Chai Hot Chocolate

Autumn has officially hit Portland, and I'm ready for the cooler weather! On a rainy afternoon like this I love to sip a cup of hot chocolate while I knit on my latest project and work on the computer. Not just any hot chocolate, mind you, but a spicy chai hot chocolate. Here's the recipe:


Chai Hot Chocolate
makes 1 8oz mug
1 cup milk (soymilk, almondmilk, whole milk, it's your choice)
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar or honey
1/4 tsp Chai Spice Blend (recipe follows)

1. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the sweetener, cocoa powder, and chai spice blend and whisk until all lumps of chocolate disappear.
3. Pour into your favorite mug and enjoy! (and maybe throw a marshmallow on top if you have some.)


Chai Spice Blend 
using powdered spices (adjust to your own taste)

2 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground cardamom
3 tsp ground ginger

1. Mix all spices well and store in an airtight container. Done!



Here's a peek at my latest project. I've come to the conclusion that my toddler has Yeti feet. These socks nearly fit me! Stay warm, friends.

New Fall Collections Out

Fall patterns have arrived! That's right, both Knitty Deep Fall 2011 AND Brooklyn Tweed Fall 11 are out!

Knitty First Fall 2011

Knitty's First Fall 2011 collection has been live for a couple of weeks now and my, oh, my! what beautiful patterns! Who doesn't love cozy knits in fall?

I am in love with this sweet little lace cowl by Ashley Knowlton. I'm not such a fan of wearing pink myself, though, so I was thinking it would look lovely in a more subtle, warm color like Goldberry:

What do you think?

Sock Summit Report

Well I guess I was too busy enjoying myself to take many pictures, but here's a little peek at the second annual Sock Summit here in Portland. In my defense, I did have my hands full of wiggly baby the whole time, so wielding the camera was not really on my mind.



Here's a corner of the marketplace. I wonder why the baby was more interested in my keys than yarn? Must work on that. Most days Baby M and I visited the marketplace, crawled around, fondled yarn, and connected with friends. On Friday I attended Tina Newton's lecture. What a delight! My friend watched the baby so I could sit and knit and listen without distraction. The most memorable moment came when Baby M decided to start walking on his own!



On Sunday we were able to catch the Fleece-to-Foot contest. They sheared the sheep, carded the wool, spun it, then knit it into socks...in a matter of hours. Well done, ladies!



Keep spinning! More coffee!









The Fastest Knitter Competition, moments before comparing 106 stitches to 103 in 3 minutes. I definitely can't knit that fast!



Ok, men, can we please go get some yarn now?

Sock Summit 2011

This weekend is Sock Summit!

Knitters from near and far will converge on Portland to see yarn dyers, spinners and sellers at their booths. There will be boxes and boxes of beautiful yarn as well as classes and lectures from favorite designers at the Oregon Convention Center. Yarn shops all over town will be bustling with excitement!

Bumblebirch yarn is a featured local dyer at Urban Fiber Arts this week - we hope to see you there!

DIY Recycled Yarn

I love recycling and creative reuse of materials. This tutorial from Craft Passion on how to make yarn out of old t-shirts is simply sweet!

How to make T-shirt Yarn