This Second's Obsession

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dark red spiral mesh cap

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I knit this hat from a pattern in the book Domiknitrix. I bought the right weight yarn – aran – I checked on Ravelry. I got some Rowan Scottish Tweed in 013, from the sale bin at John Lewis Bluewater. It’s this lovely dark red with flecks of other shades and the occasional blob of purple. I used the right size needles. I even checked the gauge! I often can’t be arsed to check the gauge! I measured my head. I decided a small was the right size. I cast on. You can never really tell the size when you’ve just cast on. I did the picot band. I did a few rows of the hat body, and then I stopped.

It was clearly coming out too big. Damn. So I knit the rest of the hat, so that I could judge exactly how too big it was. I looped the thread through the cast-off part without cutting it, and I took this horribly blurred photo, so you too can see exactly how massive this hat came up.

It covered my nose and I could fit both fists inside it at the same time as my head. Bemused and amused, I took it off, pinched it about to see how much less fabric there needed to be, did the appropriate maths, and then frogged it. I left it a couple of days because I was feeling annoyed, then made sure I had plenty of episodes of I Should Be Writing on my mp3 player (I’m catching up on the archives), and cast-on, for attempt number two.

I am delighted to say that my maths did the trick perfectly! I took another horribly blurred photo to prove it!

I must learn how to use self-timer or remote control on the dSLR, so that I can show you decent photos that are not taken at arm’s length. My camera has self-timer, but you have to put it on again after every picture and I can never be arsed to try it more than twice.

But isn’t the hat cute? I love it! Nobody else in the blogosphere or on Ravelry has reported sizing issues with this pattern, so I will blame my small head and probable inability to accurately measure it. I will review the whole book once I’ve tried a few more patterns, but I really enjoyed this one and wanted to show you my work.

I wore it the day I finished it with this teal-green cardigan (Topshop via Red Cross shop), a black vest top, my grey and black striped skinny trousers (H&M), and a red bag. The only full outfit photos that got taken that day were in purikura booths, and I haven’t been e-mailed them yet. When I do I will show you, or I may just wear that outfit again as it was hot!

The Dark Side of Etsy

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Colours are all very well when one is in the right mood, or for the right occasion, but what does one do when they want to celebrate the visual impression experienced in directions from which no visible light reaches the eye – also known as the colour black? Where does one turn one’s impeccably lined eye?

Etsy – the home of many online stores filled with handmade products – looks all sweetness and light on the surface. Take a trip to the front page and you will be confronted with cheery shades of blue, green, yellow, pink and orange. But lurking in the depths, despite the predominance of glorious colour, buried underneath all the brightness, is something irresistable.

I will be your tour guide, to safely navigate your way to items of quality and drama! Hold on to your credit cards, as we explore:

The Dark Side of Etsy!

At this point I would like you to imagine a flash of lightning, rumble of thunder and a giant organ playing a fanfare-tastic tune. I have provided the lightning, thanks to longhorndave (check out the lightning shots tutorial – lightning looks awesome). Unfortunately my blog has no video or sound effects. I could have tried to create them but it would probably have turned out like a bad myspace profile. Consider yourselves lucky.

The Cute

I am not a fan of adorning one’s possessions with spiders, bats, pumpkins, skeletons, skulls and other such images and animals that the babygoths at shopping malls everywhere seem to adore. I make an exception for black cats (I love the feline) but otherwise I avoid these kind of images. As I mentioned in My Rainbow: Orange and Yellow – I don’t want to look like Halloween personified.

So anything that is adorned with that kind of thing has to be really cute and really well designed and made in order for me to tolerate it. I begin this select collection with the Arachnid Clock, by Carnivalia. I like the shape. I love that the numbers look as though they are caught on a web. I like the ornate hands of the clock, and it is made of wood. Lovely.

This Bat Necklace is simple and understated. It could look elegant with a simple dress. You could even wear it with colours. I think it sits at the perfect place in the neck to be worn with a shift dress with a straight neckline.

There are several different variations of the Gourds of Goth earrings, but these are my favourite: Lady Ghoulia. They’re cute and funny enough to be worn anytime and I would certainly wear them if I had pierced ears. I’m saying that last part about a lot of earrings recently, maybe I should consider getting my ears pierced, finally!

Finally, skulls go elegant in this bracelet by PinkWaterFairy Punk. Read the description: “huge wickedly black glass faceted beads, spooky skulls, black glass AB beads, sinfully ornate silver work” – I’d want it even if I hadn’t seen it.

The Elegant

I have wanted a dramatic choker for years. I have yet to own an evening dress I would wear one with. I keep buying halternecks or dresses that come up too high at the front to showcase the would-be sparklies properly. If I had worn a goth dress to my school leaver’s ball like I had originally wanted to before I met the dress from Monsoon best described as “purple as fuck”, I would have wanted to accessorise with something like this black Swarovski Victorian teardrop cascade choker necklace. Yes, it is a mouthful of a name! I am very tempted to get it when I get paid – it ships from the UK and is pretty inexpensive.

If I allowed myself to consider that purchase, I would have to, however, debate whether I wanted to buy a Shimmery Blue Rose Cameo pendant instead. I am currently developing a cameo obsession – I have seen so many on different websites and there are many fans of them on the Emilie Autumn forum. It’s getting to me!

This Black Rose Felt Flower Brooch is hand-felted and looks stunning against the grey coat in the picture. I have recently started to develop an affection for all things grey (I blame the stitching up daises scarf) and this is a perfectly gorgeous accent accessory.

The Hats

Naturally, I have to have a special section just for hats! Beautiful in black and lace is Lena Horne, as well as the Gray and Black Lace Sinamay Mini Top Hat. Those who like their top hats full sized would appreciate this, described as Victorian Gothic with Peacock Feathers. And if you are blessed with large amounts of cash, the Mini Victorian Mourning Tricorn could be for you. With ostrich plumes and ribbons it is extravagant and fantastic.

The Others

I found some hair extensions in purple and black, and purple and white. The seller also has other colours, including striped extensions and does sets of dread falls, but I think purple and white make a fantastic contrast that I haven’t considered for hair before.

Finally, this post would not be complete without mentioning yarn. Mystery – A Dark Yarn (love that name!) is varigated with purple, grey, black and white shades and would make a beautiful pair of socks.

Have you explored the darker side of Etsy recently? Purchased anything? I’m planning to do a series of “dark sides” of various sites, which I hope you will enjoy. I’m definitely enjoying them, although my debit card might start crying.