Sweater for Good Unraveled

 Today we have some Unravel for real! A failed sweater from 2017 ish was returned to yarn balls, 1200+ yards of chunky weight yarn.

It's got a lot of variation in it and is sort of copper/chestnut/green brown/warm shades.....

Have you heard about Sweaters for Good, the initiative of the Hudson Valley Textile Project that asked knitters coming to Rhinebeck for NY Sheep and Wool to commit to knitting their "Rhinebeck Sweater"  out of yarn with roots in NY State and/or the Northeast US.  The word went out about this last year at the festival and has been bubbling along just below the surface all year. It's a lovely idea to support local fiber  farms, wool producers, dyers and mills. And really the point is not about making a new sweater in order to attend the festival- the point is celebrating local yarn, which is itself the point of sheep and wool festivals in the first place.

All of which is to say I took the pledge and now the clock is ticking! IAlthough I have plenty of great local yarn, none seems to be in a sweater quantity unless I want multicolored stripes.   I saw Kay's post on Modern Daily Knitting about her Sweater for Good considering  Rug, I remembered that this sweater has been in my queue forever, would be a quick knit (chunky yarn ftw) and I had a failed sweater knit in Jill Draper Makes Stuff yarn,at exactly the right weight and vibe, and it is about as local to Rhinebeck as one can get!

 That's what it looked like knit up, pre unraveling the failed pullover.  Color more accurate here than at top.

Anyway, a quick check with Jill Draper for a skein of CC for the Rug yoke found me discovering she'd discontinued this yarn  (Middlefield, its' a wool alpaca blend) but had a skein left that could work for me.. It's one the way.  I am kind of excited to cast on. Let's ignore the fact that it has been pretty warm at the annual Rhinebeck sheep festival in recent years so knitting this may be more of an act of faith than a fashion statement in October! 

 

READING: Kin by Tayari Jones.  Wonderful characters, enjoying and recommend so far! It's a good follow up from Whistler by Ann Patchett .  I am not the only one feeling this way: these two authors are speaking together (!!) at the  National Book Festival in DC next weekend , wish I could attend! (aug 22nd) .

 

Folded crane covered wall!At a health center  I was photographing at for a client earlier this week.

keeping on keeping on

 This simple sweater that simply needs sleeves completed is moving along ever so subtly.I get a kick out of random stuff accumulating on my kitchen table. Are you a clear it all off all the time person? I am not. And so you can see the sweater in question (left there so I'll knit a little while I have coffee), a long ago kid's penguin that resurfaced yesterday , it tickled me, my coffee mug, my new project bag from Yarn and Whiskey and two random vintage postcards promoting the "beauty" of modern wall-to-wall carpets.Here's a better look at them:  I have an extensive old postcard collection, thanks to myself as a kid but mostly to my Uncle Jerry. I inherited his VERY robust collection about 30 years ago.  He traveled all over the US picking up postcards new and old, and clearly anyone who knew him handed off their postcards, too. Sometimes I'll pull out a bunch to admire and get lost in time--yesterday I read one that a young girl sent in rural Maine in 1911, assuring her Grammie she'd "made it and only fell off once and wasnt hurt". (presumably a horseback ride to another town). The card was addressed to a name, and the name of a town..that's it!

I was looking through old cards as candidates  for Zoe to bedazzle--here's a vintage easter card she did up as a gift for a neighbor.

 

And a glimpse at the impeccable penmanship on the back . Is there anything as bored and aimless as a 14 year old with nothing to do mid summer and noone to hang with ? She got a bug to bedazzle last week and who am I not to jump on that? 

 Reading: Kin  by Tayari Jones, I liked her last book , this was recommended to me twice recently, and I'd forgotten that I already downloaded it. So far so good!  Thanks to the  Unravel reviews linked to Kat's blog, my reading queue is getting better every week..

In storytelling of the non-fiction kind: I've been getting notes from my KnitStars production team asking me for still images to intersperse with my video. I am very curious to see how they present me! Shelley Brander, KnitStars owner and lead creative  wrote a lovely and lively substack post about her visit  Meanwhile they keep on releasing single classes from past years to watch, they are so good! You may want to check some of them out, here is a link Look under the Masterclass Singles. 

