Who knew there was such a treat on 25th St.? (OK, probs lots of people) Right in between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in a parking garage I wouldn’t have given a second look if I didn’t know better, was where I spent Sunday afternoon. It was a flea market, and it was beautiful. Here’s a little preview of what I found…

I’ll put up a whole outfit as soon as I get one together. But they had tons of stuff! And lots of vintage designer labels for those who are searching for that kind of thing. aka me.

We also checked out the Market NYC, on Mulberry between Prince and Houston. It was really cool, too—I will definitely be going back to both of those and I promise I’ll get better at taking pictures as I go. I’m new at this you know.

For Christmas, I made my sister and brother’s girlfriend cowls for presents. And I ended up falling in love with the yarn color of my sister’s scarf, so I decided I needed to make something for myself using that yarn. Here is the finished product.

I love the Purl Bee, and get a lot of project ideas from them. This was inspired by the Herringbone Cowl. I saw that post, and loved the size of the finished product. That is exactly what I wanted in my scarf.

It’s hard to see in the picture, but the beautiful wine color has really pretty contrasting blue threads throughout. I used Cascade Yarns Magnum. It’s a bulky yarn, two stitches per inch and size 15 needles recommended. I used size 17—I knit tight and wanted it a bit looser. The whole scarf took about two skeins. I used the remainder of the skein from my sister’s scarf (about 1/3 was left) and then 1.5 new skeins. I think it could be done in two.

I’m not that skilled of a knitter (again, I’m very beginner) and I had a specific yarn in mind, so I adapted the Herringbone Cowl project to fit my needs. Basically, I just borrowed the size. I cast on 28 stitches to make it 14 inches wide. I knitted one side and purled the other because I love the different textures it creates and wanted that to show up on my scarf, especially when it’s twisted and you can see both sides. So I knitted and purled…

…until it reached 58 inches, then cast off as normal. Then, using a needle, I stitched the ends of the scarf together to make a cowl. You can’t even see the seam when it’s on, and really can only just see it on the purl side of the scarf anyway. It worked way better than I thought, and I love the way it came out.

In my sewing class (at Flirt in Brooklyn, LOVED it) we learned to make a tote bag.

So, I figured I’d start there.

So on Thursday after work, I headed to the sale at Purl Soho, one of my favorite stores to buy yarn. They also have fabric and a really awesome blog full of projects and inspiration.

I picked up these fabrics, just because I liked them.

I’m going to make some bags. And maybe a scarf. I have a killer outfit planned for that blue and green fabric.

In the meantime, I’ll need some cotton webbing for straps and some fabric for lining. So I’ll gather my supplies, wait for my machine, and keep you posted.

The weapon. This is on its way to my house from my parents’ basement.

I am not an expert sewer. In fact, I am a very beginning seamstress. I have made one thing on a sewing machine in my entire life. It was last weekend, in a sewing class. But I am ready to learn and create and make—and if I can do it, you can, too.