gathering twigs

Short Hair, Part 3

2009-08-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

The thing is, if I was as beautiful as any of these women, I wouldn't have to worry about how I'd look without long hair. But I'm not, so I do.

More Short Hair

2009-08-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

Craving it... still. This first style is my favourite.

Lizzie Fortunato at UO

2009-07-19T15:18:00.000-07:00

Lizzie Fortunato (whose necklaces for VPL I love and have blogged about previously) has a rad new line of inexpensive goodies, "Hope Marian", now available at Urban Outfitters. Very tempting indeed.

Also pretty inspiring for some DIY...

dreaming of... short hair

2009-06-10T18:51:00.001-07:00

My tolerant other just shaved his head... I want to shave mine too.

Wunderkind, Fall 2009

2009-03-13T20:26:00.000-07:00

I have the sudden urge to play with my pencil crayons and pastels! Gorgeous fabrics.

(from style.com)

Dries Van Noten, RTW Fall 2009

2009-03-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Wow gorgeous colours! I'm bored of primaries and jewel tones. Give me weird taupes and yellows, with a little violet here and there. I might try knitting a version of the top sweater (it has a great inverted pleat in the back).

(from style.com)

Haider Ackermann, RTW Fall 2009

2009-03-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is how I would dress every day if it was up to me. My favourite collection in a while, for sure.

(from style.com)

Ann Demeulemeester, RTW Fall 2009

2009-03-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

Big, dark, drapey cables with tall, flat leather boots. Nice.

(from style.com)

Rodarte, Fall 2009

2009-02-18T08:21:00.000-08:00

Rodarte just kills me every time. Like everyone else these days, I'm in love with their deconstructed knits... to me they ooze a weird feminized version of the (safe) kind of rebellion that drives teens to write punk songs in their parents' basement.

And I'm not sure what it says about me that I would love to wear thigh-high boots everyday. In my fantasy world, of course, where no one would look at me like I was a whore.

(photos from style.com)

the big cowl

2008-11-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

From the blog Doucement le Matin, a couple of great big cowls! How cozy. I would love to make one of these this winter.

Don't these women look so gorgeously French?

Sophisticated Knit Dresses

2008-11-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

Sweater dress by Grey Ant. This one is definitely my favourite! Will be added to my list of covetables, pronto.

Amazing leather and knit dress by Helmut Lang. This dress satisfies some deep dark part of my psyche... a little hardcore, a little cuddly. Love it.

Cozy dolman-sleeved sweater dress by Erik Hart. I'd wear it with skinny jeans and suede flats.

(photos from Oak)

VPL necklaces

2008-11-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

Remember these gorgeous necklaces from the VPL spring collection? Well, it turns out they're designed by Lizzie Fortunato... and they're origami!

I think I might try to make one of these! Thanks to love forever for the info (I love your blog!).

cute sweaters

2008-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

Fox pullover and patchwork cardigan by Peter Jensen

Vest by Zero Maria Cornejo

Boat neck sweater dress by Rachel Comey

Photos from Creatures of Comfort

makes me mad

2008-10-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

This article made me so angry!

Women Buying Health Policies Pay a Penalty

From the New York Times. Just had to share my disgust... take a look, but only if you think it won't ruin your day.

Spring Favourites: VPL

2008-10-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

I loved the VPL spring collection for its accessories: those necklaces define covetable. What are they made of? Are they at all practical to wear? It doesn't matter: I just don't care.

I like this collection for the wearable colours, fabrics and shapes. Drape-y and angular at the same time? Sign me up. One of each, please!

(photos from Style.com)

art prints

2008-10-10T07:51:00.001-07:00

I just thought I would comment quickly on another trend I spotted among the spring collections: gorgeous prints inspired by the fine arts. The patterns were often non-repeating and abstract; the colours bold and in unusual combinations.

Some of the prints at Akris could have been lifted directly from french impressionist paintings (not to say that they were!).

At Miu Miu, the prints were more modern, some with bold streaks reminiscent of graffiti. Others looked more like byzantine mosaics.

Alexander McQueen's collection including some amazing pieces created with large-scale prints with precise mirror-image symmetry down the centre of the body. Unbelievable!

To me, these prints look like some kind of geometric Rorschach ink blot... what do you see?

