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!

FO: Kevin's McQueen Sweater

I really owed Kevin a cabled sweater. If you recall, I attempted to make him one last Christmas and it failed. He did get another sweater to replace that Christmas-gift-gone-wrong, but it wasn't the kind of cozy cabled pullover that we had been discussing.

So, we began plotting from scratch for inspiration, patterns, and the perfect yarn. The yarn turned out to be the easiest part. We set out on a trip over to Tolt last spring just knowing they'd have the perfect sheepy, earthy yarn and were not disappointed. We considered using Imperial Stock Ranch's Columbia, Rowan Felted Tweed, and Peace Fleece but finally decided on Studio Donegal in Oatmeal. It's soft and springy, yet still feels durable with a lovely tweed. 

I then gave Kevin the task of looking around for images of sweaters he loved to use as inspiration. he kept coming back to this picture of Steve McQueen in a beautiful cream-colored pullover. I of course wholeheartedly approved of his choice of Mr. McQueen as style icon and began plotting and planning to bring it to life. Thus was born Kevin's McQueen Sweater. Although in reality this is a very traditional combination of Aran stitch patterns.

However, despite the fact that this is a very typical Aran style, I had trouble finding a pattern that was just right. I found some vintage patterns that were just too, well, difficult to read or even obtain. Some of the more modern patterns I found were of the 80's and 90's era of exaggerated drop shoulders and baggy fit that I feel are kinda yuck. The most modern patterns were right on for fit and shape...but the stitch patterns were also updated, tweaked, or reinterpreted from the super classic styles. As it turned out, I just couldn't find a pattern that combined a modern shape and construction with an old school stitch pattern. So, I decided to jump full in and make one up.

I started with Shelagh Hollingworth's book Traditional Aran Knitting and swatched my little heart out. This was truly the year of swatching as I focused on becoming a better sweater knitter and this project was a wonderful challenge. After swatching my honeycomb, trellis, six stitch simple cable, and moss stitch it was time for the maths. Eek. Many numbers were crunched. Many charts were (incorrectly, then correctly) drawn. When I had my swatches and charts just right, I used Elizabeth's Percentage System (EPS) for my calculations and was ready to cast on. I liked my fabric and tension with size US 8's for the cable-y bits, and went down to a size US 6 for the ribbing.

The sleeves and body were all knit in the round from the bottom up, then I worked flat for the neck, armhole, and back shaping as well as for the sleeve cap. I was very unsure of how to achieve a set-in sleeve all on my lonesome. All the EPS sweaters I've made before (ahem, all two of them - here and here) had raglan and saddle shoulder shaping, and EZ doesn't lay it out as nicely for set in sleeves (at least in Knitting Workshop). So, I used a pattern I'd used before as a guide since the sizing, gauge, and fit I was going for were very similar. It the end, it worked out perfectly! I was really preparing myself to have to do the armhole and sleeve caps over at least once, but it wasn't necessary. Hurray for success on a first try!

Would I do anything differently looking back? Hmm. Yes. First off, even though all of this yarn was the same dye lot, there was a slight color variation from hank to hank. It wasn't noticeable at all in hank form, and I really didn't even see it until I blocked. Waaaaay past the point of ripping back. I certainly didn't notice it while I was working, and don't notice it even now unless I stare at it in just the right lighting, but it is very noticeable when sopping wet (not a huge concern) and to the critical eye. So there's that. Second, I think I'd cast on less stitches at the waist, then increase gradually a bit through the body. It could be a little bit snugger at the waist. I think I'd also knit the sleeves flat (gasp!) for ease of blocking. The fabric of the honeycomb stitch is so dense and tight that I think it really benefits from a flat rather than tube blocking. Overall, that's a pretty short list of regrets and I am thoroughly pleased!


And then I made him stare into the sun while I took his picture...

Christmas Sweater Project - IT'S DONE!

It's finished! It's finished! And I'm in love with it. Even though it's now near the end of December, I did in fact finish this in time for the first of the month (even a bit before I think) and have been wearing in quite a bit. My original stated goal of "every friggin' day" is of course impossible since it's generally not considered prudent to wear the same outfit every day. However! It has gotten LOTS of wear, especially to winter/Christmas/festive events and outings throughout the month. I even wore it to work on December 1st to celebrate the start of the best month ever.

I can't overstate how much I love this sweater. This project confirmed that colorwork is really my favorite thing. I love both the process of it (aka the knitting) and the final look. It's wonderfully entertaining to work on and I love how bold the design is. Knitting it this way in little increments over the year was very enjoyable. I loved always have a project on the back burner to work on in between other things combined with not having the pressure to finish as soon as possible. I'm tempted to do it again for next Christmas, although in reality I probably won't. I haven't yet formed my knitting agenda for 2015 but I predict it will include less sweaters since I was sort of a sweater-only fiend this year.

