Pictured above are some slippers I made for Chris, but before I tore out the i-cord and unstitched them since I made them too small. Sigh. But they fit perfect now, minus the i-cord. Anyway, I am headed to NYC for a weekend trip to visit my sister. We’ll be tooling around the city, going to Mood (yes!), maybe heading to Brooklyn for this sample sale, drinking hot chocolate at City Bakery and doing lots of other things. I’ll report back soon(ish)!

I can’t quite figure out how to put a video in a post yet, so here is a link to Frank O’Hara reading “Having a Coke with You” – one of my favorite poems. I really recommend you watch it, his reading it is so good. Here’s the poem:

Having a Coke with You

is even more fun than going top San Sebastian, Irun, Hendaye, Biarritz, Bayonne
or being sick to my stomach on the Travesera de Gracia in Barcelona
partly because in your orange shirt you look like a better happier St. Sebastian
partly because of my love for you, partly because of your love for yoghurt
partly because of the fluorescent orange tulips around the birches
partly because of the secrecy our smiles take on before people and statuary
it is hard to believe when I’m with you that there can be anything as still
as solemn as unpleasantly definitive as statuary when right in front of it
in the warm New York 4 o’clock light we are drifting back and forth
between each other like a tree breathing through its spectacles

and the portrait show seems to have no faces in it at all, just paint
you suddenly wonder why in the world anyone ever did them I look
at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world
except possibly for the “Polish Rider” occasionally and anyway it’s in the Frick
which thank heavens you haven’t gone to yet so we can go together the first time
and the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism
just as at home I never think of the “Nude Descending a Staircase” or
at a rehearsal a single drawing of Leonardo or Michelangelo that used to wow me
and what good does all the research of the impressionists do them
when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank
or for that matter Marino Marini when he didn’t pick the rider as carefully
as the horse

it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience
which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I am telling you about it

I think it’s safe to post this… I made this cute apron for one of my sisters as a birthday present. I wanted it to look fun and pretty like the Anthropologie aprons do. This fabric was actually a sheet I found at the thrift store! Isn’t it just lovely? The green color is really nice, it’s one of my favorite greens. I made the yellow and white bias tape from some my fabric leftovers stash.

With aprons, you don’t really need a pattern, just a few measurements. I did add bust darts to the top. The apron just seemed to call for them. Do aprons talk to you? Apparently mine do.

I made the skirt portion go around the hips a bit, in case of extra messy cooking. And there’s a pocket on the side if you can see it. Just a simple patch pocket.

Awhile ago I wrote about gathering stitches for the Coletterie. I didn’t use it for this ruffle (I only did one row of basting) but I highly recommend three rows! It makes the gathering prettier.

And once I finished photographing the apron, I wrapped it up in some fun yellow fabric and tied it with purple bias tape. My sister is starting to sew and I thought this would be a good way to encourage her along the sewing path :)

For the second half of the class, after making more intricate swatches, we were supposed to make a sweater or vest. I did neither. I ended up making this cowl scarf. I used a superwash wool from WEBS. Instead of taking up most of my time working on the sweater, I learned how to use a much more heavy duty knitting machine. One of my reasons for taking the class was so I could learn how to make beautiful sweaters like Hetterson.

One thing I really enjoyed about the process was how fast it was! I made that scarf in 2 hours. No way could I do that with hand knitting. But in the end, when I knit, I do it because I enjoy the clicking, the hand motions, the relaxation of it. Knitting is a peaceful and enjoyable pursuit for me. Using a knitting machine changes that and it becomes more technical like sewing. For now, the idea of buying a knitting machine is on the back burner of my mind.

I made this Vogue 8759, view C shirt. Oh boy. It’s not that it was incredibly difficult, it’s just that sewing a man’s shirt is very different from something I normally sew. Plus I wanted it to look really nice. There are things that didn’t turn out so hot but I learned from them. For example, the top button closes but the band looks weird.

The back is three pieces and I didn’t quite line up the plaid, other than that it’s all lined up. All the seams are flat fell. That took forever! But it looks really good, if I do say so myself. One of my favorite parts is that the back collar / yoke / center back piece line up.

