Portland’s waterfront comes alive in spring, especially near the Steel Bridge, where cherry blossoms frame the Willamette River in soft pink hues. A walk along the Eastbank Esplanade or Tom McCall Waterfront Park offers stunning views of the bridge’s industrial charm set against the delicate blooms. Due to rain end of the March a missed by one day blossoms beauty at Waterfront Park. It was a gloomy Sunday, but still a great one to take stroll along Willamette River and under Steel Bridge.

Of course, coffee is always welcome after some walking and exploring. This time, the choice was Stumptown Coffee Roasters, at their downtown location on 128 SW 3rd Ave.

This is their largest retail location, opened in 2003. In Portland, they have five locations, including one at Portland International Airport—with the main café in the South Concourse Hall and two additional ones in Terminals D and E. In New York, they operate shops in Brooklyn, Greenwich Village, and the Ace Hotel. Stumptown Coffee Roasters has also expanded beyond Portland and New York, with a sunny café in Pasadena, California, and an elegant outpost in Kyoto, Japan—each offering their signature brews with a local twist.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters offers a variety of appealing blends, each crafted for different tastes and roast preferences:

Hair Bender (medium roast) – Their flagship blend featuring beans from Latin America, East Africa, and Indonesia, with tasting notes of citrus, dark chocolate, raisin, jasmine, orange, and cherry.

Holler Mountain (medium, organic) – A full-bodied blend combining Central/South American and East African beans, with bright citrus, berry jam, and caramel flavors.

Founder’s Blend (medium) – A smooth, all-day drinker blending organic coffees from Central/South America and Sumatra, with vanilla, cocoa powder, and honey notes.

French Roast (dark roast) – A classic dark-roast blend of organic Central/South American and East African beans, with clove, bittersweet chocolate, and toasted marshmallow tones.

Hundred Mile, Evergreen, Blend Shuffle, Homestead, Blend Trio, Day & Night Bundle – Seasonal or mixed-pack options offering varied flavor experiences.

I went with a latte—double shot of Hair Bender espresso and whole milk, served hot. I’m not a fan of to-go paper cups, but this one was pretty cute.

A couple of days before my stroll through Waterfront Park and downtown, I cast on the Lento sweater.

It’s a pattern by Jonna Hietala, originally published in Laine Magazine, Issue 11. It’s a popular design, with 3,593 projects listed on Ravelry.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lento

I knitted mine using Knit Picks Aloft in the colorways Cosmopolitan and Celestial, paired with Knit Picks Palette in Cosmopolitan and Blue Note Heather. All the yarns were leftovers from my stash. It was a quick and fun project, and I’m already planning to knit another Lento—this time without mohair, with longer sleeves, and a touch of sequence for added interest.

Web site: https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/

https://www.instagram.com/stumptowncoffee/?hl=en

Have you ever made a sweater using leftover yarn from your stash—and if so, did it spark ideas for new color combinations or textures?