Catching Up: The Second Half of 2022

Knitting

Pyramis

I stitched this out of a merino/bamboo blend from Knit Picks because I wanted something with lots of drape — and I love the way it turned out.

Celestarium

I’ve had the Celestarium shawl on my list for at least ten years, recently stumbled across this delightful gradient from Knit Circus, and knew I’d found my yarn for this project.

Tweedy Kia Socks

I haven’t knit socks in a while! I needed something portable for a crafternoon, so I started another pair of Kia socks in some leftover navy tweed.

Garter Snake Mitts & Losing-At-Yarn-Chicken Hat

I waited a while to make something with these two yarns because I wanted to use up every yard of it — and turns out I sure did. These are the Garter Snake Mitts from Lavanya Patricella, and I attempted twice to make the matching hat but lost at yarn chicken twice! So I switched to a smaller hat pattern and finally succeeded.

Llawenydd

No pictures of this one (yet) because it was another spectacular loss at yarn chicken and I haven’t decided quite how to finish it. I cast on two extra repeats to make it a bigger shawl and then absolutely, very clearly ran out of yarn before all the decreases were done and had to cast off early. I think I’ll sew it together into a permanent-cowl after I block it.

Hats for Everyone!

Halfway through November, I remembered that I told my niblings and my father that I would make them hats, so I made three in a row. Lucky for me, they were all a hit.

Fingerless Mittens for Everyone!

I knit a coworker a pair of fingerless mittens out of my own handspun as a prize for a work contest I held, and I also knit my mom a pair of these Belyse fingerless mittens. It’s been a very Ysolda-pattern last few months of the year!

Spinning

Red-Brown Rambouillet

I got this fiber on a trip to the Artful Ewe in Port Gamble with a friend and her parents, and am really happy with the yarn I made. I used this to make my dad’s hat (see above).

Red and Grey Rambouillet

This is fiber from Koomasee and another attempt at a 3-ply — I’ll say successful, because I wanted it to be a little moodier than a 2-ply and I feel like that’s exactly what I got.

Chain-Plied Dirt and Sky

My first chain ply! This is Polwarth/Silk from Three Waters Farm and it spun up so beautifully — and now I’m a little obsessed with chain plying.

Green-Blue Rambouillet

Another braid from Koomasee, I spun this one on my EEW Nano while on a family vacation and they had a ton of fun watching me each morning.

Colorful Koomasee

Hmm, do you think I like fiber from Koomasee? This was a lovely spin.

Goth Rainbow

For this one, I used some mixed BFL from Alexandra the Art of Yarn that I got at Fiber Fusion. I did a fractal spin and my little goth heart is so happy.

Hot Pink Gradient

Another chain ply — when I saw this BFL from Caroline Dick Designs, I knew I wanted to keep the colors close together. I think this one will turn into a cowl.

Good Vibes

I got this when I backed Fully Spun’s kickstarter, and while I’m not typically a yellow person, I really like the way the colors spun up here.

Combo BFL

My first 4-ply!! This was a combo spin from Caroline Dick Designs, and I wanted to keep the colors distinct but also together, the same way the braid was. I really love the way it came out, but might not do too many 4-plies in the future.

Rocks and Sand

More fiber from Three Waters Farm, this time Rambouillet — also chain plied.

Golden Wensleydale

This was one of the first braids I got from Koomasee, and I finally decided I wanted to chain-ply it too.

Stitching

Benevolent Gay Goddess

This was a kit I picked up from Junebug and Darlin, and I stitched it when I felt like a quicker project than my Eternal Cryptid Stitchalong!

The Eternal Cryptid Stitchalong

I didn’t make much progress on this, but I’ll get there eventually!

Catching Up: The First Half of 2022

Knitting

All of the Lights

I LOVE this cardigan. It was fairly complex knit and had a lot of pieces I hadn’t done before (mostly pockets!), but I wore this very often after I finished it and now that it’s getting colder, I’m excited to start wearing it again.

Epernay

Another “I LOVE THIS” make — I snagged some Corrie Confetti from La Bien Aimée (grey + rainbow = everything I ever wanted), saw this sweater when it launched, and immediately knew that the two needed to go together. I didn’t get to wear this one as often before it got too warm, but again, I’m glad we’re getting closer to sweater weather.

The Pandemic Shawl

Back in March 2020, I started this shawl using lace weight yarn on teeny tiny needles because I tried tons of variations and this was my favorite. Well, two years later, I finally finished it! It came out exactly the way I wanted it to, and is absolutely worth the time spent — but boy am I never going to knit something this big on needles this small ever again.

Yet Another Musselburgh…

…this time in Valkyrie Fibers’ self-striping in Imladris, which is just the best combination of colors.

Larinda

This yarn+project combo had been on my mind for a while, and I finally got around to making it. I loved the original color of Larinda when Jen at Webster Street Knittery launched the pattern, and I may have one or two two-skein sets of toffee-colored yarn, so the hardest decision was choosing which toffee-colored yarn I should use. This perfect gingerbread color from Little Skein won, and like I already said, it’s perfect.

Brioche Tiles

Continuing my “Let’s knit with Little Skein yarn that I already have a project in mind for”, I pulled out another yarn combo I’d been saving and knit this brioche beauty. It’s exactly the low-contrast that I wanted.

My Brother’s Forth

Ysolda’s swatchless hats are pretty much my go-to when I need a hat, and I finally branched out with a not-Musselburgh for my brother, out of handspun from fiber he bought me with a note that said “make me something out of this”.

Spinning

I spun a LOT the first six months of the year, folks, so these will probably be a bit brief.

Iris

As discussed above, this was a request from my brother — some Polwarth from Created by Elsie B.

Koomasee OOAK Falkland

Every time I start a spin with fiber from Koomasee, I think “I will like this an ordinary amount” and every single time, I am enamored with it the entire time.

Koomasee Dusty Rose

Another Koomasee, also Falkland, also a joy to spin.

Moody Three-Ply

Something different! This is fiber from Caroline Dick Designs, and it was my first attempt at a three-ply, which I think succeeded admirably. The third ply makes it even moodier than I think a two-ply would have, which I really like.

A Frabjous Spin

This is an older braid I had, some BFL from Frabjous Fibers.

Lavanda

Merino from Malabrigo, that I spun up to eventually pair with the leftover Iris to make a shawl…someday.

