THIS. One of the most exciting things about my new home is that it is a mighty fiber center.

It’s an every-expanding adventure for me since I landed here in November!

This month, Pearl Fiber Arts, in Portland’s lovely Pearl district, hosted an evening of “hats and buttons and books” featuring Cooperative Press author Theressa Silver…

By the time I got there (via bus & foot!) the joint was jumpin’

Not only were folks there for the trunk show, Pearl Fiber Arts’ Spinnerati group was twisting up a storm.

Featured artist Theressa Silver, a Portland hat designer, was debuting her new book:
HAT COUTURE.

Theressa’s specialty is creating wonderfully embelished knit hats! She has been featuring them in her Etsy shop and now is sharing her styles for us to “create the unexpected”.

Her designs are both cheeky and fresh while they iconically reference glamour from our beloved movie stars, both in their names and fashioning.

My favorite is DOROTHY, named after Dorothy Lamour, which features a slightly slouchy contemporary style with a wonderful silk & ribbon plume.

In Fact, HAT COUTURE is filled with wonderful ideas for making then decorating and sassing up an accessory that we all wear and love…

Cindy Abernethy, owner of Pearl Fiber Arts, treated us to a wonderful spread which included some yum-yum from Cupcake Jones!

An added bonus? Meeting some of Portland’s finest designers:

from l. to r.: Alex Tinsley (Dull Roar); Lee Meredith (Leethal); Daniel Yuhas (Super Fun Knits!); Michele Bernstein (PDXKnitterati); Shannon Okey (honorary Portlandian behind Michele – Cooperative Press); Larissa Brown (Stitch Marker); and Laurinda Reddig (ReCrochetions)…

All-in-all an enjoyable evening with new friends & fashion! Thanks Cindy!

There is only one way to describe today in Portland: SPARKLING!

The weather is so crisply sunny it almost hurts the eyes while it is inviting one to frolic…

Just the kind of weather for a bike ride, a run, a stroll

A little time at a sidewalk cafe…

A little time in a little dress topped with a happy new FO!

Pattern: Chic Knits VONICA
Designer: Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: UNK Italian Wool/Cotton DK
Color: Muted Turquoise

This has been one of my famous start-n-stop projects, looked at longingly but knocked out the way by deadline knitting and then! Colder weather and the longing for warmer “lap robes” (that’s my pet name for top-down all-in-one-piece projects).

Two curious things about this: first, I have no idea what the yarn is. I do know i bought it many many moons ago on ebay and it was a cone end from an Italian factory. I also had it in olive (made the Sandrine cardigan sample with that) and have happily been wearing (and washing) that ever since.

It has a lightness both in weight and the wearing, a very nice combo of fibers. Somehow it seems to be self-adjusting – just enought wool for warmth; just enough cotton for cool.

The second interesting thing is this dress!

It is one of the few surviving garments from my student days in San Francisco – a design I put together for a class. I wore it constantly in the day – now it’s a little tight and WAY too short but I like to leave it on a hangar on my bedroom door. Just a talisman to wish for the muse to linger…

Join us for an evening of fun this Thursday the 18th at 7pm – see selected Chic Knits styles in person in living color – the new Hey Girl cardies…and more…