I’ve listed a new pair eco-friendly mittens. I recycled the yarn from a thrifted sweater (100% wool).  The gray is the original color, the green is hand painted. I made a small embroidery on the front sides with pink and purple wool yarn.

Art, Clothing, and FASHION; when talking about fashion it is hard not to discuss clothing; and when speaking about clothes, it is hard to omit the influence of art. Thus, these three words go hand in hand to give meaning to each other. Art, clothing, and FASHION influence each other and provide basis for us to understand each one.

I found a website which is very interesting and very useful to me and this website is all about fashion and the site is Named as FASHION EVOLUTION and the url is http://vinodhini.info/ .This site which gives the full information about the LATEST FASHION which prevails in the market.As you can search from A to Z for a the Latest Version.This site which is an AWESOME ONE IS GIVING THE details about the upcoming cloths and i found this site is also giving all kinds of Tips from various FASHION EXPERTS.Frankly speaking this site gave me a new look over fashion.Thanks to those Experts who Helped me for my New Looks.

Art, Clothing, and FASHION; when talking about fashion it is hard not to discuss clothing; and when speaking about clothes, it is hard to omit the influence of art. Thus, these three words go hand in hand to give meaning to each other. Art, clothing, and FASHION influence each other and provide basis for us to understand each one.

I found a website which is very interesting and very useful to me and this website is all about fashion and the site is Named as FASHION EVOLUTION and the url is http://vinodhini.info/ .This site which gives the full information about the LATEST FASHION which prevails in the market.As you can search from A to Z for a the Latest Version.This site which is an AWESOME ONE IS GIVING THE details about the upcoming cloths and i found this site is also giving all kinds of Tips from various FASHION EXPERTS.Frankly speaking this site gave me a new look over fashion.Thanks to those Experts who Helped me for my New Looks.

Art, Clothing, and FASHION; when talking about fashion it is hard not to discuss clothing; and when speaking about clothes, it is hard to omit the influence of art. Thus, these three words go hand in hand to give meaning to each other. Art, clothing, and FASHION influence each other and provide basis for us to understand each one.

I found a website which is very interesting and very useful to me and this website is all about fashion and the site is Named as FASHION EVOLUTION and the url is http://vinodhini.info/ .This site which gives the full information about the LATEST FASHION which prevails in the market.As you can search from A to Z for a the Latest Version.This site which is an AWESOME ONE IS GIVING THE details about the upcoming cloths and i found this site is also giving all kinds of Tips from various FASHION EXPERTS.Frankly speaking this site gave me a new look over fashion.Thanks to those Experts who Helped me for my New Looks.

Here’s where I am on my Texas Toasty Drops sweater. . . .

It’s such a nice feel. No wonder I have no trouble picking it up. I’m on the increase/decrease shaping now. Drops is not the easiest to understand but I’m figuring it out. They write like the old patterns and one needs to be constantly aware of where in the pattern a button hole must be placed, or how many inches / centimeters have been knit. Keeps me on my toes!

~antsinthepantsAnne™

Happy Thanksgiving. I’ve got some great food to eat, some football to watch and in general, some serious relaxing and to do. That’s what holidays are all about, right?

But tomorrow, the day after Thanksgiving, is not very holiday-like. Black Friday. It sounds so sinister and evil. Or maybe the day the stock-market crashed or the Hindenburg fell in flames. Nope, just the craziest shopping day of the year. I typically don’t partake in Black Friday madness, but I will take this time to begin putting together a wish list of Christmas goodies that I am dreaming of. Here is what has my attention this year (in no particular order)…

1. Navy Blue V-neck Sweater - I can’t believe I don’t have one as it’s a staple. I retired two of them last year, and this year I have none. I’m not too particular nor do I have a specific brand in mind. Just a nice, no-suprises, classic v-neck in dark blue please. Some exmples:

J Crew lambswool v-neck, $59.00:

L.L. Bean Lambswood v-neck, $59.00:

Lands’ End Drifter Cotton v-neck, $35.00:

2. V-Neck Sweater, not Navy Blue – I wouldn’t mind another v-neck in charcoal gray, heather gray, yellow or possibly even red.

