Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.

This online space has been around in one form or another since 2010, it focuses on making, creativity and living a curious life, plus a lot of clothing.

Some of the projects I've worked on in the past 10+ years include...

Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes

An interview podcast that's all about clothing (and also, not *really* about clothing at all). Find all the details and listen to conversations about comfort, style, change and shopping here. Or search for Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who Wears Who?

A personal style coaching and content practice devoted to helping you own and wear your clothes intentionally, instead of being worn by them. Discover your own style guidance, and learn more about the practice of intentional style at WhoWearsWho.com

The Self-Made Wardrobe Project

Predecessor to Who Wears Who, a year-long challenge in 2014/2015 where I only wore clothes I made. That year would have been a lot easier if the clothes had magically made themselves. Learn more about The Self-Made Wardrobe Project and explore the archives here.

The Shawl Geometry Book Series

Enough shawl shapes to keep you knitting for a lifetime. A multi-year exploration of math, shape and space in knitting, where I documented traditional shawl shaping, and iterated on those traditions to create new recipes of shawl shaping. Ultimately this lead to 75+ shapes, and 400+ pages of common and uncommon shawl shaping instructions. This project was inspired by a dozen individual shawl designs, each encapsulating a love of geometric lace design. You can find The Shawl Geometry Series here.

 

Thank you for being here with me. –Holly

On putting off and finally setting up a library donation

“It’s only… what good could it possibly do… don’t bother…” Putting off setting up a recurring library donation I’ve been meaning to set up a nominal monthly recurring library donation for an embarrassingly long time. Every time I borrow a book, or return a book, or browse the shelves, I think about it. And mean to do it. And fail to do it. Sometimes I consciously think: But most of the time it’s more of a soft and sly whisper of a voice, that is very familiar, but does not sound like me: I doubt I’m the only one who hears this voice. (For the sake of other people’s minds, part of me kind of hopes I am the only one. At the same time, I doubt it and appreciate the company.) Individualist thinking about collective resources But I had a realization this morning that finally got me to do...
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I love a blank page.

But having an ice breaker helps. Every piece I’ve ever knit has begun with a slip knot. Every set of coaching notes has begun with the date. Journal entries with “good morning”. Designs of all sorts with a spark or a brief or a script. I love a blank page. It’s like a field of fresh snow – perfect for running though and leaving footprints scattered around the place. Listening to the crunch and squeak. Feeling snow slide into your boot from exuberant running over snow drifts that are a little deeper than you expected. Snow covered trees blending with a snow colored sky as you leave a mark on the world that will one day melt. I love a blank page. But having an ice breaker helps. So consider this an ice breaker for Poetry & Practicalities. It may just be what was percolating along side everything else. Photo...
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puttering, percolating, steeping and brewing

Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at. Last week I wrote this Wednesday morning with every intention of posting it. But then never got around to it: “Each Wednesday, I post a snapshot of the projects I’m working on, and where my brain is at.” That’s the beginning explanation of what I posted each Wednesday for about five years (more sporadically at the beginning), and I’ve missed a couple here and there, but it’s been fairly consistent. But, I stopped around the New Year, posted once a couple weeks into the new year, and haven’t posted again for a couple more weeks. At the moment when I read this my immediate reaction is, what am I working on?! I’m always working on ongoing client work. I’ve finished knitting the sweater I started a couple months ago, and it’s just...
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