Tag Archives: Scarf

White as white…

25/03/2012 8:09 am \ 18 Comments \

I’m pretty good with laundry.  These shorts are a testament to that, since I made them over two years ago, the first pair of shorts using this week’s pattern Burda 7723; and despite being subjected to rock-climbing, hiking, camping (just so you know, the rural dust here is icing-sugar fine and red) and generally plenty of gettin’ down n’ dirty with whatever mother nature has to offer they are still as brilliantly white-as-white-can-be as the day I sewed that last stitch and snipped that last trailing thread…
(ahem)
Well.  They’re not toooo horrifically off-white anyway….  😀
so I hope you enjoy reading this care label.  It certainly gave me a laugh!

Details:
Top; top “b” from Unique Clothes Any Way You Like, white cotton, details here
Shorts; Burda 7723, white linen, details here
Shoes; ??  given to me by Mum, cast-offs from one of her friends
Ultramarine Scarf; new!…  made by me, from the leftover pieces of jersey knit from this top, and using this method

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A small silk surprise

24/12/2011 1:56 am \ 22 Comments \

I think it is safe to put this here since no one in my family is going to be reading my blog at this late stage in the game…
And if you are a family member reading this, then quickly; avert your eyes!  Now!  😀



There is to be one of those Christmas lucky-dips-with-a-strict-budget at the family gathering this year and I racked my brains to come up with a wearable something, both lovely and of high quality as well as handmade.  My gift had to be for a girl, and had to suit any one of a range of hair and skin colours; from beautifully grey, to a pale ash blond, to rich chocolate-y black, and to a true strawberry blond.  All divine hair colours on their individual heads, and for each of which I would rejoice in choosing just exactly the right colours, if only I knew which fair hand would be the one to pluck out my own little offering…
I spied this absolutely delicious silk chiffon at Fabulous Fabrics, and could buy just enough for a little scarf.  With its shades of warm pale pink, blue-y murky green, bronze and with just a little bit of black I reckon it is perfect.  It spoke to me a sense of dusky, pastel, subtle and yet warm and rich, all at the same time.  What a find!
Simply edged with a rolled hem in black.

And just because this picture below made me smile (seeing Sienna’s furry face always does) and just because “finding the dog” is fun…!  can you spot her this time?

Details:
Scarf; silk chiffon (and don’t worry, it was only worn for just these few pictures before being safely tucked away)
Dress; modified Simplicity 3745, pink lace and pink border lace, details here
Petticoat; Burda 8071, pink satin, details here
Sandals/thongs (new! a present to myself!); Misano from Marie Claire shoes

(impatiently) What?  Not more photos… let’s go, already!
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Winding cable scarf; grey and brown

12/07/2011 3:42 am \ 15 Comments \

This is a scarf I finished last year, but never blogged about for some reason, which is peculiar since I have worn it once or twice… just never got around to photographing it, I guess.  I discovered it anew in my recent winter woolies sort-out.
I knitted it using a pattern that was just on two photocopied, typed sheets stapled together, from Calico and Ivy from where I bought the wool; so I expect it was probably designed by one of the talented ladies at that store.  The design is a cable but instead of twisting over and over the same way to finish up with that classic barley twist cable design; in this design the cable was twisted first one way then the other, so you end up with a meandering cable, that loops in and out of the scarf in a lazy snake-through-the-grass kind of a way.  It is cleverly reversible, so both sides look pretty much identical; thus satisfying a slight pet peeve of mine about right-side-and-wrong-side scarves…  The ends are tapered to a lovely curved arrowhead point, quite an unusual feature.  I should wear it more because I always get compliments for it, but I have this feeling that being of an eclectic mix of neutrals that it doesn’t end up going with any colour much except for other neutrals!  Yup, I am very strict about how I mix my neutrals and my colours; I have quite firm views on which colours go together and which colours don’t, and the shade is so vital and just has to be taken into consideration also… I know, pretty neurotic huh?
 Anyhoo, the long and short; this scarf looks great with other earthy neutrals, but I don’t tend to ever wear it with any actual colours.  So perhaps not as versatile as I first envisioned when I selected this wool!
The wool is a Noro yarn, hand-dyed in Japan, and I’m afraid the tags with the type of yard and the colour  has long been tossed out…. so I cannot provide you with this info.  Sorry!

