Oh Where, Oh Where Can Miss Lavish Have Gone?

Yes, yes, I've been very naughty. Extremely remiss, bad me. But will you forgive me if I tell you the new collection is up on Etsy now? isobelandcleo.etsy.com. Here's a sneak.

i phone jealousy...

I have have been unforgivably remiss in the blog updates I know, but the last few weeks have been pretty hectic with sporadic internet access. It amazing to live in a world that is so connected with wifi and still be unable to get access. I think it should be free and accessible anywhere, like TV. To have an i phone!

I have been traveling in the US now for the past week, starting in Burlington, Vermont, I had since been to Boston, Nantucket, and am now in NYC. You may have wondered what happened to the end of my course at Knit-1. Don't worry, though the course is now complete, I will tell you what happened the last few weeks and give you a preview of the work that you'll be able to buy come September. You'll like it, I promise. I just wanted to pop in and give you a wee update, and let you know that I haven't forgotten about you, and I haven't dropped off the planet.

If you would like to meet the makers of isobel and cleo or would like to arrange workshops, I will be visiting the following cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, LA, Austin, Dallas, New Orleans, and Charleston over April and May. You can contact me through my website: www.isobelandcleo.com.

There's More to Life than Just Knitting, There's Also Thinking about Knitting

So a couple of weekends ago, I was up in London visiting a friend, who works at Aquascutum. Now besides the amaaaaaaaaaaazing discount and thus wardrobe she has, she also just makes incredibly good research for me. You may remember this look from a recent-ish collection:

This hot little number is a sample of everything (in my mind) that is right in fashion. Kid Rock once said, "all you need to make a good music video is a couple of hot blondes, a Harley, and an American flag." Just three small things to make something perfect. Well, I completely agree and in the same vein, all you need to make a good knitwear piece is some fringe, cables, and chunky yarn. Is that so wrong? I think not. So this piece inspired me to make the following: It is a work in progress so this is just a preview for you:

Week Eight: The Nefarious Knitter and the Knit of the Week

I'm not entirely sure that I can justly title this post the "nefarious" knitter. The word just popped into my head this morning and I desperately needed an outlet for its utilization and you are the only person around right now. But I have been a little wicked, haven't I? I mean, I did just dash over to NYC to do the J. Crew interview and then disappeared off my blog with no hint of when I may be back, what may have happened, or what's been going on since. It's been crazy month, a crazy two weeks but I'm here now and I'll do my best to update you. Week 8 was a Pointelle week, in the UK they refer to this as lace knitting. The knit of the week (oh the knits of the weeks gone by, how I have forsaken you!) down down down there. Now if you're totally demented, have patience of biblical proportions, I'm thinking the book of Job here, and aren't totally ADHD and distracted by the slightest movement out of the corner of your eye, you'd probably be really good at concocting all types of unique and time consuming lace patterns on your knitting machine. I am not one of those people. I love to knit, and but I love how immediate machine knitting is, or at least, has the potential to be (Honestly, I start projects with no idea of the epic consequences that I'm bring upon myself. Just call me the knitter's Odysseus).

That said, for people like me that fall obviously fall into that second category, "desirous of immediate results," there's the lace carriage. It's very simple to use, attaches on to your knitting machine, and with the assistance of a punchcard that tells it where to place all the holes, it does all the lace transfers for you. Problem is, you're using a card with finite and limited possibilities. So it ends up looking very mechanical, stiff, robotic, etc. I think it's best if you want to do some lace in a certain section of a garment, but carry on doing something else in other areas. So this week was a little special because instead of designing a lace garment and making it entirely on the machine, I create little samples of lace fabric, and faggoted them together into a bustier top. Now these are the pictures of it in progress, and is the knit of the week. It's a size Large, if you want it to be tight light on the mannequin, otherwise it's a medium, even a small (if you want it to fit a dress to layer on top of other clothes). It does not come with a slip.

oh and as for J. Crew, though I haven't heard anything back, it went something like the Ladytron song "Seventeen."

Etsy's Jump Across the Pond... and a channel and a country.

In celebration of Etsy's first international office, they are having an exhibition of DIY Fashion in the Etsy Labs in Berlin. Guess who has been asked to participate? Isobel and Cleo will be one of the featured labels/artists! The exhibition will be launched on April 1st, and is also hosted by CUT, the DIY Fashion Magazine of Germany. If you live in or will be visiting Berlin, you should definitely check it out!

New York, New York!!

Hey everyone,

I'm so sorry for being MIA the last several days, I am in NYC doing that J. Crew thing I told you guys about a few weeks ago. In my haste to get out of the UK I just didn't have enough time to post the knit of the week, or any of my new projects, but will do so when I get back next week. Keep reading because I have a lot to acquaint you with!

Knit of the Week - Trangle Blanket Wrap

Ok, so I intended on having two knits of the week this week, but I'm telling you: my little knitty eyes are too big for my knitty hands, project wise. I'm working on a doozy right now. It actually started two weeks ago and is the neverending story, but unfortunately, without the friendly dragon. If you know anything about me, you know that is SO me, devising genius(!) plans that I think I can finish in a day, maybe even two days, but in actuality take about 2 months. I'm actually working on one, two, three, different garments with a fourth (A FOURTH!) that I hoping to start Thursday, which is... oh geezus H, tomorrow. This is not counting the two orders that I have to make for isobel and cleo customers, and oh right, the Fall Winter 2010 collection for isobel and cleo. Which is still a hazy cloud in the back of my mind. I'm thinking of just promoting the show and sending out press releases because the threat of a looming show with an audience may be the only thing to kick my butt into gear. I'm really kicking myself for coming up with this Knit of the Week idea! (But really I secretly love it, because I totally thrive on this level of hysteria). On to the Knit of the Week...

The Triangle Blanket Wrap
100% soft soft soft Lambswool
made in United Kingdom (can't wait till I go back to Scotland, 'Made in the UK" just really doesn't have the same ring to it).
One size

This blanket shawl is made from a soft blue lambswool with a triangle jacquard pattern over the entire fabric. Can also be worn as a chunky scarf. I'm sure you'll figure out lots of other ways to wear it. At present this shawl is beltless, it's pictured with a measuring tape wrapped around the model's waist twice. If you are really nice and promise me that you'll love isobel and cleo forever, I can make a belt for the purchaser.

and as always, on sale for one week only here.

$50.