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I’m over here!
pattern: baby sweater on two needles by Elizabeth Zimmermann, from Knitter’s Almanac
for: Isabelle & Patrick’s baby
yarn: grey Cotton Ease (easy to clean, hides stains relatively well)
needles: size 7 addi turbos
time: June 24 to June 27
overall: Completely rejuvinating knit for me. I’ve been spending my time with tiny stitches–too many 2.5mm stitches everywhere. Even my Clapotis is slowing to a crawl. And voila! I feel better! This was a spicy interlude, something I wanted to do for a few months now anyway, and it provided respite in my lax month of knitting. It was fast and I loved every second of it. I could set my knitting aside after an hour and actually be able to tell I was making progress.
a note on the toggles: It was important to me to make a button decision that was a slight variation on both the pattern and what other people have done. So many people have made this and the variations out there were wonderfully inspiring. The color! I love being surprised by people’s choices. I figured I’d do something I hadn’t seen yet. Toggles. I love toggles. We haven’t known each other long enough for you to know that about me, but I love them. They’re oddly cozy and rustic, if not a little bit snazzy.
If you haven’t yet…make this sweater! It’s fun and EZ is a must-read. The confidence she projects to her readers is so valuable to anyone’s knitting experience. Go for it, do what works for you.
After a brief blog hiatus, I return with very little knitting done. My drive out west was such a big opportunity, yet despite everyone telling me how gorgeous the drive was, no one could have prepared me for just how beautiful it would be. I was glued to the car windows, obssesing over landscapes and every hint of mountains in the distance. Mountains! I love them. My heart stops a little every time Mt. Hood or St. Helens comes into view. As a girl from the flattest regions of the midwest, they have become my new obsession. A lifelong love, I think.
Portland has been good to me. I am staying with friends and am completely enchanted by their kids. Two years old and eleven months. They are lovely and crazy, funny and the sweetest things imaginable (obviously I don’t deal with the diapered, nap-taking monsters that surely live inside them!). They are my biggest distractions day to day. I’d rather play monster and run around than finish a sock or two. It’s just more fun.
I am halfway through a four-part interview process with a company out here. I am really intimidated by their methods and the interviews are really long. I usually interview well, and apparently still do, seeing as they asked me back for the third time. I can’t believe there is a third time involved at all, let alone a fourth, but there are a lot of people to talk to. I didn’t feel at my best in the second round, but it worked out okay. It’s grueling. I bet the FBI doesn’t have interviews this thorough. Wish me luck this Wednesday.
What I’m working on now:
a) Finishing the last half of the final pomatomus sock. It’s been painfully neglected, but I can’t focus enough on the pattern right now. A little darling constantly asking, “Whatcha doin’? Hey Megan? Whatcha doin’ ???” It’s lovely she wants to be so involved with everything, so I don’t mind. It’s more important to talk to her than count my stitches anyhow.
b) Two Clapotis patterns going. One mini scarf, one huge wrap. It’s on size 5 needles and I added eight extra increases. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. Ever. I’m going Clapotis crazy and need a small break.
c) Sweet Pea socks from summer Knitty. I got new sock yarn here at Close Knit, some greenish Jitterbug that intrigued me. I mostly started the sock just to see what the yarn looked like knitted up. I love it.
d) February Baby Sweater from EZ for friends that are anticipating their first baby in September. It’s been an easy knit so far.
Although I haven’t been knitting as much lately, I feel the quality of my knitting has improved. The time I devote is exclusive. I can count in peace, pay attention, sit on the front porch at dusk and just go for it. It’s relaxing and I appreciate it more. It’s a lovely change.
Happy solstice! I hope many happy first days of summer were had.
After an enjoyable and eventful cross-country drive, complete with unplanned car repairs and crappy hotels, I am here. Finally! We’ve been planning this move for two years and all of a sudden I’ve come to this screeching halt. I’m not planning anymore, I’m here, and it’s incredibly surreal. Now Sean just needs to finish up work and get out here too. I miss him like crazy and it’s barely been a week. It’s difficult not to experience this with him, you know? Five more weeks to go.I’ll get back to posting knitting stuff next week. I’m on sock #2 for Pomatomus and rowing along with the Gold Hill Clapotis. I’ve been waiting for new yarn stores…next week I’m going to make the rounds and find a perfect fiber for Ikko, my next project.
Have a good weekend!
Today I leave for a new life.
I look forward,
and everything I see is amazing.
