attention all Chicago Snuggie fans...

This is the event for you -- the Snuggie Pub Crawl.

Personally I'm having a hard time envisioning anything funnier than a bunch of people dressed as neo-Druids sipping vodka tonics. Especially since Snuggies are apparently backless.

On a related note...
(NB: If you can't take strong language and/or sarcasm, this is not for you)

besotted...

Apparently I'm not the only one who looks back fondly on those 1980s John Hughes movies... Judging from your comments, Andrew McCarthy had quite the following. Pretty in Pink's one of my favorites, too, but I always wanted Andy to end up with Duckie.

Pretty in Pink + Xs and Os = besotted

Pattern: Besotted, by Adrian Bizilia
Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, Amoroso, 2 skeins
Needles: Clover US 8 bamboo straights

Well, if I can't get Paul into a sweater vest, I can at least finish up my second go at my owl vaby vest pattern. Just needs ribbed edging around the V-neck and arm holes.

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An amazing bounty arrived on my doorstep recently. The ever generous knitter, quilter, and photographer extraordinaire, Mia, sent me all this gorgeous yarn:
Holy cow, I was blown away. This is enough yarn for not just one, but two sweaters for me! The ruby red yarn is Kimmett Croft (mmm... angora/merino), and the lovely lavender on the right is Manos. This is one of the best gifts I've ever received. :-) I'm thinking about using the Manos for a Button Me Up raglan , and maybe an EZ percentage sweater with the luxurious Fairy Hare. Thanks again, Mia!

Speaking of how nice knitters are, Rachael over at Cattywampus gave me this blue ribbon:

Aw, thanks! I'm passing the blue ribbon along to some of my favorite blogs:
- Knit & Play with Fire
- Indigo Mouse
- The A.D.D. Knitter
- Cocoknits
- In Stitches
It's awfully difficult to pick just 4 -- so I picked 5! So many knit bloggers are just amazing.

the name game

Bekka posted about the NameVoyager website today. It's really quite neat! You can track when certain names were popular. Here's my chart:
Yep, I'm a child of the 1970s, just as predicted. What really surprised me was that my grandmother's name -- Elfrieda -- actually popped up! It was popular around the turn of the century. She always hated her name and preferred to go by a nickname, and I've never met any other Elfriedas.

This may be a handy tool for soon-to-be parents (like you, Melissa!) looking for names. Just sayin'!

My Manos Mini Shawl is off the needles, ready for washing and blocking. We'll see how long I procrastinate on that one!

let the holiday knitting begin!

I'm following Chris' lead and getting started on holiday gifts! I don't usually do much holiday knitting, but I want to give some small projects to friends this year.

Here's yet another Windy City hat (I'll share the pattern soon -- just need to get some good modeled photos), as well as some Irish Hiking Wristwarmers. I'm using The Plucky Knitter's merino worsted (single ply -- not sure if she still carries this base yarn) in "Cheeky." It's super soft and gorgeous -- reminds me of Mmmmmalabrigo.

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Lisa Lloyd's A Fine Fleece is a lovely book for both spinners and non-spinning knitters alike. So many beautiful, timeless cable patterns! Consider yourself warned, though, that the sweater shaping is traditional/boxy rather than fitted. I picked it up after reading good reviews here and here. I just cast on for a Twilight Scarf, one of the few non-cabled patterns:

I'm using Knit Picks Gloss Lace in Aegean. The yarn has a nice crunch to it. It's not the softest, but that's fine

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Reading :: The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
An engrossing, thoughtful, and suspeneful novel! Who knew that a sci fi novel featuring Jesuit priests could be so interesting?

Watching :: the latest Inspector Lynley mystery
I'm so sad that the BBC cancelled Lynley! There's only 1 episode left. Apparently the actors had no idea the end was in sight when they were shooting.

Capricha in bed

back from wonderful Wisconsin...

and ready to head to beautiful Boulder tomorrow! We're going to a wedding in Denver, too. Anyone have suggestions for things to do? On the list already -- hiking at Indian Peaks and visiting the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins.

I forgot my camera last weekend, which is too bad since there was an overabundance of photo ops. I learned how to shear a sheep the old-fashioned way, dyed a bunch of yarn, pet lots of animals, carded wool, and learned about spinning. The Circle M Farm is just marvelous (and very humane), and Kriss is a great teacher and hostess. The whole "driftless area" of Wisconsin is so beautiful.

The fruits of my labors:

left to right:

red cabbage, red cabbage and soda wash, turmeric, marigold flowers, and beet
I used rhubarb as a mordant for all but the first (which was allum).

