Adventures in fibre arts

CK told us Lemms off for never updating our blog. I'm sadly uninspired these days -- it is too cold to play dress-up! And the sales are quietly leaving the shops, alas. I did shake a couple of pairs of tights out of them today -- 2 for £4, thank you Topshop.

The lipstick theory of recession: lipstick sales go up in an economic downturn, because they're a small, relatively inexpensive luxury that brightens one's day in a time when the days need brightening. Tights perform this function for me. They're warm, practical, there's no harm in having lots, and if you get the right kind they can make an outfit.

But they are not very interesting to photograph when you have just got basic black and dark blue ones. So really this is not a post about tights, but a post on what I've made recently with the magic of CROCHET. (And some knitting.)



How I have longed for a cowl. And now I have one! With buttons! The yarn is a wool/alpaca blend; the buttons are from my mother's button box.

My cousin 'Lina scoffs at a cowl because she says you might as well make a scarf, and it is just laziness not to, but you see buttons would not look as well on a scarf. And they are quite versatile!

Cowl - made by meeee; cardigan - H&M; dress - Cicada; tights - Urban Outfitters; shoes - Vincci Accessories

You can wear them on your neck all crumpled, or not.

Cowl sweet cowl; white top - New Look; skirt worn as dress - my mother's; tights - Uniqlo; stockings worn over tights for warmth - Japan; shoes - Vincci Accessories

You can fold 'em and wear them. (Granted, this is not a very clear picture of it being worn folded. Also please to ignore the fact that I am wearing exactly the same colour scheme as in the previous picture. My obsession with black&white&dark blue is embarrassing.)


You can wear them as a hat and put a soft toy in the top! Er, probably you'd only do that if you were Sam. But you see, I told you they were versatile!

And then I knitted a scarf out of gorgeous hand-dyed Manos del Uruguay wool. I call this my indulgence scarf, because the yarn was such an indulgence.

I'm absurdly proud of the finished product. A couple of not-very-good photos of me wearing it:



It's a proper scarf -- no cowl this -- but I like to wind it round my neck and tuck the ends in so it looks like a cowl. The advantage of this is that it's super warm.


And the effect is not uncute!

Finally, I crocheted a hat for a friend who has yet to receive it, but fortunately she does not read this blog, so I can post the pictures without spoilering her. I made it according to a pattern for a slouchy beanie that I found on the magical Internet machine, modifying the pattern to make the hat more slouchy and adding a scalloped edge basically 'cos I could.



You can wear it slouchy. (Forgive terrible morning hair; I'd just got up.)


Or you can turn up the bottom and wear it so your head looks like a grape!

That's all for now, folks. The next hill I gotta climb: fingerless gloves!

- Zen