Trips: Boston and New Orleans

It seems like my husband and I have been taking a ton of trips lately! For Thanksgiving, we headed up to Rhode Island to see my in-laws. While there, we took a day trip into Boston. Whenever we're in a new city with time to kill, I hop on Google to see if we're near any good yarn stores. (See: Hartford)

In Boston, we were able to make it to two stores. The first, Windsor Button, is downtown near Boston Common. Opened in 1936, the store is packed full of fun little notions, and a large yarn section:

There was a lot of Cascade, Malabrigo, and Berroco yarn (as well as some Lion Brand and other larger brand names)- the yarn is super well organized, and shopping there was quite a bit of fun, although I didn't buy anything. I DID spend about ten minutes molesting the madelinetosh yarn at the front of the store, though. If you're in Boston, doing a Freedom Trail tour, definitely get there early and hit Windsor Button.

We also happened to head to Cambridge, stopping at the adorable Gather Here. Here's a cute little video from their birthday, which shows the store a bit:
If you're near Harvard, you'll want to stop there. Particularly if, like me, you knit AND sew. Too many adorable fabrics to walk away. Last weekend, we were in New Orleans for a holiday party, and I ventured into the French Quarter to Quarter Stitch, a needlepoint/ yarn store. The Yarn Harlot wrote about going there in 2007, and I find her brief description of the store to be accurate. A ton of Malabrigo, a big basket of Blue Heron rayon, and bunches of other, smaller brands interspersed throughout the store. They don't like photographs in the store(due to the needlepoint kits), but if you peruse this search for images of the store, you'll see quite a few. I didn't find anything that particularly struck my fancy on that day.  I would have loved to explore some other stores in New Orleans, but time wasn't on my side! Luckily, we have some more trips planned in the upcoming year: Columbus, Ohio (my hometown), and New York City are on the list, for sure. If we were just going somewhere for yarn? Portland, for me! How about you guys? Any yarny destinations on your list? - YX (PS- Don't forget to enter to win some stitch markers! Someone asked for hummingbirds in the comments, and suddenly, hummingbirds appeared in the Snarky Llama etsy store! Now that's service!)

I Could Make That!

I've pretty much decided I have a problem.

You see, I love shopping. Not that I buy much, but I enjoy it. I like going into stores, especially, to look at knitwear. Sometimes, I'll see something really neat and wonder if that stitch pattern or construction concept could be adapted for my own use.

But more often than not, I see something I totally love for the simplicity of the concept. Like this sweater, from AllSaints:

At $120, I wouldn't buy it for myself, but I love the color, drape, and the keyhole at the back. Not entirely practical for hard winters, but would be really pretty over a nice dress. Were I to see the sweater on the rack, I'd ooh and aah over it appreciatively, but inevitably, my response is always the same:

"It's great, but I could make that."

I'll pass up great sales and useful items on the promise of going home and casting on a similar item. "Who needs to spend cash when I can make it on my own," I think to myself. "How clever I am to come up with such an industrious and inexpensive way to obtain luxurious goods!"

But the thing is- and let's be 100% real here, I never make these things. Ever. It's a total waste of thought. The everpopular Gap Cowl is back on sale this season:

It's $27.50. The required two or three skeins of pretty, fancy aran or bulky yarn would top that, before I even spent any of my (arguably) valuable time making it. This is before I even break this down to the absolute reality that I'd rather work fifty seven Black Fridays in a Gap across the street from a bomb testing facility than cast on and knit a giant tube of -shudder- moss stitch. This is not a good use of my skills. I am not clever! I'm tricking myself into future disappointment.

This year, I vow to take back my time and sanity, knitting things I love at the pace I want, and banishing the I-Could-Make-Its to the bottom of my stash pile. A long, dolman sleeved, drapey pullover in cobweb weight yarn on 000 needles? Give me a break. It's on the clearance rack, self. Go for it.

-YX

PS- Free patterns! And free desktop wallpaper!

Retail love: Allsaints Spitalfields

Have you ever found a clothing store that fits your personal style so closely that you could see yourself wearing everything they offer? While in London, I found All Saints, a cute little store with a great window display:

Vintage sewing machines! The store is a chain, and I saw a few different shops during my wanderings... Everything I saw in the store is something I could see myself wearing, which is quite an accomplishment. Soooo how about I share some cool knitwear from the store?

The Jagger Cardigan is gorgeous and drapey without being fussy. Would be super pretty over a lace or satiny tank.

Next is the Summer Court Jumper Dress in a similar color. I love the diversity of patterns here, not just in texture but also in opacity. I'd love to see densities mixed like this on a knit pattern. I bet there would be quite a bit of picking up stitches!

The Paleka Pullover makes use of some awesome drop stitches and cables. This sweater over a neon tank? Love it.