Chris picked out four plaid fabrics over a year ago. I started one shirt but the fabric was a really loose weave flannel that just drove me to the edge. I still have it. Maybe I’ll return to it. Anyway so all Chris wanted was a handmade shirt and it took me a year to give it to him. He was very surprised and happy to receive this shirt on Christmas! I didn’t make any pattern changes and it fits him really well. It’s meant to be a more modern fit and less like a dress shirt. I’m quite happy with the way it turned out and how much Chris likes it. The next time I make a shirt for him, I’ll check out Shirtmaking to perfect it. Oh and a side note, how weird is it that the pattern called for using French seams? On a man’s shirt? That seemed strange to me.

Books

Magical, poetic and visually stimulating book: The Night Circus

Best series to zip through while simultaneously chewing on your fingernails: The Hunger Games

Intriguing book on fundamentalism, charisma, murder and Utah [also inspired me to read other books on the FLDS]: Under the Banner of Heaven

Overly detailed yet addictive epic fantasy: Game of Thrones

Very fun mystery series with an energetic 11 year old named Flavia de Luce as self-appointed detective, beginning with Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Music

A.A. Bondy rocked it this year as I went to see him at my first concert in something like 3 years! It’s also interesting to note that somebody named Auguste is from Alabama

Drinks

Chris made a bunch of awesome beers this year and they keep getting better and better

Without a doubt the yummiest cocktails I’ve ever had were imbibed at Rum Club

Movies and TV

Fun and cute but overhyped: Midnight in Paris

Really, really silly show but fun because it’s set in Portland: Grimm

What-the-heck-where-they-thinking / Most infuriating show that I love to hate [Lemon's insanely bad accent among other things!] and “watch” while I’m sewing [also embarrassing that I'm admitting here that I even "watch" it]: Hart of Dixie

Excellent show about a testosterone fueled motorcycle club/gang busting guts and lovin’ sluts [also I knit really fast when I watch this b/c it's so intense]: Sons of Anarchy

Our ancestors were artists and they will make you cry: Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Things I Did

Started a clothing line: Rank & Title

Knit a sweater: Gimli

Sewed a few things [tank tops, knit dresses, leggings, dresses, shirts as well as clothing for R&T]

Knit a few things [sweaters (unfinished ones count), socks, hats]

Took a knitting machine class

Joined Twitter and Pinterest

Went to Mt. Hood for the first time

Wrote a lot of tutorials and blog posts for Colette Patterns and I learned so much doing them

Prettiest national park I visited this year even if it was the only one, but the worst food ever: Yellowstone National Park

Random

Excellent and fun makeup tutorials by British sisters: Pixiwoo

The best almond brittle with salted chocolate ganache ice cream in town: Salt & Straw

The world’s best sewing book (information, design, patterns you name it!): Colette Sewing Handbook

The End

Thank you for reading my silly list of the past year! I will be back next week with some posts as I’m going to try a bit harder to at least get one post in a week. Have a wonderful and safe New Year’s Eve!

Happy New Year to you! :)
-Caitlin

It is finished! I actually finished this at the beginning of the month but it’s been pretty busy around here and so I’m just getting to blog about it. I don’t know if I mentioned it before or not, but this is my first ever completed sweater! The pattern is from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Around. Chris really likes it and it keeps him very warm.

I made it with his homebrewing in mind. He brews beer in the garage with the door open and last time he did so, it was 36 degrees all day! So he needs something to keep him warm while he’s out there for a whole afternoon.

The sweater is a little bit long so it doesn’t expose his back when he leans over, and the sleeves kind of grew… and grew… Elena showed me an easy way to make the sleeves shorter. I was going to try that but Chris says he likes rolling them up, so I’ll leave them long.

