Slow Fashion October ~ Known

My mind has been on overload lately, but this isn't a complaint as much as an acknowledgement. #Slowfashionoctober has inspired a lot of thinking and planning, and I don't see this ending just because I'll be turning a page in my calendar. But here we are at the final week, and I've given a lot of thought to the last prompt: Known, as in knowing the source of my materials. While I wish that I had built a stash of only local and/or sustainable yarn sources, I haven't. My stash has grown from global and domestic travels, fiber festivals, and gifts. On occasion, I've had the thrill of procuring a skein or two directly from a farm or spinner or dyer, and there is something incredibly satisfying about that. But on many more occasions, I've order yarn online or stopped in at a local yarn shop with no thought to where my new goodies have come from.

But here's the thing: over the last few years, I've been dedicated to knitting from my stash and when I started my blog, it was with this idea in mind. I love my stash and can remember how each skein got there. So, in many ways, that's my known and I'm okay with that. Do I want to be more intentional going forward? You betcha! I love the idea of committing to learning more about where my yarn comes from and how it's been processed. I also love the idea of putting my money toward sources that sustain communities and/or makers in concrete ways. So, as the saying goes, it's never too late to try harder and learn more.

As you can see from my photo, I've been busy knitting from my stash. A while back, I designed a fingerless mitt pattern that I'm just returning to and writing up. I've been personally test knitting the pattern and it's almost there so I hope to release it soon. Now I just have to think about who should get all these mitts!

Queue Me Up

Whenever I turn a page in my calendar, I get a little excited at the prospect of new beginnings.  I know it's sort of silly ~ after all, new beginnings can begin on any day of the month but somehow, the first day of a new month has that new shiny feel.  So, now that a new season is also about to begin, I'm making myself commit to a challenge that I've been thinking about a lot over the last few months. I was so inspired by everyone's #madememay projects, and I desperately wanted to play along but who was I kidding?  I haven't created enough in my wardrobe to even post for a week, let alone an entire month!

So instead of pouting and feeling sorry for myself, I've decided to do something about my lack of creative output over the past year.  I've started and stopped too many projects since last fall and in going over my stash, I'm having to admit that it's getting me down. Why are there soooo many one skeins in there?  Do I seriously not have any sweater's worth of yarn in any of the gazillion bags I seem to be hoarding?  This is going to change! I'm going to take some time over the weekend to sort through my patterns and stash and start a brand new queue for my summer knitting which will include warm weather tops and accessories.

I haven't participated in a KAL for a long time, but I'm thinking that jumping in on a couple of knit-alongs this summer may just be what I need to inspire me and to keep me honest and engaged with all you lovely knitters. I haven't hosted a knit-along in while either so stay tuned as I'm scheming of a fun one to announce early next week.  In the meantime, if you're enjoying one now that still has a few weeks to go, let me know.  I just may join you!

In Search of Yarn

Slowly but surely, the temperatures are starting to rise to a point where I can think about wearing tees and tanks and, of course, this turns my mind to knitting some tees and tanks. I fell pretty hard when I first saw this simple yet jazzy knitted top ~ I mean, c'mon, look at those fabulous little fringe details ~ and I'm feeling inspired to start scouting out the perfect yarn for this project. No, this isn't a pattern but with some careful looking and notes, I think I can re-create it.

From Damsel in Dior

From Damsel in Dior

For all my years of knitting, I have to admit that I've stuck pretty loyally to the same small circle of yarns I've used in the past, but this season, I'm looking to bust out a bit and try my hand at new-to-me companies and fibers. So, what are your thoughts?  Linen? Flax? Cotton? Merino blend? I'd love your help!

The Word

So many of you are blogging or posting about your word for the new year, and it got me thinking about what my word is.  I have many wishes and desires for 2015, many that I think I will be able to accomplish, but the one concept or word that is foremost on my mind is Stash.  I know, how appropriate, right?

