Look around, Leaves are brown

And the sky is a hazy shade of winter. 

Only its 75 degrees outside.  And raining.  What's the deal, nature?  I'm not one of those wussies who complains about the weather, because really, what's more boring?  Aside from listening to someone talk about his workout; that's infinitely more boring than the weather.    No, my issue is a more practical one:  I don't know what to wear. My trusty waterproof jacket and wellies are great at keeping moisture out, and in, as in when I stand on the still hot from the summer subway platform in all that rubber and Tyvek and Gore-Tex(TM) my body temp rises until I'm sweating like a pig at a BBQ.  Waterproof doesn't breathe!  It's too sweaty for sweaters, yet folks still rocking their light and bright summer gear look foolish, as the days have grown short and the light is now more flattering on greys, browns and russets than bright pinks, yellows and greens.  It's put me in a quandary Jack Donaghy! A quandary!

One thing I've not done is slow up on my knitting.  It's still prohibitively warm for me, or anyone else, to wear the things that I've made, but I've kept at it.  My tenacity has had more to do with my wanting to work through some of my stash as anything else.  As of late, it has become more burdensome than inspiring, and so I am lightening my load.  In addition to these various projects, I also took three shopping bags of yarn to the Goodwill and, man, was there a spring in my step when I'd finished that errand.

So what have I made?

Details:

Pattern: Ottilia Mittens, by Mari Muinonen

Yarn: Lion Brand Fisherman Wool

Needles: 4.0mm

Started: August 21

Finished:  August 27

I've been a fan of Mari Muinonen's patterns for a couple of years now but this is only the second one I've ever knit.  The mittens were fun and interesting, completed while I was dogsitting at a home with cable television, so there was a lot of The First 48 going on in the background.  The yarn (I used maybe 1/4 of a skein) is more from our spring time yarn swap.  I've really been feeling the brown lately, and cables, too.  Actually, what I've been feeling texture, in general, to wit:

Details:

Pattern: Martha Cowl Scarf, by Che (Little Thingies Ravelry Shop)

Yarn: Unknown cotton or cotton/wool blend

Hook: 5.5mm

Started: September 23

Finished: September 24

This was, I believe, my third attempt at making a chunky cowl, and the first one that was successful.  In order to be functional, a cowl needs to keep you warm, but most of cowls knit or crocheted with heavier yarns, and some worked at finer gauges, sit away from the neck leaving it exposed.  This is nonsense! If it's cold enough for me to wear something thick and heavy around my neck, then my neck needs protection.  it's not rocket science.  And yet I continue to see a proliferation of patterns that offer no protection from the elements whatsoever.  It's ridonkulous.

Well, that's certainly not a problem here. 

Crocheted with heavier yarn, the simple and airy stitch pattern prevents this cowl from being too stiff to scrunch , so I can double wrap it 'round my neck and keep cozy and warm.  Yes, please!

This next project was something that had been sitting in my queue for over year, but I never had quite the right yarn for it.  Until I frogged a 3/4 finished and poorly conceived sweater this past summer and found myself with just the right shade of alpaca.

Details:

Pattern: Some Cloudy Day, by Tiny Owl Knits

Yarn: Sajima Alpaca

Needles: 3.25mm/3.5mm

Started: August 25

Finished: September 4

I had originally planned on making these for me, but about 1/2 way through the first legwarmer, I decided they were for Beth.  I'd sent hats to her husband and twins in Sweden last summer, but nothing for her (she's had my handknits before, so it's not as bad as it sounds), and so it seemed clear that she was next in line for a present.  Also, like me, she wears skirts all winter long (clogs, too!) so I knew she would appreciate the extra layer of warmth.  

These are pretty great, and by that I mean the pattern is pretty great.  Like Mari Muinonen, Tiny Owl Knits has designed several patterns that I really like, but this was the first one I'd made.  The lace pattern is easy, but effective and I enjoyed these so much that I promptly turned around and bought one of her hat patterns.  Let's see if I can get that finished before New Year's.

I did it before, and I can do it again!

Remember those leg warmers I made? The ones that I said changed my life?  Well, they have some company:

Pattern: Oslo Legwarmers, by Martha Merzig

Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool

Needles: 3.75mm/US5 & 4.5mm/US7

Started: January 17

Finished: January 20

I made more mistakes knitting these than I care to recount, but one major one necessitates that I wear these upside down, with the colorwork closer to the bottom, rather than at the top of the warmers.  I don't mind, however, and think it works out well that the busiest part of the warmers will be farther from the my skirt hems.

I love these so freaking much!  I wear them about the house and on the street.  The neutral and natural colors give off just the vibe I was hoping for, and the yarn yielded a cozy and comfortable result. This is my third time working with Cascade Eco-Wool and it has yet to disappoint.  Great yardage and lovely colors at a nice price.

Now, if it would only turn cold again (57 deg. in January is absolutely bonkers!).

Mittens: They're not just for hands anymore

These have changed my life.  I'm not joking not one little bit.

Originally intended as a gift, I freaked out at the last minute and decided they weren't right for the intended recipient. But they were right for me.

Pattern: Lulu Leggings, by Rachel Russ for Spud & Chloe

Yarn: Various fingering weights from my stash

Needles: US1/2.25mm and US3/3.25mm

Started: September 19

Finished: December 3

I honestly wasn't trying to be selfish when I settled in these for a Christmas gift, I was feeling inspired.  But sometimes it happens that I'll decide on a project for a friend, and then sometime later, usually right before I finish it, I realize that it's much more suited to my taste than to theirs (no worries, I made her something else and she loves it).  And so it went with these.

I fell for this pattern as soon as I saw it, even making a lunch hour run up to Purl  one day to purchase it.  I used almost all yarns from my stash, but I did buy a skein of Spud and Chloe Fine in Cricket.  One of the yarns that I used, the purple, was a total pain to work with.  It's super old and kept breaking, so I'd wet splice it back together when I could.  It was also pretty rough on the hands, which detratced from the fun of making these (side note: the offending yarn was blue at one time, but was one of the skeins that I dyed with grape Kool Aid last summer).  Each legging took me a week to complete, with a 2 month break in between.

Now, how did these change my life?  Well, I'm a skirt and dress person, all year long. Usually I get by with tights and my long down coat, but still, when it's 20F outside, the wind is whipping about and I'm running errands (remember NYC means no car for me), it can get cold.  But with these on, I don't feel a thing.  They are like mittens for my legs, only better, if you can imagine.  Trends come and go, but I am a leg warmer convert.  They just make sense!

(See the rabbit ear in the background?  That's right, no cable TV for me!)

Some of the gifts I made for friends last year actually were delivered to their intended recipients, like these:

Not soup crackers, but rather Pepparkakor, or Swedish ginger cookies.  I made them for Niclas, a Swede who married my friend Beth last summer and, since they live in Brooklyn now, spent the holidays away from home. I'd been reading a lot last year, on blogs and in magazines, about Swedish Christmas baking, and since I know what it's like to be away from one's family at the holidays, I thought he could use a little taste of home.  When I decided on these, I knew that I had a cookie cutter stashed away, and was pretty sure that it was of the Christmas variety.  Wrong.  My best guess as to how I ended up with a duck is that I made sugar cookies one Easter, but honestly, I have no recollection of doing so. 

These are a bit time consuming, as each batch must be returned to the refrigerator for a few minutes after rolling and cutting but baking, but they're worth it.  Simple and delicious on their own or with tea, they're also very nice with ice cream (but really, what isn't).

Here's the recipe (adapted from Saveur magazine):

Pepparkakor

3 ¾ C flour

3 t ground cloves

3 ½ t ground cinnamon

2 ½ t ground ginger

1 ¼ t baking soda

11 T unsalted butter, softened


1 C packed dark brown sugar


½ C golden syrup or dark corn syrup

½ C heavy cream

2 C confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 t fresh lemon juice

1 egg white, lightly beaten

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and baking soda; set aside. In another large bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and golden/corn syrup using a handheld mixer set to medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Add the reserved spice mixture and the heavy cream in 3 alternating batches, beginning and ending with the spice mixture, until the dough just combines. Transfer dough to a work surface, divide in half, and shape each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.

 Heat oven to 350°. Unwrap 1 disk of dough and place on a floured work surface. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 1⁄8" thickness. Cut out cookies using the cookie cutters of your choice and place cookies 2" apart on parchment paper–lined baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until browned and set, about 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

To make an icing, if you like, whisk confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and egg white in a medium bowl until smooth. Transfer icing to a resealable plastic bag (or a pastry bag). Snip off a bottom corner of the bag and pipe icing onto cookies in a decorative pattern.

MAKES ABOUT 48 COOKIES

Note: I was able to make approx. 72 cookies from this batch, and the dough freezes very well so you needn;t use it all at once. Also, I didn’t have parchment, and had no problems removing the cookies from the trays, so I think you can safely skip it. Lastly, when a recipe calls for ground clove, buy ground clove.  Trying to grind whole cloves into powder fine enough for cookie dough may well drive you to drink (in which case, you should invite me over).