age of acid empires sweaterdress (finally finished!)

so, i finally finished the age of empires sweaterdress i started literally ages ago, back in july, when we were still living in brooklyn. i blogged about it here, actually. to be honest, i actually finished it about a month ago, but it wasn't until today that i got around to taking a photo of it. it still needs to be blocked. i'm a bad girl. *grins sheepishly and then sighs heavily* note the YO (yarn-over) "darts" on the bodice, and the YO's on the sleeve (which are intended to match the ones on the bodice). the back of the sweaterdress looks the same as the front, sans the lace panel (meaning it also has YO darts like the front). it's a tunic-length thing, meant to be worn as a layer over a long, long tank dress or whatever you wish. i wear it over the indian-made acid-green embroidered dress i'm wearing here:

but i have also worn it over a red-orange tank. i also imagine it over a red polka-dot cotton tunic dress...it's been a pairing in my mind since the genesis of the sweaterdress idea, really. something strappy and fitted in the cup area, but that flows out in an a-line shape like the sweaterdress itself, and maybe peeks out at the bottom, revealing itself just a little. i plan on making just such a dress when i have the time (see below as to why i haven't already!).

***

i haven't been doing a lot, creatively, in many, many weeks....and i guess i sort of took a break from the blog, but not because i was mad at it! hee! i suppose other things have been dominating my life lately instead, and i have been spending somewhat less time in front of the computer. so, to reiterate:

-the biggest thing: moving to california, then moving from our temporary apartment to our new, permanent apartment (we officially moved in the first weekend of october but got our stuff from NYC several days after that move). we've had more than a little settling in to do: our new place is smaller and has less storage than our place back in new york, so we've had to get rid of lots of furniture and just STUFF. i'm working very hard to pare down to only what i LOVE and NEED, and have a more mature, cohesive home (as i've also discussed recently). that has meant a lot of my extra time has been dominated by careful consideration of my things and what needs to stay, and what needs to go. of course, i've been spending a lot of time waxing nostalgic over my things before i let them go! but the letting go feels good...it's honing my editing skills and making me carefully consider everything i have and would like to have. as a result of all this paring down: i'm getting rid of FIVE rather large boxes of clothing/shoes/accessories. i'm thinking of ebaying a lot of it...lots of vintage stuff (and more). should anyone happen to be interested, of course. :D

-i started an internship at the beginning of october. it's two days a week, for that style bookmarking website i mentioned a while back, http://www.stylehive.com. it's right up my alley. i'm enjoying it so far; it gives me something to do, makes me feel like i'm contributing to *something*, and gets me out of the house two days a week, which is good for me. stylehive had their website launch party this past thursday night, and i worked the door/guest list (along with one of my fellow interns, selena). a photo of selena and i may be found here, in the flickr photostream of natalie zee, of coquette/CRAFTzine fame (she was an attendee at the aforementioned party). i look pale and dead because...

-i was (as mentioned in my previous post) just getting over food poisoning! which i am trying not to think about anymore. but yeah...it was pretty awful. food didn't even look good to me for about three days, which i find incredible...i LOVE food. i lost 5 pounds in about 24 hours (most of which i've already gained back)! insane! i think i'll always look at restaurant food with caution from here on out, especially seafood (i had a bad shrimp burrito. now the mere thought of shrimp LITERALLY makes me gag. *GAG!*)

***

anyway, i'm finally getting pretty organized, and mostly unpacked, and the boxes are fewer and fewer...but it still seems like there is so much to do to make this house a home. it never seems to end!

i'm yearning for a day when i can just sit back with some tea from my lovely new bright orange teapot and stare out the window at our gorgeous view or just design or knit or draw or sew. i'm not there quite yet, but will be soon, i hope. my fingers and mind are almost literally itching to get back into such creative pursuits regularly, and of course, also writing about this and that. i've been away from both to a great degree for too long now. the list of things i want to do and talk about is at least hundred miles long...and growing.

the contents of my brain.

what's inspiring me, what's occupying me:

i could give a crap if dresses over jeans are "in" or "out". such things are irrelevant to me. i love the easy, relaxed, wrinkled look worn by this japanese gal. everything is perfect: the voluminousness of her dress, the tears on her jeans, the beachy, faded vintage necklace, everything.

