fuzzy and warm

When I first started planning this vest I imagined making it in red. Or purple. Or even orange. But after an hour in Romni, I made the same boring decision I always make: black. Which means it is very hard to photograph, but very easy to wear. And wear it I have.

The yarn is Naturally Sensation, a wool/angora blend that is very warm and super fuzzy. The pattern is a free Drops design which was easy to follow. It is written to be knit in three pieces but it wasn't hard to convert to knitting as one piece, so now there are no seams adding extra bulk to the sides. I didn't knit a belt because I had one from another sweater that was just the right black, and I've also worn it without, pinning it closed with a brooch. One of the times I wore it belted the lady at the bagel counter asked if I was pregnant, so I've been a little hesitant to sport that style again. But even still, I'm pretty happy with the pattern and I could see knitting it again - but next time I would make a few decreases to bring the shoulders in just a touch.

I actually finished this vest a while ago, but November has been quite a month for sickness around here. There are projects sitting around waiting to be photographed and my sewing machine is gathering dust. Hopefully we'll all recover in time for some holiday crafting - I even have sewing plans for Jay this year!

favourite things part 2

This is only the second post about my favourite things and already there is a trend: ceramic and Canadian. It's clearly a combo I'm fond of.

So: Lotte lamps. This pair took us a few months of sourcing, involving a series of random visits to the only place in Toronto you can buy them new (there is another place where you can get refurbished vintage ones which we also visited more than once). Designed by Danish-born Canadians Gunnar and Lotte Bostlund in 1957, they are now made in the US but the original molds are still being used. Each lamp is completely handmade and the shades are fibreglass, so the quality of light is really warm and inviting (we've since picked another shade for a different lamp we had). Originally we imagined getting a matching pair, but when we finally saw them in person it didn't seem necessary because the style is so singular that all the shapes work beautifully together. Sadie told us the whole lamp searching endeavour was capital B boring, but it was so worth it to us. Great lighting = happy home.

(Though clearly we're nearing the end of including Sadie in our obsessive design journeys. At least we still have a few years left with Milo, right?)