Latest Obsessions

Canopy Fingering in Sumac

Monday posts are always a wild card for me, but more and more frequently they are the place where I share my latest yarn obsession, what's new on one of my favorite sites, Craftsy, or some sort of yarn-related review. Hopefully these posts are interesting for you, my dear readers (after all, that's what it's all about)!

As one of my favorite yarn stores prepares to close its virtual doors (read more about that here), I found myself placing yet another order a the beginning of this month. I've fallen in love with the yarns from The Fibre Company and simply couldn't resist snagging a sweater's worth of Canopy Fingering for under $50!

Peruvian Manta

When it arrived, I absentmindedly piled the yarn onto a pretty piece of weaving (called a manta) that my colleague Leanne had bought for me in Peru. Later, I realized that they both complemented each other quite well, so I took some stash photos using the manta as a backdrop. I'm planning on making the Grace cardigan from Jane Richmond's ISLAND collection once I finish my Fieldwork Cardigan.

I am also really excited about Carol Feller's new Craftsy class, Sweater Surgery. I have plenty of sweaters from my early (and, let's face it, recent) days of knitting that could use a few nips and tucks to make them fit a little better. At this point, I am having a hard time justifying signing up for another Craftsy class simply because at last count, I had 12 classes on my roster.  However, this one is pretty different from the classes I've already signed up for: it's focused more on fixing existing projects (instead of making something new) and can even be used to alter store-bought sweaters.

Reading the class description, I am most excited to learn Carol's quick sewing technique to add shaping; I have a sweater with some sleeve cuffs that are way too big and I'm loathe to rip them out and knit them again. I'm sure this will come in handy in other instances, too, and it also covers steeking! Bonus: Sweater Surgery is currently on sale for $10 off!

Yes, despite the temperatures rising, I can't seem to stop thinking about making sweaters. Come fall, I should have a pretty nice wardrobe of handknits to keep me warm. I decree this to be the Summer of Sweaters!

Thanks for stopping by this week - see you back here on WIP Wednesday!

FO + New Pattern Friday: Like the Tides Cowl

Earlier this week, I put the finishing touches on a brand-new cowl pattern: the Like the Tides Cowl is a quick, simple knit that lets the gradient colors of the yarn take center stage.

I fell in love with the colorway, Seaglass, when I was visiting Windy Knitty with a friend last month. I knew I wanted it to become a cowl, but when I searched Ravelry for the perfect pattern, I couldn't seem to find one that looked like what I was imagining it in my head.

I chose a simple, easy-to-memorize stitch pattern that would be as soothing as the sea; all the better to show off the stunning colorway, too! Later on, I found out that this yarn is 100% made in the USA: the wool comes from sheep raised in Colorado and it's handpainted in California - how cool is that?

Pattern Details: 
Yarn: 2 skeins Freia Flux Sport (290 yards total)
Needles: US #6
Gauge: 22 sts & 32 rows = 4 inches in pattern stitch
Finished Size: 20" circumference; 9" wide

Cowl is knit flat and then grafted. Knowledge of provisional cast-on methods is helpful; here is a link to my preferred method, the crochet cast-on. Pattern includes written instructions and color photos.

Click here to purchase on Ravelry.

Click here to purchase on Craftsy.

(Many thanks to my wonderful husband for taking these photos!)

Thanks for stopping by this week - for more FO Friday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis blog! 

Have a crafty weekend!

WIP Wednesday: More New WIPs!

I'm still making steady progress on my Fieldwork Cardigan and Scalloped Rib Socks, but to be honest, they aren't super-exciting to look at right now. Plus, last Wednesday I cast on for a new shawl using a skein of Sincere Sheep Cushy in Winter's Night - a new project is always more exciting, am I right?!

The pattern is Lisa Mutch's Zilver, and it's available for free here on Ravelry. As you can see, it knits up nice and quick!

I also realized it's been a while since I've crocheted anything, so I decided to start something that has been on my to-do list since last fall: make a silly snake to block the draft that comes in through the kitchen door in the wintertime. Um, yeah...it's not exactly timely, but that's just how things go sometimes! I am using Stacey Trock's Slithers the Snake pattern as my guide, minus the shaping of course. For added draft-blocking insulation, I'll be stuffing him full of leftover bits of yarn and fiber. I've just worked through a few stripes using leftover scraps from my Amigurumi stash since starting on Monday night, but I'm hoping to have this done by the end of this coming weekend!

Thanks for stopping by this week. For more WIP Wednesday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis Blog!

Summer Socks + Craftsy Pick of the Week

Summer has finally come to Chicagoland, which means it's time to trade in my jeans for skirts (for those of you who care, I don't believe in shorts) and bust out my ankle socks. One of my first-ever sock patterns is my go-to for the summer months; since I also don't wear sandals or flip-flops (yep, I'm weird like that), it's necessary to pair anklet socks with my shoes. The Lacy Summer Socks are quick to knit with a lacy motif that's perfect for peeking through mary janes; it's now available as a free download on Ravelry and continues to be one of my most popular patterns. I recently came across a very sweet blog post from a fellow Raveler who recently made her own pair and shared her feedback about the pattern itself. Seeing a finished project from your own pattern is already one of the highest compliments a designer can get, but so is getting positive feedback from your fellow knitters!

