sknitter

Something very girlie seems to be happening in a lot of the Spring 2010 fashion collections. Plus, I’m seeing a bunch of crochet. I told you about Rodarte, but check out Missoni. Always known for their innovative knits, they’ve gone kinda crochet crazy (left). So crazy, the model needs a neck brace apparently. Poor thing. I am no fan of this doily style, although I like it better than that granny square dress Cate Blanchet wore a while back. What about this outfit from Chanel? How very Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Or is that Little Red Riding Hood? About.com’s Lorain Blanken has some DIY advice on getting the Spring 2010 looks yourself on a real-world budget. Appreciate that, thanks.

It’s clear to me that I need to go to one of those finishing school classes. I completed my purple  Mr. Greenjeans, and just about finished a second Keep On Truckin’ baby cardigan (above) and have run in to the same set of problems. I suck at picking up stitches. Unless the designer spells it out for me, I apparently can’t do the math. Both sweaters have the bad puckering which I believe comes from too few stitches being picked up. The bigger issue is that these button bands are too short, again, a function of not enough picked up stitches? Maybe, but I’m not sure. In the case of Mr. Greenjeans, it may just require blocking, which I have never done. The green sweater is awful Red Heart acrylic yarn, so no blocking possible there. I also murdered the buttonholes yet again. I understand how to do this by following Euny Jang’s advice, but I just did an ugly job.

Several years ago, knitting was all the rage in Hollywood. Not so much now. One thing that remains constant from year to year— Oscar fever. Bill Maher called it “Hollywood’s prom night.” I for one, will be glued to the pre-show, gawking at gowns and looking for the new Academy logo that AdamsMorioka (the graphic designers I work with) created this year. Check out Moviefone’s History of Red Carpet Fashion here. It’s not a night for knitwear. Which is probably a good thing. However, several years ago Annie Modesitt did design the Red Carpet Convertible Dress (left) which is lovely. The pattern allows you to knit just a corset, or a mini-dress, or go all the way to the floor as a gown.

Some good galleries of the Oscar fashions here and here. Check out the Huffington Post for a variety of Oscar related stories, including fashion-centric ones.

Read what it was like to attend the Oscars as a non-industry person. Sean Adams posts at AdamsMorioka’s blog, Burning Settlers Cabin, about the experience: the lights, the intimate size of the theater, the car valets, and of course, the movie stars.

Here’s a cozy winter retreat (that won’t catch on fire, unlike the Sockintosh). This one’s for your beloved feline. German artist Dornroeschen Filzunikate has created a line of cat beds that are truly pieces of art. These “Katzenhohle” also look like they would quickly become kitty’s favorite place to hang out. I love the felted flowers that are such a part of each design. You can see more of these on the German version of Etsy, which is called DaWanda, or via this cool site called Modern Cat. I like this ethereal one, the shell one, and also this one that looks like an open poppy or tomato. I also love Filzunikate’s felted long-tailed mouse toy. So great, no?

Thanks to Gail, and her sister Jan, for telling me about these wonderful little pieces for kitty.

Rachael Burns knit up this clever, yet completely dangerous, foot warmer that she calls the “Sockintosh” (above) as a tech geek joke. See her video on Engadget.com. This foot mitten is a knitted bag with a little pocket that can hold an Apple laptop’s AC power adapter. It’s ingenious because the little adapter is warm, but problematic because Apple clearly states that the unit requires air circulation to keep it ventilated to prevent overheating, even fires.

I have to confess that my dream television show would be watching  Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs do whatever whatever in a yarn factory, shirtless. There is something about Rowe’s non-stop patter, the gusto he seems to exhibit for being a man at work, and that beefy physique—I’ve got a geek crush. Yep. Anyways, Rowe did go to an alpaca farm and help them shear the lovelies and assist with mating the animals. Watch the episode here. For a  blog about real life on an alpaca farm, try Katy Spear’s Alpaca Farm Girl. By the way, for my next sweater I’m using Cascade Indulgence: a light but warm Superfine Alpaca and Angora blend that is really pretty.

The whirlwind of Fall/Winter 2010 runway shows continues with Milan being the latest stop. The first impression from the collections shown in Italy is of a kind of retro femininity. OK, that works for me. The sooner we cycle out of this ugly 80s revival we’re trapped in, the better. My faves in Milan: D&G. Check out the gallery here. I’m loving all that Fair Isle— sweaters, legwarmers, rompers, and prints on shear fabric— not to mention those crazy mukluks (above). I feel certain that the look will be a hit here in Los Angeles with young Hollywood. They liked UGGs and sundresses, so they’ll probably love this. Anything to get them out of the leggings/skinny jeans tucked into leather knee boots look that makes even the skinniest girl’s butt look bigger.

I wish I was reporting that the good folks at Tilli Tomas were giving away massive quantities of their gorgeous luxury yarns, many of which are beaded, but no. Almost as wonderful: they have a bunch of FREE patterns for us up online. Take a moment to register first, then enjoy a variety of patterns, including a bunch of beautiful lace scarves and chic sweaters. I am into this Indi Cable Tank (left) made in a 100% silk called Indy Silk (which isn’t listed on the Yarns page). It’s an unusual design and it synchs up with my cable fixation. The Tilli Tomas blog is here, by the way. Stefanie Japel specified Tilli Tomas yarns, named Pure and Simple and Disco Lights, for her Simple Knitted Bodice. A pattern I own, but have yet to knit. For all of you Japel fans, you might be interested to know that she gave birth to her second daughter last week. Photos and more info on Japel’s blog, Glampyre Knits.

I’m still into sock knitting, although I confess to having a half knit pair on my needles that has not been attended to in months. I am justifying this by remembering that sock knitting is an excellent warm weather project, and now is the time for sweater knitting while it’s still cold. There have been some great FREE sock patterns released lately. Take a look: the FaFaFa Socks by Lois of Get It Knited, Knit For Victory’s Raspberry Ripple Bed Socks, and one of my faves the mitered Peppermintoes (left) designed by Melody Johnson of Fibermania. Knitting Daily gives us a booklet of 7 sock patterns! Other cute footies include the nostalgic PomPom Slippers by Vanessa of Do You Mind If I Knit. And to make any of these last longer, consider using Jawoll sock reinforcing thread by Lang.

I know I’ve already blogged Regretsy recently, but when I saw their Skant Contest, I just had to point you to it. Skants are pants that are worn under skirts. Some people use the term to refer to pants that also look like skirts (think 1970s). But Regretsy decided that sweaters turned upside down and worn as pants are what skants really should be. They encouraged readers to send photos of these garments, and well, the results are hilarious. The contest winner is here. Go here, here, here and here for a good laugh. Zandland Blog reviews the whole thing. Is anyone else thinking Grey Gardens here? Or maybe that this is a perfect repurposing of some tragic FO you’ve got stashed somewhere?

Thanks to graphic designer Annessa Braymer for the head’s up on this one.