09 Sunday Jun 2013
…like homemade, monster-sized and still-warm-from-the-oven strawberry shortcakes. With fresh whipped cream and strawberries macerated in sugar and orange zest, of course!
The recipe is from the gorgeous new cookbook, Home Made Summer by Yvette van Boven. And while the dough needed a LOT more liquid to come together than what the recipe specifies, fear not: the end results were still delish.
Happy summery Sunday, all!
03 Monday Jun 2013
Posted in Seasons, Travel, Uncategorized
Tags
Well, it’s been a long time since my last post! But time flies when you’re traveling and working and doing all kinds of fun home stuff.
So it’s time to share the best pics from my annual sojourn to the Rochester Lilac Festival over Mother’s Day weekend with my mom! The weather on the morning that we went was less than hospitable, but we braved the rain and wind and cold to take it all in; the lilac blooms were nearly at their peak, if maybe a bit past, so it made the entire trip a beautiful adventure.
Below are some of my favorite shots that show off the display (and even some other flowers like pansies and viburnum) in all of their slightly-damp glory. If only this post came with Smell-A-Vision! Enjoy!
xoxo, Danielle
11 Saturday May 2013
Posted in Designing, Knitting, Seasons, Uncategorized
Tags
knitting, knitting patterns, lilacs, mother's day, sale, spring
Well, if the weather cooperates long enough today, this is a taste of what Mom and I will be seeing today (minus the beautiful sunshine):
Hopefully, lots and lots of lilacs at this year’s Lilac Festival. This year’s weather has been much kinder to the trees, so the blooms should be out in force!
So to celebrate the weekend, Mother’s Day, and the annual Madelinetosh party over on Ravelry, let’s have a sale!
Use the coupon code MadForMay in my Ravelry Pattern Store and get 20% off any of my self-published patterns through Monday, the 13th, at midnight EDT!
Enjoy Mother’s Day and happy weekend!
05 Sunday May 2013
Posted in Crafting on the web, Designing, Home, Knitting, Uncategorized
Howdy, folks! With the long overdue arrival of Spring, things have been awfully hectic around these parts! But it’s been fun, too. Between using the new grill, learning how to mow the lawn, and discovering a hidden passion for weeding (I’m serious), we’ve been enjoying the great surburban outdoors.
Lest you think, however, that all of the spring cleaning has been taking place outside, fear not. One of the biggest organizational tasks, long overdue, took place in my office recently. And it’s all thanks to my husband and Ikea.
You’ve all seen the yarn stash before in various states of storage. This is how things looked right after our move:
Admittedly contained, but not particularly pretty. With the move and my own dedicated office space, it was high time that the yarn stash got some decent attention. This is where Ikea comes in.
(As an aside: this was the first time I’d been to an Ikea. I was so overwhelmed with the size, selection, and variety of options that we left without purchasing anything. And I had made a list in advance, too! But you go in with a list, and then you see 3,000 other options, and your silly little list ends up in the trash. Ohhh, Ikea, you storage siren, you.)
What I needed was something white (the interior of our house is primarily white), clean (I don’t need ultramodern, but I need some semblance of linear design with nice corners), and BIG (it’s Ikea – big is not a problem). After a few visits, my customized yarn cupboard started to come together:
–Lots of drawers and hardware
–One deep drawer already in place
–Deep drawers that slide out of the cupboard, essential for seeing the innards of the stash
–Did I say drawers? Did I say 10 drawers?
–Oh, and shelves. Shelves for samples and equipment and tools. You can’t have just drawers.
–And finally, pretty beadboard-like doors with cute little porcelain-esque handles, too.
Yep, Andrew seriously outdid himself with this construction project. Ye Olde Yarn Cupboard is actually two single wardrobes, each measuring 72″ high and about 23″ deep. And once it was finished, I couldn’t wait to get everything sorted and stored. I even sorted the yarn by weight into separate drawers (a task that in and of itself was deeply satisfying, if not a bit eye-opening. Gulp.)
Behold, the mighty stash and its accoutrements in their full glory:
(See that eye-searingly bright green Skinny Bugga yarn from Cephalopod Yarns? I’m swatching with it and its deep purple sibling next to it right now. Yay new ideas!)
In the awestruck and slightly incredulous words of my sweet husband, when I unveiled the finished cupboard and all of my yarn-categorizing efforts, “But….it’s already full!”
That’s right, folks. That’s exactly right. 
12 Friday Apr 2013
Well, I think this picture just about says it all:
Can you guess what it’s saying? (Here’s a big ol’ hint: I’m a cover girl! Well, sorta.)
