in which I am proven wrong yet again

Erik's new barley hat isn't all that big after all. Our little woodland sprite celebrated his first birthday in Door County last week.

It was a magical vacation -- fresh air, fall colors, lots of firsts. Erik was initially skeptical of the hiking backpack, but he warmed up to it and loved riding up high and looking around.

 And goofing off at Newport State Park:

Plus Erik managed to sport an amazing number of handknits -- not only his barley hat, but also his burnett cardigan and October vest.

The cardigan in action at Al Johnson's (mmmm... lingonberries! Scandinavian kitsch!):

afternoon tea

 

Mmm... French apple cake for tea today. I couldn't resist adding a dash of cardamom and a dash of nutmeg to the cinnamon-sugar topping when I was baking.

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Toggle buttons have been procured for my Shalder cardigan. The pickings were awfully slim at my fabric store, and shopping for buttons online is a soul-crushing endeavor. These are La Mode style no. 29442 (hook 608).

Here's a vague idea how they'll look sewn on:

My cardigans are almost always worn open, so the buttons probably won't see much actual use.

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My owl baby vest pattern is now available en español, by the way! Muchas gracias to Cecilia, aka wenlita, for the translation.

blue violet

As I was knitting away on my Shalder cardigan and sipping my morning coffee, I was struck by the  pleasing confluence of blue violet.

The lace yoke is well underway, and I can't wait to wear this cardigan this autumn. The nights are getting cooler and longer here in Chicago, so autumn is beginning to seem imminent and real. Plus Shalder needs to come off the needles before I can cast on for Levenwick or Aidez!

The pattern calls for Quince and Co.'s Lark yarn, but the blue-violet Rowan Pure Wool DK had been marinating in the stash for far too long. I did, however, order two skeins of Lark in Pomegranate just to see what it was like. Soft, springy, and what a beautiful, vibrant hue!

This is Camilla Babe in the smallest size. Gauge being the harsh mistress that she is, I have run out of yarn, and this color is on back order. Doh!

more rhubarb goodness

I made the most of rhubarb season this year. Not only did I make rhubarb compote (recipe here), a fantastic lemon rhubarb buttermilk bundt cake emerged from the kitchen yesterday.

Moist, tart, and delicious. I only wish it had a little more rhubarb! The recipe's originally from the cookbook Rustic Fruit Desserts, but you can also find it here.

The ice cream maker has been getting a workout, too.  I tried Minnesota Locavore's recipe for strawberry rhubarb ice cream. It's yummy, tart, and very fruity! The high fruit-to-dairy ratio means that it tends to get a little icy and hard, so it's best to eat fairly quickly. The recipe makes a fairly big batch.

Jeni Britton Bauer, the genius behind Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, has a new cookbook out, and it's very charming. It emphasizes daring pairings of flavors, using local, high quality ingredients, and trying some new techniques.  Cream cheese and a little corn syrup seem to be the key to many of the recipes. I have mixed feelings about corn syrup, but I'm willing to give it a try.  I'm also intrigued by this elderflower ice cream recipe, but St. Germain is curiously absent from our liquor cabinet at the moment.

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My aunt kindly handed down my grandmother's china hutch to me last weekend, and it was a treat to move it into position and actually display some of my pottery. The arrangement could still use some tweaking, but I love having something sturdy and well-made that served at family dinners for seventy years.

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Knitting in air-conditioned splendor was a true highlight this past weekend (along with a couple of BBQs, the sidewalk cafe at Tiny Lounge, and a few choice episodes of Arrested Development), especially as the mercury kept rising.

I finally knit myself a star crossed slouchy beret. I love the pattern! I've made a couple of these as gifts, and they were very well received, so I'm thrilled to have my very own. Now I just need to block it.

This time the yarn is Malabrigo Rios in "teal feather" (which I picked up last spring at the grand opening of Windy Knitty, a very cute and well-stocked yarn shop in Andersonville). Full details are forthcoming...

