Follow Friday | October 10

So this makes no sense. Every time I think about it, it makes less sense. Because, you see, I actually know today's Follow Friday, Michele Wang, and I have known her since before she was that Michele Wang. I'm pretty sure I knew her when she said something like, "one day I'd like to quit my job and do knit stuff full time." So the fact that now that I'm a knitter and she's Michele and we don't knit-hang is patently ridiculous. And you know her too. In addition to being stupidly talented, she's also nice and fun and snarky and, like me, was with her now-husband for a ridiculously long time prior to signing the papers, so we had that in common before we had yarn things in common. When I met Michele, I didn't knit.

But there's a darker side to this relationship. An embarrassing side. Topiary? In my library, never knit. Bedford? It's been OTN since December and I've considered frogging it. Hell, last weekend I bought yarn FROM Michele to make her Stonecutter and yet the chances I'll cast that on this cold-weather season are next to none. I'm pretty much the worst. Because when I look at her designs, there are actually many more that appeal to me: Rowe, Slade (for the man in my life), Emery...I'd be happy to have all of those in my wardrobe. I just need to frickin' prioritize. Cause you see the aesthetic is a little more casual than mine, so even though I know I would love the warm, wooly, cabley goodness, I choose the fitted, pencil-skirt appropriate alternative every time. I pretty much suck.

But I'm going to attempt to redeem myself somewhat. Did you notice how I said that I had bought yarn from Michele last weekend? That's because she is doing a totally brilliant thing for the next three months: running a pop-up yarn store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn called Gauge + Tension. And if I can make it to wherever Greenpoint is, so can you. What Michele has assembled is a delicious assortment of highly covetable yarn, including Western Sky Knits, Julie Asselin, Hedgehog Fibres, Quince & Co., Brooklyn Tweed, and several others (including an amazing camel yarn I am kicking myself for not getting - I hope there's some left when I go back for round two). Michele's patterns are on display and, trust me, if you dismissed Stonecutter because you thought it would be unflattering, think again and get yourself to Gauge + Tension to try it on because it looked good on everyone in my group.

Here are the details and you can feel free to buy with abandon because I was there at 10 minutes to 11 on opening day so that I could have first crack. And I'll be back, likely in December because I've been regretting not buying a couple of things when I had the chance.