Unravel: Knitwear in Fashion

Image via Grey the Blog

My fabulous friend Stephanie was living in France for a few months just a short while ago and while there and before coming back to Canada she was able to do some traveling around Europe. One of her stops was in Antwerp, where she was lucky enough to catch a most wonderful exhibit at MoMu Fashion Museum. I was immediately intrigued when I saw her post, and by the end of it I was seriously amazed and drooling over the knitted avant garde fashion pieces. A huge part of me is aching to check out the exhibit myself in person. Unfortunately I don't see myself going to Antwerp any time before August 14th. Boo erns for me!

I seriously urge you to head on over to Stephanie's blog, which is Grey the Blog, and check out her post about the Unravel: Knitwear in Fashion exhibit. Here's two of my favourite pieces:

Image via Grey the Blog

Image via Grey the Blog

Completely ahhh-mazing, aren't they? I really wish I had gotten into knitting while I was still in fashion school...I think it would have changed everything! I think about all those days when I had to travel almost 2 hours to get to and from school on public transit, those times when I was bored out of my mind, the summers between school years...all wasted time that could have been spent knitting!! You mean I could have spent 9-12 hours in one sitting doing nothing but knitting?? Sorry, make that uninterrupted knitting time?? In a time when I had absolutely no responsibilities?? Grrrr...makes me so mad at myself for not taking knitting up sooner!!

Anyhoo, go here to see the rest of Steph's post about this amazing exhibit. It'll blow your mind. Seriously.

PS: I just want to thank Steph for allowing me the use of her photos...and for always keeping me up-to-date on what's going on in the fashion world!!

A Wedding of Colour

My friend Kat got married this past weekend and the little family and I made the trek over to the mainland to attend her wedding. I was only able to snap a few photos at the very start of the ceremony before I had to put the camera away or risk getting it damaged because of a very grumpy two year old. Sadly, I totally forgot that I even had the camera for the rest of the morning and had only remembered when Brett suggested that we take an impromptu family photo.

The wedding was absolutely lovely and very fitting of the newly married couple. It was small, intimate, sweet, and was all about sharing their love for each other with family and close friends. The whole ceremony and lunch was completely hassle-free, meaning the ceremony itself was short and to the point (no having to sit around while endless amounts of people recite poems, passages, and the like here!), there was no unnecessary waiting around for everything (cause who likes to sit there and clap for an hour while every family member and friend that you don't even know is being thanked for showing up?), and most importantly there was no weird awkwardness from having to sit at a table with a bunch of people you don't even know. If anything I saw people that I haven't seen in what feels like ages (and it probably has been!) and it was nice to be able to reconnect with old friends.

As happy as I was for my friend and the new chapter she is about to embark in her life, it made me utterly sad to know just how much we've grown up and are slowly going our separate ways. The wedding helped me to realize just how much I missed her and the knowledge of knowing that she'll most likely move out of the country made me even more sad. My partner in crime is now a partner for life to somebody else! Not that we would be partying it up all night and hitting all of our usual spots like we did in the good ol' days (cause I seriously don't have the energy for all that any more!!), but even the simple meal dates that we used to have (ahh...The Keg and Samurai) appears to be no more. So sad.

Before I start bawling my eyes out, let's change the subject, shall we? In Victoria I rarely, if ever, get the chance to dress up. My day-to-day outfits are extremely boring and utterly utilitarian, but even if I do take the time to put on even a nice top or skirt the chances of it getting really dirty or damaged is inevitable. Every night before going to bed I can guarantee that the clothes I wore that day will have a food stain of sorts either on a shoulder or a thigh, sleeves will have been endlessly tugged at (the main cause for why some of my hand knit sweaters have stretched out and disfigured sleeve hems), a sticky spot will magically appear somewhere, and on numerous occasions I've even located a few shoe prints on a pant leg!

