What I Wore | Denim and Lace

WhatIWore: This is one of my favorite dresses! Like I mentioned last time I wore it, it almost looks like something you’d find at an antique shop or vintage store. This time, I flipped it back around and am wearing it as intended (earlier this summer I wore it backwards for easy nursing access). These days I’m spending mornings out of the house so I have a chance to wear more of my wardrobe that doesn’t need to be baby friendly. It feels really good to just wear something I want to wear and not worry about stains or feeding or any of that.

When: September 28, 2015

What:
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Super Duper’
Dress: ASOS (also worn here and here)
Jacket: Mavi (similar here)
Belt: Target 
Boots: Rag and Bone

Where: Coffee Shop work session

Why: I love the textures of the crocheted lace and denim next to each other. It’s sort of sweet, isn’t it? To toughen up the look I decided to go with black booties. They’re my go-to fall walking boot and over the past couple of years have been worn in perfectly. They were a major splurge (I decided to skip NYFW that year and justified the cost that way), but the quality has really held up. When it comes to things like boots, bags or jeans, I always say buy the best quality you can afford. And when you take care of your nice things, they can last a really long time. 

Another core closet piece I want to mention is my jean jacket, which I must have worn hundreds of times over the years. (Scroll through my gallery to see the different ways I’ve worn it!) Again - a quality jacket is just going to look better and better with time. I wish I still had my first ever denim jacket - a cK Calvin Klein number I blew almost all of my fall clothing budget on when I was in seventh or eighth grade. I hope to take good enough care of my favorite pieces that they last for the next twenty years and some day (fingers crossed I have a little girl someday) my daughter will be begging to borrow. 

My DIY | Hand Knit Striped Sweater

WhatIWore: Ta da! I’ve finally completed my hand knit striped sweater. This pattern is from the Vogue Knitting 2015 Pre-Fall issue (pattern #15). This is my second attempt at knitting a sweater and I really liked how easy this particular pattern was to knit. I started using the directions for an XL (based on measurements) and then actually finished (from the yoke down) with the large size instructions.

Yarn Choice: My sweater is made using 6.5 skeins (130 yards each) of Plymouth DK Merino super wash wool in Natural (1001) and 1.5 skeins of Navy (1111). I love the texture of this yarn and the color combo looks beautiful together! Adam gave me a hug after taking these photos and said with surprise “Oooooh! So soft!”

Stitches Used: This pattern is pretty simple - knit from the top down on the round  (on 16″ needles) - I even did the sleeves on the round (because I am not a huge fan of purling and on the round you just do the basic knit stitch!). The raglan arm shaping has a simple cable (that you do on your needles - no cable holder required) with some pretty easy increases.

Pattern Pros: Like I said before, this is primarily your basic knit stitch, which I did in the continental style (yarn held in the left hand) to make things go faster. I think I became a better knitter with this project! If you’ve made a hat with decreases or done any cable work, you can absolutely do this pattern! 

Pattern Cons: There are a lot of ends to weave in, but I did this as I went every few color changes. I also ran out of yarn (I bought everything they had and they needed to re-order for me) so at that time I did a lot of weaving in. I actually kind of like that part, but I could use some advice from you seasoned knitters - what about those little ends that pop out? Do you just push them to the wrong side of the work and hope they don’t creep out? Based on info I read online, I did my weaving before blocking - was that wrong?

Also - I could have been a little better with my tension because after blocking this piece grew a size (and I wanted long sleeves, but now they’re too long!) I’ve heard super wash wool can be hard to predict and I do know I knit a little looser as I went (but not THAT much!) so do you think I could use some hotter water and re-block? I like the way the torso fits though! I could really use some advice! 

Final Take Away: Overall, I’m glad I made this sweater. I like the sleeve shaping a lot and I think I would use this basic pattern as a base if I ever wanted to design my own stripe combination or maybe even a centered cable down the middle. I hope I get a lot of wear out of this style and knowing my personal style and hello, stripes! I think I will! 

What I Wore | Fall Floral

WhatIWore: Good morning! Apologies for the radio silence this week. Adam has been on the road a lot for Cardinal Spirits, so we just haven’t been able to snap daily photos in the morning. Anyway, here’s what I’m wearing today! I had planned on just taking Felix for a little stroller walk over to the coffee shop when a friend of mine texted and asked if we’d like to join for breakfast so that’s what we did instead. I switched to flats for my walk downtown, but I’ll wear the heels again tonight when Adam and I go out to dinner.

When: September 25, 2015

What:
Jacket: Banana Republic
Blouse: Tucker (older style)
Jeans: Rag + Bone
Bag: Vera Bradley, gift
Sunglasses: Prada (consigned at a major bargain! Story here)
Pumps: Rockport, gift

Where: Breakfast date with the kids, later for dinner out

See Also: This Jacket and this blouse here & here.

I did a big closet clean out a couple weekends ago and it seems like I’ve boiled my wardrobe down to fun tops, jeans and jackets plus dresses and a few other outliers. I love when the weather allows for layering… it’s just so easy to make a cute outfit by throwing on a cardigan on jacket.

What I Wore | Vintage Geometry

WhatIWore: I am loving these crisp mornings! It felt so great to get up and ready and out the door yesterday morning. I really benefit from time out of the home each day and I like working on my laptop at my favorite local coffee shop. This outfit is a near copy of something I wore in 2012, but I’ve actually since replaced the cotton sweater with a wool version and jeans are a bit of a different silhouette. And of course those photos were pre-Felix with dark hair and no bangs. And can you tell we’ve updated our photography equipment?

When: September 21, 2015

What:
Shades: Karen Walker ‘Super Duper’ in Crazy Tort
Blouse: Vintage
Cardigan: LL Bean Signature
Jeans: Frame ‘François Flare’
Boots: Frye

Where: Coffee Shop work session

Can we talk a little about this blouse? It’s part of a vintage set I found a few years ago (see the skirt here). It’s one of my favorite prints and I like how easily it’s dressed down (it’s silk, which I wouldn’t normally wear when caring for my son, but for a morning out, it works!). I also like that this particular combo (blouse, cardigan, jeans) is a great way to incorporate vintage into your wardrobe and still look modern and not too costumey (which truthfully, I actually kind of love too).