It is Sunday and I finally found some time to sit down, think and write. I am busy these days, work is exiting and full of firsts, we are still house/mushroom/moon hunting and more generally trying to build a life here in Karlskrona. It is also Slow fashion October and I think that is exactly what I need. Quiet contemplation, intention and planning. I want to feel this season with all it’s transitions. Preparing for the colder and darker months ahead. Building skills and surrounding myself with things that ground me. I have been looking forward to this since Karen from Fringe Association started talking about it back in spring. A whole badass community reflecting, making and exploring one amazing subject. Yes please!
Week one is all about introductions and since I haven’t written much about myself on here anyways, now is as good a time as any. Here goes.
My name is Simone, I have a BFA in Art Photography, often measure the success of a year in how much I’ve travelled and then I of course knit, quite obsessively.
I was born in a hippie commune in Copenhagen, the capitol of Denmark. My parents and their friends were creative and imaginative people. Like you have to be when you choose to live with no money, a lot of kids, old houses and many many ideals. My mom taught me how to sew and crochet but her main creative outlet was (and is) as a Ceramicist and Glassblower, something she also shared with me.
I learned to knit when I moved to Gothenburg in Sweden to study Art Photography. It was the coldest winter in memory and I felt a bit lonely as you do when you move to a new country by yourself. Knitting grabbed me in a pretty intense way and has been with me since. It is through knitting that I ‘ve reconnected with the ideals of my parents and the ideas of Slow Fashion.
Now I live with my boyfriend Christopher in a borrowed house on the tip of a little peninsula in Southern Sweden. We’ve both started businesses while looking for our own place in the countryside. But for now we are enjoying living very simply. Most of our stuff is in storage in Copenhagen including my sewing machine, so this Slow Fashion October will be all knitting for me.
I want to spent this month gathering the thoughts I’ve had on my own wardrobe, on using local materials as well as planning and preparing my making for this fall. I also have a few projects that I want to finish and start. I’ve made a list to easily keep tabs.
Goals for October and beyond
○ Planning my wardrobe. I lost most of my clothes earlier in the year. Rebuilding a comfortable and ethical wardrobe from close to scratch is interesting but takes planning. I would like to set some tangible goals and get my thoughts straight when it comes to this process.
○ Finishing the grey sweater that is currently on my needles. It is a little boxy thing that I am mostly done with, but I want to finish this before starting something else. The body is done and I am now making swift 2 at a time process on the sleeves.
○ Starting a project with the scandinavian Gotland sheep yarn I bought a little while back. Local wool and materials is something I have been thinking about a lot lately and I want to start a project working with exactly that. I have made a swatch but still haven’t decided wether or not I want to make a sweater or a cardigan. hmmm.
○ Reflecting on how I make.On Local materials, Sustainable practices and how I can incorporate them in a way that feels relevant and unforced.
Slow Fashion October: Introductions
I really love your photos! They are so inspiring and make me reach for my needles!
Thank you Alina :)
It’s great to know a little more about you….
Yeah I’m still getting used to writing about myself, apparently I can be a bit private.
I love this post. It has a very calming feel to it. I have been thinking about slow fashion october myself and what that may mean for me. Have a great month!
Oh that’s nice to hear. Have you decided on anything for SFO ?
Inspiring. It’s so easy to get caught up with needing to have many many things. Simple and intentional can meet our needs so much better. Your knitting is beautiful.
Lovely post and nice to read about someone based in a different corner of the world.
What’s the pattern of the grey sweater you’re knitting?
Hey Lotte thanks for your input! I am not following a pattern for the grey sweater, kinda making it up as I go :)
Inspiring images! Can you please tell us what the company and weight of the grey yarn is that you are using for the “boxy” sweater : ) as well as if you anticipate a “scratchy” factor when worn against the skin? Thank you!
I am becoming more and more curious and interested in the idea of a handmade wardrobe, a carefully planned out one. I am also curious about that lovely light grey yarn. What is it?
What a beautiful blog! I’ve now jumped on the bandwagon in making those slippers although Australia is boiling hot! Love your courage in purging clothes that are no longer in line with your values :)