Super quick trip home...
...and home is the San Francisco bay area which means I got to stop by Artfibers (aka knitters' mecca) quickly!
Unfortunately, I didn't have too much time. I was pretty sure I wanted some Hana - a smooth, fingering weight, luxurious plied silk - to make a camisole for a friend. But other than that, I wasn't sure what else I might want to look for. In the end, I left just with the Hana, but I was also sorely tempted by Rush - a beautiful, painted DK to worsted weight cotton, Tsuki - a slightly thinner version of Kidsilk Haze (one of my all time favorites), and Kurosawa - a soft and brilliant merino silk blend.
The last time I was at Artfibers, the yarn still came in 50 gram balls, but they've apparently changed to a 250 gram cone system. They still allow you to wind off a smaller amount (in my case, 150 grams) by yourself if you wish to purchase less, but the best part of all of this is fewer ends for me to weave in at the finishing step!
Here's my Hana. The color was hard to capture, but it's a deep magenta or plum. My friend has stunning coloring - jet black hair and creamy porcelain skin - so this color will look great on her.
Speaking of Hana, I recently dug out a UFO that I had shoved to the bottom of my knits drawer. It's the Prairie Tunic from IK Spring '06 made in Artfibers' Hana in a variegated pink color. I casted on for this puppy as soon as the issue hit the stands and rapidly worked through the back and the front. I guess I knew something was looking strange when I got to the triangle shaping at the top, but I plowed on through blindly. I then partly seamed it up and realized something was wrong and no amount of wishful thinking could make it be otherwise. A quick search through the blogs revealed that errors had been found and errata posted but by that point, I was fed up with the whole enterprise and hid it in a bag - out of sight, out of mind, right? I should say also that I love love love Veronik Avery's patterns and design aesthetic which is why I was so excited about this tank. Errata happens, it's an unfortunate and statistically guaranteed fact of life. I should have been more watchful or at least more patient, waiting a bit for any potential errata to surface. Anyway, here it is, my shame:
A brief chat with Kira convinced me that the yarn is too pretty not to reclaim. So as soon as I can muster up the motivation, I'm going to unravel it, skein it, wet it, and rewind it. Wish me luck!
While I was in the bay area, I also spent a day hiking in Point Lobos, a small peninsula jutting out just below Monterey Bay. Somehow I spent my entire life pre-college in California without discovering this little oasis of beauty tucked away just an hour and a half south of where I grew up. I've always liked the Northern California coastline with its craggy cliffs and colder waters. It's so different from the smooth and sandy beaches of the east coast. Point Lobos is an erosion area which means its home to some truly stunning and unusual wear patterns and structures. As an extra treat, my husband and I were able to spend the day with my friend Leah, a landscape photographer who takes the most exquisite photos. Seeing Point Lobos through her eyes was really interesting.
Here are some parting shots from that day. The first photo is of a small enclave dubbed the Devil's Cauldron for the particularly frothy surf that hit its shores. The second photo is of a view up a majestic cypress tree, one of many dotting the rocky cliffs of Point Lobos. Covering its twisted branches are copper growths of algae, giving it an otherworldly and kind of creepy (to me) look.
Unfortunately, I didn't have too much time. I was pretty sure I wanted some Hana - a smooth, fingering weight, luxurious plied silk - to make a camisole for a friend. But other than that, I wasn't sure what else I might want to look for. In the end, I left just with the Hana, but I was also sorely tempted by Rush - a beautiful, painted DK to worsted weight cotton, Tsuki - a slightly thinner version of Kidsilk Haze (one of my all time favorites), and Kurosawa - a soft and brilliant merino silk blend.
The last time I was at Artfibers, the yarn still came in 50 gram balls, but they've apparently changed to a 250 gram cone system. They still allow you to wind off a smaller amount (in my case, 150 grams) by yourself if you wish to purchase less, but the best part of all of this is fewer ends for me to weave in at the finishing step!
Here's my Hana. The color was hard to capture, but it's a deep magenta or plum. My friend has stunning coloring - jet black hair and creamy porcelain skin - so this color will look great on her.
Speaking of Hana, I recently dug out a UFO that I had shoved to the bottom of my knits drawer. It's the Prairie Tunic from IK Spring '06 made in Artfibers' Hana in a variegated pink color. I casted on for this puppy as soon as the issue hit the stands and rapidly worked through the back and the front. I guess I knew something was looking strange when I got to the triangle shaping at the top, but I plowed on through blindly. I then partly seamed it up and realized something was wrong and no amount of wishful thinking could make it be otherwise. A quick search through the blogs revealed that errors had been found and errata posted but by that point, I was fed up with the whole enterprise and hid it in a bag - out of sight, out of mind, right? I should say also that I love love love Veronik Avery's patterns and design aesthetic which is why I was so excited about this tank. Errata happens, it's an unfortunate and statistically guaranteed fact of life. I should have been more watchful or at least more patient, waiting a bit for any potential errata to surface. Anyway, here it is, my shame:
A brief chat with Kira convinced me that the yarn is too pretty not to reclaim. So as soon as I can muster up the motivation, I'm going to unravel it, skein it, wet it, and rewind it. Wish me luck!
While I was in the bay area, I also spent a day hiking in Point Lobos, a small peninsula jutting out just below Monterey Bay. Somehow I spent my entire life pre-college in California without discovering this little oasis of beauty tucked away just an hour and a half south of where I grew up. I've always liked the Northern California coastline with its craggy cliffs and colder waters. It's so different from the smooth and sandy beaches of the east coast. Point Lobos is an erosion area which means its home to some truly stunning and unusual wear patterns and structures. As an extra treat, my husband and I were able to spend the day with my friend Leah, a landscape photographer who takes the most exquisite photos. Seeing Point Lobos through her eyes was really interesting.
Here are some parting shots from that day. The first photo is of a small enclave dubbed the Devil's Cauldron for the particularly frothy surf that hit its shores. The second photo is of a view up a majestic cypress tree, one of many dotting the rocky cliffs of Point Lobos. Covering its twisted branches are copper growths of algae, giving it an otherworldly and kind of creepy (to me) look.
posted by Connie at 4:15 PM
8 Comments:
gorgeous photos; it really is stunning landscape up north. i'm in california but sooooo far away, years go by between trips up north.
It really is a lovely part of California...we managed to get there recently too and the light was stunnning! Commiserations with the Prairie top....what was the mistake? I have to say that making mistakes whilst writing up patterns is something I worry about so it's always comforting when even the seasoned do it!
Aren't you glad that home is SF? I was chatting up another mother about obligatory trips home to take children for visits with their grandparents. She observed that home for us meant places that people go to on vacation, namely SF and San Diego. She has to take her children to Indianapolis and Texas. Good point. I will never whine about that.
Oh, you're going to have so much fun unravelling that tank to reclaim the yarn! It's like free yarn!
See you tonight at the Point?
That Hana is really beautiful--I love the new color you got, but the variegated pink is wonderful too. Definitely must be reclaimed! I'm jealous of your trip--I love the northern CA coast too. Great photos.
Well-You sure had a GREAT TIME. Yarn-Nature-Friends-Yarn-Who could ask for more. Yu sure have some LUCKY friends to receive your knitted goods.
Answer to you Question: Yes the Surprise Scarf is for wearing by humans---
I have the same exact yarn that I got on my trip to SF, I can't wait to knit it up. Shame about the tank.
Are you sure you want to reclaim that yarn and not go through with finishing that tank? It would look so good on you!
Your photos are definitely convincing enough to make me think of moving to the West coast and giving up New York seasons (even autumn).
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