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!

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.