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."

something old, something new...

something old

I dug Liesl out of the dark corner where she had been hibernating, and knit the sleeves last week! What's left to do now is reinforce the neckline with single crochet, which actually has me a bit nervous. I may rip out the body's hem and add the last 2/3 ball of yarn after I finish the crochet reinforcement. A little extra length might be nice, but we'll see... just finishing this up may prove miraculous enough! It has been on the needles for something like 2 years. The yarn is Debbie Bliss' Alpaca Silk Aran, which makes me a bit itchy and sneezy (sigh), but it's so pretty that I will make it work (a la Tim Gunn).

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something new

I had fallen off the wagon a bit with the 10 Shawls in 2010 challenge. There's nothing like a KAL to make me want to head off in a completely different direction! Those minor rebellions...

Anyway, I'm working on a new shawlette pattern, Verdaia, and I'm just loving it.
The yarn is Knit Picks Gloss Sock in the (sadly discontinued) Pumpkin colorway. The pattern is intuitive, and the charts are very clear. I didn't love the cast-on method, I will admit. I'm doing 3 repeats of Chart 2 rather than 2. This time I actually have plenty of extra yarn, so there's no chance of running out! The pattern requires some pretty serious blocking, so in the end it should look much less ribbed and smooshed.

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something both new and blue

We're moving next month, and I'm ever so excited! We're bidding adieu to Lakeview after five great years and heading to Ravenswood Manor, a charming neighborhood along the North Branch of the Chicago River. It's close to Lincoln Square, the most "Wisconsin" part of Chicago, complete with German bars, Gene's Sausage Shop, the Old Town School of Folk Music, coffeeshops, all sorts of good things.

Our new living room:
I'm busy contemplating paint colors for other rooms, though we're keeping the light blue in the living room, of course, because blue is the best color. ;-)

thirty-two today

Thirty-two already?!? Wow!
Paul baked the most delicious chocolate cupcakes for my birthday. We celebrated with friends at the pub last weekend, with my family in Minnesota last week, and dinner at Cafe Selmarie is on the agenda for tonight.

Add in the fact that we just signed the lease on a cute new apartment (with a nice new kitchen! in a great, picturesque neighborhood!), and my 32nd year is off to a good start despite the nasty cold I picked up while traveling over spring break last week.

Less knitting was accomplished over break than anticipated, but I did manage to finish off two long-hibernating projects, both still in need of blocking (and a proper post with all the details):
An Ariel Scarf (a free pattern by Ysolda Teague) in Sundara Yarn Silky Aran Merino, which is a delightful yarn to knit, although it did leave my needles and hands a striking shade of red. I'm not sure how well it will hold its shape, but time will tell...

The other scarf is a Checkerboard Lace Scarf (a free pattern from the Purl Bee), knit up in Malabrigo sock yarn. This was my first time using this yarn, and I love it! It's soft, has great sheen, and the colors are saturated and deep, plus it didn't bleed at all. I'm not sure I'd use it for actual socks, but I'm definitely going to use it again for scarves and shawls. Now just to think about which color I'd like to try next... Solis? Violeta Africana? Persia? So many great choices...

Still chugging along on the border for the Noro giant granny square, although Kylie has a way of impeding progress.
She truly loves crochet. Smart kitty.

spots of cheer

Another dismal, grey, rainy day here in Chicago. A few spots of cheer, though:My Windy City Hat and Irish Hiking Wristwarmers finally saw their trial run, and Ysolda's new book arrived in today's post. My handknits kept me warm and cozy but didn't succeed fully in cheering me up. When I met one of my university friends outside the (dreadful) library today, I told her she was witnessing me at my most cantankerous. She laughed and laughed...

Oh well, not every day can be full of rainbows and unicorns, I suppose.

Then again, I do live in Boystown, where every street corner is bedecked with giant rainbow-striped pylons:

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Last night I baked chocolate chip maple walnut cookies (recipe here) before scurrying off to my guitar lesson.
Not the best looking cookies, but they taste pretty great even though I substituted vanilla extract for maple extract. My kitchen is well-stocked, but not that well-stocked. The maple extract would definitely kick up the flavor another couple notches.

