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.

fo + wip

pattern: seamless yoked baby cardigan, by Carole Barenys

yarn: quince and co. chickadee, leek, 2 skeins

needles: U.S. 5 (3.75 mm) bamboo circs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

The stitch pattern on the yoke and collars is super cute and fun to knit. I worked five buttonholes total. I wish the instructions for the length of the body and sleeves were more explicit. It is a free pattern, though. I love the yarn -- it is delightfully springy and woolly. Same yarn that I am using for the Sunny Lou dress, just a different color. I bought it right after Quince and Co. launched five years ago!

We have a work-in-progress underway here, too -- a baby girl, due September 13! We are through the moon, and we are hoping that Erik adjusts well to his new role as big brother. So far he enjoys reading My New Baby and Waiting for Baby, and today he declared that one of the tiny babies at storytime was "his," so we are hoping for the best. Any tips or book suggestions are very welcome.

I knit this Window Cat for Erik using some leftover (sadly discontinued) Knit Picks organic Simply Cotton. I have christened it Moxie Jr., since this cat allows Erik far more liberties than our actual marmalade tabby ever does.

 exhibit a: eye-poking

yarn along: sunny lou

Joining Ginny et al. for the yarn along today:

Knitting a Sunny Lou Dress with Quince and Co.'s Chickadee in Carrie's Yellow, a delightfully cheerful color.

Listening to the audiobook of Neal Stephenson's latest weighty tome, Seveneves. So far I like the thinly veiled fictional version of Neal Degrasse Tyson, Doc Dubois, but I'm not sure it's going to be as good as Anathem, Cryptonomicon, or The Diamond Age.

off the needles: hamamelis

off the needles and onto the hydrangeas:

 pattern: hamamelis shawl, by kirsten kapur

yarn: dream in color smooshy, nightwatch, 1 skein

needles: US 5 (3.5 mm) Clover bamboo circs

my ravelry project page

notes:
I am so pleased with this shawlette! The tonal dark blue is gorgeous, it has a lot of body, and it's lacy without being fussy. Initially I had trouble getting the lace pattern to click, but once I was a couple of repeats in, it made complete sense. I'm definitely going to try more of Kirsten Kapur's patterns, perhaps Cladonia or Cerasifera next. The yarn transferred a lot of dye to the needles and my hands, but surprisingly not as much as I expected when I washed and blocked it. I didn't bother to pin it out when I blocked it, which was a good choice.

yarn along: labor of love

Knitting and reading along with Ginny again.

For once I'm not reading a novel -- rare! Jera Brandvig's Quilt-As-You-Go Made Modern is inspiring -- I can't wait to try this technique, which takes a lot of the fussiness and bulkiness out of quilting and focuses on the fabrics and the fun parts. Love the Home You Have, by Melissa Michaels from The Inspired Room is helping me reframe how I think about our small flat -- one thing I really enjoy about reading blogs is realizing how much we have in common with people who initially seem very different (age/religion/politics) -- it's humanizing.

On the needles: The Dude -- truly a labor of love, as this pattern was written for the end result (a Big Lebowski sweater), not for the of knitting. Looooong floats, allover 1x1 rib, yikes. This thing has gone in and out of hibernation for the past eight months. I'm aiming for Paul's birthday in November -- wish me luck.

yarn along: elsie

Joining Ginny with this week's Yarn Along:

Knitting another Elsie cardigan and reading Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, by Anna Brones and Johanna Kindvall -- an absolutely charming cookbook + collection of musings on Swedish coffee break culture.

I've also been tinkering around with a recipe for a raspberry rhubarb tart. Strawberry rhubarb has been done many a time! I think this version's a winner:

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Raspberry Rhubarb Tart

Fruit Filling:

2-2 1/4 C. rhubarb, chopped (1/2-inch pieces)

1 1/4 C. raspberries

3/4 C. sugar

3 T. flour

3/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 T. butter, cut into small pieces

Tart Dough:

1 1/2 C. flour
4 oz. (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
2-3 T. cold water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the dough by mixing the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands, or a pastry blender, to break in the butter until the mixture has a crumbly, cornmeal-like texture. You can also make this in the food processor, using the “pulse” feature, being careful not to over-process.

Mix the egg with 2 tablespoons of the water. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring until the dough holds together. If it’s not coming together easily, add an extra tablespoon of ice water.