Love them all! Too bad the brand, as cute as it is, is WAY out of my price range for clothing! I'll never understand how people can afford expensive stuff like that! I have yarn to buy!

But you don't! You can get some for free right here!
- YX

VK Sale!

Looks like Vogue Knitting has a sale going on- all patterns for $2.99. I was gifted a subscription several years ago (and my parents continue to indulge me annually), so I have the fortunate situation of owning most of the VK patterns I would want... But there's something so frustrating about toting around a magazine (or a pattern copied out of one).

Maybe it's the way VK writes patterns, which is crammed at the end of their quarterly in 3-column-per-page teeny writing. Flipping through the photos is awesome, but actually attempting to knit anything is irritating.

For the mag issues I don't have, it's great to be able to get the download from their website. All magazines should offer the option-- I mean, if you pay $4 for a single download of one pattern, that's more expensive than buying the entire issue, which would make more money for the magazine.

I flipped through the VK offerings on Rav and pulled a few for us.

#33 V-Neck Dress (H 2006) by Fayla Reiss for for VK. This dress got up, walked over to my desk and screamed "MISSONI" at me. My ears are still ringing. Is the dress painfully simple? Yes. Is it a v-neck pullover with ease at the hips and triple stranded in a way that  makes my hands hurt without even casting on? Yes. But I think a yarn sub could fix that. This dress is so flipping wearable. Tights and boots? Done. I'd choose whites, reds, and pinks for an over-the-top Valentine's day deal, or charcoals, barks, and light greys for an ethereal winter palette.

#07 Mohair Lace Dress (EF2011) by Laura Zukaite. I hate the way this is styled in the shoot, because it makes it appear long-sleeved, but this video gives you a better idea of the final product. I loved the laced-up back and the variety of stitches used in the pattern. This is one of those "I'll never knit it, but I absolutely admire it" projects.

I know I'm going to lose some of you with #18 New York Skyline Pullover (H2011) by Renee Lorion, but I love it. I don't love that it's knit in mohair lace, which works so well for the pattern above but would be too fuzzy to wear close to the skin. The sweater is shown as a layering piece, which saves me my initial negative reaction to all short-sleeved sweaters. Boxy, short-sleeved "relaxed" sweaters like this one only attract me if they're balanced by a coquettish design feature- an open back, deep neck, or off the shoulder scoop. Renee borrows the Skyline motif from Perry Ellis, and it's what I'd borrow from this pattern. I think it'd make a kickass bag or cushion cover.

I'm enamored with #28 Colorwork Poncho (EF2011) courtesy of Deborah Newton. I love the colorwork, color choices, and the garment's interesting side seams. It isn't a poncho, but it's a really cute pullover.

Okay, I could keep going, but I want to see YOUR VK picks. Sale ends Friday- are you going to partake? I will, if I can find something I absolutely KNOW I'll knit in the next few months. Otherwise, saving $3 isn't a good enough reason for me to scamper off to the site and start hoarding.
- YX

Knittable fashion: Vince shimmer stripe sweater

Looking at knitwear online, I usually have one of three reactions:

1. "That is heinous; I'd never wear that."
2. "That is absolutely cute and would be easy to recreate."
3. "That is absolutely cute and is way too complex/ involved to make."

This sweater falls into category 2.

It's the Shimmer-Stripe Cashmere Sweater by Vince. It retails for a whopping $285.00. Luckily, this is absolutely do-able as a knit.

First, I'd do this as a raglan pullover, with a boatneck. If you're not comfortable with raglans-on-the-fly, you could probably use the Newport Beach Pullover pattern from Knitpicks, to get a foundation for construction. Make sure to size up a little to get the slouchy feeling.

All of the raglan increase section would be in black, and on the second or third round after separating the sleeves, start the stripe. It's obvious that this pattern uses a seamed sleeve, but I love raglans for their ease of construction, and I think the raglan shoulder will lend itself to the same type of look when oversized.

For yarn choice, I have a few options here in the 4-ply range, all different fiber blends.:

$- Knit picks Stroll in black and Stroll Glimmer  in gray
$$- Cascade Heritage Silk in Real Black and Charcoal, carrying Garnstudio Drops Glitter with the Charcoal
$$$$- Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere in La Nuit and Silver Pearl, carrying Garnstudio Drops Glitter with the Silver Pearl.

Even using the most expensive yarn I've listed, you'd end up at around $200 for the medium size noted on the above pattern. Crazy!
- YX

Sunday Funday

Well, week one of our month-o-posts is down!

Tonight, I figured I'd do a short entry on some interesting knitwear I've seen for sale.

I love the tiny shawl collar and button detail on this men's sweater from Bachrach.

This colorblock cashmere dress from Neiman's was $425, now $165.

And this cute poncho from Anthropologie!

Speaking of ponchos, BGBC has one that I am shocked to love. Styled with black jeans or leggings, it'd be great.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend! See you tomorrow!
- YX