Button, button, who's got the button?

This little tiny bit of cuteness is Nikol Lohr's Pebble Vest (direct link to free pattern here, in case you just cannot resist). It is appropriately winter-ready for this baby who is due in late December. It used way less yarn than I anticipated, because it is so very small, maybe about 8 inches tall from neck to hem. CUTE!!!

The sturdy yet cuddly garter stitch texture just slays me. It really is, as Nikol says, a manly-looking little vest, so I think it's totally perfect for a newborn baby girl who has to brave a Chicago winter. The yarn color is Hollyberry, in Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, which will hopefully be easy enough for the parents (non-knitters) to care for. I will probably include some wool wash with the little pile of woolens to help them out with baby sweater care. 

Now the Pebble, like all my other unfinished knits, is awaiting button selection and application.  Well, that's not entirely true. My unfinished stashbusting stripey socks are waiting for me to weave in the 8 bazillion ends that happened when I changed yarn 400 times.  Those might just not be finished for a while.  Hunting through button bins sounds like a much more pleasant prospect, so this sweater vest, the recently bound-off Cascade sweater, and my very own Sparkle Bee cardigan (in the works for about 2 years now) ought to be getting the finishing touches very soon.

Meanwhile, until I can show you an actual finished object instead of these 95% done works in progress, please enjoy some lovely fall foliage from the Hyde Park lakefront trail.

Can you believe October is nearly over? I think the combination of teaching two semester-long courses (we just hit midterms) and a quarter-length course (woohoo! Just warming up! ???) is wiping me out and doing strange things to my sense of time.  Combine all that discombobulation with an ongoing building plumbing project that has had me kicked out of my office for over a month, plus a building-wide bug infestation that seems to be continuing apace despite the efforts of exterminators, and I'm a bit of a mess.  Thank goodness for the beautiful leaves and the tiny knitting.

Wool socks and other signs of autumn

In a somewhat silly attempt to use up sock yarn leftovers, I've cast on for a pair of stripey socks. As you will see below, there are so many sock yarn leftovers that this project hardly makes a dent.  Also, I fail at being random in my color ordering choices, but I am willing to own my controlling tendencies.

These socks are the perfect project to celebrate the start of autumn.  Some other things around my house are marking the change of season, too.  For example, mini pumpkins. I was so excited to see a giant bin of them at the grocery store this morning!

Also at the grocery store:

Goes well with the pumpkins, right?  Also goes well with pumpkin cream cheese muffins. Who knew you could make these things at home? I am so going to weigh about 8 million pounds by the time fall is over.

Maybe if I try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of veggies (oh my gosh, SQUASH!!!), I will only weigh 7 million pounds.

Then I will still be able to wear my cozy vest and autumnal scarves.

 And my new socks, seen here perched atop the neverending stash of leftovers. I need to come up with some more project ideas, and fast.

FO: XOX Fall

Is it really Fall? It sure feels like it outside, and I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Almost time for sweaters, hot chocolate, and crunching in the leaves!!!  The cravings for tomato soup and grilled cheese have also started to set in.

In celebration (well, really in a state of optimistic anticipation, because it was pretty hot last week), I made an effort to finish these socks that have been languishing in a project bag since... wait for it... October 2010. Oh yeah. Vintage socks right here.

Yarn: Patons Kroy Socks Stripes in colorway Sienna - I quite like this yarn. It's very firm, and the color changes are fantastic.
Pattern: XOX Socks - Hugs & Kisses by Wollhuhn. The cable pattern is both simple and, after one repeat, fairly intuitive.  The ribbing along the back is pretty and stretchy, and I am starting to see the merits of a plain stockinette heel flap.

Mods: None. I might have gone my own way when it came to the toe, but I don't think that really counts as a change to the pattern.
Verdict: Yes, yes, yes. I heart these socks. Hugs & Kisses for everyone! My Ravelry project page is here.

In other news, my apartment is being demolished so that all the plumbing can be replaced. Everything is covered in a fine layer of plaster dust, and there is no hot water for washing the dishes that have been so coated. I am trying to look on the bright side and convince myself that this means a free pass to order takeout and immediately change out of fancy clothes into pajama pants whenever I walk in the door. Right? Right.

Friday: Link Love!

The snow has made its appearance, so here is a "last hurrah of fall"-themed collection of links for your autumnal enjoyment.

*** Let's start off with a snack, yes? This Pumpkin and Cream bread recipe from Sunday Baker looks like it will be perfect.

*** What will you wear? I might make and wear one of these knitted headbands (free pattern from Rewind Knits and Crochet)

*** And I will pair it with my Shabby Apple G. Cooper dress. 40s-inspired dresses and fall go together in my head.

*** I will enjoy my fashionable self and my tasty pumpkin bread in my enormous kitchen.

original source unknown

*** And then I'll head outside to take a walk in the leaves.

Any last fall-themed links or wish list items you'd like to share? Please post them in the comments!

P.S. I really feel like the luckiest girl right now. I have won two giveaways recently! You can check out my ad over on Kyla's blog and visit her other amazing November sponsors (so many neat crafts and items for sale!), and I won the October giveaway on LA's blog. For serious, I am over the moon!!!

