Knitting Away: Portland(ia)

Last weekend I went to Portland and got into some serious trouble. Like, seriously.

Portland, this is why we can't be friends.

Portland was never one of the placed I lumped into my "I want to live here without ever visiting here," lists. Seattle was forever the only PNW city on that list and that was mostly because of how overly hyped Portland is. And, let's be real, it's got that crazy hipster level 9000 thing going on and that has greatly deterred me from ever wanting to go to there. Somewhere along the line that changed and, since I live on the West Coast now, why not? My flight was less than $200 and I was there in about an two hours. Times like this makes me want a job & disposable income again. Le sigh.

So yes, this Portland was never on "the list," though the other Portland was. The funny thing with "the list" is that I have since ruled out most of the cities on it in the past two years. (Other) Portland, San Francisco, Boston, in face the only place on the list that I didn't rule out was Seattle. And then I had to go & visit Portland and fall in love a little bit.

I strategically planned our visit over Oregon Flock & Fiber weekend. I'll be in Chicago for the last half of October, so I'll be missing ladies weekend at Rhinebeck. I decided OFFF would be my Autumnal fiber festival for the year, so I booked our trip and the excitement started, but I tried to keep my feet on the ground. This was Portlandia! Don't get too excited.

But it was wonderful! Portland was everything I had hoped for and more. And it rained the whole time!

I left a few hours before Matt did so that I could get the lay of the land & attend a local knitting circle. Public transit was great and it only cost me like $2 bucks to get from the airport to my airbnb (first/great experience) across the river. We ended up staying in the Nob Hill neighborhood and I could have easily spent a few days just exploring the blocks around where we stayed. So many restaurants & even a distillery! It's one of the safer/more expensive areas of Portland, so I'll probably not be living there anytime soon. Though I would love to. 

Like I said, it rained the whole time we were there and I was actually very happy about that. I haven't seen real rain in MONTHS and I'm the kind of person who enjoys opening the windows & curling up during a rainstorm. Out airbnb didn't have a tv, which I was kind of kicking myself over since our trip also coincided with the Breaking Bad finale, but oh well. It was lovely and it gave me a lot of time to read, knit & enjoy the rain. Look at those windows! 

Once I got settled in, I headed to the first stop on my "Ashley Tackles Portland" list: Deschutes brewing! The actual brewery is located in Bend, Oregon, which is several miles away (and on the Bend Ale Trail), so I had to "settle" for the brewpub in the Pearl District. Everything I tasted while there was amazing! Everything they serve in their restaurant uses local ingredients & is made from scratch (I think?). And it's easy to overdo it with your drinks because they have something like 20 beers on taps. I was lucky enough to arrive on the first day of their Fresh Hop Festival, so I nestled into a table and ordered a Fresh Hop Octoberfest with Pear (Washington pears!), goat cheese and hazelnut pizza. That shit was redonk!

Matt & I ate that pizza for the next two meals & I was still ready to go back for more. I powered through another beer (Fresh Hop Pale) and made my way to knitting night down the street at Pearl Fiber Arts, a place not originally on the list. And boy am I glad to have added it! Once I saw the wall of "souvenir yarn"I knew I was in the right place. They carry a lot of Portland area yarns, which is perfect since that's exactly what I wanted. I ended up buying a skein of Bumblebirch Heartwood in the gorgeous Mineral colorway and grabbed the last seat for knitting circle. And everyone was SO nice. It's always hard to just jump in with groups like that, where these people have known eachother for years, but they all made me feel welcome and not at all out of place. I only managed to chat with one or two of the ladies, but everybody made sure to say goodbye as I was leaving...with another skein that had been staring at me since I sat down. 

Being a knitter is hard, you guys.

By then it was time to meet Matt for a late snack at the Whiskey Kitchen down the street. Over 100 whiskeys with an all BBQ menu. We may have gone there twice over the long weekend. Whoops? I had my first Old Fashioned and felt like the fanciest of ladies. Matt had the Fremont whiskey from Washington (like the troll) and I even managed to enjoy it :) All in all we were fans of Southland. 

