in my purse for tea on the go! Plus she made a very cute envelope-style needlecase.

I already have plans for the whimsical kitchen-themed fabrics -- a quilted cover for my new/used Kitchen Aid stand mixer!

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and finally the thrifting

Yep, I can't believe I didn't already have one of these either... I stopped by a moving sale on my way home from campus today and picked up this lovely lady, a vintage Kitchen Aid K45, still chugging along just fine.
One other item came home with me from the moving sale. It's a surprise for Paul (for which I've already enlisted the help of my handy father), so I can't reveal that one just yet.

fo: travelling woman

Yikes, it must look as if all I do is knit shawlettes! This one I actually knit back in November and December of 2009, but couldn't share until now as it is a gift for someone familiar with ye olde blog.

Pattern: Travelling Woman, by Liz Abinante
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter, MCN fingering, "Bev's Lava Lamp," .75 skein
Needles: Clover US 6 bamboo circs

Notes:
Easy, pretty pattern, and definitely a quick knit. I had lots of yarn left over. Next time I’d add one more repeat of the the first lace pattern.

The Plucky Knitter’s MCN is always a joy to knit – it’s soft, springy, luminous, and just plain wonderful. The color’s a little bright for me, but it should please the recipient and most definitely provide a cheery touch of color on a bleak winter day.

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in the kitchen...

It's winter, so I'm on a soup kick again!

The Cook's Encyclopedia of Soup is one of my favorite cookbooks, and it's a true treasure trove of all sorts of soup recipes. The Carrot and Coriander Soup is in my regular rotation.

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups is new to my kitchen bookcase, and I'm dying to try some recipes. That said, this books has a special appeal aside from the soup recipes themselves.

Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette is a Benedictine monk at a monastery in upstate New York, and his book definitely reflects this. The illustrations look like reprints of medieval-style woodcuts, and the ink is an unusual dark brown. A very unique aesthetic for a cookbook!

While I'm not a terribly religious person myself, I'm intrigued by the traditions of monastic life and dedication to a life of service. Plus The Name of the Rose is one of my favorite novels, and I watched those Brother Cadfael mysteries on PBS back in the day. So I'll keep you posted as to how the recipes are.

Scarfvember too?

Let's move that grumpy post down a notch! Things are looking up around here.

Turns out that I'm not the only one around these parts who likes the heating pad. I got up for just a minute and returned to find this scene.
Oh Kylie... That little spot of pumpkiny orange in the top left managed to turn into yet another scarf, practically overnight. Also, in the process I learned that I can watch Bones, just not in HD! In HD it's way too gross for me, and I have to cover my eyes for half the show.

Pattern: Easy Lace Scarf (here)
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Aran Cashmere, Pumpkin Latte, 2 skeins
Needles: US 9 bamboo straights

Notes: Easy pattern -- I always love feather and fan. This is a skinny scarf, which worked out great for the small amount of yardage I had. The yarn is absolutely scrumptious -- so soft and cozy, the plies aren't splitty at all, and the colors are deep and lovely. Perfect for autumn!

happy to be home again

A cup of coffee, a new knitting project, and a snuggly kitty at my side...
The Tiffany blue yarn is well on its way to becoming Damson, Ysolda's first pattern release from Whimsical Little Knits 2. Lots of garter stitch made this great car knitting over the weekend as we traveled around Wisconsin. I'm using the Plucky Knitter's merino superwash fingering weight in "Audrey" (aptly named, indeed).

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Madison was awesome, as usual. Super hot pizza at Paisan's, Spotted Cow and a live band on the Union Terrace, a Brewers victory, and lots of family togetherness.

Madison truly has the best farmer's market.
All around our beautiful State Capitol. We didn't get there quite as early as we should have, though, so it was awfully busy. After 9 am it slows to a snail's pace, but it's still worth it.

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As summer draws to a close, so many wonderful new knitting patterns are being released:

- Multnomah at Hello Knitty (free) - rav - I'm picturing it knit up in my Plucky Knitter Container Garden merino/silk

- A Little Ruffle at Sadie & Oliver (free) - rav

- Laurel at whatifknits (free) - rav

- new Twist Collective
I'm quite taken with Cottage Garden, Vine Yoke Cardigan, and Twigs & Leaves Cardigan

Ishbel and the dragon

Ishbel the first is done and dusted! I'm in love with this pattern. Seriously. I've already finished knitting a second one that just needs blocking. On a related note, a case of the flu has seen me camped out on the sofa with hot tea, my knitting, and the remote control for the past week. How's that for a great spring break and start to the new quarter?

