DIY INSPIRATION: ASOS Hand Knit Stripe Collar

via

via

These pictures of the knitted striped collar from ASOS have been sitting on my Pinterest board for a while, and I still haven't quite decided if I want to make it. I like how this knitted collar can serve the purpose of jazzing up a simple outfit while keeping my neck warm during winter. However, for some reason, I have this feeling that I might not like it as much after making it. 


For now, this will probably stay right at the bottom of my to-knit list. But for people who want to cast on right away, you can make your own using the free pattern available on Martha Stewart's website here.

For people who want to learn to knit, check out this website. I learnt to knit by watching the videos there.

DIY: Coffee Sleeve (inspired by Jimmy Choo)

Yes, I made the coffee cup sleeve that I talked about a while ago. I made it using just a small bit of the faux snakeskin that I have from an XL skirt I thrifted 2 years ago. That's the same fabric that I used to make my snakeskin and studded clutch. I don't exactly have a tutorial for this project, but I'll just share with everyone how I made it.

I cut the original sleeve that came with the tumbler, put it on a piece of paper, then traced the shape out and added about 0.5 cm to the ends. Then, using the paper pattern, I traced out the shape on my faux snakeskin fabric. 


Following that, I cut the faux snakeskin fabric and then sew the dotted ends together with a straight stitch. Finally, I trimmed the seam to make it short (as seen in the second picture) and used a zig-zag stitch to secure the seam. That's all!

♥

My re-usable and insulated tea tumbler will never be the same again. :) Also, I still have a bit of the faux snakeskin leftover! I wonder what else I can create with the leftover... 

Image of Jimmy Choo's Coffee Sleeves via here

Image of inspiration board created using Polyvore and can be seen here

Sydney Trip 2011 - Day Two

In case you missed it:
Sydney Trip 2011 - Day One


DAY TWO: Sydney Fish Market & Darling Harbour
Day 2 of the trip consisted of a scrumptious lunch at Sydney Fish Harbour and a long walk around the Darling Harbour

// Boater's hat, Bardot, $20 / Dress, Made by me / Bag, Sportsgirl, $15 //

From my friend's iPhone

From my friend's iPhone

Spoilt for choice at Sydney Fish Markets

Lunch

Seagulls

Mint and chocolate chip ice cream 

If you haven't noticed, the bottom of the label actually says, "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

Sewn: Polka Dot Rain Hat (inspired by Cath Kidston)

I am a big fan of Cath Kidston's designs and I've actually been eyeing the Cath Kidston Spot Rain Hat for several months, always 'umm-ing' and 'ah-ing' over whether I really should buy the hat. Firstly, I already have many hats. Secondly, I have a hat pattern in my pattern stash which I thrifted a while ago and I knew I could make a similar one if I had the right fabric. Then, the day came when I found a PVC polka dot fabric remnant in the remnant bin in Spotlight. It was just enough to make one hat! I can't even remember the cost. I think it was probably less than $2! Lucky~

Work in progress

Close-up of stitches. I had fun making the exterior stitches. No, that was not sarcasm.

Pattern: Simplicity 9135 (Hat No. 2)
Fabric: Polka dot PVC and royal blue cotton



The Simplicity 9135 hat pattern is really quite easy to sew. But unfortunately, it's a tad too big for my head. I didn't bother to alter the pattern to make it smaller for this project. I think I can make do with a big hat - for now. Perhaps I will resize the pattern when I make another hat with the same pattern... 

On a similar note, the weather here in Sydney has been bizarre. It's the middle of summer but there's no clear blue skies or the warm sunshine. The sky has mostly been crowded with dark heavy clouds that seem like they would burst into tears any moment. 


But honestly, I don't really care because I spend most of my days hiding away from the world in a clinic for my uni placement. Also, if I do go out on the weekends, I have a rain hat to chase those grey clouds away. 


xx.


Image credits: PuglyPixels, Pretty Poodle, ASOS

DIY INSPIRATION: Jimmy Choo's Coffee Sleeve

I don't drink coffee, but I can't leave home without a cup of Twinings tea in my re-usable coffee mug on days when I have classes in Uni. I'm honestly very tempted to make a similar coffee sleeve using some of the snakeskin fabric that I have leftover from this project. The best thing is, it'll probably take less than 5 mins with the cutting the and sewing!