Gather the dough into a ball and roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, adding extra flour only as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Once the dough is large enough so that it will cover the bottom of the pan and go up the sides, roll the dough around the rolling pin then unroll it over the tart pan. “Dock” the bottom of the pastry firmly with your fingertips a few times, pressing in to make indentations.

Chill the tart dough in the refrigerator while you prepare the fruit filling.

Combine rhubarb and raspberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar, flour, and lemon juice. Toss gently. Spoon into prepared tart dish, and dot with butter.

Bake until the pastry is golden brown and the fruit filling is bubbling in the center (35-45 min.). Cool on a wire rack before serving.

yarn along: hamamelis

Joining Ginny et al. for this week's Yarn Along:

The lace pattern for Hamamelis finally clicked, and now it's coming along just swimmingly. I just started All the Light We Cannot See -- compelling and hard to put down!

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Erik visited his grandparents over the weekend, and Paul and I spent a glorious staycation weekend here in Chicago. Chocolate croissants on the front porch, burgers at the Bad Apple, the new Avengers movie (going out together after dark! such a luxury!).

I even fit in some uninterrupted crafting time both mornings -- a little bit of hand quilting (not my forte, but I'd like to finish this wee baby quilt that I started eons ago) and a handknits finishing frenzy. So many buttons to sew on! Here's the first: 

pattern: lottie cardigan, by carrie bostick hoge

yarn: frog tree ewetopia, #1245, 3 skeins

needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) bamboo circs and US 8 bamboo dpns

size: 6 months

my ravelry project page

notes:

A lovely little pattern. I like that there is plenty of overlap for the front button bands. So many baby sweater patterns don't bother, with the result that the fronts tends to pull when buttoned.

The yarn was an absolute delight. My first time knitting with Frog Tree yarn. Ewetopia is a 2-ply merino, with a special twist -- one ply is superwash, the other is not, so the two plies take the dye very differently. It's a marled yarn, and it's so springy and squooshy. I found the yarn at Knit One Purl Two in Rockford, a very nice shop (much nicer than I expected given its location in a strip mall). I found the wooden buttons at Yarn Con -- I wish I could find this woman's contact info, as she sells a wonderful selection of wooden buttons in a variety of shapes and sizes at affordable prices. A real treasure!

yarn along

Finally participating in Ginny's Yarn Along:

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes can be rather gruesome and overly descriptive at times, but it's interesting and thought-provoking nonetheless. I find myself skimming over certain parts when my stomach starts to give out. Good choice not to enter the mortuary sciences on my part, I suppose. I'm copying Ginny by knitting an Antarktis. Nice pattern -- repetitive, but the texture is lovely, and the end result is a shawlette that is lacy, but not frilly. Quite wearable. I adore the yarn, Malabrigo Finito. Deliciously squishable, and the colors (Jupiter) are gorgeous.

What I should be doing is sewing buttons on four wee baby cardigans, but I never seem to find the gumption. Perhaps over the long weekend? The patterns are Lottie, Yoked Cardigan, one of my own design, and Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater. More on these to come, I promise.

five hours?!?

Those "five hour" baby sweater patterns are really something -- five hours for Elizabeth Zimmermann maybe, but not for me. Knitting the sweater took less than a week, but getting up the gumption to do the finishing work took a couple of months! This cardigan is destined for Paul's cousin's sweet new baby boy.

 

pattern: baby boy 5 hour sweater, by gail bable

yarn: rowan ryc cashsoft aran, ~ 2 balls

needles: us 9 (5.0) mm

my ravelry project page

notes:

The pattern doesn’t include buttonholes in the instructions! I added a buttonhole at the beginning of row 4 (K2, YO, k2tog, then follow pattern as written), and repeated every 10 rows.

RYC Cashsoft just doesn’t do it for me. It’s similar to Cashmerino, but not nearly as nice. It has kind of a mushy feel or something? Oh well, the new mom's not a knitter, so I wanted something machine washable.

The precious embroidered, cloth-covered sheep buttons had been hoarded in my stash for years -- I'm happy to use them at last. I'm trying to get over the idea of saving the "good" things for later.

springtime in the Upper Midwest

Spring's arrival has been hard-fought in the Upper Midwest this year. Brrr... Today's another hustery, blustery, chilly day, but at least the tulips and hyacinths' much-anticipated blooms make it look like spring around here.

