Knits & Peaks

Tag: crochet

  • Waterfalls, Wool, and a Trip to Oregon’s Oldest Yarn Shop

    On a recent trip to Oregon, we spent a few days in Portland and took a day trip out to Silver Falls State Park. It’s where we hiked the popular Trail of Ten Falls. It’s a beautiful 7 mile loop that features mossy forests, cliffs, and a total of ten waterfalls. The highlight is the massive South Falls trail which actually passes behind the curtain of water! The whole area can feel cinematic, and has actually been a spot for multiple films. You might recognize it from the original Twilight movie.

    On the way back into Portland, we took a slight detour through Multnomah Village. It was a quiet, walkable neighborhood that feels like its own little town. That’s where we found Northwest Wools, which is the oldest yarn store in Oregon. I did a few laps around the shop and finally settled on a boucle yarn, a texture that I’d never knit with before. It came from a local yarn brand in Oregon, Shaggy Bear Farms. I also couldn’t resist picking up a Northwest Wools T-shirt too with their sheep logo, I’ve worn it way more than I thought I would!

    I also picked up a second yarn to hold with it, from Blue Sky Fibers. In total I grabbed 5 skeins of their Woolstok light fingering weight, 100% fine highland wool yarn in color 2302 Gravel Road. The combination was perfect, fluffy and soft with just enough weight to knit on US 7 needles.

    I found a couple boucle patterns after searching Ravelry and Reddit, settling on Sweater No.24 from My Favorite Things Knitwear. This was the perfect pattern to make a comfy, oversized sweater. My only modification was doing 2×2 rib along the edges, instead of 1×1, which I felt made the boucle texture really stand out.

    The finished sweater feels like the perfect Oregon souvenir that I’ll definitely wear for a long time.

  • Revisiting the Cloud Sweater

    After knitting the Cloud Sweater in Hobbii yarn for my trip to White Sands National Park, I couldn’t resist making it again, this time with Juniper Moon’s Moonshine yarn. I really loved the pattern construction from PetiteKnit the first time around, especially the shaping of the shoulders and neckline. This design has been really popular online. I think it’s due to the simple edges (no more 2-3 inches of ribbing), and it has a flattering fit! I figured why not try it with a different yarn?

    In Albuquerque we’re lucky to have access to some great local yarn shops, and one of my favorites is the Yarn Store in Nob Hill. It’s a cozy, welcoming spot, and during a visit, I found Juniper Moon’s Moonshine yarn. This yarn is incredibly soft, with a blend of 40% merino wool, 40% alpaca, and 20% silk. The most difficult part was choosing which color to use, after debating for a long time I went with the color Honeydew, a bright glossy light green.

    As I knit through the sweater again, I could tell the Moonshine was a perfect match for the pattern. The yarn worked up beautifully, creating that a squishy, comfy texture, but with a little more sheen thanks to the alpaca and silk. I love how neat the edges turned out with this yarn. The final product is a soft, light sweater that’s perfect for layering.

    All in all, knitting the Cloud Sweater again was just as satisfying as the first time. It’s a pattern I’ll definitely return to, and the Juniper Moon Moonshine yarn made this second version feel even more special.

  • Fernlys Sweater

    I finished the Fernlys Sweater by Liv Ulven this past spring and wanted to share a project recap. I used yarn I found at Rhinebeck from Shenandoah Fiber Company and the pairing ended up working really well.

    The pattern is a top-down circular yoke, with shaping around the neckline. It has an Estonian braided detail across the chest, shoulders, and cuffs, which adds some subtle texture to the sweater. In addition, to some simple color work with usually 3-4 repeats, making the color work come together easily. It’s mostly simple stockinette once you get past the yoke, which made for a low-effort knit.

    This was my first time knitting with Shenandoah Fiber Company’s yarn. I bought it at their booth at the New York Sheep & Wool Festival in Rhinebeck. I had been walking through their booth and noticed these skeins for how soft they were, it really stood out from all the rest. They explained that this wool came from their Alpaca’s Marzipan and Ziva. I loved the little cards telling us more about the alpacas! I grabbed one skein of the green and four of the light blue. In retrospect, these colors looked beautiful next to each other as skeins, but overlapped quite a bit. If you knit this pattern, I suggest getting two colors with more contrast to make the color work stand out.

    The yarn held up well while knitting, and it blocked out nicely. It’s soft but still has enough structure to show the yoke pattern clearly. I didn’t make any major modifications to the pattern, just followed the size I normally knit and aimed for gauge.

    If you’re looking for a simple sweater that has a bit of detail, Fernlys is a good option. It’s great for knitters getting into color work or learning new techniques. And if you come across Shenandoah Fiber Company at a festival, their yarn is definitely worth checking out!

  • Visiting Green Mountain Spinnery

    While visiting back home in Connecticut, my mom and I make a trip up to the Green Mountain Spinnery in Vermont. It was such a fun experience! The spinnery is tucked away in the Vermont countryside, it feels cozy and full of character. The whole space had that wonderful woolly smell, with shelves stacked high with their products.

    We got to look around the spinnery and hear about their process of turning raw wool into the soft, colorful yarns they’re known for. It was fascinating to see the machines in action and hear about how they work with local farms to source their wool. They have a commitment to sustainability, which made the visit even more special. Of course, we couldn’t leave without picking up a few skeins of yarn. We spent some time chatting with the staff, who were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and it was clear how much care and passion goes into every skein they produce. Below our pup Archie makes an appearance!

    The first project I worked on using yarn from Green Mountain Spinnery was the Alpine Sweater, which I made for my dad. He specifically requested his favorite green and blue colors, so I chose a combination of their Mountain Mohair and Weekend Wool that would give the sweater a bit of depth and texture. The yarn’s softness and warmth were perfect for the cozy sweater, and I love how the green and blue blend together in the colorwork. I used colors Blueberry, Peacock, Edelweiss in Mountain Mohair and color Spruce in the Weekend Wool for the body and arms. I had been so excited to knit the Alpine Sweater pattern by ViolentCatLady, especially since I’d been following her on TikTok for a while. Watching her create and sell this pattern made me even more eager to try it out myself. The sweater turned out perfectly, and the combination of Green Mountain Spinnery’s Mountain Mohair and wool gave it just the right balance.

    One of my current projects using Green Mountain Spinnery yarn is the Inge Sweater by Le Knit, which I’m also knitting with their Mountain Mohair. The colors I’ve chosen are Edelweiss, Grey Birch, and Blueberry. I’ve only completed the yoke so far, but I’m already in love with how it’s coming together. The sweater is a raglan design with shaping, and I’m especially excited about the stark diamond patterns throughout. There was some talk online of this pattern being oddly fitted in the yolk, with the lack of front neck shaping, so I’m hoping this sweater will block out nicely. Regardless, I’m looking forward to having this sweater in my wardrobe. I’m picturing myself wearing this while skiing this winter in Santa Fe!

    The visit to the spinnery was a great day with my mom, and if you’re ever in the area and love yarn, I highly recommend stopping by. It’s the perfect place to get inspired and learn more about the process behind the yarn we all love to knit with.