voila

My study was a shameful mess of boxes, books, and knitting supplies for the first few months after we moved in. The walls were not only a boring shade of beige, but they were in terrible shape.

After a week of scrubbing, spackling, painting, and organizing, my study emerged as a cheerful workspace.

I'm now proud to leave the door to the study open when friends come over, and having a pleasant place to work is inspiring me to keep it tidy. The Orla Kiely storage boxes are from Pop Deluxe, a great little store on State Street in Madison, Wisconsin.

The paint is Benjamin Moore's Ultra Spec 500 zero-VOC in Bird's Egg. I went to J. C. Licht, a local paint store, instead of a big-box store this time, and the experience was terrific! I initially planned to buy Natura, another Benjamin Moore zero-VOC paint, but the salesperson talked me into this one, which is less expensive and supposedly even better. No complaints from me! Painting wasn't stinky or noxious at all.

 

I made the curtain using an Orla Kiely tablecloth from her Target line. It cost a pretty penny on eBay, but it was worth it. Initially I was planning to sew a rod pocket, but decided to go with curtain clips for a more modern look. Plus it's really, really easy.

The desk chair is Pottery Barn's Montego Rush Seat Chair. Sadly, the pretty rush seat is covered up to protect it from Capricha. My comfy reading chair is originally from the Madison Public Library, and I've been carting it around with me since 1999. It is wearing an inexpensive slipcover from Target (the color selection wasn't too great so boring tan it is, at least for now).

I still need to put up art and make some throw pillows and maybe a quilt for my reading chair, but I'm pleased as punch already! I'm holding off on the sewing projects since supposedly Bed Bath and Beyond has an Orla Kiely line in the works. 

thing one and thing two

Baby knits are my favorite. They're such a fantastic and low-risk way to try new techniques, stitch patterns, and yarns. Plus I've now reached the age where my friends are constantly having babies, so it's wonderful to give something handmade at baby showers.

 pattern: morpheus, by YarnMadness

yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted, Cornmeal, 2 skeins

needles: Clover US 7 bamboo circs (16")

size: 6 months (at a slightly larger gauge)

notes:

Quick, easy knit! I like the button detail on one shoulder. I skipped the mesh pattern, as I wanted to knit something simple and classic. Also, I knit a few rounds before beginning the sleeve ribbing. The twisted-stitch ribbing looks great! Must use this ribbing more often.

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This pattern was, in fact, so quick and easy that I knit another one right away:

Same details, aside from using a darker shade -- "gold" instead of "cornmeal."

This photo has a teeny sneak preview of my study re-do (so much painting and reorganizing). More pictures soon!

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That Etsy is a crazy place... I didn't realize just how controversial it was  until I read about this insane cease-and-desist letter, and this awesome lawyer's response. You rock, lawyer Ken!

therapeutic Sunday

On Sunday I woke up early feeling awfully crummy. A therapeutic day of tea, knitting, and Hugh Grant movies was most definitely quite welcome and very restorative.  After a warm-ish winter with a decidedly low level of tea consumption, a rather chilly April has reawakened my love of the tea leaves.

Not only did I finish the second Crazy Zauberball sock (well, the tube part -- I'm still working up the courage to snip the yarn for the afterthought heels), I put the finishing touches on some baby knits.

First, a long-neglected baby cardigan:

pattern: Little Garter Cardi by Ragnheiður Eiríksdóttir

yarn: Beaverslide Dry Goods Fisherman Weight

1 skein of prairie aster + small amount of arrowleaf balsamroot

needles: Clover US 10 bamboo circs

size: 3-6 months

my ravelry project page

notes:

I started this last summer, but ran out of steam when I ran out of yarn (one of my usual knitting "tricks"). The yarn is Beaverslide's older version, with the 210-yard put-up, and there was no hope of getting more (even after some Ravelry correspondence), so I dug out another skein and went for some contrast. The yarn is terrific -- very natural, soft, lofty, and tweedy! The buttons are ones I cut off an old favorite cardigan when it finally had to be retired. (Note to self: do this more often!)

I love how the i-cord edge is incorporated as you knit the body. The pattern is very clever; it would be easy, however, to miss the instructions for buttonholes.  I used a crochet provisional cast-on at the neck, and it worked great (see instructions here).

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linkety:

-  a Doctor Who shawlette pattern from the latest Knitty
-  IKEA's urban-planning scheme
-  I'm not sure if I love this or loathe it:
Cute kitten, even if this guy isn't using fresh-squeezed limes for his margaritas.

