FO: Quarry

Oh my word this sweater is so fun. I love it.

Yarn Used: Brunswick Germantown in Flame Orange, Dale Garn Heilo in Grey

Needles: Size 8 Addi Turbos 

Pattern: Quarry by Andi Satterlund for Twist Collective

Raveled here. 

Typically I gravitate towards more traditional colorwork motifs. Fair Isle, Icelandic yokes, Norwegian designs, etc. But when I saw this piece that my friend Andi put out I fell head over heels for the modern, graphic lines. I'd also been planning on making one of her pullover for awhile - since getting lots of wear out of the cropped cardigan I made first - and was initially leaning towards a Chuck. Well, in the end my love for colorwork won out over my love for cables in this case and I went for Quarry.

The original design is in black and white. And I kinda love that and wouldn't mind another in that color scheme. This orange is so good, though! As someone who doesn't shy away from color it shouldn't surprise me that I love this bright yarn so much, but I really have been surprised by how much I love it. I've seriously worn my flame orange cardigan a ton. I knew I liked it but I was a little unsure about how many outfits I would be able to make with it. As it turns out, flame orange actually goes with everything. Just trust me. Or maybe it doesn't and I don't mind "clashing".

Anyway, I had a vision of this in orange and grey, and I think it turned out great! The grey is some deep, deep stash yarn that I scored at some thrift store somewhere. It's been so long I can't even remember where. I was happy to pull it out in keeping with my goal for this year of working through ye olde stash (a yarn fast I have recently broken a couple of months early in order to buy a couple of things I'd been planning to acquire at KnitFit). I didn't make any modifications, but due to my gauge being slightly longer in height than recommended it did come out slightly longer. Which is fine with me. And keep in mind as you review these photos that I'm wearing high-waisted pants. I also realized I need to work on my stitch picking up skills for making top-down sleeves. There's sort of a weird faux-shoulderpad thing going on with one of the shoulders because I think I picked up too many stitches along the top, and from a row that was too far in. For my next sweater with this type of construction, I'm going to review this blog post, which seems to have some really good guidelines for this sort of thing.

(This is my "it's so bright but I'm still trying to look cute" face)

The only big thing about this sweater that makes it not perfect - at least in Seattle - is how warm it is! It's because the Dale Garn yarn is super toasty. Thus, even though I finished this sweater last February, it hasn't gotten a ton of wear yet. Last winter was super mild overall, and by the end of February it was already a bit too warm most days for this guy. So, just this past weekend I FINALLY took some photos of it on one of our first clear and crisp days of the season. Here's hoping we get lots more of them before Spring! It also didn't hurt that we just happened to be taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island, aka a super good photo-op opportunity.

The reason for the Bainbridge trip was three-fold. 1) Go to the Madison Diner for some killer hash browns. 2) Visit the Local Color folk at the Saturday farmer's market. 3) Buy some Loft to at Churchmouse to eventually turn into this sweater. Ohmygoodnesssomanylinks. It was such a beautiful day!! After two previous weekends of straight rain, the blue skies and sunshine were a welcome change. Sure, it was pretty chilly on the ferry. But who cares when you get to wear all the woolens!!!

Here's a shot of my lovely hubs and I at the diner, plus our equally lovely breakfasts. Mmmmmmmm hash browns. They're seriously some of the best in the greater Seattle area.

FO: Rock Island Shawl

This pattern has been in my queue for sooooo long. Basically since it came out. Typically, I don’t go all starry eyed over lace shawl patterns. I mean, I like them. They’re fine. I’ve made a fair number of them in my knitting carrier. But I’ve never actually fallen in love with a pattern before that I really wanted to make for myself. Usually it happens the other way around, with me wanting to make a lace shawl - any lace shawl - for someone as a gift and then searching through patterns to find one I like. With this pattern, I saw it and was instantly in love with the final product and wanted it all for my own. The lace is just so unique! And I love that it has a lovely garter stitch section as well as the intriguing lace bits. 

