Trousers, Shirt, Vest, Tie

Well it has been another hectic week of property searching. We still haven't found anything. Although we did find a really run-down old house that was built in the mid-1800's. It must have been lovely at one time but it was a wreck. And by wreck I mean it had no floors (you could literally see directly into the basement from where the first floor should have been) and you could also see outside through the gaps in the walls. The roof was sagging too. We might actually have considered it as a summer get-away project if we hadn't discovered the island it is on is slated to have over 30 windturbines put up, some of which will be almost right next door. I'm a little concerned about the health effects of anything that hasn't been proven safe, so we must continue our search elsewhere. I must admit, I'm getting awfully tired of being in a car for 10 hours every other day while looking for property. 

It has still been pretty cool most days, so my outfits have been more or less the same. Wide leg trousers, shirt, vest, tie. 

Close up of my favourite tie. It's vintage-ish and 100% silk.
I wear it most days although I do have several other ties. 

That's All.

Peter Pan Party Frock (1920's)

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Lately

Yikes!  Where has the time gone? I was absolutely shocked when I looked at a calender today. 

So just what have I been up to? Well property hunting mainly. I just got back from a trip to Kingston/Brockville to explore the area and look at a few places. We haven't found anything yet but fingers crossed we do soon.

The barn on one of the properties. It was a lovely property but needed a lot of work. And by a "lot of work"
I mean it needed a house.... and maybe a driveway so that you could actually get to the house (rather
than walking for 10 minutes up a small path.)

I have also been doing my usual cooking and baking. I just finished baking an apple pie (I bought a fancy apple peeler/corer/slicer and just had to try it out!). I've also been making a lot of vegetarian soups.

Carrot, Parsnip, and White Bean soup

My little garden is starting to come together. This year I'm planting mint, catnip, swiss chard, and a few different lettuces. Those were partly chosen as they will all be harvested before we move.

I know, it looks like a bunch of sticks in the ground and weeds.  But those sticks are the beginning of a fence to
 keep out  the (evil) squirrels that will dig up just about anything.  Not eat, just dig up. And I am allowing the weeds
 to be there.  It is my first experiment with permaculture gardening. 

I also just completed my first ball of "real" yarn! I've been experimenting with spinning my own yarn and have finally got the technique down. At the moment I am just using a drop spindle, but my dad may built me a spinning wheel for my birthday if he buys a new saw. I dyed the yarn with Kool-Aid and it came out as a soft purple, which I am calling "purple heather". The photos don't really show the true colour, but it is gorgeous in person! It's going to be socks. 

The yarn drying in my room. I had to rewash it afterwards to get some of the kinks out
since it didn't have enough tension on it while drying. 

That's All.

Marcel Waves

I have finally posted another YouTube video!

While I like my new webcam, I think the clarity is a little too good. I had to re-film this video after a technical glitch, and re-waving my hair caused a fair number of fly-aways. Note to self: buy more pomade! Nevertheless, I think it turned out pretty good in the end. Let me know if you have any suggestions/requests for more videos. 

That's All. 

Knitting Night

The more I wear vintage-style clothes the more I love them. I have recently shifted away from "real" vintage to pieces I've sewn myself. For example, I now have a number of blouses made from 1940's patterns (such as the one I'm wearing below). While I truly love vintage pieces, I find it more practical to wear clothing I don't need to worry about as much. I get rather over protective of my real vintage and it does make it less enjoyable to wear on a daily basis. Me-made clothing allows me to wear the styles I want, without worrying about staining or tearing them. It also means I can get exactly the outfit I want, as finding 20s/30s day-wear can be difficult and expensive (especially for poor recent graduates). 

I wore my new 1940's style blouse for my weekly knitting night with Britt. We have started knitting in coffee shops once a week, and have plans to try and get other knitters to join us. Britt just finished knitting a toy-mouse to practise her fair-isle skills. I'm working on socks (as my portable project. I have a number of other projects at home) done on two needles. I'm not a fan of double-pointed needles so I knit my socks flat then sew them up. I especially love this construction method because it makes it easy to knit two socks at once.

That's All.

How to Make Your Dressing Table Attractive (1929)

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New Boots

 I spent a lovely day today in Bobcaygeon with my mother and grandmother. We had a great time and did a good bit of shopping. My big purchase for the day was a pair of nice rubber boots. They are technically a birthday gift but I am getting them now so I can wear them in the spring (instead of waiting until June). They have a warm, fuzzy lining and a corset-like detail at the back. I plan on getting some satin ribbon to coordinate with my spring coat. I just had to go for a walk in the woods to try them out when we arrived home. Oh boy, was it chilly outside! 

That's All. 

Clara Cloche

Hey everyone. My (relatively new) laptop unfortunately died and has been sent away from repairs, so I will not be able to post much until I get it back. However, I did manage to finish my latest hat pattern before it broke. Introducing the Clara Cloche:

The pattern is now available in my Etsy store for only $3.  And as a bonus for my blog readers, use the coupon code NEWPATTERN to get 25% off your next pattern purchase (this includes any pattern in my shop). 

I hope everyone is having a great week and I will be back to blogging as soon as possible. 

That's All.