Green-Grey Masham

Another braid from Caroline Dick, although I’m not sure I like spinning with Masham that much.

Blue Polwarth/Silk

This was a braid I got about a year ago when a friend and I took a trip to Port Gamble and I stopped by the Artful Ewe. As always, Polwarth is one of my favorite fibers to spin.

Alpaca/Silk

The first of a batch I got from Fiber Fusion NW - this is from Alexandra the Art of Yarn and turned out soooo soft. Definitely making something that sits close to the skin with this.

Mixed BFL

Another from Fiber Fusion NW, but this time from Island Fibers. I love the way the singles spun up marled and the extra-marled they got when plying.

Stitching

Summer Birb

I’ve got all four of these kits from Junebug and Darlin and stitched up this Summer Birb at the beginning of summer (which reminds me I should stitch up the fall version now that it’s officially Fall!)

Rainbow Linen Outfit

I haven’t sewn in a while, but I did make this matching outfit out of rainbow linen that I bought at JoAnn two years ago. The top is a Wiksten Shift Top, and the skirt is the Gypsum skirt, both patterns I’ve made before. I love how this turned out and I love wearing them both together and separately.

Catching Up: The Rest of 2021

Oh, hey there. It’s only been a month or so, right? Definitely still 2021. September…2021. That’s definitely right. Right? Anyway. Here are some things I’ve been working on for the last few months.

Knitting

‘Onipa’a by Leila Raven

I made this using yarn from Ocean By the Sea and it’s so soft and glowing and feels like I’m wrapped in a cocoon.

Truly Textural by Lesley Anne Robinson

Another project with my own handspun! This is handspun from Hipstrings via my brother, and I paired it with this great toffee color from La Bien Aimée x Mondim.

Hats for Friends

I have knit many Musselburghs, and two of them are for friends of mine who moved to Vermont. The first (left) uses self-striping from Valkyrie Fibers in Appa, and the second (right) is Mongolian Cashmere from ULA + LIA.

Classic Cozy Raglan (Light) by Jessie Maed Designs

This was a knitalong that a friend hosted while very kindly discussing fit adjustments and math with a bunch of us, and I’m so happy with how it turned out. This is the most delightful mermaid colorway from Serendipitous Wool.

Baby Cardigans

A childhood friend of mine had twins, and you know I love (almost) any excuse to knit small things, so of course I had to find some scraps and knit her two baby cardigans.

Left: Petit Peridot by Tricot Design MCL, right: Pinson by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

Nourish

This is another from Little Skein Anne’s Beatrix Box (pattern by Dawn Landix), and I fell in love with this colorway and this pattern.

Spinning

Woodland Owls Like Toffee

This was a “Giant Spin” (aka 200g) using one braid of Woodland Owls by Elsie B and one braid of Toffee, both Rambouillet. I still haven’t decided what to make with it, but I really love the way the colors came together.

Blue Raspberry

Another Elsie B braid, this time Falkland Merino & Rose, and it was super soft and dreamy to spin up.

Color Wheel

It’s an Elsie B bonanza for 2021, I suppose, since this is another one of hers! (or: I ordered them all at the same time and then just pulled from the top of the pile, which happens a lot). I didn’t have a color-plan for this one — I just split it into halves and halves again and halves again, so I’m curious to see how it knits up vs. how it looks in the skein.

Stitching

Wildflower Bouquet

This was a Crafter’s Box collaboration with Junebug and Darlin and I, as usual, love all of Zoe’s patterns so of course I had to get this one too. Before this, I was a little intimidated by backstitching and considered it a necessary evil (like weaving in ends), but this backstitching was really enjoyable.

Read Romance

A smaller project (also Junebug and Darlin, obviously) that I will definitely need to make multiples of in different colors.

Stockings

I moved into a bigger place and decided to make myself a stocking to hang by the fireplace I now have. While I was at it, I made a couple of stockings for my friend and her cat, and even tried my hand at quilting names! They turned out legible, which was pretty much my only goal.

Aaaand that’s it for 2021, folks! I’ll be back, later, with some projects from 2022.

March & April Roundup

Yes, I realize we’re halfway through May, but it’s a good thing I do what I want!

March

I finally finished my Frog & Toad (presents for a friend’s little one!) and am just so enamored with how they turned out. I had to slow this one down a lot because it turns out knitting DK weight yarn on sock needles is super hard on the wrists! But maybe someday I’ll make a pair for myself. I think my favorite part of this combo is Frog’s sweater, and I will probably (definitely) make more.

I started playing with different colors in my spinning — I bought a few different colors of Malabrigo Nube on sale, and had fun thinking about what to do with them. I ended up doing four combinations, two each with matching bases, and maybe someday I’ll take a picture of all four, but here’s the first two, which I call “pink ‘n’ purple” (left) and “Razzleberry Pie” (right).

I knit a Sizzle Pop with two skeins of me-dyed indigo yarn, something that’s been in my queue for a while. This pattern was super easy to follow and was almost memorizable once I got into the swing of it. I’m already planning one or two more in different color combinations!

I cross-stitched this Spring Bird from Junebug and Darlin, and I can’t wait for the others to complete my set.

I also started my long-awaited project using the Avatar mini-skeins from Valkyrie Fibers, using a Mongolian yarn as the contrast, and settled on the Painting Honeycombs shawl. Not only does the color contrast, but the texture does too, and this is definitely one of my favorite makes in a while — I’m very happy with the combination of everything.

April

I knit up the most recent Beatrix Box from Little Skein in the Big Wool, the Agaric Shawl by knitboop. This was a totally addicting knit for me and I love love the color combination I picked. It hasn’t been blocked yet because, well, life happens, but I’ll get it done eventually.

I tried my hand at one million French knots in this stitch up of Junebug and Darlin’s Amethyst Floral kit (will I ever cross stitch something that Zoe didn’t design? Maybe, but not anytime soon). Very enjoyable, excellent colors, and now I just have to find a place in my shrinking wall space to hang it.

This one also isn’t going to have many pictures, but I knit a Plover cardigan by Jacqueline Cieslak using (what else?!) more yarn from Little Skein — this time, her Sugar Maple colorway from last year’s Rhinebeck. Folks, it is perfect and I should definitely block it soon, but it’s also not going to be super useful until fall, so I suppose I have some time.

January & February Roundup

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of February!