Nevertheless, it took me quite awhile to actually prioritize it in the queue and get around to casting on. Then when I did…well I had a bit of a false start. I don’t remember exactly when it was that I first attempted this pattern. Several years ago at least. I can’t even really remember what yarn I first attempted it with. But in reading through the charts and beginning my first rows, I just couldn’t do it. It was beyond my skill range. The yarn I was using may also have not been suitable. Could I have tried really hard and gotten through it? Maybe. Probably yes. But after starting and restarting several times and repeatedly ending up with a mysteriously wrong stitch count - mysterious meaning I had no idea where I’d gone wrong and wasn’t able to “read my work” to figure out where it had happened - I got frustrated. So I filed the pattern away and moved on to something else. Lord knows there has never been a shortage of projects in my queue to pottle along with. 

I think this is something I often forget about knitting. That it actually does take time and practice to advance your skill level. Sure, it’s just different combinations of knits, purls, decreases, and decreases along with the very basic ability to read a pattern. And you actually can advance pretty quickly from being a complete beginner to making beautiful, varied, and impressive work (never fear beginners!).. Cables, colorwork, lace. They are all completely learnable for a beginner in a fairly quick amount of time, keeping in mind of course that “quick” is a relative term. However, on the other hand, one’s wrists, hands, fingers, and mind do learn through repetition and challenge, and you do invariably get better the longer you do it. Muscle memory in your hands. And also actual memory. Like the kind in your brain. I can now simply read “sl1k2togpsso" and know what it means and what I have to do with the stitches when I see it pop up in a pattern.

So this time, I decided to give it another go and see how things went. It’s just too lovely to let go of. I’ve had this yellow-green yarn in my stash for awhile. It was purchased at a little yarn shop in Cincinnati while on a work trip at least two years ago. It’s Classic Elite Silky Alpaca in the Cameroon colorway. I first used this yarn for an Ishbel for my aunt Sandy. I absolutely loved working with it and was very pleased with the fabric it created. So when I saw it on sale at the week shop in Cincinnati I scooped up two balls. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% sure about the color when I first bought it. I’m going to call it chartreuse, although it’s probably a bit too green to be a true chartreuse (I just really like that as a color name). That’s probably why it sat in my stash for so long. Then, I picked up a Jackie cardigan at Goodwill one day in basically the exact same color. And then proceeded to wear it with just about every outfit for a week. It’s a surprisingly versatile color. So I dug this out of the stash and decided it needed to become something ASAP. 

A couple notes about this pattern. First, I LOVE It. It’s fabulous. It’s the Rock Island Shawl by Jared Flood for Brooklyn Tweed. It’s very clearly written and easy to follow. Naturally.  Construction-wise, this pattern was something new for me and I ended up really liking it. Instead of starting at the center bottom of the triangle and increasing stitches from there, it starts with working the entire edging first as a separate piece. Now, that’s a whole lot of knitting. It’s huge, and took what felt like forever. But once it’s finished, you’re decreasing stitches from there, so the rows get faster and faster each time. This is exactly opposite to the center-bottom construction where it starts out super, super fast and then feels like each row takes an hour at the end. Which is kind of a nice change. From the edging, you pick up stitches for the bulk of the shawl and then decrease to end at the center bottom of the triangle. You’ve got to get through the spider-web like lace first, but then it’s smooth sailing until the end with just a simple garter stitch for the majority of the triangle. I had a couple false starts with the difficult lace portion as I was getting used to working lace on both sides,  but since the section begins with several rows of garter stitch between it and the edging I was able to easily rip back and start again. Once I got into it, it became very rhythmic and by the second pattern repeat I no longer had to stare at the chart. What a feeling of accomplishment! 

The end fabric has not disappointed either. I’ve worn in a ton already, usually just wrapped tightly around my neck like a scarf. I’ve not been precious about it either - stuffing it into my purse and what not - and the shape has held up really well. I’ll probably have to re-block at some point, but that’s to be expected. I am 110% in love with the finished product and am so happy I didn’t give up on this pattern. Hurray for my very first for-me shawl!

Lopez Island

We recently took a trip over to Lopez Island. Which is apparently goes by the nickname "Slopez". Cuz, you know, "island time". Lopez - ahem - Slopez is one of the island is the San Juan Islands group. Having visited the larger San Juan and Orcas islands, we were glad to have the opportunity to check out Lopez as well. I've heard it described as the most chill of the three main San Juans, and it's also known as the "biker island". As in bicycle island, because it's the most flat and accessible to bikers I think.