As a knitter, there was very little motivation in my projects until last year. There were scarves and other shining examples of knit-purl rows, and this went on for years. I was a boring, beginning knitter for six years. Then something happened. I wanted more. I wanted to make a shawl, and then another, and then all of a sudden, a hat worked it’s way across my needles. I loved circular knitting. I read books like a crazy woman and taught myself new stitches. I copied patterns out of library books that were way over my head. I didn’t care. I’d figure it out. Knitting websites and blogs began to monopolize all the time I spent on the computer (which was fine), and I loved that I found all these people who understood it was perfectly fine to shush your husband while counting stitches. They were like me and it was fantastic. So because of this late-blooming evolution in personal knitting, I am knitting Clapotis. I would have done it sooner, but I wasn’t here yet. It’s enjoyable and easy and I’m happy to have jumped on the bandwagon. And while many, many knitters before me have slipped and twisted these stitches, I may be the first who has spoken of Clapotis without a shudder-worthy pun.
I am getting a surprising amount of knitting done, in between setting up interviews with jobs that I am completely underqualified for (someone offered me a marketing position at a mortgage company…???) and deciding which shoes I can live without for 4 months (um, none). I finished my first pomatomus sock and am nearly 1/3 of the way through a full-sized Clapotis. Another three increases and I’ll be in the dropped stitch straight rows. My memory card corrupted on me today as I started to take photos, so it will be a few days before I get new ones up. I really don’t know how that sort of thing happens, but it did. Thank god it wasn’t my camera.
Six days left in Illinois. So nervous and excited.
I’m off to New York…see you Monday!
(Please enjoy my new yarn until I get back)
I’ve grown bored of my Branching Out scarf. It’s gone now and I’m using the yarn for the best purpose ever…my mom’s mother’s day present. I’m seeing her next weekend and so I have an extra week to complete this. I think the mini version will suit her best, and the gorgeous 100% silk is pretty mom-worthy, don’t you think? I dropped down a needle size from what I used in the swatch and I’m very happy with it so far. I did a Lorna’s Laces order earlier this week and got some Shepherd sport for a full-size Clapotis for myself. Apparently I have a theme this week. Lorna’s Laces and Clapotis. It’s a really fun week.
I’m so in love with my Pomatomus sock, it’s not even funny. On the other hand, I hate my Jaywalker sock even more. Specifically, I hate the yarn. It’s really cute in small batches (like the first two inches of this sock), but it’s too fussy for me. The sock pattern is lovely, though–sturdy and very easy to memorize. I think I would prefer them in a solid color. I have some Lorna’s Shepherd Sock in Harvest en route to my house, originally intended for a pair of opera gloves, but I think I’ll make another pair of Jaywalkers with it instead. Or maybe some red-ish Trekking I’ve had my eye on, though maybe I need a break from stripes.
I’m really looking forward to my trip to New York next weekend (a very nice birthday present from my mom). I need a little break and change of scenery to clear my head. My poor little head is feeling stuffed and disoriented from all the pre-move agendas and never-ending lists. Once I return, I have a week and a half before driving out to Portland! That’s another fun vacation in itself. My sister Kelly is driving out with me, which means a week of camping and midwestern sight-seeing. Oh, and 2,000 miles to cover. We don’t have a specific date we need to be there, so it’s two gals and the open road. And hopefully some coffee in there somewhere. Lots of coffee.
My lovely and completely kick-ass husband made me a cake for my birthday. It is two layers of chocolate cake, with a layer of Krispy Kreme doughnuts in between. Mmm. He’s not usually a cake baker, or really a baker of any kind. That would be me. Oh, and he found a Playmobil “me” at a teacher supply store, with a corresponding modern-ish bed and lamp. Fantastic! He also gave me amazing, thoughtful gifts, as did my friends and family. And we saw Spiderman 3. I’ll save my opinions on that for later. Thank you to everyone for making my birthday wonderful! Tomorrow is Birthday: Part II. We’re going to Shedd Aquarium and then Sean’s taking me to Lula Cafe for dinner. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome. He’s really good at birthdays.
!!!
Update: We have now eaten the cake. It is really, really delicious. And the inside of it is pretty. The layers are even and the cross-section is perfect. Seriously. I originally thought it would be one of those “I love it because you made it” kind of situations, but cake + doughnuts = something more people should eat. That will keep America thin!
