It’s the halfway point! – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 26
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s sort of a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels.
DAY 176 – JANUARY 23rd
The First of Many Archer Button Up Shirts
Black Tank Top
Birds & Wheels Flare Skirt
Black Tights
Bead Crochet Bracelet
Various Rings
This week marks the halfway point of the project! Yay!!!!
I’m thinking now that I’m halfway into this self-made wardrobe year, maybe I should finally come up with some sort of plan for building my wardrobe.
But then again, I’ve mostly been winging it so far – and for the most part that has worked out (minus the lack of pants…) – so maybe I’ll just keep winging it for the next 26 weeks.
To plan, or not to plan? That is the question (at least for the moment.)
DAY 177 – JANUARY 24th
Moonstruck Cardigan
The First of Many Archer Button Up Shirts
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
Continuing along “to plan, or not to plan” this week got properly cold & snowy, and I’m realizing that I don’t have a great number of layering pieces. Most of my sweaters work better on their own (instead of over or under other pieces), which is kind of annoying because it is making layering tricky. So, I want to keep this in mind for the next couple sweaters.
DAY 178 – JANUARY 25th
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Robot Necklace
Various Rings
Of course, the not-so-straightforward basic purple sweater being the exception to my lack of layer-able sweaters.
And yet.
I still prefer wearing this sweater on it’s own. So maybe the issue has less to do with my sweaters not being good for layering, and more to do with me disliking layering sweaters…
DAY 179 – JANUARY 26th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Boring Black Sweater
Black Tank Top
Pirate Skirt
Black Tights
Black Knee High Boots
Long Necklace
Various Rings
Because what else would you wear in a snowstorm/blizzard/thing?
To be fair I am wearing 2 pairs of tights (one of which is wool), plus added 2 scarves, mittens and a my giant alpaca coat on top of it all (with a hat in my bag).
So I was plenty warm, and this skirt does look pretty good (if entirely unpractical) blowing around in a snowstorm.
DAY 180 – JANUARY 27th
Hand-knit Sweater Dress
Black Tank Top
Black Tights
Various Rings
And then the next day (Tuesday) I hid inside all day, with lots of tea & knitting.
DAY 181 – JANUARY 28th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Leggings
Brown Boots
Various Rings
The best sweater I have for layering on top of other sweaters is this deconstructed, sewn, sweater – maybe my wardrobe plan should include another one or two sewn sweaters – because (unlike in knitting) sewing over-sized sweaters isn’t actually that much more work than sewing close fitting sweaters.
DAY 182 – JANUARY 29th
The First of Many Archer Button Up Shirt
Black Scarf
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
This is actually not what I ended up wearing yesterday. After I took this photo (which I always try and do right before I leave the apartment) I changed into my Versio Sweater, and wore that instead, since I was already running a little late I didn’t have time to take a new photo. Oops.
“Maybe personal style is something that gets remembered” – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 25
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s sort of a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels.
DAY 169 – JANUARY 16th
Boring Black Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Bead Crochet Bracelet
Various Rings
I keep meaning to make a second black maxi skirt, but still haven’t gotten around to it yet. Maybe that’s time to get moved back towards the top of the to-do list.
DAY 170 – JANUARY 17th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
The First of Many Archer Button Up Shirts
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Long Chain Necklace
Various Rings
I spent most of the weekend at VKLive which was a total blast. Despite how sunny it looks in that photo it was feeeeezing on Saturday, so I’m really glad I had my super cozy sweater – even though the fabric wasn’t actually knit by me.
DAY 171 – JANUARY 18th
The Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
I did wear a self-knit sweater to VKLive on Sunday, so I figure that balances things out.
DAY 172 – JANUARY 19th
Hand-Knit Sweater Dress
Black Tank Top
Black Leggings
A weekend at VKLive called for a day in front of the computer catching up on this, that, and the other thing, which meant a day in leggings and my hand-knit sweater dress.
DAY 173 – JANUARY 20th
The First of Many Archers
Black Tank Top
Cascading Flowers Skirt
Various Rings
My second Archer button up shirt is still waiting on cuffs, collar, buttons, and a hem. Maybe I can get back to that next week?