This is not an Old Fashioned

The next day was all about me. Matt requested to work remotely for the day, so I took on the city by myself. I decided to cross the river and work my way back to where we were staying. First stop? Happy Knits, the happiest knitting store in the world (ok maybe not, but it was pretty great). And, once again, they were all so nice! I spent like 30 minutes chatting with the girl who worked there and wish I had gotten her Ravelry name. Needless to say I got into some trouble.

Black Trillium, Black Trillium, Sunshine Yarns, Madtosh in "Happiness"

Yeah. They have their own Madelinetosh color. Black Trillium is another local dyer and the colors were so amazing. I could have easily snatched up 10 skeins of each base (here I have one sock & one worsted), but I wanted to pace myself as best I could. Meaning I shouldn't have even gone there, right? Right. While I shopped, the rain continued to come down and luckily for me the next stop was just a few blocks away. 

Oh you know. Just a little bookcase in the middle of nowhere

I hadn't heard of Cascade Brewing until somewhat recently, which isn't terribly surprising since I just started to like Sours within the past year. Cascade Brewing brews primarily sour beers and when I saw the tap list I about lost my mind. Do I order the one with the same name as my cat? The one with blueberries? Blackberries? This one sounds awesome! Then I realized they had a Live Barrel list, so obviously I had to go for one of those. I opted for a glass of the Cherry Vlad, something that I will probably never have the joy of tasting again. Bourbon & Cherry sour. Yummm. I also had what is potentially the best clam chowdah of my life. Better than MAINE CHOWDAH? Possibly. And, again, everyone was so nice.

The rest of the day was spent buying more yarn from a shop with a whole wall of Indie Dyed sock yarns INCLUDING Plucky (Twisted, we cannot be friends), falling in love with the most adorable trash cat who claimed me as his, prime bar seats on a Friday night at Deschutes & dinner at The Gilt Club, where Peter & Nance met Colin the chicken on the first episode of Portlandia. I ordered the chicken & was not impressed. Oh, and another trip to the Whiskey Kitchen.

Colin wasn't in. Once again, they were so nice.

The next day there was, you guessed it, more rain. I know I rag on Matt a lot and, as we are currently embroiled in a domestic war, I should note that he's still pretty great sometimes. Like when he rents a car and drives me to a wool festival in the middle of nowhere, Oregon. And then buys me yarn. Oregon Flock & Fiber Fest was much bigger than I was expecting. I've only been to a few festivals before (Rhinebeck, Maryland Sheep & Wool, Garden State Sheep & Wool), so I know the quality can vary a bit. I was impressed! The turnout was HUGE and though they didn't have crazy big barns like Rhinebeck, they had so many beautiful yarns to choose from. And the animals! 

I was actually pretty excited about getting Matt to go with me. He's never been to a wool festival and, though he doesn't knit, I knew he would love the animals. And he had a great time petting them. Every time I turned around, I would hear a, "Dear come here! Look at this goat! Look at those horns! Aw that one is so cute!" or something of that nature. I'm really glad he got some joy out of going with me. Who doesn't love farm animals? And I'm glad I never have to hide my stash or downplay my crazy around him. 

Portland, you stole my heart and my money. I still had another day and a half (Matt left early), but it was really more of the same. After lunch at the cutest pumpkin patch, I subjected Matt to yarn photos & general nerdery, as we do. We spent the rest of the night exploring 23rd street, starting with Bull Run Distilling (again. So nice) & Beer Flights at Lompoc Tavern and ending with the best gingerbread dessert in all of creation. Red wine soaked gingerbread with pears & vanilla ice cream. Yum. Yum. Yum. Oh and a nap because all that rain & beer? Ashley got tired.

Free tastings during the day. The only one I wasn't sold on was Pacific Rum, but I'm not much of a rum person. We left with a bottle of Aria gin, which is delightful with tonic and lime. The woman working there chatted with us for 20 minutes about what to do with the rest of our time.

Seasonal Tasting at Lompoc, where pints are $3

(Lompoc would be my Cheers if I lived there. They brew their own beers & have $2.50 on Miser Mondays. How sweet is that? And they're all good!)

