Since the demise of Domino and Blueprint (which were pretty awesome shelter magazines for the stylish/ modern/eco-friendly/DIY set), I've noticed that there are some fabulous online shelter magazines cropping up- notably Lonny and Nesting Newbies. People have mixed opinions about online magazines: I personally love them because then I can read magazines at work the embedded links make it a snap to click and discover new shops, designers, and information out there in the vast realm of the internet. Not to mention it means that it is way cheaper to produce issues, so the likelihood of folding reduces significantly.

I'm on a quest for the perfect madeleine recipe, something that makes each lovely scalloped beauty a delight on the tongue. I had never even thought of them before Christmas, when I received two silicone baking sheets from my in-laws specifically for these shell shaped wonders.

Now, I can take hint. My in laws want madeleines. And who am I to argue with that?


My first attempt with this recipe yielded mediocre results. Okay, I over baked them by about a minute, but that wasn't really the problem- they lacked flavour. Truly a disappointment, because I loved the actual performance of the recipe- The kitchen was lush with the fragrance of melted butter infused with lavender earl grey tea, and muddling the freshly grated lemon zest with the sugar until it smelled like absolute heaven. So why the heck couldn't' you taste the lemon or the earl grey once it was baked? It was as though no earl grey, lavender, or lemon were ever in the same room as these things. Mysteries of the universe, I tell you.

Then I tried this recipe, and I got tasty results, but ugly madeleines- they weren't baked enough, the crumb was really big and muffin-like, and they just needed a bit more finesse. So, I  adjusted the recipe until it was just right.

Julie's Orange and Cardamom Madeleines
(makes 15-18 madeleines)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup icing sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons strained orange juice

Directions:
1. Lightly grease and flour your madeleine pan(s). Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on the stove, adding in the honey, vanilla, and  orange zest. Once butter is melted, remove from heat and let cool (about 15 mins).
3. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
4. In your mixing bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on medium high with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
5. Fold in dry ingredients into the sugar and egg mixture. Then pour the melted butter mixture in, and stir until well combined. Spoon batter into the madeleine tray(s).
6. refrigerate tray(s) for one hour, or overnight. If you refrigerate overnight, press plastic wrap against the trays, covering the batter tightly.
7. When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350C. Remove plastic wrap if you used it, and pop them directly into the oven for 8-10 minutes.
8. once they are removed from the oven, Allow them to cool briefly in the trays, and then pop them out on to a wire rack to completely cool.
9. mix together the icing sugar and orange juice, to make a thick glaze. Add the orange juice a little at a time, to keep the glaze thick. I also added a bit of vanilla, which worked well. Once madeleines are cooled completely, tip the tip of each madeleine into the glaze, and put onto a plate.
10. Now try to eat only one. Really- I dare you to stop at one.


In my research, it's evident that people are passionate about madeleines. Apparently, with the die-hards you can't even call them cookies. To be fair, they are a lot more cake-like than cookie like. And the batter that is produced is definitely on the wet side... it reminded me of pancake batter. Which led to me wondering if you could bake pancake batter in the madeleine moulds, and then dip them into maple syrup.

Turns out, you can. G and I had an amazing breakfast one morning feasting on scalloped shaped pancakes dipped in small bowls of pure maple syrup. It was so tasty, I didn't think to grab a photo. but trust me on this- madeleine pancake are seriously awesome. Use whatever pancake batter you like best, then bake them in the madeleine pans at 350C for about 7 minutes (I'd check them at 5, in case your oven runs really hot). Enjoy!!

 Pattern: Twiggy Tunic

Needles: 10 mm circulars

Yarn: Mirasol Sulka

Mods: None.


Notes: I finished my Ravelympics sweater!!!!