This was knit with one of my favorite all purpose yarns, Plymouth worsted. It knits up nicely and doesn’t pill very much at all. Last year, I made him a pair of mittens with it, and it’s the same yarn I used to make this cowl. This weekend I’ll take some photos in the shirt I made him for Christmas. I know, lucky Chris, right? Sweater and shirt handmade by yours truly, pretty nifty. Haha! Well it’s about time I made him a shirt because he picked out the fabric over a year ago. More on that later

One of the best things about this cereal is that I can buy all the ingredients in bulk. I’m pretty excited about that because it means less waste and less recycling. You can mix up the ratios to fit your tastes. I prefer things that aren’t very sweet, so I only put in a little coconut. The dried goji berries are crunchy and if you don’t like the extra crunch, you could hydrate them or substitute with a different fruit such as cranberry or currant.

Yummy Cereal

• Organic Oats
• Dried Goji Berries
• Chia Seeds
• Nutritional Yeast
• Almonds
• Shredded Coconut

See it’s pretty simple! You just mix it together and put in your milk of choice and eat it. Which is what I’ve been doing all week (just for breakfast, I promise!).

I’m sorry for the absence around here. I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago and spent several days semi-motionless watching the first season of Saving Grace. Seriously, if I moved around it hurt, so I didn’t even get any knitting done! I’m almost all better now. After that escapade, I did finish making the Gimli sweater (pictures and post soon) as well as some slippers for a friend. Then last week Chris and I visited his family in Alabama. It was a bit too pricey for us to go over Christmas day, so we settled for a couple weeks early.

The above are Instagram photos I took during the trip, in order: 1) the Saenger theater, 2) family heirloom gun, 3) dorkie who will play fetch for hours tirelessly, 4) Will! a good friend from college, 5) me consuming sweet (soooo sweet) tea and hush puppies done right, 6) my feet on the trip home.

p.s. I wore stripes every day of my trip. I have a serious stripe issue.

• Hound: code THANKSGIVING for 15% off your order
• Megan Nielsen: code THANKFUL for 20% off sewing patterns
• Nadinoo: code 7RCEUC for free shipping
• Ilana Kohn: code THIRTY [ends today 11/25] for 15% off
• Wiksten: code THANKSGIVING for 15% off $70 or more
• Stone and Honey: code HELLOHOLIDAY for 20% off
• Rank & Title: code MEGAN10 for 10% off
• Colette Patterns: [no code] special book + pattern bundle, 30% off all patterns

There are probably a whole lot more but this is all I could round up real fast before I head out the door to get some pretty fabric at my favorite fabric store with my gift certificates in hand!

Just look at this pretty yarn! I’m nearing the end of Chris’ sweater and couldn’t resist going to Happy Knits with Elena to pick out some new yarn. This is Madeline Tosh Pashmina in Teddy Bear. It’s so soft and has a light sheen to it. The yarn is a merino/silk/cashmere blend. Luxurious!

I knitted a swatch with larger needles than the pattern called for because my tension is always a little tight… not this time, however. That’s the thing about knitting, you end up needing lots of different tools for different projects. I’m going to wait until I finish Chris’ sweater before buying the size needles I need. Just about 10″ left to go, weaving in the ends and blocking the sweater before I can start on this new project. I’m pretty excited about it. The weather is really nasty now, which means it’s hardcore knitting time!

My 29th birthday is this week. Birthdays are my favorite celebrations. Some people have a lot of enthusiasm for Christmas and holidays but birthdays are my cup of tea. It’s all about celebrating the life of someone you care about. Plus when it’s my own birthday, I get to buy chocolate milk and drink it out of the bottle (sorry, Chris). Since it’s my birthday this week, I thought I’d share a few things about myself since I usually just focus on projects on here.

1. I spent most of my life in Alabama and I don’t have a Southern accent. It’s true!

2. I usually have a rotating stack of at least six books on my bedside, many of which I never read. I tend to bite off more than I can chew.

3. Speaking of chewing, if I eat something exceptionally chewy, I have to spit it out. Not the case for gum.

4. The movie Amelie changed my life. I like to say that’s when I discovered color. It also lead to a long phase of gnome collecting.

5. I’ve been a pescetarian for 4 years, a non-meat eater for 7 years. I will never give up dairy and gluten! A weekly cheese course is essential for my person.

