heirloom tableware

Last month, I read in Elle Decoration about a couple who had inherited a set of Royal Copenhagen crockery and I thought that must be a wondrous thing to inherit. My favourite collection is blue fluted mega. It has such a great design story and was chosen by the Danish Crown Princess for her wedding. It is prohibitively expensive (I really mean it - one plate is over £100) but I was thinking that I could collect one piece a year and build up from there. Christmas dinner 2050 is gonna look goooood.

images via (from top): krisatomic; design council uk

tova pattern

Right about now, my little tova pattern will have set sail across the ocean from Brooklyn to Scotland. I'm so excited because I've always loved wiksten's tova shirt and can't wait to make one for myself. I haven't bought any fabric for it yet, but I like the idea of making a few versions - maybe a liberty tana lawn, a grey washed linen, a checked twill? And maybe a narrow wale cord for the dress version.

image via wikstenmade

reading 'a day with...'

I've been reading this blog and really enjoying their 'A Day With...' section. So many of my favourite artists and designers are featured here and it's inspiring to have a peak behind the scenes of their day-to-day lives.

image via the beat that my heart skipped

neest

Lots of pretty, pretty things at Neest (with an umlaut, but I don't know how to make one of those on my computer). A shop inspired by Scandanavian and Japanese living, based in Paris. Those are, like, my three favourite design cultures. Neest may just fill the gap in my life ever since (sigh) mieke willems closed shop. Her blog is beautiful too.

from top:

orchard necklace by titlee

wire basket by fog linen

swedish handmade wooden basket

linen teatowels by fog linen

(last three images via hello neest)

koigu

This post has just skipped the queue because I'm so frickin' excited about this sock yarn. I ordered it a couple of days ago from loop and it arrived this morning. It is GORGEOUS. The merino is very soft and the hand-painting is exquisite. I have never spent quite this much on wool before, so it is a total treat.

I also bought two circular needles so I can make toe-up socks, but I'm going to practise before I let myself loose on these bad boys.

apple tree blanket

I am in a knitting BUZZ right now. I'm feverish. So forgive me all the knitting posts - there are so many more to come!

I was just checking out the rowan website for their free patterns and I came across this one. I actually knitted this a few years ago for my nephew (when he was just a wee baba) and it is the loveliest pattern ever! You feel like a magician as you make these apple trees grow out of wool. If you have any excuse whatsoever to make this blanket, DO IT!

(or at least, download it and stick it in a 'maybes one day' pile)

image via rowan

old mill town

A couple of weeks ago, Stephen and I went to visit New Lanark. It's a 19th century model mill town that has been preserved as a heritage site. The owner of the mills was a social visionary and believed in looking after his workers. They were given reduced hours, free education, free healthcare, nurseries and childcare. You can visit the museum that will tell you all this, or you can skip the museum and just go on wikipedia, like I did. Bad, bad tourist.

We just walked about, went to the cafe and I bought some wool and useless objects at the shop (more on that to come). Then we went for a walk along the river to the falls of the Clyde. This wasn't part of our plan, but man am I glad we did it. The falls are breathtaking. They are sublime*. And roaringly loud. It was a pretty drizzly day, but then the sun came out and I was sure that there was going to a rainbow. I was hanging around for ages, hoping I could get an amazing photo, but it didn't happen. Then I pinched some heather and stuck it in my Barbour jacket, because I am SO country.

* I do not use this word lightly. At university, we had a whole lecture on the use of the word 'sublime' on my Romantics course. Waterfalls are about the only time you can use that word accurately. You certainly shouldn't use it to describe a chocolate bar.

groovin'

My niece and nephew are OBSESSED with Toy Story, so we were looking up trailers and clips on youtube for them to watch when we found these Ken videos. There's a whole bunch of 'Ken's Dating Tips' but I think this interview is the funniest.

sessun deserter

I am LOVING this coat!

I bought a sessun wool coat last autumn and it was totally worth it. I wore it non-stop. It's obviously still good to wear this year, but I'm looking for a parka to wear on those really rotten-weather days when you wish it was possible to walk in a sleeping bag out in the street. (I know you get those sleeping bags with legs now, but I still don't think it would be ok. Even if you had really great shoes.) I was holding out for an apc parka, but I reckon this one is just as nice and it's less expensive too. Win-win!

image via Sessun

lise bech

Lise Bech is my basket-making hero. She grew up in Denmark but now lives and works in Scotland, not very far from where I live. She grows her own willow and weaves these amazing, organic baskets. I have always wanted to take part in one of her workshops, but I always seem to find out about them too late! So I was excited to find this video of her experimenting with unusual varieties of willow. I love the way she leaves the flowery bits just sticking out. Ace.

images via papa stour and craftscotland

turkish cast on

I've just discovered patterns for 'toe-up' socks and I'm really keen to try them out. Apparently, the fit is better and they are seamless, so no clunky grafting at the end. However, you need to master a special cast-on technique that allows you to knit a closed toe, like the turkish cast on.