So you better believe that I took this wedding as an opportunity to dress up!! Kat specified that she wanted her guests to wear colour. My wardrobe is currently very limited but I managed to scrounge up something. I went with a nautical theme:

Cardigan: Hand knit by me

Dress: H&M

Shoes: Guess

Sunglasses: H&M

I have to include the photo above. It was taken in the casino's parkade. I had just taken off my heels and was twirling for joy. Yeah...I'm weird like that.

Finished: Blue Linen Tova Dress

Oops! Don't mind the wrinkles, I took this photo after an afternoon of sitting in the truck running errands!

Oh wow, look! A sewing project that isn't a knitting project bag! Crazy, I know! I'm sure a lot of you are pretty relieved to not have to see another bag. This dress was my last FO of 2010, and was sewn at the beginning of December but couldn't blog about it 'til now cause I just couldn't get any photos taken of it. I knew that I wasn't going to get any knitting projects completed before the year was over but had thought why not end the year with a bang by sewing an actual garment?

This here is a Tova dress, sewn from a Wiksten limited edition hand-drawn sewing pattern. I've been in love with this dress since 2008, when I first laid eyes on the dress when Jenny first wore it on her blog. Then this version appeared a few months later and was to be on sale in her shop that spring. She was a one-woman show at the time and couldn't keep her shop stocked because her pieces would always sell out within a matter of hours, sometimes minutes! Even enlisting the help of an intern hasn't allowed her online shop to stay stocked with even one item. Not that it would matter anyways cause I wouldn't have been able to afford one of her lovely creations, now that my disposable income is no more and has become the Munchkin's diaper fund.

The dress was a very easy sew and came with thorough step-by-step instructions accompanied by photos for each step. Definitely a great pattern for a beginner who is ready for something a little more challenging. Brett was perplexed as to why I would buy such a pricey pattern for such a simple design, especially when I could have drafted the pattern myself. Well, true...I could have drafted the pattern but I would have felt extremely guilty for copying a self-published, independent designer's work. I love this dress to bits and would like to give the credit where credit is due while supporting an indie designer. I had to explain to Brett that the reason why the pattern was costly was because it was hand-drawn, then taken to a copy centre before each copy was folded by hand by the designer herself, then packaged and labeled...all in such a short amount of time and the whole process completed by a mere 2 peeps. All in all it had a lot to do with ethics and morals...and maybe, as a sewist and crafter myself, understanding just how much time and effort goes into producing such an item.

Anyhoo, back to the dress. I wasn't quite sure what type of fabric I wanted to use, and whether o not if I wanted a print or a solid fabric. So to help me decide I opted to shop within my fabric stash. I have had this blue fabric for a few years now, the post-it note containing the fabric's info was long gone. All I knew about it was that I had purchased it at Fabricana and that it was a linen blend of sorts. After a quick burn test I confirmed that the fabric was indeed linen, mixed with a tiny bit of viscose or rayon. I'm betting that it is a linen/bamboo blend, solely because I remember being full of glee as I laid eyes on the variety of sustainable fabrics that Fabricana was carrying at the time.

It took me 3 days to sew up the dress cause I only had the Munchkin's nap time to work on it. So far the dress is great as a layering piece for the colder weather and will be fabulous and airy in warmer weather. When I first tried on the dress Brett immediately called it my "19 kids and counting Amish dress". He really thought it was too roomy and a bit too conservative compared to the rest of the dresses in my wardrobe. I, on the other hand, am happy with how the dressed turned out and plan on making another as well as a shirt version sometime soon. The only things I would change the next time 'round would be to shorten the sleeves a tad and maybe sew the extra-small size for the shirt in hopes that it will cut down the ease in the bust area.

Now if only I can find the perfect fabrics...

Zazzled

Whilst browsing through all my photos on iPhoto looking for the perfect one of the Munchkin to send to the 'rents, I came across photos of my new shoes and realized that I had completely forgotten to blog about them!

