shawlette + movies for the queue

A friend of mine has a beautiful, peaceful urban garden, and yesterday seemed like a perfect opportunity for a photo shoot.

pattern: Berger shawlette, by Lisa Fliss

yarn: Orange Flower MCN fingering weight, "boysenberry"

~ 300 yds (2/3 skein)

needles: Clover US 7 bamboo circs

my ravelry project page

notes:

Easy, free pattern. Seriously, this knit up in an instant, as the stockinette body goes lightning fast. I absolutely love the yarn -- I used a different colorway for my Wandering the Moor shawlette, and it holds up beautifully and has a good balance of drape and body. Plus it's super soft.  Overall, a win-win project. The pattern requires a small amount of yarn, so it's a great way to use a short-ish skein of fancy merino sock yarn.

----------------------------------------------------

film recommendations

I'm always on the lookout for movies that are different and interesting (no Transformers for me, thank you very much), and these two fit the bill lately:

Trollhunter -- a Norwegian mock documentary about film students following a man they suspect of poaching. Surprise, he turns out to be a grizzled, slightly disgruntled government employee -- on the Troll Security Service.

Junebug -- a film that explores class and cultural conflicts, as a newly-married couple heads from Chicago to the husband's hometown not just to meet the family, but for the wife to convince an "outsider artist" into signing up with her gallery. It's a film that does a good job of showing rather than telling, and it's uncomfortable at times as it explores how people negotiate relationships, their day-to-day lives, and their anxieties. Paul wasn't too keen on this at first, but really came to appreciate it in hindsight. Junebug does a good job of building characters, which I (like Ebert) value.

Does anyone have film recommendations to share?  I also saw Bridesmaids, which was a hoot (plus it was great to see Milwaukee on the silver screen), but everyone knows about that one already.

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!

Liesl-ing along

Almost done with the body on my first Liesl cardigan:
Jody's version inspired me to cast on using the long-stashed Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. I had purchased it many moons ago for Ysolda's old Cloud bolero pattern -- when would I knit with it otherwise? I plan to make another Liesl with longer sleeves and perhaps no garter ridges using my lovely new Briar Rose yarn, too.

So, a few thoughts on DB Alpaca Silk -- it's so soft and super slippery to knit. Using metal needles with it would be grounds for knitter's suicide watch. The yarn is a loosely spun 2-ply, so it is a bit fragile, and doubtless it will pill like mad. The balls are annoyingly skimpy on the yardage -- something like 72 yds/ball. It also makes me sneeze. :-( But it's very pretty, and oh-so-soft! So my overall opinion is mixed. For a project requiring soft, heavy worsted-weight yarn, I'd probably turn to Malabrigo instead.

---------------------------

Here's a quick hat I knit up while watching football. Can you believe it's the first time I used regular Manos? I like the rustic texture and saturated color, but it's no Mmmmmmalabrigo.

Pattern: My Hat of Choice, by Amanda Soule
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay, #44, less than 1 skein
Needles: 16" US 7 Clover bamboo circs + DPNs

Notes: Since I'm such a loose knitter, I went down to size 7 needles. My row gauge was a bit off, so I knit 6 total repeats of the main pattern rather than 5. Next time I'd do 7 repeats. It's kind of a funky vintage look, almost crochet-like for the main pattern. I'll try to get a modeled shot, since it's a cute, unusual shape.

---------------------------

Reading:
Baghdad without a Map, by Tony Horwitz -- a laugh-out-loud collection of essays about his travels in the Middle East, both humorous and thoughtful. Highly recommended, especially in the current political environment

And Only to Deceive, by Tasha Alexander -- a light "historical" read, kind of a dud. Not recommended.

Watching:
Stardust -- based on the Neil Gaiman book. Nothing groundbreaking, but charming and sweet, in the same vein as The Princess Bride.

Speaking of The Princess Bride, I'm disappointed to have missed out on The Plucky Knitter's latest Princess Bride-inspired shop update. Oh well, I probably have enough yarn already.

the fruits of my labor

Very little actual "labor" is taking place chez Caffeinated Yarn over the long holiday weekend. Instead I've been knitting, hitting the farmer's market, watching movies and WI Badger football, going to BBQs, and heading up to Ravinia to see Aimee Mann and Squeeze! The concert should be a blast from the past. Last weekend I saw the English Beat, who were still pretty good live, though I'm not sure how many people from the original line-up are still in the band. They, of course, played a couple General Public tunes, too.

Katie's lovely garter stitch shawl inspired me to cast on. I'm using Manos Silk Blend in Juniper, re-purposed from my ill-fated lace wrap (no amount of blocking could get it to lie flat):The pattern is the Weaver's Wool Mini Shawl, made popular by knitting genius Terhi at Mustaa Villaa. Mmm... the silk blend is lovely, though I'm sure it will pill like mad. Now I'm dying to try Malabrigo's Silky Merino, which I haven't seen in Chicago or Madison yet.

A while back I knit up another Windy City hat prototype, this time for a dear family friend who gave me a boatload of sterling silver and silver plate serving dishes (including enormous chafing dishes!!! I could host the most elegant tailgate party ever).

Knit Picks Andean Silk, navy

My little Noro number from my last post is drying and will receive a proper post soon. Thanks, too, for all for suggesting that I contact Lantern Moon! I sent them an email but have not heard back yet.

watching :: In Bruges -- meh.