OK, off to fix another cup of tea (Candy Cane Lane, best holiday tea ever), down a couple Aleve, and bust out the heating pad. Have you ever read the warning label on a heating pad? Apparently you're not supposed to use it in any way that would actually benefit you at all. I blame the lawyers. Hear that, Paul? ;-)

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

black bean festival

When I announced to Paul and our friend Andrea that I was going to the Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair this past weekend, they were stunned. Yeah... it turns out that regular people think of dietary fiber, not wool, when they hear "fiber." Paul then unofficially proclaimed it the Black Bean Festival. Muggles!

One of the highlights...
So cute! I went with a few girls from my knitting circle, and a great time was had by all, especially at the Briar Rose booth... talk about swoon-worthy fiber.

(L) Sea Pearl (merino/tencel), (R) Celebration (merino/bamboo), plus the After Hours Shawl pattern

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Kylie's in love with my now-complete Hap Blanket. See how she's cuddling up to it?
I've even seen her burrow under it and hide behind it. I haven't washed and blocked it yet, since I'm wondering if that's some of the cat appeal, and I'm enjoying the show too much.

Pattern: Hap Blanket, by Ysolda Teague (from Whimsical Little Knits)
Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool, Natural (1.25 skeins) and Coffee (.25 skeins)
Needles: Clover US 11 bamboo circs

Notes:
Hmmm... I wish I liked this better. The yarn is great -- very lofty and soft, marvelous price and yardage, wonderful natural colors. I usually love Ysolda's patterns, but this one isn't my favorite. There are serious errata. Row 5 should be P (not K); more significantly, the last page of the pattern doesn't seem to be necessary and was ceremoniously disregarded by me. The written-out instructions are rather annoying -- they often refer back to other rows that themselves refer back to yet more rows.

Feather and fan is usually my absolute favorite stitch pattern to knit, but here it's a pain. Switching colors after YOs is nearly impossible to do well. I don't like knitting F&F in the round on those big needles, either.

The blanket is an odd size. It would make a great (if slightly large) baby blanket, but I knit it up in hand-wash-only wool. It kind of covers your lap. It would work best as a decorative item over the back of a chair. Or as a cat blanket, apparently.

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Finishing up the Hap Blanket (as well as a scarf that I'll save for another post) sparked a bout of cast-on-itis! First up, a Milkweed Shawl:
I'm using Impulse of Delight's Superwash Merino/Silk in "Aubergine." Ashley used this yarn for a beautiful Ishbel a while back, and I couldn't resist the allure of those gorgeous inky blues. Yes, yes... usually aubergine means purple, but the color makes me so happy that I won't complain. It has a lovely sheen, and it's a nice, springy 2-ply. I have found a few odd spots in this skein though.

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Also, since my friends are procreating at an alarming rate, a raglan baby sweater in Cashmerino, inspired by Lolly's two cute versions.
This needs to be done for an early August baby shower, which I don't think will be a problem. I'm subbing YO raglan increases:

knit to within 1 st of marker, YO, K1, slip marker, K1, YO

blanket statement

The log cabin blanket is nearing the finish line. See where the blue and yellow meet? This was my first time doing even the most basic intarsia.I've enjoyed log cabin-ing, and I don't mind the miles of garter stitch, but the way this project eats yarn is horrifying. I would knit the pattern again, but I would make sure to stock plenty of yarn first. This blanket would have been done long ago if I had paid closer attention to the yardage requirements.

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Since one can never knit enough lap-covering projects during a 90-degree heat spell, I cast on for another blanket last week, this time in Cascade's wonderful (and affordable) Ecological Wool, which is a lofty and springy loosely-spun 2-ply. This is yet another pattern by Ysolda Teague -- the Hap Blanket (rav). I'm done with the center square, which knits up quickly, and I'm ready to pick up stitches for the feather and fan edging.

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One movie I'm definitely not seeing this summer is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Why not, you might ask? See Roger Ebert's review. I'm gonna trust Ebert on this one. I've only recently discovered the entertainment value of Ebert's reviews -- esp. the ones of bad movies (collected in Your Movie Sucks and I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie).