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P.S. Did you realize that one can watch all four of these in a row?
- Notting Hill
- Bridget Jones's Diary
- Music & Lyrics
- Love Actually

If only I'd had the stamina to muscle through Sense and Sensibility, too!

fraternal twins

The 9" circular needles are just the ticket for speeding up my sock knitting!

One sock is off the needles and the second is well on its way. That said, I haven't embarked upon the afterthought heel yet, which may be my undoing. The yarn is Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball in color #2092 (I think, but the ballband is MIA). I fell in love with the colorway because of Melissa's September Circle pattern in this post. The yarn is a little wild for socks, as the stripes are broad and, more importantly, the colors don't repeat!  So my socks are fraternal twins, which I'm choosing to describe as "fun" rather than "eccentric."

I'm on a reading kick again!  Just started The Distant Hours (not far along enough to have an opinion), and recently finished The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake for my book club. This was an interesting premise with beautiful writing at the beginning, but it didn't really deliver as the book went on. The main character, Rose, discovers on her ninth birthday that she can taste emotions in all the foods she eats -- her mother's cake tastes like depression, packaged foods taste like a factory, etc. In the vein of Like Water for Chocolate, but with the dark side of magical realism. The book explores this "talent," as well as the odd dynamics of her family, their secrets, and their other talents. There's an NPR review here.

Still in a cross-stitch frenzy, too. I'm now working on Alicia's Winterwoods sampler, and it's a lot of fun. I invested in the needles and hoop she recommends, and they really are a step up!  The heavier needle seems to help keep the floss from getting as twisted.

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A few pictures from my bithday weekend:

 Chagall's America Windows back on display at the Art Institute

the Art Institute's new Modern Wing

afternoon tea at the Peninsula

All in all, a terrific time filled with my favorite things. We came home from tea and started painting my study!  A big reveal is in the works.

la primavera

With temperatures in the 80s the other week, Chicago seemed to have skipped spring and gone straight to summer.

Luckily the flowering trees and spring bulbs were there to remind us of the season.

My weekend away in Michigan with the knitting girls was amazing. So relaxing, and it felt like summer as we sat on the deck, knitting, chatting, soaking up the sun, and sipping Lady Sibyl cocktails. Blissful... (P.S. Don't you love that someone dreamed up Downtown Abbey-themed cocktails?  I want to try the Lady Mary next).

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Hmmm... lots on the knitting front, but not a ton of photos yet. Mostly I've been digging out old projects and finishing them off, though I did give in to temptation and cast on a sock:

Very... vibrant?!? OK, more like garish. The real reason I cast on was to try out my new 9 inch Hiya Hiya circular knitting needles. Yep, 9 inch circulars. It took a while to get used to them, but now that I've adjusted how my left hand holds the needle, the sock is flying along. We'll see if this pace holds up once I hit the heel. Then again, perhaps it's time to try an afterthought heel... I don't think these needles would work well with complex stitch patterns (especially cables), but for plain ol' stockinette or a basic rib pattern, they seem fine so far.

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What else have we been up to?

Brewing beer!  Here's Paul tending to our second batch of homebrew, a breakfast stout.

We got started with a kit from the Brooklyn Brew Shop. The grapefruit honey ale turned out quite well!  Not too sweet, with a nice citrusy finish. The kit is fairly easy, although make sure to read all directions very thoroughly before you start brewing. Keep in mind that not every ingredient is included, so make sure to pick up extras like grapefruit, honey, etc. first. Also, the kit leads you to believe that this is quick and easy and doesn't require much equipment. That's partly true. Much of the brewing time isn't terribly active, but you need to set aside a solid block of many hours. You can read a book, knit a few rounds on a sock, then check temperatures and stir. 

Also, you definitely need at least two very large pots and a mini auto-siphon. I highly recommend buying Star San so that you don't have to worry about rinsing all your equipment thoroughly after sanitizing it; also, it's easier to pick up bottles, caps, and a bottle capper from your local homebrew shop than it is to drink enough bottles of Grolsch (which have handy swing-tops).

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recipe round-up

- Chocolate Orange Cream Cheese Pound Cake, from Joy the Baker
- an incredibly decadent and addictive snack mix from Southern Living -- credit goes to Julie from my knitting group for discovering this recipe (NB: "honey graham cereal" is code for Golden Grahams)

pembroke

Clara Parkes recently revisited Imperial Stock Ranch yarns in Knitter's Review (an update to a previous glowing review from 2003), and it reminded me that I have an Imperial Stock Ranch project to share!

