Category Archives: Finds

New Favorites: Two surprising Quince scarves

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picks from the Quince and Co Scarves 2013 collection

The new Quince and Co. Scarves Etc. 2013 collection released on Tuesday (here’s the lookbook), and there’s lots of great, timeless stuff in there to love and knit. See especially Falmouth and Ebb. But to my great surprise, my favorites at first glance were the two with closures!, which I normally despise. I don’t know why, and this is a totally subjective personal thing, but I just do not like shawl pins — especially when they’re holding cardigans closed — and I don’t want to see buttons or toggles or anything else on a scarf. And yet somehow these two designs work for me. On the left is Greta by Elisa Cantolini, my very favorite. On the right is Grasshopper by Annie Gullion, the texture of which I love. (I confess to disliking the actual buttons used on the sample, which is part of my problem with closures: Good ones are hard to find.) Of course, it doesn’t hurt that both scarves are styled right up my alley — that jacket on the left could have come directly out of my closet, and the grey yarn diffuses the potential cutesiness of the ties. So hooray for simple styling. My compliments to everyone involved.

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Knit the Look: Ilva Heitmann’s waffled toque

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how to knit Ilva Heitmann's rust-colored waffle beanie

Ilva Heitmann looks like she was born to wear this rust-colored waffle-stitch beanie, doesn’t she? Knitting your own requires only that you know how to knit and purl, knit in the round, and work the most basic decreases. In fact, this would be a great project for someone looking to advance their beginner knitting skills. All you need is the Breakfast Waffles Hat pattern (free download) from Rosencrantz Knits, and two skeins of Quince and Co’s Lark yarn in Nasturtium. To make it even more like Ilva’s, stop the ribbing a few rows sooner than the pattern specifies. Then switch to larger needles (US7s or even 8s) and add a few extra repeats of the waffle pattern before decreasing. That’ll give it a little more slouch. (Bonus: You might even have enough yarn left over to knit a pair of Hannah Fettig’s 70-yard mitts, which one can never have enough of.)

See Vanessa’s original post for recommendations on the coat to go with.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Among the best of the best of Fall 2013 knits

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A.L.C. Fall 2013 sweaters

I’m trying to get caught up with the Fall 2013 collections from the big three Europe fashion weeks — so far Paris is killing me! — but I keep getting drawn back to the A.L.C. collection images, and these sweaters in particular, which I either missed or they released after the official end of NYFW? Anyway, great basic sweaters, flawlessly done with interesting details, and beautifully paired. I even like the pink giraffe-spotted one. But that color-blocked turtleneck above is just heaven. Definitely one of the best of the best of the season.

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On a separate note, you may have noticed I’ve started featuring one worthwhile post from the archives each week in the right rail of the blog. Since a lot of readers don’t see the right rail, I’m going to try making a note of the selection within Monday’s post. So, this week’s ICYMI post is The other breed of colorwork.

March, thanks and Elsewhere

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irish mesh cowl fancy tiger dresses heidi kirrmaier and sarai mitnick

Happy March already! And I mean happy. It’s Friday, we’re days away from Daylight Savings time, and an astonishing number of people read Fringe Association in February. So I want to say a huge heartfelt thank you, again, to everyone who likes the blog well enough to not only read it day after day, but to help spread the word about it. Every link, tweet, pin, fave, etc really means so much to me. I can’t say that enough.

Speaking of spreading the love through linking, it’s been awhile since we had an Elsewhere, so here we go:

— Seasonally appropriate in every way: My beloved friend and knitting mentor Jo Strong has published her (free) Irish Mesh Cowl pattern. (I have a couple of hanks of green Manos on hand and am wondering how this would look at aran gauge.)

— Loved Fancy Tiger’s QuiltCon recap, plus their lead-up posts on the dresses they made to wear to the event. This one is my favorite. Or maybe this one.

— Great interview with designer Heidi Kirrmaier on the Quince blog.  Plus back-to-back interviews with Gudrun Johnson and Ysolda Teague at Amirisu.

— Crazy. (via)

— Another yarn portrait at Design Sponge. (This time hung on the wall; see the second photo.)

— Thought-provoking post by Sarai Mitnick on the decline in quality of mid-range clothing.

— The jewel-encrusted beanie rage continues.

— Etsy blog on the Master Knitter program. (Who knew?)

— And I’m thankful to Stephanie Madewell at Even Cleveland for this Pippi Longstocking quote.

FYI, with regard to that cardigan conundrum, I cast on Acer the other night. Don’t forget to share what you’re working on this weekend. Inquiring minds want to know …

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The next big hat trend — but what’s it called?

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Victoria Beckham giant knitted hat

Is there a name for this kind of Russian-y rolled-brim beanie? The mega version above was worn by half the models at the Victoria, Victoria Beckham show, but I’ve been noticing them popping up here and there. Witness the bright pink one on street-style darling Miroslava Duma, and the vintage YSL green number on Refinery 29’s Christine Barberich. I don’t think I’ve ever stumbled across a pattern, so if nobody beats me to it, I might have to work one up. Because I’m telling you: all the rage next year.

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New Favorites: A wrap too dear

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amazing seed stitch wrap knitting pattern from the purl bee

Ever since this Amazing Seed Stitch Wrap pattern appeared on The Purl Bee the other day, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I’m going to venture a guess that Joelle Hoverson herself is behind this one, and in a lot of ways it’s the embodiment of what I love about The Purl Bee: their dedication to simple, unfussy patterns that are within reach, skill-wise, of the average knitter or crocheter. But while they keep the silhouettes and skills simple, the projects are far from boring. They demonstrate how brilliant it is to choose great materials and then not get in their way. (In all my years as a print designer, I was always more concerned with the choice of paper than what I was going to obscure it with.) This wrap, like I said, is perhaps the ultimate example of that — it’s just a seed-stitch rectangle! But the most stunning seed-stitch rectangle imaginable.

Unfortunately, the flip side of this particular coin is that, in this case, they’ve chosen the materials so well that it’s way out of reach, financially, for … well, certainly for me. They’ve put together a kit of the 11 premium yarns involved, and it can be yours for just $407.40 (plus tax/shipping). So … sad Karen, jealous of (and happy for!) the lucky Purl Soho customers who can actually afford to knit this. I’d say my new mission is to find yarn substitutions that would lower the price tag without compromising the result, but I’m not sure it can be done. It’s just so lusciously perfect exactly as it is.

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Knit the Look: Elena Perminova’s dolman pullover

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how to knit Elena Perminova's boxy, dolman-sleeved sweater

This outfit of Elena Perminova’s is delightfully idiosyncratic, but the sweater itself is easy enough to come by. Boxy, dolman-sleeved sweaters like this have been trending for the past couple of years, so you have some options if you want to knit your own. I’d go with Ririko’s Relax pattern. For the closest approximation of Elena’s sweater, you’d want to knit it out of a yarn that’s classic and slightly crunchy, like Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Sweatshirt, and elongate both the body and sleeves. (Perhaps omitting the edge treatments in both places as well.) Another option is Joji Locatelli’s Boxy pattern.

To complete the look, see Vanessa’s recommendations here and here for stand-out trousers.

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission