Hibernating all winter seems like an appealing option – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 16
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 106 – NOVEMBER 14th
Winter Coat
Moonstruck Cardigan
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Grey Tights
Black Flats
Princess Necklace
Various Rings
I love how the collar of the sweater looks pulled out over the outside of the coat, and it’s making me want to create a whole bunch of collars and cowls so I can have some variety this winter. (We’ll see if I ever get around to it.)
DAY 107 – NOVEMBER 15th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Basic Black Tank
Cascading Flowers Skirt
Nude Heels
Various Rings
I really love how giant and cozy this sweater is, and I have a feeling I’ll be wearing it a lot this winter.
I did wear my coat over all of this, but I figure from now on I’ll just show you what was underneath, and do a post all about the finished coat – when it’s finally finished…
DAY 108 – NOVEMBER 16th
Boring Black Sweater
Basic Black Tank
Black Maxi Skirt with a Slit
Grey Tights
Black Flats
My boring black sweater really is the perfect layer underneath my winter coat especially for those weird days that are kind of between freezing-cold, and not-quite-as-freezing-cold. Although most of the days have been of the freezing-cold-and-windy variety, so hibernating all winter seems like an appealing option.
DAY 109 – NOVEMBER 17th
Blue Kimono
Basic Black Tank
Cascading Flowers Skirt
Various Rings
I spent the day hiding from the cold, and not leaving the apartment, so I pulled my lovely blue kimono back out – the one I basically lived in all summer.
DAY 110 – NOVEMBER 18th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Basic Black Tank
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Brown Boots
Bicycle Necklace
Various Rings
I love how easy this outfit looks, and how easy it is to actually wear.
A cozy sweater + a skirt I absolutely adore = yes please!
DAY 111 – NOVEMBER 19th
Moonstruck Cardigan
Colorful Knit Sweater Dress
White Underskirt
Grey Tights
Brown Boots
Various Rings
It was cold enough on Day 111, that I wanted another layer under the sweater, so I wore my super colorful sweater dress, and doubled up on the tights.
DAY 112 – NOVEMBER 20th
Deconstructed Black Sweater
Basic Black Tank
Graphic Silk Circle Skirt
Black Tights
Black Heels
Pocket Watch Necklace
Various Rings
The problem with easy outfits is that they quickly become all I want to wear. This is not the first time I’m repeating an outfit, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
PS. I’m fighting off some sort of winter-cold-thing, and my head is all fuzzy, so I’m sorry if this post feels a touch disjointed.
It’s cold, so I’m knitting some sweaters.
Each Wednesday, I post little snippets about what’s happening, and what I’m working on.
I’ve been wearing my winter coat quite successfully. It still needs a zipper, and some pockets, and a lining. Though it’s proving to be rather windproof (especially when I’m wearing layers), so at the moment the zipper is more of a priority than the lining.
Speaking of layers…
I started a new sweater. It’s another allover slipped stitch pattern. This sweater is a top down raglan pullover, using 5 different colors of yarn, which makes for a very hard to photograph project.
And the purple sweater I started last week is progressing. It’s knit from the top down, and I’m through the decreases to the waist, so I’m hoping to start the increases for the hips soon. Then it’s on to sleeve island.
I pre-washed and ironed the fabric for my first “Archer” button up shirt, and planned to cut the pieces last weekend, but that didn’t happen – hopefully this weekend.
And because I need a project that has nothing to do with the self-made wardrobe, my spindling kick continues.
Also!
Speaking of The Self-Made Wardrobe Project, I posted the 3rd Month Wrap Up over on selfmadewardrobe.com, you can read the post here.
Knitting my “Boring Black Sweater”
I have a love-hate relationship with basics.
I love wearing them.
I hate making them.
This creates a little bit of tension in my self-made wardrobe.
I’ve talked a little bit before about the disconnect between what I love wearing, and what I love making. I love making really complicated & technically challenging, colorful & intricate & interesting things, while I love wearing basics – tank tops, jeans (they’re coming! – eventually…) and straight forward stockinette sweaters.
Sewing basics is pretty boring.
Knitting basics is a nightmare of boredom.
But a nightmare that’s kind of worth it.
I’ve dubbed this sweater the “Boring Black Sweater.”
It’s a solid black, basic pullover, knit in stockinette stitch, in lace weight yarn on a US size 4 (3.5mm) needle. Which, if you don’t knit, is tiny yarn on a not-so-tiny-but-certainly-not-large needles, in a very basic knitting stitch.
The yarn is “Forest Hills” from Cascade in color #3 “Anthracite” (black). I love this yarn for shawls. But I wouldn’t really recommend it for garments because of how much this sweater is pilling.
The pattern is a basic, yoked pullover, worked from the top-down, with a wide neckline, and turned hems on the sleeves and body.
Knitting it was really boring.
It was so boring, in fact, that I knit the sleeves too way short. And once the sweater was all done I cut off the cuff, picked up the stitches on the sleeve, knit a couple more inches, and graphed the cuff back on.
Even so the sleeves ended up being bracelet length, which isn’t what I had in mind, but works fine.
Even though it was kind of a nightmare to knit, I love this sweater. It works with just about everything in my wardrobe, and is the perfect thin layer to wear under or over something.
From now on though, I think I’ll stick to sewing, instead of knitting, my basics.