I've also just joined the arms to the body of my Shalder cardigan and am about to embark upon the yoke's lace pattern! The cardigan's suspiciously covered in cat hair...

fantastic friday

The end of the quarter is in sight! I submitted grades this morning, and I celebrated by doing all sorts of lovely things today.

1. wearing my new limited edition Liberty print Bensimon tennies.

Oooh la la, French tennies made with fancy British fabric! I heard about these from Kara at Knitting Lemonade and snatched them up when Piperlime had a big sale. Sadly, they're not available there anymore. I just may have picked up a second pair in another, equally cute Liberty pattern, too.

2. hitting the garden center and getting to work on my little balcony garden.

It may not look like much yet, as I followed my mother's advice and pinched the blooms off the annuals (which is very hard to make oneself do although it's a good idea). I predict that it will be a peaceful green oasis again this summer. I even have a some herbs, tomatoes, and peppers back there. Now to find a good climbing plant for my Eiffel tower!

3. resurrecting the Shalom cardigan for my mom.

Just one sleeve to finish, then the button hunt begins! I meant to finish this for Christmas.  Oops... I never told her about it, so I think I'll just pack it away when it's done and save it until winter. I'm using some Cascade Eco+ that I bought on super closeout at WEBS a few years ago -- this shade of robin's egg blue is Mom's favorite. BTW, Eco+ is on sale at WEBS right now, too. Perhaps it's time to stock up... I'd like to make a Common Ground cardigan for myself.

4. seeing Death Cab for Cutie at Metro tonight! :-)  I love you, Ben Gibbard.

Here's hoping you all have a lovely weekend, too.

progress

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Ah, the immortal words of Ferris Bueller.  Busy, busy, busy lately, but I have been knitting.

Paul's Dr. Who scarf is almost done. I'm in the midst of weaving in the ends (yes, my favorite part of any project!). The mercury is still hovering in the 30s F here in Chicago, so he should still get a chance to wear it this season!

The scarf was a great project for knitting night at the local coffee shop, but not exactly riveting.  It's a loose interpretation of a Dr. Who scarf, as Paul would like to wear it in real life and not look like he's in costume. Hence the colors are a bit muted, and the scarf's not too long (but still a little longer than a regular scarf). Modeled pictures soon, I promise.

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My Koigu Turkish Bed Socks (aka Scandinavian clog socks, in my case) see plenty of wear, so I decided to make another pair. The pattern's quick and easy, and even I don't get second sock syndrome too badly in that case. I'm using Madelinetosh Sock in "Bearded Iris." It's pooling rather alarmingly:

Ah well, I'll still wear them. I'm not joking when I say that Capricha is quite the supermodel. As soon as I start snapping photos of knitting, she comes running and tries to get in on the action:

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See, here she is again! Capricha's checking out the Shalder cardigan that's on the needles:

Many thanks to everyone for the input on which cardigan to knit next. I think Aidez is the most "me," but I ended up wanting to use yarn from the stash.

This Rowan Pure Wool DK has been marinating for nearly 5 years -- time to put it to good use! Honestly, it doesn't really feel much nicer than the Knit Picks Swish DK that I use so often. The color might be more complex, but it still has that superwash feel, and every so often a weird fuzzy/fluffy bit pops up. We'll see how it holds up through washing and wearing -- that may be the true test of Rowan vs. Knit Picks quality.

to pom or not to pom?

I did go with the pom after all!

My new thing is to make custom cards to accompany handknit gifts. This one has a little image and a personal message on the front and care instructions on the back. The scalloped-edge cards are from Target, and I just print them out on my el cheapo HP color inkjet printer.

I enjoyed knitting Melissa Burt's baby sheep hat pattern so much that I cast on for a wee sheep yoke baby cardigan, too. 

