bake | copycat levain chocolate chip walnut cookies.

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I did it. I went to Levain when the doc and I were in NYC this past October, and I ate one of their monster chocolate chip walnut cookies that tastes bready, almost, its so dense.

And then I went home and managed to recreate them in my own kitchen. I decided the keys were: very cold butter mixed with sugar, a dab of cornstarch, and a bit of cake flour. No vanilla. My process was very close to this one.

They were magical. I wouldn’t want these as a replacement to my own, silver dollar sized and so soft mini chip cookies, but I’d add these into rotation every now and again. It was a great experiment in the kitchen; one that paid in dividends.

reading sketchbook |eleanor.

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I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman about a month and a half back–I actually listened to it and the reader’s voices were incredible. The Scottish brogues really brought this story to life in ways I wouldn’t have experienced if I simply read the book.

I’m featuring this entry in my Reading Sketchbook because, for the first time in a good while, this was a read I just simply didn’t want to end.

What are you reading? What should I put on my To Be Read list?

More from my reading sketchbook here.

yarn | o-wool.

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I’m really excited about this bundle of O-Wool O-wash organic merino wool in the brown bear color way, which looks slightly black and slightly brown and slightly forest green. It’s downright gorgeous.

This will be my first time knowing with O-Wool; it will likely become a Flax sweater for my partner, Sean. This will be the first sweater I knit for him.

Stay tuned.

f.o. | turtle dove sweater.

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I finally took some snaps of myself wearing my Turtle Dove Sweater by Espace Tricot and for once, I think I’m in love and might wear this one regularly.

It fits like a dream. This is knit up using Woolfolk Luft yarn in the 6L (blacks) colorway; this is my first time using this yarn, and let me tell you, the drape on this! Plus, it’s so soft, and has a slight haze to it. Gorgeous.

You can read my project notes here.  I’m definitely thinking there are more sweaters in this particular yarn in my future.

wip | turtle dove sweater.

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This is my first time using a Woolfolk yarn, even though my sweater club has been sitting in a box waiting for me about half a year now (and it’s filled with Woolfolk yarn).

I’m currently rounding the finish line on the Turtle Dove sweater by Espace Tricot using Woolfolk Luft bulky yarn, in the blacks color way. This yarn is so ridiculously soft and it has a bit of a halo. I love it.

The Turtle Dove sweater is a dream of a pattern; super fast, easy to read, and the Woolfolk Luft is a perfect yarn for the project. I can’t wait to wear it; I have but one sleeve left. Here’s to hoping the dolman style sleeve doesn’t make me look like a fool.

 

f.o. | scrappy boot socks.

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It’s about that season–heavier boot socks. And so, I made another version of my favorite Purl Soho Boot Socks using a whole bunch of bits and ends from other projects. The palette isn’t the most pleasing but they’ll be hiding in boots and who doesn’t want to wear super wash merino wool on their feet?

This is a great project for stash busting–these were knit up using bits of Malabrigo Rios in frank ochre and yerba, and some Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in found pottery.

The doc is a super happy recipient.

See more of my socks here.

f.o. | eugene pullover.

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Despite my gauge being a little off on this one (and not discovering this until after I divided for the sleeves and didn’t want to rip the entire thing out), I’m really happy with the finished product and the fit of the sweater.

Eugene is so comfortable; I might gift this one for the holidays this season because despite loving it, I’m not sure I’ll wear it. I’d consider using this pattern again with different striping or even just a solid pullover.

The Eugene pullover by Whitney Hayward is part of the brilliant Cascades Collection. It’s knit up using three colors of Quince and Co. lark in glacier, bird’s egg, and slate.

You can read my project notes here. And you can see more of my sweaters here.

cook | sheet pan shrimp scampi.

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Quick but delicious weeknight dinners are my jam. I don’t like to spend more than 40 minutes but I don’t want to be completely boring or entirely routine. I like a bit of variety and I like to have a bunch of strong meals in my rotation.

I recently tried a new sheet pan recipe for shrimp scampi and it was so bomb. Instead of serving it with pasta or some other starch, this recipe called for a pile of veggies like zucchini and summer squash and bulked it up with some delicious parm toasts to serve on the side.

Everything is marinated in the same garlic, butter, hot pepper flake, lemon mixture and its only one pan. Grab the recipe here.

f.o. | eugene pullover.

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I’ve been addicted to the Cascades collection by Whitney Hayward since it was released. I’ve even knit more than one Withrow hat from it. I’d love to have every one of these items in my wardrobe.

I bought the yarn for the Eugene pullover about a year ago, but finally cast on for this sweater at the bitter end of summer. It didn’t take long to knit the body, and then I let the sleeves languish for a few weeks in favor of a hat project, a sock project, and finishing the Ramona Light cardigan.

And then yesterday, I finally finished the sleeves and the neckline. I actually really love it. The shape is short and boxy pre-blocking but still fits well. I think a good soak will get it right to the specs I’m hoping for. I could have knit this on 8s instead of the recommended 9s because my gauge was ever so slightly off, but I’m loving the fit anyways–I don’t think there was drastic impact like I anticipated when I finally noticed after nearly completing the body (gah!).

Cheers to finishing projects and feeling great about them, though I may ultimately gift this one to my mum. Next up in this collection I’d like to knit the Rainier pullover and the Holden wrap.

Finished snaps, soon. What are you finishing this fall?

My project notes are here.

f.o. | ramona light cardigan.

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It’s been nearly two years, but I finally finished my Ramona Light cardigan. This one fits like a dream even if I used buttons that may be slightly on the too small size.

The Ramona Light is knit up in Quince and Co. chickadee in the honey colorway; the fabric is light and dreamy. I love it.

My only modification to this pattern was to avoid any waist shaping for a boxier fit. Here is a snap of it before blocking.

It also feels good to say I don’t have any projects languishing on the needles from the last calendar year; I have but one or two items from years prior that have been in a box that I just don’t know what to do with yet. Will I finish them? Frog them? I can’t make that decision yet. Still, my focus on getting things on and off the needles without having a million projects going appears to be working, and at ground zero no less.

See my pattern notes here.

 

wip | ramona light cardigan.

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For some reason, this has been on the needles since 2017. I knit nearly 70 percent of it in a fury, in less than a week. And then, instead of immediately picking up the sleeve stitches and carrying on, I let it languish for more than a year.

Until now.

I finally finished this Ramona Light Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith this week. It feels great. And I really love the fit and the color, still. This often never happens when I knit a sweater, especially one that I wait so so long to complete.

The buttons I think will work, I’m not entirely sure of yet, but finished snaps of this one, hopefully, at the weekend.

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This lighter version of the original Ramona Cardigan was knit up in Quince and Co. Chickadee in the honey color way. It’s a dream; the loft of the yarn is beautiful and it’s buttery soft. Plus this sweater looks a bit green-ish, a bit tan-ish, a bit yellow, depending on the light, and I love that.

What’s a project you left on the needles forever?

See more from my knitting sketchbook here. Read my project notes for the sweater here.

sketch | summer knitting projects.

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I’ve mentioned before that in 2018, I began keeping track of my knits and the color inspirations for them in a knitting sketchbook. What started on a tiny whim has turned into a project I can’t ever see myself stopping–visualizing the garments I’m making and the potential color combinations I want to use is not only helpful and informative, but I’ve loved looking back on previous entries to see what projects I gravitated to, and what colors, at a given time.

I’ve used ravelry to keep track of my knitting for a decade (or more?); that won’t stop because the knowledge gained from other knitters there is invaluable (yarn substitutions, other color interpretations as inspiration). But to have something tangible to go to is huge.

Here is my most recent f.o. (a Flax sweater for my oldest nephew) and my current project (a Eugene sweater by Whitney Hayward). Clearly, after creating a bunch of top down stripes for my nephews, I wanted to add one to my wardrobe.

See more from my knitting sketchbook here.