Bellerose

November 02, 2015









I love girly sweaters knitted in elegant yarn.  I like them fitted with tiny, feminine, details.  I make a lot of those kind of sweaters, but while looking through my sweater wardrobe last season, I noticed I was missing the most basic: the casual, everyday sweater--that sweater that goes in and out of the washer/dryer and basically takes the place of a sweatshirt.  With so many new machine-washable yarns available, it's an easy problem to remedy, so I set about to make a few.  Bellerose by Martin Storey fills that void in my wardrobe and is the newest item in my closet.  It calls for Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, a yarn I have used many times since it's introduction last year.  It's an easy care, machine-washable, well-priced yarn meant for the entire family. It's easy to knit, with enough bounce to achieve an even fabric with just a light blocking.  While the ball band will tell you to dry flat, I tumble dry with great results:

Step one:  turn inside-out.
Two:  put in a sweater bag.
Three:  Wash on gentle cycle with cool water.
Four:  Still inside-out, remove from sweater bag and tumble dry on LOW until almost dry.
Five:  Turn rightside-out, lay flat and pat to shape to finish drying.

Rowan does not recommend the above, but I just wanted to share what I did with success.  So there you go.  I do want to say, that even though a sweater may be machine washable, it is still a hand-knit, and I respect that.  I make sure that I don't wash it very often.  I find I can get some distance between washes if I hand wash the cuffs only or dab out a spot.  I don't throw it into the wash basket willy-nilly.

Bellerose is from one of the newer Rowan Loves books--they have quickly become favorites of knitters as each pattern has a few options for style details and yarn.  This pattern can be knit as a pullover or a cardigan.

Bellerose by Martin Storey is from 
my Ravelry project page with all the details

I asked my teen-age neighbor Jessica to model for me.  She just does such a nice job in front of the camera, doesn't she?  That last picture above is me, but can you guess where I am?  For Big Sur lovers, the iconic concrete bleachers with their bright pillows are a dead giveaway that I'm at Nepenthe.  Kaffe Fassett fans know he grew up here.  His family still owns the restaurant, cafe, gift shop, family home and surrounding land and I know he comes to visit about once a year.   Me too, Big Sur is one of my favorite places in the world and I have to come at least once a year or I'll miss it too much.  If it's been a while, I beg my husband to take me there, if only just for a day trip.  For this trip we were meeting for a one night family reunion and had lunch at Nepenthe.  It was as crowded as I've ever seen it, probably because the weather was breathtaking--bright blue skies with a few puffs of white clouds just for contrast.  We stayed at Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, very rustic, but reasonable prices for the area and besides, there's really not a lot of choices.  We've stayed there a few times and like it, but if you go on my recommendation, please do remember that it's rustic, but like I said, I love Big Sur.  So much. Grandpa's room is my favorite and it has a record collection with a turntable and plenty of old records.  I played some Chambers Brothers, Tower of Power and Moody Blues.  The younger people in our group came in to have a good look at this curiosity!

Enjoy some pictures of beautiful Big Sur.

The view from the terrace.

Boyhood pictures of Kaffe and his family are everywhere in the restaurant.







Do you own Dreaming in Color?  It's Kaffe's autobiography and well worth reading.  He writes about growing up in Big Sur and his early years in England, and includes terrific photos.  I'm readingt My Nepenthe by Kaffe's neice, Chef Romney Steele, and savoring every word. 


Source:  greentortoise.com

Source: jiamom.wordpress.com

Source:  www.macitynet.it







This is called a turntable. :)


Deetjen's restaurant is funky, but the food is great.

This wisteria arbor is gorgeous in the spring.

Don't blink, it's easy to miss the entrance.



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14 Comments

  1. That VIEW!!! Almost too beautiful to be believed. :) Gorgeous sweater, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a gorgeous place, like a dream! I have to get to CA soon to experience this beauty you are always posting. Perhaps during a MN winter... For a year in highschool my mother lived in CA, she had a part time job as a runway model and had a boyfriend who had a pilot's license. I bet she had a blast!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Boy, I'll just bet she did! My mom was a department store model when she met my dad, a pilot in WWII, who had just returned from the war. I think pilots and models back then were probably the rock-stars and models of today!

      Delete
  3. Great sweater! Spectacular views.....what a place! isnt it amazing to think that there is a generation that don't know about turntables and vinyl? How quaint they think. Gosh, makes you wonder :)

    Did you try the Kaffe scent?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did try on the scent. It was very light and floral, nice!

      Delete
  4. Oh what a lovely sweater and nice pictures. Made me miss the ocean....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's how I get...I just miss the Pacific when I haven't seen it for a month or so. We live about 35 minutes from Half Moon Bay and have a favorite crab shack we go for lunch. A little visit will do the trick!

      Delete
  5. That sweater is darling. And Big Sur . . . well . . . perfection.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Awesome photos! I've never been there either. Should put that on my "bucket list." With 2 daughters on the West Coast, seems like it should be doable.

    Love the sweater, but am so frustrated with Rowan's inability to sell individual patterns on Ravelry. I think they do themselves a real disservice -- not to mention all the knitters who would be standing in line to click 'buy.'

    ReplyDelete
  7. You can purchase some sweaters online at www.knitrowan.com, but they don't have every one, just a few. I'll pass along your request.

    And as for having two daughters on the West Coast, you have a built in reason for visiting all sorts of fun places!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Is it still possible to purchase this Rowan publication and where? This sweater is so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hannah. You can purchase the Rowan Loves book (there are many great patterns) from Jimmy Beans, http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/knitting/yarn/Rowan/MartinStoreyPatternBooks.asp?showLarge=true&specPCVID=70901 , but I also found it online many other places, plus I would imagine all Rowan stockists would have it in stock. It's been a very popular series.

      Delete
  9. Thanks for the pattern purchase information! I'm ready to make this!! It's darling!

    ReplyDelete

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