Even though I have a pretty decent shoe collection, pregnancy had completely changed my feet and (after much hoping that they would go back to normal) they have never been the same since. So believe me when I say that out of the 30-40 some odd pairs of shoes that I have, only 2 pairs still fit. The good thing is that they are the comfy shoes, the bad thing is that one pair is running shoes and the other is an old pair of Adidas trainers that I had bought 5 years ago when I was in London, England. Yes, my outfit options are extremely limited when those are the only shoes I am able to wear.

Since the beginning of the new year I have been on a search for new kicks but have been extremely disappointed with what is available in the shops. Either the shoes are ugly, impractical (for a mother of a young toddler), or way too expensive for what they are. The shoes that I do like ended up being quite uncomfortable, or were too narrow, or long in the leg. I was beginning to lose hope. I forget how I came upon the website, but somehow, one fateful night in February I discovered Zazzle. And before you know it, I'm designing my own shoes! It took me a few days to decide whether I really wanted one of the pairs that I had "designed" (really, I was just picking out colors and inserting prints. I don't call this actual designing). It wasn't until I received an email offering me an additional 20% off. Ooohh. Done deal!

A few weeks later in March and my shoes arrived on my doorstep! A little loud, yes. They are definitely attention grabbers, which wasn't my intent. I had simply wanted a color scheme that displays my favorite color and one of my favorite color combos.

And the best part? I highly doubt I'll be running into anyone with the same pair of shoes! Another fabulous thing about these shoes: no white soles! No offense to those who like and wear white soles, it's just a look that I can't pull off (my feet tend to look like boats in white soles), can't keep clean, and think should be reserved for actual Converse shoes.

I was hoping that the pink would be a little bit darker yet brighter, but overall I'm quite happy with how these turned out. The soles could be of better quality, but then again, you get what you pay for and for less than $70 CDN you really can't expect the absolute best.

So far they are definitely holding up, although, it's only been a little over a month and already they are a bit dirty...but I'm really not that surprised, especially when you've got a walking toddler who's a bit of a klutz (just like his mommy!).

I do have to admit though, getting the chance to make your own shoe is highly addictive. Depending on how well this pair will fare in the next few months, I'm thinking another pair just might be in order. This time I'm thinking lace-up with a houndstooth print...

Ooohhh....!!

Back by popular demand

Hey! Remember these sweaters? I know I do! No Canadian kid in the 90s was cool without owning one. I totally remember wanting one so bad that I used to beg my Mom to get me one, even though we lived in a hole in the road town that didn't even have a McDonald's (and it still doesn't). I didn't get one until I went to Vancouver to visit my older cousin. I bought 2 sweaters, a maroon one and a forest green one. And they were absolutely humongous on me. But that was the style back then. I also had the t-shirts too. A deep red one that I got grease stains all over, and a mossy green one. I had 2 of each cause they used to sell them for like, 2 for $89 or something like that.

Image via Ryan.B at Lookbook

Well guess what?? Back by popular demand, Club Monaco is bringing them back! They updated the cut so that it's not so...boxy, by having raglan sleeves rather than the regular old set-in sleeves. And I'm sure they updated the sizing to be more current and not so baggy.
Unfortunately they are only being sold in 5 stores, so if you live in Vancouver and Toronto you're in luck. If not, well...I saw a few already up on eBay. I'm going to ring up Brett's brother to see if he can snatch up a hoodie for me. Ahh...so I can re-live the 90s. HA!

Prices start at $29 and can be found at the following locations:
- Toronto: The Eaton Centre and Yorkdale
- Vancouver: Robson Street and Pacific Centre Mall
- Burnaby: Metrotown Mall

7 Days of Twilight - Day 5: Eclipse Project Bag

**Sorry for the über crappy photos! The weather hasn't been that great and it's just been getting so dark so fast!

And now for a hush-hush sewing project! I know, I know...I've been doing a lot of secretive crafting! How dare I do that! But this project was a must for me. I've got quite a few knitting and weaving on the go as of late and they have either been sharing space in my other project bag or put into an ever-growing pile in a corner of my living room (where the little one can't get at it, of course!), and the boxy bags that I've made previously just aren't big enough to hold any of them. So I really did need another large project bag!

