I can’t say enough good things about this project. From the colors of the yarn to the stitch pattern, knitting it was therapeutic and soothing. I love the hints of speckles that emerge every time a flower is completed.
I ended up getting a new needle with the longest cord possible – 60″ – just so I can lay the shawl out and admire it in all its glory! The photo above was taken just before I started binding off. If I were to knit this again, I would add a couple of inches of garter border in the main color. I saw several shawls with that mod and I love how it looks. My concern was the shawl would be too big for me after blocking.
Ryan took me to see Cirque Du Soleil, Kurious for Mother’s Day and we took some photos after the show:
It’s no secret how much I adore all things Brooklyn Tweed – from their yarn to their patterns and overall aesthetic. I’m like a little kid in a candy store whenever a new collection comes out. I get the goosies. (Anyone else watch the finals for World of Dance Season 2?)
Goosebumps. I get the goosebumps.
It’s been a while since I mentioned anything under this category because A) I’ve been a little busy and totally slacking in the blog department B) a project I cast on that I once was excited about under this category didn’t quite work out (total fail on my part) and C) aside from one other thing that has been sitting in my draft for forever, I haven’t really come across anything that gave me the chills….until now.
So last week, Brooklyn Tweed released 3 new colors for Shelter and Loft to welcome the fall season. Pumice (grey), Iceberg (blue) and h-e-l-l-o Yellowstone!
I don’t have the yarn in front of me (yet) but it looks like the perfect marriage of yellow and green IMO. A yellow chartreuse. A heathered yellow chartreuse!!!
On top of this gorgeous new color, and basically what sent me over the edge is the beautiful lace half-hap design by Gudrun Johnson. The Perch Shawl.
I mean… damn! Isn’t she gorgeous?
I love the texture and the shape so much. I have a soft spot for triangular shawls because I find them effortless to style whether draped over my shoulders or wrapped around my neck a la scarf. I’m also curious about the construction – no spine like most traditional triangular shawls.
I am totally dream knitting this right now. It’s actually forcing me to finish something – anything! (read: I’ve got to get a handle on my castonitis) so I can get this on my needles….STAT!
Wool People is Brooklyn Tweed’s annual collection of independent designers from around the world. It was tough to pick just one pattern to preview knit for this collection. There were so many talented designers to choose from – Annie Rowden, Isabell Kraemer, Emily Greene, Shannon Cook, Melissa Wehrle – just to name a few. In the end, I decided to knit Rivulet. It’s a lace cowl knit in fingering weight designed by Shannon Cook.
She is a fellow Canadian and I’ve knit one of her patterns before – twice – the Laylow shawl. I’m a long time admirer of hers. Totally drawn to her modern aesthetic and am dream knitting so many of her patterns such as the Veronika Cardigan, Haro shawl, Hudson, and Bradway.
As I’ve previously mentioned, it isn’t mandatory to use Brooklyn Tweed yarn to preview knit. It just so happens that I enjoy using it! Another dilemma – choosing a color! I’m typically a neutral lover but I was just drawn to Hayloft. I pictured this gorgeous yellow mustard wooly goodness around my neck and shoulders.
As soon as I got passed the border and completed the first half of the chart repeat, I knew this was going to be amazing.
Slowly but surely, I could see the geometric lace emerging…
I was enamored by the contrast of my turquoise handmade stitch markers against Hayloft that I decided to make a matching progress keeper from an old necklace. I also decided to wear OPI’s Closer Than You Might Belem nail polish from their Lisbon collection because 1) it’s a perfect match and 2) I was going on a trip and needed to get my nails done anyway. I can’t even describe how satisfying it was for me and how happy this sight made me feel!
Radley and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary this year. As we sat and reminisced about the past 20 years (married for 10; together since high school), we realized we’ve never traveled alone as a couple before. It’s always as a family, with the kids so we decided while we’re young we’d do something totally different.
Kind of last minute – we talked about going away in passing earlier in the year but never really booked anything. We simply couldn’t decide where to go. Also, keeping in mind a trip at the end of this month which was booked from last year, we didn’t want to go to another all-inclusive.
