It's not just old ladies who knit

Perhaps some of you remember that I have been knitting a lot during the past six months. Those who don't, well, I love knitting. I learnt to knit when I was about 8 years old and I have been knitting on and off ever since. I started knitting again last September and the pullover in the pictures is the end result.

I must say, I'm extremely proud of myself. Last time it took me over a year to finish a scarf (that ended up being way too wide so I made it an almost perfect square) and I still haven't finished the pair of socks I've been knitting for D. (one sock is almost done, one more to go) This time, it took me about six months to finish the pullover. I didn't knit all the time and there were periods of time when I was knitting other things but in the end, I finished it. Definitely makes me appreciate all those pullovers my grandmother has made me.

The pullover is truly perfect for these cold days. It's 100% wool, no synthetic fibres and it's obvious. It's so warm and soft, it doesn't itch and while it's warm enough to keep me from freezing in -15 degrees, it doesn't get too warm indoors either. I'll definitely be bringing this to NL next time I visit, finally a pullover to last me through those winds. The only downside is the fluffiness of the wool.

I love the look of the pullover too. I chose a more lively yarn on purpose, because this being the first pullover I have ever knitted, there were bound to be some minor mistakes and thanks to the yarn, it's not that visible. The model of the pullover is actually meant for men, but I wanted it to hang a little lose and add some laid-back fishermen sort of vibe to my wardrobe. I can combine the pullover with pretty much anything from dresses and skirts to jogging pants and it looks great.

The pullover required almost 6 balls of yarn (each 100 grams) so it cost me about 80 euros in total. (excluding the pins) Can't know for certain but I think that in total I spent well over 50 hours knitting. It was a lot of work and a lot time but the result is a quality pullover that should last for years to come. Not to sound too devout but it did teach me the value of handmade garments and traditional skills. A well-made piece of clothing that has been made using high quality materials does cost you more but you won't be disappointed. Clothes should be an investment and you should pay more attention the quality than what it says on the label.

Quality over quantity.

Other related posts:

30 pieces will do for your wardrobe

How to make the most out of fast fashion

Fast fashion

The girl from the land of a thousand lakes

Knitting inspiration

Pearls & lace

My knitted scarf WIP

It's all in the details

Details of an outfit I wore a few weeks ago.

30 pieces will do for your wardrobe

Click below to see the rest!

How to make the most out of fast fashion?

vintage laundry machine ad, closet, cotton, measuring tape, inspiration scrapbook, credit cards

Changing your shopping style isn’t easy. You might want to invest on more durable pieces but you are lacking some wardrobe essentials while your budget is tight. Let’s face it, these are hard times budget-wise. Luckily there are a few tips I can share with you, to help you make the most of fast fashion and your budget. These tips will also take you a few steps closer to having the wardrobe that perfectly reflects your personal style.

Know your wardrobe

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately the case often is that people have no idea what their closet has swallowed. I am currently in the lucky position that I only have a certain amount of clothes in my closet: the clothes I brought from Finland and the clothes I have bought since so it was very easy for me to sort out the contents of my wardrobe. (although my project is only half-way done, my wardrobe in Finland still awaits me)

But for those who haven’t quite gotten there yet I recommend cleaning out your closet. Make a list of what you have, take pictures of everything and sort out the clothes you like. Pay attention to the clothes you love, how do they look, how do they feel, what kind of clothes fit your style and body etc. Donate away the clothes you don’t want to see in your closet, or if you are blessed with enough storage space, store them away. In a few years those clothes might be the ‘it’ thing once again.

Gather inspiration

This is the fun part. I currently have an inspiration folder on my computer, and as I browse blogs and websites, I gather pictures there. Pinterest is also a valuable tool for this. 

Pay attention to what catches your eye. Colors, shapes, combinations etc. This should help you to figure out your own personal style, as long as you concentrate on the things you would wear yourself on everyday basis.

Make a shopping list

If you made a list (and took pictures) of the contents of your closet, this list will be a lot easier to make. What clothes do you already have? What clothes do you still need to finish off your perfect wardrobe? List them.

Note that this list isn’t the “groceries for the week” kind of shopping list. This is a long-term shopping list, unless you are lucky enough to have a limitless budget.

Figure out your budget

On which items are you going to skimp and which are investments? My advice is to invest on timeless classics that fit your style and skimp on the things that update your style to the latest trends. This is also a good time to consider where you are going to go shopping. Does it have to be a fast fashion store? Are you feeling up to some second-hand shopping? Do you have any friends in your size with the perfect sense of style? They might be interest in cleaning out their closets as well. Or do you have to buy it pre-made at all? Maybe your DIY-skills are good enough for making it yourself...

Do your research

Instead of rushing into the closest Zara or H&M, I advice you to take a look around, online or in person. See if anything catches your eye and see if that something is on your list. (don’t add it to your list, as tempting as that might be) 

Also, pay attention to materials (wearability, it’s important to be able to wash the clothes in normal temperatures!) and country of origin. Search for possible customer reviews. Fit the clothes if possible, and/or return badly fitting clothes. Taking these steps will help you to figure out if it’s really worth the purchase. You don’t want to end up filling your closet with clothes you won’t wear or that are of lousy quality. 

Usually it’s a good idea to sleep on it, and see if you still want the item the next day, or week. Good things come to those who wait, although in the world of fast fashion, the item you might want to purchase could be sold-out the next day. Still, this shouldn’t drive you to handing out your money immediately, it’s good to remember that there will be something similar in the next store. If not, too bad, it wasn’t meant to be. The disappointment will only last for so long, and soon you will be drooling over something else.

Take proper care of your wardrobe

So you found the things you wanted? Good, but that’s only the beginning. Now it’s your job to make the clothes (and shoes etc) last. 

Every fashion-loving person should learn to do the laundry. I personally enjoy doing my own laundry, and so should you, if you want your clothes to last. Follow the instructions. Wash with similar colors. Don’t leave the clothes wet in the laundry machine and so on. If you wear the clothes for one day only and there are no obvious smells or stains, no need to throw it in the laundry bin. Hang the clothes on the balcony or outside, or indoors and open the window and brush them with a clothing brush. Personally I’d also advice to avoid perfumes and smoking, your clothes will stay fresh a lot longer without strong scents lingering on them. Washing puts a strain on the fabrics and less strain obviously results in clothes staying good for a longer time.

Laundry is one thing, storage is just as important. Don’t throw your clothes on the floor (so guilty of doing this!) and keep them folded or hanged neatly in your closet. Clean your closet regularly, you don’t want any dust or mould gathering in there with your clothes.

This was only a quick look into the matter, and I will be writing more posts about the subject. Hope these tips will be useful to you!

Fast fashion

via

Plenty of talk about this topic, but nevertheless, I wanted to add my two cents and so on... Fast fashion, (click for the wikipedia article) meaning, the big international chain stores selling massive amounts of clothes for budget-friendly prices. No need to name them, we all know them, and we all, or at least the most of us, are guilty of indulging in buying a pair of pants or a shirt simply because it was so cheap.

For someone with a love for clothes and fashion, the phenomenon of getting the latest trends to the stores for a cheap price would seem ideal, except that it's not a) healthy, b) budget-friendly and c) good for the environment.

First, getting everything you want is not healthy. Most of the time you want things for the sake of wanting them. I certainly do. Good thing I have some self-discipline, and when my self-discipline fails, I have D to return me to the reality. If I got everything I wanted, I wouldn't be any happier than I am now. In fact I'd probably be a lot less happier, because I would forget how to appreciate getting something you have wanted for a long time. Thus, fast fashion is bad in the sense of making it possible to grant our every fashion wish when what we really should do is to learn to be happy with what we have.

Secondly, buying a lot of cheap clothes and such is actually more expensive on the long run than saving up for a more expensive piece of clothing. Of course, shopping a lot is never budget-friendly, and shopping in more expensive shops is obviously less budget-friendly than shopping at H&M. Depending on your budget, of course. Another reason why cheap doesn't mean budget-friendly. (like my dad says 'poor people can't afford to buy cheap') In order to get the prices down you have to skimp on the quality. Quality of materials, quality of work. Poor quality doesn't last for long, sending you on another shopping trip. Not that all cheap is automatically poor quality (for example I'm quite happy with H&M for the most part) but generally speaking, if you decide to shop fast fashion, you can't expect quality.

Third, massive amounts of clothes means massive amounts of pressure on the environment. Combined with the poor quality of fast fashion finds, we have created a cycle that needs to be broken and soon.

Being a blogger, and an avid reader of blogs, I subject myself to a lot of consumerism. I see things, I get inspired, and I want to get the same things for myself. Fast fashion seems to be the solution, but in all honesty, it hasn't made me especially content. I keep on craving for more and more. Not sure why and when my eyes were opened, but from now on I will avoid shopping fast fashion. Realistically I won't be able to stop it immediately, and old habits break hard.

But, from this day forward you will see less H&M and Primark finds, and more DIYs and thrift-store finds. Time to slow down and move to more satisfying form of expressing my own personal style. You will hopefully benefit from this in form of tips and inspiration, and if I manage to inspire someone to make the same choice, I'll be more than happy. If not, well, I won't be judging you. It's hard to change, for me this is an ideal moment because my life has been full of big changes so this change in my shopping habits doesn't feel too drastic.

For further reading, as I only scratched the surface on this topic, I have gathered you some links I found interesting. I also just bought the largely spoken-about book 'Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion' by Elizabeth L. Cline, which I will review for you as soon as I receive it anytime in two months.

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