7.25.2009
Of Press, Vintage Sweaters, and Baby Knitting
I'm back from a wonderful and restful vacation -- it's amazing what a little time off will do for your energy. It's also amazing what the ocean air can do for you when you have nothing to do but knit in front of the sea for 6 days. Dreamy!
I came home to the new issue of The Knitter -- in which is featured an interview that Meg Swansen and I conducted with the wonderful ladies of The Knitter while in the UK. If you don't know this magazine, it's a great one - a bit hard to come by in the US, but getting easier, so I hear. The article features a few sneak peeks at some of my upcoming designs which will be out next month.
And you know I can't take a trip with acquiring a few woolly souvenirs, despite trying desperately to pack light, and keep it that way! Behind the scenes here I run what I like to think of as a Sweater Rescue Program - searching thrift stores and flea markets for beautiful woolen cast-offs that have been slightly damaged, dirtied, or just plain overlooked. I like to take them in, mend them with matching scrap yarn, clean them up and give them new life. I do this rather often, which explains my large collection of machine knit sweaters (on top of all those hand-knit ones), which some people find puzzling. I say: Good Knitwear is Good Knitwear, right!?
That said, I found a real BEAUTY in Portland at my favorite thrifting locale: "The Bins" (aka Buying-Sweaters-By-Weight-For-Change). This here is a vintage shetland pullover with great details and wonderful wool. It has plenty of small moth-holes and a few little stains that can be easily taken out with a good hand-washing. And since I seem to have somehow acquired every possible shade of Shetland Grey in existence all under one roof, I figured I'd be able to find a pretty good match for this one.
Mending commences this week!
In vacation-knitting news, I got some work done on new designs, but mostly zoned out with my stockinette project for the baby ... enjoying these beautiful shades of gold and soaking up the sounds of the ocean. I love knitting by the sea just after dusk and into evening - stockinette is nice cause you don't really need to look at your knitting, at least not that much.
The leggings are in need of one more leg, which should be quick work for car knitting that will be happening in the next few days (passenger, not driver.... although I've been known to try. Keep that one quiet.)
Stick around in the next week or so for some big announcements and blatant eye-candy. Until next time! ¶ 4:08 PM
I came home to the new issue of The Knitter -- in which is featured an interview that Meg Swansen and I conducted with the wonderful ladies of The Knitter while in the UK. If you don't know this magazine, it's a great one - a bit hard to come by in the US, but getting easier, so I hear. The article features a few sneak peeks at some of my upcoming designs which will be out next month.
And you know I can't take a trip with acquiring a few woolly souvenirs, despite trying desperately to pack light, and keep it that way! Behind the scenes here I run what I like to think of as a Sweater Rescue Program - searching thrift stores and flea markets for beautiful woolen cast-offs that have been slightly damaged, dirtied, or just plain overlooked. I like to take them in, mend them with matching scrap yarn, clean them up and give them new life. I do this rather often, which explains my large collection of machine knit sweaters (on top of all those hand-knit ones), which some people find puzzling. I say: Good Knitwear is Good Knitwear, right!?
That said, I found a real BEAUTY in Portland at my favorite thrifting locale: "The Bins" (aka Buying-Sweaters-By-Weight-For-Change). This here is a vintage shetland pullover with great details and wonderful wool. It has plenty of small moth-holes and a few little stains that can be easily taken out with a good hand-washing. And since I seem to have somehow acquired every possible shade of Shetland Grey in existence all under one roof, I figured I'd be able to find a pretty good match for this one.
Mending commences this week!
In vacation-knitting news, I got some work done on new designs, but mostly zoned out with my stockinette project for the baby ... enjoying these beautiful shades of gold and soaking up the sounds of the ocean. I love knitting by the sea just after dusk and into evening - stockinette is nice cause you don't really need to look at your knitting, at least not that much.
The leggings are in need of one more leg, which should be quick work for car knitting that will be happening in the next few days (passenger, not driver.... although I've been known to try. Keep that one quiet.)
Stick around in the next week or so for some big announcements and blatant eye-candy. Until next time! ¶ 4:08 PM
Comments:
Have you been to Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks yet? It's right around the corner from the Bins (if you go to the Sellwood/Milwaukie location) - great, big yarn shop with their own gorgeous yarn that they dye in the back with natural dyes, yummmm!
Beautiful sweater find! I love doing the thrift shop search. Tantalizing - what will one find?
It works very well on flat, straight North Dakota roads with no traffic. It's almost a good enough reason to relocate! Ha!
http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500257041
Jared, every time I get bogged down in a project or bored with what I'm working on, I take a look at your blog and remember why I love knitting and yarn in the first place.
I totally agree with you about The Knitter. I've subscribed. I also like Yarn Forward. It's a close second.
Love those baby tights!!
