I've moved!

I've starting blogging at www.wovenghost.com. It's a sewing blog with a heavy dose of TV and pop culture.

Have I been tromping around in $800 shoes without knowing it?

I was at work this morning when I discovered that my favourite pair of vintage shoes had an old price tag stuck to the sole.

Let's take a closer look at that. 

$795.00?!  Have I been tromping around in $800 shoes without knowing it? They are very nice shoes, made in Italy from thin, soft, grass-green leather. I bought them in a Commercial Drive vintage store for $40 a couple years ago. $40 seemed like a lot of money for vintage shoes at the time, but the colour was  vibrant and they were really comfortable. Also, they looked almost unworn.

Can these shoes possibly have cost $795 at some some point? Judging by the quality of the shoes, I think it's really unlikely that the price was $7.95. I assume from the shape and colour that they were made in the '80s. I wonder what $795.00 works out to with inflation?

I googled the words in the label: CREAZONI CAPRICE VENEZIA. The only thing I found was this site, which describes an Italian shoe company specializing in sandals. Run through Google translate, it states "The company was founded in 1954 in Castellammare di Stabia (Naples), the work of Catello Farriciello, by embodying the dream to realize in his hometown that he had learned over the years on the island of Capri, or the famous "Capri Style"." I don't understand what this means, exactly, and I don't know if this is the same company or not. If you know anything about this company, tweet me or leave a comment!

Now I feel even worse for letting them get chewed up by the Vancouver pavement. I'm still going to wear them with my $40 H&M dress tonight, but I'm going to walk a little more carefully.  If these shoes actually cost that much, that makes them by far the most expensive wearable item I own.

Update! A friend pointed out that several other countries use the dollar sign ($), and that the price might be 795 lira or pesos or Brazilian reals. This makes a lot more sense than 795 dollars, given that 1) designer shoes used to cost a lot less (according to Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline) and 2) these shoes are nice but not THAT nice, you know?

Doily Torture

Fashion school has begun once again!  Yesterday, our design instructor reminded us that we don't live in a fashion centre: "Students in New York can buy any fabric or trim they want! You guys can't!"

What she meant was: we should think about making our own interesting fabrics if we want to create competitive work.  

So tonight I am playing with fabric dye in dollar-store spray bottles.

I'm torturing some doilies that I bought in Kelowna when I was visiting my parents. I want them to look motley and distressed, like rotting leafs or ruined petticoats.

These are the wrong sides of the doilies. The bottoms look more dramatic than the tops--something to remember for next time. I plan to use them as garment embellishments. Unless they look like mould when they dry. Maybe I should have used a jewel tone or flouro colour instead?

This knitted doily looks especially mouldy:

I also dyed my hands grey. 

Non-Ugly Crochet Sweater: Done!

 I finished my first crocheted sweater!

It's made with Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, which has a nice tweedy raw-silk texture. The pattern is Spirals, by Doris Chan. It was a shockingly easy project and I'm really pleased with the fit. The pattern calls for a larger than usual hook, and the loose gauge makes the fabric extra elastic and drapey. I added some waist shaping to make the fit more feminine, but I think it would look cute with straight sides, especially if you keep the sleeves T-shirt length. 

For some reason, my dad was especially taken with this sweater. He really liked how the spirals wind across the shirt in an unbroken line. 

Because it's crochet, it only took two weeks to make (and I only worked on it every couple of days). I'm eagerly awaiting fall and sweater weather so I can wear it out in the world!

Questions of Crochet Style

In my previous post, I wrote about buying a Doris Chan corchet pattern and trying to make a "non-ugly crocheted sweater." I kind of knew that someone would take me to task for that generalization! It's inaccurate to say that all crochet is ugly. Some of it is really very pretty, especially when your work with its natural strengths, instead of trying to force it to act like knitting. But there is a lot of crochet that's ungainly (or dated). Even Doris Chan felt this way at one point.

I went though this period of thinking crochet really sucks, because the yarns I had to work with, the tools I had to work with and the designs that were out there just weren't good for me, for my shape and my aesthetic.

(From a 2006 interview in Crochet Insider).

Chan mentions aesthetic, and it's important to remember that all judgement are steeped in personal preference. I'm wary of crochet because it makes me think of the following styles:

1) Beachy

2) Romantic

3) 70s

4) Hippie

While these are all fine styles, none of them really appeal to me. I'm famously unbeachy. I burn instead of tanning, I'm a poor swimmer, and I have a low tolerance for lying around in the sand doing nothing. As for romantic, well, I think I've only worn ruffles twice. I'm no Gothic Lolita! Like most people born in the early 80s, I did go through a hippie/70s phase at a teenager. I even owned a white crochet vest! I moved on, retaining a fondness for making my own bath and hair products but little else.

