Saturday 10 December 2011

We Come Bearing Gifts...

Sooo yes, we've been remiss in our correspondance. Not a one post during the month of November, but I hope that some of you won some great treats from the isobel and cleo advent calendar countdown to Black Friday. I've heard Cara going on about doing a giveaway on her Seaweaver Facebook page. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, feast your eyes on THIS:


There's only one world that can sufficiently and succinctly describe what's going on in this picture...

HOTNESS.

Courtesy of Wolsey Knitwear

We'll be back soon!

x
Cara and Charlotte

Sunday 30 October 2011

Christmas Come Early! the isobel and cleo advent calendar!

Do you guys like free stuff? I mean GOOOOOOD free stuff? What about FREE stuff from isobel and cleo? Well then, keep reading! The month of November is all about being thankful right? Well I'm thankful for YOU, my fans! SO November is FAN MONTH and we're doing something a little special here. Starting November 1st we're having an advent calendar that counts down to Black Friday. Every day we will release a photo from an isobel and cleo fashion shoot. All you have to do is 'Share' the picture with your Facebook friends and after sharing write, 'I Shared!" in the comments box below the pic. Pics will be posted by 11am and must be shared by 11pm to qualify. Share it on your profile page, your business page, share it with your family, whomever! All sharers will be entered into a drawing and one winner will be selected at random. You can share on the same day more than once to increase your chances of winning!! Prizes and winners will be announced the following day. There is NO LIMIT to how many times you can win BUT, at least 5 people have to share the post for a drawing to happen that day. You MUST share the picture using the 'Share' link button on Facebook and you must do so publicly. Meaning it cannot be in a private message or shared with a private group. This is so we can track your shares! Questions? Leave them in the comment box below and we'll get back to you ASAP! Good luck!!

To Enter:
Go to isobel and cleo's facebook page. If you don't already like it, 'Like' us already!!

Step 1: Select the 'Share' Button. (Make sure you're sharing the right picture for that day!)


 Step 2: Choose who you want to Share with. You'll have to repeat this step to share with more than one person, but you've got till 11pm!



Step 3: Select the blue Share button. Repeat if desired!


Step 4: Write an 'I Shared!' message in the comments box below the picture. That's it!

Questions? Leave them in the comments below!!

Tuesday 18 October 2011

The Snowball Effect

The Snowball Affect. 
Mohair Stripe Fringe Cardi on Etsy was Tumblr October 11th.


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Saturday 15 October 2011

Pics from last week's show at Cisco Brewery!!

I cannot BELIEVE that the Cisco Brewery show was only last week! If you missed it (like I did, as I was backstage) here are pics from our event, courtesy of our awesome photographer Nathan Coe. Thanks again to Cisco Brewery, all the models, N Magazine, Nathan Coe, Pete Ahern, Megan Maureen and Bridget from Darya's Salon and Jeff O'Neil. And of course, my lovely assistant Mallory Epping who pulled 2 all nighters with me and went above and beyond!

If you like to buy anything, most things are available on my Etsy shop. Otherwise you can contact me in the comments section for more info!

x
Charlotte







Wednesday 12 October 2011

Damn, Wish I Made That...

Do you ever see things and think to yourself, I WISH I made that? My quality of life would be infinitely cooler, my friends would be spectacularly more impressed, hot guys would find me slightly more attractive, my bank account would probably still be malnourished, but fifty thousand more people would still be adding me to their circles and treasuries on Etsy. Has that ever happened to you? Well it happens to me frequently, especially in the morning when I wake up and search for things to blog about. Seriously, it's the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. Calling the last 3 days unproductive would be kind so I'm glad I found Jenny Postle Central St. Martin's 2011 Graduate Collection via my friends Lucy and Natasha's blog. Take a look:




Pictures are from catwalking.com via Lucy and Natasha's blog. Maybe I'll make this, I wish I made that a regular little feature on our blog.

x
charlotte

Tuesday 27 September 2011

Wanna Meet Jonny Lee Miller, the hottie from the 90s film Hackers?