There's something amazing about using American yarn where you feel good not only about the yarn, but also about the producers, the history, the sheep, and the business model. In the words of Clara Parkes:

With so many wool yarns on the market, why should you bother going out of your way to find this one? For starters, it's a great knit that produces a spongy and succulent, home-grown fabric. But perhaps more important, when you've cast off that final stitch you'll be wearing a tale of Western expansion and the American dream.

You're wearing the story of how one man, equipped with just a saddle horse, pack horse, and six-gun, became the biggest landowner in the state of Oregon, running tens of thousands of sheep on the very same land as the sheep that produced your yarn today. And your garment will be physical proof that, while increasingly challenging, it's still possible to produce good domestic wool on a large scale while following ethical and sustainable business practices.

I stumbled across Imperial Stock Ranch's bulky 2-strand pencil roving at Loopy Yarns last fall, and I was intrigued. Soft, unspun roving in a gorgeous palette of colors. The yarn itself drew me in -- the pattern was really secondary here (unusual for me).

pattern: Pembroke Wrap, by Andrea Rangel

yarn: Imperial Stock Ranch bulky 2-strand pencil roving

wild iris, 1.5 skeins

needles: Clover US 11 bamboo circs

my ravelry project page

notes:

Pembroke was really fun to knit, and I love how soft and airy the yarn is. That said, it's a bit fragile since it's unspun, and the more natural feel of the wool comes with a few bits of vegetable matter sprinkled in. Loopy Yarns' owner warned me to be careful while knitting it, as it tends to break. You can easily felt it back together, but that's no one's favorite part of knitting.

My yarn only broke two or three times -- overall I had a great experience with it, no doubt because I am naturally a loose knitter. I suspect that a tight knitter might not enjoy the yarn as much. I was very careful when washing the finished shawl, as I feared felting; pinning it out to block it was no problem.

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And now it's time to finish packing for my knitting group's annual getaway weekend. Michigan, here I come! We're slated to have glorious weather (80 degrees in the Upper Midwest in March?  madness!).

brought to you by the letters BSJ and X

Shockingly, this is my first time knitting a Baby Surprise Jacket! Love its unique construction and general cleverness, despite EZ's trademark "pithy" directions.

Clearly I ran out of hand-dyed yarn. Let's just call the solid pink border a "design element." Now to find the perfect buttons...

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The cross-stitch frenzy is continuing...

I finished the "plant kindness" sampler from Little House Needleworks the other day, and now need to frame it. For years my (precise and handy) father cheerfully took over this task for me, but it's probably time for me to man up, so to speak, and do it myself. There are a couple of handy guides to framing needlework here and here.

Another project is already underway, this time a kit from Blackbird Designs' Loose Feathers series:
Still primitive Americana, but a little more complicated. All the floss is overdyed, which means you need to do each x as you go (rather than my preferred Ford-factory-assembly-line method), plus evenweave linen instead of my usual Aida (so much more counting). There are a few crazy stitches like the eyelet stitch and Smyrna cross, plus a boatload of lazy daisies. Fun nonetheless, and a great break for the wrists. Lots of time on the computer at work lately has meant that the knitting pace had to slow down a bit.

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noteworthy:

- Joss Whedon's new film, The Cabin in the Woods, debuted at SXSW, and it sounds intriguing! 
- Orla Kiely's new line of bedding hits the shelves at Bed, Bath & Beyond in May.
- Posie Gets Cozy's online shop features a new whimsical and charming cross-stitch kit.

bluebeard

I happily knit the last repeat and cast off my State Street Cowl last weekend. I was a little skeptical about how exactly this oversized, bulky-knit cowl would look on me, but the lace pattern was pretty, and the bird's egg Quince and Co. yarn was such a nice color. 

Yeah, apparently I look like Bluebeard in it. Not exactly what I was going for...

Pattern: State Street Cowl, by Pam Allen

Yarn: Quince and Co. Puffin, bird's egg, 2.2 skeins

Needles: Clover US 13 and 15 bamboo circs

note to self:

Do not knit another humongous cowl.

I'm left with a conundrum -- what to knit with this yarn? So far it has been an Oatmeal Pullover (too bulky), a garter stitch blanket (not enough drape), and this cowl. Sigh...

