I’m so excited to reveal the details of a very special and fun event that fellow author Kelly Doust (aka The Crafty Minx) and I have been planning…

Kelly has become a dear friend since I moved back to Sydney.  Although I’d heard a little about her from our mutual friend Catherine while I was living in Amsterdam, I first met Kelly when she came along to one of the My Heart Wanders book launch events in 2011. I was struck by her incredible presence, her beauty and style. We chatted briefly at the event, she was so open and honest and at that point, I hoped we would meet again. And we have, many times since, and I feel honoured to have her as my friend – she enhances my world and I can’t wait to share her with you if you haven’t already gotten to know her yourself.

Join us in quaint Rozelle on Saturday August 9 to stroll through one of our favourite flea markets of Sydney as we share our tips and advice for uncovering unique one-off finds in homewares and fashion. After our wonderful treasure hunt we will head over to Ungaro Raw for an intimate chat over delicious sweet treats. Each guest will receive a signed copy of Little Treasures: Made by Hand and A Life in Frocks.

For more details see the invitation above. Tickets are on sale now with numbers strictly limited to keep the event intimate and exclusive. To purchase, just click on the ‘buy now’ button below.

I hope you can join us! Have a beautiful weekend mes amis.

xx

This winter I’ve had the time to do some knitting, something I haven’t done in years. I’m not an experienced knitter by any means – I know the basics, I can knit simple shapes (such as squares and rectangles)… the idea of making a piece with curved edges, patterns or with multiple yarns is an adventure I’m not quite ready for.

To my delight, talented knitwear and textile designer Nikki Gabriel has come up with something fabulous for beginners and advanced knitters alike: a unique series of knitting patterns that are designed to be made in stages by simple knitting shapes. Called Construction kits, Nikki has cleverly designed 3 in total so far, and each kit comes complete with instructions for making a number of super stylish garments –  from simple scarves to vests, sweaters, and cardigans…

“Each shape is simple to knit and like a building block system, you can begin with a one-ball of wool construction; your first block. Knit one ball creating a garment; then add another knitted shape with two balls of wool building on the first garment. So begins your construction.”

I’ve been working on Construction No. 3 which is based on just one knitting shape – a square. In this kit, you have 7 garments to build on – a shrug (which consists of 3 squares), a sweater, a sweater with sleeves, bolero, cardigan, jumper and jumper with cape. Each garment is a stage built on the previous one. I decided to make the cardigan, which builds on the shrug and bolero, knitting 9 squares in total…

Nikki has also designed her own yarn called “Wooli” – a delicious mix of recycled factory fibre remnants like wool, alpaca, silk, and cashmere. The result is a wonderful mix of thick, lush yarn that feels soft and warm, and comes in colours ‘greige’, ‘burgundy’, grey and black. I used the black yarn to knit my cardigan as you can see below…

I’m so happy with the result. Creating the garment has been a lot of fun, and I love the way the garment feels to wear – it’s so warm and cozy.  This is a project that can easily be done over a weekend, or a series of weeknights  – for me each square only took about an hour, but if you’re an experienced knitter I’m sure it would take you no time. My cardigan is going to get a lot of wear for the rest of winter and into spring when there is still a chill in the air. Now, I can’t wait to make myself another garment… next up I’m thinking the bolero from kit no. 2 will be perfect for the months to come.

……………………………………………

+ To purchase a Nikki Gabriel Construction kit, click here.

+ To purchase Wooli and Nikki’s ebonised knitting needles made from recycled Rimu in New Zealand, click here. And for more info on Nikki and her creations, click here or to read her blog, click here.

Thank you dear Nikki for allowing me share your beautiful work here in the (blog)house.

xx

A couple of months ago, Parisian bag designer Alexia Hollinger (who you may recall I wrote about in  Paris: Made by Hand) emailed me to say she had created a new collection of bags in my name. I couldn’t quite believe it.  I received one of my very own just the other day, in gold linen or lin doré as they say in French. Here it is above, hanging from my studio doorknob. I adore it – it’s light, it’s big, it’s incredibly practical but stylish and sophisticated. It has a pocket especially for one’s phone, and a zipped pocket for other things, it even has a key holder.

I love it in every way, and I feel incredibly honoured that Alexia named this bag after me. It’s now available for purchase in Alexia’s shop in Paris, but also online right here. It comes in four styles including Toile de Jouy and Lin argenté (silver linen). Merci beaucoup Alexia, je suis très touchée. xx

…it’s adorable. I found this pretty embroidered silk number in a little vintage boutique earlier this year, in a sweet seaside town outside of Sydney where my dear friend Jenni lives. We saw it together, both fell in love with it and spent the following moments passing it from one to another “no you have it”, “no you saw it first, you should have it” “no no, you have it”. Jenni insisted I take it, so I did. And now it lives with me here in Amsterdam. It’s a lovely summer bag, and even though I don’t get to use it much here in the north, I have it hanging on a hook in my bedroom where I can see it everyday and think of my dear friend.

Do you remember this bag? And do you remember I said I’d show you the other side? Well what you see above is the other side. Isn’t it stunning? I love how the two sides are so different. Leslie now has a page on her website for new items she has made, so you can check out all her freshly made bags right here.