resurfacing

These are busy days. Full of snuggles and Duplos and spit-up and manuscripts to edit. Not only did I go back to work in December after twelve short weeks of maternity leave with sweet Bridget, we moved house. AGAIN.

 

We had just moved in September, two weeks before Bridget was born, and were planning on staying put for a while, but Paul received a terrific job offer and now we live in Michigan on the shores of Lake St. Clair. In the suburbs. Yikes.

Talk about culture shock... At least we can walk to a terrific independent coffee shop and bakery, and an old-timey grocery store is just down the block, but it's nothing like the vibrant city neighborhood we're used to, with its myriad coffee shops, microbreweries, restaurants, playlots, etc. Our new neighborhood is picturesque and charming, but it's so quiet. And everyone drives everywhere, in huge American cars. Paul parks two blocks from his office, and, no joke, there's a shuttle bus to his building.

There has been knitting. Not enough, but some.

pattern: tofty, by Justyna Lorkowska 

yarn: From the Wool Room Handspun

needles: US size 3 and 5 circulars and size 5 DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

All those twists make the hat a bit fiddly to knit, especially with handspun! Love the final look and the lovely shades of periwinkle and lavender. I’d definitely knit the pattern again in a commercially spun yarn -- the texture would show up better. This turned out a little too small for me, so into the gift basket it goes.

More soon, I promise. We still have mountains of boxes to unpack, but getting back to knitting, reading, cooking, and posting here helps make life feel more normal.

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.

the mercury is falling...

and the handknits are emerging! I've been knitting like a fiend as of late. Not only have I been using yarn from the stash, I've been rocking the free hat patterns.

I've made a couple of these Saint Anthony Cable Hats in the past month or so. Erik's sporting an adult-sized hat with the brim rolled up. Honestly, I was hoping to wear it for a modeled shot, but it ended up being a chilly morning at the park. Handknits to the rescue!

pattern: Saint Anthony Cable Hat, by Heideh Sarfehjoo (free!)

yarn: Orange Flower Twist HW, petrol, .6 skein

needles: US 8 and 10 bamboo circs and DPNs

notes:

I liked the pattern so much that I made a second one right away. The first hat I worked per the directions. With the second one, I used size 8 needles for the first 7 rows, then went up to size 10. I wanted the hat to be just a touch longer, so I added an extra row of ribbing to each pattern repeat. Worked like a charm. The yarn is a dream to knit -- soft, squishy, beautiful colors. Naturally, it has been discontinued. Sigh!

 

 

Goofing off at the playground. I'm wearing not only my Aidez cardigan, but also another new hat.

pattern: milanese lace topper, by tante ehm (free!)

yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, 9452 summer sky heather, .6 skein

needles: US 4 and US 7 bamboo circs + DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

This color must speak to me, since it's the same hue as my Aidez (which is knit from Eco Wool). The pattern was fun and easy. I squirreled up the decreases at the top a bit with an extra stitch somewhere, but it looks just fine nevertheless. I suspect that the designer was using British needle sizing, so I used US size 4 for the ribbing and switched to US 7 needles for the rest of it. I continued the 1x1 ribbing for the first 14 rows, since I didn't like how the stockinette section rolled on so many versions on Ravelry.

 

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!):

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...

snow day

My wish for a snow day was most certainly granted! We saw about 20" of fluffy white stuff overnight on Tuesday, plus gale-force winds. 

Home was delightfully warm and cozy. Paul and I braved the snow yesterday to dig out our Jeeps and go for a walk.  I even made a snow angel! We also managed to find a pizzeria that was open (Frasca) and met up with a friend for a yummy dinner.

Being snowed in has made for plenty of knitting time. On the February Finishing Frenzy front, here's a little Tomten jacket that I started back in May 2010. I had run out of yarn (par for the course chez Caffeinated Yarn) and hadn't bothered to pick it back up after more Knit Picks Swish DK arrived.  One sleeve to go!

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In addition to my virtuous work on the Tomten jacket, I also knit a wee little baby cap:

pattern: Baby Sheep Hat, by Melissa Burt of Indigo Mouse

yarn: Elann Peruvian Luxury Merino Superwash (DK)

needles: Clover US 5 bamboo 16" circs

my ravelry project page

notes:

Easy, cute little pattern!  This was my first time actually completing a colorwork project (don't remind me about the two or three forlorn mitten projects languishing in a knitting basket somewhere), and my first time doing duplicate stitch. Surprisingly the colorwork wasn't bad at all (perhaps because I wasn't knitting at a tight gauge on DPNs as with the mittens?); the duplicate stitch was more of a challenge.  Now to decide whether or not to add a fluffy white pompom!  Note to self: use size 6 needles next time, as it truly is a tiny little hat. I most definitely want to knit a coordinating sheep yoke baby cardigan.

