clearing the decks

I'm still in the midst of a finishing frenzy. There's going to be a serious FO parade around here as I finish seaming, blocking, sewing on buttons, and the like.

I'm calling this my "virtuous knitting." It's a great feeling to finish things up (though mostly relief and an assuaging of guilt), but really I'm just dying to cast on a new project or two. Or four. 

I'm enamored of this new shawl pattern by JuJuVail -- Pop Spots:

I love the contrast of both color and texture! So pretty.

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in the kitchen

- a delicious quinoa salad recipe from Serious Eats

- Smitten Kitchen's gingerbread spice dutch baby pancake (from her new-ish cookbook, one of my favorite Christmas presents)

- skillet curried vegetables and couscous with almonds 
(adapted from Main Course Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin)

serves 4

2 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. red curry paste
dash of cayenne
1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 carrot, very thinly sliced
2 C. tiny broccoli florets
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and cut into1/2-inch dice
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 C. frozen peas, thawed
1/4 C. raisins
1/3 C. sliced almonds
2.5 C. vegetable or chicken stock (I use Better Than Bouillon)
1.5 C. couscous
1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and paste, and cayenne, and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in the red pepper, carrot, broccoli, and 1/4 c. water. Cover the pan and steam the veggies until almost tender, about 3 min.

Mix in the apple, scallions, peas, raisins, and almonds. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous and slat, cover the pan, and remove it from the heat. Let sit for 7 min.

Remove the cover, fluff the couscous with a fork, then cover again. Let sit 2 more min. before serving.

Shalder

I did get to wear my Shalder cardigan up north last autumn, but after a few Flashdance moments, I realized that the neckline was too sloppy and slouchy.

I tried the Yarn Harlot's ingenious method for a crochet edging to stabilize the collar. On my first go I worked the crochet chain through every purl bump. It was firmer, but still too floppy to stay put. Take 2 -- I worked through every other purl bump:

Worked like a charm! The neckline is a little wrinkly as a result, but it looks better on, and it means that I can actually wear the cardigan without constantly fussing with the neckline, so I'm pleased.

The weight of the yarn had been stretching out the neckline, not an uncommon problem, particularly with top-down raglans (which Shalder is not) and sweaters where the collar is worked directly off the live stitches from the body without any seams for support (which is the case here).

I think Shalder has received Sugar's seal of approval.

That Stephanie Pearl Mc-Phee is a genius.

fo: purl bee little baby sweater

I have been on a finishing kick lately, trying to clear the metaphorical knitting deck at the start of the year. Apparently I had squirreled away quite a few baby knits that just need buttons or seaming! I am all set for the next round of baby showers.

pattern: little baby sweater

source: the purl bee

yarn: Kitchen Sink Dyeworks Seacell Merino Fine, Ruthie

needles: Hiya Hiya US 2.5 bamboo circs (3.0 mm)

on ravelry

notes:
I really like this yarn, which is now sadly defunct. The sea cell content gives it a nice sheen. My stitches looked a bit uneven as it knit up, but blocking really helped plump up the stitches and even things out.

The pattern itself, however, made me nuts. It is clever in construction in theory (a la EZ), but overly fiddly in execution. Thank goodness I did a solid color instead of stripes, or it doubtless would still be languishing in knitting limbo. What prompted me to dig it out of ye olde knitting basket was a blog post by Anna Maria Horner (love her cheery colorful fabrics!) that she just learned to knit in 2012 and finished a striped version already. I would not recommend this pattern to a new knitter, but kudos to her! Lots of ends to weave in and seams to sew.

new year, same old tricks

So I started a little baby cardigan to use up some leftover yarn, and lo and behold, I'm running out of yarn. The yarn is Knit Picks Bare Swish Worsted (very squooshy merino, lovely creamy natural color), and the pattern's Burnett, a freebie from Berroco. The directions get a bit confusing once you get to the neck, so the pattern requires careful reading. I moved the buttonholes closer to the edge, as I’m planning to work a single crochet border around the whole shebang (once I get my hands on more yarn).

Moxie does not approve of my careless project planning! There's one New Year's crafty resolution for me -- always check yardage. Luckily it's not a precious or hard-to-find yarn.

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Moxie really enjoyed nestling amongst the Christmas presents, as well as hunting toy mice under the tree. You can spy one more star-crossed slouchy beret in the photo above (Malabrigo in Bobby Blue) -- that makes a total of four SCSBs this Christmas!

A few years ago I knit up a few mini mittens, intending to knit many more and use them on a wreath. Yeah, they're very fiddly to knit, though quite cute, so they languished in ye olde knitting basket. I finally affixed them to a wreath, along with some owl ribbon from World Market. Perhaps I can add a mitten or two each year?

handknit holidays, part II

I'm happy to say good-bye to 2012 and hello to 2013! 2012 was in some ways a hard year, marked by sad losses and bad luck, but it also crystallized how lucky I am to have Paul, sweet new kitties, gainful employment doing something I love, and the freedom to pursue my interests. Here's wishing you and yours a wonderful year of good things and lovely surprises!