Thanks for the tease :)
Vanessa in Upstate NY
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Looking forward to the eye candy. Currently enjoying knitting the Tweed Baby Blanket. It's summer in the Highlands of Scotland, and so garter stitch is great for knitting while gazing out the window watching the sun set.
Usually I like to recycle the yarn from thrifted sweaters...but I think it's so cool that you actually mend them to wear!
Welcome back! Sweaters-by-weight sounds wonderful. I'd be interested in a post about the mending process, if possible.
Thrift stores are intriguing...ours still have summer stuff out but soon the winter sweaters! Can hardly wait! A sea retreat sounds fabulous!
Isn't The Knitter great! I'm originally from the UK so when my Mum told me that a new, more advanced knitting magazine was coming out, I got her to ship one out to me... after only just a few pages a subscription was inevitable!
Lovelovelove the Bins! That's where most of my recycled yarn comes from, and most of my wardrobe! I'm always there to shop for sweaters to unravel, but I end up getting sweaters to fix up/reconstruct and wear also. I've accumulated a closet's worth of sweaters since moving to pdx!
Have you been to Abundant Yarn & Dyeworks yet? It's right around the corner from the Bins (if you go to the Sellwood/Milwaukie location) - great, big yarn shop with their own gorgeous yarn that they dye in the back with natural dyes, yummmm!
Ooh - nice Fair Isle on that cover. Can't wait to see more. Tease!
Beautiful sweater find! I love doing the thrift shop search. Tantalizing - what will one find?
Hmmmm... glad to see I'm not the only nut whose attempted to drive while knitting... or should that be the other way around! :)
It works very well on flat, straight North Dakota roads with no traffic. It's almost a good enough reason to relocate! Ha!
eye-candy! whoo-hho! people apply make-up, eat junk food, talk on the phone while driving..why not knitting? correcting a dropped stitch would be hell, though. like the site lay-out, btw--so easy on the eyes!
The Knitter has a digital version that you can buy here
http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500257041
Thanks for the comment about the digital version-what a great option!!
Jared, every time I get bogged down in a project or bored with what I'm working on, I take a look at your blog and remember why I love knitting and yarn in the first place.
Knitting on the beach...my idea of Heaven on Earth! Glad you had such a restful trip. I can't wait to see the eye-candy.
I'll have to check out the bins sometime in Portland. Wondering if you have any tips on designing baby leggings. I'd like to do just leggings, not pants and am trying to figure out what the leg size should be circumference wise. I may just have to test on my own baby when she gets here.
Glad to hear you're not above the occasional machine-made sweater. That gray one looks worth all the mending time!
Stop lights are perfect knitting times. During rush hour on the way home, I can get in a couple of rows on a pair of socks I keep in the car just for stop lights!
So funny! I always have knitting in the car even if I'm the driver. You never know when you'll be stuck in bad traffic. And I once had an emergency project (my niece needed a cape for Halloween) that I knit much of at red lights!
LOL I knitted on the way home from work today, granted it was in stop, stop, stop, and go traffic but I was very glad I had it with me. Also nodding my head about knitting at the beach - my favorite place and the light in the late afternoon combined with the ocean smells and sounds - I can feel myself relaxing just writing that!
Hopefully I'll get to meet you at A Knitted Peace in Littleton, CO and not have to wait until Scotland next year. I've got my class stuff almost ready to submit and can't wait for August 2010.
I totally agree with you about The Knitter. I've subscribed. I also like Yarn Forward. It's a close second.
I am desperate to figure out how to knit while driving as well!! I adore WEARING the sweaters knit on the beach, ahhh the smell and the memories.
I have been bugging our local newsagent to stock the Knitter, I've heard such good things about it but never read it!
Love those baby tights!!
Love the warm cinnamon color of those leggings , cannot wait to see the finished product! Wish I could find "The Knitter" magazine here in Upstate NY - hmmmm, going to have to look around!
Thanks for the tease :)
Vanessa in Upstate NY
Borders and Barnes and Noble both carry The Knitter (at least in Colorado Springs) and Barnes and Noble also carries Yarn Forward. Both are a little spendy but I think the content is well worth the price. When are you coming to Colorado? I'd love to meet you/take a class.
Those little leggings are wonderful in that color. Is there a specific pattern that you use for them??
Just got my new Vogue Knitting which might have mentioned your name in conjunction with CE.... Is that your eye candy? Can't wait!
Did I see you in Vogue Knitting, Tweed? Converting patterns? Some of us look at more than the pretty pictures.
Have you ever bought a good wool sweater at a thrift shop and managed to unravel it for the yarn? I've never succeeded at this myself. Love the leggings and am looking forward to the eye candy! Can't get enough of that!
I am going absolutely crazy over those leggings. I've been wanting to knit baby leggings for a year. Are you publishing this pattern?
I'm so impressed by your mending skills! I am one of those people that throw out sweaters at the slightest sign of wear. Keep up the good work!
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