Yep, my Mackinac Tank is featured on the cover of the Summer 2013 issue of Knitscene! Here’s a summary of my reaction: complete and utter surprise, shock, glee, disbelief, and obviously, excitement!
I first found out about the cover from Amy Palmer, the new editor-in-chief of Knitscene, via Twitter. Ever since, I’ve been eager to put this blog post together in anticipation of the issue hitting the newsstands next Tuesday, April 16th. (I think that subscribers might be getting their issues already in the mail. If not, there’s always the magazine rack at Barnes & Noble.)
In retrospect, the Mackinac Tank was another one of those ideas that nearly knit itself. Do you know what I mean? When the idea seems to come to you as a bolt of inspiration? When the details work themselves out without a struggle? When you just know that the idea in your mind will translate well to the finished fabric? (Now if only this situation would happen to me on a much more frequent basis hehehehe…)
Anyway, let’s check out some of the fun details of the Mackinac Tank that deserve a little shout out.
(all images copyright of, and courtesy of, Interweave)
Obviously, the Mackinac Tank is….a tank top. And if you know me, you know I wear a LOT of tank tops in the summer. But all tanks are not created equal. A good tank top needs a good, not-too-tight but still body-skimming fit and a clean structure. To obtain the right fit, we’ve got two allies: the yarn and the shaping. The folks at Knitscene sent me a lovely sportweight linen-blend yarn, Firefly from Classic Elite Yarns, that produces a breathable and lightweight fabric that also drapes beautifully and has a slight sheen. The fabric only gets softer and drapier with washing (as linen is known to do). As for the shaping, it’s achieved with strategically placed waist shaping intended to flatter in the right places. And when it comes to a clean structure, the best way to obtain that with a smooth, plant-based yarn is simple: knit the garment flat and seam it. I know we all love our seamless knitting, but the seams are really important to keeping the fit of the tank consistent over multiple wearings. Plus, the seams are really easy – just two side seams!
But doesn’t a good tank top need a bit more, something fun? You bet, and that’s where the ruffles and the straps come in.
First, I love the “unexpectedness” of the ruffle detail. What appears to be a simple tank with a square neckline reveals something more whimsical when you turn around. The ruffles couldn’t be easier to work, since they’re actually worked as you knit the back of the tank, so there aren’t extra seams to complicate matters.
Second, the straps: they’re actually worked as part of the armhole finishing! Yep, this was another one of those “aha” moments for me. How many times does a tank top not have straps that are wide enough? So why not just knit them to your preferred width? And an easy way to do that is knit the straps as part of the garter edging around the armholes. The pattern specifies how to knit to the particular width shown in the pictures, but if you want slightly wider straps, just knit a few more rows!
So there you have it – my debut as a cover girl. As always, I owe a huge debt to all of the lovely editors at Knitscene; they’re always so professional, responsive, and supportive. (And they take some pretty awesome photos to boot.) It’s a privilege to work with them every time, so I count myself as particularly lucky on this go around.
And with that, I leave you! After all, it’s Masters weekend. I have a serious date with my knitting and the couch. 
xoxo, Danielle
04 Thursday Apr 2013
We’re lucky to have a fragrant, blooming indoor garden this week because our Easter blossoms are still going strong. (We’re especially lucky because it looks like Spring indoors, but feels like Winter outdoors!)
Daffodils – I just love them. They’re cheery, bright, smell good….what’s not to like? ESPECIALLY when you have a daffodil that is exhibiting highly intelligent behavior. What do I mean?
Why, positive phototropism, of course!
How cool is that? Here’s another angle, just to show how far that pretty little bloom is willing to reach for its dose of sunshine:
Those daffodils. Always so smart.
PS: I hear the weather is supposed to improve drastically and soon. It had better….I’m already impatient for the lilacs.
01 Monday Apr 2013
The before:
The after:
As you can see, a good time was had by all at our house yesterday. Hope you had an equally sweet Easter!
(PS: Stay tuned – coming soon, a photo cavalcade of my new Yarn Cupboard. Or Yarn Pantry. Or Means For Organizing Yarn-Based Activity. Whatever you want to call it, it’s courtesy of Ikea and my husband.)
18 Monday Mar 2013
Posted in Coco, Home, The Neighborhood
Hello! I’m not usually this silent for this long on Ye Olde Blog, but I’ve got a good excuse. We were moving!
Yep, we’ve given up our city ways for a cozy house in a small(er) town, Sea Cliff, on the Northern shore of Long Island. We spent the last week moving, unpacking, and generally just readjusting to the quieter rhythms of suburban living.
