DIY Knitted Shorts

I know I wasn't the only person lusting after the Stolen Girlfriends Club knitted hot pants (seen here in brown in a pic taken by Shini of Park and Cube). And of course I got to thinking about how I could DIY them myself. The closest I got was to thinking of making a pair of shorts out of a knitted sweater - which is still very doable mind you. But this morning I received an email from the lovely Barbro of Barbro Andersen with her tutorial of how she knitted these herself. Amazing! They are absolutely gorgeous and although the DIY isn't for the faint-hearted, she proves that you can definitely do. it. yourself. Go here for more pics and the tutorial. And keep the DIY projects coming - I love it when my readers get in touch.

Reader DIY - Ribbon Knit

I'm sure you remember my post of last week talking about Dior Inspired DIY Ribbon Knits (if not, go here for a gander). Well, it seems I wasn't the only person inspired by this gorgeous embellishment. The lovely bloggers of The Hearabouts let me know that they had a go at weaving some ribbons into waffle knit sweater, and I think they did a marvelous job. Head to their blog to see this project and some of their other creations.

 

I also stumbled upon the image below of a 'project in process' on Carly of Chic Steals' blog, I really can't wait to see the final product Carly! If any of you have any old sweater lying around, grab yourself some ribbon and have a lovely crafternoon.

DIY Ribbon Knit

Using a large needle or knitting needle, thread some ribbon through a cable knit like this - securing in sweet little bows.

Image: I Love Wildfox

DIY Knitted Armwarmers

We'll all be needing arm warmers this season what with fashion's penchant for capes. May your own using cable knit socks or by sewing tubes out of a thirfted deconstructed knitted sweater.

Image: Because I'm Addicted

DIY Rag and Bone Pocket Scarf

Read about this cute scarf by Rag and Bone in Vanessa Jackman's 'Loving Right Now' for December list. Very DIYable and would keep your little fingers warm. Simply sew some knitted patches onto a scarf.

Image: Net A Porter
It was a tad chilly today in HK while I was exploring, at one point I thought I should have brought along a jacket...

DIY Inspiration - Nautical blurred stripe top

I love the gorgeous 'my favourite things' Tommy Ton has done recently - every single image inspires me to DIY - there are lots of deconstructed tops jackets and knits. Mmmm yum. The image below of the blurred striped top made me think DIY instantly. I am so inspired to do this with some water soluble paint and a white top - washing the top immediately after painting the trips to get the blurred-ness.

DIY Weekly - Markus Lupfer Inspired Leather Corset Top

As I mentioned before I went away to Rome, I was recently inspired to make myself a Markus Lupfer corset style top. I have loved these tops for a while but I have been unable to part with the hundred odd quid they cost, particularly when they seemed so DIYable. Here's one of the real thing:

What you need:
Leather (I used one leg left over from a pair of leather trousers that I had cut into shorts), some fabric to make the template of the corset from, a shirt or knit (I used an oversized grey knit that was collecting dust at home), some glue, some scalloped lace trim and a needle and thread.
Here's how to do it:
1. First I made the template for the corset from a scrap of white fabric, as I didn't want to start cutting into the leather unless I was sure about the shape of the corset. It took a few tries to sketch out the corset, holding it in front of a mirror and making sure the fit was right. It wasn't easy to get the dimensions right. I then cut the template out and double checked it on my body, making slight adjustments here and there.
2. I then laid the template over the leather and traced around it onto the leather. I made sure to line up the leg seam on the leather so that it would sit properly when the leather was cut out. The seam actually created a nice detail on the leather.
3. I cut the leather corset out.
4. I then glued the leather corset onto the knit, checking first and marking with chalk the right placement of the corset on the knit. I would recommend sewing the leather on if you have a sewing machine as that would create a more finished look.
5. After the glue had dried, I pinned and sewed the lace trim at along the bottom of the leather.
Done! Next time I will use a tee, and make the leather insert section a little bit smaller.

DIY Celine Leather Pockets

I posted about adding oversized leather pockets to jackets, cardigans or dresses a while ago here, and now one of my favourite french designers, Celine, has made them a key feature of her new collection. They are so gorgeous. I think now I know one of the DIYs that is going to come out of my left over leather from this DIY. The addition of leather to the lapel of a jacket in the first pic is equally gorgeous.

Images: Vanilla Scented

DIY Weekly - Shredded Knit Cape

Earlier this week I nabbed a knitted cardigan off the 50p rack in my local thrift shop, and decided it was perfect for the shredded knit DIY I have been wanting to do for a while (see my inspiration posts here and here). The cardigan was actually pretty cute with little brown wooden buttons, and as soon as I saw it I knew what it was going to be.

Before:

DIY Steps (refer below for pics of the process - result!):
For the shredding - 
1. Cut a slit along the bottom of the seam of the knit - this is where the shredding will start. 

2. Start unravelling upwards against the grain of the knit.

3. Working up the cardigan, separate the yarn and unravel, whilst  making sure to leave a cobwebbed affect of knitting attached. Don't worry if you make some holes, the looks not supposed to be perfect.

4. Keep unravelling - you can do as much of the cardigan as you like, I did a section at the front and a section down the back. It takes a while so make sure you are watching a good movie (or your 6th episode of friends in my case... why is there never anything else on??).
For the cape:

To make the cape, fold the arms inside the cardigan and cut off, sewing shut. I was lucky with this cardigan because it was a couple of sizes too big for me, with the shoulder seams sitting way off my shoulders, so it already had that rounded shoulder look of a cape. Look for an oversized knit.

After:

DIY Maje Leather sleeved cardigan

So yesterday I bought a black pair of leather pants. Being the dodgiest charity shop on the east side I wasn't able to try them on, and was sad to find when I got home that the boot leg was neither flattering or 'fashion forward' (for three quid you can't really complain). Alas, the pants are destined to be made into black leather shorts with a rolled hem, which will leave me with a significant amount of black buttery leather. Saw the leather sleeved 'botox' cardigan in this Maje ad (bottom right), and while if I had a million bucks I would probably shop there, atleast now I know what I am going to do with the left over leather. I think I will cut and glue the leather over the sleeves of a grey cardigan.

Image: Who What Wear Daily

Go thrift now...

... heavy skater skirts and shrunken knits. On my list for lunchtime thrifting.

Image: Anywho / Street Style Aesthetic

Studded Knitwear

Ummm... YES PLEASE!! These plus a thrifted woolen roll neck jumper = perfection.

Image: TFS

DIY more shredded knits

Image: Knight Cat

DIY Shredded Knit

Amazing shredded knit. Hit the jumbles (aka charity shops) for a gorgeous thick knit, preferably in this sand colour, and get shredding.

Image: Christeric

DIY Autumn Trench

Thrifted trench coats present a huge range of options when it comes to DIY. I absolutely love the colour and textures of this jacket. To DIY this, you could wear a creme knitted jumper underneath a creme trench with the sleeves removed. If you're particularly nifty, you could attach the sleeves from a creme cardigan to a DIY trench vest.

Image: Carolines Mode