Monday Moodboard Set 1 [ Journey ]

I'm a Pinterest addict. I use it almost daily for a little dose of inspiration, and I love using it to organize those bits and pieces into comprehensive categories. Nowadays though, instead of meandering through the never-ending links and pictures, I've been using it to create mood-boards for the rebranding of my store. It got me thinking about using Pinterest more thoughtfully and purposefully. Even though I use my usual general boards for outfits, DIYs, hobbies, etc., I've never made one where I incorporated each of these in one "themed" board. 

Here's my first attempt at one, and I've found the experience very fulfilling (especially since it gives me a great excuse to pin more). Also, since I love visually categorizing images, so it's great that I'm able to put all my favorite pins into one visually pleasing moodboard with a all-around theme. 

This set is inspired by my new scarf called "Journey". It celebrates individuality, the unique journey each person goes through, experiencing new things, and going out of your comfort zone. The set really shows what I've been inspired by lately; natural beauty, colors, and scenery. 

From left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / Background

From left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / Background

From left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / Background

Journey

I’ve finally finished the first design for my upcoming Autumn/Winter line and I realized just how time consuming it is to actually knit for a business rather than for pleasure (although I am knitting for the shop with pleasure). This experience of trying to start up and run my own business has really taught me a lot about “going with the flow” whether it be in design or life. In the beginning of everything, I have to admit, I had no idea what to do or where to start. Serious doubts always plagued me about the next step to take, how to achieve plan A or plan B, how I’m going to fund the line, so on and so forth. After a while, and I started to take the necessary steps to start, I realized a lot of continuing forward with what I want to do necessitates going with the flow. I realized that I had no say in what was to come, but all I could do is shift, move, compromise in order to make the best of whatever situation I found myself in.

This design started off as an idea for a simple, cable infinity scarf, but I also wanted it to reflect the journey I’m going through, the many crooked and curved pathways resulting in something beautiful. However, as I was researching cable patterns online, I couldn’t really find the “right” one, many were too complicated, too simple, or just didn’t look like it was going to help me make the scarf scarf I was imagining. That’s when I realized that my journey wasn’t just a pattern that anyone can use, it was my very own. The combinations of paths I’ve taken to get to where I am now isn’t made by someone and can’t used by anyone else. The journey of random twists and turns I’ve been taking all along has created something wonderful, and I wanted to celebrate that. Therefore, each and every single “Journey” scarf is created freehand, meaning that I don’t plan the cables beforehand, and simply create one wherever I see fit. This makes each and every scarf special, to reflect how each and every person has their own journey to where they are and where they want to go.

Also, a super quick announcement for anyone interested: I’m currently in the process of creating a new website to host my own shop (I’ll also still be continuing to use Etsy) and am also trying to rebrand, so look forward to more updates coming soon!

Thanks everyone,

Love Mel

Design vs. Reality

The process of designing something out of an image in your head tends to be long and hard. Currently, I've been spending my time trying to design and test out the patterns I want in my collection, but it's hard to get things just right. Each step of the design process takes a lot of effort and consideration before its execution, and sometimes, even hard-core planning yields unexpected results.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for unexpected results. Sometimes, a mistake turns out to be something I like, but those tend to be pretty rare. A good example is designing beanies, my vice. I can design sweaters, cardigans, socks, scarves, but try as I might I come up pretty short when it comes to designing beanies. No matter how much I research the stitching, the pattern, the fit, it always turns out too tight, too long, too small, too big, too something that makes it too ugly for me to put out into my shop. Just last week, I decided to test the tumulus beanie waters again and tried to make a beanie for my upcoming Fall/Winter collection. The calculations were right, I swatched, the pattern and measurements looked good, but when I came halfway into the beanie I realized it was way too tight to fit onto my head, which is small compared to other average adult heads. I also didn't predict how the pattern would look stretched out (ugly). Dejected by my failure, the unfinished beanie sat on my desk for a good week before I started to write up this post which gave me enough courage to unravel it. Starting over from scratch is never easy, especially after you've put in a lot of work into something that failed, but I've been learning that something will almost never be perfectly right the first time around.

