renegade

and we're not talking about Lorenzo Lamas...
There's still one more day if you haven't been yet! My favorites this year...

- Sofia Masri handmade porcelain jewelry
- Oliba organic soap
- Kitchen Sink Dyeworks yarn
- Nate Duval's prints -- I picked up these two:
Very nice! I only wish I had seen this one at Renegade, too. J'aime le café.

We went to the Wicker Park location of Jerry's for lunch, and it was fabulous -- a dizzying array of delicious vegetarian sandwich combinations. So many veggies and cheeses, YUM!

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I'm missing out on Wisconsin Sheep & Wool this year, as my budget just can't take two big crafty events in one weekend. This is especially sad since I drank our last Spotted Cow (available only in WI) as I typed this post. Stitches Midwest is this weekend, too, but I'm not one for convention centers.

Despite the gorgeous weather, fall is most definitely in the air here. Some trees along Lakeshore Drive are changing color, I had my first pumpkin spice latte of the season this morning, and I cast on for a new sweater:
Francis Revisited (rav), à la Sarah. I just couldn't resist, and the Eco Wool has been hibernating in my stash for a couple of years already. Plus the designer is both a Midwesterner and a grad student, in the humanities, no less. It's good to support our genus. :-)

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Speaking of designs, here's a teaser of a baby sweater design I'm working on. I need to do some tweaking and knit up a second version, so it may be a couple weeks before I release it.

caloo, callay, there's joy in Wrigleyville today

I have been absolutely swamped with work lately, hence the lack of knitting and blogging. Things are about to change, though -- just two more days of teaching summer school!

What's making me happy these days?


- I decided not to clean the bathroom, vacuum my apt (despite the terrifying cat hair tumbleweeds dancing nimbly across my hardwood floors), or go grocery shopping last weekend in order to finish the new Harry Potter! No spoilers here. I enjoyed the book, although I thought the pacing/timing was a bit off. One of my favorite parts -- there were even more spells in Latin than usual.

(photo credit: Julie Joliat, South Street Designs)

- The gorgeous owl necklace that I ordered from Julie's Etsy shop, South Street Designs, arrived today, and I LURVE it. The faux coin reminds me of Athenian drachmas, which were often referred to as owls. The owl is the goddess Athena's animal, you see, and thus an emblem for the city-state, too. Yes, I'm a big nerd.
- A new Whole Foods opened up just 4 blocks from my apt. today! Fresh veggies, fancy cheese, meats that actually look appealing. When I lived in Madison, WI, I was very spoiled by living a very short (and picturesque) walk from Whole Foods, so having to actually drive to the one here in Lakeview and navigate the awful and dangerous parking lot was quite the disappointment. I've already paid a visit, and I am quite pleased.