(photos from Style.com)

Last Breath Bruises

2008-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post these photos from Sandra Backlund's latest collection, Last Breath Bruises, for weeks. Every time I see one of her pieces, I have an irresistible urge to do nothing but knit for days and days. The organic-seeming shapes and textures in this collection are amazing.

(of course I couldn't resist the pom-poms in this photo)

obi belts for spring

2008-10-06T08:08:00.001-07:00

We're seeing lots of obi belts in the spring summer 2009 collections: they're making me nostalgic for last year's trip to Japan! A nice change from skinny waist belts, selon moi.

A.F. Vandevorst

Basso and Brooke

Louis Vuitton

Missoni

(photos from Style.com)

Rodarte, Spring/Summer 2009

2008-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

I love Rodarte's vision of fashion. Their take on fishnet stockings and the way they lead in to the ankle straps and bangles: perfect. And the double belts...

(photos from Style.com)

Louise Golden, Spring/Summer 2009

2008-10-05T09:45:00.001-07:00

Louise Goldin leaves me speechless again.

(photos from Style.com)

recent aquisitions

2008-10-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

Last post tonight! (Why do they seem to pile up sometimes?) I made a trip to Value Village today to drop off a few donations, and happily spotted a few great finds!

I picked up four of these great melamine plates for 49 cents each. I love them! That feather is too gorgeous.

This pyrex bowl ($3.99) is a little more 70s than it is fifties, but still pretty great, I think. I like the turquoise.

Lastly, I bought this single printed bowl (49 cents) to keep on my bureau for loose change, etc.

For some reason the print on the bowl reminded me of this Alexander Wang blouse. Admittedly, it's a stretch, but let a girl dream, huh?

(photo from Oak)

new NEW fabric

2008-10-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

When it rains it pours! I received some great Japanese fabric in the mail this week from ReproDepot.

I can't even express how much I love Nani Iro fabrics from Kokka! They are just so beautiful... I'm ruined for other cottons. (And now linens!) I love the randomness and the colours.

I also ordered a yard of one of the new She Is Cosmos prints. It should be great for a summer bag, or maybe some cushions... it's a heavier, coarser weave than the Nani Iro fabric.

Finally, I ordered a yard and a half of a great Yoshiko Jinzenji print. Beautiful!

new vintage fabric

2008-10-04T20:13:00.001-07:00

Ebay has been kind to me over the past couple of weeks! I think I love the searching as much as the buying.

I am a sucker for unusual colour combinations. Brown, beige and fluorescent green? Sign me up!

What am I going to make with this fabric? I have no idea! Did that make me any less excited to finally find it in my mailbox? No way!

Sonia Rykiel spring '09

2008-10-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

The spring shows often don't have much knitwear content... but Sonia Rykiel has come through for us again! In her fall '08 show, there were the amazing bunny sweaters, and yesterday in Paris she showed a few more of her whimsical creations.

I LOVE the half-finished sweater! In fact, most knitters probably have at least one of these hanging around the house/apartment (without the Rykiel label, albeit).

(Photos from Style.com)

our new orchid

2008-09-17T16:52:00.000-07:00

T.O. and I are happy to be sharing our apartment with a new orchid! For the past week or so it has had a new bud. This morning, the bud was still curled up tightly, but tonight... what a display!

This photo is a little dark, but I like how it emphasizes the depth of the bud's interior.

This photo, of course, is a little too bright! The orchid's colour is much deeper than this. It's a beauty though, don't you think? The flower, I mean, not the photo.

i'd rather be camping

2008-09-15T18:20:00.000-07:00

If I could I would disappear into the wilderness of Algonquin park forever. Me, Tolerant Other, his fishing rod, a tent, two backpacks, some dried soup and some instant coffee. And a canoe! I'm sold.

memories of summer

2008-09-15T17:58:00.001-07:00

Green turns into red on our little balcony garden... definitely the best way to measure the months passing.

Soon the whole city will be covered in red leaves! I'm not sure I'm ready to cocoon myself just yet.

cozy commuter

2008-09-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

An adorable knit bicycle from Oh, Christina! ! It might even keep you warm in the winter.

where did the summer go?

2008-09-14T18:01:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone?

I miss blogging! The weather is changing, and I'm ready to start nesting again.

And knitting, and sewing! And I have some great new supplies...