If you are anything like me, you have loads of fabric and probably more fabric scraps. I love anything that makes good use of the boxes of leftovers (I never throw anything away), such as these pincushions. They’re easy and cute and take about a half hour to make. The tutorial is over at The Purl Bee (the blog of the nice folks at Purl in New York). They’re really similar to yo-yos, another super-fun route for a bit of extra fabric. Special thanks to my nephew for the sidewalk chalk art.
I have been a crazy sock knitter lately. The portability of them is appealing, as I am tying up loose ends and running around everywhere. In my many errands, I stopped by Nina and aquired 2 skeins of Lorna’s Laces shepard sock in Motherlode. They pretty much insisted on their own that they must immediately be turned into a pair of Pomatomus socks. I dropped the Jaywalkers (about 1/2 of one sock done) and started these yesterday. Contrary to popular opinion, they knit up quickly and are pretty easy. The pattern is well-written and easy to follow–so far anyway. I love how quickly the pattern appeared, making me want to knit faster and faster because I can’t wait to wear them. That’s the sign of a good knit, eh? The yarn is richly colored and, honestly, intoxicating. I love it all together. Hopefully they will be done soon! These will officially be my first pair of completed socks, provided I don’t get sucked into another pattern and lovelier yarn. Nah, not possible. That doesn’t sound like me at all…
Field Museum Day! In honor of my mom being in town, I woke up early and took the train into Chicago to meet her. I’m trying to do all my favorite things before we move and hitting up all the museums one last time is mandatory. The weather was amazing today, perfect for strolling around, lunching outside and admiring skeletal dinosaurs in their natural habitat. You know, natural history museums.
I love the train and wish I had taken it more often. It wasn’t terribly convenient for my job once Sean and I left the city. It would have taken twice as long to get to and from work. Driving made more sense for time, as I was already working long days. Maybe if I had taken the train I wouldn’t have enjoyed it half so much as I do now. Regardless, I knitted and listened to music and it all felt very meditative and lovely.
My Aunt Carol surprised me and joined us for lunch. It was good to hear the family gossip and talk up our New York trip next month. She had to head back home (she’s a private tutor and school would be out in a couple of hours), and my mom and I ventured over to the Field Museum. The museum campus in Chicago is located on the lakefront and on a near 80 degree day, you almost don’t want to go inside it’s so perfect. Despite the tempting conditions, we walked up the steps to a world of mummies, dinosaurs, global artifacts, and taxidermy. It’s such a reliable favorite for me in Chicago, along with the Art Institute (I used to go every Wednesday when I was in college), and the Shedd Aquarium.
We spent a few hours there and when leaving the Ancient Egypt exhibit at the end of our visit, I spotted the Mold-A-Rama in a corner. Why had I not seen it before? Hot plastic injection molded dinosaurs for sale and I had missed it on previous visits?? I had gotten some knitting done on the train, sure, but no day is complete without making something beginning to end. So I made an Apatosaurus. A wonderfully green Apatosaurus, to be exact. I’m like a scientist, making dinosaurs and all.
After a post-museum coffee, I said goodbye to my mom and walked to the train. The weather was still amazing and I caught an express train home. I did a few inches of Jaywalker socks on the way home and admired my dinosaur. It was such a fun day.
Thanks to Monkey River Town for the Mold-A-Rama photo. I had forgotten my &#!*ing camera at home. I really hate going undocumented, but it was the only bad thing about my day, so c’est la vie.
Today I just wanted to make something fun. Nothing fancy, just plain cute.
pattern: bunny by Jess Hutchinson
yarn: sugar ‘n cream cotton yarn
needles: size 8 bamboo
time: One day, for a few hours at a time (as always, while watching movies)
overall: So cute! The pattern is just for the bunny, but I incorporated a dress, similar to another doll Jess Hutchinson had made. The bunny on it’s own is great and very simple to whip up, but sometimes you just need to make a lady bunny. Yep.
Happy weekend!
Yes, it’s true. This Muffin is the son of God. It is the holy Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffin made and created by your truly. I mean God. Whatever. I get us confused. It was immaculately conceived?? However it got here, it rules the world with truth and grace.
Up until recently, I managed a bakery in Chicago. Over the years I have picked up a wealth of “odds and ends” baking information and it’s helped in my home baking a lot. We used to make sour cream buns at the bakery a long time ago, so I looked over that recipe, reduced it from about 30 batches to one, then made some substitutions. They weren’t always perfect in the beginning, but now they rule. These are my favorite muffins of all time.
preheat oven to 350 degrees and gather round:
- 1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick butter, also softened
- 1 C. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 t. vanilla
- 1/4 C. milk
- 1/2 pint of fresh raspberries (may be substituted with blackberries, blueberries, or other fresh fruit)
Grease and flour or release spray a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar together until fluffy (2 minutes or so). Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk until well combined.
