yarn along: fairy tale

reading and crocheting along with Ginny today

Helen Simonson's The Summer before the War is hard to put down, esp. since the main character is a Latin teacher (I used to teach Latin and Greek before I came to editing). NYT review here.

Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons is a book club pick, and it has made me nostalgic for Minnesota. It has also made me think about my mother, who was a young wife and mother in Minneapolis around the same time, and just how much things have changed, while still staying the same. Worth a read -- not quite the fluff the cover would lead you to believe, but a familiar story. Coming to it with a deep knowledge of the setting has made me enjoy it far more than this reviewer did.

The magenta crochet number is a Tiramisu blanket (free pattern!) that is working up quickly. It's the perfect companion to snuggling up on the couch and binge-watching Catastrophe.  I'm using Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Fairy Tale -- a fitting name for a baby blanket for a dear friend who's expecting twins.

yarn along: cosy stripes

I'm still enjoying making this cosy stripes afghan. The lovely colors cheer me up whenever I get a free moment to settle down to crochet (not as often as I'd like -- we've been going through a bit of a rough patch around here.) Yukari Takahara's Story Quilts: Through the Seasons features creative and unique quilts, such a wonderful mix of whimsy and embellishment. Inspiring!

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along this week...

doing

 

making :: attic 24's cosy stripe blanket

reading :: making magazine, issue 1: flora

 

 

 baking :: German rhubarb cake 

1/2 C. butter, softened
1.5 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. clove
1 tsp. vanilla
2 C. finely chopped rhubarb
2 C. + 2 T. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 C. buttermilk

topping:
1/3 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 C. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter. Add next seven ingredients (through vanilla) and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking soda. Alternately add flour and buttermilk to first mixture and mix well. Fold in rhubarb. Pour batter in a greased 9" x 13" pan (metal is better than pyrex). Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on batter. Bake for about 40 min.

Recipe adapted from the Minnesota Heritage Cookbook, by Sue Zelickson

  

playing :: giving new meaning to the phrase "all-purpose bucket"

 love that impish grin

knitlandia

Yarn Along with Ginny and co. on this sunny Wednesday morning:

Still reading Knitlandia (my goodness, does this book make me want to travel and knit) and knitting my Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief. As I'd hoped, the easy pattern is good for my knitting mojo and getting back in the crafting habit. With two little ones, a full-time job, and an old house that we haven't fully settled into yet, I need to have something pleasant but mindless to work on. Now I feel inspired to stock the cozy corners of the house with knitting baskets with projects that don't require too much concentration.

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Bridget tried out the swing for the first time and loved it! Her beautiful Pomander cardigan was knit by Rue. So gorgeous and cozy -- Bridget has worn this a great deal over the winter and spring. Definitely a pattern I'd like to knit.

feeling sheepish

Joining in the Yarn Along with Ginny this fine Wednesday morning:

My crafting mojo has been on the wane a bit lately -- kids' tummy bugs, lack of sleep, and our first plane trip with kiddos (just Minneapolis for Easter) have taken their toll on my free time, not to mention my general sanity. Hoping to get back in the game with this easy age of brass and steam kerchief and Clara Parkes' Knitlandia, which is off to a good start.

 Tummy time again? Really? 

B is wearing her little garter cardi -- so sweet. The proportions are just perfect for B, which is a rarity for my long-armed, long-torso babe. I underestimated this sweater and didn't realize just how cute and cozy it would be. The yarn is Beaverslide Dry Goods Fisherman Weight, and it's wonderfully sheepy and natural, with beautiful heathered colors. If I didn't already have a yarn store's worth of wool in my house already, I'd buy more right now!

sleepy kitten, little lamb

This little lamb was ready just in time to join the sleepy kitty for the big show (i.e., the Easter basket). So sweet, but the finishing details were rather fiddly. (Ravelry details here and here).

 Bridget wore one of my old dresses for Easter -- so precious!

Apparently the Easter Bunny brings only the finest in Matchbox cars... Erik kept himself very busy.

Joining up with Ginny for this week's Yarn Along: I'm perusing What to Knit: The Toddler Years to find my next project for Erik (cute toddler patterns are much harder to come by than baby patterns -- recommendations are welcome!) and I'm about to start The Outcast. 

knitty kitty

handknit kitty

 actual kitty

Embroidering the handknit kitty's face went surprisingly well. Now to tackle the wee sheep! And perhaps knit two more in time for Easter? I was hoping to make Alicia's sweet lovey lamb and honey bunny for Easter baskets, but my crochet skills aren't proving up to the task (joining and turning rounds with a seam, oy vey... I usually crochet blankets).

