Dreaming of Fall...

While the coffee was brewing this past weekend, I rummaged through the yarn stash looking for a little inspiration. I was thrilled when I stumbled across these two beauties tucked away inside a Quince & Co. bag behind my knitting chair! This beautiful Léttlopi Icelandic Wool was bought from Tolt Yarn and Wool many months ago (along with my Farm to Needle Tote Bag) and I completely forgot I had them! 

This workhorse, aran-weight yarn is traditionally used for Lopapeysa, Icelandic color work sweaters, but I'm planning to knit them into some warm, fingerless mitts to get me through the winter. Pattern suggestions are greatly appreciated!

If you haven't yet visited the Tolt website, I hope you take a few minutes to explore all the wooly-goodness it has to offer. Anna Dianich has created a gorgeous little world for fiber-lovers, including events like Camp Tolt, knitting classes, and a beautifully curated shop. When I ordered my tote and wool, the packaged arrived with lovely brand gestures including a hand-written thank you note and two yarn samples—such a sweet little way to bundle an order! 

Tell me—what are your favorite online knitting shops? 

A quiet weekend.

This weekend was everything I hoped it would be—a weekend spent in my knitting room with row after row of lace knitting, hot coffee, and binge-watching TV. I finished Orange is the New Black and started The Americans. How awesome is Keri Russel's 80's-style wardrobe? On Saturday, there were Martinis with blue-cheese stuffed olives, and on Sunday, we enjoyed some Dark & Stormy cocktails while catching up on the DVR. My two hats had a nice soak in some lavender-scented lanolin wash before they were blocked, and I'm sad to say that I'm going to need to completely frog the Barnwood Hat—it's gigantic! I think I'll move down to a size US 5 circular needle in order to make the pattern work with the Fibre Co. Acadia yarn. Unfortunately, this means the recipient is still weeks away from receiving her gift! 

How about you? Did you enjoy a nice, lazy weekend full of knitting? 

Weekend #knitspiration

What's everyone up to this weekend? The hubby and I just got back from a nice long vacation not too long ago, so we're looking forward to spending a couple of nice, quiet weekends at home. I'm going to block my two hats and get back to work on my Topiary wrap. What about you? What's on your needles?

Here are a few things to get your weekend #knitspiration started:

No. 1 :: Never Not Knitting's Botanical Gift Set | A gorgeous kit of notions, including acorn snips and the cutest little pinecone stitch markers! Comes with a signed book of your choice. 

No. 2 :: Quince & Co. Kestrel Yarn in Urchin | There's something about this time of year that makes me want to reach for light, drapey linen, and this Urchin color way reminds me of the ocean. 

No. 3 :: Nouri Sweater Pattern | Pom Pom Quarterly, Issue 17: Summer 2016 was recently released, and Carol Feller's Nouri sweater looks like the perfect cover-up for nights spent near the water.

Hope you have a good one! 

ready for blocking

Last night, the Barnwood Hat came off the needles, and as expected, it definitely has that hipster slouch. The pattern recommends that you block the lace over a balloon, so I'll have to inflate it just enough to set the pattern but not make the hat any larger. I'm debating putting it in the dryer on low heat for a very short amount of time to slightly shrink it, however, I'm afraid of felting those beautiful leaves. If any knitters would like to impart some advice, I'm listening!

Knitting lace is pretty magical, isn't it? Fresh off the needles, it looks like a mess, but once it's out of its lanolin bath and blocked, it's completely transformed. I can't wait to share the after pictures with you. The blue hat in the background is the Purl Bee's Classic Cuffed Hat, one of my go-to patterns for quick, cozy knits. I'm still deciding on whether this one's getting a pom pom...  

The case for swatching.

Swatching. Some knitters love to take the time at the beginning of a project to test and make sure that the combination of yarn, needles and knitting tension all add up to the perfect gauge. After all, good gauge means a well-fitting garment. Other knitters, like myself, tend to dive head-first into new projects, eager to get that new skein of wool onto the needles—gauge be damned. As long as we're using the right size needles and correct yarn weight, we should be cool, right? Not so much. 

I'm currently knitting the adult size of Alicia Plummer's beautiful Barnwood Hat, in The Fibre Co.'s luminous Acadia yarn. First, let me just say how much I love this pattern and the yarn—the lace motif is easy-peasy to remember (especially while you're catching up on OITNB) and the yarn has such a soft, light hand thanks to the addition of alpaca and silk. 

The pattern says the hat should fit a head circumference of 22" once blocked. I'm afraid that while I have the yarn weight and the needle sizes correct, my tension may be a little loose for this project. I'm almost to the crown and the body circumference seems a little bit wider than it should—it's already measuring 9" across. Knowing how much lace grows once it's blocked, I'm pretty sure this is going to be one of those cool, slouchy hats vs. a knitted cap. 

I think next time I'll swatch. What about you, knitters--how many of you really swatch?

hello!

Welcome to Thornwood Knits! Some of you may remember me from back in the day at Sorella & Company…it seems like many moons ago that I was a stay-at-home mamma with lots of free time to knit, bake and indulge in all things domestic. Since going back to work over 5 years ago, I’ve really missed having a creative outlet and connecting with this little fiber community of ours.

I’ve decided it's time to carve out a small space to indulge in all things cozy—a place to share my works-in-progress, my love of yarn and notions, and glimpses into my domestic puttering. You’ll probably see a few cocktails as well, because nothing pairs better with wool on needles than a perfectly mixed drink. [The Sellwood is the house favorite.] My head is swirling with plans for this site, so don't miss out on the fun—check in often! 

I'd love it if you'd take a moment to introduce yourself in the comments! Oh, and let’s also meet up on Instagram and Ravelry too, ok?

-Jenny

p.s. Pattern :: Brooklyn Tweed's Topiary Lace & Cable Wrap | Yarn :: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Ivory...more to come on the project later.