At the beginning, I had a really difficult time understanding the pattern- I had it in my head that, because the sleeves are knitted first, that it was a top down construction (it's not). Silliness, I know. Once I figured that part out, it was smooth sailing. I love, love, LOVE Sulka yarn, it's so deliciously soft and cuddly. And all those FO photos of being outside in the snow? I'm actually not that cold. That's a toasty sweater, people!
 G took some WIP shots of the sleeves and yarn cakes out of doors:
And if you haven't already seen it, you must check out Eliza's tutorial on how to wind a perfect yarn cake with nothing more than a toilet paper roll. I actually prefer this method to using a ball winder- it produces a larger centre pull area, which I find allows for smoother pull without any tangles. it's how I wind my yarn all the time now.

 And for those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, you've probably figured out that I'm at the cottage for these photos. G and I took a couple days off work to create our own long weekend, where we visited his parents at the cottage. I'm going to say something a little crazy here.... I prefer winter cottaging to summer cottaging.  There is a different kind of tone to winter cottaging. I love the peacefulness of it, the slowed-down moments of discovering deer tracks through the snow across the yard, or the fragrance and warmth of a crackling woodstove. And oh, the light- I am in love with watching the day's progression over the snow, the way it sparkles in the sunshine, the long blue shadows at dusk.

Plus, snowshoeing!!! My favourite. below, a few photos, including the bird seed cakes we made to hang off the trees for the winter birds:

Original Pattern: Nutkin


Knitter Extraordinaire: Carrie (Rav id)

Mods: Carrie heavily modified the pattern, keeping only the hemmed cuff and a similar stitch pattern. Everything else is different! She mirror-flipped the pattern charts for symmetry, modified the stitch pattern to eliminate the yarn over holes, added stitches to make a slightly larger size, changed the heel flap to eye of partridge, altered the toe pocket to be more rounded and kitchenered it shut.

What Makes This Awesome: Nutkins are already a lovely sock pattern, but I really admire Carrie's carefully revamped Nutkin. The mods are subtle and striking, all to create the kind of sock that she would enjoy wearing and knitting. I'm a bit of a sucker for eye of partridge heels (and linen stitch heels), and it's great to see such a thorough modification of a pattern that is still recognizably a Nutkin. Project page, including lots of great details on the modifications, can be found here.

On the same day as I finished my caplet, I actually finished up 2 other projects, which I've been negligent in blogging about. First up- the completely reversible Incognito.

 Pattern: Incognito 

Needles: 5mm

Yarn: Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Dove Grey and Black

Original Pattern: Sleeveless Tuxedo Shirt

Knitter Extraordinaire: Sharon (Rav id)

Mods: Omitted the lace shoulder straps, created a more shaped silhouette using waist and bust shaping, added length to the body, and lowered the lace packet to give a more flattering neckline.
What Makes This Awesome:  This is one of those patterns that I didn't really look at very long when it was first published, simply because I didn't find the silhouette very flattering. But here, Sharon took the A-line  top and gave it a more fitted and flattering look by lowering the neckline and adding waist shaping. Eliminating the lace at the straps gives the top a bit more elegance and cleaner lines. Now I look at this top and I love how wearable it is- like you could throw it on with anything and it would look perfect. And how lovely are those little black buttons on the crisp white lace? So pretty! Project page is here.

Pattern: Magnum Caplet

Yarn: Cascade Magnum in colourway 9408

Needles: US 15 / 10.0 mm circulars

Mods: I don't do a lot of super bulky knitting, and I looked in 3 different stores didn't feel like buying US 19 (15 mm) needles, so I decided to make do with what I had. I used my 10 mm circulars, and cast on for a size larger, which worked out perfectly.

Notes: So warm and soft! This is such a lovely, cozy thing to throw on over petty much any long sleeved tee and it instantly provides warmth. I even scrunched it up as a cowl when I had my coat on, and it was great. I love the simple design, and at that gauge, it knit up incredibly quickly.


When it comes to caplets, being able to manoeuvre it over your shoulders is important, which means a stretchy bind off is crucial. I absolutely love Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off, and there is a wonderful video tutorial with Cat Bordhi right here.

A couple of weeks ago, Erica had a great giveaway sponsored by All Modern. And I was the lucky critter that won!!  I selected a gorgeous charcoal and white organic cotton blanket:

Doesn't it look great on the futon? It's surprisingly soft, and the cats just love it (G loves it too). They have good taste.