Joining Ginny & co. for this week's Yarn Along  -- I'm still reading The New Moon with the Old and How Toddlers Thrive.

P.S. Free kitty and sheep patterns here.

handknit heaven

Lucky Bridget. So many handknits, so little time...

 

purl bee little baby sweater, in kitchen sink dyeworks seacell merino fine

 barley hat, minus the garter detail, in madelinetosh tosh dk (begonia leaf)

yoked cardigan, in mountain colors 4/8s wool

Such a sweet girl. And those cheeks!!!

fiddly knitting

Joining Ginny and friends for this week's Yarn Along:

Reading How Toddlers Thrive, one of the most helpful, practical, and kind-spirited books I've read about parenting toddlers -- it's helping me think about how little kids think, learn, and grow (a nice review here). Also Dodie Smith's The New Moon with the Old -- she wrote 101 Dalmatians, one of my favorite childhood books, plus I Capture the Castle, so I was excited to see some of her lesser-known books now available in reprints.

Knitting some sweet little toys for the kiddos. I'm at the fiddly part -- embroidery, seaming, and stuffing. Embroidering the face can make or break a handknit toy. A few wonky stitches can lead to the stuff of nightmares. I always end up pulling it out and redoing it a few times.

Here's the pattern photo of how they're supposed to look -- fingers crossed I can pull it off.

snowy days

Snowy days in the upper midwest call for handknits: Erik in the Barley hat I knit last winter; Bridget bundled up in a hand-me-down crochet earflap hat of Erik's, plus her cozy Baby Chalice blanket. More fun with the neighbor's Tomten garden! Visiting it is now part of our routine, and a good way for Mama to get a little exercise.

bon bon toque + one plus one

Joining Ginny & friends for this week's Yarn Along:

a Bon Bon Toque for Erik, using leftover eggplant-colored yarn from his Flax pullover (both terrific patterns from Tin Can Knits).

Just finished One Plus One by Jojo Moyes on my Kindle -- a single mum who's down on her luck and her two eccentric kiddos end up on a roadtrip with one of her housecleaning clients. Charming fluff, not as moving as Me Before You (which is being made into a movie!). Having some light reading on my Kindle is perfect for those wonderful times when Bridget falls asleep on my lap or those less wonderful times when the queue at the post office is unbearably long.

The Tomten + Chouette

Erik is a whirlwind of activity these days -- so hard to get a shot of him in focus. What has him so fascinated?

A fairy garden just down the block, though Erik is convinced that the wee gnome is actually the Tomten, which we have been reading every night lately.

Not only am I dreaming up plans for our veggie/herb/flower garden this summer, now I've added a Tomten garden to the list.

pattern: Chouette by Ekaterina Blanchard

yarn: Malabrigo Chunky, blue surf, less than 1 skein

needles: US 9 (5 mm) bamboo circs

size: toddler

my Ravelry project page

notes:
I did a 3-needle bind-off rather than kitchener stitch, and it worked great. Also, skipped the button eyes -- Erik needed a hat one day, so I grabbed this off the stack of handknits to finish and then completely forgot about the button eyes until now.

P.S. Joining Ginny for the Yarn Along today.

a study in purple

Off the needles and onto the little guy:

 

Hooray for finishing Erik's purple sweater while it still fits! I started knitting this while he was wearing 2T and finished it after he moved up to 3T. Thank goodness I cast on for the size 4-6. It's warm and cozy and fits just perfectly, plus it's Erik's favorite color, which he tells us at least three times a day ("Purple's my color" -- such a cutie).

 

 pattern: flax, by tincanknits (free!)

size: 4-6 (yielded a 3T/4T)

yarn: knit picks swish worsted, eggplant, 5 skeins

needles: US 5 (3.75 mm)& 7 (4.5 mm) Clover bamboo 16" circs and DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

Easy-to-follow pattern, sleeves are a little long as written, but would probably be good for an older (skinny) kid. I made the arms a bit shorter, even though Erik actually does have long arms for his age. Soft and cozy superwash yarn, but I know from experience that Swish will stretch out and pill over time. That's OK for a kid's sweater, in my book, since he will grow out of it quickly -- the stretchiness will buy us some more time, and the last thing I want him to do is refuse to wear it because it's itchy.

