This blog, those blogs, and now in store

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Pom Pom Quarterly issue 5 - Camp Pom Pom - now available at Fringe Supply Co

First things first! I mentioned before how excited I’ve been about the summer issue of Pom Pom Quarterly, a year-old UK publication I recently saw in print for the first time and fell in love with. What I’m thrilled to tell you now is that I’ve got it in stock at Fringe Supply Co.! If you’ve only seen pictures of it, or downloaded the digital version (like me), trust me, you really have to get your hands on the print version — it looks good, it feels good, and it’s built to last. It also includes a download code for the e-version, so it’s a two-fer. Click through for additional images and info, and to order your copy!

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A subject I’m less excited about is the widely reported demise of Google Reader. I’ve sort of been pretending it’s not happening, but we’re getting closer to the cut-off date and I know some of you use Reader to get Fringe updates. So I wanted to post a quick note about ways to keep up with the blog. There are, of course, other RSS feed readers — popular options being Feedly and Bloglovin’, and you can definitely subscribe to the Fringe feed through any of those services. The most surefire way to never miss a post, though, is to plug your email address into that little box in the right column of this page, after which you’ll receive an email notification whenever a new post goes live. You can also follow New on Fringe Association at Pinterest. Or follow @fringeassoc on Twitter — I don’t tweet every single blog post, but I do share other great links and stuff that you won’t find here. (My Instagram isn’t so much about blog updates, but you will find additional glimpses of my WIPs and of Fringe HQ there, along with the occasional Fringe news.)

As far as other people’s blogs, some of you may recall that there originally was a short blogroll in the right rail of this site. I took it down last fall because I had big ideas about how I wanted to redo it, and I just haven’t had time to sort it out. So rather than remaining blogroll-less, I’ve gone ahead and plugged in some links I like and believe you will too. But look for that to evolve at some point! Meanwhile, happy clicking …

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Blog Crush: Abigail Doan

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abigail doan fiber artist

“I grew up in a household that had a spinning wheel whirling in the background while evening television was on. I realize now that this was not really the norm.” So writes self-professed environmental fiber artist Abigail Doan on her blog, which is part cumulative artist statement, part esoteric travelogue, part … I don’t even know yet. I stumbled across Doan on Instagram somehow (where she’s known as lostinfiber) and just now ventured from there to her blog, where I formed an instant Blog Crush. Doan divides time between NYC and Bulgaria, and what’s even more clear from looking at her blog than her Instagram stream is that she sees the world in textures. And if there’s one thing I love, it’s getting to see what the world looks like through someone else’s eyes.

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New Favorites: Cheerful shoulderwear

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Colorful shawl and cowl from Knitscene Accessories 2013

Shoulderwear? If it’s not a word, it should be. Anyway, I might have to buy the new Knitscene Accessories, drawn in by these two wraps:

TOP: San Cristóbal Shawl by Ashley Rao, which would be great with or without the fringe.

BOTTOM: Icelandic Star Cowl by Julia Farwell-Clay, which of course I’m imagining in charcoal and ivory even though that would suck all the cheerfulness right out of it.

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On another bright note, this week’s ICYMI post is Knit the Look: Elisa Nalin’s pink-striped pullover.

A study in benign neglect

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top-down sweater almost finished

Would you just look at this sweet, simple, ultra-versatile sweater — my future best friend — hanging around patiently with its waist missing? I can’t take it anymore. If you catch me working on anything other than this little chum over the weekend, please slap me around. My goal is to have it blocked and shot for next week.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to tell me what you’re working on!

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By request: DIY Anthropologie sweater

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DIY Anthropologie sweater

I got an email from a reader asking if I could help her with her quest to knit a version of this sweater, designed by Correll Correll for Anthropologie. It’s a great summer sweater — slouchy, slightly open gauge, interesting texture, and that random colorwork. Y, I’ll call her, said she thinks she can figure out the colorwork but was having trouble finding a suitable pattern. I’ve had requests for similar things before, and honestly I’m surprised there isn’t a blank-canvas pattern — that I’ve seen — for a boxy, sleeveless top like this. But it would be pretty easy to do a little math and make it up. (Look at a few Pickles patterns, such as the Dressy Sweater, for the basic approach: Knit a tube from the hem to the underarms, divide your stitches in half for the front and back, working those sections back and forth to the desired armhole depth, then grafting it back together along the tops of the shoulders. Leave out the stripes, ribbing and sleeves.) Otherwise, you could easily adapt Elka Park by Heather Dixon, knitting it a little bit wider than the pattern calls for (going up a needle size would accomplish that and loosen the gauge), and changing the stitch pattern. I’d also make the armholes deeper.

It looks to me like the stitch pattern is a 4-row repeat: 2 rows of stockinette, then a garter ridge. But it starts at the hem with 3 garter ridges, which gives some ballast and prevents it from rolling. So after your cast-on, alternate knit rounds and purl rounds for a total of 6 rounds. Then switch to three knit rounds followed by a purl round (that’ll give you two rows of stockinette followed by a garter ridge); repeat. That’s as long as you’re working in the round. Once you’ve separated for the front and back, and are working those sections back and forth, to maintain that same stitch pattern you’d knit row 1, purl row 2 (that’s two rows of stockinette), then knit row 3, knit row 4 (one ridge of garter).

The colorwork is up to you!

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Annie Williams, Han Starnes and Josi Faye

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Annie Williams, Han Starnes and Josi Faye

When I saw this leather-and-stockinette clutch on Pinterest several weeks ago, I had to know more. Namely whether the designer — Nashville leather-crafter and musician Annie Williams — is a knitter. It turns out this piece is a collaboration with Williams’ studiomate Han Starnes, who not only spins and sells yarn but has a new line of beautiful handknits called Josi Faye. And yes, I will definitely be trying to swing a visit to that studio next time I’m in Nashville.

The clutch will be available August 1st on annie-williams.com. For glimpses of Starnes’ fiber-filled workspace, follow her on Instagram.

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FO Sightings: Z’s coveted closet of handmade clothes

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Z's coveted closet of handmade clothes

This girl and her closet are killing me. The beautiful sweaters and tunics. The mix-and-match-plaid tops. That killer olive raincoat with the grommets! All of it handmade. She is known only as “Z” (or by her Ravelry name, grimfrosties!) and lately I’ve been stalking her blog, Quixotic Thread, waiting for more garments to appear. Z has amazing knitting and sewing skills, great taste in patterns, and a knack for subtle but meaningful mods, whether it’s reshaping a neckline or adding those aforementioned grommets. I feel like she could single-handedly transform North America’s idea of what homemade clothes look like.

Z, more please!

1. Black Linen Tova, from the popular Wiksten pattern

2. Nude Beaubourg, a modification of the Julie Hoover pattern

3. Exeter, faithfully knitted to the Michele Wang pattern

4. Perfect Plaid, adapted from a pattern in the book Sew U

5. Lattice Top, from the Purl Bee’s Cap Sleeve Lattice Top pattern

6. Ubiquitous Olive Jacket, adapted from the Built By Wendy pattern Simplicity 3694

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