I still feel a lot of affection for granny squares and 70s afghans, but I don't want to cover my person in them, like Cate Blanchett does below. (Well, that's only partly true. I love wrapping myself in a blanket and then shuffling around the house, but not for fashion reasons).

I've been searching Ravelry for crochet patterns that are more my style. You've already seen Doris Chan's Spirals -- here are a few more patterns that I found appealing. 

 

1) Sunny Cascading Shrug by Kathy A. Clark (cardigan)
This single-button cardigan has an interesting high-low hem, and from a distance the lace looks like broderie Anglaise.

2) Claudine by Mon Souk (collar)
The stand-alone collars trend continues into fall 2012. This version, made out of tiny crocheted circles, is particularly pretty. Making it in a solid colour plays down the twee, but I'm charmed by this mix of greys and gold. Unfortunately, the pattern is only available as part of a collection.

3) Lazy Days of Summer (T-shirt)
Yes, this t-shirt has summery festival vibe, which I'm normally not drawn to. But I love the lace raglan sleeves. This would be adorable worn over a sleeveless, empire-waist sundress. Free pattern if you create a login.

 

1) Anthurium by Kristen TenDyke (red jacket)
Instead of using a solid crochet stitch, the designer of this double-breasted jacket used something much prettier. It reminds me of two knitting patterns that I also like: the Melrose Peacoat and Audrey in Unst.

2) Alpaca Natural Tunic by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd) (dress)
I love an empire waist (and I love layering). This simple dress could be styled in many interesting ways. This pattern is free.

3) PlayPlaid by Doris Chan / DCJ
This blanket pattern creates an interesting Buffalo plaid that I've never seen before.


I want to leave off with one more quote from that 2006 interview with Doris Chan. Apparently, her personal style is very different than her design aesthetic:

I don't wear lace.  I'm still the kid who's pulling the bow out of her hair.  I wouldn't wear a skirt if my life depended on it.  I dress in jeans and sweats.  My personal wardrobe aesthetic is very different from my design aesthetic.  Most crochet designers are women, but a lot of fashion designers are men and they don't wear their own clothes.  My garment design aesthetic is for crochet publication.

Knitting stamps

Look at these beautiful 2011 Swedish stamps, designed by Else Friis. I love their accuracy, and how they reflect modern and traditional knitting. According to this stamp journal, Friis is a knitter, and has trained and worked as a costume designer in the past.


 
Originally found on http://greenpeugeot.tumblr.com/, where my friend Dory posts lots of good things. 

Summer Stash Experiment: Spiral Sweater

So this is what I'm working on right now:

 

Right now, it looks like the top of one of those Peek Frean cookies. 

 

But it's actually the yoke of a seamless, top-down sweater. A crocheted sweater.

When I told my friend Leone that I was trying to crochet a sweater that wasn't ugly, she replied that no such thing existed. Of course, both of us know that crochet lace can be really pretty, especially when the lace is very delicate. But crocheted garments that are made of more yarn than holes can easily turn out stiff, boxy and ugly. "Plain" crochet creates a thicker fabric than plain knitting, and the fabric will have less drape as well. Leone and I have spent a fair amount of time looking at crochet pattern and despairing.

So you're probably wondering -- what convinced me to even try this fool's errand?

 

Doris Chan's Spirals Seamless Crochet Top.

Seriously, go look at all the projects on Ravelry, especially this one. They look pretty good, right?

While the design is fairly simple, the pattern is 30 pages long. It's stuffed with detailed instructions, tips and charts. Chan describes it as a "master class." She also refers to it as a "collection" of tops, since there are instructions for multiple versions with different lengths, shapes and sleeves. I am very grateful for all this information because I'm not the most experienced crocheter. I've made lots of amigurumis and mittens, but that's about it!

Doris Chan is a force in the world of crochet, and has created plenty of non-ugly designs. I first became aware of her when I found her book Everyday Crochet, and was moved to review it even though I wasn't making crochet garments at the time. She's since then, she's only become more popular. 

I am feeling really optimistic about this project! I'm using some Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool (DK, silk, wool and nylon) from my stash (recently, I've decided that I'm allowed to do whatever I want with my stash yarn). The yarn has good drape because of the silk content, and a tweedy flecked texture that I hope will downplay the big stitches.
 
I only have four skeins, and I've used up one, so I guess I'm 25% finished the sweater! I think the rest of it will come together quickly, so I'll update you soon.