Seriously fun to knit. This is definitely going to be a go-to baby shower gift.  I'm already dreaming up other color combinations. Stranded colorwork is one of my 2011 resolutions, and so far it's going swimmingly. Surprisingly enough the hard part is the duplicate stitching. Double ugh! If anyone has any suggestions, let me know, as I can use all the help I can get.

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in the kitchen

Mmmm... Dorie Greenspan's world peace (AKA Korova) cookies. Super delicious, with a sandy texture and lots of chocolately goodness. Especially great served warm with a very large glass of milk. I used fancy Sirius Icelandic bittersweet chocolate, which was a good move, and Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder (not the best choice -- I'd use better cocoa powder next time, but that's what was in the pantry). 

People are obsessed with these cookies.  They're yummy, but I wouldn't go that far...

perseverance

 

Hurray, it's Friday, a morning when I get to work at home in my PJs, sipping all the coffee I want from a real mug rather than spilling coffee from my travel mug all over my Jeep as I groggily trek to campus. :-) 

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Perseverance used to be one of my strong suits.  Now I'm not so sure... this quarter has been a little too busy for my tastes.  Just as I'm slowly but surely chugging along on my research, I'm also making steady progress on my Greenfield cardigan.  I'm to the leaf details just before the hem:

The bright color has become more and more appealing as the trees in my neighborhood are stripped of their foliage. I dazzled/repulsed one of the girls at knitting night on Wednesday as I spit-spliced the yarn. She'd never heard of spit-splicing before, which surprised me, as it's incredibly useful (in addition to being a little disgusting). So if you haven't tried it before either, now's the time to go for it! I don't think anyone likes weaving in ends. Just make sure you're using something that will felt -- no cotton, acrylic, superwash, etc.

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P.S. Design*Sponge has an interview with Carson Ellis today! 

mmmm... peanut butter

I'm back from another whirlwind trip to Minneapolis.  My dad turned 70 (!!!), and we had a lovely family party.  Sadly I forgot my camera, so no photos of the 2-layer devil's food cake that I frosted and decorated with candy corn and the like. There's something so festive about a fancy layer cake!

 

Most of the weekend was spent with family, but I did manage to meet some dear friends for Sunday brunch at Hell's Kitchen. Their peanut butter is just as amazing as everyone says. I bought a jar for my parents, and I'm planning to make it myself sometime soon (recipe here)! 

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All that garter stitch for my Greenfield Cardigan is beginning to seem interminable:

I've divided for the arms, and am now chugging along on the increases after the waist.  It's going to be cozy, but that's one heck of a lot of K stitches.

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Kylie tried out her new harness and leash recently!  When I first put it on her, she melted into a kitty-cat puddle on the floor and refused to move.  Once we got her out on the deck she was emboldened and did some exploring. Too cute. We haven't tried Capricha yet, as she's a bit faster and more curious.

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I'm a notorious over-packer when traveling, and while my new-ish Kindle has helped me carry fewer weighty tomes, I still need to change my ways.  One thing that I thought might help was a smaller (cute!) carry-on bag that I'd feel motivated to use.  While this Orla Kiely number was calling out my name, its high price tag didn't work with the budget. I found this Le Sportsac Weekender at Marshall's last week, and it worked like a charm for my Minneapolis trip.

My first time traveling with just a carry-on since 9/11!

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I try not to be too political here (hey, it's a knitting blog), but I can't resist pointing to this piece from James Fallows at the Atlantic in support of NPR.

autumnal

Sweater-wearing season has begun here in Chicago (hurray!). What better time to cast on for a new cozy cardigan? 

I'm making a Greenfield Cardigan from the book New England Knits:

photo from Interweave

The design reminds me a bit of the February Lady Sweater, without the lace, but with a bit of waist shaping, plus that cute leaf detail. The yarn is Kimmet Croft Softie, which is 25% angora and really neat (plus it's from Wisconsin).  I think it's woollen spun? It has little bits of VM, which don't bother me, and the yarn really blooms and changes texture when you wash and block it.  Yes, I actually did wash and block my swatch for once. Mia sent me the yarn a couple of years ago, and I'm so happy to be using it!