3. Blue striped button-down oxford – Again, just clean, simple and classic for this shirt. A shirt that gets better and better with age.  My last striped oxford-cloth button-down was a Polo, and it lasted a good long time.  It washed nicely and always looked casual and comfortable without looking sloppy.  I blew out one of the elbows after five or six years, and still I continued to wear it under sweaters.  But with moving, I had to make some hard decisions, and keeping a blown-out shirt just didn’t make the cut.  So I’m back in the market.  Here are some nice options:

Polo Classic-fit Striped Oxford, $79.50:

L.L. Bean Wrinkle-Resistant University Stripe Classic Oxford, $34.50:

Brooks Brothers Traditional Fit Original Polo Button-Down Oxford, $79.50:

4. Penny Loafers – Preferably black, but I can roll with brown or oxblood as long as they’re dark (I already have some light brown loafers). The more classic the better. Here’s what I mean:

Bass Weejuns Goodwick, black, $129.00:

L.L. Bean Classic Penny Loafer, $99.00:

And The Ultimate… Alden Shell Cordovan Handsewn Mocasin, $546.00:

5. Cole Haan Hayden Penny – An odd combination of boat shoe and penny loafer, but I dig it.  These are listed on sale on colehaan.com between $79 and $99, depending on color.  I like the brown:

6. Pocket Knife – I like to carry a pocket knife for utility purposes such as opening packages, cutting loose threads, tightening sunglasses screws, etc. Basic with only one or two blades, and slim so it doesn’t feel bulky in your pocket. I had a nice Soligen knife that I picked up in Germany, but airport security confiscated it in the days before they would mail things to you. Before the Soligen knife, I had a nice Old Timer that served me well for maybe ten years.  A really good knife.  Not as deluxe as the Soligen, but it reminded me of being a Cub Scout, spending summers with my cousins on Lake Erie in Canada, and in general, it just like an old friend.

Uncle Henry Roadie, $11.97 (at knivesplus.com)

Schrade Old Timer, $11.95 (at knifecenter.com)

Buck Solo, $17 (at buckknives.com)

Case Small Pen Knife, $27.95 (at knifecenter.com)

7. Delmonico’s Steak Sauce – I received a bottle in 2008, for my birthday I think (thank you S.) and this stuff is a killer. I’m not a big steak sauce guy in general, but when I bring a lunch to work and drizzle a bit of this over the left-over Filet Mignon or New York Strip, it is amazing. And on potatoes or saute’d mushrooms and onions, delishamundo.  $5.95 (at delmonicosny.com).

8. J. Crew Woven Boxers - I have not tried them all, but I’ve tried a bunch, and the J. Crew boxers do exactly what I want boxers to do: Be comfortable and last a long time.  Last year at Christmas, you could get some patterns as cheap as $6.  Right now, they are two for $25.  Oh yes J. Crew, let’s dance.  Let’s see who blinks first.  You wanna go, let’s go!

9. Brooks Brothers Traditional Fit Non-Iron Dress Shirt – These shirts rule.  They look perfect right out of the dryer as long as you hang them promptly.  And they keep on looking great all day long.  They do not last forever, which is the only issue.  But for work or dressing up, they look fantastic and no trips to the cleaners.  For 2010, I’m sitting pretty on solids (thanks Mr. & Mrs. P.), so maybe…

Navy Windowpane, Green Tattersail, Blue Pic-n-Pic Gingham:

Well, that’s it for today.  Maybe I’ll come up with a few more things I’m dreaming of for Christmas, like some good socks, or a Rolex Submariner, MacIntosh tube power-amps (yes, plural as they are mono), 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible, 1967 Corvette Sting-Ray coupe, vintage Magnatone M10A guitar amplifier, etc.  I “need” it!

Is without doubt my purple Liesl cardigan. You can tell by the silly grin on my face!

I’ve been wanting to knit this for ages, so I’m understandably ecstatic that it’s done. The pattern is Liesl by Ysolda Teague, and I used the beautifully bulky, squishy single-ply Freedom Wool by Twilleys of Stamford. It’s a thicker yarn than the pattern calls for—something I didn’t realise until I swatched—but luckily that meant I just had to knit one size down to get the size I wanted. A nice change from having to knit several sizes up for my owls sweater. And I’m in love with the buttons too—purple-dyed shell, which I got at Tangled Yarns when I was in Brisbane in September. They aren’t exactly the same tone, but they match the yarn better than these photos suggest.

