Looking Ahead, Part 2 - Works in (sort of) Progress

Is it strange to be looking ahead when I have two sweaters in the super-active queue already?

The hot pink sweater came off the needles and went straight to the blocking boards Tuesday night which meant that a navy sweater got cast-on Wednesday evening.

I have vowed to get some WIPs taken care of in the new year. I start way too many sweater and then just abandon them. There's really no rhyme or reason to how this happens: both fingering and aran sweaters, both cardigans and pullovers, both plain and advanced, there's no rhyme or reason as to why one sweater gets started and finished almost without break and others spend years in the WIP pile.

My Fisher Queen WIP is in the lovely madelinetosh erin (which I hoard as a rule) in thoreau

and it is going to look excellent with my J. Crew cream colored wool mini skirt

and it's early to the waist of the body AND on super big needles! I have no excuse not to power through it.

Or how about the ubiquitous (in my social knitting circle) Grace? It's in one of my favorite colors, madelinetosh's brothers grimm (whose discontinuation god himself can't explain), will perfectly match one of my fave summer dresses from Anthropologie

and be amazing with nearly everything else I own (ok so I own several dresses from Anthro that will go well with a cardigan)

AND I solved my problem with the cardigan which is that I didn't like the plain shoulders next to the lace rest of it so mine has lace all over the yoke. It is also finished to around my waist.

There is no reason, I repeat no reason, why I don't have a finished Cocktail(Dress). I am making it in the phenomenally amazing Duck Duck Wool Singleton in metalware and this photograph DOES NOT DO THE YARN JUSTICE

because the yarn legit glows. To prevent attention from being drawn away from this awesomeness, I've used madelinetosh merino light in onyx and dirty panther, aka black and as dark as grey can be without being black, as the contrast colors. It's so friggin' cool. To say nothing of the fact that this is a wheelhouse dress like no other - I own at least 1 million pairs of shoes that would go with this (1 million might be a slight exaggeration, but I do own quite a number of shoes I can wear with this dress). Including, should they go on super duper extra holycrap sale, these eminently covetable (and seriously unaffordable) Gucci booties which, I assure you, look ridonkulous on.


On another tangent, do you ever find that while you love a designer, you haven't actually managed to knit any of her (or his) patterns? This is my monumental problem with Julia Trice (aka mindofwinter). I have stashed for her patterns, swatched for her patterns, and the closest I've come to knitting any of her patterns is the 3/4 of the yoke of Yukiya Pullover that sits in a pile with the other accusatory WIPs. And again, I couldn't be more fond of my yarn choices: I'm using various Buggas in grey, black, and red - so again, just my kinda thing. I think I'll don a cheapo black tank dress from H&M or Forever 21

(this is among the best 7-13 bucks you can spend - I own gobs of these cheap, disposable dresses which are totally camouflaged by a blazer and completely wonderful on the kinds of vacations I take - size up, this stuff is made for tweens - in fact, I took a break from writing this to purchase 5 more), and wear booties or knee-high boots.

I wasn't going to admit to all the WIPs I want to get through in 2015, but I think it will keep me honest, so here goes. I've had Cromarty on the needles since 2012 and despite the fact that I'm making it in a decidedly purple yarn,

no longer have the black pants it would go with (they were from Uniqlo and died a sad, though not wholly unexpected, death-by-hole), and really don't know when I will ever wear it, I feel compelled to finish it. This, realistically, might not get done in 2015.

The same cannot be said for Birchbark which I would happily have worn today with my flippy bcbgeneration skirt

and my riding boots

and which is going to make me so happy in this wonderful Polo & Co. neutral,

so why is it not already mine?!? I would also wear it with the jeans I need to buy from Old Navy

now that I know the secret to Old Navy jeans is to bring 10 pair of the same size into the dressing room and buy the one that actually fits because their quality control is shite.

And finally, 2015 will be a WIP success if Northdale becomes reality. I have a couple of inches knit and it's so much fun, but also tedious, time consuming, and not something I can do mindlessly. I also don't know what I'll wear it with, though guessing a navy skirt isn't the most ridiculous guess one could have.

I'd also like to say that there won't be a Part 3 of this series, but there will be, because we haven't tackled things I want for 2015 that I have managed not to cast on and abandon - and believe me, I have a list for that too.

