Elsewhere

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Elsewhere: yarny links for your clicking pleasure

From the thought-provoking to the entertaining, here are the latest links I think are worth following:

– Oh, but first: please tell The National Needlearts Association a little about yourself for a chance to win a $100 gift card

– I am So. Seeing. This movie. (Will watch once for the sweaters, once for the scenery, then again for the story)

– And wish I could see this exhibition

– In case you haven’t read it: The health benefits of knitting (h/t everyone)

– Major style crush

– Kate’s coat, swoon

– That time Jimmy Beans yarnbombed the Sundance Film Festival

– Angela Lansbury in a killer Cowichan-inspired sweater; and the pattern is still available! (h/t @cchandorf)

– Good interview with Tara St. James of Study-NY about building a sustainable fashion brand
— wouldn’t it be amazing if all clothing tags looked like this?

– The three types of books you should have in your knitting library

– And that’s gotta be a pretty awesome moment

IN SHOP NEWS: We’re about to be out of the black Field Bag for a minute (we have precious few at the moment!) while we get black and grey into our select Field Bag stores around the world, but we do have a fresh batch of grey in stock today! We also got in quite a few varieties of buttons this week, so if there’s a particular size/style you’ve been looking for, check to see if we have it!

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PREVIOUSLY: Elsewhere

The official plan for the Anna Vest knitalong

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The official plan for the Anna Vest knitalong

Ok, lovelies — I’m thrilled so many of you have piped up to say you’re psyched about knitting the Anna Vest with me next month! So here are all the official knitalong details—

PATTERN

We’ll be knitting my Anna Vest pattern, which is contained in the book Farm to Needle, published by and available through Tolt Yarn and Wool. It’s a really beautiful and important book full of several fantastic patterns along with profiles of the yarns and the farms they come from. And it’s available as a print book or an e-book. For pattern sizes and yardage, see Ravelry. [UPDATE: complete pattern/size/yardage details are now posted here.]

YARN

The pattern is written for the remarkable undyed worsted from Thirteen Mile (which you can read all about in the book!) and my friends at Tolt have kindly offered 10% off purchases of this yarn (undyed or plant dyed) for knitalong participants. Use code ANNAVESTKAL at checkout — offer good through 02.03.16.

SCHEDULE

Official cast-on day is February 15th, and I’ll kick things off that day with a blog post about how to knit the inset pockets. Other than that, this is a super casual knitalong — no deadline, no sign-up process, no prizes, no panelists. Just some knitters happily knitting together, and winding up with great garments!

HASHTAG

Tag your pics and projects with #annavestkal on social media and Ravelry so everyone can see what you’re up to.

ERRATA

Please note that there’s an error in the print book: “Page 73, Next row (WS): BO 6 sts, work in pattern to end of row, continuing neck shaping as follows:” — should be deleted. It seems to only be a problem for the Right Front (Left Front is okay).”

SIZING

One thing I want to note about choosing a size for this pattern: When I finished the predecessor to this vest and wore it to Stitches South, countless people of all heights, shapes and bust sizes came into the booth and asked to try it on, and it looked awesome on every single person! It looks good slouchy, with positive ease, and just as good fitted, with negative ease. I almost didn’t have the pattern graded for that reason, and have now seen the Anna sample on a range of bodies as well, and witnessed the same phenomenon. So while the pattern does offer a range of sizes, I’m mentioning that you almost can’t go wrong with the size 38.

So that’s it —I’m really looking forward to knitting this with you all!

Knit the Look: Charlotte Groeneveld’s cozy turtleneck

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Knit the Look: Charlotte Groeneveld's cozy turtleneck

How pretty does fashion blogger Charlotte Groeneveld look in this big shell pink overcoat wrapped around a simple grey turtleneck over ivory culottes? I know a lot of people recoil from this shade of pink (I personally love it) but who can argue with the sweater? To knit your own, all you need is Michele Wang’s new Cadence pattern — just skip the textured stitch on the body if you like. And it’s written for Brooklyn Tweed’s Shelter, which offers the perfect icy-pale grey in Snowbound. I did a little bit of Google image searching to try to get a better look at the neck on Charlotte’s sweater, and it’s either a mock tneck or just a snugger, skimpier turtleneck. So if you prefer that look, knit to the smallest neck size your head will allow and cut down the height of the ribbing by a couple of inches. Then extend the cuff ribbing by few inches as well.

See Vanessa’s original post for more get-the-look suggestions.

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PREVIOUSLY in Knit the Look: Ultra-stockinette scarf

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission

Queue Check — January 2016

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Queue Check — January 2016

This whole Queue Check series of posts started rather spontaneously last year, but reading this IG post by Sara yesterday I realized how truly helpful it’s been in keeping me organized and on track and accountable to myself. Not that I’ve finished everything I’ve started, or never ventured off course, but at least there’s a record of it all to refer back to! So here’s where things stand in this first month of the year—

WIPs:
– Bob’s sweater — there’s light at the end of this tunnel; hoping to finish within a week
– Seathwaite Hat — waiting for me to have a quiet daylight moment to do the join round on the brim
– 1898 Hat — waiting for me to finish Seathwaite
– My grey sweater — on hold until after the quickie black raglan

NEXT:
– The quickie black raglan Lettlopi — casting on the instant I finish Bob’s (improvising it)
– The Penguono x Joseph cardigan — delayed by the snowstorm, but it should be cast on this Saturday
– Version 2 of my modified Hemlock Tee in this salt-and-pepper Italian wool
– Blue-and-white stripe cotton tunic — i.e., first of several sleeveless band-collar Gallery Tunics

But wait! You may recall there’s one more WIP on the shelf — the black vest I cast on last fall from my own Anna Vest pattern. I mentioned before I’d love to do this as a (totally casual) knitalong. If I set a date for sometime in mid/late February, how many of you would want to join me? It’s a perfect winter-into-spring garment!

p.s. I’ll be knitting and available to offer advice at Craft South tonight from 5-7. If you’re in the Nashville area, come knit with me!

