Tag Archives: elsewhere

Elsewhere: Knitted boyfriend, handmade shoes, and how macramé can change your life

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knitted boyfriend bryr clogs pam allen and more

— The Dutch artist and her knitted boyfriend, funny and adorable

— French guys learns macramé to fund his South American wanderings, winds up with jewelry designs on a Paris runway

— I’m enticed by the process shots in the Tiger pillow installment of Design Sponge’s Embroidery 101 series (see also embroidered sunglasses at HonestlyWTF)

— In awe of handmade shoes

— Really great interview with Pam Allen, of Quince and Co, on the challenges of producing a natural, American yarn  (lots of good stuff at A Verb for Keeping Warm’s blog lately — poke around while you’re there)

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In other news, a little birdie tells me Juniper Ridge is discontinuing the truly amazing jumbo cedar sachets. Which is tragic. Fortunately, I ordered lots, because I love them, so there are a still a few dozen available over at Fringe Supply Co. But be aware they may be the last of their kind.

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Elsewhere: Yarn news, Q&A’s, inspiration and more

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yarn news, Q&A's, inspiration and more

Yarn news:
— Quince and Co. has released their first alpaca blend yarn, a worsted-weight beauty called Owl. I tend to love alpaca in the skein and not so much in the finished product, but have high hopes for this one. In addition to being blended with wool, it’s woolen-spun, so hopefully not so dense and oppressive feeling as I find typical alpacas to be. And I love even more that it’s overdyed, so the natural tone and heathering of the wool come through the color. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of this. There’s also a new pattern to go with: the Sherwood Mitts by Pam Allen.
— My local yarn store, A Verb for Keeping Warm, is collaborating with Sally Fox on a California wool. They’ve got the first samples in hand, but I haven’t been in yet to plead for a chance to squeeze it. I’ll post more once it’s actually up for sale. I’m super excited about this.

Some good Q&A’s:
— with knitwear designer-photographer Carrie Bostick Hoge at A Butterfly in My Hair
— with knitwear designer Tara-Lynn Morrison at Beaux Mondes
— with Alpaca rancher Sara Bender at Blue Sky Alpacas blog
— with knitwear designer Helga Isager at the Knitterly blog
— and I love love LOVE this video profile of denim artisan Loren Cronk at Anthology’s blog. Magnificent.

Pretty, inspiring things:
— Heather Taylor on cochineal dyeing at Beatrice Valenzuela’s home
— home tour with a weaver at Design Sponge
— Um, Wooly Heads — not sure what to say or think about that one (thanks, Jo!)
— and Karen Barbé’s great embroidery sampler on a simple canvas tote

Speaking of canvas totes, I shipped my first wholesale order this week — a big box of the High-fiber totes went out to In the Loop in Plainville MA (between Boston and Providence). So if you’re in the vicinity, look for it in their new location next week. The popularity of this tote bag continues to thrill me, especially as I’ve been receiving orders for them from around the globe. I love picturing it walking down the streets of Vancouver and Lyon! And also love it when people post pics of theirs to Instagram — that really warms my cockles. So thanks again to everyone who’s been shopping at Fringe Supply Co., and helping to make this blog possible in the process.

What are you working on this weekend?

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March, thanks and Elsewhere

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irish mesh cowl fancy tiger dresses heidi kirrmaier and sarai mitnick

Happy March already! And I mean happy. It’s Friday, we’re days away from Daylight Savings time, and an astonishing number of people read Fringe Association in February. So I want to say a huge heartfelt thank you, again, to everyone who likes the blog well enough to not only read it day after day, but to help spread the word about it. Every link, tweet, pin, fave, etc really means so much to me. I can’t say that enough.

Speaking of spreading the love through linking, it’s been awhile since we had an Elsewhere, so here we go:

— Seasonally appropriate in every way: My beloved friend and knitting mentor Jo Strong has published her (free) Irish Mesh Cowl pattern. (I have a couple of hanks of green Manos on hand and am wondering how this would look at aran gauge.)

— Loved Fancy Tiger’s QuiltCon recap, plus their lead-up posts on the dresses they made to wear to the event. This one is my favorite. Or maybe this one.

— Great interview with designer Heidi Kirrmaier on the Quince blog.  Plus back-to-back interviews with Gudrun Johnson and Ysolda Teague at Amirisu.

— Crazy. (via)

— Another yarn portrait at Design Sponge. (This time hung on the wall; see the second photo.)

— Thought-provoking post by Sarai Mitnick on the decline in quality of mid-range clothing.

— The jewel-encrusted beanie rage continues.

— Etsy blog on the Master Knitter program. (Who knew?)

— And I’m thankful to Stephanie Madewell at Even Cleveland for this Pippi Longstocking quote.

FYI, with regard to that cardigan conundrum, I cast on Acer the other night. Don’t forget to share what you’re working on this weekend. Inquiring minds want to know …

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Lost and found and Elsewhere

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name that hat pattern

I found it!

Long before Jo taught me to purl, she was our number one hat supplier. And this is my favorite of all the hats she’s made me. Well, actually, she made this one for Bob and I stole it. I love the minimalist stitch pattern; it suits my head like no other hat does; and it’s the most awesome charcoal gray — with the exact dark sheen of graphite. For a long time, when I was commuting by ferry to San Francisco, I wore it every single day. One of the ferry crewmen actually mocked me for it each morning as I passed him, as if I didn’t need a hat around here in the middle of summer or something. And then somewhere along the line I lost it. And I cried. So I was thrilled when I found it yesterday, waiting patiently in the bottom of a tote I hadn’t used in a long time. Not only because I have it back! But because it’s one thing I’ve been dying to knit ever since learning how, but there was no photo, no record of it in Jo’s Ravelry, and I couldn’t describe the poor lost thing well enough for her to recall it. (This is a woman, after all, who knits a lot of hats. Hi, Jo!) And, to my great dismay, I have never run across the pattern in all my trolling. So I’ve got a Fringe project bag to send to the first person to correctly identify the hat pattern in the comments below. I’m counting on you!

