// SHOP NEWS //
If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, I’m excited to let you know that you can now find my project bags at The Knitting Bee!
I just dropped these off at the depot and it should arrive sometime next week. Lots of time to plan a visit!
This blog is not only for documenting my makings but to also have a place for future projects I’m excited about. That’s how Current Obsessions was born and I have every intention of making every single item I put into this category.
Back in November, I shared the Tiilda hat and mitten set by my friend and talented designer, Inese Sang.
I finished it a while back but never got around to taking photos of me wearing them until now. We woke up to hail and snow yesterday. Yup, that’s right, I said yesterday and I know it’s the middle of April but I don’t think mother nature got the memo. Anyway, we had been delaying getting our passport photos taken for months now so, at the beginning of the week, I told everyone “don’t make any plans this Saturday because no matter what, we are going to Costco first thing to get that done.”
Well, damn.
So, we dug out the winter gear, snow boots and all and headed out the door. It’s a good thing Radley never got around to changing the tires either!
[project bag is from my sweet friend, Sandy]
I used Brooklyn Tweed Quarry in the colorway Moonstone. I knew this yarn loves to cable and I’m so pleased with how they turned out. The only regret I have is not buying more for a matching cowl. 🙂
I haven’t blocked them yet because I was too excited to wear them lazy. I bought the faux fur pom pom from a fellow Canadian maker – Elle Desjardins.
I’ve received so many compliments (and requests) for this set. I’m planning to make another one in black with this.
If you’re looking for a super fast, super fun, purposeful gift (unless you live in Florida) I highly recommend this pattern. Have I mentioned it’s free?
Mother’s day is just around the corner and I think this would be a perfect gift for mom (again, unless you live in Florida)
If you decide to knit it, why not print a gift tag as well 🙂
Pattern: Tiilda Hat // Tiilda Mittens by Inese Sang.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Brooklyn Tweed. It’s always been a dream of mine to have a closet full of garments made from their yarn and designs. I have plans to make Natsumi, Ondawa, Aspen, Channel cardigan, Sundottir, to name a few.
[Images via Brooklyn Tweed]
So, of course, when I heard that the man behind it all, Jared Flood, was being interviewed in the Making podcast, I was ecstatic.
I’ve always enjoyed Ashley Yousling’s work on Woolful. It’s incredibly eye-opening and inspiring to hear about other creative’s journey and the ambiance she provides to tell the story is so my jam.
The quote above is from the interview. It resonated with me at this point in my life. Not just with my work but with life in general.
Isn’t it true that we always seem to wait for the right time? When the kids are older or when I win the lottery or when I lose that extra 10 pounds, I will…….(insert goal here)
What about right now?
What can you be grateful for at this very moment?
I’ve been trying to embrace mindfulness more and more as part of my new self-care routine and let me tell you, it’s not so easy. I’ve got so many ideas buzzing in my head. My to-do list is never-ending, the laundry is always overflowing and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done. It’s very easy for me to be overwhelmed by things that in hindsight really doesn’t even matter if I look at the grand scheme of things.
It’s been a work in progress, allowing myself to pause and appreciate the little things whenever I can.
Bullet journaling (bujo) has been my holy grail. I love that it not only helps me keep my tasks and thoughts organized but it clearly lets me know when I’m in way over my head. What I think is important at the time all of a sudden gets shoved down the list or gets migrated. In some instances even irrelevant!
[WIP: Summer Feelin’ Sweater by Wool and the Gang]
I give myself room to journal in there as well and I love that everything is in chronological order. From my tasks to my thoughts. I can easily go back and remember where I was in my life when brainstorming an idea. I don’t really focus on the “pretty/fancy layouts” that bujo can easily turn into. I keep it pretty simple. I carry it everywhere I go and I make the effort to note what I’m grateful for each week.
I find this practice helps improve my perspective. I scan the week I’ve had and find one or two things that might have otherwise been overlooked. There’s always something to be grateful for. Even if you think it’s the worst possible day. It really isn’t so bad.
I love my Leuchtturm1917. It’s simple and classic (hmmm, sound familiar?) you know it’s right up my alley! I love that it comes with dotted lines, numbered pages, table of contents and 2 bookmarks. But mostly, I love the freedom of being able to customize the pages to however it best suits my needs for a particular time. I’m in total control of what I want to make a note of, whether I want a diary section for this week/month or not.
I chose not to get the bullet journal edition (I got it for my husband though) because it comes with fewer pages and cost a bit more. Have to admit though, I do like the extra features of a dedicated Key and Collections page.
I use the 2 bookmarks it came with for 1) my Current Week 2) my Collections. I added a third which says “Escape the Ordinary” and I use it for easy access to my Future Logs. I picked it up from Indigo (obsessed with that store!) a while back so I’m not sure if they still carry it but there a few others I’ve got my eye on like this and this. Thing is, I only use this one notebook so I can’t really justify getting another charm bookmark (for now anyway!)
It’s jewelry for my notebook. I just love it!
Anyway, back to the quote.
Lots of ideas and plans for the shop that I hope to accomplish this year. But at this moment, I want to pause, reflect, and be mindful of what is happening right now.
I’m extremely humbled and grateful for the opportunities coming my way and I can’t wait to share it with you soon!
Love seeing celebrities knitting!
Krysten Ritter aka Jessica Jones teaches Stephen Colbert how to knit 🙂
Go, Jessia Jones! Show ’em how it’s done!
In the future, this may help 🙂
In through the front door,
Around the back,
Out through the window,
And off jumps jack!!!
7:00 pm EST
See you there!
Back in November of last year, Wool and The Gang sent me their latest sock yarn called Kinda Magic Socks. You can read more about it here.
It’s called ‘Kinda Magic’ because when you knit it at the right gauge, a leopard pattern appears. Wool and the Gang offers this as a kit which comes with 3 different needle sizes so you can rest assured you’ll have everything you need to make the socks.
Here’s everything you get:
Now, I’m a magic looper, as you may already know by now. Also, the pattern is written for cuff down but I like to knit my socks toe up. So, of course, I modified to my preferences!
Thankfully, I had all 3 needle sizes on hand because it took me several tries to get gauge. I started with my usual 2.25mm needle and cast on the number of stitches called for in the pattern. Eventually, I had to go all the way up to 2.75mm for the pattern to show.
*Tip: You need to pay attention when the striping begins. To ensure you are knitting at the correct gauge, the stripe should start at the beginning of each round. If you find you began a new round and are still working with the white section or if you finished the round before the white changes to yellow, you have to tink back and try again with a different needle size.
I ended up using all 3 needle sizes for my socks.
When I figured out that I need to use 2.75mm for the pattern to show, I realized I would end up with socks that would be way too loose if I cast on using this size so I went back down to the 2.25mm for the toe then switched to the 2.75mm at the beginning of the stripe section.
The pattern has you put in a scrap yarn to mark the beginning of the heel as a guide to come back to later. Because I’ve only used Fish Lips Kiss Heel for my socks, it’s what I used.
I switched back to the 2.25mm to work the heel, then switched to the 2.75mm for the leg.
I know, it sounds like a lot of fussing but it really isn’t! It’s just as if you were knitting a sweater or a hat – where the pattern calls for smaller needles for the ribbing then has you switch to larger needles for the rest of the body.
When it was time to knit the cuff, I absentmindedly picked up the 2.5mm needles. I was already halfway done the ribbing when I realized what I had done and instead of ripping back I just went with it. I made notes to make sure I do the same for the second sock.
I did try it on as I was knitting with the 2.75mm. It’s definitely bigger than all the other socks I’ve knit (and I’ve knit a lot!) but it’s totally fine! Using the smaller needles for the toe and heel definitely helps with the fit.
Now that the socks are done and I can actually walk around with it, I’m really pleased with how it turned out. It’s so cozy! All the other socks I’ve made have a much tighter fit, yes, and some would argue you’re supposed to knit it like that because the socks stretch a bit after blocking. But I realize after making these socks that I actually like to have a bit of room in mine.
These turned out just right for me. It’s not too tight, nor too big. Lots of wiggle room. I really like the fit!
Yarn: Kinda Magic Socks by Wool and the Gang
Colorway: Cool Cat Copper
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I want to thank Wool and the Gang for sending me this yarn to try. I absolutely enjoyed working with you AND I’m in love with my socks!
Back in October of last year, I was invited by Brooklyn Tweed to Preview Knit a pattern of my choosing from their upcoming Winter 2018 Collection.
Preview knitting is different from sample knitting and test knitting. At this stage, the pattern has already gone through an extensive knitting process and technical feedback was not a requirement. I was given the pre-layout version without the finalized pattern name.
A couple months later, I was delighted to find out that the garment I chose was named Freja – meaning Lady, Goddess of love, beauty, war and death in Norse mythology.
I love the name Freja and if you recall from my first vlog, I had named my dress form after her!
How serendipitous!
“For insouciant style you can dress up or down, Freja is a quick knit with big impact. An open front with a swingy A-line shape and a textured shawl collar make this sculptural piece easy to throw on over any outfit, and in chunky Quarry, it’s an ideal cozy overlayer. Add angled patch pockets for the perfect functional accent.” – Brooklyn Tweed.
Just my cup of tea!
I used Brooklyn Tweed Quarry in the colorway Gypsum. I hadn’t tried it yet and to be honest, was a little skeptical, having read too many tips on how to use this yarn. In the end, I decided to give it a shot and see for myself exactly what the fuss is about. I made notes – just in case…
I’m happy to report that I experienced no breakage with Quarry while knitting. NONE. It was an absolute pleasure to work with – from hand winding the skein into a ball – to spit splicing (my favorite!).
Every technique Jared incorporated in this design resulted in an effortless knit. If only I had a dollar for every time I stopped in awe to tell Radley “I am blown away by this”.
It’s not an easy feat to keep things simple. To know when to stop – when you’ve hit the sweet spot by adding just a hint of texture to keep interest.
The classic stockinette paired with an easy to memorize texture along the neckline produced a sophisticated garment. The pockets are optional but I highly recommend. The construction is ingenious!
At first, I knit the longer version of the sleeves (7″). I wore it for a couple of days and really thought about what I like and need for a cardigan. I still had about 70% of the last ball so I wasn’t worried that I will run out.
In the end, I decided to go for a 3/4 length sleeve and for little me, that translates to roughly 10″. I ripped back the binding, added 3 more inches to each sleeve then re-blocked.
I’m so happy with how this turned out. Part of the reason why I was so impressed is that I had never worked with Quarry before. The stitch definition really made the texture pop. It works up really fast because you’re using a bulky weight yarn, but it’s not heavy. It blocks out like a cloud.
Freja is a timeless, carefree cardigan that I see myself living in for many years to come.
I would like to thank Jared Flood, Korina Yoo, and everyone at Brooklyn Tweed for inviting me to be a part of this collection. It was a true honor and pleasure to preview knit and work with you! xo
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As always, here’s a list of shows I watched while working on this project:
