cats + knitting + tea = bliss

A certain someone doesn't seem to mind being surrounded by boxes.  Me, I'm a little nuts from packing already, but it perhaps it's time to take a queue from Kylie and go with the flow.

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Best way to relax? Getting a head start on holiday knitting. It's never too early!

 

The pattern's High Line by Kirsten Kapur, and I'm using some vintage Knit Picks Andean Silk that has been marinating in my stash for quite some time. The yarn's a little thinner than recommended, so I'm using size 10 needles. Honestly, this will be a much more useful size, as it's going to be a super cozy, warm scarf which you can really wrap up in.  I can't wear alpaca (it makes me so sneezy), but I can handle knitting with it in short bursts. I think this will block very nicely!

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My boss just returned from a 3-week holiday in Yorkshire, and she kindly brought me fancy teas from Bettys Café Tea Room in York. Now that's the way to a girl's heart...

seeing stars

Finally some sunshine around here!  I may have bundled up in a wool coat and cozy handknit scarf to ward off the cold temperatures and 30-mph gusts today, but I was pleased as punch to see the sun again (and to leave my umbrella at home).

Despite the unseasonably cool and rainy weather, Chicago's flowering trees and spring bulbs have been making a valiant effort to cheer us up.

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All that rain did lead to a cozy weekend spent mostly at home, petting the cats and wielding the crochet hook. I absolutely loved this project, and I can't wait to give this as a gift!  That said, I'd also like to snuggle up with it myself, but somehow a star-shaped afghan just doesn't seem dignified for a grown-up.

pattern: granny star afghan, by Sami Jo Fitzgerald

yarn: Bernat Cottontots

lemon berry, blueberry, and wonder white

hook: 5.5 mm (I) Clover Soft Touch

notes:

So fun to make! This went super quickly. Like I said in my last post, the pattern leaves out a crucial step. In order for the star shaping to work, you need to skip working a 2 DC "cluster" at the inner angles of the star. Terrible name aside, the Cottontots yarn is very soft, cozy, and affordable.

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So, I loved making the yellow and blue star afghan to such a great extent that...

I started another one right away, using leftover yarn from my stash. I do need to pick up another ball of Lemon Berry (the darker yellow in the middle) to finish it up. It doesn't look lumpy in real life -- that's just the effect of spreading it out on the chesterfield.

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I'm finding crochet to be incredibly addictive. It goes more quickly than knitting, and it uses up oodles of yarn, so it's a great way to make a serious dent in my stash.

This tea scarf just needs to be blocked! I used some hand-dyed cormo (picked up at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival a few years ago) and a J hook. The pattern's very easy -- I made a few mods that I'll post after I block it and take a proper photo. Capricha certainly is quite taken with it. Side note: cat owners, do not select Schumacher cut velvet upholstery, no matter how much you may fancy it. Cat. hair. magnet.

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Speaking of things I'm hooked on, Tazo's Green Ginger tea makes absolutely fantastic iced tea, sweetened with just a few drops of honey. The ginger gives it a very nice spicy kick!

OK, back to the salt mines for me...

the wearing of the red

Any idea where we went last weekend?

Yep, a quick weekend trip to Madison, where we watched the Badgers slaughter Austin Peay. Yikes, that was quite the game, not really fair (70-3).

Still, it was a beautiful fall day, full of Wisconsin spirit, Michael's frozen custard, and time spent with friends. My only regret is that we couldn't stay for Obama's speech on Library Mall in Madison.

Despite the craziness of the last couple of weeks (fall quarter has now started), I knit this little Elsie cardigan in Badger red (oops, I mean Knit Picks hollyberry).  The crocheted loops at the hems are a cute detail, and they are very easy to do. Great, clear pattern by Jane Richmond. I just need to find buttons! Then I'll take better pictures. Our new apartment, while delightful in many other respects, doesn't have nearly as great of light as our old place, so photography is much more of a challenge now. On a related note, I have quite the knitting backlog to blog.

Besides being perfect for knitting, Badgers football, and long walks amidst the leaves, fall is perfect for tea.  I found the Pumpkin Ginger Tea at World Market -- very nice, but best when made with 2 tea bags, especially if you're using a mug rather than a dainty tea cup (we're not really dainty people chez Caffeinated Yarn).  The loose-leaf Bourbon Vanilla Kusmi tea, which I picked up in Paris, is absolutely amazing! Highly recommended -- I think there's a Kusmi tea shop in NYC here in the states, too.

Schoolwork, tea, and knitting.

That's the story of my life, my friends. Watching The Office on DVD, too.

Midwest Moonlight is off the needles and ready for a blocking! Great pattern, marvelous yarn...

Pattern: Midwest Moonlight, from Scarf Style
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, "cashmere blue," 5 skeins
Needles: Clover US 5 bamboo straights

Making this scarf narrower would work quite well, and it would make for faster knitting. I enjoyed every minute of this project, though.

Some top-secret gift knitting:
Like tea? See what the Onion has to say about one tea drinker. Good ol' Onion... I wonder how well tea would go over if it were marketed like energy drinks and sold with an electric teakettle advertised by George Foreman (or Brett Favre... yummy). :-)