Fresh Colours

Recently completed wearables - a waistcoat and a turban. The waistcoat was inspired by a £5 sparkly, sequinned one I bought last winter. 

The shiny sides and back were cut from an awesome shiny, metallic peach curtain, with a sort of woodgrain pattern running through it. I'd love to have seen the house that curtain was originally hung in. The fabric for the herringbone patterned lapel sections come from a duvet that was clearly a casualty of the 80s - black and white with bright red borders around. I had to grab it as soon as I saw it in the op-shop, because it reminded me of the twins Heather and Erica from Degrassi, and their penchant for black and white ensembles. 

So there you have it, a Degrassi inspired waistcoat - going into the Etsy shop soon. 

That turban I was working on a couple weeks ago is finally finished too. It's based on a 1940s pattern from the V&A archives, and actually knits up fairly quickly. Remember those colour-blocked Cross Colours jackets and jeans from back in the day? This is the turban tribute to that, because I could never get my parents to get me a proper Cross Colours jacket when I was 11. 

If that cowl looks familiar, it's because it's the Moebius Cowl from about 2 years ago. I'm actually thinking of knitting up another one this winter, but then again, I always get a tad over-ambitious with knitting projects at this time of year, only to run out of steam about 2 weeks later...

Crowns

I've just added these little crown-y headbands to the Etsy shop. They can been worn as hairbands too, and I've added a lining behind the wool so it feels more comfy. You should be able to go straight to the listing just by clicking on the photos. I've been having quite a bit of fun cabling and beading recently, so expect to see a few more of these pop up in the shop soon. These two were obviously made to fit my head, but I do except custom orders for them, so if you've got a HUGE head, or a tiny noggin, let me know your measurements and I'll make one to fit.

In other Etsy news, I've discounted lots of older items in the shop, as I have a whole new bunch of stock waiting to be added. I'd like to clear the shop a little first though, so it doesn't look too messy. If you're interested in some aprons, now's the time to grab one as they've all been discounted. 

Upcycle Update

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I'm taking part in Folksy's Upcycle Christmas Challenge. The last few weeks have mainly been spent tearing clothes apart so I could reuse the material, but I've managed to make a couple of items so far.

I've pretty much completely given in to my current yo-yo obsession and based almost all the designs in the competition on yo-yos. The first one is a little brooch, with the base part made from the WAG-ish lilac Karen Millen jacket (I'm not even sure why that jacket makes me think of WAGs, it just does. Could be the colour reminds me of their talon-like acrylic nails?). There's also a little hair-clip made from the giant old man's pyjama set for now.

Besides those two little items, I'm also working on a couple of statement necklaces type items, with yo-yos strung together, and probably held up by ribbons or lace. This one down here's a preview, but I've got another one in the works. And I'm also working on a stupidly long icord loop scarf thingo, I don't even know if that's going to turn out in the way I think it will, but I hope so.

 

You can have a look at the other items in the competition over here, and if you like anything, make sure you vote for it during the auction in December! All the proceeds will go to Sue Ryder Care.

Shop Update

It's long overdue but I've finally added a whole bunch of new goodness to the shop. And I'm still in the process of adding more stuff! There's lots of new aprons, and some glamourous flapper-style headgear being added as we speak! Exciting, what?

So get thee typing fingers on over there now and see pick yourself up something frilly and pretty. No, it's not gonna bring about world peace, but boy, will it make you feel good!

As usual, everything is one of a kind, so once it's gone, it's gone, baby.

Young Bill

Aren't these photos just excellent? I love how forced the boys' smiles are - almost like the photographer threathened to take away their ice creams if they didn't smile for the camera.

This photo makes me a little uncomfortable though. The 'snow' looks so obviously fake, and the way it falls reminds me of dandruff. Great big balls of dandruff. No wonder he looks so uncomfortable.

But I'm a brave little girl, so I gritted my teeth and made myself a balaclava using that very pattern as a base. It's actually not so much a balaclava, more of a hood. The thing wouldn't come in very useful should I decide to rob some banks or a jewellery store.

Since I can never leave well enough alone, I ended up modding the pattern. Instead of seaming up the neckband, I decided to add a button tab by adding 10 extra stitches which were bound off before I started on the hood section. Because I LURVE buttons.

The button tab also makes it a lot easier to get the thing on and off your head without messing up your make-up.

The other modification I made to the pattern was to do the hood section in a lacy wave stitch instead of the recommended stockinette stitch. I found knitting straight stockinette terribly yawn-inducing, and since I'm going through a major lace phase right now, I'm taking this opportunity to lace up as much as I can get my filthy mitts on.

It's not quite winter now, but I'm thinking this be great to wear while cycling during the colder months. And it's such an easy pattern that I'm already itching to knit up several more - in different colourways and lace designs - in preparation for when the cold hits.. I'd also like to make the button tab a little longer. More buttons, more fun!