Hamlet 2 -- simultaneously horrifying and hilarious. Not for the faint of heart, as Steve Coogan's character provokes a similar type of mind-bending embarrassment that Michael Scott on the Office does, but EVEN MORE SO. The irreverent musical number "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" truly is the highlight, and Elisabeth Shue is a very good sport. 'Nuf said.

ubiquitous

knitting :: Pam's February sweater

listening :: Vampire Weekend

watching :: Incident at Loch Ness, The Secret of Roan Inish

What else is in store?
A trip to the Green City Market, a show at Second City, and a rooftop party. All in all, it's shaping up to be an excellent weekend.

Also noteworthy:
I met the Yarn Harlot last weekend! She was down-to-earth, very funny, and just plain awesome.

A friend gave me this fabulous button:
She bought it here.

baby kimono, books, and movies... oh my!

Just seaming and ends to finish up on a little Mason-Dixon baby kimono:
The yarn is Manos Cotton Stria, which has a texture like ricrac, albeit very soft and fluffy ricrac. It seems a bit odd for seaming, so I may use perle cotton. The color is just beautiful! The yarn's from a swap with Sonya. Thanks again, Sonya!

I'm also enjoying my new eco-friendly Simple sneakers:
Hemp, organic cotton, recycled car tires... pretty sweet.

From the bookshelves:
- Publish and Perish: Three Tales of Tenure and Terror, by James Hyne (definitely written from a male POV, but very funny, esp. the 2nd "tale." Hyne writes perceptively about academia and its egos and general lunacy)
- One Good Turn, by Kate Atkinson (not nearly as good as Case Histories)
- The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers (a classic time travel novel that manages to involve 19th c. English poets! The Egyptian bits are silly, but a good read nonetheless)
- Rose Cottage, by Mary Stewart (a light "cozy" read, perfect with a cup of tea after a long day)

On the small screen:
- Death at a Funeral ~ A funeral turns to chaos as family secrets are revealed. Funny and light, and very British.
- 27 Dresses ~ Bad writing, bad acting... but I didn't really expect too much from it.
- The Pursuit of Love ~ Beautiful BBC miniseries adaptation of Nancy Mitford's "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate." The acting is pretty good; the only bad part is that it's fairly compressed and much is left out. I enjoyed the books, too.

Where do you go to, my lovely?*

Tonight Paul and I are going to the Park West for an evening with Colin Meloy. Though I've seen the Decemberists thrice in the past couple years, I've never seen him play solo. Should be a treat!
*Can you tell I've been listening to The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack a good deal as of late? Not my favorite Wes Anderson movie (Royal Tenenbaums and Life Aquatic are tied), but a great soundtrack. That Peter Starstedt song is just fabulous -- catchy, melodic, and darkly funny.

Speaking of quirky movies, I saw Smart People over the weekend -- OK but not fantastic. Thomas Hayden Church really stole the show (rather than Ellen Page, whom I had expected to do so). Everybody Loves Saturday Night's review captures the essence of the film. She makes an excellent point about its affinities with David Lodge novels (which are not exactly my cup of tea). A little deeper character development would have helped.

My knitting needles have been getting a workout lately. The Wabenschal is done (but needs blocking):

----------------------------

I'm working on a pair of Kanoko Pants (yes, more baby knits -- one of the delights of turning 30 is that many of my friends are having babies -- yet another Classics friend had a baby last week):

----------------------------

Also Dragonfly Sock #2:

----------------------------

And a baby project of my own design. It's blocking right now, but you can expect photos as well as a pattern later this week.

wild night in Big Mexiko (sic)

My first pair of socks is finally done and dusted. Here are the specs:

Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple Beginner Socks #9728
Yarn: 2 skeins Schoeller & Stahl "Big Mexiko" #7592, worsted weight (93 yds/skein) + a little Cascade superwash for the toes
Needles: Clover US 5 DPNs

Notes: These are a little loose. I would go down to size 4 needles next time. The heel come out much better on the second sock when I added an extra stitch when picking up stitches, then knitted them together in the next round. Obviously I ran out of yarn, so I need to watch the yardage when I knit this pattern again.

My fabulous secret pal sent me this yarn way back in November. I was so lucky to have Jill spoiling me! She was so thoughtful, and I've really enjoyed getting to know her. We have a lot in common --Jill has lived in Illinois, she's back in grad school (while working full time as an academic librarian, whew), she likes winter, she's a voracious reader, and she loves animals. Dogs, rather than cats, but that's OK. Thanks again, Jill!

together at last

The temperatures have been below zero here in Chi-town. I don't mind it one bit. It feels like a real winter. Now we just need more snow. I started some mittens while snuggling in and watching DVDs with Paul on Friday night (Idiocracy -- hilarious and frighteningly possible; The Devil Wears Prada -- trite, predictable, and a little bit painful to watch).

This is a Fleece Artist Favourite Soft Mitts/Socks kit. I am just loving the yarn. You hold together one strand of Mohair and one strand of Blue Face Leicester. It's so soft, and the colors are gorgeous. This is the "Vineyard" colorway. I found this kit at Colorsong Yarns. Sheri at the Loopy Ewe just might be stocking these kits soon.