Details:
Scarf; hand knitted by me, using Noro yarns, to a design by Calico and Ivy
Brown top; Metalicus
Black top; Sexy Woman, found secondhand
Skirt; my own design; charcoal jersey knit
Tights; Spencer Lacy
Shoes; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes

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It’s very windy…

09/06/2011 10:20 am \ 15 Comments \

… thus the crazy hair.
I’ve made a new top, but it’s not extravagantly exciting in either cut or construction.  Not even a Pattern Magic thing, sorry, though in my own defence this was already half finished before I even got my new Pattern Magic 2 book, plus those pattern magic designs do use more fabric than your average unadorned garment, and I had very minimal fabric to play with here.  It was squeezed out of the leftovers from this dress, and is basically the top part of a dress pattern from Burdastyle magazine 08/2009, number 128 seen in full here (and my review of this pattern also)  So just a little basic Tshirt thing that will hopefully be a useful little winter wardrobe builder.  I cut the body pieces as long as I could get them from my fabric scraps, and the front piece ended up a little longer than the back.  I like this though and decided to leave it this way, and left a little open slit up each of the side seams and hemmed around the corners.  It is not lined, but has uninterfaced, understitched front and back neckline facing, which extends to the shoulder seam and halfway down around each armscye.  The top has a long invisible zip up the centre back seam so I can get it on.
(Later edit: removed the zip; the fabric is slightly stretchy so the top can just be pulled over my head)
And I’ve made this new scarf too, this is just a couple of long skinny lengths of this rather luscious deep-raspberry coloured thin jersey knit that I picked up from the remnant bin, joined together in a French seam.  Voila.  Two embarrassingly short seams and one has a new scarf.  Couldn’t be easier.  Don’t you just looove this colour?

Details:
Top; the top part of Burdastyle magazine 08/2009, dress 128, of charcoal wool mix, my review of this pattern here
Skirt; my own design; charcoal jersey knit, details here
Scarf; just two skinny lengths of raspberry marle jersey knit, joined together with a French seam
Tights; Metalicus
Socks; handknit by me, details here
Shoes; Francesco Morichetti, from Zomp shoes

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Flat out

18/12/2010 2:07 pm \ 9 Comments \

Ahhh, delightful albeit exhausting day…
Up early for a long walk with my good friend S; but on a low note, I was saying goodbye to her as she is heading back home to NZ.  I’m very sad to see her go.  She’s a delightful lady; great company, sweet, intelligent and funny, and been a really good friend to me.  She’s a rare lady; a Kiwi who actually likes Australia, and says so.  That’s refreshing.

I can’t wait to plan my next visit to see her.
Later a mammoth shopping excursion for a Christmas do we’re hosting tomorrow…
And even later; well, my favourite shop, Fabulous Fabrics has been having a huge sale, and, yes I had to pay them a visit.  But it’s OK.  Really.  You see, I’ve been buying my family’s Christmas presents, from them to me.  It makes sense.  You see, nobody ever knows what I would like, although I don’t get what is the mystery as I can think of, like, a zillion things, hehe…   but, long and short, my family will be wrapping up lengths of fabric,  zips, lining and interfacing to put under the Christmas tree… it sounds a loopy thing but really it makes it all so much easier for everyone, and with the 20% off prices, it is sensible to be buying it now, rather than next year…  So thankyou, my loved ones., for lavishing me with an oh so generous stash injection; all in my favourite colours, perfectly co-ordinating with my current wardrobe, filling in some gaps…  Oh my, so thoughtful…
One needs to express a least a smidgeon of delighted reaction upon opening one’s own presents to oneself… otherwise it just doesn’t work right.  This is an important component of self-gift-giving.