The thick woolliness of the yarn I used has made my purple Liesl warmer to wear than I expected, but this means it will just be a Spring-and-Autumn cardigan instead of a Summer-evening cardigan. Given the number of cardigans I’m planning to knit in the next few months, I’m pretty okay with that.

A slight word of warning if you choose to use this yarn: it’s soft, and squishy, and smooth, and almost the opposite of itchy, but being a thick single it’s loosely spun and does develop something of a halo pretty quickly. I’ve heard it’s easy to felt too, but I’m being anally-retentive-careful with this cardigan so that shouldn’t be an issue. I’m hoping it won’t pill too badly, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, cue more silly grins at the lacy prettiness, more sly snuggles of the epic softness, and many, many boasts of the general purple loveliness. And probably a good deal of wearing it, even when the weather’s really a bit too warm.

Art, Clothing, and FASHION; when talking about fashion it is hard not to discuss clothing; and when speaking about clothes, it is hard to omit the influence of art. Thus, these three words go hand in hand to give meaning to each other. Art, clothing, and FASHION influence each other and provide basis for us to understand each one.

Just Click the Image for Latest Fashion Tips

I found a website which is very interesting and very useful to me and this website is all about fashion and the site is Named as FASHION EVOLUTION and the url is http://vinodhini.info/ .This site which gives the full information about the LATEST FASHION which prevails in the market.As you can search from A to Z for a the Latest Version.This site which is an AWESOME ONE IS GIVING THE details about the upcoming cloths and i found this site is also giving all kinds of Tips from various FASHION EXPERTS.Frankly speaking this site gave me a new look over fashion.Thanks to those Experts who Helped me for my New Looks.

I owe my 8 year old granddaughter, Charli, a sweater.  Charli is a little bit rotund in the middle so my first try was too tight across her belly.  I decided to alter the pattern by making it into a swing-type cardigan instead of a pullover.  I’m still working on it so we’ll have to see what other changes will be made as I go along.

The consequences of Obama’s 35 percent tariff on imported Chinese tires are now starting to become apparent. An Associated Press article yesterday (via Pushing Possibilities) identified a few of the explicit and implicit consequences of the tariff.

Explicit costs include:

Under the government’s new tariff, which went into effect in September, a set of Chinese tires that would have cost $280 now cost nearly $100 more.

Implicit costs include:

Jennifer Stockburger, a tire test engineer for Consumer Reports, says six of the top ten all-season tires recently tested by the magazine were made in China by major manufacturers.

To calculate the true cost of the tariff, Pushing Possibilities conducted a cost-benefit analysis:

17% of the tire market is made up of Chinese tires.  Tire sales for 2008 was around $27 billion, which means that about $4.6 billion is Chinese tires. With an average price of $280 for Chinese tires pre-tariff, the total quantity of Chinese tires sold would amount to 16.4 million.  With a $100 price increase, assuming that domestic tire price increases offset the tariff increase, U.S. consumers are expected to lose out on a net savings of over $1.6 billion.  And that of course does not take into account the implicit cost of quality loss.

The tariff was expected to stop the loss of employment in the U.S. tire industry.  By assuming there would be a benefit of saving 5,000 jobs in the tire industry, even at the median U.S.  income, that only amounts to a very large estimate of over $250 million of saved income.

Therefore, Obama’s tire tariff cost the U.S. over $1.35 billion dollars.

Brand new from manufacturer Acne Jeans brown cardigan. Size Large/40, original tags still on garment stating $225 retail.

100% Cotton

25″ long

40″ around (stretchy)

$100

LB9999-171 – Please email labconsignment@gmail.com referencing this number for any questions or to purchase.

$15 Shipping in Canada

Payments can be made via Paypal or email money transfer.

First off, let me wish you all a happy ‘One Month Till Christmas’. It is funny how that ties in with today’s Reason to Smile.

