I suspect that after I finish my move at the end of the month I’ll be able to settle in and start working on some of the sewing and knitting projects that I’ve been wishing I could work on for a while now.

Until then….

- I spent the winter knitting a sweater from navy blue merino wool yarn. It’s almost all put together and I don’t like it. I’ll take pictures of the pieces and then take it apart. It’s the only thing I knit all winter.

-Why is it that as the weather gets warmer I’m getting slightly more inspired to knit? Seems a bit out of order.

-I’m working on a sweater for another book project. It’s due at the end of April.

- I went to Oakland,CA last weekend for a wedding. It was my first time to the Bay Area and it was cold.  I was not pleased by this discovery. The wedding was wonderful though and I was able to see some old friends from NC.  I also saw the Golden Gate Bridge and got cupcakes.(I’ll do a cupcake chronicle’s update in a few days.)

-I wish for a new digital camera. I live in denial about the capabilities of my camera phone. Please see above pics for actual proof. Plus I have no pictures from the wedding b/c they all came out blurry. I have a digital camera which is actually pretty good but it’s too big to carry around on a daily basis. Someone please send me a camera fairy.

Anyway… on Sunday I had to stop in to pick up some things for my father and stumbled upon the opening day of Liberty of London at Target .  I became aware of Liberty of London a few years back as a hybrid department store with a lot of items from their own brand.  Kind of like an upscale Target.  (My bad. I was misinformed. It’s a high end department store.) One of their signatures is their floral prints.  Interesting but not really my thing.

There was a lot of hype surrounding this collaboration between LoL & Target so I took a few stealthy camera phone pics to chronicle what I saw.

I only made it to 2 pics before I lost the desire to take more.  Here’s the thing…  LoL prints, in my opinion only, are a weird cross between Laura Ashley floral sweetness
and a bad psychedelic acid trip

After 2 pics, I was either A.) tired of looking at the prints B.) realized I was too old for the actual cuts/styles & color combos of the clothing, or that C.) the fabrics & dyes are of a much lesser quality than the LoL fabrics that go for $25-35/yard at the fabric stores. I do think the prints & colors were better served in the housewares section.

If you get a chance, stop by Target and take a look for yourself.  It may be your thing.  If not, then can always stock up on the fun $2 knee-high socks like the ones my sister bought me.

I’m in my quirky phase right now. Just an FYI.  Much inspired by my recent obsession with

My Life As Liz

and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

I’d really like the shirt but I don’t heart the $98 price tag for a t-shirt. No t-shirt should cost that much.

I LOVE the color (you know I’m a big fan of color) and forsee some sherbet-y goodness in my wardrobe’s future. I’ sooooo ready for spring right now.

I see a  little colorblocking and shape-inspired knits in my future too!

And just because I love her, I’m throwing in this pic of Liya Kebede.

Many of the coats in this collection remind me of straight-jackets which I find intriguing yet off-putting at the same time.

And on a random note…have you noticed that the sun is out a longer these days? Well maybe not if you live in the southern hemisphere of the earth, but you get what I’m saying.  Spring is coming! I can feel it.  Are you ready!?!?!

Earlier in January I had the chance to sit down with someone that I consider a fashion mentor. She is the person that I interned under and taught me everything I know when it comes to knitwear design & manufacturing for the fashion industry. She shared with me that she was starting her own fashion line and that if I had the time she would like me to help out. Needless to say I said YES!!!

So for the past couple of weeks I have dedicated my free time to helping a truly great design team create what is now known as “Act.1: art+craft” by Sally Wu.

Let me start by saying that fashion and fashion shows are not all glamour and lights. The43 is A LOT of hard work…tons of running the streets, getting fabric, cutting, sewing, sewing on labels & buttons, etc. And the amount of dedicated people it takes to make it happen is key. Sally had the fortune of being surrounded by a great group of supportive and hard working people.

On Wednesday February 17, Sally Wu presented her line of 20+ looks at the Chamber Fine Art Gallery to a crowd of over 200 people.

These are just a few of the looks that she presented. (You can see more pics in my Fall 10 Fashion Week Flickr Set)

The premise of Sally’s design concept for this line was to create pieces with hand-crafted details through the use of different textured fabrics/knits in a color palette that included black, creme/nude, and burgundy.

I was able to lend my skills  in hand-knits to help craft the scarf and vests made in tulle. Both styles were made with strips of tulle, large needles, and a varied stitch pattern that was very organic and in the moment.

I am glad I had the opportunity to be an intern and help with this line and hope to do more in the future.

Thanks Sally!

I have about 11 fashion blogs on my list of daily reads. But having been on them frequently during Fashion Week I’ve noticed that all but 3 of them have the same exact content, at the same exact time of day.  It’s as if one major news outlet writes a story and then the blogs read it,  re-write it, and publish it.  And when it comes down to, that’s what 1/2 the blogs really are……plagarized content holders without original thought or opinion.

So this is why I don’t publish posts alot. When it comes down to it, I don’t see the point in just repeating things you can read elsewhere.  I want to impart me own voice in my own space otherwise I don’t see the point.  At the very least blogs provide a stage to have your own voice otherwise you are just as meaningless as a chain email. And we all know how much everyone hates those.

And on a related side note… this is why I like Tavi. For all the controversy that a teenage-fashion-wonderkid can generate, I like to read her blog because she’s quirky, cute, has her own voice, and the time to make collages, which is a luxury you can only afford in your youth when you don’t have to worry about work & bills.

So I ask …..what blogs do you read and how interesting do you think their point of view is? I need to update my list of daily reads.