Tuesday 15 March 2011

In the woods

I'm on holiday...Finally I get to have a break from work and laze about, I so need the rest! And lots of walks and fresh air, like today, only more, a lot more. It was quite a warm afternoon so I didn't take a coat, but put on several layers, which was fine, except they made my waist disappear. Better than suffering from cold though, is the bane of my existence!
This was such a delightful little spot by the fence gone green, caressed by the shy sun of early spring!
The colors in the photos came out great, though I did manage to ruin most of them with a face that looked as if smothered in oil. 
As you can see I have replaced the buttons on the knitted suit posted earlier, and I am quite happy with the result. The buttons and buckle were not a set but the color matches pretty well and it's a lovely egg yolk, darker than in the pics bellow. 
The belt was made with a different type of buckle in mind, so I had to improvise (it actually closes with a button underneath, and the yellow buckle is sewn on just for show). If I am to use this buckle the way it's meant to, I shall need a shorter belt, but I don't think it's that bad like this.
It was a bit of a job trying to shake of all the bits of moss that had completely covered the lower part of my skirt. But a good picture requires some sacrifice :) Earlier on we had met a lady on the path with her two Jack Russells that ran towards me to say hi, and I gave them each a bit of a scratch behind the ears. She kept saying: "they are the jumpy kind..."; well of course they are, all dogs like a good jump, but I think she was worried they might have jumped on me and added some mud to my outfit. The trouble with me is I dress nicely and then I forget and want to climb trees and  jump in puddles...
This time I have paired my ensemble with the 30's Jacoll suede hat shown here, and a recently purchased vintage bag which is a bit battered but lovely nonetheless. The brown of the gauntlet gloves doesn't match very well, yet I felt quite put together and very Miss Lemon in this outfit. Except for the shoes of course, but not even I was going to go as far as wearing my vintage shoes up a muddy path...


12 comments:

  1. AMAZING! Wow. I'm very happy for your lovely knit suit. I want one!
    Those buttons and buckle are PERFECT.

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  2. Indeedy- Like Lauren said you suit is Fabulous- I’m extremely jealous, why?... a) for it being knitted, and b) for it being knitted in my favourite colour! Oh, and your hat is glorious too! You look stunning.
    Tups xxx

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  3. I am extremely jealous aswell. *Sigh*

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  4. mmm...gorgeous! I believe I kinda squealed when I saw your thumbnail in my blogroll!

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  5. that is a fantastic outfit....well done

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  6. If your Mum ever considers custom knitting for commercial purposes, please take me into account. This knit dress is to die for. One thing, if you don't mind, the button and buckle change, doesn't favor it so much, or it favors it for a day, while as it was earlier (in my opinion) allows for a greater number of color combinations with different accesories. anyway, it looks awesome on you.

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  7. Of course I don't mind, all suggestions are always welcome. Perhaps you are right too, but the reason for wanting buttons/buckle other than black was specifically to allow for more color combinations, as I felt that before I was very much restraint to...well, black. This allows for black or brown, so already twice the number of options :)
    I also think the accent color brings to life the outfit and takes it closer to the initial inspiration - I was worried the contrast would be too much - and of how this color would work for me, as I cannot wear any yellow of any kind (although I love it very very much), but it's fine as just a detail.

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  8. As for mum custom knitting for commercial purposes, those days are far behind her I'm afraid. She did it when was young and I just a baby and they were so very poor. She was knitting late in the evening at the light of the telly so she wouldn't disturb others sleeping in the room. Perhaps that accounts for her poor eye sight today. More than 3 decades later and a heart attack she never fully recovered from (they never do), anything of the kind is out of the question. I am very worried that even the knitting she does for me is too stressful for her condition. She says she's enjoying it and that she needs to have something to do in the long winter days, but I know that she gets really stressed sometimes with wanting a perfect result. Knitting at a distance from measurements only doesn't help.
    The last project - you haven't seen it yet, nor have I - caused far too much stress. I spent months hunting knitting silk that wouldn't cost a fortune, would be the right thickness, quantity and color etc. The accent color I purchased and had delivered straight to her proved to be too thick, and she bought something else herself, in a color I've never seen. It doesn't help that I am a bit of a control freak in these matters, because I know there are a very limited number of projects left in the bag, and I really don't want things to go wrong, so I am trying very hard to give them the best chance of succeeding.
    Anyway, that was that. The dress was completed, mother tried it on my sister, she came to the conclusion that several things didn't work, she unraveled most of it and did it again. Once finished and happy with the result, she hand washed it - the yarn instructions recommended hand washing - and the silk changed color, lengthened and became shiny! She ended up putting in in the washing machine not knowing what else to do, which interestingly enough restored the length and the matte finish, but the color change remained permanent. Now the trouble was the accent color purchased didn't work anymore with the new color of the main dress, so she had to improvise again.
    So it seems that instead of a cream dress with olive accents I will have a pink dress with a green and black mixture in the cuffs and so. There has been so much stress with this it's unbelievable. I am really worried about the result - I look terrible in pale pink - but whatever the outcome I will have to say how wonderful it is. I am far more worried about the amount of stress this caused her,for which I feel very guilty, because the last thing I want to do is to put her health in danger with my knitting projects. But now with the spring and summer coming there will be no more knitting, she can find plenty to do in the garden.

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  9. Thank you very much Milingmai, and welcome to my blog!

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  10. I love the hat and gauntlet gloves!! Very sporting!! Beautiful settings for these lovely photos as well!

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  11. I absolutely LOVE this suit. Your mummy is a clever lady! xx

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