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I can't believe it's actually done.
I started the Jarrett Jacket, designed by one of my favorite designers- Kim Hargreaves- during a summer trip to L.'s parents' house in upstate NY. After getting partially done with the back I ripped it out because it was too wide. Armed with smaller needles, I started this project again after settling into the new school year. With the correct gauge I quickly finished the back and front pieces. The sleeves felt like they took forever, and to add insult to injury, after completing them I had to rip back about 12 inches because they were too wide. I didn't do a bunch of the increases the second time and ended up cutting out an inch from both sides of the sleeve to make sure they fit at the shoulder.
While extensive, the finishing work on this jacket- button bands, a large collar, shoulder and elbow patches, and sewing on buttons- was also what made it so beautiful. I am in love with with the 40s style vintage design. I opted for Knitpicks City Tweed over the Rowan tweed because it is way softer (made from 55% Merino wool, 25% superfine alpaca, 20% Donegal tweed) and way more affordable at $3.99 a skein.
My favorite touch to this jacket is the buttons. They came from Nicaragua, found by my sister E. on a recent trip. They are actually seeds, one of my new favorite button materials. Unfortunaely she only came home with the six of them so they are not available at worldknit & handspun, but I do have some other beautiful natural buttons for sale.
Now that Jarrett is done I have started and need to finish a super secret knitting project for a special someone's birthday next week. I just got the yarn yesterday at the Knitter's Cottage and will hopefully be able to post more details this weekend.
Knitting in Times Square
This past weekend L. and I took a quick trip to NYC to visit my brother, M., who was visiting from Colorado. Usually when we go to NY we drive (L.'s from Westchester), but my sister suggested we take Megabus. It was so nice having someone else drive us to the city. I had hoped to knit the whole way there and back, but our bus left at 12am on Saturday and returned 9pm on the same day, so instead I slept.
I really enjoy spending time with my brother. With M. on the opposite coast we usually only see each other once or twice a year. We couldn't have asked for a better day. The weather was gorgeous for November- not too cold and sunny. We spent most of our day walking around, people watching, and eating. One of my favorite things about NYC is the variety of ethnic foods from which to choose. We had a delicious meal at Tara Thai (not the chain) in the Village and our waiter, Charlie, was great.
A trip to NYC could not be complete without looking at yarn. I made sure to stop at Purl in Soho. I love the aesthetics of their shop, but the shop itself is super tiny and I felt like I kept bumping into people. Purl has a beautiful selection of colors- when you enter the shop it looks like you are stepping into a watercolor box. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Unfortunately I didn't come home with anything (if you saw my stash you would understand why).
Purl in Soho
I wish that I had been able to go to more yarn shops, but this was a family visit not a yarn visit. Perhaps I can convince some of my knit night friends to spend a day, maybe in February/March, on a yarn crawl.