I recently got some great vintage fabric from Ebay! The pattern is very art deco, and I especially like the unusual colour scheme. The weight is similar to a twill, so it should work well for a bag or two.

Oh, and here's a project I recently finished. It was a wedding gift for Tolerant Other's brother and (now) wife, for their new home. They got a good laugh out of it!

pom-pom-pompons

2008-04-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Bloesem for posting links to this gorgeous photo of the incredible pompons made by the dutch design duo Tweelink !!

Sarah Illenberger's brain

2008-04-02T07:32:00.001-07:00

Sarah Illenberger's brain is made of yarn, and what a beautiful brain it is! She has other knitted organs too... very delicate.

fifteen minutes

2008-04-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Oh I'm so flattered! Someone submitted one of my crafty projects, the heat-resistant hair-iron cozy, to one of my all-time favourite websites: the Craft: blog ! So nice to hear someone found the idea useful.

Thanks, kind stranger. Together, we can cozy the world! Once I stop blushing.

knit(ting) robots

2008-04-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found out that a friend of mine is pregnant (yay!), and my first thought: now I have an excuse to knit Jess Hutch's plush robot toy! To find a picture, I googled the words "knit robot"... and wow, I found some funny things out there.

Here is the adorable robot I had in mind, on Jess' website:

Here is a robot knit by the Knitting Physicist, complete with blinking LEDs:

And finally, Tim Johnson's knitting robot, made of lego! Courtesy of the Hook and I.

Yoshikazu Yamagata and Mafuyu

2008-03-28T19:46:00.001-07:00

I can't believe these amazing house sweaters/sculptures comprising the My Town In My Home exhibition... a joint project by Yoshikazu Yamagata and Mafuyu. I am in awe. Thanks to the blogger behind Love Forever for the links!

Mafuyu

2008-03-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

I wish I had been born in Japan so the designer of Mafuyu and I could be best friends. FOREVER! I think we could knit a whole new universe together. A plush, yarn-y universe.

summer sewing

2008-03-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

A couple of fabrics I'm considering ordering:

Garden Party Red, part of the Wee Play collection from American Jane (designed by Sandy Klop)

Circles Navy, also from the Wee Play collection

Marimekko...

2008-03-28T12:06:00.000-07:00

... at H&M! I found the best preview of the collection at FabSugar. It sounds as though pieces will start appearing in stores in April. I already have my heart set on this top.

vanity cozy

2008-03-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me be up front: as much as I like to think I'm not a vain person, I definitely have my silly little obsessions and hang-ups. I'm sure at least a few of you out there can relate! One of my biggest pet-peeves is puffy bangs. I HATE puffy bangs... I iron my bangs out every morning. When my bangs are puffy, or frizzy, or even slightly wavy, I feel like I belong in a Madonna video from the 80's. I have nothing against retro flashbacks in general, but hair-wise, I think most of us are happy to leave that particular decade behind.

What I'm working up to is (this is embarassing) if it was up to me, I would have a hair iron on my person 24 hours a day. Unforeseen rain shower? Hair iron to the rescue! Someone hits you in the face with a snowball? No worries: hair iron! So when I recently invested in a brand-spanking new, fast-heating model, I decided to stow my old, much less efficient model in my gym locker. Want to go for a run on a friday evening before a dinner date with friends? No problem! Gym locker hair iron!

The only problem: my gym locker is a plastic lock-up basket, ghetto-university style. So what's a girl to do when she needs to store her still-hot hair iron in a no-doubt melty and likely flammable basket?

Solution: a heat-resistant hair-iron/vanity cozy! (I forgive you fully if you feel the need to stop reading here)

The inner layer of the cozy is made from an inverted oven-mitt from the dollar store: inverted is key, since the heat-resistant fabric (as logic would dictate) is found the outside of the oven mitt. I just cut out two rectangular pieces and sewed them together very roughly by hand, and then covered this inner layer with a tube-like bag made from a fabric scrap. I added a little handle, and then hand stitched the two layers together by hand around the opening, and voila!

So that's one problem solved, although my larger "issues" remain. The cozy fits nicely, my bangs are looking good and my gym building hasn't burned down. Win, win, win!

Anyway, if you've made it this far, thanks for humouring my obsessive side!