It's Frickin Freezing, Mr. Bigglesworth

Sweater: Orchard Pullover by Nicole Montgomery; Bartlettyarns Glen Tweed in granite; my notes and modifications on Pink Lady
Skirt: bcbgeneration; similar styles at Club Monaco and by Joa
Socks: Delicious Knee Socks by Laura Chau, expertly knit by AJ aka glacierflame
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik boots; still kinda bummed by this year's classic black stiletto boot selection, however, if these go on more sale (say total price in the $300 neighborhood), I would feel good recommending them
Gloves: Cashmere-lined leather from a shop in Florence; buy a pair; heck, buy three Lips: Korres mango butter lipstick in nude PLUS Bobbi Brown high shimmer lip gloss in Hot

I was feeling pretty good on the drive to work. I had finally figured out that iTunes is so effing stupid that even though I definitely own the music and it's on my external hard drive (and has been synced to iTunes previously), iTunes doesn't believe I still own it once the external hard drive is turned off, so in order to get to that music, on goes the drive, transfer goes the iTunes, music goes to me. This allowed me to be cruising down the highway with Joe Cocker playing. Loudly. This was making me really happy until I saw the life I really wanted in the lane next to me. There was a simply gorgeous vintage Mercedes SL red convertible (top up, obviously) cruising along having a grand old time, and I realized that what I really wanted was to be listening to Joe Cocker in that car. I hope to all the gods in all the worlds that the man driving the car that should be mine wasn't listening to Miley Cyrus.

While I shouldn't be complaining about the cold as I will, personally, be temporarily unaffected by it starting Sunday when we travel to warmer climes to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving of walking on the beach, sipping daiquiris, and taunting the residents of underwaterland, I still hate the cold and BEG of the world's lovely warm locales to get something approximating a non-tourism economy and a Whole Foods so that I can move to you. The strange thing about this winter when compared with all the previous ones, is that I will actually spend very little of it outside. My garage is attached, I drive to and from work, and the only mandatory daily outside is the 50 yard walk from my car to the front door of my office. So I feel as though I will experience winter a bit differently this year. Which doesn't make me hate it less. Especially as no matter what, my toes always get cold. I don't know if you can really see the socks in the photo (it's dark out there), but they are delightful and come well over my knees and I am wearing them over socks and under boots and have been in my office now for 45 minutes...and my toes are still cold.

This yarn comes from Rhinebeck 2013 and while it is a touch itchy and I am unusually wearing a t-shirt under the sweater, it is definitely warm. Which is why I definitely bought more yarn from this company Rhinebeck 2014 (though I got their sportweight this year). While I think the cabled cuffs are pretty cool on the sweater, they are also a touch impractical because they make the arm opening amply large enough for cold air to blow in; however, the turtleneck permits no such incursions. Which owns. I don't know why more people haven't made this sweater as the cables are really nice and it's really really winter appropriate. With a couple of tweaks, this is a pretty perfect winter sweater. Go forth and knit!

Witchy Woman

Sweater: Idlewood by Cecily Glowik MacDonald; madelinetosh 80/10/10 worsted in venetian; my notes and modifications on Idle in St. Marks
Skirt: bcbgeneration "neoprene" pleated skirt (just saw it's on HauteLook today); similar style by Alythea
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik knee-high black boots; some others I've been eyeing include these rather reasonably priced suede ones from Joie which are also available in blue and burgundy (which I adore and want to try on), and these unreasonably priced onces from Gianvito Rossi
Gloves: black leather, elbow length, from a store in Florence; easily found stateside at places like Lord & Taylor
Lips: Korres mango butter lipstick in nude PLUS Bobbi Brown high shimmer lip gloss in Hot

So I don't really do Halloween, but that doesn't mean I can't end up with a totally crazy mashup outfit that's part witch and part ballerina, right? These tights, by the way, were billed as "nude" when I bought them, but when they arrived and were ballerina pink, I decied what the heck, they'll go with everything anyway! I went with black eyeliner and the severe ponytail (newsflash: still no haircut - maybe next weekend), and the black high boots and long gloves. Festive, no?

