Slotober - 'worn' or 'worn out'?

I wear a lot of knitted accessories.  They add colour to my fairly neutral wardrobe, and I'm always cold so cowls and scarves work for me year-round.    I also knit a lot of accessories to give away.  This year most people will get a knitted gift as I try to simplify (and reduce) the holiday budget.

My most recent one is a hat - Antler Hat by Tin Can Knits.  Made the largest size to fit my dad's head, so I hope he likes it.  The colour is a bit brighter than he usually wears, but I think he'll like it.  Teal is on-trend this year, but I'm pretty sure that's not on my father's radar!

Next up is a cowl that I will gift to someone (kids' teachers?  colleagues?  not sure yet...).  It's another Tin Can Knits pattern - 2 x 2.  It's a buttoned cowl in bulky yarn.  I have some dk weight in the same colour (both are Patons Classic Wool) so maybe a matching hat or fingerless mitts will come too.

 
But those will come in November, as I'm worn out now!

SMALL and LOVE

Love this tunic.  Wore it with a skirt, with jeans, dressed it up, dressed it down.  Also love the that the yarn is Canadian -  Briggs and Little - bought at my Local Yarn Store.  It's Irish Coffee by BabyCocktails, so also like that it's an independent design.  I do buy magazines and like the feel of a pattern in my hands rather than on screen, but this one was a winner.  I want my closet to be full of sweaters and garments that are versatile and that look great on.  

This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so I am also thinking about the holidays a little earlier than my neighbours in the USA might be.  We don't typically go for Christmas 'stuff' until after Halloween, but it's still on the mind now that it's Thanksgiving.  I'm queuing up lots of gift knitting.  This is not 'slow' knitting as it's deadline-driven, but it is knitting that lends itself to the notion that a gift is more than a thing in a bag.  It represents both the recipient and the giver.  I want my gifts to be hand made, and to reflect the care I have for my family and friends.  Not a quick purchase but instead a well-planned present that took time and careful consideration.  I guess that best sums up the slow fashion idea for me:  careful consideration.

Slow October

Joining in at Fringe Association for Slow Fashion October.  I'm thinking about need versus want right now, as we head into holiday season.  I'm trying to scale down what I buy and what I wish for so that I focus more on enjoying what I have instead of longing for what I don't have.  This is not a huge mind-set change, more of a honing in more mindfully on what I've always been thinking but have not always been living.

I usually knit holiday gifts, but this year most people will get a handmade gift as the main thing rather than an 'add-on' to other gifts.  So far I've knit some hats (some started in the summer), both from Babycocktails Tiki collection:

I've also knit a baby gift for a colleague instead of donating money to a group gift - very cute Tin Can Knits pattern, Gramps:

I've started a cowl for a friend's birthday that needs to be done by the 9th (so not so slow after all!):

I don't sew (used to but it wasn't for me, mostly because I don't have a space to keep things out until they are done, and packing away everything/unpacking again the next day was tedious), but I do cook.  We usually go out for dinner when we have a sitter or when kids go to grandparents', but this time we stayed in.  I bought a book for inspiration (author's blog isNot Without Salt) and made three dishes from two menus.

Dinner at home, at our pace, for a fraction of the cost at a restaurant seems to fit with the theme for me.  Spend less, enjoy more.  For me, that's the driving thought behind my Slow(er) October.