Debi Van Zyl's Maxine

2008-03-26T19:03:00.001-07:00

Debi Van Zyl's little creature Maxine just made my day. How can you not love a face like that?

signs of spring

2008-03-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

They've bloomed! And within days of each other... it must be love.

The large one is incredibly elegant. You can't tell from the angle of the photo, but the flower sits about 4 inches above the tallest leaf on one of the longest, straightest stems I've ever seen.

The little one is an adorable miniature. For reminding me that winter can't last forever (even in Montreal), these two have earned a little treat: plant food all around!

little pouches

2008-03-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I spent part of my Sunday procrastinating by making a couple of little lined pouches!

The fabric for the black one is from Ikea, while the cream one is made from a small scrap from Japan.

I think I'll use the black one to carry makeup to and from the gym. I'm determined to start going in the morning!

The cream one has lots of little pockets for my small knitting supplies, like stitch holders, cable needles, safety pins (which I use as stitch markers) and tapestry needles. Hopefully now I won't constantly be misplacing these things!

pencil case

2008-03-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

I know this may make me a boring homebody, but many of my favourite Saturday nights involve my sewing machine and a glass of wine. My tolerant other typically watches the hockey game concurrently: I've learned not to be bothered by the cheering crowds and the announcer's outbursts, and he's learned to block out the laboured background hum of my machine's aging belt.

Tonight's project: a little pencil case (more whales) with a dark purple zipper and grape cotton lining. The photos don't do the colours justice! I found a fantastic tutorial on the blog Three Bears... finally the geometry of squaring bags makes sense to me! Yay!

IVANAhelsinki

2008-03-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Knits from IVANAhelsinki's fall/winter 2008 collection.

As of this moment, I am dying for a knit onesie! My next project?

Stephen Burks' Patchwork!

2008-03-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Missoni patchwork dog and vases, from Stephen Burks' ReadyMadeProjects.

Maybe I could make a vase like this... I'm thinking glass vase from the dollar store, a little Mod Podge... what do you think? Do-able?

sister's boyfriend's dog's cousin's mitts

2008-03-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Just kidding... mittens for my sister's boyfriend, modeled by my ever-so-tolerant other. I finished them up this past weekend: they were knit sans pattern from Malabrigo worsted in Paris Night. Quelles mitaines internationales!

oma.. i think i love you

2008-03-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Coveting and then coveting some more: the Oma bicycle from Jorg and Olif, for sale at ReForm School...

I'm pretty sure you could ride this bike into space if you tried hard enough. It's so beautiful... if only there weren't mean people out there who steal things. And if only I had lots of money. And finally, if only I lived in a city where hitting cyclists with cars wasn't a sport...

sisterly gift: little bag!

2008-03-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I finished a little bag for my sister. The fabric is from my trip to Japan last November: I love how happy and squirty the whales are! They make me want to go swimming.

I'm still at the experimental stage when it comes to zippers, but I'm pretty happy with how the bag turned out. It's a good size for make-up, so hopefully she'll find it handy! Off to the post office I go.

are my plants asexually active?

2008-03-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this plant has a flower! I have no idea what kind it is... it was inherited from friends when they moved overseas. I was told it hadn't flowered in years... but what's even more mysterious...

is that our other, tinier but identical plant is also blooming, for the first time since we bought it a year ago! Could our two plants be asexually active? Has there been a little covert cross-pollination going on chez moi?

knitting needle roll

2008-03-02T16:58:00.001-08:00

I got in a little sewing time this weekend, and finished up my knitting needle roll! The design is based on several I've seen for sale on Etsy, but with a bit of a twist.

I decided against having it tie up with ribbons... no need to enhance the girliness of my hobby. Instead, it will be fastened with elastic cord and toggles... but of course I managed to lose one.

So that small detail will have to wait until I have time to get back to the store. Oh well! I'm just happy to have somewhere to store my needles.

Sonia Rykiel's bunnies

2008-03-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

Sonia Rykiel - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

See the bunnies? I love these sweaters!

Dries Van Noten

2008-02-28T08:18:00.001-08:00

Dries Van Noten - Fall 2008 (photos from Style.com)

Tao harnesses my chi!

