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Adventures in Knitting – Noro

June 25, 2009 By Paola Leave a Comment

Just a bit of a knitting catch up. As you’ve probably noticed I’m not afraid of a bit of colour, so I’ve become endlessly fascinated by Noro self-striping yarns from Japan. The colour changes are beautiful as they’re spun into the yarn, not just dyed into it and it’s mesmerising to watch the individual plies within the yarn change colour as the next colour comes through.

The colour combinations are also very unusual and generally contain a couple of ‘ugly’ colours, but somehow they seem to work incredibly well together – with the ugly colours somehow making the colour scheme seem more sophisticated.

Firstly, I finished my crochet project. I’m really pleased with it and it has had loads of compliments on the few occasions I’ve been able to wear it (Seattle has been ridiculously hot and sunny these last few weeks). I think I can now officially say I can crochet, which is good as I have a ludicrously large crochet project in mind.

I obviously hadn’t got the Noro completely out of my system when I finished the scarf because I immediately cast on a Gaia shawl in Noro Kureyon Sock. I’m enjoying knitting my lace wrap but it’s taking forever and is not very portable/social, so I was looking out for a quick and easy very casual wrap that I could wear up on the deck on chilly evenings. This wrap is a lot of fun as the colour changes in the yarn dictate the pattern.

This colourway (180) is incredibly garish, but I’m sort of loving it – I think it will work really well with jeans and a purple tee-shirt for a sort of ‘punk grandma’ look.

All details as before on my Ravelry page.

Sofa SO Good

June 22, 2009 By Paola 12 Comments

So we’ve made a decision.

We’re going with the Deep sofa below from Couch Seattle, though we’re going to switch out the wooden plinth underneath for mid-century style cone feet and the whole thing will be in buttery soft ivory leather. The leather was a bit of an indulgence, and in all honesty I’m not really a leather sofa person at all, but it did seem the most supremely practical option with a Minx in the house – our existing white slip-covered sofa really does look horrific nowadays.

We partly made this decision because this is one of the few sofas we were able to sit on and test – and goodness me is it comfortable – but also on the basis of a long email discussion with Ameer at Couch. That man knows his couches.

I’m reproducing one of his emails here as I believe the advice he gives might be useful to anyone else currently buying a sofa, but also because this sort of exemplary and helpful customer service really needs to be celebrated.

Over to Ameer (the below is his email in response to my previous sofa post). I’ve included mini-pics of the sofas he is referring to, so we can follow the argument.

‘It seems you want a modern or mid-century sofa that sits like a big lounger – which is a bit of a challenge.

Mid-century styles like the Petrie and Jasper are a bit more upright. Not familiar with how the Jasper sits but it mimics the depth and geometry of the Petrie so I assume they sit the same-which is to say well, but hardly plush, which is what you liked about my Deep model.

For reference the Deep is 40″ while the Jasper and Petrie are both 36″- and the Deep features down blend in the back and seat while neither the Petrie or Jasper do. Styles like that are both all about the straightness of the line, which down would compromise.

As for the 51 , the other style you scanned, I dig it but simply don’t dig it as much as the Deep. Seeing both in person in California the Deep was a fair bit more modern and eye-catching. I don’t think it’s necessarily rounder by any means than the Deep.

The Rae and Nina are both nice looking but the Nina is only 75″ wide, while the Ray looks from here like it sits stiff (and being only 32″ will sit quite shallow).

The Danner is pretty (but again shallow) and undoubtedly well made but you’re paying maybe $1,500 to get the Adler label. I could do the Nina and probably the Danner as well. But since you’ve mentioned you want loungy comfort I might encourage you to look at options that include back pillows.

Byward is an awkward knock-off of a B&B Charles. It looks awkward because the seat cushion is too fat by about an inch – and the back cushions need a touch of space between them so you can see the frame. The Charles needs to be knocked off perfectly to look good. An inch off here and an inch off there and it’s not so very pretty at all

Movie sofais good but CB2 quality isn’t quite the same as that of the CB main line – and the problem with a sofa like that is that you NEED lots of cushions to put behind you and while lots of throw pillows are nice to look at, they can drive one crazy trying to find the right arrangement on dvd night. Sleek yet plush is really kind of a difficult thing to do.

The Frigerio line at Limn is amazing yet Italian made with prices to match. Restoration Hardware has some great designs, but perhaps a little too traditional for your taste and they’re overpriced and Chinese built. Kasala and Alchemy are always options for some contemporary styling, but you undoubtedly visited since they’re both on the same street I am. Hmmm. Given your parameters I dunno where’d I’d get a sofa if I didn’t get it from me.