Please do use my link if you feel like buying a class, anyone who is a KnitStar subject gets royalties when any sale is made from their link, no matter what class or season you are buying. It's actually a good deal for creatives all around:-) and I appreciate the support!____________________ 

a satisfying pairing

Maybe the first time ever, this week I  completed a knit while simultaneously finishing listening to the final chapter of a book. 

Sophie Scarf not yet blocked in Lang Premium Cashmere. It is a paler pink than it appears here, the very palest of pink. The stitches along the edge will settle in.It will be gifted to the person it was intended for when I started it in 2022.

If I were one to pair a project and fiber choice with a book I wouldn't have done wrong to match it to Whistler by Ann Patchett, which was also lovely and gentle and engaging and went by fast. Add a nice cool rosé and you'd be all set. Wish I'd though of that! 

Next up in the "finish-or -reimagine-all-the-started-things-in '26" line up is this very lightweight cropped sweater, I am knitting it in a yarn I love, Coast by Holst Garn . Its a lofty, lightweight  cotton wool blend, comes in fabulous shades- I've linked it to my favorite source, The Yarnery in St Paul MN. They ship super fast.

  

This yarn was originally knit into a Lavallette teeby Mary Lou Egan (spoiler alert this pattern uses so-called condo knitting on the faux lace part. SO fun to knit!)

I will honestly say it was a wonderful make however,  I wanted it very oversized, and in 2020 I was larger myself  as I ate and drank my way through the pandemic lockdown so...so it turned out too big to keep in 2021. I never got to weaving in ends and the final touches.  In 2024 I frogged it and cast on for a light airy very simple pullover, using the Vanilla Sweater pattern. I'm knitting it on size US 6 needles even though it is a fingering weight, it's loftiness makes it hang nice and airy. I picture it as a layer with a tank top and shorts in the evening or over a sundress or high waisted baggy jeans.  I may even leave the neckline somethinbg like it is instead of the shallow ribbing suggested in the pattern. Mostly though I am now picturing it finished! 

Now I need a new book. As always I'll be reading through all of the Unraveling posts this week for suggestions (and to find out if anyone has reviewed Daniel Mason's new book).  

next up

The finish-what-you've-started mojo continues. T-shirts stitched! Two begun last November toward the end of my Tshirt modifying (upgrading?) bender of summer '25. They were intended as holiday gifts last December

 

 I'd stalled deciding what to do after the neckline--I stitched the heart and didn't want to distract from the perfect message by being too decorative. This month I saw that running stitch around the letters was the solution. Boom: xmas in July for my sister and bro-in-law. Shirts from Mahogany Mommies.

KNITTING:  I randomly picked up this started project. (I just struggled and failed to find a clever way to desccribe the areas of my office that have bags or baskets of wips, suggestions welcome.) Chosen by virtue of portability and if I'm being honest, the  first thing my hand fell on. It's a Sophie Scarf*. I know, I know, many deride them . I  am a fan and this is my 4th or 5th.  Love the mindless pattern, love using up a luxurious skein or two and  I find them super wearable especially in lightweight cashmere like this one. I love a cashmere scarf and a flannel shirt in winter. This one  started in 2022 as a gift for a model I used to work with a lot , she chose the  ballerina pink. We fell out of touch and so did the knit.  * I use the darker piece of yarn to keep track of my increases or decreases, I flop it across the row where they occur and yank it out when the scarf is done. 

 

READING: Whistler by Ann Patchett. You all are right. So good !

 

PLANNING!!: Ghost Ranch in Abiqui New Mexico Oct 4-10th , co-teaching a class on POWERFUL STORYTELLING: Words & Pictures with Beverly Army-Williams.  Our dream come true teaching gig: if you're not familiar with it, this artful retreat ranch is Georiga O'Keefe's former hang-- the landscape is one you'll recognize from her desert painitngs. 

 Beverly and I met on her porch (with handsome husky Oskar supervising) to finetune our workshop--it is going to be truly wonderful. Our dream-come-true class would be filled with our virtual maker/knitter/blogger/creative friends (aka YOU) joining  us. There's ample free time each day to enjoy the ranch and the stunning northern New Mexico environment . All the details here, there is still room in it. Wouldn,t an early October adventure in New Mexico amongst friends be just right?