Image of Jimmy Choo's Coffee Sleeves via here

Image of inspiration board created using Polyvore and can be seen here

SYDNEY TRIP 2011 - DAY ONE

Remember the last time when I said my friends came over to visit me in Sydney? We went to different places around Sydney together and I finally had the chance to show them my favourite places in Sydney. In the next few posts, I'll be showing everyone what I wore and what I did/ate with my friends in Sydney. :)


DAY ONE: Shopping at Parramatta Westfield

// Super long flowy shirt, Cotton On, $5 / Tank top, Cotton On, $5 / Denim shorts, Cotton On, $10 /  Black wedges, Rubi, $25, Black bucket bag, KMart, $5 //

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but almost everything I wore on that day was from Cotton On / Rubi shoes. I think I bought every single item when they were marked down from their original price. :)

Also, I have no idea why I was giggling in that manner when my friend took that photo. She must have said something funny. P.S.: In case you're curious, my eyes were open. 

Cat eyes. To be honest, it was my first time trying gel eyeliner.  

Lunch was Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese crepe from Mother's Crepe at Parramatta Westfield

This was taken by my friend using her iPhone. Yes, I bought that kimono look-alike thingy. Yes, it was $10.

Afternoon tea. Shopping really really uses a lot of energy.

After an entire day of shopping at Parramatta Westfield, we settled for a delicious dinner at Turkish restaurant, and then continued with more shopping at Burwood Westfield.

Turkish bread and dips. LOVE.

I wish I had photos of our shopping haul. But unfortunately, I do not. That's all for now. Stay tuned for more!

DIY: Knitted Sequined Collar

Right side

Wrong side

It's here, it's here!!! The pattern for my latest knitted creation is finally here:

THE KNITTED SEQUINED COLLAR 

Yarn: 1 ball of Moda Vera Ballroom yarn
Needles: 5.0mm
Gauge: I do not make swatches


Pattern:
(Please read the pattern very carefully before casting on! This is not a conventional written knitting pattern. If possible, try knitting the pattern using another yarn of a similar weight first. Believe me, frogging sequined yarn is a real pain in the arse.)

The picture above represents the knitted collar. 

The numbers represents the number of stitches and the lines represents where markers should be placed. For example, count 2 stitches from the beginning and place a marker.

The dots represents where a decrease should be made. For example, decreases should always be made AFTER the stitch marker on the left of the collar and BEFORE the stitch marker on the right of the collar. One dot represents 1 decrease and each decrease should be made as follows:

LEFT of the pattern: sl1, knit 1, psso
RIGHT of the pattern: knit, return, pass, return


Video examples of these decreases can be found here.

Summary: 
1 x Line = 1 x stitch marker

1 x Dot = 1 x decrease

1 x decrease on the left of the pattern = sl1, knit 1, psso

1 x decrease on the right of the pattern = knit, return, pass, return

Not all decreases occur at the same time, so read the pattern carefully! Ready? Here we go!
Cast on 180

Place stitch markers

Row 1 – 4: Knit

Row 5: Purl

Row 6: Knit all and decrease the RED dots.

Row 7: Purl

Repeat Rows 6 & 7 until the collar measures 5 cm from the beginning. End this repeat pattern with a purl row (i.e. Row 7)

Row 8: Knit all and decrease the RED & BLUE dots

Row 9: Purl

Repeat Rows 8 & 9 until the collar measures 6.5 cm from the beginning. End this repeat pattern with a purl row (i.e. Row 8)

Row 10: Knit all and decrease the RED, BLUE & GREEN dots

Row 11: Purl

Repeat Rows 10 & 11 until the collar fits your neck. I stopped when my collar measured 9cm from the beginning, but my neck is probably different from yours!

Cast off loosely. I used the cast off technique shown in this video. 

It is important that your cast off is loose! If not, the collar will fit very tightly around your neck!

Push all the sequins at the back to the front.

Block by pinning it in place and then hovering a steam iron over it for several minutes
Sew hooks.

You’re done! (n_n)

♥