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knitting in unexpected places

- Design*Sponge with a pattern for a handknit lampshade.  It's actually pretty cute, though it does strike me as a possible fire hazard.

- Apartment Therapy on knitting-inspired home decor

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recipe round-up

Apparently October's the time for comfort food! The greatest hits from the past two weeks are not exactly health food, but they're delicious:

- Squash, Bacon, & Goat Cheese Pasta with Basil from the kitchn
Sadly my fresh basil had gone south, so I had to settle for sprinkling in some dried basil.  Fresh basil would elevate this from very good to awesome, in my book. 

- Buffalo-Chicken Macaroni & Cheese
I made a half batch, since the original recipe seemed like it would feed an army.  And indeed, the half batch made 6-8 servings rather than 3-4. I cut back on the butter a bit, and I cooked the chicken breasts myself, as rotisserie chicken is really high in salt (and as a former vegetarian I'm super grossed out by bones).

Pimm's progress

There's nothing like a nice crisp Pimm's & ginger ale on a breezy, sunny summer day.
Yesterday I rewarded myself with a cocktail and some knitting time after a long couple of days (tons of regular things on the to-do list, plus cat-sitting for a friend, plus two separate plumber visits + one appliance service call).
Mum's Shalom is speeding along. I must say that this is a very quick and easy knit so far! With any luck the body will be bound off by the end of today.

I'm loosely following moxymomma's modifications for 38," as well as SouleMama's sleeve modifications:

• CO 77 sts
  
• 3 buttonhole rows -- 6, 22, 38
• slipped the arm sts to waste yarn instead of BO
• CO 10 sts at each armhole
• no waist shaping
  

I did a one-stitch buttonhole, as the two-stitch buttonhole seemed a bit too large. Next time I'd slip the first stitch of each row (for a cleaner edge).

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The kittehs, basking in the morning sun:

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. ;-)

Olympic progress

Hmmm... the forecast does not look good for finishing up my Rosamund cardigan during the Olympics:I'm a little further than this now -- a few more rows before I divide for the sleeves. Rowanspun Aran knit up at this tight gauge, all bunched up on the circular needle, does not do wonders for my poor wrists. Oh well, I've been squeezing in some other projects that aren't as wrist-intensive.

Spring must be on the horizon, as bunnies have been spotted:

This one seems drawn to Classics. I think I like the rearview best:

Pattern: Catnip Bunny, by Selina Kyle

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino in heather grey and winter white
Needles: Clover US 5 bamboo straights
on ravelry

Notes:
This pattern features really neat construction! With the double knitting technique you knit a little “pouch” that forms the body -- no DPNS and no seaming. I added a pom-pom instead of a felt tail. I hadn't made a pom-pom since I was 9! I finally broke out my Lion Brand pom-pom maker, and it's very slick and a little less fussy than the handmade cardboard cutouts from back in the day.

knitting olympics

Let the games begin!

Rosamund's Cardigan + Rowanspun Aran

(ravelry pattern page)

I had planned to knit a Tea Leaves cardigan, but I started having qualms about the overly wide neckline on the larger sizes. Only bummer about the games being in Vancouver is that there's nothing to watch in the morning!

Random Tuesday

Pattern: Ariosa Wrap Cardi, by Cecily Glowik MacDonald (free!)

Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino Chunky (#14), 14 skeins
Needles: Clover US 9 bamboo circs

Notes:
With the bulky yarn and the intuitive lace pattern, this is a very quick knit. I dragged my heels a bit on the finishing, since there was a good amount of seaming and lots of stitches to pick up for the shawl collar and buttonband. I was inspired by Sknitty to knit this pattern, and I copied her in a couple of ways: 1) I subbed 2x2 ribbing for the shawl collar/band (instead of 4x4), and 2) I knit the sleeves first, which was a fabulous idea.

