making

knits & bits

/ Rachel Fenton / 2 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve had a post dedicated to my knitting progress. I’ve been spending most evenings knitting in my chair by the window, often with a glass of wine or a cup of tea, and a TV show or podcast playing in the background. Jake bought me a neck-light for Christmas and gave it to me early so I could knit darker yarn without my eyes straining.

Yes, I have completely embraced being a twenty-something grandma.

My main project is a sweater for Jake (his birthday and Christmas present). The pattern is the Gib II Sweater (For Him) by Andrea Mowry. It’s not going to be a surprise because I want it to fit him perfectly, so he’s tried it on at every step. It’s the most challenging project I’ve made so far: the cabled raglans and textured stitch pattern require concentration.

I’ve finished the yoke, and I’m a few inches into the body, so about half way through. Ish.

The yarn I’m using is Brooklyn Tweed’s Imbue. I’m absolutely obsessed. It’s soft and light and springy and warm and so much fun to knit. I’m determined to someday make myself a matching sweater in the same yarn, different color. The colors are deep and vibrant, too — and multilayered.

I’ve been knitting on this sweater almost exclusively, hoping to finish it in time for Christmas. I’m not sure I’ll complete it by the deadline but I’m still proud of my progress.

However, I’ve never been able to stick to just one knitting project at a time. I always have a “car project” that I can pull out whenever I’m sitting in the passenger seat or waiting somewhere. Recently, I got to sit at a coffee shop and read and knit while I waited for my haircut appointment. If it’s a simple project, I’ve gotten to the point where I can read and knit at the same time, and it’s quite fun.

I’m also dreaming and preparing for my next project. I wear cowls and shawls a lot, and I also wanted to expand my knitting skills, so the Shift Cowl by Andrea Mowry was a perfect choice. (can you tell I have a favorite knitwear designer?)

Not only is it the perfect project to learn mosaic knitting, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Plus, it gave me an excuse to splurge on some yarn I’ve been eyeing for quite some time. Spincycle Yarn is magical: each skein is a work of art.

I chose their moody Nocturne yarn in the color ways Dream On, Night Watch, and Night Moves. The colors are subtle and dark but still vibrant. I’m so excited to add this cowl to my me-made wardrobe.

Speaking of me-made wardrobe items, the weather has finally been cold enough to wear knits consistently. When we went out to dinner, my best friend snapped this picture of me wearing my newly finished sweater.

The other item I wear constantly is my Adrift Shawl. It also has a nice textured stitch pattern (moss stitch and garter stitch) and it’s also made with dark and moody colors. I love the way it enhances my wardrobe.

In other making news, I recently purchased this zine on making braided rag rugs from TheFarWoods. I already own their book on mending and repurposing fabric and clothing, and their zine helped me learn different ways to join my scraps of fabric together. I’m glad to have a better use for ripped or stained clothing, instead of throwing them away.

I’m always amazed at how grounding and relaxing it is to create things with your hands. Whenever I’m overwhelmed, sitting with a few rows of knitting helps me become present in my body and focus on the sensations and motions in front of me. In the midst of the season’s busyness, if you have a chance, I recommend taking a few moments to settle yourself and make something with your hands.

sweater weather

/ Rachel Fenton / Leave a comment

After almost three months of knitting, I finally finished my first full-size sweater! The pattern is the Nurtured Sweater by Andrea Mowry, and my yarn is 100% wool in Cascade 220’s “sparrow” color.

I’ve made baby sweaters and jackets but was a bit intimidated by full-sized garments. Baby clothes are forgiving: you just want to knit a slightly larger size so if your gauge is off, they’ll grow into them. With adult clothes, there are a lot of variables, which means a lot of things can go wrong. Plus, this sweater had an interesting slip-stitch pattern which added another layer of difficulty.

Even though I ran into a handful of problems and there are a few small mistakes, I’m incredibly proud of this sweater. I love the way it fits, I love how warm it is, I love the color, and I love the mossy texture of the stitches. I like to name my knitting projects and I’ve named this one my “secret garden sweater” because both the color and texture remind me of a garden just coming to life.

I’m now working on a colorwork sweater for Michael (my first colorwork project!) and swatching for Jake’s Christmas/birthday sweater.

Jake and I celebrated his birthday with a date at our favorite local restaurant. We love this place so much: they had a birthday card waiting for us, and gave us a celebratory spumoni.

