Lest You Think There's Been No Crafting...

I have been crafting up a storm this summer although none of the last four things I've made go toward my stash-busting goal.  I will post photos soon-ish of the aforementioned items (for the dying-of-curiosity types - a shawl, a tunic, a hat, and a cuff).

I've also been biking as much as possible for everyday transportation, and over the course of my travels, it's become clear to me that I could really use a purse-like thing that straps to my bike, either like a pannier to the rear rack, a trunk (also on rear rack), or on the handlebars.  Sometimes I just don't feel like wearing a backpack or constantly readjusting the straps of some bag I'm wearing.  So I started searching for something that might fit the bill and not break the bank.

My favourite thus far is the Logan Trunk bag from Po Campo

But there's a problem.  It's made in China.  This is actually a real issue for me (and often saves me money - hah!).  It seems like it might've been made in the US at one time, and I've emailed the company to see why they moved overseas (okay, I know why, but I feel that by asking them they know that it can affect whether an individual buys their product).  Even though they give a bicycle to a schoolgirl in Africa for every 25 bikes they sell, I'm not sure it's enough to sway me.  Maybe I need to come up with some kind of matrix of pros and cons around manufacturing issues.

Then, the ladyfriend comes home from the mechanic today and I learn we have $3,000 worth of repairs looming in the not-too-distant future, which actually means we have to buy a new car.  Suddenly the relatively reasonable price of the Logan Trunk bag feels unnecessarily expensive.

Enter craft!  I found this Amy Butler pattern (for free!) online, and I think I can modify it to work on my bike.  I'll add a shoulder strap (pattern includes this) as well as straps to secure it to the rack or my handlebars (will decide on that as I sew).

I've made other Amy Butler bags (High Street Messenger bag as well as her yoga mat bag), and they can be a bit involved (the messenger bag was quite the experience, but I love it and use it all the time).  I have some oilcloth although I'm not sure I have enough for this.  Worse comes to worse, I'll Scotchguard (remember that?!) the fabric so I can use what I have in my stash as opposed to buying more fabric.

I will say, deciding to make it myself means more time and the possibility that it might never happen (hey, I'm being realistic), but I have the pattern and the desire.  Hopefully I'll find the time and energy to follow through.

Christmas List Entry 1

Okay, I have a few things in mind, but this one is just blowing it (my mind, that is)!

I found out about it on Kate Davies's lovely and amazing blog.  (You may recall I sent her a "Get Well Soon" card, which she actually received.)  Anyway, this is a collaboration with yes, a shepherd, a shearer, and two knitting pattern authors (of which Kate is one).  I'm afraid my description of the project (oh, you know how I love projects) will not do it justice, but not only does it entail knitting up a good "working" sweater (read: not a frou-frou luxury yarn one - which I still love by the way), but some of the profits from the project will go to establish scholarships to help other women become sheep shearers.   It is definitely what I'd call a "nose-to-tail" knitting project, and I want in.

The question is - can I wait and see if it somehow materializes beneath my yet-to-be-found-and-cut-down Christmas tree (makes it sound like we're going to steal it, but we're not), or do I reward myself for my hard work this year (hah!)?  (Needless to say, this flies in the face of the no new crafting materials pledge, but c'mon.)

Cute & Graphic

This Anthropologie dress is really cute and looks infinitely wearable.  It plays into the graphic, photo-based prints seen on the runway but at far less the investment.  It's also made in the USA.  I try to be conscious of where things are made; not in a xenophobic way, but in a way that considers labour conditions, price-to-production cost ratio (granted, I don't have exact figures), and construction.

Sure, I'd love a Jil Sander t-shirt...

... but I'd like a pied-a-terre in NYC as well.  This Anthropolgie dress could be the sartorial version of my visits to the city.

I'll be posting my projects/possible purchases for spring/summer soon.  There's far more that I'll be making (or finishing) than buying, which is a good thing given my recent post on my budget.  Of course, I'm curious - what's on your wishlist?

A Sense of Accomplishment

This past weekend I ended up replicating efforts on a couple of recipes (one of which will be documented soon in a guest post on Recipes for Trouble).  One of the projects that didn't require an automatic "do-over" was this sweater that I started way back in November.  The sweater has, in fact, been knit in its entirety for months now, but I have a habit of procrastinating on the sewing together.  This weekend was the perfect time for it - do a little sewing, engage in something else, weave in a few ends, make lunch.  And then, I had a new sweater!

I found the pattern via Ralvery and used some yarn I'd gotten in a sweater kit.  The buttons are from a stash of vintage ones I inherited via the ladyfriend.

I think it'll have great utility.  It swings out a little and is thick enough to act as a jacket.  On a budget?  Get crafty!

Reality Check (Not in the Mail)

Sometimes I forget, and I guess you can't blame me for forgetting because my closet might indicate otherwise.

I forget that I am on a budget and that I can't really take advantage of my hunting & gathering skills without taking into consideration said budget.  This became painfully clear to me today as I checked my bank balance.  It is only the 11th of the month, and I feel pretty broke.  Now,  this feeling is not new to me; however, I'd fallen in love with something, something Vivienne Westwood, and I'd just about convinced myself that a) I couldn't let such a find go, and b) I could afford it.

Better Late than Never?