The second I made the decision to sew up another bag there was no question in my mind about what I wanted it to look like. I immediately knew I wanted it to be Twilight related and the only thing that came to mind was the swirling ribbon from Eclipse. I have always wanted to do a project that entailed that ribbon design and here was my chance to do so. My inspiration and the look I was going for is from the Eclipse book cover:

Image via Amazon

And closeups of that inspiration:

I tried to do the broken/torn ribbon section, but after a few attempts it just didn't look right. It looked really sloppy or like a my one year old son had attacked it. Either way, it just looked like crap. So I nixed that idea and went with just the swirling. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out but unfortunately I couldn't take any photos that could actually justify the effect. So you'll just have to trust me that the design really does look cool and is much better in person! The twisted parts are even 3-D and pop right out of the fabric and gives a nice overall texture to the design.

I didn't use canvas for the exterior, since I didn't any black canvas in my stash and didn't feel like dyeing canvas to suit my needs as I didn't have the time to go that extra mile. Instead I used black Kona cotton (which I have a ton of) that had been fused with some heavy interfacing. If I were to make another bag with this design, I don't think I'll be doing that again. I think the heavy interfacing made the bag too stiff (and not in a good way!) and causes weird wrinkles after slight handling. I just might have to experiment with fusible fleece or something similar to get the body, shape, and hold as my other project bag if I ever plan on using Kona cotton or other quilting weight fabric for the exterior of this bag.

The idea to use a simple red cotton fabric for the lining crossed my mind, but then I saw the red hearts fabric in my stash and knew it would be perfect for this bag. It was a bonus that the fabric was in shades of red, but I thought the hearts could symbolize my love for Edward (yes, I'm all about Team Edward...but after seeing all those trailers for New Moon and catching eye-fulls of a shirtless Jacob, well, I could be persuaded to join Team Jacob...). Then again, it could symbolize the love for Jacob, or the Twilight Saga in general, or even the ongoing love triangle that happens in third installment of the series...yes, as you can tell, I've thought a lot about this. I'm a dork like that.

Anyways, back to the bag. I used the same dimensions as my last project bag and had only changed a few things. Instead of sewing my label on the inside pocket I had sewn it on the back of the bag, under the zipper. I forgot to take a photo of that, but that's more a design thing and has nothing to do with the function of the bag. I did however, change the pocket.

On my other bag I had sewn in a large solo pocket that was big enough to hold needle packages, bits of paper, my needle/stitch gauge, and whatever else you can put in a pocket. After a while the pocket started to gape a bit which annoyed me from time to time. I also found myself digging for a pen or crochet hook numerous times. So to solve all those issues I changed the height of the pocket a bit so that I could divide up the pocket a bit to accommodate 2 slots for a writing utensil, a crochet, and some DPNs. The pocket itself is still big enough to hold my needle/stitch gauge and some scrap paper. Simply perfect!

I really love how this bag turned out! I'm already thinking of sewing up some more bags...and not just for knitting and weaving projects, but for other things as well...like for an on-the-go diaper bag (now that the little one is no longer high maintenance and needs a million things toted around with him) so that I can stash a few diapers, a little case of wipes, and maybe some treats. I'm sure my Mom would like a bag for her glucose monitor and medications, since she's been using an extra large Ziplock bag to tote them around. Hmm...what else can I make a bag for...?

7 Days of Twilight - Day 4: Alice's New Moon Gloves

Another hush-hush knitting project that I managed to keep on the DL!! I had knitted these bad boys up last month and haven't been able to stop wearing them since!! Which is perfect as the weather has definitely been cool enough to wear them. Not to mention they are absolutely perfect for when I am pushing a stroller around and need the use of my fingers!

The story behind these gloves: I was perusing the internet a couple of months ago, trying to find any and all photos New Moon related when a photo of Alice wearing all blue kept popping up. I had immediately noticed her fingerless gloves and thought what an amazing and simple accessory to jazz up any outfit!