But I don't mean stash as a verb such as to stash more, but rather, stash as a noun such as to use and rely on my stash of all kinds.  As I get older, I find myself desiring less rather than more and this got me looking at everything I already have.  Sure, my jeans are five years old but they still fit; my boots aren't as shiny as when they were new but I've got miles left to walk in them; and my yarn stash is still as plentiful and enticing as ever.

There's no doubt that focusing on and using my stashes of things has an added economic benefit, but I see my new-found commitment as a way to keep the clutter down both physically and mentally. As you can see, I cast on my first pair of socks for 2015 with some very old Regia self-striping yarn that was hiding at the bottom of my stash.  I needed some new wool socks and now I'll have a cozy new pair without spending an (extra) dime. And while I will be adding this pair of socks to my dresser, my yarn stash will be just a little lighter.  Win-win, as they say!

Code Breaker

You're probably going to laugh at this post, but I just started watching season two of The Bletchley Circle and was suddenly struck by how much the current project I'm knitting is like reading code.  If you're a TBC fan, you may recall that in the opening scene of season one, Susan is reading a knitting pattern while clicking away on her needles.  Of course, that's a hint at her secret past of being a code breaker during WWII.  

As I'm trying really hard to knit down my stash, I pulled out my one skein of The Fibre Company's Road to China in the malachite colorway, my US3 dpns, and cast on for a pair of Nalu fingerless mitts. I'm in the mood for a small'ish project with some teeth to it ~ you know, a bit of chart reading, some simple stockinette, and a thumb turn to add interest.  I started this project at the same time that I began watching season two of TBC and when I got past the cuff ribbing and started on the cable chart, I couldn't help but notice the similarity of me and the Bletchley girls.  Okay, I admit it ... being a code breaker would be one of my dream jobs!  Yeah, I'm that kind of geek.

A Sleeve ... or Two

There are those of you who aspire to have a variety of projects on your needles. You've got a hat, a sock, a mitt, a sweater, and a blanket all having a party in your knitting basket.  And then there's me.  If I have more than two projects calling for my attention, I get a little antsy and, yes, even a little dazed.  It's not that I can't multitask (I'm the queen of multitasking), but I find it hard to work on one project and not feel like I'm neglecting the other one.  Anyone willing to offer knitting therapy?

And then there's the UFO (aka unfinished object) lurking in the back corner of the closet or at the bottom of the project bag or stuffed under the couch cushions.  Okay, hopefully not under the couch cushions, but I have a feeling you know what I'm talking about.  So, here I was, at the start of fall knitting season feeling very proud of myself for having individual clear bags filled with yarn, needles, and pattern waiting for when I would finish one project to then cast on a new pattern.

And then I dug just a little deeper into my knitting basket and saw it ... my UFO from last October! It was my Bailey cardigan begun with some gorgeous Uncommon Thread Yarn that Mark brought back all the way from Loop London in summer 2013.

You can be sure that I whipped that project out of its bag, read through the pattern again, found where I had left off, and started knitting.  And I have to say, with complete joy, that I have been enjoying my Bailey so, so much.  This is all to say that I have been monogamously knitting on my cardigan and am almost finished.  Yes, you see one fully completed sleeve and another one making its way to the elbow.  

I guess you can say that I'm not suffering from second-sleeve syndrome.  

Hat Face

There are some people who have what I call hat faces.  You know what I mean ... stick a hat on their heads and voila, they look completely adorable.  I, for one, do not have a hat face.  Stick a hat on my head and my forehead disappears, my eyes shrink, and I do not look completely adorable (cue the sad face here).

But as a knitter, knitting a hat is one of those amazing pleasures.  The commitment is long enough to feel invested but short enough to get quick gratification. I've even designed a couple of hat patterns, and have really enjoyed creating Autumn in New York and Miranda. Last but not least, because I tend to only knit hats with animal fibers, I get a lot of happiness working with yarns I especially love.  