Ever feel like you're late to the party?  Yesterday I discovered Wardrobe Re*Fashion, a site where people pledge (you know how much I love pledges, promises, & challenges) to abstain from buying any new clothing for a set period of time (2, 4, or 6 months or for life (!)) and instead refashion/recraft/recycle existing items (or used items in general).  It sounded perfect for a girl like me who is on a deep budget and has often turned to retail therapy for help. (Imagine if I'd been able to go shopping yesterday - that post would never have happened!)

Of course, it's all over now.  The blogmistress has ended it, which makes me sad.  I wasn't quite ready to bite the bullet (it is coming up on holiday party season after all), but I have my finger on the trigger (just to continue the gun metaphor).  For example, yesterday I put a couple of darts in the jacket/top of my father's old fatigues and am planning on doing a little beading on it as well.  I'm also considering all the alterations I can make to an oversized cashmere sweater from Value Village (my low-cost shrink) now that I'm rocking my serger.

Nonetheless, the blog will stay up, and you can see all the craftiness that is out there.  Anyone know of similar sites that are still operational?  Maybe I can just be fashionably late this time.

Bonus Shoe

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm dickin' around the internet when I really should be packing, but look what I found!

Are these Trippen shoes cool or what?  Cool and made by "my people" - the Germans.  Of course!  I found them at gravity pope where you can check out more views of them.   Hmm, time to see if I can squeak some pennies to save out of my weekly budget.

Expanded Ventures

I finally feel like I'm in a good groove for the new season and semester.  There's a lot I want to accomplish, and there are a lot of things that I'm working on simultaneously like finishing my short story collection, paying down my debts (while still finding ways to do the things I like to do), and meeting my obligations.

Not that this is new, but I'm on a budget.  We're trying to go to Berlin in 2013, and our goal is to be debt-free when we go.  The budget has been challenging; however, on the best days, I treat it like a new way to be crafty because to live happily on a budget you have to be crafty.

Some of the ways I've cut costs as well as added funding have been:  playing hockey only once a week (instead of twice), reimagining my existing wardrobe (new combos and so forth), doing an "energy exchange" for my yoga classes, selling stuff on ebay (my user name is "hopespringseternal"), and working one day a week at the Melissa (read a recent review here).  Here I am in front of the store last December:

I'm really excited to be working there.  It started as a way to help my friend out, and now it's become (even before my first day in the shop) another creative outlet for me - dressing for retail!  Yes, everything is an opportunity for a new way to look at your wardrobe.  I'm sensing a lot of hats for this one.

In other areas - I'm less than two weeks away from the marathon in San Francisco.  I ran 21.5 miles last week, and it made me feel good about the whole thing.  I'm in the lovely tapering phase right now; my runs are getting shorter in preparation.  I'm still nervous, but I've taken pressure off myself by just focusing on the run itself and not my time or any of those other concerns.  Plus, I get to see 'the boy' (aka our son), which is worth crawling the entire thing.

And prep is another theme for me right now.  Not to make your eyes roll, but I am thinking about the upcoming December holidays.  As someone who tries to make the majority of her gifts, I need to make a plan so that I don't spend all of December in the "craftory" - the craft factory.  Prep is a way to maintain holiday sanity as well.

All in all, everything feels pretty good.  I hope I can find ways to expand that feeling throughout the upcoming months and beyond.

Crafty and All That It Entails

For me, crafty is an excellent word because it emcompasses so many areas.  The area in which I am currently trying hardest to be crafty (and heretofore has not necessarily been a crafty area) is money.  Yes, I know, times are hard, the economy is struggling, jobs are being cut etcetera etcetera, and I'm not saying that in a blase way.  I'm saying it because those are the ways people try to make it sound like it's nothing new, that everyone is doing it, a way for them to negate your attempts.  I'm not sure I believe that. (I really wanted to "buy" that, but I'm on a budget.)

Nonetheless, I am shopping my own closet so far bringing back at least one, if not two, vintage Jil Sander suits, and a long black leather Banana Republic skirt.  I'm looking at the September issues of magazines and seeing what interests and inspires me.  Of course, as a curvy girl who knits, I'm loving the return of the sweater girl look - full skirts and fitted pullovers.

A problem with being crafty is often thinking "Oh, I could make that," so I rarely buy sweaters anymore and will often turn away from a dress or skirt I think I could make.  The problem is not with thinking one can make that, but believing one will make that within the time one wants to wear it.  For example, on my "Projects List" is a glitter t-shirt, which was to be my version of a Meadham Kirchhoff t-shirt from S/S10:

I'd say I was maybe halfway through.  I'm almost done with the lining and then should be able to whip up (hah!) the top layer, but hey, it's September already.  Guess it'll look great next spring as well...

I've already knit my contribution to the chunky cabled sock look and thankfully already have some sweaters that will do work quite nicely this fall.  However, there are plenty of free patterns on Ravelry, like these two, that definitely echo what we're seeing in our magazines if you're feeling crafty.  (Please note, knitting is not a cheap hobby.  Really.  Sometimes it is less expensive to buy the sweater, or you could do as I have - thrift a knit sweater in a suitable weight, unravel it, and harvest the yarn!)

Wishbone sweater published in Berroco

Shauna sweater published by Louet

I'm looking forward to finding even more ways to be crafty this fall.   I'll keep you posted.