January

One of my first projects was knitting my first handspun-by-me project, a pair of convertible mittens. I tried to do these two-at-a-time at first, but I ended up ripping one out and just knitting one after the other — and I think the colors turned out better this way. I love the way they match but also don’t match, and the way this yarn plied up into that slow color change that I love so much.

I also spun my first project on my new Kromski Minstrel, using some Malabrigo Nube. I have many more colors of Nube in my growing fiber stash, so you’ll see lots more coming up, too.

I finally finished (1.5 years later) my tweedy, cabley, wonderful sweater out of the most perfect pumpkin orange from the Farmer’s Daughter Fibers. Do I have pictures of this one yet? Nope, in fact I haven’t even blocked it yet, because no one can tell on Zoom that the bottom edge of this sweater is kind of squirrely. For those of you keeping track, this was the sweater I had to put on hold when my wrist started acting up, and I finally decided that I could handle picking it back up, slowly — and I could. I probably won’t ever knit another seed stitch sweater, though!

And I also made a Bubble Cowl out of a combination of Canon Hand Dyes (peacock gradient minis), Local Color Farm and Fiber Finnsheep, and Magpie Fibers. I love the way the texture of the yarn combines with the texture of the stitches, and this cowl is sooo warm and cozy.

February

One of my February spins used some Hipstrings that my brother bought me for Christmas, and I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. I’m not sure what I’m going to make out of it yet or whether I’ll combine it with something else, but this was a really fun spin and I find that I really enjoy spinning on a treadle machine, because it uses both my hands AND my feet.

A friend of mine posted a Musselburgh hat she had made, and I immediately knew I needed to make one, so I pulled out a skein of La Bien Aimée (that some friends brought back for me from France!) and knit this very strange-looking tube that morphed into a very nice-looking and comfortable hat.

I also spun up some more Malabrigo, this time combining two different colorways into what I’m calling Razzleberry Pie (thanks to a name from a friend who talked me through color choices). I’m currently spinning the rest of the purple to ply with a much brighter pink, and then I’ll experiment with my remainders to see what I can turn those into.

And lastly, I’m almost done knitting a Sizzle Pop out of yarn I indigo-dyed myself. This pattern is really intuitive and is definitely not as intimidating as it looked to start with, and I already know I’m going to make more of these. I love the subtle difference between the two blue shades.

I haven’t really sewn anything since I forced myself to make masks in March or April of last year, but I have been thinking (just thinking!) about pulling out some of my quilt pieces, or finally getting back to some garment sewing. We’ll see.

Time Doesn't Matter, Knitting Does

Well, it has been an amount of time (is this what I write every time I get around to writing a new blog post? Probably). I was thinking this morning about how, once I’ve missed a month of blogging, it’s so much easier to miss the next month, and then the next, and so on. In my defense, we had an election, some extra weird holidays, an insurrection, and a new president between now and the last time I posted. Also, I don’t write blog posts for you! (no offense. I write them for me.) I do enjoy a vaguely time-bound summary of activities that’s worded in ways other people might understand, though, and this helps me do that, so I’m going to catch up — probably in stages.

October

I enjoyed knitting the Sharon Show so much that I went straight into knitting the Secret Handshake. Have I blocked it since finishing it, now four months later? No. Did I still enjoy knitting this one? Absolutely.

October’s socks were the Asali Socks, by Dawn Landix, a pattern I knew I would love. I missed up one (1) row, but no one will notice but me so it doesn’t matter, and they’re so waffly and comfortable.

I also cross-stitched a mini Vintage Cabin by Junebug and Darlin. Did it take me another 4-6 weeks to do the backstitching? You bet it did. Did I put it in a frame and hang it on my wall immediately after finishing the backstitching? Yes I did.

November

I knit a Bandit sweater by Jacqueline Cieslak! I blocked it pretty much immediately, and then it waited for buttons for three months. Of course I still wore it — no one on Zoom knows that I didn’t trim my ends and that those things that might have been buttons were actually stitch markers — but I haven’t officially taken official photos for the official Instagram yet. I used some stash Madelinetosh that I already had but I also still preordered some of that Sugar Maple colorway from Little Skein in the Big Wool, because I have capital-P Plans to make a Plover Cardigan, so it’ll still be a Little Skein / Jacqueline Cieslak collab, just a little different.

My November socks were these excellent slippers, which I have probably worn the most out of all the socks I made this year — mostly because it’s still winter and my toes get cold.

I also spun yarn! I couldn’t resist getting this Extremely Fall Braid from Knitcraft & Knittery, and I spun it up pretty immediately. I also (spoiler alert) knit my very first project from my handspun out of this, and I love it.

December

I finished my twelfth pair of socks, one per month, for the entire year. This month I made up my own pattern again, and I’m pretty happy with the result. I am not holding myself to one-pair-of-socks-a-month in 2021 because I don’t feel like it, but I’ll probably knit a few pairs here and there.

I knit my brother a hat, once I remembered to ask him if he wanted one! I used a pattern I’ve knit before — Andrea Mowry’s Harlow Hat — and also managed to use leftover yarn, which means I can reward myself with buying more yarn, right? …right?

And I picked back up where I left on my Seven Wonders pullover, which I finished in January. I stopped knitting it near the end of 2019 because my wrist started bothering me (seed stitch is not my friend), and I very carefully decided it was time to keep going on this one. Sleeve Island with seed stitch and wonky wrists is rough, y’all.

The other thing I did in December was beat my all-time-high books-read-in-a-year-since-I-started-keeping-track record, which had been set at 104 in the year 2010. 2020’s count came in just over the top at 105, and I focused a little more on reading once I figured out I could actually beat that record. Do I remember everything I read? Absolutely not, my brain is too busy just trying to survive a global pandemic. But did I enjoy reading that many books, most of them lighthearted and relatively conflict-free, usually in bed? Yes I absolutely did. I haven’t set a specific goal for 2021 yet, but I’m not planning on beating that record anytime soon. 2021 is (maybe) for digging in to much meatier books, that take me weeks instead of days to finish.

I have more updates, especially spinning updates, but I’ll write about those later. Thanks for sticking around, friends.

April, May, June...

Time is no longer real, and now the year is half over and I haven’t kept track of anything here in three months!

I’ve been working from home since the end of February, and I’m extremely privileged to be able to do so. It’s been a quiet few months because I haven’t been going anywhere, but it’s also been an intense few months because of everything that’s been going on. I didn’t get that boost of productivity that some of the internet seemed to get at the beginning of the quarantine, but I have been plugging away at a few projects.