Both these hats are the Citadel pattern, and I just love how they turned out.  The oatmeal-colored one is in worsted weight knit in Patons Classic Wool and the other is a soft white in dk weight knit in LB superwash merino.  I don't know who I'll gift these to, but as you can guess, I'm really all about the process.  Hmm, I may be feeling a hat phase coming on. 

*My talented and very beautiful blogger friend, Michelle, has a wonderful giveaway over on her blog ~ a gorgeous shawl pattern by my other talented and very beautiful blogger friend, Libby.  Go and enter!!

Shawls All the Time

I titled this post Shawls All the Time because that's how it has been feeling here at P:Stash. Every now and then, I go through periods when my knitting seems to be all about fill in the blank.  Over the last couple of years, I've gone through a serious hat phase and then a sock phase and then a blanket phase and this fall, my needles have been happily occupied by shawl patterns. 

If you have been keeping up with my blog, you know that I did my darnedest to finish my Shaelyn in time to wear to my niece's wedding, but I fell short.  Still, it was a real joy to knit, and I'm definitely going to knit another one.  The design in this Madtosh colorway is gorgeous and I can imagine knitting another one in a plum.

I then cast on and have since finished my first Lonely Tree Shawl which was a great knit.  I started this pattern several times a few months ago and just kept getting frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to read the charts.  So, I sadly set this pattern aside and then a month ago, I watched Staci's video tutorial for knitting a cabled cowl and once I saw her explain how to read a chart, the biggest light bulb went on over my head.  I grabbed a skein of LB superwash merino dk and cast on immediately.  I'm now an expert chart reader (not really, but I definitely get it now!!).

So, after the happy success of my Lonely Tree, it was obvious that I had to cast on an Elder Tree Shawl, this time for a dear friend who has a big birthday coming up.  I've had trouble with this yarn in the past ~ I guess I'm not the most comfortable knitting with yarn that has a silk content ~ but it's working perfectly in this pattern.

I'm tempted to really challenge myself with a heavy-duty lace shawl pattern but then again, it just may be hat season again!

Small Things

The other night, while finishing the body of my Lonely Tree Shawl, I had a golden opportunity to sit with my 19-year old son and simply talk. He's home from college on a study break, and our conversation naturally flowed from light chit-chat at dinner to a more profound talk about career paths, relationships, and what it means to be a young adult in the 21st century. I know, heavy stuff but oh so good. He's my first and so I often feel like I'm learning how to be a good parent on him ... okay, maybe I should say with him .... and conversations like this one reminds me that I'm doing a good job. I don't typically write about such personal stuff, but I'm still feeling and thinking a lot about our talk so it feels natural to let it all continue to flow over here.

He's an artist, and I'd like to think of myself as someone who has a creative spirit and approach to life.  He would agree and is always incredibly positive and encouraging about my love of fiber, textiles, and yes, even my humble knitting.

Speaking of humble knitting, sometimes I get the urge to cast on something small and this lovely hat pattern jumped onto my needles over the weekend.  Like the Lonely Tree Shawl, I'm knitting this beanie in LB Collection Superwash Merino. I love knitting hats (talk about instant gratification) but I'm personally not a hat wearer myself.  As a knitter, it doesn't matter much as I'm really a process and not a product knitter.  Yeah, you should see the stash of finished goodies I have in my closet all waiting to be given away!

Palate Cleanser

I'm not very good about having a zillion (or even three or four) projects on the needles at once, but when I'm knitting something like a sweater, it really helps to have something small going at the same time.  Some of you can knit a cardigan and a pullover and a sock and a shawl and a tea cozy all while knitting a blanket~and the knitting world needs you~but once I have more than a couple of projects in my knitting basket, my mind goes all wonky.

But there's also a part of my brain that craves something new when it comes to monogamous knitting.  I'm being very faithful to Miranda's please knit list, but I know that I'll be a happier knitter if I get to cleanse my palate every now and then so I dug into my stash and pulled out a skein of DK just to feel a different weight in my hands.  