We are working through the lingering traces of our colds, so we’ve been resting and only doing small projects around the house. We still aren’t fully moved in — the master bedroom and both bathrooms need a lot of work — but rest is taking priority right now.

The weather has been delightfully chilly (just in time for my finished sweater!) and we’ve had some glorious sunsets. We’ve had some beautiful evenings out by the fire pit with my parents.

As I make dinner and Michael plays (or hangs on my leg, wanting to help), I’ve been turning on some quiet folk music or a podcast as I work and the sun begins to set.

It’s almost as if the sun is trying to make up for the time change and the frosty mornings. Watching the golden evening light play around our kitchen and living room has made me fall in love with our little cottage even more.

bright blue his jacket is

/ Rachel Fenton / 7 Comments

It’s been a bit since I’ve given a knitting update! It’s finally feeling like fall here (and it’s about time). We just started getting chilly mornings below 50 which made me realize Michael had very few cold weather clothes that fit him. So I set out to remedy that.

I found the most adorable pattern for a shawl-collared jacket called Storytime Scholar, designed by Lisa Chemery. When I finished and tried it on him, I had to do a quick photo shoot. This post will be quite picture heavy (I apologize in advance).

I used the bulky weight yarn recommended and I when I saw this shade of ocean blue, I knew it would be perfect for Michael. It’s soft and wooly and he loves it (especially chewing on its sleeves).

I made it in size 2T, so it’s currently a size too large for him. I always try to knit my baby garments a size or two up, so they can wear it for longer. You never know when a growth spurt is going to hit and render hours of work unwearable.

I also like to give each of my knitting projects a name — it helps me be more excited about the end result. I titled this one “bright blue his jacket is”, which is a reference to my favorite enigmatic character in The Lord of the Rings: Tom Bombadil.

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow;

Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.

JRR Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I now call it his Bombadil Jacket, and I plan to pair it with a pair of yellow rain boots at the soonest possible chance.

There are so many adorable details on this jacket but my favorite are the garter stitch elbow patches. I’m obsessed.

I have a few more projects completed and a few more on my needles. Still churning away at my own sweater, and finishing the swatching for Jake’s.

A pair of baby mitts I finished this week
The swatch for Jake’s sweater

It’s been absolutely wonderful sitting in our chairs once Michael goes to bed, a candle gently burning and warm knitting on my lap. Fall truly is my favorite season.

christmas knits (in august)

/ Rachel Fenton / 6 Comments

There are three types of people who start preparing for Christmas in August: department store managers, musicians, and knitters. I’m two of the three, and so I’ve been working on some of my handmade gifts while humming Christmas carols.

I love giving gifts, and I love making gifts even more. There’s something sacred about crafting an item with your hands — pouring tangible time and energy and thought into it — and gifting it to another person.

For Michael’s first Christmas, I’m knitting him the Hobbit Vest (with pocketses) designed by Frogginette Knitting. I chose a wool that reminds me of Hobbiton: forest green heather with hints of yellow and blue. It’s hard to capture on camera, so I added photos of it in different light so you can get a general idea. I’m knitting the 18 month size (since he’s already wearing 12 month clothing).

Hobbit vest (with pocketses) in progress

I just have the button band and arm ribbing left. Unfortunately they take a lot of time and focus, and I’m in short supply of both. I’m hoping to finish it on an afternoon where I have childcare and silence.

My sister has entered her self-proclaimed “cottagecore” era, and I fully support her newfound love of tea and florals. I’m making her a pair of lacy lilac fingerless gloves to keep her hands warm while she writes all her philosophy and theology papers.

This is the Rowan Lace fingerless gloves pattern by Fox & Folk. I’m still a novice knitter in a lot of ways, and found this lace chart easy to read and enjoyable to make. I’m excited to see how the lace blooms after blocking.

Finally, I was inspired by Lindsay of A Wooden Nest to make some more generic handmade gifts for other loved ones in my life. I’m knitting up her dish scrubbies pattern — they’re simple and ever so practical, and I like using them in place of sponges. I’ve been making sets of three: garter stitch, basket weave stitch, and seed stitch. I can knock out two or three in half an hour. I love these because they give my brain a break, but keep my fingers busy.

I have grand ideas for other knitted gifts, but I’m unsure if I’ll be able to complete them by Christmas since my knitting time is limited to a couple hours in the evening once Michael goes to bed. For now, these are my current works-in-progress: we shall see how many more I can make before December. So many projects, so little time!