 

 "Nevermind my new handknit purple sweater, enough with the paparazzi!" --Erik

yarn along: books and buttons

Joining Ginny for this week's yarn along:

I picked up All the Light We Cannot See again and am mesmerized -- can't wait to see how the two narratives mingle together. Also reading Beautiful Ruins for book club -- good, but I don't like it when authors take the easy way out when drawing characters by referring to technology and current trends -- not only is it sloppy, the book will become dated very quickly, and usually not in a good way. Also contemplating buttons for a Granny's Favourite Cardigan for Bridget. Need to decide quickly, as it will fit her for about five minutes!

resurfacing

These are busy days. Full of snuggles and Duplos and spit-up and manuscripts to edit. Not only did I go back to work in December after twelve short weeks of maternity leave with sweet Bridget, we moved house. AGAIN.

 

We had just moved in September, two weeks before Bridget was born, and were planning on staying put for a while, but Paul received a terrific job offer and now we live in Michigan on the shores of Lake St. Clair. In the suburbs. Yikes.

Talk about culture shock... At least we can walk to a terrific independent coffee shop and bakery, and an old-timey grocery store is just down the block, but it's nothing like the vibrant city neighborhood we're used to, with its myriad coffee shops, microbreweries, restaurants, playlots, etc. Our new neighborhood is picturesque and charming, but it's so quiet. And everyone drives everywhere, in huge American cars. Paul parks two blocks from his office, and, no joke, there's a shuttle bus to his building.

There has been knitting. Not enough, but some.

pattern: tofty, by Justyna Lorkowska 

yarn: From the Wool Room Handspun

needles: US size 3 and 5 circulars and size 5 DPNs

my Ravelry project page

notes:

All those twists make the hat a bit fiddly to knit, especially with handspun! Love the final look and the lovely shades of periwinkle and lavender. I’d definitely knit the pattern again in a commercially spun yarn -- the texture would show up better. This turned out a little too small for me, so into the gift basket it goes.

More soon, I promise. We still have mountains of boxes to unpack, but getting back to knitting, reading, cooking, and posting here helps make life feel more normal.

yarn along: purple

Joining Ginny for today's Yarn Along:

The Girl on the Train (suspenseful, but just OK -- read Gone Girl instead if you haven't already), The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (amazing, heartfelt, and funny -- highly recommended), and Erik's purple Flax pullover.

rosie posie

A completed Rosie Posie Grannie Square afghan, at long last!

 

I crocheted all the squares while I was pregnant with Erik, but abandoned it after his birth when I didn't have the gumption to tackle the finishing work.

Squares joined, ends woven in, border added, and ready for Bridget to enjoy. Sorry, Erik! As the first child, you have plenty of handmade blankets to enjoy already. (More details on my Ravelry project page.)

Bridget in a sweet little cardi and bonnet set knit by a dear friend.

yarn along: birds without wings

Quick iPhone pictures as I join Ginny for this week's Yarn Along:

Knitting away on Erik's Flax pullover and just starting Birds Without Wings.

Bridget looking bright-eyed in a little green cardigan that I designed -- I'm not sure I took good enough notes to share the pattern, but we'll see.

yarn along: h is for hawk

A Flax Pullover in the works, in purple, Erik's favorite color.

While reshuffling Erik's dresser and closet when the cool weather hit, I realized that Erik didn't have any handknit sweaters that fit. Talk about the cobbler's children!

Poor Erik! That is what I keep thinking as he adjusts to being a big brother. To go from being the star to sharing the spotlight in the blink of an eye can't be easy. I was essentially an only child (my brother was in his late teens when I was born), so this is new territory for me. Then again, soon Erik will have a playmate and compatriot, something I didn't have growing up, turning instead to books as my constant companions.

A Chouette owl hat for Erik is almost done, to boot.

Joining Ginny in the Yarn Along today: I'm reading H is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald, a beautifully written (at times perhaps over-written) memoir about how the author (a Cambridge academic and poet), prompted by the loss of her father, immersed herself in training a young goshawk. Essentially falconry as therapy. A rare turn for me to read two nonfiction works back to back (Love, Nina last week, which I thoroughly enjoyed).

October warm woollies

Spending this cool and crisp October morning with this sweet girl, the Avett brothers, and a mug of hot coffee. Blissful! Heather from my knitting group knit this wee cardigan for Erik when he was a baby, and I knit the booties just for Bridget. They stay on, they're warm, and they're super cute. Handknits for the win! Unfortunately I have no recollection of the pattern details. Sigh... The yarn is Malabrigo Rios. They would make a terrific go-to quick baby gift, so I'll try to figure out which pattern I used.