2008-02-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Tao - fall collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

Okay, so they're not all knits, but you have to admit there's something more than a little DIY about the esthetic! Super pretty.

waxing political

2008-02-26T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm officially not the only person in North America who has found the past few months of U.S.-primary media coverage both eye-opening and depressing! A couple of great editorials:

A Glaring Double Standard, by Judith Timson for The Globe and Mail

Goodbye to All That (#2), by Robin Morgan

How much longer until we stop being treated like an unwelcome minority group? "Iron my shirt"... he might as well have said "pick my cotton".

A.F. Vandevorst

2008-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

A.F. Vandevorst - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

finished cushion covers

2008-02-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

I spent my Saturday night finishing off these cushion covers for our living room couch! Both of the fabrics I used are from Ikea.

We have a couple of pictures on our walls with thick black frames, so my intention was to introduce more black into the room to tie things together a bit. What do you think?

knits from fendi

2008-02-22T06:14:00.000-08:00

Fendi - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

beautiful knits from rodarte

2008-02-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

Rodarte - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

These dresses leave me speechless. Sometimes I wish I lived in a different world, somewhere I could wear things like this.

walk in this shoe

2008-02-19T08:02:00.001-08:00

After perusing KnitKnit last night, I had the urge to check out more work by Isabel Berglund.

Minus the pins, I would wear these shoes. With the pins, I prefer to imagine them being worn by the person who stole my winter boots last December. Grrrr.

a few pretties

2008-02-19T07:55:00.001-08:00

Gianfranco Ferre - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

Peter Jensen - Fall Collection 2008

(check out the little creature around her neck!)

they're here!

2008-02-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

Sabrina Gschwandtner's KnitKnit, and Wenlan Chia's Twinkle's Weekend Knits!

I've only had a chance to flip through them quickly so far, but I'm already super impressed, especially by Knit Knit! It's profiles are so varied, and it's full of exactly the kind of knitting I love: quirky and smart. There's lots of good reading to be had, as soon as I have time! This totally makes up for the eye-gouging nature of the rest of my day (see previous post).

blood and tears: you said it Tatyana!

2008-02-18T16:00:00.000-08:00

An image of Tatyana Yanishevsky's amazing Blood and Tears.

Yes, those are little knit eyeballs being pierced by sharpened metal spears. Some of them are crying, and some of them are bleeding. This pretty much sums up my day today. So I'm off to take out my troubles on the treadmill! Someone's gonna earn her dinner tonight! (And a glass of wine or two, I tells you what!)

lazy sunday

2008-02-17T21:47:00.001-08:00

Graduate students aren't supposed to have lazy sundays, but I just had one. To be fair (to myself!), I did get quite a bit of apartment-cleaning and errand-running done. But otherwise, nothing very productive... why do weekend days always go by so quickly? I always intend to get so much done, and then all of a sudden it's Monday morning.

Anyway, one "errand" I ran today was a quick trip to ikea to pick up a frame for the new poster I recently ordered and received from Mat Daly.

Twenty dollar poster plus twenty dollar frame equals one pretty picture, I think! And one fewer bare walls in my now clean apartment.

Last thing for today! I recently finished this partly-knit necklace, and I'm not completely in love with it. In my head, it was supposed to be a chunky, sophisticated, textural necklace... but the finished object is a little hokier (is that even a word?) than I would have liked. It reminds me too much of 60's macrame, I think. Is it the colours? The shape of the beads? Any advice on how to fix it up?

more! more! more! knitwear!

2008-02-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Central Saint Martins - Fall Collection 2008

(photos from Style.com)

arty knitting, or knitty arting?

2008-02-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

Adult-sized, seamlessly knit super hero costumes by Mark Newport.

My only question: where are the knit six-packs? Codpieces? Man nipples?

A full scale tank cozy, by Marianne Jorgensen.

Until I see a battleship cozy, or a space shuttle cozy, this one's going down as the ultimate cozy in my book (ie. on my blog). Never before have I had the urge to nuzzle a tank.

A beautiful wall hanging by textile artist Carol Hummel.

On bad days, this is what I imagine my childhood hopes and dreams look like. On good days, all I see are pretty colours and soft yarny goodness.

a little cheese... ipod cozies

2008-02-13T18:58:00.000-08:00

for me for my tolerant other

For the record, I have promised my other not to cozy any of his stuff without his permission.

I do love cozies, though... especially a la Freddie Robins. His cozies make me want to cozy everything.

a little eye candy

2008-02-13T08:24:00.001-08:00

From Sandra Backlund's body skin and hair collection

new books on the way...

