d.i.y.-er's block?

i'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to knitting, sewing, etc. right now.  i guess partially because i can't afford the fabric/yarn/supplies i need to make the things i want?  i have tons of patterns, sewing books, and i even scored some sewing/pattern books while i was in japan.  i was also trying to get rid of a bunch of my yarn so i could get new yarn that i would actually use, but that is proving to be extremely difficult.

i'm just not feeling the doctor who sweater right now, it's being too much of a pain in the ass.  and i was thinking of using my blue velvet big wool to make a twinkle cardigan, but i'm having trouble deciding which one to make, and if i'd be able to fit a very dark blue cardigan into my almost entirely black wardrobe.  right now it's between the best friend cardigan (left) and the vineyard potter's cardigan (right), but i'm concerned about bulky knits and, y'know, actually having breasts.

there are so many things i want to sew as well!  i have plenty of vogue, simplicity, etc. patterns but i really wanted to show off some scans from those japanese pattern books.

this one is from "hooray!  dresses and tunics," which has tons of cute patterns but i ended up only feeling like scanning this one:

so cute!  and pockets!  pockets are always important.  there's also a really great wrap coat/jacket pattern in this book, but it's hard to really see the construction of it in the photo.

these are from a magazine called FEMALE, i have the summer issue of course, since i was there in may, but i can't wait to order the fall issue.  this magazine is a bit more "trendy" i suppose, but you could make practically an entire wardrobe from just one issue, and i think it was something like 840 yen.

 (this said "sherbet color" but my scanner cut it off!)

there are way too many great designs to scan them all, but it was definitely a great find.  a lot of japanese sewing books have that sort of "art teacher" vibe, if you know what i mean, and it was really cool to find a sewing book geared towards girls around my age.

and these last few are from "yoshiko tsukiori's easy cute straight stitch sewing," and it looks like it'd be a lot of fun to make some of these, just for the instant gratification factor.  almost every pattern in the book is based upon simple square shapes.

my scanner decided to change what it was doing to the images for those last two.  anyway, how adorable is that model???  and the construction of the second garment is just so interesting.  also, i'm a huge sucker for those harem pants that haven't seemed to go out of style yet in some asian countries.

i've been making sketches too, i just have so many ideas and no cash.  i mean absolutely no cash, not even enough to go fabric-hunting at thrift stores.  i have a job interview on tuesday, though, so hopefully my cash situation changes and i can make stuff!

blue velvet

so, ok, i'm starting to give up on being able to sell or trade most of my yarn.  and i have a whole bunch of rowan big wool in the "blue velvet" colorway which makes me not want to part with it because, well...

but i pretty much only wear black.  dark blue and black don't really go together, right?  am i right on this one?  despite my generally uncanny ability to put colors together exactly the right way, and to be wearing the "next big thing" two years before it becomes the "next big thing," i still sometimes have trouble telling if things are okay to put together, or whether or not things are well...  stupid.

for example:

i think this dress is hella rad.  i mean it's a pretty classic cut and it's cute and i like how the oversized skull print makes it...  unbalanced.  and then i want to find similar fabric and make my own.  but then i have to wonder, is it stupid?  i guess it's always about how you wear it.  but some clothing items/designs are just inherently stupid-looking (in my opinion) and it would take someone who is way better at fashion than me to make it look good.  i mean, i like to be "trendy" sometimes, but i'm generally more interested in clothing my mom says "will never go out of style."  which is important, but sometimes i also want to be 22 and wear things that are maybe kind of stupid.

anyway, back to the point, i don't know, should i go ahead and make some ridiculous twinkle cardigan out of my blue velvet big wool?  could i work it into my almost entirely black wardrobe?  what do you think, dear readers?

i am the worst blogger ever probably

hey, really erratic posting, cool

so i am trying to start my doctor who sweater because i need something to do but i keep getting frustrated and ripping it apart.  it's been so long since i've actually knitted something that my knitting skills are rusty...  i couldn't even remember how to do long-tail cast-on...  :\

i guess chalk that one up to "brain problemz" maybe?

whatever.  i've also always sucked at knitting swatches before i start something because i get too excited about the thing i'm going to make and get bored with trying to swatch, which is bad when you're kind of inventing your own pattern (doctor who sweater).  and, i mean, i like lion cotton-ease, but it's kind of a pain in the ass and likes to get all splitty on me.  probably because i'm using smaller-than-recommended needles because i want a slightly...  sturdier?...  knit, and the cotton-ease likes to get all stretchy and drapey and grows like hell.

anyway, here is a super myspace-y picture my partner took of me.  they are so much taller than me that the angle of the photos they take always turns out weird no matter how hard they try.  anyway, this is what i wore today.

(cardigan: j crew  dress: h&m  tights: tutuanna (japan)  heels: aldo  sunglasses: ray-ban [prescription].)

womp womp.  also i cut my own fringe with embroidery scissors which was a really terrible and also a really incredible idea.  it was all up in my eyes ok and i am way too broke for a real haircut.  check out my way super overgrown raised beds.  yes.

til next time...