I've been wanting to knit a Lonely Tree Shawl for over a year, but the last time I attempted this pattern, I kept messing up.  I'm almost embarrassed to say why but I'll 'fess up here ~ I didn't realize that when reading a lace chart, repeats are meant to be done within the row and not after completing a whole row first.  Duh!  I got it now (can you see the huge lightbulb flashing over my head?), and I'm making nice progress on this beautiful shawl.  I'm loving this mustardy color yarn I'm knitting with, too ~ more photos to come!

Please Knit List

Thanks so much for all your comments on my last post.  In all honesty, I hadn't even thought about the possibility of the red bleeding into the white (Maryse, you deserve a knitting medal for pointing this out to me!).  I loved the words of caution (Gail, Wildflower Wool, and Andi) mixed with the cheers of enthusiasm (Ellen, Kepanie, Kelly, and Preeti), but at the end of the day, I couldn't risk spending all those hours knitting this combination of the Nangou only to watch it morph into a pink and red shawl.  Yes, my friends, I frogged it (again!).  So, what's a knitter to do?  You guessed it ~ I cast on something completely new and different.

I'm one of those lucky knitters whose children actually ask for hand-knitted garments. Each fall, Miranda has her please knit list, and presents it to me with the sweetest smile.  This is when I wish I had eight pairs of arms because she usually has at least eight sweaters (yes, sweaters) that she's hoping will fly off my needles before the first snow flake falls.

I am always so happy to oblige but sometimes her wishes take a little time to figure out. Last fall, she fell in love with a hip-length cardigan that she saw at Urban Outfitters and asked begged me to knit it for her.  It was incredibly simple (drop shoulders, V-neck, long sleeves, pockets), but the textured stitch had me stumped.  I did a bunch of swatches but none matched the look of the UO sweater.  Fast forward to this fall ~ I came across a gorgeous cardigan on IG and traced it back to the Comfort Zone pattern.  Two seconds later, the pattern was in my library, and I was swatching to pick the best yarn for the project.  I'll tell you more about my swatching process in my next post but for now, I can't seem to put this cardigan down.  And I guess you can say that I'm not done with the color red just yet!

Yes or No?

It's Friday which in my book means thinking about what I'll be knitting this weekend.  I'm really enjoying my Nangou shawl, but I'm feeling unsure about my contrasting color. If you recall, originally, I started this shawl in red and found the fabric ... blobby (isn't that a word?) and undefined.  I frogged it and decided to knit this in a white DK which I like a lot but what do you think about the contrasting red stripe?

When I first finished the red section, I almost frogged it again but then thought better ~ after all, I didn't want to be too hasty.  So, I knit a few more repeats of the pattern in white, and I have to say that I'm growing more fond of how the shawl is developing.

I'm ready to add another stripe but it'll have to wait until after the weekend because I've got sweaters on my mind.  I just came across two new-to-me patterns here and here which I just may have to cast on. As you can see, I'm all about the textured stitch right now. Oh, and I got a new armchair for the living room and love it.  Somehow, we're sporting a whole 1950's Mad Men vibe in our apartment and it's making me very, very happy! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Try, Try, Again

Remember the other day when I posted about a new shawl that I cast on over the weekend? The Nangou pattern is one I've admired for a while now, and I was excited to get it on the needles.  I already frogged it once because I wasn't very good about keeping track of my increases, but after almost getting to the end of the first section last night, I realized that I didn't like the fabric that was knitting up.  I was working with Cascade Heritage which is a really nice yarn, but I found that my garter stitch looked more messy than squishy. Hurumph!

So, like all good knitters, I went through my stash again and remembered how much I like Lion Brand's Superwash Merino especially in garter stitch.  It's a DK weight so I went up a needle size (US7, if you're interested), and I'm now humming along.  As the shawl is growing, I'm loving the edges that are developing.  It's got me thinking about how important edges are which I'll save for another post.  