 

Summer is summering! I'm looking forward to hopping on Kat's Unraveling links to see what others are making and reading! 

*

finally finally finished with stripes + other recent events

I'm back Unraveling , determined to keep up with the Wednesday habit. On late Thursday (shhh). It's been a constant -motion  couple of weeks. I try to keep it chill in the summer and am failing this year.  I am not mad about it. In the past two or so weeks:

The KnitStars folks came and filmed me and my master class for the new season! (that link is to a flipbook with an overview of all the seasons including "mine" which is still in production, Season 11).  I was dorky and definitely talked with my hands extravagantly.  I had fun, we covered A LOT of material. They were delightful to work with. We filmed a photo shoot of a shawl and a scarf (explaining as I went) , and made yarn still lifes at my local farm, and shot sheep shots (of course!)We filmed  at my house (living room and..kitchen teaching some things, photo things of course NOT kitchen things(!) and we filmed around the neighborhood, I went kayaking with Zoe for local color. I did a little knitting in a favorite neighborhood knitting spot. My flowers behaved perfectly despite torrential rains the day before. 

And in actual knitting news,   I finished my Piilo! This is going to be a fave. I finished it at 11:45 pm on my birthday to give myself the gift of getting'er done!

  Styling? What styling? The next morning it was hot,  I'd just run in from the beach and so you get the sunglasses look and the half down hair selfie. I love how it fits me, it is the same ease-wise as the pattern but cropped in length. I LOVE the funnel style neck, I love the yarn, (Kelbourne Scout) and the muted stripes.

In other styling news: I took Zoe to see Megan Moroney (country pop, huge teen girl fan base)concert in NYC for her 8th grade graduation present. It's a 2 hour train ride for us so not a major trip but it was a happening-- I was coached to wear the right thing (pink! so much pink) and cowboy boots. I am glad I went along with it--the sold out arena was 100% pink. We also went to the Today show taping early early the next morning ans saw her perform right in front of us in the outdoor plaza so had you been watching the Today show last Friday you'd have seen us waving hi to America, we were right in front row. Moral of the story: if a 14 yo suggests you to go to her first concert even if its not your favorite musician, say YES. 

Reading: while I was trying to decide between Ann Patchett's new book or Daniel Mason's new book, my bookgroup chose NorthWoods aka Daniel Mason's last book. 

I'd already  read it a couple of years ago.  Can I recall details well enough to discuss? Not a chance. Thanks to a long drive down to Maryland & back this week listening to it I am in the last chapter -and it is even better the second time. 

In other making: the annual ritual of  a big jar of rhubarb gin cordial happened . It'll sit in the front closet until around Thanksgiving, when we'll remember it and enjoy it in cocktails into the holidays. Recipe (roughly) here.  

 

peachy keen

 

If you see this- my kitchen counters covered edge to edge- it can only mean one thing. The Peach Truck came to town

Uncoincidentally my making thoughts this week are peach-centric. The fruits all ripen at the same time,.  Each one is the platonic ideal of a peach. We've eaten a ton as is.  Made a peach cobbler yesterday (too much lemon, turns out juice of a half lemon was not a great idea) and I'll make another one (less lemony). Some might get frozen.  One year we made a big pitcher of white wine sangria with peaches,...that was good! They are so juicy and never a bad one. Tell me your fave peach recipes please.

Knitting? Still on this sleeve. Reading? Forcing myself through the last 3 hours (audiobook) of Katabasis, on 1.3x speed to help it go.  I'll only recommend it if you are deep in academia, it lampoons that world wickedly. For me? Tedious!  I'm not a fantasy fiction person so there's that too. Next week I'll have a new knit and a new book! 

Leaving you with this sweet goat who stopped to strike a pose on the way out to pasture. I was at Olympia Farm scouting, I plan to have my Knit Stars videos teaching photography for knitters segments filmed there, after the film crew visits me (GULP) at my home base. I thought why not lean into my She Shoots Sheep Shots tendencies?! We'll have a (real person) model with a shawl and also some lessons on still life shooting of their lovely farm yarn etc in the segments. I really really hope the weather will be good!  

