Fabric Back Wraps

Kate modelling the fabric back wraps for me:






And the Square Snap Scarf - we couldn't resist getting a couple of girl on a car pics in!



I have also added a Craft Victoria link on the side - I will be dropping some pieces in there later this week.

A Few Ways to Wear II

The Square Snap Scarf:

around neck

knotted around neck, snap in front corner as a little feature

around shoulders

as a top (knot or pin at back)

as a turban

I've been busy making these scarves. I hope to drop some into a couple of different shops and put some in my online store soon!

Square Snap Scarf

I showed a Summer version of this scarf previously, but here is the Winter version I have been working on (wool for Winter and cotton for Summer). I'm really excited about this scarf. I've been wearing it around and have found many different ways to wear it (will do a post on this soon). I also gave one to the Rayman to wear, to see if it would work for guys too. He gave me the thumbs up (but he may be biased - I will find more boys to try it out on). I'll be dropping some in to Bahamonde soon, but also have another appointment with a potential new stockist in the next few days...

New Ruffles

I'm thrilled that the Ruffle Scarves have been selling through my bricks and mortar stockist. Here are some new colours I've made up for them, which I will deliver in the next couple of days.

Perfect Day

Today I worked on a small order I had for some ruffle scarves. I have to admit that I have been a bit scared of production - doing things in quantity and repetition. But today, I had my cup of tea, my cat huddled between me and the heater, the Juan Maclean, Friendly Fires, The Presets and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs going and the winter sun was streaming through the window... and I thought, there's something really nice in having worked through something and gotten it to a point where you know what you're doing. And I suddenly had that feeling that even though it was a very ordinary day, everything was suddenly perfect.

New Wraps and Summer Scarves

I've made four new wraps with wool panels. The fabrics are a mix of french fabric (traditionally used for upholstery, but I love the heavy texture and weight of them), japanese cotton and also silk. They have hand stitch detail and definitely all one offs! Here are a few quick pics, but I'll post more later.

And some summer weight scarves coming too. I've been wearing this around and am really happy with the style.

Embroidery Italian Fashion

I missed out on this book in the shops but after much hunting, found a copy on ebay.

I love ebay. I love embroidery.

At The Mill

Today I had an appointment at a knitting mill to talk about how to start getting my pieces made up. It was completely inspiring; the possibilities are endless, and what I do in say, 45 minutes, can be done on these machines in 3 minutes.

There are things that can be done on machine and not by hand, but also the opposite is true. It would be nice to use a mix of the two.

I got really good feedback on my samples, which I was so happy about, and also heaps and heaps of invaluable advice.

This is a typical knitting machine:


No old ladies with needles here!


Linkers - a typical way of joining different knit sections together. We had to use these in class, and believe me, it's not easy!

And in Fluoro

A Few Ways to Wear

Random Daily Stuff

Drove out to the country on the weekend to pick up another mannequin I found on ebay. Had fun dressing it up - it's so tiny, like a size 6 on the smallest settings.

Trying to decide what fabrics to use on the new wraps. I had some beautiful pieces in mind, but after I washed them the shrinkage made them slightly too small for the pattern piece. Back to the drawing board.

Half of one made up.


And splashed out on some grosgrain with poppers stitched on.

My Shop is Open

This week is another turning point for me. Last Friday I left my day job to concentrate on Primoeza full time. After more than five years of studying and working and then another six months working to get this off the ground, I feel like it's finally taking flight and I have the tiniest bit of lift off. I'm far, very far away from making an income from knitting (oh boy, I never even know that would be on my list of things to do), but thanks to my extremely supportive friends and the Rayman's utter confidence in me, it felt like the right time to take the plunge.

It's been an eye opener to see how much work is involved in setting up a small label. I only have eight scarves in my shop to start with (and one has sold), so make that seven, but every step and decision has to be made consciously until I've developed experience and a visual vocabulary for myself.

For example, my main activity of late has been photographing the scarves. My computer is overrun with photos of scarves. My thought process was something like:

ok, so I should style the scarves on a plain white background so people can see them for what they are

I don't like the way that looks. I should put it on the mannequin - and outside in natural light - oh, it's turned out a bit dark

I need to show the detail

what the hem looks like

and the swing tag

actually, maybe I should do them indoors, what if it's raining the next time want to take photos? Indoor is more convenient, and the colours look warmer.

Oh, and what if i put them through the poladroid processing? Cool! But then people can't tell the true colour...

I have this beautiful fabric I borrowed from my (ex) work, maybe I could use that as a background? Should I style it like this?

And on it went, and multiply by eight.
I won't bore you further with Virgo neuroses, but you can see the final decision here.

Dries Van Noten Men's SS 2010

Love the palette and mix of fabrics at the latest Dries men's collection.

Nikki Gabriel Pop Up Shop

If you haven't seen Nikki's beautiful work before (or even if you have), this pop up shop will be a treat!

Saturday Night Art