Fill muffin cups halfway. Add 3-4 raspberries to layer of batter. Fill remainder of cups with batter. Press 2-3 additional raspberries into the top layer of batter until covered. Make sure fruit is covered by batter and not exposed to heat.
Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden and top springs back when lightly tapped.
When removed from the pan, cool upside down on a wire rack. The inside of the muffin is malleable when warm, so invert only when cooled completely.
Enjoy!
Update: These look great with sanding sugar sprinkled on top before baking. It gives them a much more finished look.
Well, I’ve finally grown tired of my double-pointed needles stuffed into a porcelain cream pitcher. I’d have to sort through all of them just to find that one last #3 for a project. Now I have a nice, tidy roll for needle sets #1 through #10. I’m going to make another for my long, regular needles, in addition to a zippered organizer for my accessories. I was originally planning on layering the pockets–dpns in the front, regular needles in the back. Alas, it was too bulky. At any rate, everything will soon have a home.
fabric: Ikea Pernilla (pretty much the only cute fabric they have right now that is decently thick.)
pattern: Lotta Jansdotter’s tool roll from her new book.
skill level: easy
time: just under two hours
overall: Simple project anyone can do. If you have a solid base of sewing knowledge and some experience, anything in her book will be a lot easier. Explaining a simple concept can be wordy and seemingly complex to the beginner, so a little experience with your machine is recommended. Either way, this is a solid project that continues to be useful long after you’re done.
Okay! So these are good muffins. Good, not great. They are from the Cupcake Doctor book, so the base ingredient of the muffin is from a cinnamon swirl mix. This is one of the exceptions where the add-ins are disappointing for the time they require. That is my doing, though. The recipe calls for canned sweet potato, but I much prefer to boil and mash the sweet potato. I hate canned foods. I really do wish the add-ins had left more flavor. I’m not even leaving the recipe here because of it–just use the mix. The topping were cute–cinnamon and sugar, chopped pecans, and mini marshmallows. They added a lot for the presentation. Overall, these were good, cute muffins, but just go buy the mix and save yourself some time!
Alright, so here it is. It’s my first sock. I’m not entirely finished with it, but I don’t care. The yarn is too thin for this gauge and I didn’t wrap the heel stitches. The pattern didn’t call for it, but I know better, so this sock isn’t going any further. I am going to use this very cute yarn to make Jaywalker socks instead.
I’m sorry if all this has made me cranky. This sock is stupid. I’m also cranky about Photobucket. Apparently I no longer have an account with them. My photos are still being hosted, but according to the assholes in charge, I just don’t have an account anymore. Which means that I have to fucking organize my Flickr account (which I don’t want to do right now) because it will be looked at. Photobucket was easy for Myspace and photos I didn’t really want to catalog and commit to. I’ve been wanting to organize my photos for years now, but all the wedding photos last year took precedence. I put together albums for our parents and for us and it was crazy time consuming. Now I’ll do it digitally. In the meantime, please ignore my unorganized photos and enjoy the existing sets and collections. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have everything organized.
The end.
Oh, and fuck you Photobucket. I always thought you had a stupid name.
I’ve been making tons of stuff the past couple of days. Delicious sweet potato “casserole” muffins, raspberry cream cheese buns, cornbread with homemade honey butter (I’ve been on a breakfast food kick lately), as well as one of two socks and a knitting needle organizer. My camera ran out of power yesterday and I need to get new batteries and take some pictures. For some reason, the dock that charges it stopped working and now I have to use regular batteries. Lame. I’ll put up some new posts tomorrow with photos.
Socks are proving to be super easy. I’m not in love with the sock, so once I finish it, I may scrap it and start a more wearable pair. My gauge was a little off and they weren’t as stretchy as the pattern indicated. Oh well! These were mostly a practice pair. I’m hoping to get some new yarn for my birthday so I can try out a couple of new patterns. I love birthdays. My husband, Sean, is the most amazing gift-giver. He always manages to find something I never knew existed, yet if I had known, I would have wanted badly. How do people do that? I’m constantly amazed and always excited for my birthday. Maybe he’ll get me some yarn I never knew existed.
Until tomorrow, I’m off to get my kitchener stitch on…
