Covet & Shove It

Burda is a fun little anomaly to me. I know it's a mainly European company and they [seem to] aspire to be cheap and easy patterns, which I appreciate. They try to be funky and sometimes fall short, but in a fun, "Aww, they tried," sort of way. I also love that their costumes are labeled as Carnival costumes, which sounds ever so much cooler and adult than Halloween. (And don't get me wrong, Halloween is my favourite holiday.) This pattern is, obviously, not in their Carnival collection:


My first thought upon seeing this trim little jacket? "Your grandma's going to be so pissed you turned her couch into a jacket." I understand the appeal of upholstery fabrics, really I do. Every time I go to the fabric store I squeeze to the very back with all the big, thick tapestry-type bolts and imagine having rooms full of couches, sofas, and chaise lounges with all of those prints. But the thought never crossed my mind to actually wear them. It's not like the print screams "Young and hip!" and with the way the model is standing, I'm thinking she's more likely to have a hip problem. The black bands across the 'pits make me think of a couch even more, you know, those couches with the leather bands across the base to hold the seams together and make it look not-so-monotonous?

But I'm evening the karma with Burda by unabashedly coveting this coat:


It's cute! It's houndstooth! I must admit I was very happy to see that houndstooth is en vogue again, because I've always loved it and it's always in season to me. It also reminds me of the C&R my dad used to get his suits from in the mall, for some weird reason. Anyway, I love coats that are cut in more of a 50s or 60s style but are really timeless, and this is it. I want to buy it and make at least five copies and wear one (maybe more) at all times.

So, are we cool Burda?

Z is for zombie, that's good enough for me

Okay, so I have to get this out in the open as soon as possible. I am madly in love with zombies. There was a phase in my life where I fell asleep every night to Dawn of the Dead. I find videos like this



and this



and just lose it (in a good way). So, when I saw that Average Jane Crafter did a special on zombie embroidery, I just had to covet it. And share it with everyone. Is that not the coolest? You could make a whole set of zombie tea towels, like my great-aunts used to. Except they did finches and teapots, but you know, basically the same thing. !!! I love it!

Missing something?

God, this sweater is so warm! With the high collar and the thick yarn and the long sleeves, it's just perfect for a wintery day.

So perfect you don't need to even bother with pants, apparently. Other than that, I have absolutely no problem with the jacket or its pattern. I just, you know, like to cover my bum before leaving the house. Maybe I'm just a prude, or maybe I just get cold too easily.

MST3What?

Okay, so I don't know if anyone here is familiar with You Knit What???, but it was a great blog dedicated to finding the absolute worst in the knitting world and ripping those garments a new one. I really, really loved it and was sad to see it go. I also love Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K, for those of you in the know) and was sad to see it go as well, since they took bad movies and ripped them a new one. I decided that, in the spirit of homage (though you may see it as ripoff), I would do the same sort of thing with any handmade or craft good, because seriously, there is so much bad stuff out there just begging to be mocked. How could I not? I don't know what to call it yet, but here's the first installment:


Ladies and gentlemen, the Hamburger Dress. Um ... yeah. I'm all for making superfluous things, especially if they're to be knitted (this dress is crocheted), but I feel that maybe this fad may be getting a bit tired. Crocheted sushi once is cute, a knit uterus is funny, and I really don't get the whole pastry phenomenon, but when you start wearing it and taking it seriously, you might need to lie down for a bit.

Welcome

Hello, and welcome to our blog. "Our" meaning my sister's and my blog, but she's not here right now because her computer is on the fritz. So really, just me speaking in the royal plural and sounding vaguely unhinged.

Anyway ... do you like the design? Thank you. If not, sod off. You try learning CSS.

So. This blog will be about all of our crafty endeavors, together and apart, hobbies and serious projects. She crochets and I knit. We both sew, we're both left-handed. We're both crazy cat ladies, and we have the same parents. How eerie is that?