DAY 174 – JANUARY 21st
The Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Long Chain Necklace
Various Rings
I’m loving my Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater, and I’m thinking I want another super straightforward pull over, in an interesting color combination. In fact I have two skeins of lace weight waiting for me to workout the math for a yoked pullover with short row neck shaping. Once I work the math out, on to the needles it goes.
DAY 175 – JANUARY 22nd
Boring Black Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Pocket Watch Necklace
Various Rings
When in doubt I go back to my head to toe black, it’s totally where my comfort zone is. I wonder when we first (way back forever ago) begin to find our clothing comfort zones, I would guess sometime around the end of elementary school (9/10 years old). But I then wonder if 5/6 year old us knew something about getting dressed just for the fun of it (without regard for color coordinating, weather patterns, or anyone else’s sensibilities). Maybe personal style is something that gets remembered and rediscovered, not developed from scratch?
sweater amnesia, cold weather & a new shawl pattern – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 24
The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made.
It’s sort of a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels.
DAY 162 – JANUARY 9th
Versio Sweater
Black Scarf
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
How do you guys store your sweaters?
Prior to this wardrobe project, I didn’t knit sweaters, so I didn’t need to have a storage system. My sweaters currently live in half of a drawer in my dresser, there are two problems with this 1) they no longer fit in half of a drawer, and 2) some sweaters end up at the bottom of the drawer, and then I forget about them.
The obvious solution is to rearrange my dresser so the sweaters get a full drawer, however I’m not sure that’s going to prevent sweater amnesia. Anyone have a better way of storing their sweaters, and avoiding sweater amnesia?
DAY 163 – JANUARY 10th
Moonstruck Cardigan
Boring Black Sweater
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
This is one of those sweaters that got stuck at the bottom of my sweater drawer for awhile.
DAY 164 – JANUARY 11th
Hand Knit Sweater Dress
Basic Black Tank
Black Tights
Various Rings
This is the outfit I wear when I don’t have to leave the apartment, and would have preferred staying pjs to getting dressed. Like on Sunday, I spent the day hiding from the cold, knitting, and cutting fabric.
DAY 165 – JANUARY 12th
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
The First of Many Archers
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Long Spinny Necklace
Various Rings
I added the buttons to my first Archer button up shirt last week, and posted a full post about it yesterday! You can read the saga of the mismatched center fronts.
I love this pattern, and am already working on my second Archer. Though, next time (for my 3rd) I’m not doing a plaid. I love a good plaid, but I want to sew a shirt that involves no pattern matching.
DAY 166 – JANUARY 13th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Basic Black Tank Top
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
When I was designing this Not-So-Straighforward Basic Purple Sweater, I wanted a sweater that would work on it’s own, over a shirt, or under another sweater, and I’m delighted to say this sweater does all three wonderfully.
DAY 167 – JANUARY 14th
Not-So-Straightforward Basic Purple Sweater
Black Tank Top
Black Scarf
Khaki Scarf
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
And the purple sweater has ended up at the top of my sweater drawer, so I’m wearing it all the time. As for the bi-color scarf, I just took two scarves and twisted them together, I like the contrast against the purple sweater, and love the idea for adding more scarf variety.
DAY 168 – JANUARY 15th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Basic Black Tank Top
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Pocket Watch Necklace
Various Rings
Surprisingly enough I didn’t freeze when I stepped out the door in this. It’s always a tricky balance between not boiling in my overheated NYC apartment (with heat don’t control), and not being cold the minute I step outside my building, and not freezing when walking around on streets that quickly turn into wind tunnels. A tricky balance indeed.
PS. Rosmerta is now available on Ravelry! Rosmerta is a new shawl pattern that I designed, with a mesh & diamond trellis type pattern. It’s knit using Julie Asselin’s lovely Merletto.
I’ll also have hard copy patterns of it at VKLive in NYC this weekend. I’ll be at the Knitty City Booth (#710) Saturday morning at 11am. If you’re in the NYC area, and planning to go, I hope to see you there!