A caveat: I am still linking to Ravelry projects and users, though I’m aware of the accessibility issues with Ravelry’s new interface. If you have trouble with the new site, please be careful when clicking these links. Until a suitable replacement is made, I will still be using Ravelry for some things, though I’m transitioning other bits away. Stay turned for a deeper dive into what I’m working on for that.

April

I’ve kept up knitting one pair of socks per month from my Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Sock Squad yarn. April’s was a delightful bright yellow that I’ve been wearing when I need cheering up, or when the mornings are chilly.

I finished my Lizzie Shawl by Susanne Sommer and love, love, love the way the colors work together. I used a kit from TréLiz in colors Sealskin and Careless Whisper.

I started working on the teeniest tiniest project I have ever made (and probably will ever make): a shawl using laceweight yarn on size 00 (1.75 mm) needles. I swatched many different things before finally settling on a heavily modified Peach Tree Shawl by Sylvia McFadden — heavily modified because Sylvia’s pattern uses DK yarn! It may take me an entire year to finish, but in the end I think it’s going to work out really well.

I didn’t sew much in April — I made a couple of masks, but everything else felt like too much.

May

I got a little bit of my sewing mojo back in May — I pieced together some Ace & Jig scraps that I had lying around the house. I’d like to make a quilt and once I pieced together what I had, I did some quick math and figured out that I needed a few more scraps to make something lap-sized, so now I have a lot of half-square triangles waiting for more A&J scraps to turn into a larger quilt.

It was #MeMadeMay and I had a very low-key celebration of occasionally wearing clothes I made, and mostly continuing to wear comfortable lounge clothes.

I finished another Junebug and Darlin cross stitch, and despite my best intentions it’s still sitting on the TV table waiting for me to soak it and stretch it out.

My May Sock Squad socks were this lovely tweedy purple, and I picked this pattern (Astrantia by Helen Stewart) because it had enough interest at the beginning but then turned into plain vanilla once you got past the heel.

I kept working on my teeny tiny Peach Trees shawl — so much so that when I switched back to sock needles (a very small US 1.5 / 2.5 mm) I was shocked by how big they felt in my hands.

And I also bought an Electric Eel Wheel Nano, a small portable spinning wheel. I noticed a few people post about it on Instagram, and it was at a size- and price-point that I was comfortable with, and friends — I love it. I spun up the rest of my practice roving, immediately ordered more from a local farm, and then quickly ordered even more fiber, this time from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Now I just have to balance my spinning with my yarn stash, which keeps growing even though I tell myself I have enough yarn.

June

I spun up this braid of Polwarth from Neighborhood Fiber Co. and then plied it, and I am in love with the colors it made. The Nano wheel has small bobbins, so I wound up with several small skeins (40g or less), which is fine for a beginner (that’s me), but I can also see myself wanting to be able to spin more on a bigger bobbin. But the whole point of buying the Nano was to try a small electric spinning wheel, and by that criteria, I’ve been extremely successful.

June’s Sock Squad socks were the Lyne socks by Dawn Henderson, who writes such gorgeous patterns. I love these shortie socks and may just make lots of shortie socks for the rest of the year, but we’ll see where the wind takes me on that front.

I kept knitting my teeny tiny Peach Trees, and I also started a test knit for Transmutation Knits using this soft and shiny purple Linen-Alpaca blend.

Phew! Are you tired? Because I’m tired. And I haven’t even talked about the important stuff like the momentum in the Black Lives Matter movement and how the pandemic has laid bare the hideousness of capitalism and the way I see crafting as inextricably linked to our liberation. I’m not as good at writing about that stuff anymore, but I’m working on it.

March Roundup

Well, what a weird month March has been, huh? I have been working remotely the entire month — first because I caught a cold from my mom during my visit to Colorado, and then because the whole country has been slowly shutting down to contain COVID-19, starting with Seattle. Somehow the month has whizzed by as I’ve adjusted to sleeping in later (!), getting into a work-from-home groove, and trying to decide if upping my coffee intake has been a good idea or a great idea.

In terms of projects: I hemmed and put buttons on my black wool Estuary skirt and wore it exactly one time before social distancing kicked in. I finished my Brontë Sister Shawl, I knit my March Sock Squad Socks, and I (finally) started my Lizzie Shawl, which I may or may not finish later today.

I love the way my Brontë Sister Shawl by Lindsey Fowler turned out. I used three of Junkyarn’s Little Women colors: Marmee, Beth, and Louisa.

March Socks: Brioche Toe-Up Socks by Lavanya Patricella. As I said on Instagram, I’m really glad I didn’t have to knit these on the bus, because two-at-a-time two-color brioche socks are not for the faint of heart. Luckily I just knit these on my couch, where I could untangle the yarn after each row to my heart’s content.

I’m very close to being done with my Lizzie Shawl by Susanne Sommer, using a kit I preordered from TréLiz in October. I have one pattern repeat left and then the giant icord bind-off, so if I don’t finish it tonight I’m betting I’ll get to it tomorrow. I am so in love with the way these two colors knit up together, and this yarn is a dream.

I’ve also been learning how to spin! I bought a drop spindle and some roving and am slowly getting used to the way fiber feels and how it spins up. It’ll definitely take me a while to improve, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is how learning something new works.

Outfits: I’m going to be honest here, there were about three days this month where I put on “real” clothes, although one of them was the day I wore my new Estuary Skirt.

Up next: I need to pick a pattern for my April socks. I might start on my Indira using Ocean By The Sea’s yarn, I might (slowly) pick back up where I left off on my Seven Wonders sweater, or I might finally knit the Ursa Sweater I’ve been planning with a delightful colorway from Earl Grey Fiber Company.

February Roundup

February was a relatively unsurprising month, and went so much faster than January. I made great progress on my Brontë Sister Shawl, I almost finished knitting that bulky weight scarf for my coworker, and I knit my February Sock Squad socks. I also sewed most of my black wool Estuary Skirt (!) and just have the buttons and the bottom hem left.

February Socks: Winter Rose Socks by Helen Stewart. This month’s yarn was a merino/cashmere mix, and I wanted something delicate but cozy to go along with it. My new bar for sock knitting patterns is “can I memorize it fast enough to knit on the bus?” and the answer to this one was absolutely yes, I can.