Also, on this particular weekend, the community was hosting the annual Lopez Island Sheep and Wool Festival. Fiber arts goodness combined with a beautiful island backdrop? Sold. Also, there was camping. Double sold.

We started out the day by heading straight from the ferry to the festival. There was spinning, dying, weaving, felting, knitting, crocheting, and even a sheep shearing demonstration! There were a small but quality number of booths set up and I purchased a handful of treasured hanks. I've got plans to make a simple but perfect beanie with a small hank of natural grey. Probably something "for Kevin" that I'll steal quite frequently. I also got a large hank of natural white and a muddy-yellow wee one of the same type that was dyed with mushrooms. I'm thinking something with some simple colorwork Maybe a cowl? It's Romney and very soft and pillowy. Plus it smells awesome.

From there we went exploring. We walked around the village area and of course had to stop in to the wee thrift shop. They had a surprisingly good amount of things to peruse for such a small shop. I ended up snagging a cheerful little lady bug pin for the bargain price of $0.75. Next we continued to a slightly different kind of "thrift store", the Lopez Island dump! Or more technically, the Take It or Leave It area of the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District. It's really a magical place. People can bring their items in, nice volunteers organize them, and then anyone can come and take what they please. It's really very nice! I'd even put it a step above the Goodwill outlet. I mean, I love the outlet, but it's really a pretty disorganized dirty place. This was not that.I was reminded of the treasures that used to be pulled from the Enterprise dump where I grew up. Most memorable is a set of Fire King Jadeite that my great uncle Andy rescued for me when I was still a youngster.

Next we headed down to check out Iceberg Point. It's a really rocky point on the south end of the island with a short little walk from the parking area to the outcropping. Pictures do a much better job of describing it.

Then it was time to set up camp! I love camping. For this trip we stayed at Odlin County Park at one of the walk-in sites right along the beach. They had these cute little chalkboard signs with our names on them. I think the photo below captures the campsite well (notice the Kevin in the background making himself at home). For dinner we made kabobs and sat around the fire until well after the sun went down, as you do.

The next morning we got of fairly early (as you also do) and got the coffee going right away. For breakfast it was eggs in frames and Heinz vegetarian beans. My favorite! There's really nothing that beats an egg in a frame. A second pot of coffee was made, some knitting was done, and then it was sadly time to pack up. Before lining up for the ferry home we quickly swung by Hummel Lake (sooo many mosquitos) and Spencer Spit. We decided that if we ever get back to Lopez (hopefully) we'll try camping at Spencer's Spit. The bother there is that you're not able to make advance reservations, but it seemed like a really lovely spot.

 

April in Instagrams

I've decided I really like having these monthly round-up posts (via Instagram-ed moments), so I'm going to make an effort to get back to doing them on a more regular basis. Here are some of my favorites from April.

Clockwise from top left...

1. On of my co-workers has a box full of Dum Dums. I frequently dip my hand into that box at least once a day. Do I have a favorite flavor? Nope. They are all good because they all taste like sugar.

2. DUNE!! I love science fiction. I really loved reading Dune in high school but had never seen the David Lynch movie. It's terrible and fantastic. Gimme some steamy Sting any day of the week. Also Kyle MacLachlan. We've been spending quite a bit of time at Central Cinema lately and it's wonderful.

3. Belle and Sebastian. Oh my goodness. I love them so much. They played lots of old stuff and lots of new stuff from the awesome Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. I love the new album a lot, and they had lots of really fantastic visual stuff to go along with it at the live show. Really cool videos. As my friend Scott said, they're just so darn charming. Consider me charmed.

4. Donut Making. Kevin has been doing lots of baking this month. Although this was technically frying and not baking I guess. This was an attempt to recreate his favorite donut - the plain old fashion from Top Pot - using the recipe and directions in their book. The donuts were good but super rich and heavy. We both ate one of them and decided we probably didn't need to make a whole pile and would be better off just going out to the Top Pot store to get our fix. It was a fun activity, though!

1. I've been spending lots of time doing homework and things for the Project Management certificate course that I'm taking through the University of Washington. On this particular night I took my homework over to Scott's house and had Mr. Shooby Tailer help me with it while Kevin and Scott made dinner.