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While flipping through the latest WEBS catalog I was pleasantly surprised by the really lovely and creative patterns written for their exclusive (i.e., affordable and competitive with Knit Picks) line of Valley Yarns. I'm still finishing my Aidez cardigan, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream...

-- Valley Yarns 361 Teal Top-Down Cardigan
Cute pattern, with a decidedly un-cute name. This one looks great for layering or pairing with a denim skirt?

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-- Boothbay lace pullover (knit sideways!)

I think my mom would love this -- comfy but still rather elegant.

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-- Valley Yarns 450 Purlless Pullover

Another soulless name for a very attractive pattern. Looks like a versatile cotton knit for spring and fall, and the so-called "nalgar" ("raglan backwards") sleeves are intriguing (though slightly linebacker-y).

I'm usually not so big on spring knits, but WEBS actually has me inspired! Bravo.

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An Orla Kiely pear tablecloth found its way to my doorstep, and it's just begging to be turned into curtains for my re-vamped study!

lazy weekend morning

Inspired by Alicia's recent post about counted cross stitch (and the darling sampler kit she has in the works), I dug out my cross stitch supplies and got to work.

Cross stitch is the first craft I really embraced. The summer that we were 10, my best friend and I took a very dorky (but apparently quite inspiring) class called "X Marks the Spot." For years we always had a project or two going. Now it falls by the wayside to knitting much of the time, but once in a blue moon there's a cross stitch renaissance chez Caffeinated Yarn.

Compared to my usual knitting and crochet, cross stitch is amazingly affordable, compact, and easy to store. I love the wide palette of colors. On the minus side, it's hard to know what exactly to do with the finished products, which are generally purely decorative. You can't exactly cuddle up in a cross stitch sampler on a cold, wintry day as you would with a cozy afghan or a handknit sweater.

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I'm making plans to spruce up our flat a bit. A paint color has been chosen for my study:

bird's egg, by benjamin moore

Some cute nesting boxes to organize office and craft supplies just arrived in the post:

 Orla Kiely nesting boxes

to everything there is a season

With a heavy heart I said a final farewell to my grandmother last week. She had been failing for a while, and we knew that her time was limited, so I booked a flight for last weekend to say good-bye. Sadly, this did not come to pass, and we ended up driving across the Wisconsin woods and Minnesota prairies for a funeral instead. I should have taken pictures of the fantastic icicles dripping down the bluffs along the Mississippi River, or the surreal image of hundreds of windmills dotting the prairie, or even the thick fog rolling across the snowy fields.

Seeing family and friends was a comfort, as was sharing favorite memories. Good-bye, Grandma Max -- we'll miss you, your ever-present smile, and the twinkle in your eye, but we know that you lived a good, long life.

She loved to make quilts, and she made a handmade quilt for each of her children, as well as her grandchildren. She also embroidered many towels. She enjoyed canning pickles. While a resident of Tuff Nursing Home, she enjoyed playing cards, especially “Kings in a Corner” with her daughter. She will be remembered by her family and friends for her delicious sugar cookies, as well as for her homemade lefse. 

Grandma Max was a hard worker, as all farmers are -- driving tractor, cleaning the cream separator, butchering chickens, feeding the barn cats, crocheting slippers, and baking up a storm. Her sugar cookie recipe truly is legendary. These cookies are short and crisp -- quite unlike garden-variety sugar cookie cut-outs.

Grandma Maxine's Sugar Cookies

1/2 cup white (granulated) sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups + 1 tablespoon flour

- Cream sugars and butter; add eggs, then oil and vanilla.
- Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Chill overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll spoonfuls into small balls, then drop on cookie sheet, and press with a glass that has been dipped in white sugar.
- Baking time depends on thickness of cookies. Don't let them get brown, just a hint at the edges!
- Makes about 3 dozen.

in the works

Another little design is in the works. I'm using a lovely shade of gold that has (sadly) been discontinued by Knit Picks. I'm off the semisolids and indie dyers lately... not sure what's up with that, but I'm loving the stitch definition of solid colored yarn, and I'm enjoying the soft, fuzzy heather blue-green of my Aidez cardigan.

Don't these shades of aqua, gold, and cream go beautifully together? I think this may be the perfect color palette for my study. Now to visit the paint store!

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Even though I'm spending more time wearing my editor hat rather than my researcher cap these days, I still get to work from home fairly often. Wow, is that great. I especially enjoy eating a healthy lunch at home while reading a good book. I tried this easy recipe for cornbread, and it is yummy. Basic, no frills, but delicious. Much better than the Jiffy corn muffin mixes of my childhood.

all wrapped up in handknits

Last Valentine's Day I gave Paul the promise of a Doctor Who scarf, something he had been requesting for years.

