Things You Need: Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet, Volume II

Regulars to the blog may remember my review of Hunter Hammersen's Knitter's Curiosity Cabinet, and how impressed I was with that beautiful book. Good news, kids, Hunter's just come out with Volume II, and it's every bit as beautiful as the first!

 There are 18 patterns in all; 9 socks, and 9 accessories.

Where the patterns in Volume I were inspired by vintage botanical illustrations, Volume II is inspired by...wait for it...vintage BUTTERFLY illustrations! Perhaps a sneak peek at my studio will tell you why this is particularly exciting for me:

Covered in butterflies!

Butterflies are just fascinating to me; I feel like they're almost like floating flowers. The stunning variety of colors and patterning, combined with the delicate nature of the creatures' wings, just delights me. When I found out Hunter's new book centered around this species, I was more excited than perhaps was strictly necessary.

As with Volume I, each individual butterfly has inspired 2 patterns; 1 sock, and 1 accessory. Here are a few of my favorite patterns from the book:

Lycaena virgaureae Shawl

Metopsilus porcellus Sock

Polyommatus argiolus Cuff

Polyommatus corydon Hat

You can find purchase information over on Hunter's website, or queue up the whole collection on Ravelry here.

The Fiber Factor Recap: Challenge 1

Hopefully you've all heard about The Fiber Factor by now; if not, head on over there and check it out! This Project-Runway-esque event for knitwear designers started last month and the first challenge's results went up on Monday. The amazing Alex Tinsley and I have teamed up to bring you challenge recaps as the competition progresses, a la Tom & Lorenzo. Here's our take on Challenge 1:



Big thanks to The Fiber Factor for allowing us the use of their photos! Be sure to follow along on the official website for all the extra goodies Skacel is offering throughout this event. You can also find The Fiber Factor on Twitter as @TheFiberFactor, or like their Facebook page here.

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Looking for the winner of the Crochet: Book One giveaway? It's Sheila O'Keefe! Congrats Sheila, you've won a copy of Rebecca Velasquez's Marigold Sweater!

Find Your Sexy: Undressed Skeleton

Yesterday I was browsing Pinterest and came across an interesting redirect:

 Happy girl holding carrots? You've got my attention...

The pin promised, "This girl has awesome tips on eating clean and staying healthy. She has GREAT ideas for lunches to take to work and snacks that don't require a lot of time. This is seriously the jackpot of all fitness pins .... her site is amazing!"

Although I am not currently the MOST healthy of eaters, I am definitely interesting in vegetarianism and clean eating, and am trying to get back on track with exercise and general health. I clicked through to discover Undressed Skeleton, and I have to say - this pin's advertisement did not disappoint!

For those of you who've never visited Taralynn's site before, you can read her amazing story about overcoming depression and self-loathing right here. This site is not just about Taralynn's journey, though - she has set out to help others create their own journey to happiness and positive self-esteem through healthy eating and appropriate exercise. Along with a generous selection of appetizing recipes that will have you drooling on your keyboard, there are plenty of upbeat posts on how to get started making changes, even for the most exercised-disinclined. (I'd recommend starting with this one.)

I'll definitely be visiting Taralynn's Tumblr again; go take a peek, or follow her on Twitter here. Let's get our sexy on!

Foolishness at the playground...

The Dr., the dogs and I went for a walk today, and I remembered that when these two were puppies, they used to LOVE going down the slide at the playground. Thought I'd see if I could convince Jax to do it again! The first one's a bit forced, but I think he remembered how much fun it is, in the end. ;)

Style Your Knits: Winona

Today on the Twist Collective blog, the question was asked: "How would you style Winona?" Since it's been awhile since I presented a Style Your Knits, I thought I'd take them up on the challenge.

Twist decided to style this cardigan, designed for them by Laura Chau, by offering 4 variations on the same theme, similar to how the piece was styled for the original photoshoot:

sweet and girly options
While I do think that this cardigan looks perfectly nice over a floral dress, my style tends to lean more towards the glamorous-chic than the office-ready, so I opted for something a little different:

glamorous and punk option  

Once you venture into skull, studs, and fringe territory, it's easy to go too far into full-on rock star. To me, though, this look stays firmly on the glamorous side by pairing the bold, funky accessories with crisp seersucker shorts, fresh, clean makeup and a sleek top knot. Finishing it off with Laura's swingy stockinette cardigan gives it a modern, timeless appeal.

Overall, I think this cardigan has a great shape and endless styling options. If I were going to knit one for myself, I'd add rhinestone buttons, or leave off the button placket altogether since I can't remember the last time I buttoned on a cardigan.

Interested in knitting one for yourself? Grab the pattern over at Twist Collective for $7.00. Want to see more runway-ready knitwear? View my entire collection of styled knits, here.