Outfits, there were 14 days where I wore at least one thing I made. Most popular: my Dusk Light Shawl, my Trelawney Scarf, my Rose Cardigan, and my clay Estuary Skirt. I’ve also been wearing my knitted socks more, but I don’t keep track of those in the same way.

Up next: This morning I started on my March Sock Squad Socks — I’m making a three-color Brioche Toe-Up Socks by Lavanya Patricella. It’s possible that I’ll finish my Bronte Sisters Shawl this month, or I may start on something else on my list. It’s interesting how I used to be such a project monogamist but am really leaning in to having several projects on my needles to switch things up.

January Roundup

I don’t know about you, but January felt like an eternity, and I’m so glad it’s over. February isn’t much better weather-wise in Seattle, but at least it’s not January, and I get to visit my nephews at the end of the month. This month, I finally finished the top ribbing on a pair of socks that I’d started in October but had to pause for a month or so while waiting for my wrist to be less mad at me, I knit a pair of socks out of my Farmer’s Daughter Fibers January Sock Squad, and I finished my Dusk Light shawl by Sylvia McFadden. I didn’t sew anything, which feels appropriate for how January felt.

Dusk Light: Used two skeins of Arby’s by Valkyrie Fibers in the most luminous, amazing purple. In the days since I blocked it, I’ve worn it about 90% of the time.

Kia Socks by Dawn Henderson: Used Grab the Bull By The Horns by the Farmer’s Daughter Fibers sock squad for January. 10/10 for both yarn and pattern.

For outfits, there were 13 days I wore at least one thing I made myself. I’m figuring out how I want to do this section, but I do want to keep better track of how and when I wear my me-mades, and in what types of outfits. For now, it may just be a monthly number.

As for new projects, I started a Brontë Sisters Shawl using three of Junkyarn’s Little Women colors, and I finally started a bulky cowl I promised my coworker I’d make her. Today I’ll probably cast on my February socks so that I can get started on them on the bus tomorrow.

2020 Plans

I know right now that I’m not going to get everything done in 2020 that I want to make, but I want to collect it all here so that I can keep track of it somewhere. In 2020, I want to sew/knit down my stash, because I acquired a lot of stuff in 2019. There are definitely things I’m going to buy — I want to make a Clare Coat and my parents bought me some lovely wool melton for Christmas, but I still need to buy the lining — but I want the majority of my projects to use materials I already have.

Sewing

• Clare Coat

  • Like I said, I have some wool melton from my parents (although they only had 2 yards in stock when they ordered), and I just need to pick a lining, order more wool (and cross my fingers), and get started.

• Wiksten Shift tops:

  • I have fabric that Arounna from Bookhou designed

  • My parents got me this lovely linen/wool doublegauze that I want to try piecing a top out of, to get the most of the double-sided-ness

  • I have some octopus print fabric that will likely turn into this top too

• Wiksten Shift Dress

  • I have fabric with metallic gold skulls on it that will, eventually, become a dress. I also have leftover mustard twill that may also turn into a Wiksten dress

• Kelly Anorak

  • Yes, this has been in my queue for at least a year, maybe two. I think I’ve finally decided that I want to line this, so I’m going to get the lining expansion and some lining, and then I’ll actually make it.

• Wool Estuary Skirt

  • I have some mystery wool from my grandmother that I think should be enough to make this. This should be higher on my list because I’d like to make it while I can still wear it this winter, so that means soon.

• Rainbow Estuary Skirt

  • I bought some delightful rainbow linen over the summer but haven’t made anything yet, and how fortuitous for me that I got distracted, because it will make the most amazing Estuary skirt.

• Several varieties of Sew Liberated’s new Lichen Duster

  • Obviously I need this in a super-luxurious silk or velvet to lounge around the house in, and I’d love to make this out of a twill or similar to wear out and about.

Knitting

• Dusk Light (in progress) using Valkyrie Fibers yarn in the most luminous purple

• I’d like to finish my Seven Wonders sweater

• Kia Socks using Farmer’s Daughter Fibers January Sock Squad yarn

  • On the socks note, I signed up for FDF’s Sock Squad, and I have a (very tentative) goal of making one pair of socks per month? On the one hand, it may be easy because I can knit on the bus. On the other hand, I may get nothing else made and might re-prioritize in a couple months.

• Ursa Sweater using Earl Grey Fiber Co’s English Breakfast Bulky in Moth Wings

• Sizzle Pop using two of my own indigo-dyed skeins of yarn

• Brontë Sister Shawl using three of Junkyarn’s Little Women colors

• Indira using (hopefully) some Ocean by the Sea yarn that I ordered

• A scarf I’m going to design that marls neon and greyscale speckled yarn from Black Cat Fibers

• Cozy Classic Raglan using yarn I haven’t decided on yet

• Lizzie or Brioche Tiles (I still can’t decide!) using a TréLiz kit that I couldn’t resist

• Shifty using House of A La Mode in neon colors

• Ember using a variety of yarn I keep changing my mind about

Weaving

Oh, I weave? Have I had the same project on my rigid heddle loom for approximately 1.5 years? Yes, and yes. I’d like to finish that project, because I have at least two plans for more woven scarves, perhaps even using something other than plain weave — but we’ll see about that part. I have two skeins of silk/merino from Sweet Georgia that I got at Knit City, and two skeins of yak/bamboo from Bijou Basin Ranch that I got at last year’s Taos Wool and Fiber Festival.

What Else Could I Possibly Have Ideas About?

I’m so glad you asked. I have a few damaged Ace & Jig pieces that I’d like to piece into a variety of things — pants into a top, a dress into a half-square-triangle block, lots of scraps that I can make scrappy things out of. I also have some indigo scraps that I’d like to piece together to make something. I still have my hand-dyed quilt top that I dyed a backing for but have not yet quilted together, because I want to hand quilt it and that still feels intimidating. I want to keep cross-stitching. I want to keep dyeing yarn and fabric. And we all know I’ll probably find another new hobby in 2020 that I won’t be able to resist.

2019: The Final Quarter

I’m in about the same #2019MakeNine place as I was when I last posted, except I finished my Courage Shawl. The Kelly Anorak is still waiting for me, I still haven’t brought myself to make an FBA for the Farrow Dress, I haven’t even thought about the Lou Box Dress, and I still have no further ideas for which blazer/jacket I want to make, although I have decided that I want it to be with two-sided fabric. But all that non-progress on my official Make Nine doesn’t mean I didn’t make anything in the last few months!

