a new leaf

Thank you for all the kind words about Capricha. They really warmed my heart during a really crummy month. 

The prospect of fall has me so excited that I'm actually knitting socks again (and drinking hot tea, despite the 90+ degree temps)! Basic 64-stitch afterthought heel -- no fancy pattern, but I love the yarn, Madelinetosh sock in turquoise (frogged from an old lacy Baktus, for which I had planned unwisely and run out of yarn). The linden tea is amazing and always reminds me of Proust (if only we had madeleines on hand).

This book by Jane Brocket is absolutely charming. It made me want to revisit some of my old favorite books, like Anne of Green Gables, and it also piqued my interest in a few I hadn't read. I've been giving copies to all of my book-loving friends with kids!

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in the kitchen

I've been cooking a lot lately. I have not, however, been taking good photos of what I've been making:

- a wonderful pesto recipe
- delicious frozen yogurt, made with Greek yogurt

- whole-wheat spaghetti with Italian sausage and fennel recipe from Cook's Illustrated
I didn't have quite enough sausage, so I threw in some pancetta, which was delicious but maybe didn't have enough heft. Next time I'd cut the pasta down to 12 oz. rather than a full pound.

- Trader Joe's canned smoked trout is amazing (I know I'm late to the game on this one!)
I've just been draining it, flaking it, and mixing it with a little bit of mayo, a squeeze of lemon juice, and snipped fresh chives from the garden. Perfect sandwich for weekday lunches!

- Anchovy paste is all new to me! I used it in a spicy red clam sauce the other night, and it really added wonderful complexity and flavor. Plus who doesn't get a kick out of squeezing a mysterious fish paste out of a tube? Reminds me of Scandinavia!

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Back soon with more knitting photos, I promise. Three projects are blocking on my dining room table as I type this post!

forlorn

We had to say good-bye to our dear, sweet Capricha cat after a battle with cancer. She was a wonderful, good-natured girl right up until the end, and we miss her dreadfully.

Capricha was my constant companion, always greeting me at the front door when I got home. She would writhe around in joy, showing off her belly, seeking attention and petting.

She was a great snuggler, a lover of laps and cozy blankets.

We adopted Kylie and Capricha right after we moved to Chicago, and it seems as if a chapter of my life has ended. Losing both in such rapid succession has been very hard.

rest in peace, my dear girl

not easy being green...

pattern: Classic Baby Blanket, by Rayn Blair

yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted, Green Tea, 6.5 skeins

hook: H / 5.00 mm (Clover Soft Touch)

my Ravelry project page

notes:

Easy pattern! I used a larger hook (J) to make my foundation chain, since mine tend to be too tight. This worked like a charm. The only difficulty was figuring out how to do the scallop edging on the sides. The directions were vague, and I haven't figured out a good formula for where to insert my hook since the sides are kind of loose and floppy and you can't just skip stitches like you do on the ends. Anyone have any suggestions or rules of thumb?

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in the kitchen

zucchini tots ~ recipe here

Paul's boss bestowed us with a bounty of zucchini from her vegetable garden. Yum! I've been trying out a bunch of new recipes as a result.
 
Besides the zucchini tots, another success came from an old church cookbook that belonged to my Grandma Franzie. I love these church cookbooks! Most of mine are from Minnesota from the 1950s through 70s.  The ethnic and foreign foods sections are always terrific and kind of a hoot (so many recipes for lefse and lutefisk!), not to mention all the hot dishes. The coffee cakes are almost always amazing, far better than the grim prospects that lurk within the Starbucks pastry case.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 C. vegetable oil
2 C. sugar
2.5 C. grated zucchini
1 T. vanilla extract
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 T. cinnamon
1/2 C. chopped nuts
2/3 C. chocolate chips or chunks (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat eggs slightly; add oil, sugar, vanilla, and zucchini. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add nuts to dry ingredients. Make an indentation in the center of the dry ingredients; mix in the wet ingredients. Fold in the chocolate chips (if using). Pour batter in two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 min.

