Category: Nieces

Highway 29 & Pattern !

Published on by Jen17 Comments

My latest design “Highway 29” is named after the  main road running through Napa Valley from Napa to Calistoga. This old highway is dotted with wineries and famous restaurants enough to make you dizzy, plus some added hot-spots where we locals frequently go, beginning in the north end of the town of Napa getting sweet around Yountville, then Oakville, Rutherford, St Helena, and continuing clear on up to Calistoga.  As a local, coming down off the mountain from Oakville Grade when I am going upvalley, I often stop at the very unique Oakville Grocery , founded in 1881, just an old rural ‘backroads’ grocers of a bygone era,  is now a highly trafficked stop-off for locals & tourists alike, with an exceptional coffee bar & deli for drinks, gifts & goodies-to-go.  

After Oakville you pass a bunch of wineries, and then of course, St Helena where I often knit-in-public or meet friends at  Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company, as its the coffee shops I seem to be most familiar with, loving to knit and visit with friends.  After that it’s a stretch of countryside to Calistoga with places such as Bale Grist Mill, founded in 1846…

a working renovated grain mill which is popular for historic reenactment parties and has old-time live music often (one of the bands is my brother & sister-in-law, my nieces dad & mom) , offers tours & grinds corn to sell. It is in front of the entrance to the Bale Grist Mill where these photos were taken for Highway Halter, on the old wooden fence,

Ah, but it is  here at ‘ The Castle ‘ where you’ll recognize the stone from merely the carriage house where we actually have many of our photo shoots…

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Right off of Hwy 29, this carriage house is at the entrance to the castle gate, erected more recently I think to use some left over stone & brick perhaps, and it houses the ground-keepers tools & provides a place for the chauffeurs to park, and I think some offices devoted to castle business. Here some shots from this spot…

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Passing more breathtaking scenery, one finally lands in Calistoga as if by accident.

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This is the town from which you may recognize many backdrops to my nieces & my photo shoots.  But there are many photo memories of Calistoga and not enough room to post. Anyway, enough of all  of this Highway 29 – turned to- Memory Lane,  and all the treasures found along the way… and now it is time for Highway 29, a halter which I’ve just knit for my nieces and written a pattern for!  In previous post I talk about the significance of naming the latest design “Highway 29” ,   which really is a possibility to start a collection…. I mean, if I’m going to really go through with it… anyway, my nieces  seem to think we should.  If not the name-sake for the design will stand on its own. We will just have to see what comes. 

You can find the pattern for this design on Ravelry HERE .

California Highway 29 sign

Highway 29

Published on by Jen14 Comments

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Well folks, I was full of doubt about how the halters would work out , and I’ve been working on them for about a month, starting clear back from this post.  I knit and reworked several times from the original.  But, this morning I was transcended from any doubt when my beautiful nieces breathed life into them, I must say, I was completely taken by surprise~~swept off my own feet even!

Yesterday we met in Calistoga, at the Roastery  early in the morning, and talked over our chai & lattes, and after warning my nieces that this design is surely not to fit or even look good, they finally disappeared into the ladies room to change into them, and emerged, beaming with relief as much as my own, and they actually loved them!

((Oh, and not like it needs mentioning, but have you noticed how Miss Thirteen has completely over-taken Miss Sixteen in height!))

We excitedly cruised Highway 29 coming back from Calistoga toward Napa, trying to race the sun before it got too high and hot, stopping at Castello de Amorosa, and then looking for very ‘California’ looking places along side the highway on the way back, we stopped to photograph from the roadside, on the old lichen covered wooden fence at Bale Grist Mill,  and on the stone wall and in the vines of V Madrone Winery.

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Here it is, Highway 29 Halter, Miss Sixteen & Miss Thirteen are very excited about this design and think its the best yet!

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We decided to name this (yes ‘we’ , apparently they are as keen now on being a part of the design naming as I am) design after the main highway which ambles up northwest  of the Napa Valley, and furthermore, it could possibly be the first of a collection.  So here is Number One from Napa Valley Collection…. “Highway 29”.

The pattern is practically written already, so in the interim of showing off the photo shoot and presenting the pattern, will be a day or so of last minute pattern assembling.

 

See you with pattern and all the intricate knitting details next…

California Highway 29 sign
California Highway 29 road sign in Napa Valley

Summer Stripes

Published on by Jen11 Comments

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Striped lace cowls in cool blues and warm pinks, knit in a lovely summery linen blend yarn that is draping and soft. I am very happy they’re finished, and just in time for them to go to my Canadian nieces for their birthdays. I love this pattern, a traditional lace motif called ‘feather & fan’ which is so easy it can be knit in my sleep. But these are the first striped versions of the pattern I’ve tried, and will try one more in stripes, with yarn mentioned on this post,  before the summer is over.

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As I dared myself to not make a peep until I finished these two, now there may be some chattiness!  On my knitting needles, I have still some promised summer knitting for my two beautiful California nieces (whom all of you are familiar with ~ presently Miss Sixteen & Miss Thirteen ), and then its looking into a stretch of who-knows-what-may-come for a quiet spell of imminent lazy & hot summer weeks.

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Pattern: my own Altitude Lace Cowl

Yarn: Classic Elite Firefly (posted previously)

Blue stripes project details on Ravelry  HERE,     and pink stripes project details HERE.

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Sweater Success !

Published on by Jen19 Comments

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Spring sweater success!

We decided to photograph not in the town of Calistoga this time, but again at the castle.
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Late morning brought very bright sun and was very warm after weeks of cool rainy days.
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Oh, and great news is that my knitted tees seem to fit my nieces with absolute perfection!
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030.JPGThis year’s Spring Tee was not a new design, but a fun redesign for ‘four seasons of necklines’  option for my Calidez pullover pattern. Both made in size 32 with short sleeve  option, alternate style of yoke decrease, 2×2 rib, and knit with worsted-weight ( Malabrigo Rios) , using the gauge substitution chart included in the pattern.  I must say, I rather impressed myself once I saw the short-row low swooping necks become three dimensional!

Miss Thirteen has gained inches in height still again,  and now there’s no denying she is taller than Miss Sixteen.
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All in all, a perfect day for ‘capturing of photographical images’ with some really nice knitwear, made with custom favorite colors for my two wonderful nieces…

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Time goes swiftly,  and I’ll enjoy a short rest before coming up with plans for the next equinox sweater~~ but folks, this is just as good as it gets!
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To see all equinox sweaters over the last six years, click  HERE

Project details on Ravelry  HERE  and  HERE

 

Wee Hearts in St Helena

Published on by Jen14 Comments

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I finally got to schedule some time with my busy nieces, and we finally got to photograph the latest knitwear, and luck had it that at the moment we started, so did the rain. None the less,  we had a lovely time shooting  while cozied up in warm knitteds, beneath a single cramped corner of an overhang in the entryway to the rather gothic church on Oak Street. Good times had!

New patterns are Wee Hearts (mitts forthcoming!),  Lace Cowl & Lace Mitts, Ridges Cowl & Ridges Mitts, Twists Cowl & Twists Mitts.