purl soho – emilyWools

Judd!

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022 emilyWools1 Comment

Here’s an itarsia pullover for ya: Judd by Alexis Winslow. This was a test knit that took me much longer than I intended. Today was a balmy 28°, so I utilized this March cold snap to grab photos (thanks Jacob). I used ridiculously soft Flax Down from Purl Soho for this sweater, and the drape is so so nice. I hope it doesn’t pill.

Alexis included a coloring page with her sweater pattern, and I used it to test out many color combinations of Flax Down colors before settling on Grey Fig, Vintage Celadon and Cobalt Blue. I am particularly fond of the solid blue and solid brown sleeve, it gives the sweater a striking look. I ended up swapping the colors on the bottom octagon from sketch to sweater, but you probably already noticed that!

This was my first time with intarsia, and it took a few rows to get the hang of it, but after that it was very straightforward. The Vikkel braid around the neckline and setup rows for tubular bind off turned out beautifully, and make this garment look so professional. Seaming the sides took awhile, but seeing the colors line up perfectly was so satisfying. This was also my first time with a drop-shoulder sweater, and I have to say, its pretty comfy!

Carbeth Cardigan

August 19, 2018 emilyWools3 Comments

I broke a personal record last month when I knitted a sweater start to finish in 15 days! I am not sure what exactly came over me but I worked on it during every free moment over those 2 weeks. This is the Carbeth Cardigan, which I’ve been eyeing up for months on Ravelry. I made the second size using worsted weight Purl Soho Good Wool held double. The yarn weight definitely contributed to my speed to the finish, but I am still so surprised and proud of myself. The sad part is I haven’t been able to wear it! Its been so hot here, but today we had some relief with a 70 degree day, so I put it on and Jacob snapped some lovely photos.

I got the buttons at Pacific Trimming in the Garment District. I can’t wait till it gets cooler and I can start to jughz this cardigan into my wardrobe! I have been wanting a basic cardigan like this for ever.

I highly recommend this pattern, the instructions are very good and the finishing techniques are just lovely, the sweater is beautiful inside and out, I especially love the foldover collar and the button bands.

PJ Shorts

January 9, 2018January 8, 2018 emilyWoolsLeave a comment

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My favorite sleepwear is a t-shirt and PJ shorts. I can’t do sleep pants, they always bag up around my knee which drives me nuts, so I stick with shorts. I found the City Gym Shorts pattern from Purl Soho awhile back and made a pair from some scraps (previously unblogged), with great success. This weekend, I wanted a quick sew and I had been meaning to make another pair. I had a fabulous 80s silk remnant from the Center for Creative Reuse in my stash, and happened to have coordinating purple bias tape (also from PCCR!!), so I thought why not!! These came together so quickly, in less than 2 hours. On this new pair, I made the side hem split significant bigger, but otherwise followed the pattern exactly. I was surprised by how much better I have gotten at applying bias tape to fiddly fabrics. Practice really does make “perfect” (btw these are not perfect by any means).

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Super comfy, and very luxurious in silk!

Dove/Salt and Pepper.

December 24, 2016December 24, 2016 emilyWools2 Comments

I had some leftover linen from Joann’s and I decided to use it to make a trial Dove top. I really would like to make the bell sleeve version, I just haven’t found enough of the right fabric yet. The shape of the top is very “modern” and its loose in a way that makes me feel like I am trying with my outfit. I took a page out of Elizabeth Suzann’s book and am considering linen a year-round fabric, instead of just for summer, and I am trying to embrace the wrinkles.

I used some leftover Liberty of London for the facings, and I used the beautiful selvedge edges where I could, like in the center front seam. Why are linen selvedges always so whimsical?

While we were on our family beach walk, I found some awesome silver dollar plants growing in the brush. I snuck in to get some.

The cowl is based on Purl Soho’s Salt and Pepper cowl. I sort of just followed the spirit of the cowl, the idea of two yarns, alternating rows, and using one yarn for the ribbing. I used some hand spun alpaca yarn from my friend’s mom’s farm, and the white is some luxurious cashmere I’ve been saving. I made a pair of mittens from the alpaca last year, and I wanted this to match them. In the past, I think I’ve gone crazy with colors, and want to make more neutrals so I don’t look so wacky when I wear my hand knits.

Yay for family beach walks!

Thank you to Jacob for taking these beautiful pics!