Image via twilightguide

A closer look of the gloves:

Image via twilightstar

I had forgotten all about them when fellow blogger, Kat of Kat's Creations, made a blog post about the fingerless gloves that she had knitted up. I had checked out the link she had posted and lo and behold, they were the Alice gloves! I quickly added that to my queue of projects and had set out trying to find a yarn with the same colorway. Yeah, not an easy feat! I had searched every yarn store here in Victoria before resorting to looking online. I looked and looked and couldn't find what I was looking for. There were a lot of independent dyers that had made attempts at re-creating the colorway. Some were pretty close, others were not. Either way, I wasn't really happy with any of them. So back onto Ravelry I went. That's when I discovered Sunshine Yarns. It was there that I found the perfect yarn dyed to match the same gloves as Alice's (it's a bit lighter than the real deal, but I liked that). And even the name said it all - New Moon Alice! Perfecto! I quickly ordered a skein and (very impatiently) waited for it to arrive. When it did, I quickly casted on and voilà! 2 days later and I had my very own gloves just like Alice's in New Moon.

Since I'm officially a Magic Loop convert, I decided to ditch the DPNs and used Magic Loop again. I half-assed knitted up a gauge swatch, then a few rows into it decided that I was too impatient for all that jazz and had opted to just use a US7 needle since it was the most used size for the pattern. I did switch to a US6 for the ribbing on the hand and then switched again to a US5 for the last 2 rows because I wanted the opening to be more fitted and not become so stretched out after several wears. That worked out fine, but I think I should have BO a little more loosely cause they are a little more snug than I had wanted. I was a little nervous about the thumb, but just like the Bella mittens, I have no idea why I had so much anxiety over it. They were so easy and not at all complicated like I had originally thought.

The pattern was über easy, the project a super fast knit, and the gloves a perfect fit. I think I would have finished the gloves much faster if I hadn't used such crappy circular needles that had quite a crappy join. I was constantly fighting the yarn to move off the cable and onto the needle every single time. I was definitely wishing my entire needle collection was made up of Addis and Harmony Wood the whole time I was knitting these babies up.

As for the yarn, lets just say I am now a HUGE fan of Sunshine Yarns! The yarn (which is a merino worsted weight) was a pure dream to work with. Not only did it feel amazing as it slide through my fingers, but it was soooo incredibly soft when knitted up! There was some slight pooling in some areas with the light blue and the brown, but nothing major or annoying. So I was able to deal (and trust me, pooling is quite the big deal to me).

Anyhoo, for those of you who care to know, these are the details:
Pattern: New Moon-inspired Alice Cullen Fingerless Mittens by Nancy Fry
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Merino Worsted (this project used up a little over half a skein!)
Color: New Moon Alice

7 Days of Twilight - Day 3: Bella's Mittens

I've actually managed to keep mum about this project for 2 months now! I had knitted these up during that company camping trip with Brett and the Munchkin back in September. These mittens were a very easy and such a fast knit!

It was my first time using the Magic Loop Method, and I must say, it really is magical! At first I was having a wee bit of a hard time, but after a few rows I got the hang of it and once there was some weight to the project the knitting part got better. I also think the cable on my circulars were the main reason why I was having issues. I was using the cheapo Red Heart brand needles (bought when I first starting knitting seriously and didn't know any better) and the cable was annoyingly thick and über stiff to the max. It took about 20-30 rows before the cable became somewhat pliable enough to use more easily.

I used a double strand of Patons Classic Wool Merino to get the chunky yarn effect. I simply love working with Patons Classic Wool, it's so versatile and easy to use. I used 2 skeins but in the end I still had about under a half a skein each left over. Not sure if it's enough to make another pair of mittens though. Oh well. Since I was doing the double strand on a smaller needle size the cable work made my hands a little sore every now and then. I've never done horseshoe cables before, so I was a wee bit intimidated to do them. After I completed the first cable pattern I was completely gobsmacked as to how easy it was! There was no need at all to be intimidated!