If I didn’t have 10k for Frigerio (which I don’t) I’d probably go for a Steele from CB (whic h would fit with your room aesthetic). It’s got a nice sleek look and in my opinion sits better than the Petrie.

I’m also of the mind that the aggressively mid century style of the Petrie won’t age as well as a more updated style like the Steele. You could also get the Steele in time for your parents in a suitable fabric since it’s stocked in a nubby polyester. The Petrie is stocked in a cotton which just isn’t the right call for you given the Minx. To change out the cotton to the leather on the Petrie you’re going to be waiting till well after your parents have come and gone.

I’m going through my databanks here for a good source for a deep, stylish, plush, sofa and coming up blank.

Best I can do is the CB Lounge which is stocked in a stain resistant poly velvet. Yup, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it – though that one is 46″ deep so will have a large footprint in a not so very wide room. I really did try!

To answer your question I’ve got the exact spec for both the Petrie, Jasper, and Movie but I’m not in love with any of them. I’ll take another look at my resources and see if I can’t suggest a couple others. For a really progressive piece that looks fantastic and sits well, I really am a big fan of the Deep. I think it would look right at home in one of my neighboring boutiques at 3x the price.

ameer

Sofa, So Very Not Good

June 15, 2009 By Paola 15 Comments

The inlaws have booked their flights out to visit us this August and we are now panicking because our crummy thirteen-year-old sofa is in a state of severe delapidation and is hugely uncomfortable. I suspect rather too much of this is to blame.

So, a new sofa must be procured.

This Saturday we went along to Couch in Seattle, whose owner Ameer was really helpful and incredibly passionate about sofas (see also this write-up on Apartment Therapy ). He has a range of sofas which are eco-friendly, completely customisable and competitively priced, plus he can get sofas made ‘inspired’ by those at the big box stores, but again customised to your own requirements.

So here are some sofas I like. I find that I’m drawn to a sort of mid-century vibe (definitely want feet) but it needs to be incredibly comfortable and relaxing and not the sort of sofa that makes you sit bolt upright. Any other ideas? Are there any other aspects I should be taking into consideration? Anyone got any experience sitting on any of the below? I’m thinking of shapes at the moment rather than upholstery colours/fabrics/prices, though if anyone knows of any mid-century styled slipcover sofas I’d be all ears.

Jasper at Room & Board, $1,299

Movie Sofa at CB2, $999

Byward at Velocity, $1,800

Petrie at Crate & Barrel, $1.499

Rae at Chiasso $1,598

Nina at Maine Cottage, $1,700 – $2,590

Danner, at Jonathan Adler, $3,800

Finally, here are a couple of ideas they had a Couch, both of which can be made up in a gorgeous buttery soft ivory leather, which I’m very drawn too due to the practicality aspect. (Excuse the quality of these, they’re scans of scans). I’d get the feet changed on both of these though.

Oh and here’s reminder of the room it’s going in. An no, we still haven’t painted the walls.

Beetle-mania

June 3, 2009 By Paola 13 Comments

So here is the new baby. She’s not exactly the colour I would have liked (we saw a fab orange one which was just out of price range) but she’s cute and nippy and the Minx loves her very much. We are in ongoing discussions about her name – I favour ‘Myrtle’ but the Minx pefers the alliteration of ‘Belle’ (though we should be grateful that Aurora, Ariel and Tinkerbell have not yet come up as options).

I am naturally wondering whether any embellishment is in order – or would that be unspeakably naff and cliche’d?

Options include.

Retro flowers from TonyaBug on Etsy

Daisies from the Daisy People

Fabulous and fabulously expensive offical Beetle decals from Mibo.

Daisy tail light covers

and er, ‘eyelids’

and, just in case you have money to burn, daisy hubcaps

Just in case I have any readers left after my shameful lack of blogging in recent weeks, here is a poll.

Abigail Percy’s Hyacinth Watch

May 13, 2009 By Paola Leave a Comment

One of our very favourite suppliers is Scottish jeweller Abigail Percy, who makes, among other things, our very popular Sweet Horse Chestnut Earrings.

She has a wonderful blog detailing her inspirations and the creative process in her tiny studio and has recently been taking us through a project she calls ‘Hyacinth Watch’.

Together we’ve watched her hyacinths grow, seen her sketches, marvelled at the limited edition jewellery she created from the sketches of hyacinth blooms, and you can now buy her photo postcards, wrapped in a brown paper band printed from one of her hyacinth sketches.

Do yourselves a favour, wander over to her blog and see the process for yourself. Or, even better treat yourselves to a necklace or a set of postcards.

All photographs copyright Abigail Percy. Find her Flickr here.

Adventures in Knitting – the Blue Period

May 8, 2009 By Paola 8 Comments

I’m still on my massive knitting jag, though I was amazed to find that for a couple of days after the accident my head was so all over the place that I found even that difficult.