Pattern: Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague, size small
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN fingering, "Nicholas & Alexandra" (Plucky Favorites), 1.1 skeins
Needles: US 6 Clover bamboo 29" circs
Dimensions: 57" wingspan, 18" depth

Notes:
Wonderfully easy pattern to follow that makes perfect sense. I'm a loose knitter, so I used more yarn than recommended and ended up with a significantly larger scarf/shawl. Many thanks to raveler browncurls for sending me a little bit of yarn for me to finish binding off!

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I did a little stashbusting to whip up this little sock puppet for a certain little guy's first birthday:

draco, draconis (m.): dragon

Pattern: Elliott the Dragon, by Jil Eaton (Interweave Holiday 2007)

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in "Dublin" & "Dark Navy," under 1 skein each

small amounts of Patons Classic Wool in "Red" and "Paprika"
Needles: US 6 bamboo straights

Notes:
The end result is pretty darn cute -- how can you go wrong with a fire-breathing dragon? The pattern itself, though, leaves a bit to be desired. I shortened the length of the body to about 7" and omitted 1 whole repeat of the crest. I added 5 or so extra garter stitch rows at the beginning of the head to make it bigger, and added 10 or 12 to the mouth. It still looks odd -- he's all gums, if you know what I mean. Next time I would join the head to knit the face in the round to eliminate the awkward seam that goes up his face. On the plus side, crest assembly was quite easy.

The flames are a little silly. Draco looks more like he just ate Raggedy Ann. See what I mean?
Or maybe he's gobbling up a big plate of spaghetti? No matter, it was a fun and quick little project.

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Did you see that craft goddess Alicia Paulson (of Posie Gets Cozy fame) has designed a new line of fabric, "Oregon April"? You can find it here. Portland's totally calling my name. It might be able to give Madison or Boulder a run for the money.

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The latest installment in our "cat yoga" series:

spring fever

Off the needles and back from a lovely weekend in Michigan...

Pattern: Opera Scarf, by Deb Peterson
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter, merino/cashmere/nylon sport weight, Grace Kelly / Rear Window (Plucky Classics), 1 skein (250 yards)
Needles: Clover US 9 bamboo straights

Notes:
Once again, this is the perfect knit night pattern -- just one pattern row that's easy to remember, with great results. I perhaps could have used just a titch more yarn, but that's the way it goes.

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I'm disappointed that I didn't make it to Madison to see the Yarn Harlot and meet Sarah of Plucky Knitter fame (look at Peaknit's gorgeous pics!), but I had my own weekend of knitting fun. My knitting circle headed to Michigan, rented a gorgeous inn, drank plenty of sangria and mimosas, went for long walks, and knit our hearts out.

Here's a photo of a few of us on the beach, including my Just Enough Ruffles scarf and Anemoi mittens in action:

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I finished up my textured shawl quite a while back (I'm woefully behind on FO blocking, photos, and posts). It now lives on the back of my desk chair, and I wrap up in it while I'm typing away at ye olde dissertation.

Pattern: Textured Shawl recipe, by Orlane
Yarn: Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Golden (#44), 5.5 skeins
Needles: Clover US 6 bamboo circs
Finished Measurements: 74" wingspan, 36" length

Notes:
I substituted YO for M1L and M1R since I hate doing make-1s. I cast on 7 stitches.

Row 1: K2, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO, K1, YO K2.
I don’t love the edge this produces, but I can live with it.

The textured pattern is a 2 st repeat. Since there’s an odd number of sts on each side of the center st, I fudged this a bit:

Row 1 of textured pattern (with edge):
K2, YO, K1, textured pattern to center st, YO, K1, YO, K1, textured pattern to last 2 sts, YO, K2.

I added a lot of extra rows and pattern repeats:

20 rows st st

20 rows textured pattern

20 rows st st

16 rows textured pattern

20 rows stst

6 rows textured pattern

20 rows stst

16 rows textured pattern

20 rows stst

4 rows textured pattern

28 rows garter

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Kylie's butt apparently makes the perfect pillow for Capricha.

Fred's Ascot

All that time in the car over the Thanksgiving weekend paid off:

Pattern: Anthro-Inspired Scarflet, by Kim Seio (rav link)

Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Aran Cashmere ~ Pumpkin Latte, 1.25 skeins Needles: US 8 Clover bamboo straights

Notes:
A quick-to-knit project that's great for using precious yarns in small amounts. Congrats to Kim for writing a lovely pattern! The yarn is supremely luscious, and the colors look nice with my corduroy fall coat. The only downside is that it's now December and the snowy weather here in Chicago calls for more serious winter gear.

Also, it reminds Paul of Fred from Scooby Doo.
I must admit Paul has a point. Maybe I should have picked a different color?

On the Hi-Fi:
- Fleet Foxes
- Blitzen Trapper, Furr
- Simon and Garfunkel, The Sounds of Silence
- Matt Pond PA, Winter Songs