I have such mixed feelings about this sweater. I absolutely love it. I love the fit, I love the style, I love the color. The yarn...can you tell form the photo that it has not exactly held up as one would hope? I look like a fricking muppet in person because it is so pilly. Now the sweater is knit on huge needles so it would be really easy (ish) to just make another, but the thing is, while the pattern is easy and relatively quick, it is also objectively boring. It is miles and miles and miles of stockinette cowl and I just don't have it in me right now. Also, I don't have a substitute yarn and I definitely do not need to acquire more yarn.

On a housekeeping note: I received a gorgeous skein of yarn as part of a kickstarter reward that I mean to photograph and publicize. Apologies that this has not been done yet. Additionally, in a rare event, I intend to photograph a WIP because I am so darned pleased with the colorwork. Happy Halloween, everyone!

Just A Pop

Sweater: Grey Havens by Maria Olson; madelinetosh dk twist in chapterbook; my notes and modifications on The Precious
Skirt: bcbgeneration black pleated "neoprene"; early identical styles from T by Alexander Wang and Rachel Zoe
Shoes: Gucci alligator peep toes; similar style (and a great deal if you've got a big foot) by Giuseppe Zanotti and for all the feet by Stuart Weitzman whom I ordinarily do not recommend, but at this price the shoes are a good deal
Handbag: Bottega Veneta; similar-ish styles by Donney & Burke and whomever these people are being sold by Century 21, but the bag is leather and $100 is a fair price for a leather bag regardless of who made it
Lips: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in Aubergine N50 Nails: OPI for Sephora in Break A Legwarmer (discontinued, but available on ebay - I have a spare bottle for when this one runs out)

It's a beautiful day, I'm in a decent mood, so why such a drab and dark outfit? You know, I feel like grey and black get a bad rap. While I will be the first to admit that this particular outfit would have benefited immeasurably from less opaque tights (a problem that is going to be rectified asap since these were the least opaque pair in my drawer), I never understood why grey and black were automatically docked happy points. This nail polish, it makes me incredibly happy! It's a way to wear a non-traditional color without drawing unprofessional attention to one's self. I love that! Also, look how nice my smudged wine lipstick looks! And, of course, the elephant in the room also gets a bit of a boost: the purple bag. Not my choice, not my purchase, the bag was my mom's, and as I reached for my black bag this morning, a small voice inside me said, "go crazy - grab the purple bag," and I always listen to the voices in my head.

So let's talk about this outfit. The sweater was part of the Rhinebeck 2013 Let's All Wear The Same Sweaters extravaganza and was a slog and a half to get through mostly because it was bottom up and, as you can see, I fail at bottom up sizing. This sweater is too long. Not ridiculously so, but at least 1.5 fewer inches in the body and certainly 2 in the sleeves would have gone a long way. I do like the style and the buttons, I just don't like how it bunches up during the day because it's longer than what I normally wear. Like right now as I sit at my desk, I can grab four+ inches of sweater pooling up at my midsection. Attractive.

So enter the drop-pleated skirt.

I had wanted this skirt for almost two years. Or, rather, I had wanted the Alexander Wang version for two years (by the way, this would be a good time to mention (and solicit opinions on) yoox.com. I have only ordered from them once and what arrived did not enough resemble the photos or the quality I was expecting. This has led me to believe that yoox.com might be the J. Crew Factory of designer clothing - the stuff might be seconds or cheaper versions of what gets sold in stores, so buyer beware). But the Alexander Wang skirt had been over $200 and I did not have $200 to spend on a single skirt (nor do I often unless it is made of leather in which case I could be swayed - I am really lamenting my lack of a black leather pencil skirt this year, but haven't found one at a price I'm willing to pay that I really like). So when I saw this near perfect knockoff on Zappos for, I believe, about $50, I hit the buy button before you could blink. And I was overjoyed with what arrived in the mail. No, it's not actually neoprene, but it fits, it's cute, and it wasn't over $200. My husband also likes it as it gives the illusion of a rounded bottom where my actual bottom could balance a level easily. I am not flattered by pleats that start right at the waist, but I have discovered that pleats that start at or below my hipbones are amazingly awesome. More pleats, please!