Here’s what I’ve been working on recently.

Firstly I managed to turn the yarn barf into this. You can’t see very well, but I beaded the ends instead of adding a fringe. I’m absolutely delighted with it, and have been wearing it often

Secondly, I knitted these on the way to and from Portland. It was a revelation to me that I could knit in the car, as reading anything usually makes me very nauseous. I’m really pleased with these as well, though the Husband does start singing ‘Gotta pick a pocket or two’ every time I wear them. Ha ha. NOT.

Finally I’m working on a wrap/shawl thingy since I’m now very addicted to both Sea Silk and lace knitting after the Yarn Barf Scarf and Megan’s Garter. It’s the first time I’ve knitted anything this lacy but I’m really enjoying it. It’s knitting up quite slowly as it’s pretty dense, but my aim is to get it finished for wearing on the deck on a summer’s evening while sipping margaritas. Apparently lace looks awful until it’s pressed out and ‘blocked’ at the end of the process. The little white threads you see running through are ‘lifelines’ made of dental floss. If I make a horrible mistake I just have to rip back to the closest lifeline and not right back to the beginning of the work (and let me tell you, if you drop a stitch with Sea Silk all hell breaks lose pretty quickly.)

More details, including patterns etc., are, as usual on my Ravelry page.

Secret Knitting- Part Deux

April 22, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

I’m sorry this week has all been about knitting and photo collages – still getting back in the groove after spring break.

I was a bit concerned that three knitted dishcloths was a somewhat mean present for Megan (though it seems from your comments that I needn’t have worried) so I took up the tiny bit of blue Sea Silk I have left from the scarf I’m knitting and decided to knit her a lacy garter as well.

Actually this was a very selfish present as I’ve been dying to try out knitting lace and this seemed like the perfect size of project, and I could knit with Sea Silk all day, I love it so. Here’s what I came up with. I found the pattern on Ravelry of course, and it seemed very appropriate since it’s called ‘Eloping’.

I also managed to knit a little Easter gift for the Minx, who is very fond of a soft-boiled egg for breakfast. I was going to make three – one for each member of the family – but the other two are going to have to wait until next year. All details on my Ravelry page. Come and be my friend.

Oh by the way, I’ve decided I LOVE lace knitting and have already embarked upon a lace project for ME.

The Garden in April

April 22, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

Well I couldn’t be bothered to do a post for March. Due to the incredibly cold spring temperatures, the garden really looked hardly different from February – mostly hellebores and some rather sorry looking daffodils.

But then sometime last week Spring came along and this happened. I can’t begin to tell you how much pleasure this tiny plot of land gives me sometimes.

Secret Knitting Part One – Doctor Who Dishcloths

April 16, 2009 By Paola 14 Comments

I mentioned last week that I’d been knitting secrets and now I can finally reveal all.

As you may know, Megan of Not Martha fame is eloping to Vegas with her fiance’ Scott (check out her wedding blog here) and last Friday we attended a little soiree in their honour.

I decided to knit them some Doctor Who dishcloths as I know Megan is a fan. The colour scheme was chosen to coordinate with their spatulas. The patterns for the Dalek and Tardis dishcloths were found on Ravelry of course, though I had to chart up the Cyberman myself using this fabulous software and a basic chart I found. All details on my Ravelry page.

A propos of not very much I do like close up photos of knitting. Don’t you? (More secret knitting to be revealed after I’ve picked up the Minx and planted some sweet peas. I know you hardly contain yourselves. )

Dressed Up To The Nines

April 16, 2009 By Paola 3 Comments

Photos by Paola Thomas

I have SUCH a weakness for gorgeous hotels. This weekend we managed to get a deal on the recently-opened the Nines in Portland. Great location and a fabulous boutique-y feel for a largeish hotel.

There were some great decor touches. I liked the taupe colour scheme with accents of aqua, lilac, purple and amber in the pillows, sheer drapes, and Murano glass light installations; the subtle taupe on taupe patterning in the wallpapers; and the lovely bespoke carpets which reflected the accent colours and the patterns in the papers and drapes. The Minx adored the sparkly chandeliers and a somewhat strange sculpture of an enormous jewelled necklace in the lobby (I didn’t get a good picture of this though).

The lounge and bar area in the enormous central atrium was fabulous – divided up into a number of different ‘rooms’ each with their own decor, lighting and seating, but working together harmoniously as a whole. And we were quite memerised by Matt McCormick’s art installation comprising four enormous LCD panels showing silhouettes of cars crossing Portland’s Fremont Bridge at sunset in the restaurant. Here’s an article with more about the hotel’s art collection.

All-in-all highly recommended next time you’re staying in Portland.