Many, many rows of garter stitch and eight skeins of yarn later, it is complete! I selected a rather more subtle palette of colors than the original and didn't make it nearly as long, as I wanted it to be something Paul would actually wear rather than a costume piece.

Doctor Who scarf

needles: US 6 Clover bamboo straights

yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted

cobblestone heather 

eggplant 

garnet heather 

gold 

lemongrass heather 

squirrel heather

truffle

my ravelry project page

notes:

I cast on 44 stitches and loosely followed this pattern until I ran out of yarn. One skein of each color, except for two skeins of squirrel heather. Paul's also sporting the Armando hat I knit for him.

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Rue kindly sent me a wee bit of ginger Madelintosh tosh merino light  so that I can bind off my live oak shawlette. Hooray! Many thanks, Rue.

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- Inc. has a thought-provoking piece on entrepreneurs in Norway (a country near and dear to my heart)

winter at last

Winter is finally here, blanketing Chicago in beautiful snow.

This afternoon I hung the suet feeder in my backyard, and I expect to be inundated with juncos, kinglets, siskens, tanagers, and titmice at any moment. These are just a few species of songbirds that Garfield's Energy Suet claims to attract.

Indeed. I'll keep you posted as to how that goes! One might guess that bird-watching and urban settings don't mix terribly well, but there are some pretty decent bird preserves along Lake Michigan (such as the Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary), and this has been a record year for snowy owl sightings in Chicago.

The back of my Aidez cardigan is complete, and I've just done the ribbing for the left front! I have visions of wearing Aidez while sipping a mug of coffee and peacefully gazing upon my snowy backyard full of cheerful tanagers and titmice. A girl can dream...

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in the kitchen

Alicia recently highlighted this curried lentil soup recipe, so I gave it a try. Delicious! Hearty and substantial, with plenty of flavor but not too spicy. This is one of those lentil soups that gets a little mushy (if you don't like that quality, you could substitute French lentils). I really appreciate that this is different from our standby curried lentil soup recipe, which has lots of tomatoes and balsamic vinegar to make it tangy. (I use chicken stock instead of water and add a couple of carrots, diced, to that recipe.)

Aidez

I spent part of the weekend curled up with my knitting needles and many cups of coffee from my new bestie, the Nespresso machine. Blissful! Aidez is coming along quite nicely. The first few rows juggling the cable patterns were tough going, but it became easier with practice, as most things do. I *know* I'm doing one of the narrow cross-stitch cables wrong (they're supposed to be mirrored), but I wasn't about to change my methods midstream. I'm certainly not picky enough to rip way back and make them perfect (so not the point of knitting for me).

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in the kitchen

- Curried tofu with tomatoes, with coconut rice

- My buffalo chicken chili recipe is a part of Pottery Barn's latest theme party feature, Big Game Party!

hello, 2012!

New year, fresh start. 2011 had its strikes and gutters, ups and downs, and I for one am very happy to be moving forward. Don't get me wrong -- there were good things about 2011, like my new position at the Press and our terrific new digs, but overall there was a certain too-muchness. We spent New Year's Eve with friends, the first time with little ones in tow, and it was delightful. I made Heidi's recipe for gougères, which were delicious but difficult to pronounce.

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2011's diagonal box-stitch afghan is still growing:

The stitch pattern has become second nature, and the superwash merino wool is soft and cushy (which is good, since I'm on my ninth skein of the stuff). If only the crochet hook hadn't fallen behind a heavy dresser yesterday! Note to self: must enlist Paul's help in moving that behemoth.

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There's a new project for 2012 in the works, too:

 

I cast on for Aidez at knit night, and the ribbing is going swimmingly. The cross-stitch cable instructions, however, aren't for the faint of heart, so I'm pleased that we're doing it as a knitalong

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I'm not really one for setting goals with my hobbies. For me the point is to relax and go with the flow. I get stressed out enough already -- no need for extra anxiety. I suppose one goal is to use the supplies I have! We're at maximum crafty storage capacity at the moment. I'd also like to finish my sadly neglected Shalder cardigan, knit Aidez in time to wear it this winter, finish a quilt that's been on the back burner far too long... oh wait, that's a whole bunch of goals. Onward and upward!

May health, happiness, and good times greet you each day of the new year.