Recap 2013

2013 was a big year!

I spent January-April creating a 13-piece collection of vintage-inspired women's clothing.

 

I cut my hair!



We moved in with Sparklepants.  <3

We got married!

We lost our dear Mr. Mackie.

We (so far successfully) fought a carpet beetle infestation.



We adopted two little boy rats from Seattle Animal Shelter!

   

  

  

On the knitting front, I finished 12 items - a lot less than usual! - and started quite a few more, which I'm hoping to finish in 2014.

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Overall, 2013 was a long, difficult year, and I'm glad it's over.  It has been full of both highs and lows - the highs are among the best of my life, and the lows have been similarly extreme.  We've been dealing with some private family stuff lately as well, and trying to figure out how our new little 2-person family is going to live on a day-to-day basis, celebrate holidays, and keep growing together.

Here's to another year over and done with - Happy New Year, friends!

Four Things I'm Dreaming Of

Wearing

Rosa Boatneck Dress by mrspomeranz on Etsy

I have been obsessed with this dress for quite some time now, but it's only been in the last week or so that my fixation has become overwhelming.  I love everything about it: the sumptuous fabric, the slightly '40s-silhouette, the adorable model, the black-tights-and-shoes combo.  It's on the pricey side, but I'm considering saving up my clothes budget for a few months to custom order one.  It looks like the perfect winter dress.

Making

Nancy Straughan, textile designer

My mother-in-law sent me a link to this textile designer's website a few days ago, and I fell down the rabbit hole a little bit.  I love the simple elegance of Straughan's designs: her prints are modern but not trendy, rustic but graceful, geometric without losing warmth.  She talks about being inspired by Scandinavian and '50s textiles motifs - a designer after my own heart! - and I can see these fabrics working beautifully as vintage-inspired shirtdresses and simple sundresses.

Eating

Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

I've been feeling under the weather since Sunday, so food hasn't been the most appealing, but this cake practically reaches out of my computer to taunt me with its deliciousness.  I might even have to attempt [gasp] cooking, just so I might have this glorious Cake in my grubby little hands.

Knitting

Braid Hills, by Kate Davies

Swoon.  This cardigan is gorgeous.  Beautiful detail, beautiful shape, and the most fetching neckline.  I'd better get going on sweater knitting, because my list is getting ridiculous - and if I'm going to get that perfect winter dress, I'm going to have to have at least a fabulous cardigan or two to wear with it!