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Did anyone catch the new Hercule Poirot, Mrs. McGinty's Dead, on PBS last night? I was quite taken by the cinematography (videography? not sure what you say for TV). The old Poirots always seemed like they were shot by someone's dad on a camera borrowed from the local high school. This one had some great shots, esp. of Poirot right when he arrives in Broadhinny; plus the period cars are gorgeous.

P.S. You can watch it online here until July 5.

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Other exciting news on the PBS front...
David Tennant is the new host of Masterpiece Contemporary, starting in October. On a related note, am I ever itching for the next season of Dr. Who.

Dear Chicago knitters,

One of my favorite designers is visiting Chicago over the next week -- Ysolda Teague. Check out her blog and her ravelry page.

Ishbel the First

Everything Ysolda designs is super cute, and she's doing a great job of saturating the pattern market via self-publishing, Knitty, Twist Collective, etc. I've knit her Ishbel shawl (twice!) and her Liesl cardi (*well, I'm almost done -- just need to finish the sleeves*).

Ishbel the Second

Loopy Yarns - 47 W. Polk Street, Chicago
- She'll be at Loopy this Saturday (June 6th from 12 to 4) for a day of
knitting, signing books and sharing sample garments, toys and
accessories knit from her pattern collections.

I'm very bummed that I can't make it, as I'll be in Milwaukee for a
wedding. I will, however, be wearing an Ishbel shawl at the wedding!

Nana's Knitting Shop - 5144 W 95th St., Oak Lawn
- Ysolda will be at Nana's on the south side next Tuesday (June 9th at
6:30 p.m.).

Hopefully she'll add another date or two! If so, I'll keep you posted.

xoxo
Jodi

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:

snow day

March came in like a lion; apparently it's going out like a lion, too.
Yesterday's rain turned into snow overnight. I awoke to a wintry wonderland. My poor daffodils were all set to bloom!

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Oh well, a few good things to keep our spirits up:

• The rain put no damper on a fabulous show by the Fruit Bats at Schubas last night. I expected a more mellow show, but they really rocked. Highly recommended! The older woman (seriously, 60+, how great is that) standing next to me waved a fruit bat finger puppet during her favorite songs.

• Ysolda's Whimsical Little Knits book arrived on my doorstep over the weekend, and it's just precious. As much as I love the convenience of pattern PDFs, there's something wonderfully tangible about leafing through a real book.
• My second Ishbel is nearly complete! The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino in Teal Feather. [I'm still seriously behind on blocking and photographing FOs -- the other Ishbel is first in the queue.]

• Capricha in another one of her trademark "cat yoga" poses. See those little paws peeking out?

• I made it to the Bohus exhibit at the American Swedish Institute while I was in Minneapolis last week. It was neat to see all the sweaters, but my expectations were a bit too high. I wish I had made it to the kick-off event with all the classes and lectures.

The Turnblad mansion, home of the American Swedish Institute

bandwagonesque

Just when I should be seaming the now-blocked pieces of my Ariosa Wrap Cardi or blocking my completed Opera Scarf, I instead cast on for a new project:
Ysolda's Ishbel, which is springing up all over the knitting blogosphere right now. I'm using the Plucky Knitter's MCN fingering in Nicholas & Alexandra and knitting the small (scarf) size. In a word, addicting. The stockinette portion knit up quickly while Paul and I watched the latest Indiana Jones movie. Wow, did it seem like a parody of Indy, almost on par with good ol' "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold." I did enjoy Indy's advice to his archaeology student to "get out of the library," though. :-)

Also, I'm scouring Targets across WI and IL for specific goodies from the Orla Kiely line. Paul has even volunteered to help, as he works way out in the 'burbs where apparently Orla Kiely isn't as hot a commodity as in the city.
The latest issue of Midwest Living arrived in my mailbox today. Isn't the cover unusually cruel? Green grass and spring flowers with the tag "Spring Starts Now!"? Now?!?! I wish. Sigh..