2. Date night at Cafe Presse. It has been too long. Also, I still beam with pride every time he chooses to wear this sweater. It's held up really well to wear, and while there are some things I'd do differently if I made it again (slash am doing differently right now because I am making it again), it's still a really lovely sweater.

3. The Churchill Family Coffee Station featuring my very favorite mug from Tolt. Lately Kevin's been getting up earlier then me and I've been getting coffee delivered to me in bed each morning. So nice.

4. Cat sitting! Our dear friend Scott went out of town for severals days, which meant we got to house sit. Which really means we got to cat sit. So many snuggles and purrs from this fella. He's really turned into quite a friendly cat. As long as you don't attempt to pet him anywhere near his belly or make any quick, toy-like movements with your hands because then YOU DIE. He's also the only cat I've even met that simply likes to smell your food rather than steal it. Such a sniffer. And yes, I do realize there are two cat pictures in this month's review. Trust me when I say I held back.





1. Young Buffalo at the Tractor Tavern. We actually went to see the headliner - Matt Pond PA - but ended up really enjoying the opener a ton. Super fun live. We bought the "House" album a couple of days later and have really been enjoying it.

2. I quite frequently wear my Agatha to work with skirts and dresses (which I don't really wear outside of work too much these days since I have to dress business casual at my current job). On this particular day I was so pleased with my outfit that I just had to ask Kevin to snap my picture. The dress was one I thrifted awhile ago and altered. I shortened the length and sleeves, removed the shoulder pad (oh the 80's) and took off this lacy white trim that was appliquéd to the lapel. The hem's a bit wonky, but because it's so swishy I don't mind.

FO: Local Color Arionette

Several months ago some friends and I took a little road trip over to Tolt Yarn and Wool  for the Local Color Fiber Studio trunk show. Hang on. I need to pause for a moment. That may be one of the happiest sentences I have ever written. There are so many good things packed into that one little sentence. And I didn't even mention that our trip also included brunch at The Grange Cafe!

I think I've swooned about Tolt in this space before. It's basically the perfect yarn shop. Even its distance from Seattle is perfect, because it stops me from spending absolutely all of my money there but is still within an easy drive for special purchases. I know, I know. I said I was stash busting this year. BUT WAIT! This trip wasn't just to buy any old yarn. It was to buy super special fantastic yarn, which is totally within the rules.

This super special yarn is made by Local Color Fiber Studio, a duo of super talented women based on Bainbridge Island. They are basically everything. First, all of the wool they use is US grown, sustainably raised, and domestically milled (including some of my favorite Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia). It's just the best wooly, wool. Second, they use all natural dyes which are grown and foraged right on the island. Third, they are just so good at what they do. I mean, look at these colors!


If that wasn't enough, all of their yarns come with these super cute tags to let you know what the yarn was dyed with. Adorable. And also really fascinating. I just wanted to look at every single hank of yarn to see what it was dyed with. I may have done that.

Plus. Plus. They're really nice people. Can you tell that I love them? Yep. Like I said, they basically encompass everything that I love about wool and yarn and crafting in general.

On to the pattern! The patter is from the Autumn 2014 edition of Pom Pom Quarterly. I purchased it at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas on my annual birthday trip to Bainbridge Island. See! It all comes back to Bainbridge. We visited the Local Color ladies at the farmer's market that day, but I had already spent my "birthday allowance" at Churchmouse so I had to walk away for the moment. But! The sock yarn they had available really stuck in my head, and I thought the colors would be great for this pattern.

I have been wanting to knit myself a pair of socks for awhile now. I've knit quite a few pairs of socks in the past, but they have always been gifts. I also wanted to try a different construction method to hopefully learn some new skills. My preferred method (because it's really been the only method I've used) has been top-up construction, with a few different heel types. This pattern is written ankle down with a heel method I've never used before, and I LOVED the look of the slipped stitch pattern and the finished product. Slip stitch patterns are super fun to knit. This one was a little bit of an exception to that since I was working with three colors and the rounds are so short. I was finding it really had to work hard to keep my yarn from getting super tangled, and so this turned out not to be the "small, mindless, portable" project I was expecting it to be. Once I got that sorted by being more mindful of my balls, things went pretty quickly. The second sock probably took me about half the time as the first!

In the end I can say I like both toe-up and ankle down. Now I know I can use either method for future patterns and don't have to limit myself to just one type or another. Hurray! Knitting skills expanded!

DETAILS

Pattern: Arionette by Wencke Lucas from Pom Pom Quarterly Autumn 2014
Needles: Size US 1
Yarn: Local Color Fiber Studio Rambouillet 2-Ply Fingering

All the Sweaters

As I packed up some of my winter clothes for the season (sorry Wisconsin...I saw you got some snow today), I realized I've amassed quite the collection of vintage and handmade secondhand sweaters. And then I felt inspired to document them all.

The crowning achievement of any thrift run is of course a beautiful sweater. I really can't pass them up. I typically look for pieces made from 100% natural fibers as a rule and am very flexible when it comes to size since I'll end up wearing most as an outer, jacket layer.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is my hoard.

 A few details on batch number one, clockwise from the top left:

1. This is my newest addition. Purchased in Portland a few weeks back. Tag says "Nordstrikk A/S Made in Norway". It's doubleknit, but cut and serged rather than seamed which makes me assume it's machine knit and not actually that vitage. Which I'm fine with. You can't see the ribbon edging very well in this photo but trust me it's lovely.

2. Alpaca! At least I'm 99% sure. There is no tag. It definitely needs new, smaller buttons because these one's are too big for the holes. Also, those pockets are fake. Only about an inch and a half deep. Purchased at the Salvation Army thrift store in Sodo (Seattle).

3. Oh my lordy I wear this puppy all the time. I love the zig-zag cable. Tag says "100% Wool Made in Hong Kong". There's also a really detailed and charming washing instruction tag which cautions the owner not to dry clean it. Purchased at Goodwill in Monroe, WA.

4. So. Pretty. And of high quality. The yarn has a wonderful feel to it and I suspect it will never, ever pill. Both the body and the sleeves are knit in the round then joined at the yoke and steeked from what I can tell. Tag says "Norway Design HANDKNITTING Shrinkresistant Colourfast 100% Pure Wool". Purchased at the Value Village in Lake City. I think this was my first big sweater score at thrift store.

5. A lopapeysa! What a find. Definitely falls into the sweater coat category, and I love wearing it that way. Tag says "Samband of Iceland ICELOOK Handknitted in Iceland Natural Colours". Found at a small thrift store in Lynwood, WA.

6. My one and only sweater vest (although currently I'm knitting myself another). I love the combination of lace and cables, and the fit on this one is just spot on. Tag says "J.G. Hook PETITES". Guess I'm a petite in sweater vest. Can't remember where it's from.

7. The opposite of petite. This one I'll admit I rarely wear out of the house. It's completely oversized, although the sleeves are actually quite fitted. Despite not being my "out and about" go-to, I wear it a ton in the wintertime inside the house as an extra layer. Tag says "Mayo Handcrafts Ballyhaunis". Again, can't remember where I found it.

8.  If you've been reading since the very beginning then this one should look familiar. I've waxed on about how special this one is before. It features a traditional Shetland tree and star yoke and is just gorgeous. Tag reads "Kate Drewyer Knitted in the Shetland Isles". I'm not sure if Ms Drewyer is the knitter or the owner, but either way I find the tag quite charming.

In photographing the gang, I couldn't help notice some trends. First of all, it's clearly cardigans for the win. Which should surprise no one who sees me on a regular basis. Cardigans forever. Beyond that, I must also have thing for collecting as many regional styles as possible, and absolutely every item features either colorwork or cables. Yep, I'm definitely not shy on color. Although the amount of red in the mix was a bit of a surprise.

And finally, there's this. My absolute most treasured sweater by a thousand miles. It gets it's very own full-sized picture for a couple of reasons. First, it's not from any thrift store. Second, it belonged to my grandmother.

