she*had*a*thirst*for*knowledge

$69.00 at Zappo’s

£50.00 at Oli

I am inspired by this, and by the 125 other blankets that this woman has knit for charity. Here’s photos of numbers 108-126.

I’ve been working on three knitting projects since last fall, only one of which is anywhere near completion. I’ve been sort of in a slump lately with regards to knitting, mostly because my brain has NOT wanted to be alone in that meditative knitting state these past 9 or so months. It would rather be reading books in its leisure time. Plus, these three projects just haven’t inspired me at all. I’ve been wanting to make a knitted blanket for years, but didn’t quite know how I’d like to go about it, design-wise. These blankets are perfect, definitely the sort of thing I’d been thinking about but didn’t know I was thinking about.

It’s a links round-up:

1. pretty knitted shoes

2. a very attractive notebook art project

3. I WANT TO MAKE MY OWN STICKERS!!! What a brilliant idea.

4. Karen learns how to sew a very cute top

She also began responding to nature differently in Rhode Island, and incorporating its sensuality into her practice. Her “p tree” (short for plastic tree) was one manifestation, a branchy chair carved from foam and sprayed with white automotive lacquer. (“Kind of like how they make Ronald McDonald,” she says without a trace of sarcasm.)

From this article - Tanya Aguiñiga’s Bright Dreams, in Los Angeles City Beat magazine

Yay! for Tanya. I can just hear her voice saying that last bit without a trace of sarcasm. Our Tanya!!!! I’m so happy to see my old friends doing well.

(click for pretty picture)

A look I wish I had the time and resources to pull off: women in 1960s Italian cinema. The eyeliner! The hair! The clothes! I’ve always been sort of interested in 1960s style, but most of the iconography that remains to this day from that period of time involves rail-thin women - Jean Shrimpton, Penelope Tree, etc., etc. - not quite my body type. Not so the Italians!

So yes, today’s obsession = Fellini’s 8 1/2. Of course for the artistry of production but also because it’s so gorgeous.

Many thanks to Kitty, who linked me to the work of Julie Meredith. I adore this image and want to buy the card but Paypal is not working for me right now.

Actually, I want to buy many of her cards and frame them and decorate my house with them. They are perfect.

I like the cards entitled pogo and teacher as well.

(I’m the 2nd from the left, in the blue and white dress, Robb took the photo)

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies played their first show last night at Local 506, opening for The Gondoliers and Death of the Sun. I have taken a hiatus from the band due to some personal things I have had going on, so it was a very bittersweet night for me, to watch the band really come together onstage. They played so well, and looked so cute, and the club was packed with friends and other random people. I really think the band is going to go somewhere - Chapel Hill is ready for a super P!O!P! almost-all-girl band.

Amanda called me up onstage for the last song, “Can You Dig It.” Matt handed me a tambourine, and we got to playing. And it felt SO GOOD to be onstage with my lovelies, and play our song together, and look out into the crowd of people and see them happy and dancing and smiling, and all those familiar faces. I’d thought it would be terrifying to be onstage, but it wasn’t at all, it just felt very, very fun.

I hope I can play with the band for real in the near future. It was hard not to start crying on my way out of the club.

It’s that shopping time of year again, of course. And among all the presents I get to accumulate for other people, I have a lovely little sum of money from my mother to spend only on myself. I’m wondering if I will blow the whole thing on wool thigh-highs and striped kneesocks and more socks and garters from Sock Dreams and (for once) attractive panties. On the other hand, word has got around that Topshop now ships to the USA….and holy crap -

– cutest skirt, maybe cutest ever
– freakishly adorable dress
– another lovely dress (though I wonder how the lack of a waist will look on me)

And then of course, there are sharp clothes from Ben Sherman, like this fetching skirt and this perfect striped sweater. And Fred Perry has got an AMAZING knitted polo shirt with a delicate feminine collar that I have been coveting for weeks now.

But I DO NOT need sweaters and skirts, I DO NOT need sweaters and skirts, I DO NOT need sweaters and skirts, I DO NOT need sweaters and skirts…but maybe I need a dress. :)

This is a ridiculously cute t-shirt, that comes in kids’ sizes as well.