As you can see from the picture above (taken a few days ago), Coco is especially intrigued by, and VERY curious about, this sea change in her life. I caught her spying on the neighbors from one of her new favorite spots, with her nose pressed right up against the glass in my home office. In recent days, she has also discovered the delights of (a) patrolling the traffic as it passes by; and (b) barking at every single dog and postal carrier that wanders into view. And when she’s not working the neighborhood patrol, she’s happily ensconced on a pile of blankets next to the glass. My sweet little buddy.
So that’s the excitement around these parts! I’m looking forward to our new routine and getting back into the swing of things, including back into the swing of knitting up all these ideas swirling around in my brain, just waiting for the right moment to be jotted down on the back of an envelope. Onward and upward!
PS: And just in case you thought I was kidding about Coco’s new favorite perch, here’s another photo from today. Same spot, different angle. (Hey, it is a two-way street out there, you know!)
26 Tuesday Feb 2013
It’s a big thrill for me to debut my newest design for you today — meet the Arcuate Cowl in all of its cabled, textured goodness! (click on pics to make ‘em bigger…)
The release of this design is particularly thrilling for me because the cowl is part of the upcoming Quince & Co. Scarves 2013 collection. Quince and Company is a unique yarn company from Maine that provides beautiful wool yarns that are sourced AND spun in the USA. I have so much respect for this company, not only for their business model (which is focused on a sense of responsibility both to the customer and the environment), but for the wearable and modern designs that they produce on a regular basis featuring a wide array of their yarns and so many talented designers.
In the case of the Arcuate Cowl, I’m happy to admit up front (and even in the pattern itself) that my motivation for this design was entirely selfish:
chunky knits AKA big gauge;
chunky textured knits AKA plush ribbed cables twisting in opposite directions and lots of reverse stockinette stitch; and
chunky wintry textured knits are what I love!
For the sample pictured here (and how wonderful are these professional photos? I feel so lucky!), I worked with 5 skeins of their chunky, single-ply “Puffin” yarn which you Have. To. Try. Seriously – this yarn was so easy and smooth to work with, and it knits up like lightning on US 13 needles. As you can see from the photos, I wanted the cowl to be generous enough to either wear like a wrap around the shoulders or doubled up about the neck for that ultra-cozy, downtown-girl look that I love. So, at 56″ around and 13″ wide, the cowl can easily do either.
The particular colorway is “Frank’s Plum,” a deep, rich hue that lends the cowl a modern feel: the dark purple almost works as a neutral here and could be paired easily with black, grey, brown, or whatever your winter wardrobe dictates. Not feeling the purple? Don’t worry: they have 40 other shades of Puffin to try instead!
Because the three giant cables are ribbed, the cowl is reversible, giving it the pronounced cabled texture you see on the right side, and a more subtle, ribbed effect on the wrong side. And to keep with the reversible ethos, the cowl is knit flat and then grafted together for a seamless result. I know that grafting together different stitch patterns can be a bit daunting, so the pattern provides some online resources that you can use for some pointers on grafting.
As I said above, this collaboration was a thrill for me. Working with the folks at Quince and Company was a real treat, as I’m sure anyone who has had the chance to work with them will attest. I have loved their yarns, designs, photography and aesthetic for years, so it was a blast to see one of my ideas come to life with their company.
So: where can you find the Arcuate Cowl pattern? The cowl is part of the wider Scarves 2013 collection that will be available starting March 5th. You’ll be able to purchase this pattern individually (as well as the yarn to go with!), along with any or all of the other outstanding designs from the collection, directly on Quince & Co.’s website, through their yarn shop partners, or on Ravelry.
And be sure to check back regularly all this week on the Quince & Co. blog as they reveal the other great designs for this collection – I can’t wait to see them all, especially one from my friend Natalie Servant!
I hope that you love this one as much as I do, and I hope it makes the remaining days of winter a much cozier affair!
XOXO, Danielle
15 Friday Feb 2013
Posted in Baking, Cooking, NYC, Uncategorized
Yep, it was just another day. You know, just one of those days where I do things like work, the dishes, the laundry….oh, and chat with Nigella Lawson while she signs my copy of her newest cookbook, Nigellissima, during her appearance this week at the Union Square Barnes & Noble.
And NO, I did not say any of the things that were giddily racing through my head. Things such as “Oh my god I love you I have all your cookbooks and you’ve signed some of them and I think you’re brilliant and funny and inspiring and I want to be you when I grow up and do you want to hang out and I love your dress and…..”
Because that just would’ve been creepy.
I do think, however, that I managed to say “Thank you.” At least I hope I did. Nigella, you know I heart you.
Have a great weekend, all!