Remember those ugly, I mean lovely, sweaters you may have gotten as a child from your Grandma or a distant Aunt? I remember having all sorts of interesting sweaters growing up.

Today at work everyone is being photographed in an ugly Christmas sweater. It is all part of our Christmas newsletter being sent out this year. We were all told to go out and find these hideous sweaters that we would cringe at as a child.

Well, you would not believe how challenging it actually was to find these sweaters! My first stop was the mall where I went into all of the stores that I pictures my Grandma shopping at. Nothing. One small Christmas store did have the perfect sweater for the occassion, but the price was not what I was willing to pay. The next logical place to look would be thrift stores. I took my boyfriend with me and we went up and down every aisle looking at every sweater. In the end we walked out with three ugly sweaters and smiles.

Today everyone at work will put on these sweaters and pose for the camera. If we are not smiling while we are getting ready, we will sure be smiling after looking at the photos. And anyone else who sees these photos will not be able to hold back their smiles either.

Take a second and think back to something hideous that you once wore as a child, or in your younger years. Forget the embarrassment from it and smile. Maybe even post a photo if you have one on your Blog or Facebook to share the smiles with your friends.

If you are one of the few lucky ones to own an ugly Christmas sweater, pull it out of your closet and wear it. Do it. What better way to celebrate one month until Christmas and it will definitely give you a smile. : )

Very soft and cozy – 50% wool, 50% acrylic. Would make a great gift!

27″ around

27″ long

$30

EW1000-2 – Please email labconsignment@gmail.com referencing this number for any questions or to purchase.

$15 Shipping in Canada

Payments can be made via Paypal or email money transfer.

I was starting to worry about the size of this sweater: will it be big enough to suit hubby?  He likes ‘em baggy.  It’s hard to say because there are no shoulders for the sweater to hang from yet.  The sleeves and shoulders are kinda being developed at the same time.  At this stage, though, it looks promising!  BTW, I think he assumes the sweater is for me.  He hasn’t inquired about it or commented on it at all.  Ah well, if it’s too small, it will surely fit someone else in the family and friend sphere!

Bundle up in style this holiday season with this orGLAMic sweater from Stewart+Brown.  Always a staple for organic basics, I was delighted to stumble upon the tres fashionable Ladder Stitch Cardigan.  This 100% cashmere cardigan is made with fibers hand-combed from the downy undercoat of cashmere goats residing on the remote, rugged steppe of Outer Mongolia.  The company harvests, spins and knits their cashmere designs in Mongolia in an effort to avoid environmentally damaging desertification due to overgrazing, and to help sustain the centuries-old Mongolian herders’ nomadic way of life.  Featured in the November issue of Vogue, I apparently am not the only one loving this orGLAMic piece – click here to see Michelle Williams modeling the cardigan!  Or click here to purchase your very own.

I love this new sweater from H&M. 50% lambswool. Only $29.95.

This is a collage of some of the things that I am feeling right now. I will go clockwise and end with the center photo.

1. iPhone I have been in love with the iPhone for a long time. Instead of getting the iPhone when I upgraded the last time, I tried to give Sprint a chance. I got screwed for having done this. My bill went from $70 to $104 because of a lie told to me by one of the “customer service” folk. I am not going to do the whole two years on this contract. I disregarded the signs, and now I am paying.

2. Be Natural Tee As you all know, I am going natural. My wife bought this “Think outside the box” tee for me when I first decided that I wanted to start the journey. I love this tee, and the whole premise behind it.

3. Natural Beauty This tee can be found on BNatural’s website also. It is linked above. I really like this one because of the definition on the shirt. It says, 1. One whose beauty radiates from the inside out. 2. One whose beauty does not rely on outside manipulation. 3. ME.

4. MacBook This has also been a long time love of mine. One day I will be able to go to the Apple Store and drop a thousand bones for it, but right now we’re trying to get our budget straight. But, just so you know, MAC is the best laptop out there.

5. Commitment My wife bought me a “Courage” print from this website. I searched the site and found the Commitment one. I work for the Board of Elections, and I know the importance of each vote. I know that my ancestors died for my right to vote, and I value that a lot. This will be the next print that I get.