Details:
Shirt; Burda 7767 with minor design modifications here, cotton/linen chambray
Skirt; modified Vogue 7303, olive corduroy
Scarf; refashioned from old Tshirt, here
Sandals; Vincenzo, from Soletta shoes
Sunnies; RayBan
Bag; Gucci

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A day off…

13/12/2010 4:35 am \ 5 Comments \

‘Tis the season to be jolly… (sung to the appropriate tune…)
 but Craig and I are in danger of turning eating, drinking and being-merry into an extreme sport around here lately!  Don’t get me wrong, I just love parties and getting together with friends and we have certainly been doing such a lot of this.  There has been some sort of party, Christmas-do, or gathering, like, almost every night, over the past week.  Yesterday we had a particularly nice get-together with my Monday morning gals and our husbands.  It was just delightful.  Without a doubt all of our social-butterflying has been lovely.  However my poor constitution needs a break or I am going to end up the size of a house, and dyspeptic to boot.   Now, I am happily blessed with a cast-iron stomach, and ordinarily I’m not one to look a gift hors-d’oevre or chocolate truffle in the mouth  … but dry toast and water is sounding like a pretty nice menu to me right now.  
Luckily, I have almost two whole days off before the next Christmas party tomorrow night.
So until then, I declare this bod a rich-party-food-and-champagne free zone…

Details:
Skirt; partly my own design, based on Vogue 7303, python print and black satin
Camisole and cardigan; Country Road
Scarf; jersey knit
Sandals; akiel, from an op shop
Sunnies; RayBan

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Khaki scarf; a refashion

06/12/2010 5:18 am \ 14 Comments \

I took the Tshirt below and followed my own tutorial to make this new knotted scarf.  Though for this one I cut the front in two pieces and the back in three…  
Nothing earth-shattering, but will be a useful little thing to go with the other khakis in my collection…
I love khaki/olive, obviously; one of my best neutrals.  This was my daughter’s old Tshirt, and when she gave it the heave-ho I baggsed it; immediatement.  That last word is Franglaise, a form of butchered French/English, a language often employed in this household… er, by me mostly.  I do have this bad habit of making up words and sometimes even talk in weird, vaguely European accents, particularly after a few drinks.  I haven’t on this occasion.  Had a few drinks, that is.  So got no excuse, really.
Back to the scarf…
The Tshirt in its original form was one of those really badly constructed ones that would not lie straight, and developed strange twisted folds if you tried to fold it flat along the side seams when hanging it up on the clothesline.  This is because the sides were cut and sewn just a little bit off.  Grrr… my pet hate.  Look how it used to be, below… soooo skewiff.  So I was pretty elated to be given the opportunity to take the scissors to it. 
Now it has a new lease on life, and will not cheese off this laundress ever ever again.  Hehehe….

Details:

Top and cardigan; Country Road
Pants; drafted by me, white linen
Scarf; refashioned from an old Tshirt
Thongs (flipflops); Mountain Designs

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An unappreciated skirt

01/12/2010 2:58 am \ 8 Comments \

Rummaging around in my wardrobe I came out with this skirt which has only been worn a mere handful of times; poor thing.  I was so pleased with it when I had finished it, so I’m not sure why I haven’t been reaching for it more often.  I think, even though I’ve been trying to work my way through the wardrobe evenly, I still stubbornly and faithfully go for the same old favourites.  I think we fall in a habit of wearing certain items.  You know, you reach for the “safe” clothes time and time again, even though they may be looking a little shabby and past their best, and you fail to notice some of the new-ish clothes that you haven’t quite worked out how to work into your ensembles yet… exhibit A; this skirt.  I’m going to ease it into circulation more.
Also these shoes, which I bought probably seven or eight years ago.  They are really cute, but I haven’t worn them in about three years.  I’d been looking for a new pair of flattish black shoes to fit my very strict shoe criteria.  This is an annoyingly vague rule; shoes absolutely must excite me with some sort of “it” factor that I can only recognise when I see it.  Also, preferably, to be manufactured in a country with ethical employment practices…  but my search was failing dismally.  Then I came across these tucked away at the back of the wardrobe.
Jackpot!!

Details:
Dress, worn under as petticoat; Burda 8071in embroidered cheesecloth, to see this styled in 6 different ways, go here
Skirt; drafted by me, made from leftover linen scraps from my husband’s shirts, here
Cardigan; Country Road
Scarf; made out of an old tanktop, here
Shoes; Jocomomola

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