crush: wool & the gang

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it's a celebration, alright. a knitting celebration, that is. wool and the gang is the raddest crew this side of knitta please. featuring designs from colette's former PR head nadege winter, WATG are reigniting yet another new wave of knitters with worldwide knitting parties like the most recent affair held at nyc squat-spot, popup bar. aimed primarily at the neoknitter, the gang offers kits for a capsule collection of chic and easy pieces. the cleverly named kits come with your color choice of chunky peruvian wool, wooden needles and pattern. designs include a slouchy beret, mini clutch with shoulder strap, modern boa, and more. these may not be the most original designs as far as we jaded knitters are concerned. but when you look at the whole package: the concept, branding, packaging and social networking aspect, it's definitely the koolest.

ode to rodarte

'member these? you can try to knit them yourself. or you can pick up a pair at the world's coolest supermarket. get 'em while they're hot!

happy earth day

honey, i gotta tell ya. the new earth day promo from anthropologie is the bees knees. of course, i am struck by the sheer creative genius of the concept. but even more than that, i can't imagine how someone actually rigged up all those little jars of golden goodness.

auf wiedersehen hansi

a dear friend, hansi, was laid to rest yesterday after a year-long struggle against brain cancer. born in hungary and raised in austria and bavaria, hansi was one of those larger-than-life characters. he was tall and handsome with a full head of white hair that would make guys half his age envious. he gave the best bear hugs in the world. he loved to be surrounded by his friends and his adoring partner sally. he was an expert skier, mountain biker, and tennis player and he would routinely out-ski, out-bike, and out-serve most of the young whippersnappers who idolized him. in a testament to the friendship and character of the man they loved, a group of friends performed this utterly poetic gesture.

they grabbed their ski gear and hiked up the face of our local mountain. despite bright sun and 60-degree temps, piles of snow remain, stubborn and hardy as hansi himself. when they reached the top, they filled a tupperware container with hansi's ski pass and other mementos of season's past. they took a moment to write out their thoughts about the big guy on pieces of paper they sealed inside in their time capsule before burying it at the summit.



then they leaned a ladder against a tall tree in the woods...



...and suspended hansi's ski boots from the highest branch...



...before taking their final run of the season, silently turning through the piles of snow and earth.

marc jacobs obi-sessed

today, i found the yarn equivalent of marc jacobs spring '09 collection: a metallic burst of shiny, lurex-y, electric color also known as ironstone paris nights and paris metallic. imagine the obi sash you could concoct out of this heavy metal.

economic recovery?

this cecily glowik mcdonald capelet from knitscene makes me so happy in an alice-in-wonderland, mackenzie-childs kind of way. and who couldn't use a little cheering up with all the doom and gloom going around these days. these two colors would not have been my first choice had they not been languishing in my stash. but in the name of economic recovery, i put them to work in this wrap. and pragmatism be damned, i tried it on with two different silky dresses i have, and the peacock blue and saffron don't feel at all like a frugal compromise.



the orchid wrap is just the right layer to get summer dresses off their lazy butts and back in business for spring's cooler temps. add a pair of dark booties to toughen up the look a bit and offset the lightness of the silky fabric. if it still feels too bare, just pull on a pair of dark tights and you're good to go. and remember how i thought i was losing my knitting mojo? let's just say i think i'm headed for an upturn.

more is more

check out this gorgeous curlicue excessory from string yarns. it's actually three scarves, each knit in a different width and length of luscious filatura di crosa superior. the idea is to wear them all together...brilliant! talk about a statement necklace. the floaty ruffles echo the detail i'm envisioning for the drapey vest.

style notebook: drapey racerback vest

this drapey silhouette is what i'm envisioning. in a silky metalic yarn. could be a racerback or halter style. the point is getting it skinny and long and fluttery enough to layer over flowy tunics, shorts and drapey tanks and the like.



here's another shorter version. i could imagine some stitch detail to mimic the texture of the beaded embellishment.

flowy, slouchy, shiny vest

i don't have a picture of it, but i can see it in my head. i want to knit one out of some drapey, shimmery, metallic yarn. it will be long and skinny and perfect over skinny jeans, summer dresses, sheer tunics, whatev.

chic on the street

fashionista's streetwalker for today is this adorable parisian woman decked out in suede and leather. i love how the slouchy crocheted beret adds a touch of softness to the look.

my dogs are barkin'

keep the pooch away from the real thing with this cunning
christian loubarkin chewtoy from colette france. if i were not deeply entrenched, entranced and enveloped in my entrelac capelet, i just might have to knit one of these for my little mackie.

hej amimono

just picked up this beautifully edited collection from danish designer helga isegar. the silhouettes are fashion-forward but decidedly understated. this is one of the first books i've picked up in a long time that got my heart racing. i could see the design above in floaty kidsilk haze. one of my friends told me a LYS carries isegar's yarn collection, but i haven't seen it. something tells me i will...and soon.