Hi all!
Wow! I have so many things to tell you! So many things, in fact, that it seems more practical to lay them out in list:
- we have an apartment! I never thought that the simple act of finding a place to lay my head at night would make me feel so accomplished. For reals, finding an apartment in Manhattan made me feel like Nicholas Cage finding the Declaration of Independence! Anyway, said abode is located in the charming and colorful neighborhood of Washington Heights…or the far Upper West as we like to call it.
- I have a JOB….and not just any job, the actual best job in the world! I’ve already shared this news on Instagram, but since it still doesn’t feel quite real to me – I am the new store manager for Purl Soho! I’ve been there for about a month and I love it so much I can’t even explain. The yarns, the fabrics and not to mention the amazing staff of knitters, weavers, spinners and designers that I get to work with every day. Sorry for the bragging…but I just can’t help it. I am hooked! So to speak.
- Last but not least, I have a new pattern out today…
I have been extra excited to share this one, in part because I haven’t been able to stop wearing it from the moment it came off the needles. Seriously – it took me an extra week to post it because I couldn’t bring myself to take it off long enough to block it!
Say “hello” to “Hay Creek” the second pattern in my “Earth, Wool & Fire” collection. These patterns were inspired by upbringing entrenched in a very tight knit community of Potters and Ceramic artists, mostly from the Pacific Northwest. My relationship with this community is something that I have grown to appreciate more and more the older I get. I am increasingly more aware of the fact that the dynamic, caring and talented community of potters, sculptors, painters and teachers that my parents raised me around as a young child left an indelible impression of my own aesthetic, as well as my own approach to creativity.
So with in mind, I created “Hay Creek” – the cardigan companion to my previously published pullover “East Creek”
Hay Creek was inspired by one of the dearest of my pottery friends, a Mel Jacobson. Aside from being one of the world’s foremost potters, an inventor and a teacher – Mel is also a pretty cool guy. The embodiment of avuncularity – “Uncle Mel” is charming, generous, funny and sweet. He has a beautiful farm in Minnesota, and every summer he invites his closest friends for ten days of making art, talking, eating and learning from one another. The joy of “Uncle Mels” approach to life permeates the property – and it was that along with a sense of coziness and ease that I wanted to capture with this sweater
Here is a great shot of Mel teaching a workshop that I helped to organize this spring. He flew all the way out to Oregon on his own dime to help us out for the weekend. And as you can see, the kids loved it!
A top down, raglan cardigan, Hay Creek is easy to knit and super easy to wear. It’s an ideal “first sweater” project – with easy to follow instructions and a seemless construction. The fit is oversized, but not too much— I am calling it an “uncle cardigan” — it’s a thing. I promise!
Like the companion sweater – East Creek – this cardigan highlights the classic, familiarity of classic garter stitch – something that I have recently fallen in love with all over again.
Knit up using gorgeous Aran Weight, Irish Donegal yarn from studio Donegal (I stocked up at Dublin Bay Knitting Co. before I left Oregon), Hay Creek is dense and warm – perfect for these chilly fall mornings that we have been having in New York.
And of course – like East Creek – I wanted to add some fun and whimsy – so there’s a cute little pocket with an option for a contrasting colored lining – cause who doesn’t love a sunny yellow pocket!
Both the East Creek Pullover and the Hay Creek Cardigan are 25% OFF here on the website and on Ravelry now through Friday the 14th when you use the code “unclemel”
I hope you enjoy knitting this pattern as much as I enjoyed designing it – and I promise, it will not disappoint. I have been wearing it almost every day since it came off the needles!