After my nap I got a second wind (at 10pm), so we wandered down the street to the breakfast joint my airbnb host had told me about. Sure enough, they were out of most of the beers on their menu and some of the desserts. Lucky for me the one that I wanted, that gingerbread mess I described above, was still available. I'm still having dreams about it. No lie. We headed back to our place & passed out for the night. Matt left the next morning and I continued to lose my mind: Stumptown, Powell's (!!!!) & Rogue brewing. It was a peaceful and lovely final day to myself. I'm glad I stayed. 

In summation. Portland, I loved you and your people. We could be friends, maybe, if 1. I had a job & 2. You had less yarn. Someday you could be home. Because I kind of fell in love with you, just a little bit. Even with the rain.

P.S. Knitters, I am glad to "take one for the team" and buy all of the sock yarn to test for you. Expect links & reviews soon since I LOVE socks now. Finished my first pair in Portland & halfway done with my second pair.

WIP Wednesday: Socks & Sentiments, Bitch.

Let's get sappy here for a moment.

About a year and a bit ago I got a tattoo on my arm. It was my first one and I doubt it will be my last. I sketched what I wanted & my artist made it even better than I could have imagined. I was initially concerned that the knit stitches would look random and out of place, but she turned my drawing into something organic and beautiful. The quote is from a letter Virginia Woolf wrote when she was locked away and though she wrote it in a fit of desperation and melancholy, I gained my own interpretation from the words. I studied English in college, so while the words may have garnered me flack from some, I don't really care. Saving may have been more literal to Ms. Woolf, but it can still save me as well.

Whenever I look down at my tattoo I am reminded of so many things. The initial thrill of getting my tattoo, which started "the most exciting month of my life thus far," and the mundane not-so-exciting moments that have brought me to where I am now. Every night I've spent knitting in bars with friends or driving to yarn festivals with friends or watching stupid tv with friends or playing Dance Central and knitting with friends. Every trip I've taken has been documented with photos and souvenir skeins of yarn purchased in Seattle, Hanalei, Paris, Portland (Maine), etc. Knitting has saved me in many ways.

I'm the first to fess up to being a yarn hoarder. I used to be frugal and more money savvy, but then I got passionate and lost my mind a little. I like to joke that I'm setting my future daughters up with stashes they can't even knit, but let's be real (I'll probably have all boys): I just really like to buy yarn. There is always something new to see and something new to knit, so why not? This was never an issue until recently, when I moved across the country and gave up what is probably the only retail job I really enjoyed. I really had a hard time leaving, despite all the recent internal developments that weighed me down (COUGHugh*THAT*coworkerCOUGH).

Despite all the yarn hoarding I've done over the years, I just can't feel that bad because so many of those skeins are special to me. One of the special memories I have from when I was younger is looking at my mother's charm bracelets. She had a very different childhood than I did and she had so many charms from her birthdays and family trips that she needed two bracelets to hold all the charms. For me, yarn is like those charms. Each skein I collect when I travel or go to a Fiber Festival holds those memories as I knit with them.

This week's WIP is from a skein of yarn a friend gave me long ago, around when I first moved to Philly even. These were the slow days at the shop, where we would wait and wait for customers to come in. Sara gave me this yarn after deciding the colors weren't really her and I, being the yard hoar(der) than I am, snatched it up to cast on for a sockhead hat. But I never did, because I got distracted by something else, as I tend to do.

I am not a sock knitter, but I mean to be. For some reason I packed this random skein of yarn with me when I moved to California, when yarn space was a premium in the one suitcase I allowed myself to bring with me. I thought I might use it at some point and yesterday I just decided that I wanted to cast on for some socks to bring with me to Portland this weekend. And, as I worked on my other WIP for the week (Breaking Bad, what what!), I got sucked in and knit most of the first sock. Whoops.

Project: Vanilla Sox

Pattern: Adapted from How I Make My Socks

Yarn: Bitsy Sock in Lover of Art

Needles: Size 1 Hiya Hiya Sharps

Whenever I'm feeling blue I can put on these socks and think of different times. I can think of that first winter in Philly, when I was having the time of my life and meeting so many great people. I can think of Sara, who gave me this skein for no real reason, and all that knitting and enabling we have been through. And I can thank her for showing me another new indie dyer I never would have known because you know I love that shit.