Sometimes (a lot of the times) people ask me how I can make the same things over and over, or make something, not like it, and start over from scratch. To be quite honest its never easy, but for me, the journey of making the perfect finished piece that a customer is waiting for is worth all the unraveling and headaches. Constantly knitting calms me, it gives me peace, and I'll never stop.

P.S: If you haven't already, please check out my gofundme page that I have set up to fund my Fall/Winter collection! Any amount of support is much appreciated! 

Winter On My Mind

Senior year of college is coming up, and I'm starting to feel the heat. In the beginning, I've come into college as a Biology major, planning to become a doctor or researcher after graduating. However, as the school year went on, I was becoming less and less interested in science, and spending an increasing amount of time at my home knitting and designing my own knitwear. I didn't think much of it at first, but at the insistence of many, I began to sell the items that I would knit and later opened up a Etsy store in order to sell my wares worldwide. It was not until the middle of sophomore year that I realized that I wanted to put my all into my store and make it my career. Since then, whenever I wasn't studying, I would be knitting and working in my store. However, I always thought I had more time to do things later, to get serious later, etc. Only recently have I really put my everything into a project, which is my 2015 Fall and Winter line.

At the end of the post, I'll be putting up the images I've used in my moodboard as inspiration for my line. This collection will be consisting of knitwear with classic shapes with a little twist, with different and contemporary cables, and ribbing adding interest to classic knitwear such as sweaters, cardigans, and scarves. I'm also planning to use my love of  natural color, the way God meant it to be, by using natural, undyed super soft yarn.

I'm so excited to build up this line for all my supporters to see, but in order to accomplish this, I'll need everyone's help. As I'm a soon-to-be graduating college student, I'm tight on capital to invest into my business, which is why I will be extremely grateful for as many people as possible to help me to make my dreams, designs, and work to come into reality. As of today, I have opened up a "gofundme" page, in order to raise enough money to buy the yarn, store fees, domain name fees, and custom blog design, in order to make this line a success. Since handknits are so expensive and time-consuming to make, I will not be able to offer rewards for each donation. However, please know that any amount will be very close to my heart, and that I will be forever grateful for the support.

Anyways, here's the link to the gofundme page

And I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I do!

Photos from: 1 2 3 4(unknown)

Photos from: 1 2 3 4

Pictures from: 1 2 3 4(unknown)

Pictures from: 1(unknown) 2(unknown) 3(unknown) 4

Pictures from: 1 2 3(unknown) 4

Snapshot Friday

What I'm up to: 

-early mornings 

-reading + knitting

-watching "Friends" + knitting

I'm trying to come up with spring designs, but juggling school and work with the store has been difficult. I've been trying my best to wake up early so that I can get some knitting done before class and that's been helping a lot. 

Listening to: Heartache Fetish by Young & Sick

Wind and Snow

This past weekend I went with T to Lake Tahoe, where I spent the chilly days drinking hot coffee, romping about in the snow, and keeping warm in the jacuzzi. It was a much needed escape, but it made me realize how urgent it was to go all in into my venture. School has been keeping me away these past months, but I'm ready to put both feet jump right into the water to see where it takes me. 

He ran into the cathedral

Just a little outfit post to fill up the days. Next week I'll be in Japan, summertime goes so fast, especially if you have to study all the time...which I'm obviously doing *cough cough* 

Just wanted to show you guys my favorite pants right now. I don't really know their real name, but I call them socially acceptable pajama pants. They not too hot and very comfy and you can sleep in them, study in them, knit in them, or do nothing in them..so great. 

I took this outside of a mall near school. We went to Boiling Crab right after, but I was too hungry to take pictures ehe. 

Hat - Urban Outfitters // Tank Top - H&M // Pants - Cotton On // Sandals - thrifted Steve Madden // Purse - Coach