***

a scarf i'm working on at the moment. feather and fan stitch in a very *now* charcoal-hued wool. i can't stop working on it. i want to make this this in a myriad of colors.

***

some old sketches. more ruffles. you can see my notes about inspirations stenciled to the side: afro-centrism (the beauty of people of african origin and their style), the 18th century, the sixties and seventies, and the ruffles themselves. these frocks might be interesting in busy, african fabric, i'm thinking. i'm STILL waiting on my sewing machine and tools...*sigh*

***

thinking about how i'm actually in california. sometimes i feel as if i moved to another planet, or at least another country. still trying to figure out what i want to do and how i want to do it, and how that will work in this golden state. where i stand and how i'll fit in or stand out.

bits and bobs...

i really like this quote about fashion, trends, and street style by diane von furstenburg (who happens to be the president of the fashion trade organization, CFDA), from an article in the wall street journal about counterfeiting in the fashion industry, that was linked to/posted about in the very, very interesting blog about fashion/style & intellectual property/law, counterfeit chic: WSJ: People argue that copying propels the fashion cycle because it creates trends.

Ms. von Furstenberg: You will still have trends. Why all of a sudden is everything yellow? Why all of a sudden do young girls wear combat boots?

It starts from the street. That's the mystery of fashion.

nice that she's giving credit where credit is due. the REAL trends, the amazing new ideas, come from the grassroots, from creative, everyday folks who push the limits, experiment, and express themselves. yes, there are plenty of creative, innovative designers out there, but if you ask me, many of them depend a little too much on trend forecasts, and the alleged zeitgeist. i think we all get influenced by trends in fashion, if we're fashion lovers, but things really get interesting when people push themselves and the expectations of themselves and the world at large by trying something new. i'm sick of seeing the same thing from so many designers, and i'm also more than a little sick of people blindly following what's given to them fashion-wise by the fashion industry at large without thinking about what they are doing or whether it really works for them or their personalities.

on that note: i have yet to take a look at the NYC fashion week offerings as yet. part of me doesn't care, really! but in actuality, i'll likely drop in toward the end of the madness and see if there's anything that appeals...but for now i'm holding off and thus withholding my commentary. i'm enjoying just making and not giving into the hype, for now.

***

lately, i've been ridiculously addicted to this new bookmarking tool called stylehive...someone tipped me off to it's existence a couple weeks ago by adding my blog as one of their bookmarks over there. basically, it's a "collaborative shopping community" where stylish people can share products, blogs, designers, stores and such-like. anyone who's been reading my drivel for an extended period of time knows i like to post and share photos and links of things i love in my blog...so this is a collection of said links that others can look at, explore, and share. i wouldn't be sharing this if i didn't think it was neat (and HELLO...addictive!!)...i don't recommend things unless i really like them or think they have merit.

here's a link to my bookmarks over at stylehive, to give you an idea of what i like and how the site works: http://www.stylehive.com/bitsandbobbins you can also add any hive to your feed-reader (there's an RSS feed button on the page/in the address bar). pretty neat, huh? :D

***

so, how have i been keeping myself busy these past few weeks? by knitting and crocheting until my hands ache....and thrifting way too much.

some in process knit & crochet projects include:

-some wool/mohair crocheted bonnets for the fall (i might sell them, if anyone is interested in buying anything from me anymore!) -a giant mutli-colored stole/scarf made from noro's "blossom" -a small raglan swing coat made from a rainbow palette of leftover bits of chunky wool/mohair yarn -a granny square afghan for a baby arriving later this year, in white and canary yellow -that completely self-designed acid green sweater i posted about back in july, which i am waiting to put together until after i take a class at artfibers next weekend about sweater finishing (i can't wait! nicely finished knitwear beats the pants off nicely knitted but crappily constructed knitwear any day!)

pictures to come in the coming weeks. i'm waiting on the arrival of my dear penelope (my dressform) to take proper shots. she probably won't be arriving for at least a couple of weeks (our stuff is still in storage in NYC). i'm yearning for her, and really, all my creative tools (namely, my sewing machines). soon, soon, soon.