So, what else did I make from September — December?

• Piton Socks with yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Co

• Wiksten Haori #3 with Quilted Jacquard Cotton from Merchant & Mills

• Gypsum Skirt with spruce-colored silk noil

• Holiday Dress with deadstock art-deco style fabric from La Mercerie

• Poinsettia Cross Stitch kit from Junebug and Darlin

• A Scarf for my Father out of Poppy Yarn and Fibre that I picked up at Knit City

Other things that happened this quarter: I got a new job, I started teaching an online class, and I took my final online class for the post-Master’s Knowledge Management certificate I’ve been working on — so it’s safe to say this was a really busy semester for me, and my making-plans went a little sideways.

I also started having trouble with my wrist, so even though I started a Seven Wonders sweater in the most amazing Farmer’s Daughter Fibers tweed that I’m super pumped about, I had to put it aside for a while because it was too much stress on my wrist. I’m still not entirely sure I can pick it back up again regularly, but I think if I take it slow I’ll be okay. So, instead of knitting the last three or so months, I’ve been sewing more and starting another new hobby — cross stitch.

Junebug and Darlin makes amazing cross stitch kits, and I picked up three of them when she was up at Urban Craft Uprising in December. This poinsettia wreath was a perfect starter and an equally perfect gift for my mom, who loves poinsettias. I’m already working on my second — Be Bold.

This fabric is absolutely amazing, and even though it frayed like anything it was really fun to work with and I love how cozy my third Wiksten Haori is. This time I made the mid-length, and I lined it with a nice toffee colored tencel. I even have a bit left over that I think I can make a top out of!

This is the only picture of my Gypsum Skirt — I’ve been trying to find ‘good’ places to take outfit photos at work, and this spot usually has a reasonable amount of natural light, though you can see I still have some work to do on angles. I pushed this up my to-make list when I found this amazing spruce-colored silk noil. I’ve been layering it with leggings and sweaters (especially my hand-knit sweaters), and it’s been perfect for our Seattle winter so far. Plus, it has extra large pockets for yarn and snacks.

I’ve been thinking about my plans for 2020, and I’ll post about those soon.

My #2019MakeNine: Round 1

The List

It’s September, which means that the year is more than half over, and I’m almost (but not quite) halfway through this list. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been making things — I have 10 knitting projects finished so far out of my challenge of 15, I made another Dress #2 (always), I went through a tank-top-making phase in the early summer, and I made Sew Liberated’s newly released Estuary Skirt out of this amazing clay-colored linen. My main goal with this project (as with many new things lately) was to be more intentional about the things I’m making - am I contributing to a cohesive and multipurpose wardrobe, or am I continuing to add a mishmash of things to my closet? (I think the answer so far this year is both, really.) So, you’ll notice that I made some updates to the list, but I think I’ve held true to the underlying goal for each make.

✓ Rose Cardigan
☐ Farrow Dress
✓ Palisade Pants
☐ Kelly Anorak
✓ Wiksten Haori
✓ Some Other Pants Estuary Skirt
☐ Teroldego Shawl Courage Shawl
☐ Lou Box Dress
☐ Some Sort of Blazer/Jacket

The Makes

I’ve blogged about the Rose Cardigan and my second Wiksten Haori before, so I’m going to skip those. The maker of the Palisade Pants is unfortunately problematic, so this is probably the last time I’ll talk about this pattern by name.

My new Estuary Skirt, on the other hand, is one of my new favorite makes, and I already have a second and third planned. I still have plans to make more pants, but as my #memademay adventure showed, I don’t have a lot of bottoms, so I think swapping this out on my official list doesn’t change the intent that much.

I’ve been waiting for this pattern ever since I saw one of Meg’s Instagram posts with her wearing one — and I knew exactly what I was going to use to make it. I bought this linen with the original goal of making a tank top and shorts fake-jumpsuit combo, but that all changed as soon as this skirt came around. I sewed this while visiting a friend in Santa Fe (where I also helped her make some pants!), and the color-material-pattern combo was perfect for a late-July sewing project.

The Plans

My Courage Shawl is in progress, and I changed this one because the underlying goal here was to make something large that I could wrap around myself — which is definitely true of the Courage Shawl.

Farrow Dress: I’m still saving the perfect grey fabric for this, and during my insert-a-bust-dart adventure I figured out what was holding me back - it’s that this pattern doesn’t have bust darts, and in order for this to work as a sleeveless dress, I’d need to go an FBA. Now that I’m more comfortable with doing an FBA, I just have to actually alter the pattern to make this work.

Kelly Anorak: Still have the material, still don’t have the finishing kit, still planning on making it — eventually.

Lou Box Dress: This one has just been on the back burner for a while, but I know I’ll get around to it.

Blazer/Jacket: I think I’m leaning toward a Berlin Jacket with some as-yet-unpurchased boiled wool, but I’m also letting the hint of fall that I’m starting to feel lead me on this one.

#MeMadeMay 2019 Roundup

The Wears

I made some basic rules for myself — I didn’t want this to be stressful, so I gave myself weekends off to wear whatever caught my fancy. There were a couple times that I worked from home and didn’t get out of my PJs, so in those cases I usually made up for it on the weekends. I also challenged myself to wear something unique every day — I could repeat things, but only if I also wore something I hadn’t yet worn that month. That made it easier to think up outfits that complemented each other and combined pieces I like, and I didn’t have to worry so much about “repeating” myself.

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Overall impressions: I have a lot of me-mades! Also, May is a tricky month: as the weather warms up, I have fewer me-mades to wear since the majority of mine are sweaters and scarves. For instance, I didn’t get to wear my Dreyma cardigan because it never got cold enough, I didn’t really get to wear any of my sweaters (only one day was cold enough!), and I really only wore 5 different scarves (out of 17).

In general, Me-Made May made me think differently about how and when I wear my me-mades. I do usually try to wear something I’ve made every day, but I don’t often thinking about not repeating myself over the course of an entire month (as opposed to a week or two weeks). I also found myself wearing fewer RTW tops that I really like because I don’t have a whole lot of me-made bottoms to wear them with.

The Makes

I didn’t go in to May planning on making anything specific, but I did find myself inspired throughout the month. First, I finally found an amazing lining for my second Wiksten Haori jacket to go with the chambray I found in January, so I made that.

