A few months ago we profiled Laura Northrup for the many awesome things she’s got her fingers into. One of the items on her epic list of curiosities was developing a pattern for hand-knit “coffee sweaters”.

Lo and behold, a few months pass and Laura has filled the front window of the Uncommon Grounds in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. with her “Hamsterdam Handknits” coffee sleeves!

Laura had this to say about the sleeves:

I made one as a gift for a friend and she got so many compliments on it that I realized maybe people would like to buy them. I’ve sold a few on Etsy but this is a new thing and I’m really excited about the product. They’re fun to make and choose materials for. They’re made out of everything from fancy merino wool to decades-old scrap acrylic yarn that I’ve gathered up and am recycling.

They've multiplied! They want to save your hands from heat!

Corrupt companies beware! Laura is on your case!

Uncommon Grounds (UG): Where are you originally from?

Laura Northrup (LN): I’m from Baldwinsville, NY, which is outside of Syracuse.

UG: Did you go to college out there and what did you study?

LN: I went to Hamilton College, near Utica. I studied English literature and French, and I spent half of my junior year in France. Mostly reading every newspaper I could get my hands on and eating pastries.

UG: How did you end up in Albany?

LN: I moved here five years ago for grad school at UAlbany, and I liked it here enough to stay. I went there to study archives, but switched tracks and prepared to become an academic librarian instead.

UG: What are some of your favorite things about Albany?

LN: I like how Albany is livable and interesting, but not too expensive. When I get bored with Albany, there are a lot interesting places within day-trip distance. Also, compared to where I’m from, the weather isn’t that bad.

UG: How did you land the Consumerist gig?

LN: I worked as a news researcher at the Times Union until last spring. Part of my job was screening voice mails for the Advocate, their consumer affairs column. After a while, I started writing blog posts to go alongside the column. I loved doing that, and my regular archiving and research work too, but I lost my job in the Great Mediapocalypse of ‘08.

The week before my last day Consumerist announced that they were looking for an assistant editor to screen their e-mail and post now and then. There may have been divine intervention involved in this. My TU colleagues made me apply, and I was lucky enough to get the job.

UG: What does your work for Consumerist entail?

LN: I’m responsible for writing six posts every day, Wednesday through Sunday. I also screen our tipline, which receives maybe 100-150 e-mails per day. I answer the emails and pick stories that I think would make interesting posts for the site. We get a mix of everything, from links to news articles to people’s own consumer horror stories.

UG: Any juicy stories coming up?

LN: Well, have you seen the frogs they’re selling at Brookstone?

UG: [...]

LN: I’m working this week on something about the Frog-O-Sphere that they’re pushing as a holiday gift at Brookstone. It’s supposed to be a self-contained habitat for a dwarf frog, a plant, and some snails, and I’m checking into whether this is actually a healthy environment for the critters.

Prototype coffee sweater by Hamsterdam HandKnits

UG: Oh, how bizarre. Looking forward to seeing how that turns out! So, tell us about your knitting…

LN: My mom has always tried to get me to knit, but it never caught me until maybe last year or so. I like to make hats because once you finish a hat, unlike socks and mittens, you don’t have to make another one.. I am working on coffee sweaters (see pic, left) which seem to be popular on Etsy right now.

UG: Hmmm… interesting! Perhaps this is something that UG could carry? Anyway, where do you see all of your work taking you?

LN: I’m not sure. This is a totally unique job that I never expected to find myself in, and I love it. Right now I’m just appreciating that I have a job at all, and I love having a job where I can help and educate people, advocate for consumers, and look for pictures of kittens on the Internet.

UG: (*Laughs*) Well, then! OK, to close it out here, could you share an anecdote about what Uncommon Grounds is to you?

The nice thing about being a professional blogger is also that I can work pretty much anywhere. I live nearby and I always know that I can come here to work, get out of the house, people-watch, and consume large quantities of caffeine in a comfortable space. My home office is okay, but it doesn’t have a giant coffee roaster in it. And the artwork here is way nicer.