Do you have any favorite zucchini recipes? I still have a giant zucchini sitting on the kitchen counter.

leafy

Thanks to Rue, I had just enough yarn to finish the bind-off on my live oak shawlette! This was a lovely pattern to knit, and the Tosh Merino Light yarn is a dream. Very soft, single ply, with so many wonderful gradations in color.

pattern: Live Oak Shawlette, by Rosemary (Romi) Hill

yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light, ginger, 1.2 skeins

needles: US 5 Harmony circs

my ravelry project page

notes:

While I loved the feel of the project while I was knitting it, post-blocking it seemed a little too drapey. Next time I'd use a smaller needle with this yarn, just to give it a touch more body. Pinning out each little leafy bit is a bit of a pain, but the fluttery effect on the edge is an elegant touch. Wonderful yarn, very clear pattern.

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in the kitchen

~ This bacon-and-tomato guacamole is amazing. No surprise, since Rick Bayless is pretty much a culinary genius.

~ Avocado basil pasta was a huge hit last night. Yum! Wonderful way to use the bounty of basil from my garden.

~ What's better than a piña colada popsicle on a hot summer's day? These aren't too sweet, and they're jam-packed with fruit.

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around town

~ listening to Andrew Bird and Wilco at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Illinois (what a terrific show and a great way to spend a summer afternoon!)

~ visiting a new-to-me yarn shop in St. Charles -- Wool and Company (they had some great yarns that I haven't seen in the city)

diagonal stripes

The diagonal striped blanket is washed, blocked, and ready to go! (Now to tackle the weeding in the back garden...)

pattern: diagonal box-stitch stripey crochet blankie

yarn: Knit Picks Simply Cotton Worsted

two skeins each of green tea heather, haze heather, golden heather, dogwood heather, wave heather, and marshmallow

hook: G/4.0 mm, Clover Soft Touch

notes:

I love how you work this pattern from corner to corner -- it eliminates the foundation chain, the worst part of any crochet project. The yarn is soft, organic, and cozy, not to mention cheery and colorful. The (admittedly) garish shades may not be to everyone's taste, which I totally get.

While the ball band suggests that you can machine wash and dry this yarn on low, I found that even on the "hand wash" super gentle cycle, there was some fuzzing. I didn't brave the dryer with this one!

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If your retinas have been sufficiently seared by the vivid stripes, how about a classier, more tasteful version of the same pattern?

This one's for me. I did most of the work last winter, but didn't have enough yarn to do the scallop border and had to wait for Knit Picks to restock. The afghan still saw plenty of use even in its border-less state. Same details as the colorful version above, aside from the yarn. It's Knit Picks Bare Swish Worsted, which comes in nice 220-yard put-ups (unlike the dyed version, which comes in skimpy 110-yard balls). This is one of the nicest and snuggliest things I've ever made, with the exception of my very first crochet project, a cozy cashmerino giant granny square.

Also, we've made progress on our rustic back sun room. This pair of handmade rocking chairs from an old farmhouse in Indiana was a Craigslist score.

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Mini German pancakes for Sunday brunch. Yum! A new weekend favorite recipe. Be aware that though they puff very nicely, they fall quite quickly. I whipped up a strawberry rhubarb compote with bounty from the Lincoln Square farmer's market.

Olympics kerfuffle

Oh joy, another Olympics kerfuffle. Chicago's failed bid for the summer games was maddening enough. This time the USOC is going after Ravelry for the light-hearted and whimsical Ravelympics. See a Gawker article here and more info here on Ravelry. (Tip o' the hat to Tinks & Frogs, btw.)

Not only is law clerk Brett Hirsch’s phrasing poorly chosen and condescending, I am pretty peeved by the cease-and-desist part of the letter, too. As a classicist, I’m horrified by how the USOC tries to protect a “brand” created by the Greeks in 776 B.C.E. The bit about 4-year intervals is especially addle-pated — hence the Greek system of dating by olympiads.

