This lovely Tea Rose Lace Shawl by Evelyn Clark was so much fun to knit. I had a chance to take a class with Evelyn at The Tea Cozy in Ballard (awesome yarn shop!) and couldn't pass it up. Evelyn shared tips about designing lace and her career as a knitwear designer, she has published so many patterns that I admired way before the Ravelry and indie pattern boom. I have been wearing this almost every cool day for the past year and it certainly kept me cozy when visiting Minneapolis this year (it was about 5 degrees when we took these photos). Shetland Spindrift is a favorite yarn. So wooly, but it softens up nicely when washed and it blocks well. This is definitely a favorite color and it was a happy coincidence that the Beeswax hat made the year before matches even though it is made from a completely different yarn - Berroco Ultra Alpaca.
Last summer hiking it came to my attention that I needed some shorter socks- just long enough to clear the top of the hiking boots. The yarn in these socks has been hanging around in the sock knitting bag for a while - so here we are. These are the best and have been worn over and over. The pattern is a recipe that I learned from Betsy McCarthy many years ago in the first ever knitting class I took at the still mourned Hilltop Yarn. Details are on Ravelry
Love, love, love this Jelly Rolls sock pattern teamed up with NanoStitch Lab Double Helix Duo yarn. The two mini skeins were enough for two pair of socks. The colors look great together and the yarn washed up really nicely. They are soft and have enough nylon that they will wear well. This pattern is well written with lots of options - there will definitely be more on the needles soon. Adi likes the fit of these shorties. I forgot to take extra needles on vacation, so tried the slip stitch pattern on the instep with the same size needles as on the foot. It did not work, there was not enough give to the fabric - so it was a good opportunity to buy a new pair at Stix Yarn in Bozeman (great store). Win, win!
The Waterrock Vest was test knit for Appalachian Knits. The different rib stitches made it fun to knit and adds subtle interest. I would definitely recommend this well written pattern. This vest is going to be a great addition to my ski wardrobe and had the added bonus of using some Rowan Felted Tweed that has been in the stash for a very long time. These photos were taken before blocking - to get some test knit shots up on Ravelry. I have been wearing it to work with a button down and it is a great transition piece for the fall season. This is the second sweater I have knit in Felted Tweed. I love the colors and it knits an washes well. It is one yarn I have been able to maintain the same gauge going from swatch to garment - a consistent issue for me.
In March I was fortunate to take a 100 Acts of Sewing Pants class with Sonya Philip at Drygoods Design. It was a fun and informative class with good company. Sonya had all of the sizes sewn up for us to try on which made it easy to get started. It is stunning that I made a pair of pants in one day. The fabric is a corduroy purchased in St. Paul in the late 80's that is happy to be out in the world. There will be more of these pants in the future. I am working on pair #2 in the next smaller size and made a few tweaks to see if I can get a better fit. Check out Sonya's Instagram feed. Her flair for styling inspires me. Give this pattern a try.
These are the Lacy Cable Socks from Veronik Avery's book Knitting 24/7 knit in a Tanis Fiber Arts yarn. I bought this yarn in Calgary one year as a souvenir of the trip and am happy to have it out of the stash and onto feet. The color is so cheerful. More detail on Ravelry. The sock drawer seemed a little bare this winter. More sock knitting is coming up!
This shawl is adapted from the Camilla Shawl by Carrie Bostick Hoge. I love the way that Carrie takes a stitch motif and interprets it in different garments. The yarn is a lovely silk/wool blend from Bumblebirch in soft grays that look like a stormy day. We had a hard time capturing the true color on photo day. Since the original pattern was written for a heavier yarn - several repeats were added to the length and the width. More details are on Beth's Ravelry page.
This blanket is an adaptation of the Ancient Knit Scarf from Purl Soho using 13 repeats of the stitch pattern. It is knit in Berroco Vintage Chunky, an acrylic/wool blend so it can be washed and dried in the machine when necessary. It is nice to give a blanket for a wedding gift but I would never expect a person who is not in love with wool like I am to make the effort to hand wash something like this. It is definitely sized for two to snuggle on the sofa - wish I would have measured it. This was a beautiful January day in Montana. We stopped pulled over on the drive to the wedding to take these photos. It makes me homesick for winter sun.
More favorite socks fun to knit and great to wear. Beth has made at least 10 paris of these over the year. The Churchmouse Yarns pattern is adapted to a much tighter gauge of around 9 stitches per inch to last longer and feel better on your feet. These work great in Dansko clogs. Not quite an in the shoe sock - they still work great in ankle boots where you don't want your socks to show. Check out Beth's Ravelry projects to find out the details.
This pattern from Penguin by Anna Maltz was one of the most fun things I have knit in years. I used Plains yarn by Brooklyn Tweed - see the details in Beth's Ravelry account. The yarn was finer than the pattern called for - so I added more stripes and got a little carried away so it is way larger than intended. The Plains yarn is so soft and comfortable to wear the size just makes it more to love.
2015 - the year of the wedding blanket. This one was another labor of love, knit in the heart of a long, hot summer out of a chunky wool blend. For my nephew Nick and his wife Kristine who were married in August after 9 years as a couple. This is the 3rd time knitting this Amy Chin pattern - see the details on Ravelry. Chances are I will make it or some version again. It was hard to get a shot of the true color - a dark charcoal grey. I hope it is a good snuggle center for them and Moxen over the years to come.
This was a labor of love. Knit, knit, knit, knit for my lovely sister-in-law and her new husband. I wanted to make a blanket large enough for the two of them to cuddle under on cold winter nights. Finished a few months late and still not in the mail but it's the thought, right? The photo above shows the color the best. This super wash merino from Knit Picks has a high snuggle factor and the first machine wash went well. The cable pattern was a 64 row repeat - too many rows to memorize but the rhythm was easy to get into. It kept the miles of knitting from being boring. Don't look too close, I am sure there are a few cables crossed the wrong way. Check out the Ravelry entry for more details.
(above is the reverse side)
FLOWER POWER!
Adi and I made these pavers for an art show at Swansons Nursery several years ago. They didn't sell and have been languishing under the back stairs ever since. Gary has been working on a border under the new fence and finally brought these beauties out into the light. It makes me happy to see them every time I go through the front gate. It is also fun to look at these and see how our mosaic skill and style has changed over the years. Want to make your own yard art? Check out Seattle Mosaic Arts. Claire got all her friends into making mosaics 15 years ago (give or take) and turned her love of the art into an amazing community. Making a mosaic is the best way to bring out the artist that you didn't know was in there.
