Category Archives: Finds

Knit the Look: Elin Kling’s little black turtleneck

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how to knit Elin Kling's little black turtleneck

Apart from being an irredeemable minimalist, I’m a great lover of sweaters paired with lighter-weight clothes and some bare skin. It’s one of my favorite things about living in the Bay Area: We get to do that all year. Elsewhere, of course, this is what’s known as transitional dressing. All of which means I’m obviously gonna love Elin Kling’s minimalist, trans-season ensemble of a little black turtleneck sweater with Audrey-style trousers and flats. Of course, a little black turtleneck (LBT, anyone?), being a timeless wardrobe staple, isn’t generally expensive or hard to come by in stores, but by knitting your own you can customize the fit and use whatever fiber you like. I’d suggest a pattern that has a tiny bit more interest (both in the knitting and the wearing) such as Julie Hoover’s Hudson, which you could knit in anything from the hardworking Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Cast Iron to the luxe Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere in La Nuit.

See Vanessa’s recommendations for the rest of the outfit.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Happiness is a pompom

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one sheepish girl pompom magnets and pushpins

My sincere apologies to anyone who’s eagerly awaiting the next installment of the top-down tutorial. Between especially taxing tax prep and a pile of freelance work, I’ve been too crunched for time to do either the knitting or the writing for it! But I hope to have it together for Thursday. Meanwhile, these cheerful pompom magnets by Meredith Crawford (aka One Sheepish Girl) had me smiling through the stress yesterday, so I wanted to share them. They would have made me grin even if not for the presence of the Fringe postcard* in the pic, but how great does it look in that shot? Love it — thanks, Meredith. Be sure to check out her mini-tutorial for the pompom magnets and pushpins.

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*For anyone who doesn’t know, there’s one of these in every Fringe Supply Co. order.

New Favorites: Sleeveless turtlenecks

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best sleeveless turtleneck sweater knitting patterns

Under my bed are a few bins of clothes that I don’t wear but can’t part with. Some because they have sentimental value and some because I just loved them so much that when it was time to stop wearing them I couldn’t let them go. And that includes multiple decades-old sleeveless turtlenecks. What is it about them? I have no idea. But I’d like to knit all of these:

1. Amber by Lisa Richardson

2. Frontenac by Julie Hoover

3. Siri by Caroline Lang

4. Danforth by Pam Allen

(And I don’t mean to put them under the bed.)

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Note to Nashville readers: There are “High-fiber” tote bags on their way to the shimmering Haus of Yarn. Ask for them in a few days!

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Elsewhere: Yarn news, Q&A’s, inspiration and more

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yarn news, Q&A's, inspiration and more

Yarn news:
— Quince and Co. has released their first alpaca blend yarn, a worsted-weight beauty called Owl. I tend to love alpaca in the skein and not so much in the finished product, but have high hopes for this one. In addition to being blended with wool, it’s woolen-spun, so hopefully not so dense and oppressive feeling as I find typical alpacas to be. And I love even more that it’s overdyed, so the natural tone and heathering of the wool come through the color. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of this. There’s also a new pattern to go with: the Sherwood Mitts by Pam Allen.
— My local yarn store, A Verb for Keeping Warm, is collaborating with Sally Fox on a California wool. They’ve got the first samples in hand, but I haven’t been in yet to plead for a chance to squeeze it. I’ll post more once it’s actually up for sale. I’m super excited about this.

Some good Q&A’s:
— with knitwear designer-photographer Carrie Bostick Hoge at A Butterfly in My Hair
— with knitwear designer Tara-Lynn Morrison at Beaux Mondes
— with Alpaca rancher Sara Bender at Blue Sky Alpacas blog
— with knitwear designer Helga Isager at the Knitterly blog
— and I love love LOVE this video profile of denim artisan Loren Cronk at Anthology’s blog. Magnificent.

Pretty, inspiring things:
— Heather Taylor on cochineal dyeing at Beatrice Valenzuela’s home
— home tour with a weaver at Design Sponge
— Um, Wooly Heads — not sure what to say or think about that one (thanks, Jo!)
— and Karen Barbé’s great embroidery sampler on a simple canvas tote

Speaking of canvas totes, I shipped my first wholesale order this week — a big box of the High-fiber totes went out to In the Loop in Plainville MA (between Boston and Providence). So if you’re in the vicinity, look for it in their new location next week. The popularity of this tote bag continues to thrill me, especially as I’ve been receiving orders for them from around the globe. I love picturing it walking down the streets of Vancouver and Lyon! And also love it when people post pics of theirs to Instagram — that really warms my cockles. So thanks again to everyone who’s been shopping at Fringe Supply Co., and helping to make this blog possible in the process.

What are you working on this weekend?

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Knit the Look: Mary Kate Steinmiller’s lace-front jumper

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how to knit Mary Kate Steinmiller's lace-front jumper

You may remember Mary Kate Steinmiller from my aran sweater reveries, as the adorable genius in the Crewcuts’ sweater. Here she is again, in the same great shoes and another quirky pullover-with-skirt ensemble. This time, she’s sporting a white lace-front sweatshirt that, I have to confess, is a little ’80s-flashback-inducing for me. But it’s a great transitional item, and it brings to mind a sweater that’s been near the top of my to-knit list for awhile, Joji Locatelli’s Dragonflies Jumper pattern. To emulate Mary Kate’s sweater, knit it in Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk in White or Ecru. Or go with Debbie Bliss Cotton DK in White or Off-White, if you want it to be a spring/summer piece.

See Vanessa’s recommendations for the rest of the look.

(And see also Louhie’s recently finished Dragonflies — I love what she did with the back.)

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

New Favorites: Floral and fern mitts

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fingerless mitts knitting patterns by alicia plummer and clara parkes

Do you know it’s been more than a month since I’ve knitted a pair of fingerless mitts? Pretty sure that’s unprecedented. Right now, these floral- and fern-patterned beauties are calling my name:

LEFT: Antiquity fingerless gloves pattern by Alicia Plummer

RIGHT: Sweet Fern Mitts pattern by Clara Parkes (from “The Knitter’s Book of Wool,” which everyone should own!)

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Spring summarized in a single sweater

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Antipast Spring 2013 sweater shirt

I nearly fainted when I saw this sweater — shirt? sweatershirt? — Thursday morning (via Vanessa). This is all of Spring and a world of inspiration contained in a single garment, is it not? Airy panels of sweater pieces stitched onto what I assume is cotton voile. With clever gaps and pleats in the composition. Ugh, where are my smelling salts!! The label is Antipast, which I’ve never heard of before, and the sweater is on the blog of a Charleston SC shop called Worthwhile, but it’s not listed in their webshop. Unfortunately. Or maybe fortunately, because this is so beautiful and brilliant I might part with large sums of money for it, if given the chance.

What are you working on this weekend? Is the onset of Spring impacting your project choices or rate of progress, one way or another?

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