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in other news...

- The spring issue of Knitcircus is up! I was especially impressed by the book reviews.

- Use the force, Luke:

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.

peace and joy

 

Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating today!  We had planned to trek to Minneapolis to celebrate Christmas with my family, but my sweet Kylie cat has had some health problems, so at the last minute we've decided to stay here in Chicago.  The vet has prescribed three pills a day, and she needs to be kept quiet and monitored. Kylie's so happy to be home from the vet, and she's all curled up in a heated cat bed that was a thoughtful gift from a friend.

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I'm still chugging away on the handknit gifts. Spending Christmas in Chicago is actually giving me a bit of grace time here! Snow is gently falling, the tree is lit up, and cookies have been baked. 

The cabled earflap hat is off the needles!  I'm modeling it along with the Awbrey cowl in their unblocked states, as I'd like to wash them before giving them as gifts.  I'll add braids to the earflaps, as per the pattern, post blocking. Details for the cabled cowl are here.

Pattern: Snowboarder Hat that Rocks, by irishgirlieknits

Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky, "Mariposa,"  ~ 1.5 skeins

Needles: Clover US 10.5 bamboo circs (16") + DPNs

my ravelry project page

Notes:

The yarn is just delightful to knit, and the pattern is clear and easy to follow. The cables are a bit complicated, so you can't just zone out, but they're not too tricky. I worked 3 pattern repeats rather than 4, and it's plenty big. I'll definitely be knitting this pattern again, as I want one for myself!

elvishness

Lots of holiday cheer in the last few days! Now I must pay the piper and finish grading papers this afternoon and evening. Some highlights:

- knitting holiday gifts

Pattern: Acorns, by Melissa LaBarre

Yarn: Orange Flower Superwash Merino Worsted, in "Cadet" (3/4 skein)

Needles: US 5 and 7 bamboo circs + US 7 dpns

my ravelry project page

 Notes:

 Wonderful squishy yarn in beautiful blues!  The pattern is very well-written, and seeing the acorns emerge is delightful. I still need to block this, but the next few days are going to be hectic, so I'd better document it now.

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Pattern: Awbrey (free!), by Stacey Simpson Duke

Yarn: Malabrigo Chunky in "Mariposa," 1 skein

Needles: Clover US 10.5 bamboo 16" circs

my ravelry project page

Notes:

This truly was a quick knit, and the thick cables are super cozy. The Russian lace bind-off that Stacey suggests is easy and very effective.  The slightly flared shape is perfect -- it keeps the top (cast-on edge) from being saggy, and allows the bottom to flare out a bit where your neck meets your body.

My first time using Malabrigo Chunky!  Wonderful stuff -- very soft and cozy, and less fragile and prone to pilliness than the worsted since it has more plies. I love this colorway in the skein, but I was afraid that it would look horrible knit up.  As it turns out, it's still lovely! 

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I'm knitting a cozy cabled hat with earflaps to match! These cables are more complicated, but they're fun to work. The pattern's another freebie -- Snowboarder Hat that Rocks by Irishgirlieknits.  So cute! I was halfway through the fourth repeat of the cable pattern when I noticed that it was looking awfully tall; I ripped back a bit to do just three repeats before starting the decreases.  I'll definitely knit this pattern again!

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- listening

Low's Christmas EP, a (post)modern classic. Low hails from Duluth, by the way. 

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- watching

Paul watched Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas many times when he was a kid, but it was all-new to me this year! In a word, awesome. It's a Jim Henson piece, with plenty of Appalachian folksiness, mixed with a battle-of-the-bands with some super-psychedelic rockers. Very sweet, plus you can see forerunners of many Muppet Show characters. 

We also watched The Holiday, which is a mixture of treacle and charm, with bad acting by Cameron Diaz in particular. That said, the set designers are geniuses  I want to move into Kate Winslet's darling cottage in Surrey posthaste. Plus all the meta bits about movie-making were fun. I rather think that if casting had been done differently (Diaz and Jack Black), this could have been a great guilty-pleasure romantic comedy.

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- decking the halls

We decorated the tree while sipping fresh grapefruit juice & gin cocktails concocted by Paul and listening to the Magnetic Fields.  A very hipster Christmas, I suppose.

P.S. Have you read Neil Gaiman's piece on persuading his parents to get a Christmas tree yet?

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?

the mad hatter strikes again

I took a quick break from my Greenfield Cardigan to knit a chunky cabled hat for my mum.