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PREVIOUSLY in Queue Check: Queue Check Deluxe: Holiday 2015

New Favorites: Welcome basics, part 2

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New Favorites: Welcome basics, part 2

The second big collection this month featuring some good ‘ol hardworking basics is Kelbourne Woolens’ Acadia Collection, built entirely around the undyed colors of The Fibre Co’s Acadia yarn. Great hat, great scarf, great vest, and these two simple beauties—

TOP: Echo Lake by Courtney Kelley is the perfect blank canvas of a set-in sleeve sweater

BOTTOM: Beech Hill by Leah McGlone is a lovely, simple ruana that would also be fun to play with

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PREVIOUSLY in New Favorites: Welcome basics, part 1

Idea Log: Penguono x Joseph

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Idea Log: Penguono x Joseph

Early Wednesday morning, I got a text from my sweet friend Rebekka, who was all lit up about knitting Stephen West’s Penguono cardigan and wanted to know if I would knit it with her. Like, starting tomorrow. Since I’ve long wondered what an understated version of this sweater would look like, I was quick to say yes, and the more I redrew and rearranged and recolored it in my head, the more I realized my version would be heavily influenced by these Joseph pants from the Pre-Fall 2016 collection that I cannot stop thinking about. (I might be starting a fund in the hope of having however much money they cost by the time they hit stores this summer. If, god willing, they do.) (Note to the reader who asked: Net-a-Porter carries Joseph.) I’m imagining the sweater all in ivory with slightly darker side panels and a big black patch pocket on the front. Possibly knitted; possibly boiled wool, with a flap. It’s fun to daydream about.

So in that moment, I got all excited about the idea of this sweater. And then I remembered I’m not supposed to be casting on sweaters willy-nilly. There’s Bob sweater still with hours upon hours of its stockinette body to be knitted. There are two unfinished hatalong hats waiting patiently in my Field Bag. There’s my very real need and very strong desire for that black pullover that’s supposed to be next. And there’s this crazy Penguono idea that could be a lot of much-needed fun or could be a lot of valuable knitting time poured into an idea that doesn’t pan out. And it’s soooo much knitting.

There’s the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other, and this is the conversation they’re having. I’m in the middle, thinking I’ll most likely cast on, knit it in the designated hours with Rebekka and in the gaps among other things after that (for the next two years, prolly!) and see if anything ever comes of it. I mean, it’s a stash-buster and my stash needs busting, right?

IN EXCITING SHOP NEWS: We’ve got fresh stock of the Stowe Bag sewing pattern and the Maple Hand Loom Kit, as well as the elusive grey Field Bag (also in black and natural). Along with all the other beautiful things at Fringe Supply Co.!

UPDATE: We’re having major snowstorm in Nashville today and won’t be driving to the studio or anywhere else. We’ll resume shipping just as soon as road conditions allow!

FO Sightings: Sina’s socks

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FO Sightings: Sina's socks

When I first saw these socks in @threehazels’ Instagram feed I got instant heart eyes, but the more she tells me about them, the more amazed I am. Three Hazels is a young German woman named Sina, living in Sweden, and her socks were inspired by the Perianth Mittens pattern by Barbara Gregory. But Sina wanted the flowers on her feet. Like most devout sock knitters, Sina knows her preferred stitch count and heel method (“I like [the short-row heel] the most when knitting the heel in a different colour”) and can cast on with abandon. I assumed she borrowed Gregory’s colorwork charts and reworked them to fit neatly into her counts, but no: “At first I wrote down a chart containing all the different flowers, rows and stitches for the top part of the sock, but with getting  more comfortable with the patterns I started to place the flowers randomly.” That is crazy impressive, and the socks are beautiful. The yarn is a local Swedish wool, making them all the more special.

For more from Sina, check out @threehazels on Instagram, and she’s also vowed to post more about knitting and other subjects on her blog.

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Fringe Supply Co. Field BagIMPORTANT UNRELATED SHOP NOTE: I previously announced that the final batch of army green Field Bags were earmarked for Stitches West. Unfortunately, I’ve had to cancel my trip and won’t be making an appearance in the YOTH booth at that event after all. ***So the last of the army green bags will be listed in the webshop in February instead.*** I’ll announce a specific date and time for that once the bags are finished and in hand. (Grey will be back in the shop tonight or tomorrow morning!) I’m super sorry to miss everyone who I’ll now be missing at West, but we will still be at Stitches South here in Nashville at the end of March, so put that on your calendars!

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Photos by @threehazels, used with permission