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I have been a veritable hat factory over the past few weeks...

a star-crossed slouchy beret for my dearest friend (who has recently started liking blue, or as I call it, "the best color")

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a cozy, slouchy Mmmmmalabrigo hat for me

pattern: a most bespeckled hat, by Alexandra Tinsley

yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted, in Bobby Blue & Natural

needles: US 7 Clover bamboo 16" circ + DPNs

on ravelry

notes:

Quick, fun knit! Some of the floats are a bit long, but Malabrigo is soft, fluffy and forgiving of this.

It is a long hat, and requires a certain positioning to make it look good. I might cut the ribbing down to 3" next time. Lots of compliments on it already!  I should really post a modeled shot to show the cute, slouchy shape of this one.

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another star-crossed slouchy beret in progress (in Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Natural), this time for my mother-in-law. This really has become my go-to gift knit hat pattern -- always a hit, and it's quick, fun, and easy to knit.

Moxie was a little skeptical of all this hat knitting, as you can see.

handknit holidays, part I

I didn't really intend to do much holiday knitting, but I got carried away and knit quite a few small projects this year!

This is the third wee bear I've knit, each of which has been well received.

pattern: Mother Bear Project Teddy Bear, by Amy Berman 

source: Knitting for Peace 

needles: Clover US 6 bamboo 24" circs and DPNs 

yarn: leftover Patons Classic Wool Merino & Cascade 220

on ravelry

notes:
An easy knit, but the finishing is time-consuming and fiddly! I always anguish over how to embroider the face -- that's the trickiest part. This time I used seed stitch for the sweater. This guy went to my best friend's youngest son (his older brother already has a bear).

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The kitties spent Christmas in the lap of luxury at a friend's house while we trekked to snowy, beautiful Minneapolis to visit my family.

Lucky Sugar! Jauntily perching atop an Hermès scarf just doesn't happen chez Caffeinated Yarn.

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More holiday knits soon -- I turned into a virtual hat-knitting factory while listening to the first Game of Thrones book on tape! It has been years since I read the book, so the audiobook has been enthralling. Ned Stark is such a great guy -- noble and idealistic, sometimes to a fault. I will say that some of Daenerys' story among the Dothraki makes for uncomfortable listening -- Paul has suggested penning Fifty Shades of Dothraki, sure to fly off the shelves.

making spirits bright

Holiday preparations are in full swing around here, though there never seems to be quite enough time. I tried a new-to-me cookie recipe this year -- chewy chocolate-gingerbread cookies (from Martha Stewart):

Yum! I love the combination of spice and dark chocolate (I've switched to using Whole Foods vegan chocolate chips almost exclusively -- a good price for high-quality chocolate with very little filler).

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The kitters have been doing pretty well with the tree (no one has tried to scale Mt. Doom), so I added red glass balls and a few wee sheep:

So far, so good -- only two balls have been knocked to the floor as of yet.

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I'm deep into holiday gift knitting right now, and can't share too much on ye olde blog yet, but I did crochet a few squares for a new afghan:

While I'm not necessarily in love with the randomness of the color changes of the self-striping yarn, I am enamored of not weaving in many ends. I'll do some more and re-evaluate. Each square receives a cream-colored border before everything's sewn together.

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Still looking for an easy pattern or two to knit before Christmas? I am, and I'm about ifandany's recent quick knits posts -- hats (my favorite), cowls, toys, and mitts.

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Oh, I'm late to the game on this one, but I'm really enjoying Call the Midwife, the BBC series about young midwives (and some nuns) working in London's East End in the 1950s. Oh, Chummy... what a great character. A middle-class patronizing attitude toward the poor underlies some of the sentiments, but overall it's a good watch.

holiday spirit

The holiday spirit is in full swing around here...

The tree is up, though we haven't finished decorating it yet. With our new, energetic kitties, we weren't sure what sort of mayhem might ensue, so we did a trial run with just (unbreakable) Swedish straw ornaments. So far, so good -- time to try adding a few more.

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My knitting friends came over for a crafty afternoon last Sunday, so the holiday baking has begun. These deep dark chocolate cookies are amazingly delicious and just happen to be gluten-free.

I also made cranberry crumb bars with mulling spices from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Also yummy, esp. since the cranberries taste fresh, not jammy; however, they are a bit tart, so if you crave a sugar rush, this may not be up your alley. Also, they are best served fairly soon after they're baked, as the crumb crust tends to sog out with time.

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My current knitting projects are a bit dull right now, so I've been cheating and reading lots of novels (aided in part by an unfortunate incident with my Jeep that has left me riding the CTA for the past week -- public transit = reading time).

I'm stranded on sleeve island with my Drops cardigan...

and I'm knitting the most boring scarf pattern in the world. The yarn is lovely, the finished project will be classy and very wearable, but I'm never touching this pattern again.

a cardigan for Alexa Brooke

We're meeting our dear friends' new baby girl, Alexa Brooke, this weekend, and I knit a cozy little cardigan for her in a lovely shade of duck egg blue. This is my third time with this pattern, and I love how quickly it knits up, and doing the crochet edging is a lot of fun. Debbie Bliss Cashmerino is definitely one of my desert island yarns.

pattern: Elsie Cardigan by Jane Richmond 

yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK, 2 skeins

needles: US 6 (4.0 mm)

 size: 6 months
my ravelry project page

notes:
A great little pattern that's easy to knit. Can't beat top-down when it comes to baby knits! I did YO raglan increases this time, but otherwise followed the pattern as written. I think the sizing tends to run small on this pattern, so keep that in mind if you decide to knit one.

I contemplated using more exciting buttons in a contrast color, but just couldn't make a decision. The (very affordable and basic) buttons are made by Slimline and run just 99 cents for a card of five at my fabric store.

I have a new favorite trick for sewing on buttons! I used to sew buttons on with yarn, but it was often too bulky and lumpy and not fun to work with. Embroidery floss to the rescue! It comes in every imaginable shade, so it's easy to match colors, and it's very affordable. I keep my floss organized by DMC number in a nerdy tackle box. This took a little time to set up at first (as my prior organization consisted of throwing all the floss in a plastic bag), but has been well worth the effort in the long run.

voting day

I voted! My polling place just happens to be my local library, which meant that I could pick up some audiobooks and holds at the same time. Very nice.

Sadly Chicago does not give out cute stickers, just "ballot receipts." I did, however, get to vote using two seriously oversized paper ballots, which I fed into a ballot reading machine. A surprisingly satisfying experience, especially since the scanner makes a dramatic noise as it accepts your ballots and sucks them in.

Even if you're not a fan of the big two, many states have important congressional races and referenda (oh, how I wish I could "vote no twice" in my home state of Minnesota).

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 I've been knitting up a storm the past couple of months, but seem to be lacking in follow-through.

 A shawlette and scarf to block....

wee little cardigans in want of buttons...

and another cardigan on the needles for me. This time it's Drops pattern no. 113-17 in a lovely heather shade of Cascade 220. I'm done up to the underarms -- time to get to work on the sleeves before my momentum dissipates.

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Moxie is fluffing up quite nicely for the winter. Paul has nicknamed her "Captain Crochet" for her fascination with handmade afghans.

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in the kitchen

I made a rather amazing looking chicken en croute the other night. I'd like to tweak the leek and bacon stuffing, as it was a little bland, but I'll share the recipe once it's perfected. This is really fun to serve to guests.

Martha Stewart's amazing recipe for giant ginger cookies is always a hit. I recommend slightly underbaking them to keep them nice and chewy!

pumpkin season

We've had a spectacular autumn here in Chicago. Walking around campus has been beautiful.

Chicago autumns don't usual have as much flash and color as places like Door County or the North Shore of Lake Superior, but this has been a good year.

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The fruits of our labor at a pumpkin carving party last weekend -- mine is the smirking Jack O' Lantern second from the right. Some people got really fancy, but I like to wing it!

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in the kitchen

Comfort food and autumnal spices are just the ticket with our cool temperatures here in Chicago. Chicken Fennel Lemon Rice Soup is simmering away in my crockpot as I type, and we've been munching on some yummy pumpkin cookies for the last few days.

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free) Pumpkin Cookies

1/4 C. pumpkin puree (canned is fine)
1/2 C. almond butter (or any natural nut butter) (I like the "grind your own" from Whole Foods since it isn't separated)
1/2 C. honey
1 tsp. vanilla 
1 C. almond meal/flour (available at Trader Joe's)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 C. dark chocolate chips  (I use Whole Foods vegan)
1/3 C. dried cranberries 
1/2 C. chopped walnuts or pecans

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

- Combine all wet ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. 

- Scoop batter to whatever size you'd like. Flatten them out to the desired thickness becuase these do not spread on their own. 

- Bake ~ 10-15 minutes, according to thickness.

- Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.

postcards from Door County

Paul and I just spent a week up north in Wisconsin's beautiful Door County, where we did things like go for drives amidst the fall colors,

 visit lighthouses, including the Sherwood Point Lighthouse in Idlewild,

hike many state parks (might as well get the good out of our annual WI state parks pass!), like Whitefish Dunes, where we climbed "Old Baldy," the tallest sand dune in the state,

and taste my first fish boil (delicious!).

I just may have finished up (and worn!) my Shalder cardigan. The trip was amazing -- as nice as Chicago is, I really miss the great outdoors. Wisconsin still feels like home in many ways.

More knitting photos soon, I promise.

afternoon tea

 

Mmm... French apple cake for tea today. I couldn't resist adding a dash of cardamom and a dash of nutmeg to the cinnamon-sugar topping when I was baking.

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Toggle buttons have been procured for my Shalder cardigan. The pickings were awfully slim at my fabric store, and shopping for buttons online is a soul-crushing endeavor. These are La Mode style no. 29442 (hook 608).

Here's a vague idea how they'll look sewn on:

My cardigans are almost always worn open, so the buttons probably won't see much actual use.

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My owl baby vest pattern is now available en español, by the way! Muchas gracias to Cecilia, aka wenlita, for the translation.