I'm not sure what contrast color I'm going to add when I get to section B but my bento bag is sort of inspiring me.  Stay tuned!

(A) List

Thanks for all your sweet comments about my last post ~ every time a new photo pops up on my family's instagram or FB pages, we're all smiles again!  I think this feeling is going to last for months and months...

But now to this weekend ~ I'm a serious, die-hard, dedicated, and committed list maker, and I am chomping at the bit to tackle my Saturday to-do list.  Having worked the first two Saturdays in September followed by the wedding of the decade, this is the first weekend where I can devote an entire day to my crafting.

Now that I'm living split between two places, I don't have spontaneous access to my yarn stash any longer.  I know, I can feel your anxiety growing at the thought.  So, the first thing I plan to do tomorrow morning is sit with a big mug of coffee and get re-acquainted with my stash.  I already have two sweater quantities of yarn in one of my baskets assigned to two patterns: the Beaubourg pullover and the Reverb cardigan.  I'll see if I stay true to my original plan to knit the Beaubourg in Manos Maxima and the Reverb in Malabrigo Rios.  I'm really going to try and not get swayed by other patterns but you know how this works, right?  Some shiny new pattern pops up on my feed and I get fickle.

I think I have a few more sweater quantities of yarn in Rowan Calmer, Rowan Lima, and Rowan Kidsilk Haze,  but other than that, I'll be making lists of shawl, cowl, sock, and hat patterns for all the rest.  Can you tell that I'm trying to knit down my stash?  Share your favorite in any or all of these categories ~ I'm completely open to being inspired!

Happy weekend, everyone.

Ambitious ... or Unrealistic?

I've got a very special and important family event coming up this weekend, and I've cast on a project that I'm really, really hoping I can finish by Saturday.  My niece is getting married to her honey, and our family is bursting with excitement. I found a beautiful royal blue all-over lace dress to wear to the wedding but as our temperatures here in NY have shifted to autumn weather, I'll definitely need a little something over my shoulders for the evening. (As a side note, clearly, someone needs to teach me how to take selfies in a dressing room!).

I've long admired the Shaelyn Shawl pattern and pulled out my stash of Madeleinetosh in the Midnight in Manhattan colorway to see if it could be a good match.  What do you think? I think it's perfect!

So, wish me luck as I try to get this knit up in the next 48 hours ... I think I can, I think i can.  And here's a peek at a part of the bridal party.

Bridesmaid, Bride, and Matron of Honor (from years ago)

In Need of Some Loving

Do you know what happens when you discover a new passion, a new love?  This …

Yes, this is my pile of languishing and neglected works-in-progress.  Ever since I started weaving on my rigid heddle loom, whatever free time I have is spent gleefully warping and wefting.  But here's the thing ~ the other night, I learned that weaving isn't conducive to watching movies or chatting with friends.  In fact, I need to pay a lot of attention to what I'm doing and taking my eyes off the loom leads to some rather bad mistakes!

Trillian Shawl in Tanis Fiber Arts Red Label 

After coming to terms with the fact that I'm not a social weaver (or at least not yet), I need to pull out my knitting again and catch up with my summer list of movies to watch and all the coffee dates I want to make with friends.  

Portico in Malabrigo 

Let's see if I can get these projects off the needles before the end of July because in all honesty, I've got a whole slew of weaving projects I'm dying to work on.  ; )

A New Happy Place

I can't explain why or how this happened, but clearly 2014 has become the year of trying new things. Knitting is still my go to happy place but after making my first scrapbook last month, I felt the crafty part of myself expand a little. I had a ton of fun scrapbooking, but I already know that I'll only work on a scrapbook intermittently.  BUT after trying another new craft recently, I can absolutely tell that I've found a new happy place.

Remember when I fell down the Instagram rabbit hole?  Well, I stumbled upon this amazing artist, and when she announced that she would be teaching a basic weaving class, I jumped at the chance and secured a spot.  My class, which was held in a coffee bar in Brooklyn, was filled with an incredibly warm group of women.  The excitement was palpable and I loved how open everyone was to learning something new.