Now back to Breaking Bad, bitch.

(<3 <3 Aaron Paul <3 <3)

FO Friday: Bray Cap & Homebrew Round 1

Where have I been? In Philly! I surprised one of my besties for her birthday and had a fabulous weekend surrounded by some of the best friends a girl could ask for. And I came back to a new California slump (and a lovely boyfriend who had berries & wine waiting). So now I am back, in a bit of a slump and planning on all the ways to make Autumn awesome. Because I can't be in too much of a slump during the best time of the year!

View from my hotel. All my favorites.

So, Philly was awesome. But we know this, because I love me some Stinky Philly. I got a little emotional when I walked past my weird hotel home, which is hilarious to me since I was so miserable when I found out we would be moving there. First World Problem to the max. I had a little cry and pressed on, exhilarated by being in a city again. I spent each day with a friend (or five) and just enjoyed this breath of fresh air. In short, I needed this.

A trip to Philly wouldn't be complete without yarn and knitting (and eating mussels 3 times in a week). Most of the friends I made there was because of knitting and most of my favorite memories from these past two years have been the assorted sheep & wool fests/knitting circles we have spent together. I won't be attending Rhinebeck this year (:'( tears forever), so we knit it up while I was visiting. And bought some yarn.

Peace Fleece WW, PF dk, Shepherd's Wool WW

My dear yarn hoarding protege & I took the train into Manayunk to visit my friend Lisa's shop, Hidden River Yarns. She stocks Quince! And so many other good things! It was hard to leave without a sweater's quantity of that middle yarn, but I only had so much room in my suitcase. Our visit was the same day Brooklyn Tweed's Fall '13 collection came out and I knew immediately that I wanted to make a Bray Cap ASAP. I get a sick thrill from casting on for things as soon as they come out :) So I bought my yarn, bought the pattern & cast on that very evening. And finished it the next day.

Seriously. How beautiful is this hat? I love me some cables like you wouldn't believe, so I was stoked when I saw the entire BT Fall '13 collection. Stonecutter pullover might just be the most beautiful sweater I've ever seen. I would love to knit it (someday), but cables make me look boxy. Maybe I'll just knit it and hang it on a wall somewhere.

(I'm not kidding)

Anyways. This hat. I knit it in a day and a bit, and I'm already itching to cast on for another one. This was my first time using Peace Fleece, which is actually a bit more of an aran weight, and it won't be the last. I would love a squishy cardigan out of this yarn, again, someday. Because it was an aran weight, this hat turned out a smidge too large, but that won't stop me from wearing the heck out of this next weekend when I'm in Portland(ia). As a result of the size, I won't be blocking it for the time being. And by that I mean until I knit another one. I have some O-Wool Local waiting to be swatched for an upcoming design (Colorwork! Holla!), so I might tuck into that while I wait for my other colors to arrive. Bray in Local? Amazingness.

Action shot

Ashiepoo22's Bray Cap

Pattern: Bray Cap by Jared Flood

Yarn: Peace Fleece Worsted in Wild Mustard

Needles: Hiya Hiya Sharps in 4 & 7

Mods: used a regular cast on

Knitting Bray in a day was a nice break from my Taking a Chance shawl, which is coming out beautifully...aside from the huge issue I discovered yesterday (and refuse to talk about). I love everything about this shawl and I can't wait to finish it this weekend. Plucky Bello is wicked nice. Wicked. I also cast on for Terra (I need to stop with the Jared Flood), which has been in my queue since the pattern was first published. I'm using the Shepherd's Wool I bought while I was in Philly and it's so soft. It's coming along quickly and is perfect for knitting during my Breaking Bad binge watching/wine drinking. I'm hoping to have that one done next week :)

The other FO I should mention is our first batch of homebrewed beer. We made beer! That actually tastes like beer. We've done a few small samplings along the way and epically failed with the bottling (you need to add bottling sugar? Duh), so this batch was the actual, final result. And it was beautiful. 