So how fast did these mittens work up? Well I had knitted about 7-8 rows before the trip and by the time I got back home, I had 1 mitten completed - minus the thumb (stupid me forgot to bring DPNs with me!), and had 3/4 of the other mitten done. I had never knitted up thumbs in the round before, but they had knitted up in a jiff! Again, I was surprised as to how easy they were to do!

I highly recommend the pattern, it is written so well that I didn't have a single snag or left wondering what the designer had meant to say in a sequence. Everything was absolutely crystal clear. I'm also extremely happy with how the mittens came out and especially with the fit. Usually mittens either are or turn out a bit on the bigger side, but these ones fit absolutely perfectly! Even the thumb! And that's without having to do any modifications too!

I really enjoyed knitting these up, that I'm thinking of knitting a few more pairs to have in my "gift drawer"...you know, when you need a last minute gift and don't really have the time to go out and try to find anything.

So here are the deets:
Pattern: Bella's Mittens by Marielle Henault
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool Merino
Color: Dark grey mix

So where in the movie can you spot these mittens? In the school parking lot van accident scene where Tyler's van is skidding out of control and is about to hit Bella...that is, until our dear Edward comes jumping out from nowhere and saves her from being crushed.

Image via fanpop

In the school parking lot moments before the van comes careening towards Bella

Images via fanpop
The accident and being saved

There is also another scene that very quickly shows a glimpse of the mittens, and that scene is where Bella and Edward are making their way to the river's edge. There, Edwards talks about being a "vegetarian", his mind reading abilities, and Alice's special ability.

Image via fanpop

If you can't knit and really want a pair of these mittens, you can purchase a pair from the original creator, Ruth Cross, here. But I must warn you, from the looks of it, they are always sold out! I'm sure if you poked around on either etsy or eBay you'll find a replica pair.

Now that the weather is sooo much chillier than it was when I had knitted these up, I'm excited to finally be able to wear them. They are so toasty warm, and the length works brilliantly with all the 3/4 length sleeved coats that I seem to can't get enough of, since the mittens are almost elbow length on me. I'm sure I'll be sporting these bad boys while on my way to the theater to see New Moon!

7 Days of Twilight - Day 1: Bella's Jacket

Image via thebeautyspot

First up on the docket in this series of the '7 days of Twilight' posts: Bella's blue jacket. The jacket that Kristen Stewart wears in all Twilight movie advertisements and in various scenes in the first movie in the saga.

This much sought after jacket is made by BB Dakota and was originally called the "Leigh Cargo Zip Hoodie" in a color called "Lake Blue". The story behind the now famous jacket is that Twilight costume designer, Wendy Chuck, was in dire need to find a jacket for Bella and had to make a run to Nordstrom at the last minute. The jacket she brought back to the set was found in the clearance section and had apparently not been selling well across the country. Since the release of the movie the jacket has all of a sudden been in hot demand. BB Dakota jumped on this opportunity and decided to reissue the jacket back in June and re-named it the "Twilight Jacket".

You can purchase the jacket over at Metro Park ($79 US) and at Fred Flare (for a few bucks cheaper, since they are selling the jacket at a mere $64 US). Or you can luck out like I did and find it by chance at an Asian shopping center, where I'm sure they had no idea at the time what they had in their store...since they were carrying pretty much the entire BB Dakota line. I quite like the jacket, and it completely suits the west coast weather. The exterior is a cotton canvas and is lined in a cozy fleece, which is perfect for the really chilly days we've been having lately. I had taken photos of myself in my jacket back when the little family and I went on Brett's company's camping trip. I decided not to post them, since I didn't wear any makeup the entire trip and the photos were taken on the last day of the trip...and I hadn't washed my hair all weekend. So I thought I would spare y'all the horrors of having to see me in that state.

