Archive for February, 2008
Kaffe Fassett Ready-To-Wear (Am I the only one who didn’t know about this?)
I was looking at the latest issue of the Peruvian Connection catalog, saw this and thought, “that looks like Kaffe Fassett”:
Then I read the description and to my surprise, it WAS.
(why was I surprised, I just said I thought it looked like Kaffe Fassett?)
WooHoo I don’t need to knit my own and weave in all those ends!
Oh wait, check the price…
hmmm, I guess I will be weaving in my own ends for now.
SEE all the Kaffe Fassett items:
Kaffe Fassett designs at Peruvian Connection
And THIS (not Kaffe Fassett, but pretty cool):
makes me think I should give crocheting another chance.
Koolhaas for Alaska
After Madrona on Thursday and Friday, with my head stuffed full of new knitting design concepts and ideas I headed to this place.
Mount Hood.
The weather was incredible weather, clear blue skies. Skiing, sunshine, friends, food, drink. I got to see another great WPA lodge, Timberline. I am always amazed by the big logs in these places. The stair rail finials were all different carved animals, impressive stonework, fireplaces, ironwork, and great light fixtures.
It weirds me out to look out the window and see snow, not snow falling or snow on the ground, just snow, like “we’re buried in snow”. I had just walked into the place and knew there was an open exit, so I didn’t have to go all REDRUM, but I don’t think I would like to wake up, think, hmmmm, what am I going to do today?, look out the window and see that.
I brought my current portable knitting project, my notes and pattern from class with Jean Wong to review, and a new hank of Blue Moon STR along.
After class my head, though not quite spinning, was certainly wobbly. I decided I need to do some fancy thinking about tailoring my sweater pattern before I get started.
Set that aside.
Picked up the current portable project, fingerless mittens in Koigu P529, decided I didn’t like the pattern I was using and would prefer another pattern.
That I had back at home.
Sigh.
Set that aside.
Good thing I brought the STR Mediumweight Braun’s Woods.
I started a swatch.
Yuck! Stripes. Hmmpf. I am still trying to learn how to look at a hank and predict how it will knit up.
Set that aside.
While in Oregon, we hit the Portland REI to do some sales-tax-free shopping. DD is going on a school trip to Alaska and needs ‘a few’ things. By the time we got to “Hats, wool or polyfleece – QTY 2 minimum” I was in no mood to ‘buy’ a hat. Though I had nothing to knit on the three hour ride home, I had a plan: Koolhaas. I even had a stash yarn in mind.
I took a nap
As soon as we got home I pulled up brooklyntweed and the Koolhaas Hat, showed it to the DD-in-need-of-at-least-2-wool-or-polyfleece-hats and she declared it: Cool.
The yarn, Debbie Bliss Merino Aran was OK’d. Cast on:
I have wanted to knit this hat since I first saw it and I have had this odd bit of yarn for a long time. Someone gave it to me as a birthday present. Someone who knew that I knit, but is not, nor has ever been, a knitter. Risky. At last, the yarn has a project.
Madrona 2008
Madrona, the 2008 Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat,
I took Jean Wong’s two-day Tailored Knitting the Japanese Way class. Wow! It was GREAT. She showed us how to Measure For and Layout a pattern along with lots of design tips and guidelines throughout. It was so much information, I couldn’t process it all during class, I had to go home and keep thinking about it. I had heard good things about Jean Wong and her classes and it was all true. She has a head full of knitting knowledge and is determined to impart as much as possible into her students. Kind of like an adorable Drill Sergeant.
It got to the point where I started photographing her notes:
Yeah. That’ll help.
(In truth, it does make sense. Sorta. Um. I need to think.)
I’m glad I signed up for only one class, because I could not handle any more learning immediately after her class. I was full up.
For my homework pattern I chose this sweater from Poetry In Stitches by Solveig Hisdal:
Here is the beautiful Hifa2 yarn:
Here is my swatch:
Notice the difference between the bottom row and top row. On the bottom row I carried the pink yarn below the green yarn and in the upper row I carried the pink above the green. The difference is most noticeable in the leaf veins. I tried the two different carries because I took Sally Melville’s color classes last year at Madrona. She is fantastic, if you ever get a chance to take a class with her, do it. She is a great teacher. I have her Color book, which is also fantastic. She emphasized being consistent with carrying yarns because it affects the appearance.
So now I have to decide which one I like better.
Oh Yeah! here’s my fairly controlled yarn purchases, I managed control only because my stash is getting ridiculous:
from Blue Moon:
STR: Braun’s Woods, Turquoise, Rare Gems one-of-a-kind, Lover’s Leap, Haida, Rook-y
The Raven Clan colors are cool, but I don’t think I could possibly choose without seeing them in person.
from Knit Purl:
HABU cashmere A-34 color 3701 (red) and color 4707 (eggplant)
The yardage is 202yds for the red and only 182yds for the eggplant. Weird.
also from Knit Purl:
Shibui Sock in Sky 3115. Someone referred to this as “neon turquoise” and that is a perfect description.
I love Knit Purl in Portland, OR, they have the most fabulous selection of cashmere and silk and ooooooooo. And everyone is super nice.
Knitting In Mind 