Pint glass compliments of Skyle

It's a cloudy, light summer ale that we dubbed "Clementine Summer Ale" after our cat baby. As you do with anything, the obvious next step was to go to the brew store the very next day and brew batch two, this time a Saison. It will be ready in about three weeks & this time we are going to do it all right ;) I'm fighting the temptation to add some hibiscus ala Jolly Pumpkin's Baudelaire Hibiscus Saison, but there's always next time. We are already planning Christmas brewing.

Clementine seal of (dis)approval

WIP Wednesday: Happy Plucktember!

It's no secret that I'm a yarn hoar. All you need to do is look through my (not fully updated) Ravelry Stash to see that. I used to buy Madtosh like it was going out of style, but recently another yarn has stolen my heart...and wallet.

I'm talkin' Plucky.

And September is now a whole month dedicated to the celebration of all things Plucky, which is kind of amazing. Given the flurry of excitement over in the Ravelry group, you can see just how many people feel the same way I do about this beautiful yarn.

At Vogue Knitting NY

I didn't buy it all, but boy do I regret that. I vowed to put together a montage or something of all my yarn hoarding pictures. There are more online than I would like to admit. The thing about Plucky is that I actually use it, unlike most of the other special skeins I hoard away. Why is that? Because it's just so darn beautiful. And so nice to work with.

Sempervivum by Jared Flood

My first Plucky FO used two skeins of Primo Fingering in Barn Door. Oh man. Not only is the base delightful (20% cashmere!), but it takes dye like a boss. The pattern is by Jared Flood (thump, thump, thump goes my heart) and worked up surprisingly fast. The combination of lace stitches & luxurious yarn was perfect and this is one of my favorite FOs from last year. I even rocked it at VK Live in the above photo. I'd love to (someday) rework this in a heavier weight.

Ziggity by Kirsten Kapur

Another Plucky shawl, this time using some of the Plucky Feet One Hit Wonders I picked up at VK Live. Kirsten Kapur is one of my favorite designers & when I saw a sample of thing at VK I knew that I needed to knit it ASAP. I'm a huge fan of blue & gray (see here also) and this yarn was a joy to work with. I'm really kicking myself for not snatching up a few more skeins of these because One Hit Wonders are my faves.

Dateline Cowl by Thao Nguyen

My most recent Plucky FO was also knit in Plucky Feet. I wasn't a huge fan of this color when it arrived, but when I volunteered to test Thao's new pattern, I thought the delicate lace would be perfect for this color. I used most of the skein, but still have a small orange sized ball. Might pair it with another shade for a colorblock hat. Someday. 

Which brings us here, to Plucktember. I'm trying not to get too overzealous here because I have so many things to knit & finish up before the end of October. Wedding shawls, presents, etc. I'm kind of losing my mind a bit. You would think that my knitting output would have skyrocketed now that I'm unemployed, but it really hasn't. I've only managed to finish 2 things since moving here a month and a half away. How is that possible? I'm really not even sure. Oh wait, the internet. And my recently developed ADD. So I'm keeping things simple & making plans for only three of my precious plucky skeins. It helps that I only brought six with me.

Plucky Bello in Windmill Island & Traveler in Lonely Heart

I cast on for Taking a Chance on Love on September 1st and I'm flying through it. It might be endless stockinette, but did I mention that Bello is almost 50% cashmere?! Yeah. Makes all the purling almost worth it. Ok, it is worth it. When I saw the cables & lace I was sold and bought the pattern immediately. I'm surprised their aren't more FOs on Ravelry. I haven't gotten very far yet, but my project page is visible here.

Isn't this beautiful?

That other skein is Traveler Aran in Lonely Heart. I bought it mostly because if reminded me of Marina & the Diamonds (<3), but it's a lovely autumnal purple. Perfect for leaf peeping...if I can find some leaves around here. I plan on designing a slouchy cabled hat, so I might not finish it before Plucktember is over. My backup plan is to use it for a modified Contemporary (My homegurl Christie is casting on for one) or Lowbrow, another Thao design that is blowing up all over Plucktember.

Since we went to San Diego last weekend (more on that later), I plan on knitting all of the things & relaxing this weekend. It's going to be good. Traveling is fun but exhausting.