PS I am serious about the peach recipes!  

two finishes

  

The knits: Finish #1 , this quite belated xmas gift scarf !  It's riding around as shown in the passenger seat of my car until it is gifted. It's  pretty,  it'll be good company for a couple of days.  The main yarn is Big Birdie from The Lamb & Kid, if you have never knit with this yarn, you might put it on your list to give yourself a treat.

(Admittedly not summer knitting materials except far north or in strong AC...it's a warm and fuzzy alpaca silk blend.The colors though!!) 

I'm on to my next FINISH IT IN '26 (in which I revisit WIPs and either finish or repurpose materials) project, a Piilo sweater started last September.

The reads: Finish #2:  The Women by Kristin Hannah. Her writing swirls you into a story and the characters  in a cinematic way, she nailed the time period perfectly. I suspect there are people who learn history through her novels and that's a good thing! I'd recommend it especially as a vacation read. 

I started Katabasis by RF Kuang, my bookgroup's choice for the month. It is not a genre I enjoy so let me know if you've read it and send a (hopefully) encouraging word!

On my mind:  I'm going to be filmed for KnitStars *in about 6 weeks (early July). I need to prepare on all fronts. From fixing up my shaggy front yard to make a good first impression to breaking down the teaching modules for photographing your knits.  It will be filmed while I am actually photographing knits!  I have always wanted to teach this way. The end product is going to amazing  but between now and July...yikes! 

* I am new to KnitStars both as a customer and as a subject--and I am VERY impressed. One thing I never realized is you can purchase individual classes, after the season has ended for very reasonable prices ($ 67.). If you scroll down on this link you'll see so many good ones. I recommend Dawn Barker Assigned Pooling.  It's a true pleasure.

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I'm trying SO HARD to blog every week using Kat's Unraveled as my prompt. I tried so hard this week that I posted this on Tuesday, a day early . (ugh! long weekend calendar dysfunction!). You can find others blogging with knits and reads at her Unraveled links. 

doing the thing(s) !

 

Another overdue gift almost ready for its giftee!  In January I told myself this year is going to be about doing the things that I have already started or have been meaning to start. Keep the new projects to a minimum. In knitting and everything else.

Loving this scarf  The main color is the delicious Big Birdie yarn , the contrast color is three strands of fingering weight yarns held toge ther, one has some bling in it.  The pattern is my own-ish, inspired by this scarf inspired by Missoni. I added an as-you-go three stitch icord up each long edge, and instead of using self striping yarn I'm using my choices. It's one row repeated forever, the kind of knitting I enjoy when I'm tired or traveling or being social.

I wrote out the pattern in the ravelry project page if you're curious.  You could make a fun super scrappy stash buster.

I'm trying to improve/expand my project bag situation. This one is from BeautifulSyster  I never understood the greatness of this bag style till I visited their booth at Nash Yarn Fest. You can tie it up like a little dumpling and put it in a larger bag, or you can put your arm through the strap, and when open it sits nice and flat and wide open and holds a lot. No zipper, a dealbreaker for me (too many projects or yarns snagged in zippers, no thanks). Plus seaweed fabric print...I mean how could I not? 

_____

I am trying to get on board , dday-wise, with As Kat Knits Unraveled which is WEdmnesdays...maybe next week! I'm reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. It sucks you in.  

To everything there is a season...

... it's spring, I finished a winter gift knit. (trombone sound here).  

 

Dave's intended gift for last December., Finest Kind, details here.  He loves it. This is his favorite color. In November I tried to hide I was knitting it for him,  believing I'd finish in three busy weeks. Delulu as the youth say! He rarely remarks on whatever project I have going on however around Thanksgiving I had to answer the question "What are you knitting? I really like that color, I could use a new sweater)!

 It is Juniper Moon  Santa Cruz in Cinnamon.   Not going to lie, I bought the yarn because I thought it was from California, (it's not) .I didn't read the label. It's a nice sturdy organic merino, dense and woolly, perfect for a winter sweater for our climate (maybe a little less bright than below) .

 

If I wait until I get a good photo of Dave in it, it could be another 6  months!  We have a Cobblers Kids situation around here. Although we have been together since our 20th birthdays (ie. a good long while)   he is  still not at ease posing for me!  He 'll readily selfie with me so we're good. TBH I probably couldn't share my life with a peacock personality! 

