Work-In-Progress

What does slow fashion mean to you?
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Jumper Handknit by me Shirt Zara Jeans Nudie (super old and repaired once at the Nudie repair shop) Loafers Dieppa Restrepo Bag Naingirl Sunnies ROC Eyewear

In line with Slow Fashion October (hosted by the amazing Karen Templer of Fringe Assocoation), I’m going to talk about knitting, an activity I’m addicted to, day and night. Honestly I have yet to form any substantial opinion on the slow fashion movement but I do appreciate the overarching theme and would like to support it with what little that I have.

The act of knitting will always be a work-in-progress for me. Although I’ve completed this squishy top-down jumper by Hannah Fetig and my love for it is no doubt evident among family and friends, there’s still so much room for improvement when it comes to technique and finishing. I’ve also come to accept that handmade item will never ever be perfect and that should never have to be the point. It’s the little quirks that truly add to the piece, not to mention those hours of care and labour that were painstakingly poured into creating something that’s truly unique, no matter how simple the construction is.

I did make a rookie mistake and soon realised how important an accurate gauge is pertaining to the fit of the garment. I was knitting the Flaum pattern that was published in Arimisu Issue 8 but managed to stuff it up. I couldn’t recover from my mistakes so I moved on to the pattern for the above jumper. The only issue is that I mistook my yarn for the one that was being used for the pattern (Owl by Quince & Co if you’re curious) and after fighting with a suspiciously small yoke, I realised that it was a gauge issue. I ripped everything out and started again and thankfully the ending is a happy one.

Painful lesson learnt.

Sometimes it takes many tries to achieve something and that is all a part of human experience isn’t it? I do get anxious from time to time about all the time that was being wasted in the process of learning but sometimes I do wonder what this modern-day rush is all about.

The weather here in Sydney has warmed up tremendously but I still managed to sneak in a day’s worth of wear on one of those odd rainy days. The parsley-coloured yarn by Quince & Co is quite vibrant and somewhat in-your-face but I love it and make no apology for that. The moment I put it on, I feel really confident and all happy pappy, for the lack of a more sophisticated description.

I’m currently working on a slightly more complicated grey wool/silk/cashmere jumper and this may be one of those longer-term projects as it would be good 8-months before I feel the need for it.

Are you taking part in Slow Fashion October? What are you making?

Feel free to check out some of my projects below: #1. Delphinium raglan baby jumper #2. Cascade baby cardigan #3. Henry’s sweater #4. Socks #5. Lofty scarf

x

  1. Haven’t heard of slow fashion because articles in the industry have been going on about fast fashion. Good to hear something from you in regards to this! 🙂 Not making anything this time but before I got into University, I used to make my own dresses and skirts but in level of difficulty wise, knitting is wayyyy on top of the game haha!

    Viviene Kok
    http://www.vivienekok.com

    1. Hi Viviene, sewing your own clothes sounds a lot harder than knitting! Knitting is honestly quite simple if you put your mind to it 🙂 Give it a go when you have some free time! xx

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