The shawl collar/band could use a good blocking, and I need to decide on a closure. Plus I need to find a photographer, some daylight, and a good hair day so that I can post a modeled shot.

more things I'm dying to knit...
- Drops textured yoke cardigan -- check out Elinor's on Ravelry -- it's gorgeous!

- Allegoro Loose Knit Cardi, another free pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald (love those Classic Elite Web-Letters)

sewing machine advice needed...
I've been using a friend's 10-year old Singer sewing machine that I had borrowed on indefinite loan. She finally needs it back, so I need to start researching machines. I'm looking for something that's fairly basic, but that is sturdy, reliable, affordable, and can handle machine quilting. I mainly make curtains, easy quilts, tote bags, and every once in a while a Roman costume or the like. I'm not planning to sew myself any bridesmaid dresses or anything too complicated. Any suggestions?

on DVD...
Wilby Wonderful -- a small movie, featuring Ellen Page before she made it big in Juno, and Paul Gross from one of my favorite TV shows, Slings and Arrows. It captures 24 hours in a small island town in Nova Scotia -- the characters are quirky and all have their own travails. It's darkly funny but also kind of sweet. Definitely not a big budget picture.

P.S. The Rotten Tomatoes website now lets you add movies directly to your netflix queue. Neat!

in the kitchen...
a yummy and easy brownie recipe, supposedly Katharine Hepburn's family recipe. It's even better when topped with mint cream cheese frosting and chocolate jimmies, but that may qualify as gilding the lily.

mint cream cheese frosting

2 C. powdered sugar (sifted if you have the patience)
1.5 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter, softened
1.5 T. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. mint extract
3 drops of green food coloring
chocolate jimmies (if desired)

Cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the powdered sugar and milk alternately and mix until smooth, then add flavorings and food coloring. Spread over cool brownies and sprinkle with chocolate jimmies.

on my feet...
Dansko Sissy, in brown pull-up leather, from Zappos. So cute, retro, and comfy. I coveted them all last summer, and I finally gave in. [I bought Dansko Nicolette sandals last summer, and they are comfortable, fairly stylish, and have held up well.]

On a related note, I bought a Ped Egg at Target last week. I'm very hesitant to buy "as seen on TV" crap, but I'd heard good things, and as much as I love pedicures, there isn't much room in my budget this summer for very many of them. Believe the hype -- it's very effective and easy to use. It's just like a microplane grater for your feet!

blue violet

Right now spring seems like the green light in The Great Gatsby -- something wonderful that's always out of reach... Oh well, at least my mother-in-law sent me home from Easter with a cheerful bouquet of tulips.
The tulips may be pink, but I'm in a blue-violet knitting mood right now:
On top, another Opera Scarf, this time in Mirasol Hacho (#306). This merino yarn feels very soft in hank form, but when you're actually knitting, you notice how tightly spun and crisp it is. It feels a bit like a sport/DK-weight Koigu. Sarah from knitting group gave me this yarn as a birthday present last year. :-)

On the bottom, a swatch for the Drop Collar Cable Jacket from the fall/winter 2008 issue of the Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine. I'm using Beaverslide's McTaggart Tweed (the old 2-ply version), in "Wild Myrtle." I'm concerned that the yarn may not have enough stitch definition for the cables. Any thoughts?

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Take a glimpse behind the scenes at Netflix. So that's how the DVD magic happens!

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I made a valuable culinary discovery while I had the flu. When it comes to soothing a sore throat, the only thing that rivals hot tea with honey is a cool, sweet mango lassi. Both fresh and frozen mango work for this; I might actually prefer the frozen. Trader Joe's sells very affordable bags of frozen, cut-up mangoes.

Mango Lassi

1 C. mango, coarsely chopped (frozen is fine)
1.25 C. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp. cardamom
3 T. sugar (or less, to taste)
6-8 ice cubes

Combine everything in the blender and blend away. You'll probably have to stop and push things down with a spatula a couple times.

Serves 2-3.