Moss Stitch is not fast knitting for me and this yarn /garment is substantial. I really like the pattern. I pormise it won't take you as long as it did for me, I kept putting it aside!   I may eventually knit one for myself.

Next up...finishing the (belated Xmas gift )scarf for my assistant.

We designed it together thinking I'd finish it in January.  Do you see a theme here?  I am closing in on her birthday mid-May!  It' super luxurious- the purple yarn main color  is Big Birdie from Lamb & Kid  (LOVE this yarn, this winter I lived in a pullover vest type thing I knit in it) . The wavy stripes are three strands of light fingering weight yarn held together, all of them  she acquired during jobs we shot  last year: a sparkly brown.rose gold metallic alpaca from Tennessee,  a hand dyed pink/purple/cranberry  from Texas and a pinkish-purple skein of Baah Yarn.

It will feel good to gift this. The started projects around here can feel like they're yelling for my attention, I may just hit a few more deserving WIPs next.  

What are you up to? 

CHECKING IN!

Ignore the long absence. Sometime last February this blog turned....20?!  Despite pointing my energies at other channels/commitments/activities, I miss blogging.It's good to write a little. I can draw a line from my 2005 awkward hop into the blogging world to truly wonderful present life connections. It's nothing short of amazing. So...here's what I am up to...

 PHOTO BOOTH AT A WOOLEN AFFAIR OCT 16-17TH

 Last March I had a photo booth at Nash Yarn Fest--it was a total blast. When Catherine Clark, who puts on A Woolen Affair, the yarn and music fest the day before  NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck) asked me to bring it to her event, I didn't hesitate .  Maybe I'll see you there? Come say hi ! 

If you want a photo session sign up in advance-- I'll only take a few walkups and I suspect it's going to get crazy (in a good way, chaos plus happy).  I'm planning to be back at Nash Yarn Fest in April 2026, too.

Speaking of Modern Daily Knitting  (Nash Yarn Fest's hostesses with the mostesses), I am thrilled to be teaching a MDK VIRTUAL PHOTO CLASS  for Ann & Kay.  It's rolling around soon- November 7th- and seriously, it is going to be a good one.  Info (and sometimes a large picture of me) at the links.

Of course I am still knitting and making stuff! Above is my so-called Rhinebeck sweater.  As in vaguely aimed at finishing it before next week Friday, accent on vague. This morning I upended a mug of black coffee into my knitting bag .  It's drying from a quick bath rather than being worked on. It's a Piilo sweater, it'll be cropped and not  gathered in at the bottom hem and maybe not fully long sleeved. I'm finding I like stripes a lot this year, what about you? I'm not print person for clothing normally. 

(The yarn is Kelbourne Woolens Scout,  I recommend it) 

 

Why Not WEDNESDAY!

 Why not post ?Sharing this article from the Wonderful Machine blog

https://wonderfulmachine.com/article/close-knit-gale-zucker-for-berroco-inc/

Last spring I did this colorful crazy maximalist photo shoot as part of the lineup for Berroco, my dear client.   I won't go on and on about the backstory for it because I already did! It's linked in this spotlight.

Here's a photo from my Rhinebeck weekend- it says it all!Accidentally twinning with Beverly Army Williams  

A few more details about this

- I became friends with Beverly through blogging waaaaay back ! We both had very dark brown hair. Since then we've crafted, traveled, worked and taught together.and most years we meet up and do the sheep and wool festivals together. We live on opposite ends of our small state so I love that we have these...threads...to keep us connected.

-The twinning was 100% unintentional. We'd both acquired this gorgeous marled yarn from Starcroft Fiber when helping with a shearing years ago.  Beverly knit her sweater not long after. I knit a sweater that was too large . I frogged it and did nothing till this year, when I knit this Felix , shown here unblocked hot off the needles. I am nothing if not consistently 11th hour!

- NY Sheep and Wool remains the one place you feel thrilled to walk around in almost identical outfits with a friend as a grownup, not a tween!

--Hot tip! Do NOT go through all your stash/WIPs the night before attending a sheep and wool fest because your housemates are doing a "bring yarn to swap " table!  It totally killed my interest in getting the sweater quantity of yarn I thought I was going to shop for. OTOH here are just a few of the minis I brought home to make into stripey hats for my littles, from the swap table.