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Random Rant (for fellow PBS fans)

Remember the old Mystery theme from PBS?


Fabulous! All the Edward Gorey!

A while ago PBS changed it to this one:

OK, not quite as great, but whatever.

Now they've changed it yet again (to go with their new crappy Masterpiece re-do), and it's awful!!! Hardly any Gorey left whatsoever. Boo, PBS. I do not approve.

back from a whirlwind weekend in Wisconsin

Hope you all enjoyed the 4th! Paul and I spent a busy weekend up in Wisconsin -- drinking Strongbow on the Union Terrace, listening to Cracker at Summerfest, checking out all the new development in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward... As soon as we made it back to Chicago (painfully slow going due to construction), we headed down to Lincoln Park to picnic and toss the Frisbee. All in all, quite a nice weekend.

One of my picnic contributions:

Dill sauce

Serves 8-10

1 C. mayonnaise (not light) (I use Hellmann's, but homemade would be even better; I do not recommend Whole Foods or Trader Joe's mayo for this recipe)
1/2 C. drained dill pickle relish
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice (or a bit more, to taste)
1.5 tsp. dried dill

Be sure to drain the dill pickle relish well. Mix all ingredients . Refrigerate for at least a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

I spread this on baguette slices and topped them with smoked salmon. It's equally good as a topping on salmon burgers. I often make a half batch.

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Progress on the February Sweater is slow (not much knitting in the car this weekend since the a/c is on the fritz):On the interwebs

The NYT gives a list of the 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating. Hello, my dear friends cinnamon, turmeric, frozen blueberries, pomegranate juice, and canned pumpkin! I'm considering this license to eat even more of you. Cabbage, not so much. Swiss chard, I'm still sick of you from last summer's CSA boxes.

Now that the FLDS sect has opened their own "modest" clothing website, how about revisiting Mo Rocca's discussion of polygamist style with Tim Gunn?

Finally, the hydrangeas are in bloom. :-)

mosaic madness

My creation, originally uploaded by jodi at caffeinated yarn.

Sarah's post on the game designed by cast on cast off prompted me to join mosaic madness.

The rules:

Using fd’s Flickr Toys,

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker).

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Note: I actually owned a Little Professor calculator once upon a time.

spring at last

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments on my first design! Please do let me know if you have any problems or questions (I know a chart for the owls would be helpful). The baby owl vest pattern is now available as a Ravelry download in PDF format, too. Figuring that out was perhaps more of a challenge than the design itself!

Something light and airy is on the needles:

Pattern: Gust, by Anne Hanson
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter Merino Lace, "Dashwood"

It's a lovely pattern, but I'm getting a little tired of it already. It's destined for my mother, who ooh-ed and aah-ed over my Woodland Scarf and requested something lacy for herself.

Even the cats have spring fever. Kylie has taken up her regular warm-weather position at the open window, stalking passers-by.

Despite her advanced age, she's also indulging in some wild hunt-the-belt action:
Sarah tagged me for the 6 Random Things meme a while back, and I'm finally getting around to it. What can I say, maybe I don't play well with others?

1. I love cars, especially classic cars. I can outlast the guys at the auto show. My dream car?
A classic VW Karmann Ghia (or maybe a Thing or an MGB 2-seater or a 1966 Mustang convertible). Sadly, I drive a tan Chevy Malibu.

2. Nothing makes me happier than a day spent outdoors in the mountains or by the lakes, with plenty of sunshine and fresh air. Sadly, I live in the heart of Chicago.

3. I was afraid of cats up until I was 10 or so. My aunt's cantankerous old tabby (with the oh-so-misleading name Tinkerbell) gave me a thorough scratching when I was little.

4. Dark-haired men, especially ones with beards or mustaches, also terrified me when I was little. I would run away screaming and crying. Apparently I'm good at conquering my fears, as Paul has dark hair and we have two cats! I'm still not big on facial hair, though.

5. I love cheese. You know how some people are wine snobs? I'm a cheese snob. I blame it on my years spent in Madison, WI.

6. I'm a very fast reader. I often devour novels in just one sitting. Nowadays I'm a little afraid to open up a book, as I know I can't stop once I get started. As soon as the quarter is over, though, I'm going to read with reckless abandon!

Want to share some random things? Consider yourself tagged!

a rose by any other name

Now I know what to have my students call me! I prefer to be on a first-name basis, but this drives some of them batty.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Lady Madame Jodi the Querulous of Giggleswich Lanken Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title