I'm pretty sure I literally gasped when my aunt first pulled it out of the cedar chest. It was just so awesome and special and a complete surprise. To be honest, I don't really know its story. I don't know who made it or out of what (although there is some acrylic in there for sure) or really even 100% for whom. My grandmother was a knitter, but for some reason I got the impression that it was made for her and not by her. But even that I'm not sure of. I was unaware of its existence until after she passed away and certainly never saw her wearing it. The colors, yarn, and shape (slightly belled sleeves) read 70's to me, which was before my time. If anyone has any details to share please feel free to share! Regardless, I feel extremely honored, thankful, and blessed over the fact that it got to come live with me.

And yeah, I totally wear it.

Mom's Christmas Sweater

 The musings for this sweater started quite awhile ago. I had it in my mind to make my Mom a sweater this year for Christmas, but I've learned my lesson when it comes to surprise sweaters. Not a good idea. It's a whole lot of knitting and everyone ends up disappointed. So, I got this idea in my head that I would surprise my Mom in May for her birthday with the idea of knitting her a sweater and the yarn to make said sweater. She typically comes to visit us in May as well, so part of the idea was that we could then pick out the sweater design and yarn together while she was here, then I could have plenty of time to knit it up before Christmas and gift the finished product to her then. Welp, my ideas for yarn shopping together kind of fell through with the general busy schedule that we pack into her visits, but the idea was still there. We talked extensively about what kind of sweater she would like. She picked something not at all shocking for someone who knows her as well as I do. A white cabled sweater. I was a little bit surprised that she picked a cardigan over a pullover, but that was about it. We also talked about what yarn I would buy: Imperial Stock Ranch Columbia of course because I'm obsessed with it and it was just exactly right for the sweater we were envisioning.

Then it was time to look for a pattern. Which is actually easier said than done when you've got an exact picture in your mind of what you want. It's much easier to browse patterns willy nilly and think, ''ooh I like that one!" or "that one is totally cool and I never would have thought of that style" rather than go into it knowing exactly what you're looking for. Which is also exactly how I feel about shopping for shoes BTW. 

Anyway, we did lots of pattern browsing while Mom was here, but just couldn't find the exact right fit. As we were browsing she was drawn to the more traditional stitch patterns. Lots of cables but no nups or crazy stuff. She also liked it when all pieces of the sweater featured cable patterns. Fronts, back, and sleeves. On my end, I was looking for a fairly modern pattern (there are lots of gorgeous vintage patterns but they're unfortunately not always as accessible) that was well written and had a good schematic. I wasn't going to mess with a totally random pattern when I would be knitting it without my model present for try-ons. I was also hoping for something with a raglan sleeve, which isn't at all traditional for an Aran sweater design but that I prefer in terms of ease of construction and seamless knitting when compared to a set-in sleeve. Oh. And written for a worsted or aran weight yarn. We searched and searched. I debated on if I would have to strike out on my own again. But still, I didn't feel confident doing this form across the country and under a timeline. Too many risks. So Mom left without a final pattern picked out.

Then I saw this post on Fringe Association - a blog I regularly read - at the end of July. And suddenly there it was. The perfect pattern staring me right in the face. It met all of the criteria. I swatched, sent Mom a phone picture, and we were off.

In all honesty, I hit a few rough patches with this project. I swatched three times and still couldn't get the right gauge. It just seemed impossible with this yarn. Which, yes, can be a problem when you buy your yarn before you pick out a pattern. But let's be honest I was going to use this yarn no matter what (as I mentioned I'm obsessed). I still don't know what the problem was. Yes, this yarn is a very thick worsted. Yes, I'm a very tight knitter, especially when it comes to cables (and stranded colorwork). And this yarn also has a lot of flexibility and can change a lot after blocking which means my gauge swatch was very malleable when I blocked it. Maybe I stretched it too much? Maybe I stretched it to little? I don't know. What I do know is that based on my third swatch I cast on for the large size and knit nearly two thirds of the body. Then I stopped being in denial and admitted it was just looking way too...wrong. Too dense yet too big, even before blocking. So I used my nearly finished body - which I should mention I modified to knit seamlessly, so we're talking fronts and back - as a massive gauge swatch and made the decision to frog the whole thing and start over at a size small at one needle size larger. This was not a split second decision. I did lot of measuring and math folks. 

