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!!!
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 –Â 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.Â
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:
I was asked to test knit a men’s sweater by my friend, Eric Lutz, host of the Sticks + Twine podcast and Publisher for Rib Magazine back in March. I said yes, flattered by the fact that I had only been knitting for 3 years and recently finished my first adult sweater, Boxy.
Then he showed me this photo:
Jaw drop.
I felt excited and intimidated at the same time. Look at those gorgeous cables! I thought to myself, “Can I do this? I’d hate to disappoint!”
I have worked on several cabled projects prior, like this hat, this other hat, and these beautiful socks. I also have this shawl that’s been on the needles for forever. I had frogged it countless times due to error after error on my part, and sadly it is now languishing in a corner waiting patiently for me to pick it up once again. Â
Self-doubt consumed me as I waited to receive the pattern. As Jameson Frank quotes, “Our greatest battles are those with our own minds”.
