Lulu Bliss

Some Finished Items!

Despite the lack of new Lulu Bliss Patterns lately, I have been working on a few personal items and have a couple to show you.  The first one up is just perfect for the warm weather we have been having, my second Sorbetto top.  If you haven't guessed by now, my favorite color combo is aqua and red (must be 'cause I got married in it)!  So I wanted to make a fun summer top with those colors:

I do fill out the top a bit more than my dress form, so the bust doesn't look weird on me.  The only change to the pattern I made was to pivot the bust dart down, so it starts at the waist and ends just under the bust (I have heard that this type of dart is called a french dart).  If you have never pivoted a dart, don't be scared... It is a fun and easy way to change the look of a garment.  I think Gertie does a great job explaining how to do this in her tutorial.   This top will go great with the package I received today:

My birthday clogs have arrived!  I was so excited to get them and they fit great, so please ignore the pasty legs and lack of pedicure.  I seem to be in between Lotta from Stockholm's sizes, so I ordered a size 38.  If I ever order a closed toe pair of clogs from Lotta, then I think I would go up to a size 39.  I do think there will be more clogs purchased from Lotta.  

I also have been doing a bit of knitting.  When I am working on something for myself and not writing a pattern, I love me some mindless knitting.  The Phiaro Scarf fit the bill, I didn't follow the pattern really, even though I own it.  But I read what others have to say about the scarf on Ravelry and sort of did my own thing.  Biggest difference is that mine is a cowl and not a scarf or wrap, it is a lot narrower too.  I had some random balls of yarn in my stash that I thought looked good together so there you go.  You can't really tell, but I alternated between two different yarns for each round, so it is technically striped.  If you would like more notes about yarn and modifications made check out this project in my notebook on Ravelry.  

 

Introducing... The Pixie Sticks Scarf!

The best new is that this is a free download!  YIPPEE!  To download this pattern you can click on: Download.  It is also available on Ravelry and Craftsy as a free download.

I wanted to use up some random vintage yarn that I had laying around and came up with this simple but fab scarf ,that is perfect for spring.  The diagonal stripes reminded me of the straws that are used for Pixy Stix, so now my scarf had a name.  The yarn used in the sample isn't available, but you can use any lace weight yarn.  I am sure it would also look nice worked up in fingering (sock) weight yarn too.  If stripes aren't your thing, you could alway make a solid version.  For a solid version you would need about 340 yards of lace weight yarn.  Basically, play around, try different things and have fun with this pattern!

Happy Spring and happy Friday.

Vintage Scarf Love

It isn't a secret, as I am sure most of you know, that I love almost all things vintage.  Scarves are a big one for me, I started collecting them back in high school and haven't really stopped since.  Scarves are one of the first things I scout out when we are thrift shopping.  I am drawn to the color, design and fabric of those vintage beauties.  I thought I would share a few with you today.  

This first one, has to be one of my all time favorites!  I found this years ago in an antique mall, and had to have it (hello, my favorite colors and one of my favorite cities), but $10 seemed steep to me at the time.  I am used to keeping my vintage scarf purchases under $5.  I am so glad I bought it.  It is in perfect condition and was designed by Tammis Keefe.  When I bought this I had no idea who Tammis Keefe was, but loved her style.  I have learned from years of thrifting, go with your gut and that is what I did with this one.  

Here is another Tammis Keefe scarf that I bought more recently (and knowing who she was).  It is in such sad shape and isn't wearable, but I couldn't pass up a scarf with dogs all over it.  It was so cheap, that I had to give it a good home.

This one I don't remember where or when I picked it up, but I couldn't let a scarf with little ballerinas all over it go to another home.  It isn't a signed, so I have no idea whe designed it, but it makes me smile.

Here are some links if you would like to see more of Tammis Keefe:

Flickr Pool

Bio and lots of images

Tribute

How-To - Polka Spot Loop

As promised... Here is a quick and easy how-to for tying your Polka Spot Scarf into a loop.  I wore the scarf like this at Stitches and folks kept asking how I did it.  I was getting too warm while working and wearing my Polka Spot scarf in the more traditional way, wrapped a couple times around my neck, this option allowed me to comfortably wear my scarf all day.  It is a great option for extending the wear of a woolen scarf into spring or fall. 

1. Wrap one pointy end of the scarf around your neck, with the wider section of the scarf in front of you.

 

2. Repeat with the other pointy end.  Adjust to the length you want by overlapping the pointy ends more or less.

 

3. Tuck one pointy end under the scarf.

 

4. Wrap the pointy end entirely around the scarf.

 

5. Then tuck the pointy end under the wrap to form the tie.  Repeat Steps 3 through 5 on the other side.

 

Taa-daa!  You now have a great looking looped scarf, that adds a pop of color, without all the heat.  

 

How-To - Trixie Cowl Twist

While I was at Stitches West, many people asked how to create the twist in the Trixie Cowl, like in the above image.  This was one of the most popular questions, so I thought I would post a few images on how to acheive that twisted look.  

 

1.  Fold the loop of the cowl in half lengthwise, it will want to do this automatically due to the i-cord.  Place the folded cowl over your head with one of the change in color and/or texture joins at your back neck and the i-cord edge towards the inside of the loop.

 

2. Place one side over the other to form half of the twist.

 

3. Repeat Step 2 so that the cowl is twisted on itself one full rotation, each of the different textured sides will be on the same side as they were pre-twist.

 

4. Place the second join over your head and viola, you now have a twist in your Trixie Cowl!

 

Check back next week for a fun and different way to tie the Polka Spot Scarf.  This was the second most question I was asked at Stitches.