What are you up to? And what are you reading/ recommend to read?

18 and counting: Not Over Yet!

 

I am still alive and kicking and having fun and making things and traveling...and working A LOT!

 This was from a Berroco photo shoot on a farm. The horizon is never where I want it so I stand on my trusty step ladder.

 

Here's the Honeycomb Scarf I have been knitting off and on most of winter. It's a gem of a process knit. When I started, I figured I'd whip right through it.........I'm about 75% done now and a couple of weeks ago I took a good hard look and realized it doesn't look exactly like the samples in the pattern. Whatever I am doing wrong, I'm consistent so at this point, that's how it is!

 

I've been traveling a lot! Some  trips for fun and some for work. Above was all FUN: we went to the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver. This was at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, which is what it sounds like plus walkways in the tree canopy, just on the edge of the city in North Vancouver. 10/10 recommend.   I am normally not a fan of heights and walkways over sheer drops but it was so astoundingly beautiful I couldn't be bothered to freak out. 

Some of that trip became a Knitters Weekend: Olympic Peninsula on Modern Daily Knitting.

This was a photo shoot for Madeline Tosh yarn, I love the styling on this. If you wonder whether I am constantly ohhing and ahhhing and saying "oh oh I want to knit this" while I am working for this client , the answer is YES. 

I am glad to be back for this rare post, let me know if you saw this! This blog celebrated its 18th birthday in February, the least I can do is say hi.

This week: teaching Chicago in person!

As much as I enjoyed teaching virtually these past two years, I am thrilled I'll be in front of a room of living breathing people teaching iPhonography in just a few days  in Chicago!

 

If you'll be at H+H Americas, the trade show for handmade business  please join me !

THURSDAY JUNE 23,  9:45-11:15 am     Smartphone/IPhone Photo Confidence 

FRIDAY  JUNE 24,  9:45-11:15 am  10 +  Tips for Product Photography

These will be fun, helpful, talks filled with actionable tips and time for Q&A.  Not to mention so many images to look at!

And then if you're in the area, visiting or a local,  I am so excited to be teaching hands-on Fabulous Phone Photography for Knitters and Makers                                      SATURDAY JUNE 25, at STRING THEORY YARN COMPANY                            Chicago (Glen Ellyn)    9:30-Noon

If you're thinking about this one , don't wait too long, there were just a couple seats left when I checked in on Friday! I have wanted to visit this shop for ages, having met Janet Avila, the owner at past events and long admired her mission, attitude, events and style.  Oh, and yarn selections! Going to be some new projects cast on here, I can pretty much promise that.

 

show and tell -with cookies!

Show and tell! Click and order and treat yo'self:

My beloved cookie bakery client--the ONLY cookie bakery URL you need- AUNT COOKIE  is doing a fundraiser for feeding Ukrainian refugees. For every 1 pound order of her NYC Confetti Cookies (rainbow or special blue and yellow) she is donating $15. to World Central Kitchen.  Treat yo'self . And send some to a friend!

 As Aunt Cookie says: Taste the Love--and Share the Love".

Answers to questions you didn't ask:

 • the cookies are elevated sugar cookies with a sprinkly crust. You will not be disappointed.

 

• you can put them in the freezer to slow down eating the whole package in one day. Except they taste delicious frozen too. I mean it, these are really good cookies.

 

• there was some sprinkly exuberance at the photo shoot that could not be contained to the tabletop set up. A week later I am still finding the runaway sprinkles !

 

• in case you wondered about sprinkles and their place in history and global cuisine, I gotcha covered

 

• sunflowers are a symbol of Ukraine and pretty much SOLD OUT everywhere. It took an exhaustive search to get this lonely one in the photo, found in a bouquet.  I couldn't persuade the florist to switch out a few from the other small bouquets she had.  Every place I tried said they are selling out of sunflowers as fast as they get them in.  And it turns out there is already a sunflower seed shortage so....

• • • MORE SWEETNESS• • • • • • 

The finished Baby Fern Lake has the most important part: the baby! meet Raina Rose, born last Tuesday night. We are all in love. 

(more about this excellent blankie here)