Second, one major thing I noticed about my wardrobe is that I don’t have a lot of warm weather clothes like t-shirts or tank tops. On a whim, I went to JoAnn and bought a tank top pattern from Butterick. Little did I know that Butterick patterns hail from the 1800s for their sizing, but luckily with a bit of fussing I made it work (including adding bust darts where there were none!). I’ve made a couple more adjustments in the ones I’ve made since, and I think I’ve finally found a winner. I may or may not be planning on making about 20 more…

Overall, I think my first #MeMadeMay was a success!

Sweaters for Days

I’ve made sweaters before, but since November I’ve been pretty consistently on a knit-all-the-sweaters kick, and I thought I’d collect them all here.

Zweig

This one started when I bought a skein of Farmers Daughters Fibers yarn to use as a contrast color and realized I had the perfect main color from Fidalgo Artisan Yarns already in my stash. I’ve written about this one many times before, so I’ll just let the picture speak for itself.

Weekender

This was my Christmas-vacation knit: I got the entire body done while visiting my parents, and finished up the sleeves when I got home. I love the exposed seam, the combination of reverse stockinette + regular stockinette, and the way the yarn colors knit up.

Dreyma

This has been in the works for a while — I love the pattern and bought the yarn for this in Iceland in September, but knew I couldn’t make a pullover out of Léttlopi and wear it comfortably in Seattle, so I decided to convert it to a cardigan. It is surprisingly satisfying to knit a whole thing in the round (take that, purling!) but still have it be a cardigan at the end of things. I can definitely say I’m hooked.

Rose

This is the most interestingly constructed sweater that I’ve ever made, and likely the most satisfying. I am in love with everything about it — the yarn, the pattern, the fade — and I’ve worn it almost every day since I finished it.

In the works

I started knitting a Caitlin over the weekend using some amazing colors from Valkyrie Fibers’ Stone Lore series. I also have plans for Nordiska using some amazing yarn from Ocean By The Sea as soon as I swatch up some contrast colors to make a final decision, and I bought some (more) House of A La Mode yarn to make a Shifty Sweater.

My #2019MakeNine

I’ve never participated in one of these before, though I’ve definitely made nine things in a year (last year I knit 15 projects, and that doesn’t count all the sewing!). But I like the idea of planning out a year and really considering what kinds of clothes and accessories I want to make. Turns out most of these have been on my list for a while anyway, and it feels nice to write down some actual plans, instead of playing by ear!

(If you’re not sure what the “Make Nine” challenge is you can check out the original post from a few years ago and the official instagram.)

Rose Cardigan

I’ve already made a start on this one — in a previous post I talked about being unable to resist a black heart fade kit from House of A La Mode. Not only am I in love with Heather’s colors and the way they fade together, the Rose Cardigan is also the most interestingly constructed garment I’ve ever knitted, so it’s been really fun to knit.

Farrow Dress

I’ve had this one in my plans for a while and still haven’t gotten around to making it, so I’m hoping that writing it on this list will actually get it done! I’ve already made one Farrow Dress and I love it. My plan for this one is to make a sleeveless version with this lovely grey wool-silk blend that I found in a bargain bin at the fabric store. It’s technically not wide enough for the pattern, so I’m hoping that I can play pattern-tetris successfully.

Palisade Pants

I bought some lovely yarn-dyed linen for this pattern, which is my baby-step in to sewing pants (gulp!)

Kelly Anorak

I’ve wanted to make one of these for a while, and bought some amazing twill from La Mercerie. My goal is actually to make two - this one is going to be charcoal and will have naturally dyed & pieced accent pockets, and the other will be something toffee colored with a lining. But before I tackle a lined coat, I’m going to make the unlined version out of the fabric I already have!

(Another) Wiksten Haori

The same day I bought that yarn-dyed linen, I also found a lovely chambray that I just couldn’t leave at the store. I don’t have the exact plans or a lining fabric yet, but I’m thinking a short version of the Wiksten Haori.

Some Other Pants

Assuming that my Palisade Pants are successful, I’d like to try and sew another pair of pants, as yet undetermined. Ginger Jeans? Not-yet-released Philippa Pants? Lander Pants? We’ll find out!

Teroldego Shawl

I actually started this shawl with some yarn that I dyed up, but stopped after a couple inches because I didn’t like the way the colors all went together. So, while this is still on my list it’s awaiting some more thought and color work before it turns into a real thing.

Lou Box Dress

I spied someone wearing this at my LYS and fell in love with it — I have no fabric ideas for it, but definitely want to make one.

Some Sort of Blazer/Jacket

There are so many good blazer/jacket ideas out there! I’m in love with the Berlin Jacket, the Sapporo Coat, the Tory Wrap Coat, and the Fulton Sweater Blazer. And I’m willing to bet that I find even more as the year goes on.

All the Sweater Plans

I spent a lot of this month knitting and sewing a lot of things for other people, which is both satisfying and extremely annoying at the same time — I love giving people presents of things I’ve made, but I don’t like having to give a thing I made away, and I also worry about them not liking it. Now that I’m done with all of those not-for-me things, I’ve been keeping a list of all the things I’m going to make next. For some reason, they’ve all turned out to be sweaters, so it looks like 2019 is going to start off with a very comfortable but slow bang.

First up is finishing my Weekender Sweater, made with Hello Stella Worsted in Lavender Latte, which I snagged from La Mercerie.

Next, I’m going to participate in Karen Templar’s steekalong, although instead of knitting Sólbein I’m going to make a green Dreyma Cardigan, which is what I had already planned on making with my Icelandic Léttlopi haul. The steekalong coincides nicely with my existing plan to convert Dreyma from a pullover to a cardigan by learning how to steek (thanks to inspiration from Rachel Price, aka half of Spincycle Yarns), and I’m glad that my first steeking experience won’t be a solo adventure.

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A post shared by Jenn Steingass (@knit.love.wool) on Dec 13, 2018 at 11:35am PST

Then, I’m going to make a Black Heart Fade version of Andrea Mowry’s Rose Cardigan, with this amazing fade I bought from House of A La Mode. Heather is also holding a HOALM winter knitalong featuring Andrea’s patterns, so by default I’ll be participating in this one, too!