Anyways, so where did this jacket show up in the movie? Well, Bella first wears this jacket in the forest/meadow scene. The part where she trots off into the woods behind the school and proceeds to tell Edward of her observations of him and that she knows what he is, and Edward tells her to "say it, say it out loud".

Image via Fred Flare
"Vampire", Bella says timidly, breathing heavily.

Image via fanpop

"You're like my own personal brand of heroin."

Image via fanpop

The meadow scene

Bella wears the jacket again during the ballet studio scene where she faces James, thinking she was there to save her mother. Silly rabbit.

Image via Fred Flare

Image via fanpop

So that's it for Day 1! Stay tuned for Day 2...

Winner, winner...chicken dinner!

Look what I won! This arrived in the post for me on Monday. I won it 2 weeks ago on a blog giveaway from fellow blogger, Roadkill Blogs. I normally lurk around on this blog cause I like Elaine's quirky sense of humour and writing. I discovered her blog after seeing her jewelry line on etsy (I'm drooling and lusting after her big bow ribbon necklace!). She usually has a giveaway once a week but I've never entered one. That is, until I saw that the clutch she made was made out of hot pink metallic leather...and lined in pink and white polka dot cotton! As you probably already know, I cannot resist or turn down anything that's hot pink! And this?? We're talking hot pink metallic leather here! Yeah, I had to enter pronto!

I tried to take photos of the lining and the back of the clutch, but my camera died and I got lazy after that. But check out her blog post about the clutch here, and check out her website here.

Colette

(Note: I had written this post a while ago, but didn't get around to posting it and then eventually I had forgotten about it. Then I saw Kat's (of Kats Creations) post about the arrival of her patterns that made me remember my own post. So here it is!)

I had spied these patterns on a few blogs and on etsy, and finally buckled down and bought a couple. I'm not against commercial patterns per se, it's just that I went to school and learned how to make my own patterns and feel that I really should put my education to use. But then I thought about how much time and effort it would take to even draft a pattern like this, let alone sew a mock up before sewing the real deal...yeah...purchasing the actual pattern is definitely worth it! And just look at how it was shipped to me and how the pattern is packaged! I'm such a sucker for good packaging.

Image via Colette

I bought 2 patterns - both dresses, the Parfait and the Chantilly. I'm hoping to make Parfait soon and am happy to have found some fabric in my stash to make it with. I was really hoping to be able to sew up Chantilly for the winter holidays cause I think with the right fabric it would make for a very lovely party dress. I take the fabric recommendations on patterns into consideration but rarely follow them to a T, but I think with the Chantilly you really should go with what is suggested since the design is so light and flow-y and the fabric should be as well. But I'm having a really hard time finding cotton lawn or even double gauze fabric anywhere here in Victoria - and don't even get me started on Fabricland either. I swear, the criteria to work there you must have crappy customer service, a severe hatred of your job, a lack of motivation to even do your job, and a gift for making the customers feel like they are wasting your time. Oh Fabricana, why must you be so far away??? I've tried online too, but have failed at finding anything that didn't have a print. Although, I was lusting after some yummy Nani Iro fabric, but that's just too far out of my budget at the moment.

I had checked out the Colette blog too and saw that the designer had made an absolutely gorgeous variation of the Parfait dress into a retro shorts playsuit! I just might have to do that too! And lucky for me, there was also a tutorial on how to adjust the pattern for the smaller busted gal.

I wonder if I can make another deal with Brett? Sewing time for a round of 18-hole golf? What golf loving guy would turn down the opportunity to play golf?? Hmm...note to self: must talk to Brett when he gets home from work.

Cold weather fashions

After spending a month knitting up Elvira and worrying that I won't be able to wear it this summer, I've decided to start doing what I've been taught to do in school - and that's to work and think one season ahead. So rather than work on garments for the current season, I should be working on stuff for the next season. I spent how much money on school? You'd think I would exercise what I've learned in those 5 years!