6. ColorSplash App I don’t even have an iPhone yet, but I’ve searched the Apps on iTunes millions of times. The search for this one came about today. I am making Christmas cards for my co-worker Anna. She is a dog lover, and she plans to put her two dogs Odie and Pete on her cards. I plan to do the picture of them in black and white, and have their Santa outfits in Red and white. So, I did a search for a program that could do that, and ColorSplash was one of them.

7. Cable Cardigan I started knitting again, and was really excited about it. Then the holidays started approaching, and I began making cards to sell on my Etsy site. Now that I am pretty much done with that- except for making Anna’s cards, and the cards that my wife and I plan to send out – I can once again focus my attention on knitting. This sweater will be my first project. I am interested in seeing how long it will take me.

8. Celebrate Equality and Diversity in America If you read my blog, then you know that I am a lesbian. I am serious about diversity. It really pains me that we have not made more progress as far as diversity is concerned. I plan to get this tee shirt to wear to work on Casual Fridays.

9. Total Money Makeover This is where I am now. Working through Dave Ramsey’s money makeover plan. It is my goal to be debt free. No credit cards, nothing. I am so tired of being a slave to debt. It is so important to let this stuff go. We are planning a family, and when we do so, I don’t want any of the issues with debt to stand in our way.

10. African American Art Work I am so interested in African American art right now, especially when it has to do with women rockin’ natural hairstyles. This is a piece that I also want to get in our home. I think this would be a perfect addition. This decal can be purchased at Ten23Designs.

11. Golashes For some reason I have acquired this liking for Golashes. I am still looking for the perfect pair for me. I saw a cute pair in the DSW ad by Tommy Hilfiger. I have to go try them on to see how they fit. The last few times I tried some on they didn’t fit the way I wanted them to.

12. Nikon D90 Ok. This is another item that I have been wanting for a while. In case you all don’t know this about me, I will spend my last dime for others, but I am somewhat cheap when it comes to buying things for myself. This is on my “to buy” list.

13. Natural Hair I love anything to do with natural hair. I love to see photos of African American women rockin’ their natural hair styles. I love the way T’Keyah’s hair looks in this photo. This is my motivation. I am getting it cut tomorrow, and I will only have two inches of hair. This is what I have to look forward to.

For my father’s birthday, I said I will make him a scarf. Well, his birthday was a month ago and he has been so patient with me, and finally–

his scarf is finished! It’s the same as the blue basket weave scarf, except without the fringe. It is hand crocheted, and took me three days of ceaseless crocheting with three skeins of brown yarn to complete this scarf.

Also, I’ve been working on Christmas gifts. This year, I want to make everyone something handmade instead of buying ready-made. There’s something heartwarming about handmade items.

Here’s the first of a few Christmas gifts I’m working on. It’s a knitted sweater for my grandfather. For this sweater, I used a Rowan men’s pattern, and 100% wool yarn. I love the feel and warmth of wool- well, of all natural fibers!

I’ll post the sweater when it is complete! I hope I get it done by Christmas!

Also, a little health info: we live on whole grains. Period. No whites. At all. We bake our own bread (I mean I bake our bread; it’s my job, really). The usual bread is 100% Stone ground Whole Wheat, made the old-fashioned way: by hand. It’s so tasty and delicious, why did we ever buy bread from the store?

I’ll share the recipe in the next post!

That’s the goal for my Garter Yoke Cardigan, and it looks like I might make it!

I’m leaning towards a bracelet sleeve length — longer than three quarter, but not so long that the cuff will get in the way of knitting and working. Also, there’s something about a slightly shorter sleeve on me that at least makes me feel like I’m a bit more put together (even if it is only in my head.)

When I tried on the sweater before starting the sleeves, I was concerned that the sleeves were going to be a bit baggy. The pattern calls for knitting the sleeves straight to the cuff — no shaping — so I decided that instead of playing with decreases, I’d just go down a size and use size 6 dpns. (It didn’t hurt that I could actually reach these needles from where I was curled up on the couch at the time…)

I’m really happy with how the first sleeve is fitting, and I think it is time to start digging around for buttons!

I might not post again before heading home for Thanksgiving, so I hope your holiday is filled with people you love and food you enjoy! (And maybe some time to rest and knit.)