Coffee Isn't For Crying Into

Yesterday I picked up a 6-cup Chemex coffee maker at Roberta Oaks in downtown Honolulu (I've been looking for one for a while, I think RO may be the only store in Honolulu selling the smaller sizes) . So of course I crocheted a coaster for it last night, and then brewed my morning coffee with it today.

Good morning!

The coaster is still a bit wobbly (needs a good blocking) and worked up quickly enough that I think I'll make another. It's a fairly common motif - I got this pattern out of a vintage Mon Tricot booklet, but the pattern instructions are frustratingly vague in a couple of spots, so I wouldn't recommend it. Yarn is Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, purchased at YarnStory in Honolulu. [Edited to add: found one! Free pattern on the Scrap Yarn Crochet blog: Granny's Garden Hexagon Crochet Pattern. I haven't tried it yet, but a read-through of it did confirm that it clearly explains the spots I had trouble with.]

The Chemex makes a nice pot of coffee, although I think I'm going to have to play with how quickly I pour the hot water in. 

My morning was also full of seeing tweets and photos and posts about Vogue Knitting LIVE! in Chicago. I really wanted to be there with Shannon and Andi, so I put my big girl boots on and wrote a guest post at Cooperative Press about a few of my favorite things instead of getting sad and crying into my coffee.  

Link Roundup

How Knitters are Human Computers - a guest post I wrote for the Codeacademy blog. Back in January, Codeacademy promoted an API course with the tweet “You wouldn’t knit your own sweater. So why code your own map?” While I certainly wasn’t the only person to let them know I found it offensive, I may have been the first (or only?) to reach out and say that I thought it was a missed opportunity, and why Codeacademy should be reaching out to yarncrafters instead of dismissing them. I'm glad that Karen Baker, Codeacademy's Community leader, agreed and gave me the opportunity to write this guest post. I'm also thankful that LeTonBeau, Daniella Nii, and Megan of Stockinette Zombies answered my tweets for help and made sure my post was accurate and comprehensible. 

The Crochet Project - have you been looking for a crocheter's version of Knitty or Twist Collective? Check out this collaboration by Kat Goldin and Joanne Scrace! This online only, bi-annual crochet collection features gorgeous photos of projects done in lovely yarns, with seasonal themes (Spring/Summer 2013 theme is botanicals, the upcoming Fall/Winter theme is Woodland Whimsy). 

Knit Edge issue #3 is live, with a (mostly) crochet edition of What We're Reading, an article about the Yarnbombing Los Angeles CAFAM Granny Squared installation, and a pattern for the Thousand Petals scarf designed by Ryan Hollist that combines variegated yarn, double-ended Tunisian crochet, and short row shaping. 

If you're looking to celebrate mango season in the Honolulu area, our family farm is producing an especially good crop this year - juicy and flavorful with a nice smooth texture. Follow me on Twitter (@mk_carroll) or on Instagram ​(mk_carroll) for delivery updates. This year most of the crop is going to Kokua Market. Short FAQ: although we don't use any pesticides/insecticides/fertilizers, we aren't labeling our fruit as such. We have no control over what our neighbors do, for starters, and third-party organic certification is not worth the cost for us. We don't ship off-island, and we're only selling to a small group of retailers - if you want to buy our mangoes, please check out Kokua Market. The mangoes are Hayden varieties.  

Kim Werker's asking craft bloggers to take a photo of their workspace in its normal state for her #nogloss project - you can see a pic of my desk at home (and I think I'm currently winning at "most clutter").