We decided to go to Amsterdam. At first, we were going to fly into Berlin then take a train to Amsterdam then Paris. It would have been nice, but we only had 10 days. We knew there were lots of things to do so we chose to just stay in Amsterdam and relax and explore. I’ll probably upload a vlog at some point (hopefully!). I brought Rivulet with me on this trip. I knew I will have lots of time to work on it on the plane. Towards the end of our trip, we ended up spontaneously taking a drive to see a little bit of Germany. So, we checked out 3 days earlier than planned and went on the road. More knitting time for me, yay!
We read that it rains a lot in Amsterdam and even though I’m not a gambler at all, I decided to take a chance and only pack dresses and sandals. (Luckily, no rain that week) I brought a bunch of woolies with me for the flight because I get cold easily and I’m so glad I did. We had a pretty long layover in Keflavik, Iceland on our return flight home and Radley had surprised me to go to Blue Lagoon, Iceland! He even packed me a suit and a hat 🙂
Rivulet is a charted pattern but I was able to travel and knit on it easily. I figured out a hack that made it super easy to knit and read the chart. I’ll show it on my next podcast if you’re interested!
I’m so glad I was able to make this shot work…. I literally had 10 minutes to pull it off before sunset.
Although this is a charted pattern, when I returned home and was able to knit several repeats without interruption, it clicked! It is very intuitive and relaxing. It had a nice flow which was an absolute joy to knit.
It’s my first rectangular shawl and I love how it wears!
Like a big, cozy, hug!
My son, Ryan took these photos for me. The day we planned our photo shoot, it had been raining non-stop but thanks goodness it cleared up about an hour before sunset.
These were taken at Wilcox Lake in Oak Ridges – about 10 minutes away from our house. We go here quite often because of the stunning view and has a really great playground for the kids.
There is an option to add buttons and I was waiting to see photos of my fellow preview knitters wearing it as a cowl before deciding on mine. This pattern was just released yesterday but I’m liking what I’ve seen so far! I’m going to see if there are any buttons from my mom’s old clothes I can use.
I’m so happy with my Rivulet. Shannon did not disappoint! So elegant, so modern!
Simple texture + simple lace. I just love it. And Hayloft is going get me in t-r-o-u-b-l-e!!! I’m obsessed!
It all started around this time last year in Barrie, Ontario.
It was my second time attending Lisa Mutch’s knit night at her studio. In case you didn’t know, she is the bad-ass boss babe behind NBK (North Bound Knitting).
Here’s the back story…
I remember coming across her patterns while browsing Ravelry and being inspired by not only her designs but her stunning indie dyed yarns as well. Fast forward a few months later, I saw her post on Instagram saying she is hosting a knit night at her studio. I’m not even kidding when I say my jaw literally dropped. Lisa f—ing Mutch wants to have a knit night! Am I dreaming?
I couldn’t describe how I felt the very first time we went. There I was, so stinking brand new to knitting, surrounded by all these amazing knitters in Lisa f—ing Mutch’s studio! All that yarn! All the knitters!
[Disclaimer: This is going waaaaay back but here, you can see for yourself the biggest smiles on our faces. Btw, I totally forgot to include myself but that’s me holding the camera]
Anyways, back to metallurgy. I’m obsessed with it. Bronze and silver with various shades of gray and hints of army green. She had a few available for us on the second knit night and so, I treated myself to a few skeins. I decided to make the Noctilio shawl with it.
Recently, Lisa added sock sets to her shop. I was excited because if you know me, then you know matchy matchy is my thing!
I really, really like that contrasting color!
Something I noticed about my handknit socks is that I was making them just a bit too short. I was comparing them to what’s left of my store bought pairs and I realized that for me, the coziest ones had longer legs. So, I decided starting with this pair, that I’m going to knit the leg up to the toe before adding the cuff. I’m much happier with the end result 🙂
I consider myself lucky to have met Lisa. She is an inspiration to me as a maker, and as a business owner. I also consider her one of my mentors! From day one, she was right there, cheering me on when my shop launched and I’m forever grateful for that. Thank you, Lisa! xo
Now, it’s my turn! When I heard that she’s hosting a Spring Knitalong, I offered a KNIT drawstring bag as a prize. I’m thrilled to have something I can now contribute to our community 🙂 If you haven’t heard about the NBKAL, head over to Lisa’s Ravelry group for the details. The KAL is running until the end of the month so there’s still plenty of time to cast on and join in!
I mean… damn! Isn’t she gorgeous?
Do you get excited when you come across a design that speaks to your whole being? 
Radley and I celebrated our 