I can't remember exactly when I decided to start over, but it was within enough time that I felt I could still finish in time for Christmas. As it was, I worked steadily but not frantically on it and had time to block and finish it without rushing. The buttons were attached on December 20th, and I was able to wrap it up before Mom and Jim arrived for the holidays on the 22nd. Phew! Then I crossed my fingers until Christmas Eve when Mom unwrapped it, tentatively tried it on, and found it to be a perfect fit. Oh hurray! What a sigh of relief we both breathed! All measurements and planning aside you just can't know how it will feel in the end until you try it on. Luckily, this one felt just right. 

Here are the specifics: 

• Pattern: Amanda by Lene Holme Samsøe from Essentially Feminine Knits
• Needles: US 6 for ribbing, US 7 for body and sleeves
• Yarn: Imperial Columbia

Raveled here for all you knitting folks!

Let's Talk About 2015

Truth: I have not kept up with my goals for this space in the past year. I'm not really bothered by that fact to be honest. Do I wish I had blogged more? Yes. But do I feel bad that I didn't. Nope. I refuse to feel guilty about this space because it has always been meant as a fun, casual outlet. On weeks when my to-do list is full of other things - or I simply feel like doing ridiculous amounts of knitting rather than typing - I easily move the blog to the bottom of the list. That being said, I still love writing and sharing things here so I'm going to keep doing it.

Last year, I did a little reflecting and documenting of my goals for 2014. My first goal was to write more posts each month in 2014 than I did in 2013. That only happened in two out of twelve months. Meh. Second, I wanted to post more about food. Technically, that one was a success but only because there were barely any recipe posts in 2013. But in truth I didn't write about many recipes, especially in the second half of the year. Knitting sort of took over.

....and cue the segway into knitting....

In addition to these two blog-related goals, I also set a knitting goal for myself last year of becoming a better sweater knitter. My challenge was to only knit sweaters for Kevin and I (meaning I would still knit other things for other people, but for the two of us it would only be sweaters). I did end up knitting some accessories for us, but mostly only toward the end of the year and out of necessity (wool socks for Kevin and a wooly hat for me because winter). Overall, I'm calling this one a rousing success! In total I finished six sweaters this year:

• Smokin' Jacket for Kevin
• Agatha Cardigan for me
• Flaming Tinder for me
• Christmas Sweater for me
• McQueen Pullover for Kevin
• Amanda Cardigan for Mom (not yet blogged)

Beyond having the garments themselves, I am most pleased that I have advanced my skills and become a more precise knitter. I've properly swatched, measured, and consulted pattern schematics so that I can finally stop being lazy and make things that fit the first time. I'm not including the failed Hugo sweater that sparked this whole goal in this list because most of the knitting was done in 2013. However, I actually love that sweater for me and have ended up wearing it a ton this winter.
 

Ok, phew. Now that I've gotten done with the block of text about last year, I can finally move on to this year! Below are the goals I've set. These are for life in general, not this blog. Because clearly blogging goals for me are a farce.

1. Become someone who sews. 

I can sew. I do occasionally sew. But this year I want to get lots better at it. I want to become a sewer. Someone who can make garments from a pattern with confidence. I'm pretty uncomfortable with using our sewing machine right now, and I want to get over that fear. If this year ends with few actual sewn garment but a higher level of comfortability with patterns and our machine it will be a success. A high aim would be to have lots of garments and to be at the point where I can start buying really good materials without fear of f%#*ing them up. Right now I'm buying cheap fabrics that I like but will not be heartbroken over if they get trashed.

2. Knit my stash. 

I consider my stash to be big but not out-of-control huge. If you saw it all you may disagree with this (and no, this picture is not all of it...). However, I have lots of really great stuff in there! Stuff I've been meaning to work with and genuinely love, but that has gotten shoved into storage or back-burnered for too long. The pile above is my goal. All of this has been designated for specific projects, so now I just have to make them. By the end of this year, this pile of string shall be transformed into stuff! Simple enough, right? A second half to this goal is to not buy any more yarn until this stack is used up. I know, I know. I can already say with confidence that I will fail on that account. Not buying any yarn for a year is a little nuts. I'm prepared to give myself leeway on this for super special yarn purchases or for random projects that will probably pop up as gifts.

That's it! Wish me luck!