Manic Pop

So I was excited to get to spend this past Thanksgiving out in Michigan to visit my step-dad Jerry! We drove out on Tuesday and ended up having Thanksgiving on Wednesday because both me and Max unfortunately had to work Black Friday. This is the place I grew up in since I was 11 after moving from Connecticut - surrounded by the woods. This is also the same town we went to earlier this year for Memorial Day for the big town parade.  Here's the chicken coop again where we actually used to keep chickens! The fencing is long gone around it and it's more of a scenic thing with a garden around it.  Of course, I had to go outside with my knitting even though it was just a little too cold. Definitely wasn't a normal November/Thanksgiving day sort of weather. But it was nice enough to be fine in this heavy cardigan. I got it long ago from Urban Outfitters on wayyy sale for about $10. Only recently have I been pairing it with things.  I normally don...

I finally got around to taking some photos of my knit hood which is an original pattern of mine! I've been wearing it around a lot this past week and it's been getting a lot of attention. A co-worker wanted to steal it and my sister wants one (I started knitting a deep red one for her!)  This is pretty big for me - I had no idea I could make a pattern again for a knitwear garment. I also don't think I truly learned how to increase and decrease (at least didn't retain how to correctly), and truthfully, I don't know a whole lot about knitting! I was inspired by a photo in a 60s teen magazine (I didn't end up buying) which made me want to try to create a pattern and knit one myself. I was actually looking online for a version of a knit hood, but when I couldn't find one, I resorted to what I always have to do anyway - make one yourself! This is obviously the whole reason I went to school for fashion design, haha.  One day while riding the bus, I wa...

I don't know why I rarely visit Chinatown - it's not super-far away for me but for some reason I forget to go there. Last week my mom was visiting from Connecticut and this was the first trip we made! She had apparently always wanted to visit Chinatown, so I decided to show her around a bit. It was one of those perfect days out to run around the city. I ended up wearing a short sleeve sweater I knitted back in my Knitwear Design class in college. This sweater in particular is about 5 years old and it's the first (and really only?) sweater I have ever knitted. I can remember knitting it while I was taking my Senior Project class (essentially sewing together your entire senior collection), as well as working 2 part time jobs. I actually designed the sewing pattern for it - just a simple short sleeve sweater with a crawling cable stitch. My teacher at the time, who was an avid knitter and published in many knitting magazines, had a pattern somewhere...

As I mentioned, I'm really getting into knitwear again as of late. Here are 3 great knitwear patterns from 2 different books I have - both from the early 70s. Download the images to zoom in and follow along to make your own! Lace shell tank top pattern, colorblock sweater pattern, and a knitting on the diagonal sweater pattern.  On the diagonal.  Lacy pullover. Colorblock sweater. Enjoy!

I wasn't sure I would ever do this in particular with this blog, but the day has come: Photos of myself wearing slightly oddball things. I figure, why not? This is what I looked like today. I had actually forgotten I have this particular pair of pants in my closet as working my retail job, we have to wear clothes from work and these are from Forever21 from maybe 3-4 years ago. Sometimes, pairing them with a top can be daunting which is probably how they ended up in the back of my closet. Also, I may or may not have gone out in public with the fur collar. I realize it's more of a dressy piece (see how it's used here in a photo my by friend Jane) but I liked the pairing with the lumberjack shirt.                                       Details. Necklace is resale from Buffalo Exchange. ...