Finally, these shoes are among my absolute faves. First of all, they were a sick deal. These shoes are actually made of a no-longer-alive alligator, and while that's sad for the alligator, it is divinely decadent for my tootsies. I found these on ebay in 2000 for approximately 17% of retail. In my size. From a seller with impeccable credentials. You see, back at the dawn of ebay, you could actually get a deal, an amazing deal. A sizable percentage of the fancy shoes I own came from ebay because of this. Things have changed as now there are tons of institutional sellers, but occasionally you can find a whiff of what once was. Anyway, these shoes always make my legs look good, always go with everything, and always look super duper expensive (because at some point in their life, they were). I recently retrieved them from the shoemaker who gave left vamp a bit of a patch: apparently having them solidly in the rotation throughout four seasons during 14 years can take its toll. I'm not 100% thrilled with the work they did and might get a second opinion, but the shoes themselves look pretty darned good for being such old broads. And I bring this up because while what I paid for them was a fraction of retail, it was still a fair amount for someone who had only just moved out of her parents' apartment; but they have paid dividends for 14 years and will continue to do so until they literally fall off my feet. It's why I so vehemently defend the idea of spending on shoes. They will last. And far longer than the pair you pick up at Steve Madden. Yes, I take my shoes in every year to get re-soled, re-heeled, and re-polished (if required - I don't do it for sport), but I would much rather spend the money doing that than buying a pair of plastic shoes that will disintegrate before the end of the season. Thus endeth the lecture.

Reinforcements

Sweater: Arielle by Kim Hargreaves; Tilli Thomas Voile de la Mer (discontinued) in Parchment; my noes and modifications on Jumping on the Arielle Bandwagon
Skirt: bcbgeneration; similar (very similar) styles by Rachel Zoe and Nasty Gal
Blazer: Armani Collezioni; similar styles by ASOS, Topshop, and Anne Klein
Shoes: Cesare Paciotti; other cage-style shoes from Ivanka Trump, Vince Camuto, and L.A.M.B, all reasonably priced by the way, though someone really ought to buy these so I don't have to (I simply cannot, the shoe budget has been blown for the rest of 2014, you'll see why in a couple of weeks)
Lips: Bobbi Brown Art Stick in Rose Brown

Always reinforce buttonbands.

Always.

See what happens when you don't? Even on a top that is too big (see waist bunching and whatever it is that's going on with those sleeves).

I should give this top away. I know I should. It looks sloppy and doesn't fit. But I love it. The color was perfect. It's really difficult to get a gold that looks natural and not sparkly, and I love this shade. It's actually one of my earlier knit pieces and I did it flat and seamed on teeny tiny needles. Which is why I'm in no hurry to make one that does fit even though I had the yarn (this time a pale peach). And I should have reinforced the button band, especially because the material is silk. Lesson learned? Perhaps. I don't know how much it costs to reinforce a button band, but I suspect it's more than $10, and I kind of hate the tailor I've used in town (he seems rather expensive and not all that thorough).

I originally was going to wear this with a black pencil skirt since I always wear this top with a black pencil skirt. I tried to shake things up by wearing it with my black pencil skirt that has a flounce, but that wasn't flying. So I tried the pleated skirt. The pleated skirt which is a pretty decent copy of an Alexander Wang skirt that I lusted after while simultaneously being unable to spend $300 on, both economically and philosophically, so was overjoyed when I discovered this one by the teen line of BCBG for less than 1/4 the price on sale. I wish they made more colors. Then I was confronted with a slightly drop-waisted effect given the length of the top. I thought I would hate this, but it's not so bad because the top ends where the pleats begin.



Then I got a little crazy (for a me definition of crazy) and chose the short blazer and it also miraculously worked with the look. The fun hem of the top peeks out beneath the cropped blazer and I dig that. A hand-me-down from my mother-in-law, I honestly don't see the difference between this fairly pricey blazer and my inexpensive ones, thus my recommendations for similar styles are all reasonably priced. The shoes were purchased on a lark and because:sale and I'm so glad I got them. They're different from every other pair I have an interesting without being over the top. I realized when I added them to this outfit that I was comfortable wearing them to work. My mother and I went to an exhibit at FIT last year on shoes and all the pairs on display were donated from people's personal closets. I realized that my own collection of footwear was almost uniformly safe. Yes there are color experiments, but the shapes of my shoes are fairly consistent and fairly traditional, and I have been actively looking at different shapes and compositions, perhaps not yet to buy, but to work into my idea of what makes a good shoe because eventually I'd like to have a more diverse collection. These shoes are a gateway drug of sorts.