UPDATE: Thanks to Meg for identifying it — it’s Bamboo Stalks by Mandy Funderburk.

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Meanwhile, a few links:

— The funnest news in knitting this week is a months-long Project Runway-style competition for knitting designers, called The Fiber Factor and produced by Skacel (aka Addi). Given that we’ve had everything from food to Fine Art to sci-fi movie makeup submitted to this format, I think knitting may actually be the only creative exploit left unaddressed. And with good reason: You can’t exactly create knitwear on a TV production company’s schedule. So The Fiber Factor will allow for multiple weeks to finish challenges, and the whole thing will play out online. Cheers to Skacel for giving this a go! If you want to apply to be a contestant, the info is here.

— There’s a good interview on the Colette blog with Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion. Everything being said about sewing in this regard is obviously also true of knitting. The book also factors into Amy Christoffers’ roundup of books on this subject.

— The Boston Globe finds that men are taking up cooking, reading “and even, yes, knitting.” (h/t Clara Parkes)

— It turns out I’m going to need to get my hands on a copy of The Gentlewoman, which everyone’s been raving about. I don’t want to miss the feature titled “Terribly nice jumpers with Yasmin Le Bon,” spied in this paean at Pugly Pixel.

— And this is too funny-cute for words.

Happy Friday!

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State Street Cowl glamour shot + Elsewhere

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state street cowl quince and company puffin

Getting back to knitwear on fully clothed people, here’s how my State Street Cowl turned out — sorry it’s taken me so long to get it photographed. I’ve literally worn it every day since I blocked it; it’s a cold studio dweller’s best friend. You may recall I made mine more voluminous than the pattern called for, with additional repeats in both directions, and as a result it’s the cowl I’ve been longing for. The heft, the drape, the texture — it’s a dream. This is Quince and Co’s Puffin wool in Frank’s Plum, which is a more subdued and moody plum than the photo suggests.

A bunch of people have told me (here, in Ravmail, in 3D) they were casting on for this and I’d still and always love to see your FOs. The original knitalong thread is right here. And there are a couple more pics of mine on Ravelry, if you’re interested.

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In other news, a few Elsewheres:

— Interesting: Pam Peterson uncovers the surprisingly brief history of the iconic Icelandic sweater.

— Cute: A free easy seamed cowl pattern at Design Sponge, from Danielle Henderson. (See also their great interview with her.)

— Drool-inducing: Also part of Design Sponge’s knitting series, studio tour and profile of Jared Flood and Brooklyn Tweed.

— Fascinating: The back story and whereabouts of Sally Fox and her naturally colored cotton plants. (I had some Foxfibre towels in the ’90s but never knew this much about it all. Now I want to know even more.)

— New: Blue Sky Alpacas’ three Roaring ’20s-inspired wraps (knit and crochet); Quince and Co’s first crochet collection, by Rebecca Velasquez (of Haiku fame); Kelbourne Woolens’ eleven most popular designs from their first five years in business.

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Thanks to Leigh for snapping the cowl pic for me.

Elsewhere

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gregor calendar design sponge macrame

OK friends, lots of good stuff piled up since our last Elsewhere:

— If you don’t have a 2013 calendar, this knitted version you unravel as time passes is pretty effing brilliant. And on sale!

— One of my all-time favorite designers is Bonnie Cashin, of 1960s Coach fame, but I had no idea she designed cashmere sweaters for a Scottish company, nor that she left behind all these amazing sweater paintings. I’d like them on the walls of my new studio, please. (via)

— New knitting campaigns for Afghans for Afghans and Knitters for Newtown (hat tip to Jo)

— Kim Werker, Brett Sandusky and Corey Pressman are trying to launch a new DIY mag/app, called Holocene

— Love this crazy macrame light fixture in the Design Sponge office, and also this gigantic cross-stitch restaurant wall

— Fair isle street style slideshow at NYT

— And for that “Awwww” moment, cutest baby sweater ever

Happy clicking …

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p.s. I finished my Walpole last night! Will post pics once it’s blocked.

Elsewhere

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elsewhere121312

— There’s no one-sentence summary of Clara Parkes’ amazing new venture The Great White Bale — just click that link and read it, yo? For better or worse, the Explorer option sold out before I gave in to the urge to pony up for all that wool, but I am officially an Armchair Traveler.

— In case you need another holiday craft, see the DIY felted acorns at HonestlyWTF. And then there are the boot stuffers topped with giant pompoms. I actually need those.

— Etsy had some follow-up questions for Simon Doonan — following his much talked about Slate essay on Art and craft, that is.

— Threaded takes a long view on Christmas sweaters. (Did you see that piece last year about the couple largely responsible for the Christmas sweater market? I can’t find it now!)

— I love this Christmas stocking idea at Fancy Tiger so much I actually considered doing a little decorating for the holiday. I’m also fond of their latest free knitting pattern, the Ice Skating Cap.

— Hannah Fettig is doing a video-fueled knitalong for her Cradle Cardigan, a great introduction to the top-down method if you haven’t done it. (You should!)

— Natalie Joos, you slay me with your crazy sweater-styling ways. Over and over, you slay me.

— Emma Dime has a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the “Sheep to Shawl” feature in the new issue of Kinfolk (which I regrettably put off carrying in the shop until next time).

— Did you see those beautiful sweater notecards at Brooklyn Tweed?

— And last but so not least, pre-registration for June’s Squam. Will I see you there?

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