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Thanks to Ravelry, I found a link to a brilliant tutorial on how to turn handdyed tops into a beautiful gradient spin! Digitalnabi has beautifully explained and photographed how to do it, and the end result is STUNNING! I will definitely be taking some of my hand dyed tops to the carders to do just this! I’m about to tell you about my secret clothing heaven. As we speak I am a ‘plus’ size girl. I’m also a short girl. Off the rack clothes that I enjoy wearing doesn’t really happen often. But I must dress, so I do the best I can. My mother introduced me to a place that I have come to love. It’s a factory store in the backstreets of Meadowbank, NSW. It’s called Studio 10. I love this place! Their range has everything from teenie size 6 evening glam, to voluptuous 26 office wear. They definitely have something for everyone! (Even some menswear!) Now, being a factory store, it can be a bit hit and miss. Thankfully every time I have gone shopping there, I’ve walked away a very happy camper. I’ve found everyday comfy black dress pants, shirts and tops, and on my most recent trip… a waistcoat! I love waistcoats. Takes me back to my teens It may not always have what you’re looking for, but when you can pick up 4 tops, 1 shirt, 2 cami’s and a waist coat (that would otherwise retail for $370) for $80, there’s really not much complaining to be done. While they’re not necessarily my ideal wardrobe, they look good and fit my current lifestyle. As I lose weight, my wardrobe will change too. Very little needs to be done to them too. One needs buttons replaced and another needs minor sewing done to improve the fit. All in all I’m happy with my cross season shirts/tops. Yay for new clothes! 
For some reason I get the urge to ‘Spring Clean’ in Autumn. Whether it’s I’m too busy in Spring enjoying the warming weather, or just that Autumn represents the coming of the ‘close in’ of Winter that I want to do it before it’s too cold to leave doors/windows open. Maybe I just find the early days of Autumn more refreshing? I love Autumn! I think it would have to be my favourite season. The air is crisper, it gets dark at appropriate times of the evening, and there’s no pollen flying through the air to aggravate my hayfever. I also get the chance to don my knitted items that I’ve been working on through the year. I’m hoping to get a couple more done before it gets cold though. Not that Sydney gets THAT cold, but it’s all relative to what you’re used to, isn’t it? But right now I have the decluttering urge. I really just want to throw out everything that isn’t useful, beautiful or loved. This means dragging out the shredder for all that awful paper waste that needs to be recycled, flipping mattresses, and donating clothes that don’t fit or get worn to the local church charity bin. This year I also want to move things around. The storage in our house is not being used to its fullest potential, nor is the space. So that’s my challenge for this year. Cupboards that I want to shift to more appropriate locations, maximising floor space and putting things in better places for use. How does this fit in with my adding a little vintage into the Grrl? Well, to put it simply, there will be more time for moi if the household ‘flow’ is more streamlined and works for me, rather than me working for it. It will also help me clear both physical space, and head space for creating my ideal wardrobe and environment. I also have curtains to sew and other decor items to make/fix. BRING IT ON! It all starts today with my reorganising my desk/work area. It’s cluttered with old bills, books, knitting, computer game boxes, dress patterns and other miscellaneous items. So I’m off to grab a big box and a garbage bag. Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go!!! ACS, or Australian Country Spinners, is an Australian wool mill that both manufacture and import yarns that are branded Patons, Cleckheaton, Panda and Shephard. Seasons come, trends change and there are yarns that only last a cycle or two, while others remain part of the ’standard’ range. However, when a new yarn is brought in that is missing from the Australian marketplace (or in this case, two), you’d think that not only would they saturate the market to pull customers away from other brands, they would also bring the yarn into the ’standard’ range. The two yarns I’m speaking of are Patons Merino Deluxe DK and Cleckheaton Country Silk. Merino Deluxe DK is a machine washable merino wool that is has a very soft, next to the skin feel. Good for babies items too as it’s machine washable. The construction made it a very ’round’ yarn, with great stitch definition and a decent colour range. It also dyes brilliantly! The only yarn readily available in yarn stores that would be similar is Filatura di Crosa Zara, which RRP’s for about $3 more per ball than the Merino Deluxe DK did. Country Silk was similar to Country, with the addition of some silk. This gave the yarn lustre, a little texture and a whole lot of depth, as silk dyes differently to wool. Was a good hard yarn (similar to Country) with a little added luxury. While not great for next to the skin, it knitted up beautifully. It was special, I don’t know of another yarn like it. Instead, THIS winter, we are greeted with Patons yarns called “FiFi”, “Frou Frou”, “Fireworks”, “Frazzle”, “Foxy” and “Frost”. Only 3 have any semblance of any natural fibres, while the rest is acrylic & nylon. I know there are knitters who like sparkly yarns, or things that bear resemblance to furry puppets… I am not one of these knitters. I like a smooth yarn that is soft and wears well. There are other new yarns that might just be ok. Dreamtime has been extended into 8ply, and Inca now has an 8ply version too. Fingers crossed the Dreamtime is machine washable, as you wouldn’t be able to tell by the website, as there are no care instructions there. I am upset, and have emailed ACS to that effect. Have I heard back after 2 days? No. Am I happy? Definitely not. I picked up a sample of this a little while ago, and I’m finally getting around to using it (Bad Tia!). It goes on very smoothly, and takes little ‘rubbing’ in for it to spread well, and doesn’t go white and streaky. Once on, it doesn’t have a greasy feel, like a lot of sunscreens have. The smell is pleasant, if not a little soapy. But there is no weight to it. I am going without makeup today, but I think that it would work very well under makeup as there is no feel to it. I would like to try the spray on for a body sunscreen, as I think it would be much easier for application. I have a severe case of Castonitis. I seem to be reaching for new yarn and needles constantly. I now have 4 active WIP’s! Socks, Shawl & 2 hats. It’s only by sheer will power that I’m not casting on some mitts, let me tell you! I have some yarn on the wheel, which will be some Ballet style slippers for me. Perfect for gliding around before bed and first thing in the morning. All I need is a goregous house-coat… but I won’t be knitting that! I have a big fibre swap coming up next weekend, so I’m frantically getting my true ‘excess’ fibre bagged or carded for swap or sell. There’s not a lot I want to bring back with me, quite honestly. One of the fleeces I have is gorgeous, but will be a lot of prep work. I think I’ll be dealing with small amounts at a time, as it will need to be washed, picked and carded. It’s a superfine (17mic) so I’m going to have to be careful with it. But quite frankly, if it ends up being more trouble than it’s worth, I will just get rid of it. As pretty as the colour and crimp is, I just don’t have the time to deal with that much cleaning. I knew it was end-grubby, but apparantly it’s just grubby.. But I’ll commit do dealing with a whole half kilo before I make a decision. Other than that, the new wheel is ever closer. I can’t wait until I get it.. Just a little catch up. I have successfully worn makeup at least 5 days out of 7 for the past month. I like to give my skin a breathe, or if I plan on getting sweaty or dirty, I don’t bother, but will face up once I’ve showered afterwards. I’m enjoying my CoverGirl foundation, and the eyeshadows are proving to be very versatile. I’m not getting as much wear out of the lip stain as I thought I would. I really just prefer to throw on a lipstick it seems, and my current ‘every day’ fave is a Natio Lipstick in Spring. I’d like to find the Rush too, just to see it’s potential as a great red. The red in my hair is fading, so I think while the colour works, it just isn’t holding. I think I’ll be needing a rinse refresh at around 3-4 weeks for the red factor. So I picked one up and I’ll throw that in tomorrow. I’m playing with a few semi-sets, and pinning techniques at the moment, to best take advantage of my natural curl, and the length of my hair. It’s above my shoulders, and there is a huge hole in “how to’s” for shorter vintage hair. So maybe I’ll get a couple of things mastered and do a couple of tutorials myself.
I’ve started back at dance classes on Tuesday nights with Issy. It’s been good to get back and get my face seen around again. Probably won’t start up social outings until after Easter, but it’s good to see some of the old faces at class, too. Not much happening on the clothing front. I’m dealing with wardrobe the best I can with what I have. I did pick up a new pattern for a plain winter dress. Nothing fancy, just something that will be easy to make, and easy to wear. I hope to get a fitting for that done before it gets too cold, because that takes the longest. It’s not a very ‘vintage’ dress (well.. it could be channeling some 70’s vibes), but it will be comfortable, stylish and a dress… Also, now that it’s starting to cool down on the occasional day, I’m going to get my walking shoes back on and start hitting that pavement! I really enjoy walking by myself, with music or an audio book, just getting out there and not having to think about … well, anything. That’s pretty much it, really. I love OPI colours! I really do! Vibrant and something for every mood. ACK. While there are some polishes I prefer a little sheer (french mani pink for example), I really prefer a two coat maximum in a colour for a solid. I’m just in a mood, because i love the colour, but am narked at the amount I have to use.. The Mister, of all people, alerted me to this segment that was on the Today Morning Show this morning. This is not a new debate. Melbourne Fashion Blogger, Super Kawaii Mama, delved into this subject last September from the point of view that it only matters if you make it matter. What gets me, is that there are some mothers paying a consultant $150 an hour to find out what they “should” wear!! Really? $150?? Surely there are better things to be spending your money on? Like a new pair of shoes?? (tongue in cheek there) Apparantly there are only three pigeon holed groups you can belong to. The chic & stylish “Yummy” mummy, the crisp & smart “Sporty” mummy, or the Tracky Dacker “Slummy” mummy… C’mon.. are we in high school here? Surely at our age we should be beyond “I look, like, SOOOO much hotter than… y’know.. you”. If you want to get glammed in the morning, do it … FOR YOURSELF… if you just aren’t able to pull anything together and love your jeans/trackies and comfy Tee .. DO IT! Who cares what you’re wearing? I don’t care what you’re wearing .. I have enough to worry about caring about what I dress my family in. One thing that I haven’t blogged about so far on my journey is about clothes and the like. Mainly because I haven’t started re-populating it yet. Why? Because it can be an expensive exercise, or at the very least, a time consuming one. I’m not a fashion blogger, I’m certainly in no position to be. I’m overweight, and under supply in the fashion department. I do tend to prefer to maky my own clothes, but I’m not really doing any of that at the moment, due to the fact that THIS size isn’t what I want to dress. So I’m satisfying myself with my makeup, hair and nails until such a time as I want to start actively working on what I’m wearing. So what is “my preferred style”? Well, I’m a little ecclectic, but I have a Polyvore set that will help you see the things I really like. Can be anything from cute and funky, to elegant black tie. Everything that I love does have a vintage feel or twist to it though.
All a bit different, and I love them all. There are more in my Polyvore set, Why don’t I dress like this now? Because it doesn’t look any good on me right now. And I would feel like proverbial mutton if I tried to pull anything like this off at the moment. I will get my opportunity to dress the way I want, just not yet. But that’s ok. When I start reaching the weight/size that I am feeling I could be happy with, then I’ll whip out the machine and get cracking on some new looks. But for right now, I wear what I have, and I make the best of what I’ve got. |
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Not that it’s ordered yet, but soon! YAY!