2008-02-11T21:01:00.001-08:00

I ordered two new knitting books today! Both from my "things I'm coveting" list...

Twinkle's Weekend Knits, by Wenlan Chia
Knit Knit, by Sabrina Gschwandtner

I will definitely be sure to give you a "book review" once they've arrived and I've stopped drooling. I am already imagining me at my local yarn store (it's only three blocks from my apartment... so dangerous) with my pockets full of change (all the money I have right now) begging the mean lady who works there (she really is unbelievably nasty) to accept hundreds of pennies for a ball of chunky wool. Will let you know how the negotiations go.

knitwear! knitwear! knitwear!

2008-02-11T20:29:00.000-08:00

Malo - Fall Collection 2008 (photos from Style.com)

VPL - Fall Collection 2008

Louise Goldin - Fall Collection 2008

mittens for my sister!

2008-02-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

They're finally finished! I wish her birthday was tomorrow instead of last friday :-)

I started these convertible mittens for my sister Joanna months ago. I think it only took me a couple of days to make the first one, but of course I didn't start the second until I'd conveniently forgotten everything about the first, including the needle size I used. I am hopeless when it comes to writing things down as I go. Anyway, the second mitten ended up being slightly larger than the first. It may just be the tension (too much wine? not enough?) or it may be the needles... oh well. Hopefully she'll just be happy to get them (sorry they're so late Jo!).

Yesterday I made a trip to fabricville on Ste. Catherine street, where I found some very cheap pink/peach/orangey fabric that inspired me to make Joanna this brightly-lined little makeup bag/pencil case/random junk holder. I like my old singer sewing machine (I found it on Craigslist, and bought it and a little table and chair for $100 in total), but it can be pretty frustrating sometimes. The tension is crazy and super sensitive, and I managed to break the needle on the zipper when I was 90% finished. So I ended up finishing the lining off by hand. I'm not sure if that's devotion to one's craft or just plain old compulsion. No that's not true, I am sure which it is.

polka dot fabric

2008-01-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

I just got a delivery from Superbuzzy! I'm hoping to make a nice summer dress with this fabric... it's a lightweight cotton, and I think it will be perfect for a loose sack-like little number. I'm not sure what I'll do with the linen robot trim, or the squirrel and mushroom patches, but they were too cute to pass up.

beautiful guilt

2008-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last thing for today: I admit I have a problem. I accidentally bought this beautiful Mercy blouse today at Lola & Emily after leaving my apartment with no intention of buying anything at all. But honestly: isn't the fabric gorgeous? And of course, it's sale season... I have so little willpower when it comes to beautiful things.

thinking cap

2008-01-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

I finished a hat this afternoon: every once in a while, a great group of women in my department (a large percentage of the total female population, actually) get together for tea/drinks (depending on the time of day) and some knitting. Cheesy movies are also often involved. And sweets, of course.

The pom-pom was an afterthought... the hat seems robust enough that a large topper fits, I think. Anyway, it's removable if I decide that I hate it (I'm always changing my mind).

The yarn is Sonomono "colored wool 100%" col. 43 from a beautiful store in Nara, Japan.

The cable pattern was inspired by a great little book... the title's rough translation is "Aran Patterns for Small Things".

introducing...

2008-01-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

... my first blog. There are so many great knitting and sewing blogs out there... for a while now I've been feeling the urge to join in. Not that I can promise that this will be a good knitting blog... but it will be a blog. With knitting. And sewing.

A few rules I will try to stick to while exposing the poor intra-net to my unexplained textile fetish, questionable photography skills and often aimless ramblings:

1) No gratuitous glamour shots. Of me. (There may be yarn porn.) I have a crooked smile and generally little control over my face and its features. I have learned to embrace this reality and to relinquish all dreams of blue steel close-ups.

2) No photos of my pets in sweaters or scarves. I don't have any pets, much to the relief of knitwear-anxious animals everywhere.

3) No socks. I don't understand some fiber-fetishists' obsession with knitting cheesy cosies for what are undoubtedly the stinkiest and most thankless parts of the human body. Also, I have no desire to ever leave my apartment with rainbow-coloured feet.

I guess, from here, I should start taking some pictures! More to come.