This is my first attempt at a turkish cast on. I think it looks good! I followed these brilliant instructions (so easy to follow) and ta-da! I have the beginnings of ... a tiny sock.

You're supposed to use two circular needles but I only have one, so I struggled by with a mixture of double point and circular needles - not recommended! I am now off to shop for some circular needles. Sigh, shopping + knitting = happy me.

salvaged pillowcases

I made these pillowcases from an old nightshirt I had. I bought it years ago from muji in hong kong because I loved the fabric - it's a soft, brushed cotton with woven stripes and diamonds -

but it wasn't very comfortable to wear in bed so it was always left at the bottom of the drawer. I was about to throw it out thinking 'what a shame, this would make lovely bedlinen' and then thought, 'HEY, I could cut it up and make a pillowcase! Maybe even two!'

Cutting it up was a little tricky - you have to negotiate seams and darts - but I got a few decent pieces of fabric eventually. I saved the buttons too. I used some plain white cotton to make the envelope closure and stitched them all together. I am a recycling queen.

toast's brown

This is my new favourite colour. When I saw the new toast for men catalogue, I was smitten with the cover. So pretty. Here are some more things in a similar shade (but called lots of different things) :

Doyle shorts by Sessun (in golden)

Franka cardigan by Hope (in oak)

Janne boot by Sessun (in cognac)

Duck bag by Baggu (in nutmeg)

Ruecastle tee by Aubin & Wills (in toffee)

recycled yarn

Rowan have introduced two recycled yarns into their eco-friendly Purelife range and I'm pretty excited about them. 'Renew' is made from recycled wool and comes in muted, tweedy colours and 'Revive' is made from a mix of silk, cotton and viscose that has been salvaged from clothing. Both have that flecked, space-dyed look that I'm beginning to really like (I used to be a no-nonsense solids only girl).

It would be great to knit some socks like these ones from Muji.

image via fly along

awkward family photos

I love this website. I could look at it all day.

happy crochet

This crochet cushion was my first 'new desk' project and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I made it for my bentwood stool, but it was really just an excuse to try out this crochet loop technique. I love the work of Renilde Depeuter and for ages I coveted the seat cushions she made for the miekewillems shop. But I missed out when the shop closed, so I thought I'd figure out how to make one for myself. You and me, Crochet Cushion - it's ON.

I started out with a flat spiral, which my friend Gillian taught me how to make. (She came to work one day with a crocheted beret and I immediately wanted one too, so she kindly shared her crochet wisdom.) Then I drew some design sketches and decided on a rainbow raindrop idea that I shamelessly stole from Renilde again - I'm sorry, she's just too good!

I experimented with different techniques to get the nubby texture of the original cushions. I finally settled on a sort of rag rug method but using crochet chains instead of lengths of fabric. Basically, I tied the yarn to the spiral base, chained 4, then crocheted back into the spiral base. This makes a short loop. Chain another 4, crochet back into the base, chain 4, crochet back, and so on. I kept the loops pretty close together to create a dense texture. I crocheted in all the raindrops first using left-over yarns and then filled in the background with a beautiful organic wool that I picked up in the Xmas sales.

As the cushion filled out, it got bigger and bigger and so it doesn't fit on the stool anymore, but apart from that, I love it. Pat on the back.

boooooooots

I am in need of a pair of sturdy autumn boots - a kind of 'town and country' boot that will withstand a daily trudge through wind and rain to work everyday without making me sweat. I have some Orla Kiely fur-lined wellies, but they are too hot and heavy to wear in town and I can't bring myself to buy another pair of wellingtons (although it would be lace-up Hunters if I did).

I had a pair pictured in my head - firm leather lace-ups, unfussy, a solid heel that can be repaired, ankle height so I can roll my trousers up if it rains (I HATE soggy trouser hems!) and black because it's chic and I always buy brown. I was quite proud of this picture because I'm pretty hopeless at knowing what I want, but this, I was sure, was IT.

Turns out that what I want is a pair of men's boots. Every time I found a pair - 'That's them! Right there, those ones! They're PERFECT!' - it was because I had drifted into the men's department. There are hundreds of great boots out there, exactly as I pictured, but they're just for MEN. Come on world, I know I have big feet, but this is just plain mean.

So the boots gathered above are the fruits of hard labour and they're not even right. I have resigned myself to making a compromise however, because it's that or waking up for the next few months with guaranteed nothing-to-wear syndrome.

Top left: My favourite - Margaret Howell handmade leather boots. I will not be buying these because they are £395.

Top right: The one that got away - Lucille boots by Timberland Boot Co. I will not be buying these because they are from last year and no longer available.

Bottom left: The compromise - Max boot, H by Hudson. I don't want to buy these because the sole is a bit flimsy and I'm not convinced of the quality, but they most closely fit the bill.

Bottom right: The impulse - NW3 Arches boot from Hobbs. Totally not what I'm looking for, SOOO don't care.