Craftsy Pick of the Week

I've been getting back into designing after taking a sabbatical last year, and of course, having a nice, fresh sketchbook is essential for such endeavors. I was lucky to be gifted one of these nifty sketchbooks last year, but you can snap your own up for 60% off here on Craftsy!

FO Friday: Elfe & Fleece Artist Socks!

At long last, I get to share the two projects I finished over Memorial Day Weekend!

The Fleece Artist Socks are a new design I'll be releasing later this summer. I'm not sure what I'll be naming them quite yet, but of course I will keep you posted here on my blog, or you can sign up for my newsletter to be notified via email when it comes out (just enter your email on the top right sidebar)!

This is just a quick shot we took yesterday before Tyler went to work; there will be a more 'official' photo shoot soon!

I also finished my Elfe sweater, which surely must be a record for me. I am the world's slowest sweater-knitter but I still managed to make this project in under a month! The yarn, Grinning Gargoyle's Seda Sock, feels sooo nice to wear. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out:

Worldwide Knit in Public Week kicks off tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll be going to any of the events here in Chicago. It's been a really busy week - I feel like I've been running around non-stop! Since I knit in public quite frequently, I think I can indulge in my contrarian side and knit in private this weekend, am I right? After all, in the last week, I have knit on mass transit, at a coffee shop, at two bars (don't judge me!!), a salon, and at an outdoor concert. That is quite a lot of public knitting, if you ask me. If only I hadn't done it a week too early!

Will you be knitting in public? If so, you might be interested in some of the promotions Craftsy has for WWKIP week!

Thanks for stopping by this week - for more FO Friday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis blog! 

Have a crafty weekend!

WIP Wednesday: Big Progress!

Over the weekend, I met my goal to finish the first sweater piece for the Fieldwork Cardigan:

Of course, unblocked, it just looks plain weird, but that is the sleeve and one half of the back of the sweater. The pattern is from the new Pom Pom Quarterly (you can read my recent review here) and I'm using some gorgeous hand-dyed yarn from the Sincere Sheep!

I visited family over the weekend and made some major progress on my Freia Cowl. It's now at that difficult-to-photograph phase, which means I am very close to being done:

Finally, Tyler and I went to the a free show downtown (Speck Mountain and Sharon Van Etten) on Monday night, which was the perfect time to work on my Baah! socks. I even got the heel turned and made it nearly all the way through the gusset shaping:

Tyler took some really cool photos at the show - the show took place in the Pritzker Pavilion, which was designed by Frank Gehry and is pretty cool to look at, much less sit in and enjoy music. He also used his telephoto lens to take some band shots from where we sat. Even though it was chilly, it was a great show; it was the kind of night that reminds you why it's so awesome to call Chicago home. We also realized afterwards that we accidentally upheld a tradition we had when we first started dating - on or around June 2, our arbitrarily determined date when we became an "official" couple, we always try to go to a show(on June 2 in 2000, we went to go see Sleater-Kinney together, hence the arbitrary date - it was the first major event we could both remember).

Sharon Van Etten

Pritzker Pavilion

Thanks for stopping by this week. For more WIP Wednesday inspiration, visit the Tami's Amis Blog!

Review: Pom Pom Quarterly, Summer 2013 issue

Ever since its launch one year ago, Pom Pom Quarterly has been one of those publications I knew I should keep my eye on. Each issue has had at least a few patterns that piqued my curiosity, but I never purchased an issue til now: with postage and the exchange rate, I wound up paying about $20 USD for the printed copy (which includes a PDF download as well). I know that seems pretty steep, but the Summer 2013 issue celebrating Pom Pom's one-year anniversary is just too good to pass up...and worth every penny!

The paper stock is good quality (and smells great, if that's the kind of thing you're into!), and every page is printed in full color. There are many photos of each pattern - all 7 patterns include well-written instructions with schematics and charts and are mostly knit with indie-dyed yarn (Yarn Love, The Uncommon Thread, Skein, and Sweet Georgia, for example). There are three interesting feature articles and two pages with technique illustrations, plus a delicious-sounding recipe for S'mores Brownies. Just as I couldn't resist casting on for the Fieldwork Cardigan right away, I found myself whipping up a batch of brownies for an impromptu gathering last weekend. They received two enthusiastic thumbs-up from everyone, incidentally!

If twenty dollars feels a little steep for you, there is also a PDF-only version you can purchase here on Ravelry for just under $13 USD - though I have to say, it's truly a joy to thumb through each physical page of this issue!

Click here to visit the Pom Pom Quarterly website.

Click here to join the Pom Pom Ravelry Group!



You may like to know: This review was not solicited by the good people at Pom Pom. As mentioned above, I purchased the magazine with my own personal funds.