Pattern: Cranberry Sauce, by Brittany Tyler

Yarn: Misti Alpaca Chunky, #3317, 1 skein (~ 100 yds.)

Needles: Clover US 9 and 10.5 bamboo 16" circs

my ravelry project page

Notes:
This went very quickly, and I used a super cozy and squooshy yarn. Alpaca gives me both the sneezies and the itchies, but doesn't bother Mom. I didn’t check my gauge, and I ran out of yarn during the decreases as a result. I tweaked the pattern a bit to make it work, and it still looks great! Next time I’d use smaller needles, especially for the ribbing, and maybe have an extra skein of yarn on hand.

I've never really mastered the art of taking photos in the mirror, but here's a rough idea of what it looks like.

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Just in case you missed it, The Decemberists were on Conan last night!

Here's a link if they embedded video doesn't come through via a feedburner.

Colin's rocking the plaid flannel, of course.  Takes me back to the 90s and my misspent youth. ;-)

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- Has anyone seen Guy and Madeline Sitting on a Park Bench? If so, what did you think? It's a recent indie film that's part documentary, part musical, but it had a very limited release and isn't on netflix yet.  It sounds fascinating.

- Amazon has made it possible to give e-books as gifts. Huzzah, huzzah! More info here. Paul recently built 3 big bookcases for our downstairs den, and dealing with that has reaffirmed my desire to keep using my Kindle. Some books benefit immensely from physicality -- cookbooks, knitting books, art books, things you want to treasure forever or lend out to friends -- but half the books I read don't fall into those categories. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo simply doesn't deserve shelf space in my library for all time.

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new knitting patterns calling out my name

- Shalder, from The Shetland Trader Vol. 1.  I'm jonesing after the Quince & Co. Lark yarn (perhaps glacier or peacock?) for this pattern, but I must resist until another sweater (or two) is off the needles.

- Leaving, from the new Twist Collective. What a great overall issue!  I'm always a bit surprised by how expensive each pattern is, though. A $5/pattern limit is firmly entrenched in my brain; I wince at anything above that, especially since whole books full of fabulous knitting patterns are so affordable.

-  Little Owls, by Susan B. Anderson.  Just too cute! Plus you all know I'm an owl-addict.

- Holden Shawlette, by Mindy Wilkes (free).

bobbling along

Phew, this is the most labor-intensive accessory I've ever knit. So many cables, so many bobbles...

The finished product is cute and kitschy. I had intended to give it to a friend as a belated holiday gift, but I think it's the sort of thing only a knitter would love. So I'm keeping it for myself, and I will get joy out of it despite (because of?) its 1970s bobble-y aesthetic. Plus it coordinates rather nicely with my Manos Mini Shawl (which I tend to wear as a scarf) .

Pattern: orchids & fairy lights, by tinyowlknits

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Bobby Blue, .75 skein
Needles: US 6 - 16" circ for ribbing
US 7 - 16" circ and DPNs for the rest

Notes:
I went down one needle size for the ribbing, which was a good idea.This is a labor of love -- it took about twice as long as a regular aran-weight hat due to all the darn cables and bobbles. This isn't very slouchy on me, but I love it nonetheless! Next time I would cable without a cable needle to speed it up a bit.

The stitch pattern guide has some bizarre errors. C2B, C2F, etc. should indicate holding 1 stitch on the cable needle, not 2 (and likewise knitting/purling 1 stitch, not 2). Otherwise a great pattern, though.

The beautiful yarn came from one of my favorite knitters/bloggers, Heather over at The ADD Knitter. Thanks, Heather! What a cheerful shade of blue. Starting off the new year with Malabrigo is exactly the right way to go.

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10 shawls in 2010, here I come...

inspirations

1. travelling woman, 2. damson, 3. cedar leaf shawlette, 4. rhapsody in lace and ruffles, 5. wandering the moor, 6. gaenor, 7. citron, 8. multnomah, 9. hayworth shawlette, 10. trinity shawlette, 11. echo flower shawl, 12. lake of the woods

Ravelry group here

more handknits in action

As the temperature plunges, more handknit gifts are seeing action! It warms the cockles of my heart, I tell you.

My friend sent me a photo of her little girl snuggled up in the Diagonal Stripes Blanket that I knit. (details on Ravelry)

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One of the Owl Tuques is also seeing some serious use! I knit this one for Paul's coworker's little guy.
I knit the 6-month size, which apparently works OK for a 2-month old with the brim turned up. The Swish Bulky is very soft and cushy. I've knit 3 of these already, and I'll most definitely be making even more.