 Original Pattern: Birch Leaf Socks


Knitter Extraordinaire: inglesidebelle (Rab id, Blog)


Mods: Changed sizing, and the lace columns on the back of the leg to the yarn over lace from Sensational Socks (see below); and change the leaves on the toe portion to finish with three leaves, including one pointing towards the toes, which she adapted from the Leafy Mitts pattern.

What Makes This Awesome: The yarn over lace at the back is a great little touch, but I'm even more impressed with the toe modification. I have to admit, as much as I adore Nancy Bush and think she is genius, I wasn't crazy about how the two leaves in the original pattern kind of made the foot look funny. The elegant solution of the third leaf totally solves that- and doesn't it just look as though this is the way it was meant to be? A beautifully organic modification, and one heck of a gorgeous sock!

Such an amazing city! Eliza toured me around, and we checked out the amazing Art Institute of Chicago, which was having a well-timed Apostles of Beauty exhibit on the arts and crafts movement in design. Frank Lloyd Wright was a part of this movement, and he did quite a bit of design in Chicago and the surrounding areas- in that photo mosaic there are is a photo of a house that he built. Many slices of pizza were had, and loads of baked goodies were consumed. So much food! And I got to crash Eliza's great book group. The book in question? Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.Also fascinating was her father in law's woodworking studio- he's an amazing furniture designer, and his pieces were so incredible, I forgot to take photos (this happens to me more often than I'd like to admit). But check out all the gorgeousness here.

And of course, when knitters get together, it's all about the knitting, isn't it?

Knit 1 in Chicago is sadly closing down, but they are having a really amazing giveaway- purchase one of their patterns, and you will be entered to win one of 60 $500 prize packs! This is how Karen (the owner) is clearing out her inventory, which is such a creative idea. When we visited, we were able to try on some of the samples of the patterns, and picked our favourites:
 That caplet just had to be mine, so I bought the pattern on the spot. I'm so in love, I've already cast on:
Trisha was the one that alerted me to this bittersweet giveaway, and we had a great sit down to talk about all the things we love about patterns, yarn, and the perfect LYS.

Check out all the gorgeous patterns here. You have until February 14th to purchase a pattern and enter the draw for the prize packs (it's not restricted just to the US- so no matter where you live and knit, you can win!). Good luck everyone-  I'd love to win one of those $500 prize packs!

We also checked out Nina and Loopy Yarns, and I found myself stocking up on some Malabrigo laceweight from both:

And Eliza generously gave me a skein of her handspun:
All said, it was a wonderful weekend getaway. Thanks to all the wonderful Chicago people I met while I was there, you made my trip memorable!! And an extra thank you to Eliza and her husband, for being wonderful hosts.

First off, I'll be reporting all about my wonderful Chicago trip tomorrow- I'm still organizing all the photos!

I've been a fan of the NYC food & prop stylist Sweet Paul for a while- his blog is so gorgeous, and I love his recipes and craft tutorials. He's recently been a bit obsessed with knitted home decor, even though he can't knit. So he chopped up some discount H&M sweaters and broke out the trusty hot glue gun. Results?

 He's starting an online magazine this coming spring, in the new, soon-to-be tradition of Lonny Magazine, etc. I love his commitment to bringing crafts into decor!

Original Pattern: Fylingdales

Knitter Extraordinaire: Jillian (Rav Id, Blog)

Mods: Scaled down the size of the pattern by 10 inches, changed the gauge, lengthened the body, added waist shaping, changed the collar from shawl to mandarin. Details on the modifications are here.

What Makes This Awesome: The smallest size in the original pattern is 42" chest, so making it TEN INCHES smaller and changing gauge is a world of math right there.This is a wonderful example of how you can takes a boxy men's sweater and transform it into something gorgeous and flattering for curves. the mandarin collar is a lovely touch, and the longer torso with the waist shaping makes this so, so flattering. This is the perfect mod- taking a pattern that a lot of people might not look twice at, and transforming it into a got-to-have-it knit. Amazing!!  I totally want to knit this!