So with that said, I'm probably the only person in the Northern Hemisphere to be thinking about winter clothes in the middle of summer, during the record-breaking heat wave. As I was unpacking my clothes when I moved into our current home, I realized that my wardrobe is severely lacking in all aspects. Either things don't fit properly anymore (thanks pregnancy!) or I feel like the style no longer fits my new "Mommy image". Not to say that Moms should dress boring or anything, it's just that my bar star days are far, far, far behind me now and some of my clothes seem too young for where I'm at in life. Which has me seriously re-thinking my wardrobe and the desire to build a new one that is full of classics, so that I only have to buy a few trendy pieces each season. I guess you could say I'm trying to figure out what my "style" is - what is my signature look.

For Fall/Winter I'm envisioning myself in lots of dresses and boots (I don't wear enough of either), and dark denim with cozy handmade sweaters. I don't know how much clothes sewing I'll be able to do, seeing how my sewing time only comes in 10-15 minute spurts lately. But the cozy handmade sweaters, that, I can do. Here's a few photos of what's on my knit list that I'm hoping to knit up for this winter:

Images via Interweave Knitscene

Ok, so the one on the right is a cape...but still cozy. It's not that high on my list, I think I have at least 10-11 projects ahead of it, so I'm not going to be heartbroken if it doesn't get made. The 2 sweaters though, are very high on that list. I haven't decided which one to knit up after the Tilted Duster is finished.

Image via Berroco

I absolutely LOVE these 2 designs from Berroco's new yarn collection, Blackstone Tweed. The yarn is absolutely gorgeous and apparently gets softer with each wash, but is a bit too pricey for my liking. I had ordered some yarn from Knit Picks that I'm hoping will look just as good. I read the instructions for the dress, which appears to be an easy knit - it's just the knitting up of the length that is going to be the cruncher.

Image via Needled

I forget how I came across this design, most likely from perusing the patterns on Ravelry. I think it's über cute and best part of all, it's knit from the neck down on circulars and requires very little seaming. Now that's my kind of knitting!

I'm trying to be realistic about how many garments I can actually knit up, seeing how Elvira took me a month to knit! And so far the Tilted Duster is taking just as long, and I'm using bulky yarn too! If only I knew how to knit continental instead of English, maybe I'd be a faster knitter! I guess this means I have to really prioritize my knit list...and re-think my visions of a handmade Christmas...

In the meantime, I leave you with a vision of winter:

Cruel, I'm sorry! I took the above photo and the one at the beginning of this post in Jyväskylä, Finland. My friend Trevor was living in Finland the same time I was and I had the opportunity to visit him. While he was in class I took the chance to do some sightseeing of the area and took these photos on a completely frozen over lake, where a lot of people were skating, skiing, and snowshoeing around. It doesn't get anywhere near like this in Victoria (yay!), but the photos are inspiring me to get my butt into gear.

Are you thinking of winter wears yet?

Either way, happy knitting!

Hip Holster = Mine!

Remember this post about the Queen Bee hip holsters? I seriously thought that the idea of owning one was never going to happen and that I should just banish the hope of ever possessing one.

Well, not any more!! Yep, that's right. I have, in my hot little hands, a QB hip holster! All thanks to the fabulous Mary from my knitting group! Thank you, thank you, thank you Mary! I should also thank Jen as well, who I think told Mary about my desire to own one of these hip holsters? So thank you ladies! I owe you guys big!

Mary had attended the Sock Summit in Portland last weekend (lucky duck!) and was able to take a detour over to the Queen Bee headquarters at The Hive. Unfortunately the place had been ravaged and there was only a few designs left to choose from. Well, Mary choose very wisely! She knew well enough to know that if it's pink, I'm all for it, pants down! Even better still, the design is pink with chocolate brown accents. One of my all time favorite color combos! And if truth be told, the photos on the QB website really didn't do this hip holster any justice. Or maybe it's just my monitor...either way, I'm one really happy camper!

As I type I'm looking down at my hip holster (yes, I'm wearing it)...

Swoon!!