6. I really enjoy trying to understand people and it upsets me when people misunderstand each other, or are unwilling to see other points of view.

7. I have a cat voice.

8. For moola: I work at Colette Patterns doing tons of fun things. I’m on my third year of teaching piano. I have my clothing line. I often have clothing related projects in rotation for friends.

9. I can say the alphabet backwards 5 times fast.

10. My hair is naturally auburn. When I was little, I vehemently called it orangen (pronounced orange – en).

11. I am a hair chameleon. I bleached parts of my hair throughout college. Myself. Can you tell? Fortunately I only dyed it black once.

12. Homebody alert! I like to spend the evenings knitting and watching something with Chris, or reading a really good book.

13. I’ve been known to sport at least 6 layers of clothing around the house during winter. Usually of a (very) mismatched variety.

14. I was going to try to think of 29 things but that just seems exorbitant. I’ll stop here. My last tidbit: One day I’m gonna get a sweater with the letters CAT monogrammed on it. I’ll wear it with pride.

Yes, this sweater is named Gimli son of Gloin. Named so by my husband, a Lord of the Rings dork. If you know LOTR, I’m talking he’s read the Silmarillion twice. And enjoyed it. I myself have only enjoyed reading The Hobbit, unable to plow through the trilogy, but I am a fan of the movies (extended versions). I digress. This sweater is for Chris and I’m almost done!

Chris and I have been watching a lot of Netflix lately, and I’ve been knitting while doing so. When I watch intense things, I knit quickly and let me tell you Sons of Anarchy is intense. I’m using the darker grey Plymouth worsted from this sweater. This yarn is really nice to work with and it’s very warm.

I know I’ve talked about my best friend Elizabeth Zimmerman before, but I just had to tell you that she rocks! If you are any kind of knitter, I cannot impress upon you how enjoyable, knowledgeable and approachable EZ’s books are. I got Knitting Around last Christmas and spent the day curled up, reading stories of her many adventures. The sweater I’m knitting is from that book. She gives you the ability to make whatever size sweater you want in a charming, endearing manner. Excellent. One reason I’m really busting through this sweater is so that I can make this short row sweater to wear over my bazillion tank tops. I told myself one knitting project at a time in order to feel more productive and it’s working!

p.s. I forgot to cast on at 90% in the beginning, so the ribbing is just going to hang out instead of pulling in like it should. I didn’t realize it until 7″ in and figured it would be fine.

I wrote a little guest post for Jen featuring two autumn outfits. I love putting outfits together! Even though they’re pretty much things I can’t afford, I think they could be replicated with a little imagination :)

I want to share some of my photos from behind the scenes and also a couple I just like! One of my favorite parts about creating a collection is preparing for the photo shoot. I love putting things together and thinking of ways to make them look good. Well, that part comes up a lot, but I mean I really enjoy styling. Julia does a bit of styling professionally, so we both work together to make the shoot look just right. Once I get the photos back from Julia, I use my slash and burn decision making to choose the best ones. I have a hard time figuring out what to eat for dinner, but I can tell you real quick what I think about a photo.

I’m so glad Julia is taking the photos! She has a great eye. Seeing her so confident at work is inspiring. I’m hoping to take a DSLR class soon so that I can get better at taking photos. I really just guess at what I’m doing and I’d like to actually know what’s going on (which is kind of like most things in my life!).

For more collection photos, you can see the lookbook here and extras here!

Thanks again to my hard working husband, Chris, and my talented friend Julia for helping me so much with the site & photos! Click here to check out the new collection, and here for the shop [which will open at 8:30 a.m. PST today].

p.s. Happy Halloween!

Hi there! The fall/winter collection of Rank & Title will be available this Monday, October 31 at 8:30 a.m.! The new collection will be up for your viewing pleasure that morning as well as the shop.

P.S. this is a photo from our shoot the other week at Sterling. That’s me in the back!

The lovely Megan asked me to be a featured designer on her blog! My guest post is up today. I wrote about my design process with Rank & Title along with a few photos from the new collection (due to be out next week). Be sure to check out Megan’s awesome collections and tutorials, she’s a very creative and productive lady!