As far as mods go, I did make a few. Most visibly, I added in the white as a fourth color. For the charts, I planned out where I wanted to insert the white and am very pleased with how it turned out, both in terms of how the modifications to the chart interacted with each other and the extra pop of bright white in the finished object overall. I also shortened the length of both the body and the sleeves to fit a little higher on the waist and the wrists. This is just a personal preference of mine for pullovers since I typically like to wear them with collared shirts and slightly higher-waisted pants. I like the look of the cuffs peaking out underneath the sleeves and the shape of a slightly higher waistline for the ribbing on my shape.

The only thing about this project is that when people find out that I made it and then inevitably ask how long it takes to "make something like that" I have a difficult time answering. I have no doubt their intentions are good, but A) don't make me think about how long knitting a garment takes or I shall never undertake it again and B) I have no idea since it was so spread out.

Final verdict is that this project was a huge success!

Overnight to Shriner Peak

Here at the Churchill household we did our best to make the most of the late summer season. Yes, I said late summer and it is now winter. Ah well, better late than never with this post.

I'll admit we got off to a terrible start for the first part of the summer with very few overnight outings or day trips. Nothing on the scale of the infamous Churchill Family Yurt Tour 2013, that's for durn sure. But. BUT. Washington has saved us with a string of almost-too-good-to-be-true beautiful late summer weekends. Sorry rest of the country if that was not the case where you live.

On one such weekend, we decided to drive down to Mount Rainier National Park for a quick backpacking trip. One of my goals for the summer was to do more of that. We've had most of our gear since last year's Rialto Beach trip, but haven't used it for actual backpacking since then. Just a couple of regular old camping trips. So, we woke up, saw Rainier as clear as day from the city and decided to pack up and go for it.

We set out with nary a plan as to where we'd actually hike and camp. Because who needs to plan anything when going backcountry camping? KIDDING. We planned a little bit in terms of knowing the permit system and the fact that there were lots of options available for first-come-first-served sites. Luckily, Park Rangers are just the coolest. And luckily when we arrived we were the only ones in the office and this particular ranger appreciated rather than scorned our open-ended plans. He showed us what was available and suggested Shriner Peak.

Oh. Man. Best suggestion ever. The hike itself is moderate at 4 miles with a 3434 foot elevation change. There are only two campsites and the top which means it would not be crowded at all. And, it's got one of only four historic fire lookout buildings at Rainier National Park! This is all before mentioning the spectacular 360 degree views.

It starts out with a pretty steep ascent in a very forested area. It was a bit tough considering this was our first time doing an overnight trip with all our gear that included such an elevation change. I mean, I was sweating. But our packs felt good and it was really nice to be out. When we came around this corner, well, that was just about it. Look at this view:

What a sight! It's really a very good reward for not too demanding of a hike. We made it up and set up camp with plenty of time to spare before sundown. Both sites were empty when we arrived, which meant we were free to take the better one. Really, does it get any better than this?

After getting set up we walked back to the fire lookout and had our dinner on the wrap-around porch. I can't get over how beautiful the view of Mount Rainier is. I could stare at it for hours, and in fact did. Kevin did some really high quality glassing from the porch as well. The elk were really calling to each other and he was really hoping to see one through the specs. Unfortunately, they were either too far away to be visible or tucked into the trees, so we were only able to hear but not see them.

That night we happily tucked into our cozy tent with our heads toward east so we could be sure to see the sun come up. The sky was completely clear and the stars were just spectacular. Everything was quiet except for the elk, who continued to call as it got darker and darker.

The next morning, the sunrise was even more beautiful on the mountain than the sunset had been. You could really see the colors and shadows changing on the glaciers and I couldn't stop snapping pictures every few minutes as it transformed. It was a bit chilly, but not too cold and we were plenty bundled.

Even though we never saw any elk, we did see a track pretty close to our camp that had definitely not been there the night before. I get super excited by spotting animal tracks, especially when I see them before Kevin, and had to point this one out.

After a light breakfast we packed up camp with the sun on it's way up and started our trek down. It was so different to be on a hiking trail and not see anyone for so long! Usually on a lot of the hikes we've done out in Washington we see a lot of people on the trail, but this morning we were out ahead of everyone. I shouldn't say we didn't see anybody though. About a third of the way down, right among the huckleberry bushes, we interrupted a breakfasting black bear! Kevin was walking first at that time and saw him (or her) before I did. They both stopped in their tracks and stared for a few seconds before the bear turned and took off away from the trail. I barely even saw his little behind lobbing off into the brush! It was comforting to know he was so scared of us, but we still waited a bit before continuing on and made sure we were nice and loud through the rest of the huckleberry bushes.

We made it down in good time and did our usual post-camping/hiking tradition of stopping at a diner on the way out. There's nothing like a hot plate of hashbrowns and eggs after a night spent outside!