all knit up

I am starting on my quest to knit a complete (and wearable!) turban as I have wanted one for a while and, not having the money to spend on something that I thought I could do myself, I am now having to satisfy my random longings and attempt it... Will post up results if I manage to succeed!

Oh and here is the free pattern that I am knitting it from if anyone else fancies having a go...

spinning a yarn

Yarnbombing, or yarnstorming as it may also be known, first came to my attention about a year ago when - on my way to vote in Bristol - I almost walked past a beautifully enhanced lamppost that had been adorned with rainbow striped knitting halfway up its length. An otherwise uneventful walk now had me smiling and I found myself searching the seemingly ordinary for other examples of this day-brightening guerilla knitting. Of course, it has been going for a lot longer than this, with pioneer Magda Sayeg of Texas creating stunning artworks across the world; it has been questioned recently as a form of art but I think you'll agree, especially once you've seen these pictures, that anything that provokes such a worldwide following and resulting emotion cannot be questioned - after all, isn't art supposed to be subjective?!

A yarnstormed tree and an entire bus in Mexico go to show that both natural and man-made can be perfect for a little knitting treatment!

John Smedley got well and truly yarnstormed with knitted pieces helping to celebrate at National Wool Week... an installation that will be on for 2 weeks and one that I fully recommend a looksee!

Some of the little (and very cute) fiends got into the Natural History Museum but were quickly captured and even allowed the public to have a go at recreating their very own dasterdly sea creatures!

You can find many more past and planned stormings at www.knitthecity.com and www.whodunnknit.com - both of which are orchestrated and executed with an inspiring amount of passion and fun by the legendary Deadly Knitshade. Get involved and try some knitted graffiti for yourself!

really wild footwear

I sometimes wish I was brave enough to indulge myself and splash out, spending £150 on a pair of shoes such as these fine ASHISH Animal Print wedge shoe boots - but I'm just not! Sad, as these are absolutely amazing and just the right amount of leopard, in a less conventional form than top or tights...

Am thinking of trying a 'not-quite-as-good-but-as-good-as-I-can-do-with-no-money' fix it job. Get a pair of leopard print socks, fold them back over some much too ordinary boots and you have a makeshift, cheaper (and, I admit, rather less glamourous!) version. Just make sure you try this in the evening, preferably in a dimly lit bar. And don't let anyone look too closely!

cheapskate...

Outfit for under a tenner!

give it up!

So George Davis has created a 'new and exciting' shopping experience for women which includes clothes that are designed to fit, shop assistants on hand to help you find that perfect something and in-house tailoring service to make any alterations and adjustments that the clothes may need... Excuse me for thinking that this is not a new idea? Surely from the very beginning of the first day that a small store selling women's clothes opened, until very recent times, all of these services were readily available for customers? It is only now that this can be seen as a new and groundbreaking idea, as we are so wholly concerned with buying cheap clothes that have been made equally as cheaply, and most of our high street stores only care about how much we buy and whether or not we sign up for a store card. Shouldn't it should be paramount that the clothes fit already?

I say that we should cast our minds back to the days of the local cobbler, dressmaker, tailor, etc and stop being too lazy to figure it out for ourselves - yes George Davis has done wonders with Next, George at Asda and per una, but do we really need him to charge us for what we could get in any small village for a LOT cheaper? I can see how this venture will possibly appeal to the middle class M&S woman but I think this is another case of someone cashing in on women's negative perceptions about their body shape. And I'm not sure that it will really go the distance.

project 2

Bought this in the Topshop sale for £7... the playsuit as a whole looks disastrous on me (and even when I asked for it to be held back the staff were mocking me from the safety of their high street changing room) but I thought it had the potential to look good...somehow, maybe.

Decided to cut it in two as I wanted a cape and some bedroom lingerie style shorts but lacked the cash to front them so out came the sewing machine.

So shorts...

And a cape...

Voila! Make do and mend (they had it right in the 40s damn it)

project

Due to my current monetary situation (I have none) I am enforcing a recreate project on myself... the plan is to take clothes that I have either bought in the wrong size/worn to death/got bored of/etc and remaster them into something new.

Starting with this... a print dress I picked up a couple of months ago in a charity shop and can't get used to - I suspect this is due to the awkward length which makes me look as if I live an old people's home with 10 cats.

The plan - Cut, sew and remodel into something I will wear.

The before...

The after...

Fluted hem short summery dress with before-mentioned lovely print which I will now wear to death. Hoorah for sewing machines!

rain

This weeks' heavy rain has inspired me to colour in my plain old white umbrella with non-permanent marker pens - when it rains I am surrounded by multicoloured waterdrops which certainly cheers up a dull and wet Monday morning!

(Just make sure you're not wearing anything white!)

shoulder barge

Just seen these… on ebay. Missed the auction = absolutely gutted. I was imagining them sown onto a plain grey t-shirt. They are pretty damn unnecessary (when are black studded embroidered epaulettes ever actually NEEDED?!) but would make an ordinary t-shirt suddenly stylish.

Let me know if you spot any... need to satisfy my craving for sparkling shoulders!

supersize me!

When it comes to jewellery – for me at least – more is more and even more is better! Chunky, clunky, loud and proud jewellery makes any outfit stand out and gives you confidence even if you’re wearing something from the back of the wardrobe. I love loads of gold chains paired with some earthy wooden bangles and huge colourful rings.

A collection of old keys from various vintage fairs/car boots hung from a gold chain makes an interesting necklace.

make a statement

Given my obsession with large and over-the-top jewellery I am loving that statement pieces are here to stay! I am especially fond of the embellished and almost crafty-looking necklaces that were displayed in the A/W collections; here are a few of my favourites from Marni and Christian Lacroix.

Marni A/W '09 - Marni did the 'Bib Necklace' so well, I can see this type of jewellery being worn with 1940s inspired blouses and skirts for Autumn.

Christian Lacroix A/W '09 - Love these skeletal looking creations, the perfect foil to floaty floral-print dresses!

I am now turning my thoughts to a personal project; fabric, sequins, lace and lots of imagination and I think I could be onto something. Stay tuned for the results!