Maryanne is one of the most generous, patient, and passionate teachers I've ever studied with ~ her instructions, both verbal and visual, are clear, concise, and encouraging.  The atmosphere was truly one of sharing, and I think we all wished the class could have gone on for hours and hours.  Another big bonus was getting to work with Tanis' hand-dyed yarns in a completely different form.  I've knit with TFA yarns before and love Tanis' amazing color sensibility so to experiment with her yarns on a loom was fantastic. 

My first project is going very slowly (mainly because I haven't had much time to work on it this week), but I'm enjoying weaving so much and am so excited for all the projects I want to start.  As I'm sharing this with you, I'm finding that I'm having a hard time expressing what this new craft means to me but I hope, over time, I'll be able to articulate better how weaving is becoming my new very happy place.

Me and Maryanne

A New Project for A New Month

Did May pass by as quickly for you as it did for me?  If today is an indicator of how quickly June will also fly by, I'm in trouble.  It's already mid-afternoon and while I've been productive (a 5k run, grocery shopping, laundry, a trip to the library to pick up this book which I'm excited to read), I still have so much on my to do list for the rest of the day!

One thing that I'm definitely going to do is swatch for my new June project with this gorgeous yarn that I picked up yesterday at my LYS.

Arroyo

I'm going to knit a Portico tee for the summer, and I know that this color way is going to keep me smiling all the way to the bind off. 

But what was I up to in May?  I fell down another rabbit hole and have started scrapbooking (thanks to my uber talented sister whose scrapbooks are truly a work of art).  

And I cast on a summer cardigan for Miranda of my own design.  She has an arm's length list of sweaters she'd like me to knit, and there's no way that I can refuse.  

But this afternoon, I'm going to do some knitting for my own summer wardrobe so excuse me while my ball winder calls.  

Rabbit Holes

I'm late to instagram but now I understand what all the fuss is about.  Being the visual person that I am, getting to see all your fantastic photographs of yarn and knitting and food and nature and children and dogs and cats (... and more cats), has been completely inspiring.  

It's been tough not wanting to hand-dye yarn or dash out and buy a loom or pull out all my baking supplies or go for (another) run or cast on all the things but I've resisted ... sort of.  One work-in-progress that I just couldn't put off getting onto my needles is the mitred blanket, especially the one that Georgie of Tikkiknits has been working on.  It's a real labor of love and truly beautiful. 

So, I gathered my scrap balls of yarn and started with this square knit in Duck Duck Wool's BFL DK.

I then moved on and got to three squares when I discovered my annoying mistake (yes, it's that naughty white square).

I seriously considered leaving it and as my dear friend Gail suggested, simply call it a design feature, but I knew that that one square would mock me every time I looked at it so I promptly frogged it and began anew.

I'm now almost done with my first four squares, and I'm finding this such a relaxing project.  I love checking in on all the #mitredblanket posts on instagram and knitting away on mine.  So, there you have it ~ I've managed to jump down two rabbit holes at once!

22 Little Clouds

A few weeks ago, when I embarked on my one-skein challenge, the first pattern that jumped onto my needles was Martina Behm's 22 Little Clouds. I hadn't knit a Behm design before and while I know she's designed a gazillion patterns, I thought I'd start off with one of her free patterns to get a sense of what she's like as a designer.  

I decided on one of my older skeins, one that I had in my stash since August 2012 (yikes!).  Bugga is wildly popular but like a Behm design, I had never knit with it before so this little project was going to enable me to cross off two items from my knitting bucket list.

The combination of yarn and pattern is a total win-win. The subtle but vibrant color changes are gorgeous and the simplicity of the pattern made the shawl practically knit itself.

I would say that my first one-skein challenge project was a huge success ~ just not sure if I should keep this beauty or gift it?