…but a stitch ain’t one. FOR REALS.

i’m not much for tees, but this one by jumpseatmonalisa (printed on secondhand shirts) is so hilariously kick ass…it hurts. anything that combines/subverts craftiness and hip hop at the same time puts it in the running for “best tee shirt ever created” (in my hip hop/needlework loving mind, anyway)…

how kick ass are these offbeat, incredibly intricate fair isle sweaters (and knitwear patterns) by etsy-ian good egg?

get this: they are HAND KNIT (the top and bottom one). wow. just…WOW. the cowl in the center is a pattern you can buy from ms. good egg, so’s you can knit one yourself.

all the trend-slingers say fair isle is back (well, i think it never went away, but whatever). but it makes sense, because a.) it’s winter, and we’re all wearing sweaters, knitting sweaters, blah blah blah. but also, b.) there’s this feeling of very traditional things being resurrected and exalted in fashion (and also interiors, really) these days…classic is back in.

but what i think is cool about these kind of fair isle pieces, what makes them so delicious? that good egg takes it to the next level…works with the colors, the contrasts, the patterning, so something classic is in the end wrought so perfectly new and modern. breathtaking. i haven’t seen anything quite like this around, have you? if you have, do dish!

(related aside: i so so so want to try my hand at fair isle…anyone else into it? good books or tips to suggest? danke!)

for the whole of 2010, the industrious momma of haik avanian will take your old sweater/jumper and reknit it into something else, (re)new(ed) and wearable. it’ll just cost you $30 smackers, for his mom’s labor. january is scarves month over at rekn.it (haik’s site). brilliant idea! i can’t want to see what the remaining 11 months have in store as far as the reknitted wearables are concerned (what else is she going to tackle? gloves, mittens, hats, cowls?? color me a curious yarnworker!!). and i’d love to see a gallery of the remade/restyled knits when the project’s all said and done…

calling all knitters & crocheters who happen to read this here blog!

what’s your favorite way of using up your random ends of yarn? particularly your worsted weight yarns? can you recommend a favorite pattern or several patterns that are just the ticket for yarn oddments?

i have a gazillion little leftover bits of wool and wool blend yarns, the remainder from the myriad of projects i’ve completed over the last six (!!!) years. they are up there in the photo above. and that’s only a small fraction of what i have…it’s merely the tip of the remnant yarn iceberg, if you will.

so far, i’ve put them to use as a wavy crocheted blanket, numerous cowls, a random stripey kids sweater, and a few more things…

i can think of a few more ways i might want to use it: to make striped legwarmers, striped mittens (for me and maybe a bunch of other folks!), more cowls, a top-down raglan fitted cardi for moi, a granny square or circle blanket for p., and, hrm…i’m still thinking ha!

anyway, i’m putting a call out to you, to ask for help for genius ideas to do with all this yarn. can you help??

maybe it will help more than just me!

do share!

have you seen the new patterns from colette patterns, the brainchild of the incredibly talented sarai of sweet sassafrass? as of this past few weeks, she’s added the stunning oolong dress, lady grey coat, and sensha blouse you see above (and several more patterns!!) to her already gorgeous, vintage-influenced, figure-flattering pattern offerings. i love how each of her patterns come packed inside a little booklet that’s lovingly designed and jammed full of incredibly thorough and well-written instructions. the patterns themselves sit nicely in a little built in fold in the back of said booklet…totally smart packaging design, sarai!

i’ve made the beignet, a high-wasted button up the front skirt (in a navy blue pique) and i love it! so i can say that as far as i am concerned, colette patterns come highly recommended!

have you made any of the colette patterns? which ones? how did it go? are you a fan too?

a related aside: wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were more indie pattern companies out there, offering things to suit different whims and tastes, that maybe the big pattern companies can’t reach or address (because they are perhaps pursuing more average tastes?)…what a wonderful idea, no? do you know of any other great, small, stylish pattern companies? do share!

take a gander at this glorious patchwork DIY sweater-cape made by finland’s outi of outsapop trashion, above! the sweater-cape and instructions on how to make one for yourself were recently published in the helsingin sanomat. she graciously re-printed the instructions on her blog, in this post, along with an english translation. how AWESOME. thank you, outi!! the project looks complicated, yes, but really, all it takes is some time and a little effort, and whoa, are the results stunning, or what??

(back in the bronx, in a storage unit, i’ve got some piles of felted sweaters that would be put to good good use using this pattern! if i ever get around to using them and making one of these, you’ll be hearing about it…)

martha of uniform natural designed this drapey stunner called the origami wrap sweater, which is easy peasy, but has a sculptural shape and is suitable for any mid to heavy weight knit (as long as it doesn’t have a whole lotta stretch, she says). she just put it up the other day; i totally want to make one…stat. wow…martha. just…wow. breathtaking and incredibly chic.

the gals at sydney, australia’s tessuti fabrics have this drapey tent-shaped tee up on the web for download here. i’ve made one myself already, it’s amazing! the sleeves are fitted, and the rest isn’t, it’s very loose and comfy and kind of, i dunno, japanese, 80s-ish or something? i am so wanting to make another, but want to make it longer so it’s more of a tunic/dress thing. i think i could just about live in it, so roomy and cuddly it would be. it comes out in a small-ish to medium size, so if you’re bigger or smaller you’d have to add or subtract from/to the side seams. sews up in a flash.

i am all over, under, and into these crazy, almost tacky but awesomely, superbly wonderful machine knit garments by fiber artist/designer annie larsen, aka swank dollar. you need to come pick me up off the floor, i’m so floored by them, i am! check out swank dollar’s blog here and flickr photostream here.

a related (personal) aside: seeing all her incredible machine knit stuff makes me wish i had access to my knitting machine, but alas, she’s in a cold, dark storage unit somewhere in the depths of the bronx until the snows melt. poo!

what’s with all the amazing crochet jewelry coming out of portugal? anyone have the intel on that? is there some sort of historical precedent? some established fiber arts deeply entrenched in the culture from whence this springs? do tell if you know something…i wanna know! i live for learning more about this kind of thing.

anyway, on a related note, check out these incredible crocheted collars fashioned out of cotton jersey by a portuguese maker who goes by the moniker cooler. i am in absolute lust. the colors! the fiberliciousness! crafty and yet so very sophisticated. love love love.

forgive me, i have mom brain: i can’t remember how i came across these beauties (one of many posts on my still packed full yet culled down feed reader)…it flipped by and i clicked so fast i forgot to make note. thank you, you, whomever you were! *grin*

nope, it’s not fashion-related, it’s not style-related, but so what? i like it and it’s fricking overwelmingly amazing. it’s quite possibly fiber-tastic (is that a word? if not i’m officially coining it now). “it” is the installation work of sarah moli newton applebaum. see more here.