An everyday kind of treat

Sprinkle pancakes. 

Yes, you read that correctly. I had pancakes filled with fall-colored sprinkles for breakfast the other day. This was such an easy way to make the start of my day a little bit more special that I thought I'd share it with you in case you'd like to try it yourself! It's perfect for a rainy fall day.

The ingredients:
Pancake mix or your favorite recipe for pancake batter from scratch
Sprinkles
A bit of oil for the pan

The how to:
1. Mix your batter as usual.

2. Add in a healthy dose of sprinkles of your choice. The more the merrier, I think.

3. Heat your pan or griddle and add a bit of oil

4. Pour batter into the pan, wait for the edges to get a bit bubble, and flip those pancakes.  You can see from the upper right corner of this next picture that sometimes I stink at the flipping part.

5. Add butter, syrup, powdered sugar, a few more sprinkles - whatever you like - and enjoy!

Doesn't that just look like a lot more fun than a plain old flapjack?

[What to wear?] Halloween teaching

Happy Halloween!

I'm teaching a few small groups this afternoon, so I can't go too wild, but I definitely want to celebrate the Halloween spirit with my outfit. And with candy. I am bringing my students candy, in part because I would like to eat a whole bunch of sugar today. 

This is my best stab at a last minute "costume" that will work for the classroom and transition nicely for an evening of walking around the neighborhood checking out decorations and cute trick-or-treating children. P.S., last night the cutest baby in the world came to church wearing a peapod costume. It was so sweet!!!

Step 1:

Shirt: gift from N, who understands my love of creepy-cute // Cardigan: Target
// Slacks: Express, from a closet swap 

Step 2:

Terrifying mask: Halloween store, purchased in 2010

I haven't actually decided whether or not I'll wear the mask as students arrive this afternoon...

What's your costume this year? Do you have any fun plans for the evening?

Friday Link Love

Happy Friday, friends
The weather seems to have made a decisive turn this week, so I've been able to wear sweaters and long sleeves and layers and boots... I love love love fall!  Today's link love is all about fall knitting and crochet projects that I admire and maybe want to make.

*** Tiny owl magnets in so many colors! Made by ATERGcrochet on Etsy (the pattern is also for sale, in case you're as tempted as I am to use all your worsted weight scraps making bird after bird). Can't you just imagine these in fall shades of orange, gold, and brown? I'd like to make a banner for a Halloween party.

*** While cold weather makes the leaves fall off trees outside, you can make a perpetual plant for the indoors. A cactus! I found this on the LMNOP blog, where there are also awesome Halloween costume ideas for kids who like to read books.  If you stop over there, you really should spend a bit of time checking out all the neat features.

*** Nothing is better on a chilly fall night than cuddling up under a warm blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. Extra points if you add a scoop of pumpkin ice cream to the hot chocolate.  Well, the Purl Bee has the perfect blanket, made of felted wool.  I think it would also just be fun to knit squares in these same dark neutrals and not felt them.

Have you seen any inspiring knitting or crochet lately? What's on your fall project list?

P.S. If you haven't yet, please enter the giveaway!

enter, enter, enter

Giveaway: Fall Treat!

You readers are wonderful, Fall is a wonderful season, and what better way to celebrate both things than by having a mini

What you'll win:

a $10 Starbucks gift card &

a cabled mug cozy in chocolate brown

I hope you'll be able to use the gift card to enjoy your favorite fall beverage (cider! hot chocolate!) and a little extra treat (those cake pops are always so tempting, but I can't resist the pumpkin cream cheese muffins...)

Mandatory entry:
Leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite fall treat (1 entry)

Additional entries:
1. Become a follower of this blog with Google Friend Connect or BlogLovin' by scrolling down to the bottom of this main page, and leave a comment on this post letting me know you're following (1 additional entry)
2. Post about this giveaway on your blog (1 possible entry) or facebook page (1 possible entry) and leave a comment on this post letting me know you've done so

I'll draw a winner on Sunday October 23rd using a random number generator.
Good luck to everyone!

Friday: Link Love

Friday! After a really busy week full of teaching, I'm ready for relaxation and lots of knitting (ahem, on some sweater sleeves...), plus catching up on all the boring chores like doing dishes and laundry and scrubbing the shower. Ah, the joys of housekeeping. On a more exciting note, I'm also starting to get ready for Halloween, one of my favorite holidays.  Here are a few inspiring decorations and projects to get you in the mood for a spooky, creepy weekend of holiday prep.

*** Skull embroidery patterns from Polka and Bloom

*** Pick your favorite font and carve initials into your pumpkins, a la Martha Stewart (via Pinterest)

*** Or you can make a zombie pumpkin... the pattern is available from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

*** Um, pumpkin pie milkshakes from Emma and Elsie. Make me one immediately.

*** And take a few minutes to enjoy Miss Indie's Autumn Spice playlist!

Now it's time to mail off an Etsy order, pick up quarters for laundry, and sit through an afternoon of meetings before officially starting the weekend. What are your Friday plans?