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A post shared by Heather | House of A La Mode (@houseofalamode) on Dec 11, 2018 at 9:34am PST

After that I might need to take a break from sweaters, but I also did just buy Dissent by Andrea Rangel, and I might be tempted to make one sooner rather than later…

2018: In Review

I don’t always believe in arbitrary markers of time, but I do enjoy thinking about the year end around this time — it’s a good space to reflect, summarize, and make plans. A lot has happened this year: I made a Kickstarter, started natural dyeing experiments, published my first knitting pattern, bought way too much yarn, knit up a storm, and started sewing more of my own clothes. Here’s a list of my highlights for 2018.

I launched a Kickstarter to help fund my experiments in learning natural dyeing, and I had so much fun making different color combinations and seeing how different fabrics dyed up. For this whole Kickstarter rewards batch, I used liquid natural dyes from Botanical Colors.

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For my last project before I learned continental-style knitting, I made a Whippet Cardigan, still one of my favorite projects ever.

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My first continental knit project was La Crau by Melanie Berg, which was perfect for it - rows and rows of garter stitch and the occasional slipped stitch, no purling required! It was ridiculously slow going for the first bit, but I got speedier as I got more comfortable with the new configuration of my fingers.

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I experimented with bundle dyeing, with mixed results — definitely something I’d love to practice more. I also started creating my own dyes using plants (rosemary, sage, pomegranate skins, pine cones), and am excited to see what else I can use to create new colors.

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I pieced the top of a half-square-triangle quilt, dyed with my Botanical Colors dyes (indigo, madder, cutch, and pomegranate+iron).

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I decided to un-stitch and then kitchener the bottom of my Tegna sweater after changing my mind about colors halfway through — another experiment that turned out really well and a new staple in my wardrobe.

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I went to Iceland and bought all of the Icelandic yarn, basked in the unfathomable landscape, and soaked in as many hot springs as I could.

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I published my first official pattern on Ravelry.

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I took a trip to the Taos Wool and Fiber Festival, and while I was there had the rare pleasure of doing some tea-dyeing experiments with a dear friend.

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I dyed a last few batches of yarn before the new year, and immediately wound up three skeins to work on while I’m on vacation.

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And I knitted a Zweig Sweater, which I blocked immediately (a rarity for me) and haven’t worn yet, but which I’m sure will become another wardrobe staple.

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Well, it’s certainly been a year, and that’s only the fiber side of it! I’m excited to see what next year brings, but just as excited to take a break and knit mindlessly on my Weekender Sweater for a bit.

Sleeve Island, Speedy Knitting, and Too Many Ideas

I’m not often a person who has multiple projects going at once - I like to see something through from start to finish without getting distracted. Maybe it’s just this month, maybe it’s the impending holidays, maybe it’s my ideas getting carried away, but I’ve had two or three projects going at once since the beginning of November. Some of them were easy decisions - I decided to pause knitting my Zweig and start my Occhiello Sweater (unfortunately for me, it's a sample knit which means I have to send it off soon!) before my trip to Vancouver, because I knew I’d have a lot of knitting time and I didn’t want to run out of something to knit. But for that, I just switched projects entirely and didn’t go between them, so does that count? In the last couple weeks, I’ve been switching between my Zweig (where I am firmly on Sleeve Island, which for this sweater feels somehow more unbearable than for Occhiello) and two other secret projects for gifts. It feels like I’m avoiding knitting my sleeves because they’re taking forever, but with that same logic, if I just knit them instead of pretending they don’t exist then I’d be done faster!

One thing that I’ve changed this year is that I learned how to knit continental style, for a variety of reasons. I’ve always been a tight knitter — my favorite story to tell is about when I first learned how to knit and was afraid that the stitches would fall off the side of the needle, which is literally impossible — and I’m a very slow purler. After watching videos of everyone speeding along with their continental style, I figured I might as well give it a whirl. So in March, on a giant shawl that was mostly garter stitch, I re-trained my brain.

Folks, it was agonizingly slow for a while there. It took me the entire shawl to get even semi-comfortable with picking instead of throwing, and I had to stare intently at each and every stitch. But now, six months later, I managed to finish that Occhiello sweater in two and a half weeks! I still can’t knit without looking at my hands (which I used to be able to do when throwing), but I think I’ll get there eventually.

I’ll admit, I went a little crazy with the yarn buying this month, and I only have vague plans for all of them. I bought two skeins of La Bien Aimée Merino Aran at the Tolt 5-year anniversary party, I bought some Lichen and Lace and Julie Asselin when I went to Vancouver, and I bought some Bedhead Fiber and The Dye Project from pop-ups at Seattle Yarn, plus a skein of my always-favorite Malabrigo for a secret project. Add that to all the yarn I bought in October, and I think I need to take a yarn-buying break for a bit to catch up on knitting everything!

What I’m consuming lately:

I just checked out the Knitter’s Book of Wool by Clara Parkes and Yarn Works: How to Spin, Dye, and Knit Your Own Yarn by Wendy Johnson from the library, and I’m looking forward to reading through them this weekend.

I recently finished the Ancillary Justice trilogy by Ann Leckie, which I cannot recommend highly enough. Each book just keeps getting better!

And I’ve been listening to Superstition, a podcast that’s delightful and creepy and full of small desert towns and mysteries.

New Pattern: Free Range Cables Cowl

I wrote and published a pattern on Ravelry!

The backstory: This summer, I headed down to Oregon for a beach weekend with my family. As usual, I brought my knitting everywhere (they thought it was hilarious) and snuck into all the yarn shops I could find. In one of them was this skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Single Sikly Targhee in this gorgeous combination of maroon, grey, yellow, and white, called Free Range Chickens. Of course, I had to buy it, and I spent the next couple of months thinking about what I’d want to make with it — something that showed off the colors but had a little bit of intrigue in it as well. Initially I thought I would make something poncho-like or shrug-like, but I kept coming back to something triangular.

I’m always intrigued by triangular scarves, the variety of construction techniques, and the different ways they can be worn. At the same time, I want cowls to work but they never seem to have the same drape on me that they have on other people. Sometimes I just want to pull something on over my head, you know? So when I thought about what kind of triangular poncho-cowl-shawl I could make, I eventually wound up with this: a triangular cowl with days of garter stitch and a growing cable pattern that goes down one side.

It’s cozy, warm, and most of all, really fun to wear.

You can find the pattern on Ravelry here, and until November 10th you’ll get 25% off when you use the code FREERANGECABLES. If you do knit it, let me know what you think!