All in the name of profits, of course, while “amateurs” compete. I'm not a huge fan of the modern Olympics in general (esp. the summer games), and you can guarantee that I'll keep the TV off this summer.

summer solstice heat wave Rx

Yeeesh, Chicago has endured quite the heat wave. My Nordic blood renders me ill-prepared for prolonged stretches of 90-degree temperatures, but we've been making the best of it.

Puttering around in the garden...

My herbs are actually thriving! This is the first time I've successfully grown herbs since we moved to Chicago many moons ago. Turns out we never really had enough sunlight in our outdoor space before.

Grilling out back...

 Sipping iced tea while reading a good book on the front porch...

Making lots of salads, including this delicious zesty tortellini salad (who knew that salami would go well in a salad? yum!)...

Crocheting up a storm...

This wildly stripey diagonal box-stitch baby afghan is blocking -- I'll post  proper photos and full details soon, along with a couple more crochet projects. Cotton yarn is great for the summer, but it's awfully hard on my wrists for knitting. Crocheting seems to be much easier.

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Other things that are making me happy these days:

my Saltwater Sandals  -- cute and comfy!

Bunheads -- Amy Sherman Palladino's newest show -- not as good as Gilmore Girls, but still entertaining

Miss Potter -- awfully twee, but charming and full of beautiful photography of the English countryside

looking forward to  Lifeline Theatre's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice

 

tangled up in (TARDIS) blue

bigger on the inside

yarn: KnitPicks' Gloss Fingering in Winter Night

When Paul asked me what I was knitting the other night and I showed him the pattern, he replied, "That's the nerdiest thing I've ever seen."

 Pattern © 2012 Kate Atherley. Image © 2012 Amy Singer.

Yes, geeky indeed, but I'm loving the yarn's silky sheen and the easy lace pattern. Can't wait to start the TARDIS bit. It's going to be awesome.

happy Tuesday!

News flash! Orla Kiely's new, budget-friendly line of bedding is now available at Bed Bath & Beyond:

stem print

field of flowers

I just placed an order online, as my local store doesn't have anything in stock yet. As to the fabric quality, who knows... I'll keep you posted. That was a big problem with Target's Liberty of London line -- I returned everything I ordered, as the fabric quality was so poor (despite the charming prints).

citrus kick

I've been on a real citrus kick in the kitchen lately. It started with a batch of Joy the Baker's orange and dark chocolate buttermilk scones, and then progressed to lemony zucchini goat cheese pizza and French-style yogurt cake with lemon.

One of our guests last weekend is vegan, and that can be a big challenge when it comes to baking. I'm not a big fan of the complicated vegan recipes that use a lot of weird ingredients (plus I'm sensitive to some of the substitutes used in things like vegan creamer and vegan cream cheese -- give me eggs and butter over that stuff any day). These orange cupcakes, however, were a big hit. They're moist and fruity, with a fine texture.

Remember that grade-school science experiment where you make a volcanic eruption using baking soda and vinegar? I loved that! Well, these yummy vegan cupcakes operate on the same principle -- baking soda and vinegar react and fizz, releasing carbon dioxide bubbles that make the cake rise. No need for eggs!

vegan orange cupcakes

makes 12 cupcakes

1.5 C. all-purpose flour
scant 1 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
.5 tsp. salt
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1 C. fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/3 C. vegetable oil (or fruity olive oil)
1 T. finely grated orange zest (use a microplane grater if you have one)
1 T. vinegar (white or cider)
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners, or grease and flour them.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together until smooth.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Put the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool on the wire rack.

I topped mine with a very basic frosting (Smart Balance + powdered sugar + OJ + vanilla), but I suspect that using a thin frosting of just powdered sugar and orange juice would have equally nice results.

adapted from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking

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!