Happy National Dog Day

Phyllis sent me an email today with a picture of the sweater that she just finished for her husband. Phyllis lives in Whitehorse and has been a customer for 35 years. We have never met but I feel like I know her well. Phyllis found us in the back of Rowan Magazine #1. We were the first store listed and she has shopped with us ever since. Back in the day we did things by phone. That was fun - there was always a lag in the conversations - phones have become a lot better. 

Fishbone was a very enjoyable knit and I really liked working within Rowan Denim Revive. The knitting of this big sweater went surprisingly quickly and unlike Rowan’s earlier denim yarn, Revive is easy on the fingers. The pattern by Martin Storey is clear and straightforward. When it came to finishing it, however, I must admit to setting it aside for a little while! I always get stressed up about setting in sleeves with cotton yarn because there is very little give and every stitch seems to count for the overall appearance. Also, I spent time fretting about sewing in the hood well enough to match my personal standards. So, I took time to practiced with some other cotton yarn and then I bought a tailor’s ham. What a marvelous tool!!! I will never again set in sleeves or attach a hood / collar without using it. I’m extremely pleased with my seams now. I didn’t struggle at all with working in any fullness because a tailor’s ham provides a firm, round surface to work on and makes it easy to create a naturally looking rounded seam. I even used it when I steam ironed the sleeves and hood. In my opinion, a tailor’s ham makes for easey peasy sewing - and that often makes all the difference in world when trying to get a sweater completely finished and done!

Have a sweet weekend, Julie! I’m eagerly getting everything organized and ready to start another new project and as you well know, that’s always great fun. Also, now that I’m so much happier with my finishing skills, I’m feeling ready to start knitting some of the more advanced projects I have been setting aside for years. Get ready for lots more pictures to come!  

Here is a picture of Phyllis’ tailor’s ham. 

I chose the colours for my Earth Stripe Wrap. The lime is the only colour that stayed the same. I couldn’t find a pop colour that I liked better.

Boscoe had a haircut today. 

Jackson went to school today.