I knit something spring-y during the doldrums of March and April, and the cheery color makes me think of baby chicks and daffodils and other lovely things:

pattern: in threes, by kelly herdrich

yarn: three irish girls springvale dk, creamsicle

needles: clover us 5 (3.75 mm) bamboo circs

size: 0-6 months

my Ravelry project page

notes:
Quick, easy pattern! I'll definitely revisit it. I cast on for the smallest size, but made it even smaller by using DK yarn and size 5 needles. Jennie the Potter made the whimsical bicycle buttons, which I found at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival last fall. Happy to find a good use for them!

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I've seen that some parts of the country are reveling in rhubarb already, and I'm envious! Yesterday I tried Leslie Land's easy fruit and jam crostata recipe. Pretty much amazing. Even better than my usual jam tart recipe. Leslie gives all kinds of suggestions for fruit and jam pairings -- the perfect way to clean out your freezer (I used rhubarb, blackberries, and strawberries, with raspberry jam). 

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Other signs of spring in our backyard:

gnomes

I'm months late in posting this, but Erik's gnome Christmas stocking is one of my favorite knitting projects to date. I started it on a whim one night so that I'd have something to knit while watching Guardians of the Galaxy (so funny and cute), and ended up totally addicted to the colorwork and wee gnomes.

pattern: Drops no. U-614 + Jolly Stockings

yarn: Patons Classic Wool Worsted

needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) 16" circs and PNS

my Ravelry project page

notes:

I tweaked the Drops sock pattern to make a Christmas stocking. Love the little gnomes! I used worsted weight yarn and loosely followed the directions for the largest size. CO 60, 2x2 ribbing, didn’t decrease after the ribbing.

The heel and toe are from Bernat's Jolly Stockings pattern. I think they look more Christmas stocking-y than the regular ol' heel and toe from the Drops pattern.

This was a joy to knit, and I was so happy to hang this by the chimney with care! Now to knit two more with different colorwork designs for Paul and me by the time Christmas 2015 rolls around. Paul has requested candy canes and I'm inclined toward a sheep stocking.

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.

 

shattered sun

When I saw a sample of the shattered sun shawl at Windy Knitty (my favorite Chicago yarn store), I just had to make it. Immediately. I bought the yarn that night and cast on right away. Lo and behold, a finished shawl! This is really unusual for me. I tend to dither about what to knit, and yarn marinates in the stash for a good while. The experience was refreshing, and I love the shawlette.

pattern: shattered sun shawl, by Felicia Lo

yarn: madelinetosh tosh merino light, esoteric, 1 skein (420 yds.)

needles: Clover US 5/3.75 mm bamboo circs

my Ravelry project page

notes:
Tosh merino light is incredibly soft and cozy. Yes, it will pill, but it's like butter to knit, and it's wonderful to wrap around your neck. Unlike my last Madelinetosh yarn experience, this skein had just one break/knot. The pattern is well-written. My only complaint is that I don't love the ruffle and the bind-off, but that's minor and merely a personal preference. I had a little yarn to spare at the end, but not much.

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!):

savoring these summer days

walks at Winnemac Park, where reclamation of the natural prairie is underway:

 

splashes in the backyard:

 

crafting -- a sweet knit baby doll for Erik's friend's first birthday:

pattern: knit baby doll pattern set, by Amy Gaines

yarn: knit picks comfy worsted, in honeydew, peony, ivory, and creme brulee

needles: US 4 Brittany straights
my Ravelry project page

notes:

This knit baby doll was fun and fairly quick to knit! I followed the directions (aside from making the body a couple rows longer) and knit it flat. I saw some versions knit in the round on Ravelry, but I think the seams give it a little more structure. The finishing work was a little fiddly, but it really wasn't too bad. Embroidering the face was the hardest part. I'd definitely make this pattern again -- I found it much less painful than many other knit toy patterns. Perhaps because I wasn't monkeying around with DPNs?

The yarn was leftover from some crochet projects, including yet another diagonal box-stitch baby afghan that I recently finished!

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summer eats:

crockpot North Carolina pulled pork

smitten kitchen's zucchini bread (recommended by Tinks and Frogs Rue)

easiest fridge dill pickles (also from smitten kitchen)

spicy squash refrigerator pickles