Well, I may not be able to get you him exactly, BUT I can probably get you somewhere close. On Facebook this morning I got the idea for this post from a very unlikely source, but that's neither here nor there. I also saw that my ex finally joined the dark side and got a Facebook account, Yuck. BUT that's also neither here nor there. What is HERE AND THERE is knitting machine hacking. "What?" you may ask? Yes, that's right. Knitting machine hacking!! I just felt like kind of a huge geek right there. seriously, who knew right? Some of you out there may be thinking, I don't even know what a knitting machine is/ how to use one/ where to get one. Allow me. A knitting machine is/ faster than hand knitting / user friendly / and readily available on Ebay. And if you're still scared I do offer lessons... Now that I've got those initial fears out of your way there is nothing left to say but CHECK THIS OUT:




Here are some more links that better describe how to do all this jazz via Craft Magazine.
Hacking Your Electronic Brother Knitting Machine Part 1
Hacking Your Electronic Brother Knitting Machine Part 2

So friends, grab your nearest hottie hacker, someone who can make sense of this the directions at this Wiki link (eek.) or here at the Brother Liberation Front and get to making your own knitted painterly masterpieces. Maybe you two will start the next (and hottest) knitting movement. 

x
Charlotte

Wednesday 14 September 2011

I like to count alpacas instead of sheep...

I'm not sure why it's 5:19 am and I have yet to go to sleep. But as I lay here, surfing the internet, (read: spending way too much $$ I don't have on Etsy) and updating my website, facebook, and twitter, for the umpteenth time (who am I even talking to, everyone's asleep!), I contemplate the past week and think of where all this is headed to in the whole grand ol' scheme of things. My big dream is to one day own a working alpaca farm, knitwear label, and knitting school. It'll be like a knitting holiday retreat, where people can come and learn about knitting from the very beginning of the process, from shearing the wool off the animals to spinning to dyeing to knitting.




Well crap if someone isn't already doing this.
In my perusal of Etsy I came across this listing for a month in Hungary learning how to weave, knit, dye, be green, and just be generally friggin' AWESOME. All for $5000. Sounds pretty steep, but then again:


you get to:
-learn to spin wool AND MILK A COW!
-the price includes 3 meals a day including fresh baked bread, duck eggs, cow's milk, HOMEMADE CHEESE, fruits and veggies from their organic garden.
-learn how to identify and eat plants from the WILD!
-bring another person for the same price, so if you bring a friend it's $2,500 for all the above jazz.
and after all that:


*** After you pay for your stay with us we are happy to send some goodies from the farm such as herbs, spices and dry sourdough yeast, as a gift before your vacation with us!


Clearly these are the nicest people ever. And that's just the start.


So, who's with me? You can check it out at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/77159502/a-month-with-the-magyars-september-2012

Thursday 8 September 2011

As If I Ever Needed ANOTHER Excuse to Knit...

I love knitting and yarn, thank god right, because that's my job. But seriously, Cara and I went into Flock, the only true yarn shop on Nantucket Island, and I totally had to rescue this defenseless ball of angora because of Cara's overwhelming desire to assault it. As you can see, Cara ended up buying it anyway.


Well, in addition to cute little balls of yarn that you want to take home and feed because they look like wee animals, my other love is wooden knitting needles. Sure I got really annoyed that I somehow managed to lose one needle of a pair size 19 massive needles. It reminded me of the time I was flying home from school and I got stuck in Detroit on a layover because Southwest Airlines had "lost our plane." Everyone was like how do you "lose" a plane? This was clearly well before September 11th. So yes I lost one of biggest needles, but upside was that I got to go buy a new set of WOODEN size 19 needles! Very exciting. Not the spending $$ part, but the new needle part.

Now I was on Twitter this morning, and what do you know that I found? COLORED WOODEN KNITTING NEEDLES. I didn't even realize that wooode needlses coudl ... get EVEN better!?!?! See I was so excited, I missplet all those words. I left them there intact so you could see the affect that colored wooden needles have on me. I have scoured the internet (a cursory glance really, as I am SO BUSY) to bring you my top 3 favorite kinds of novelty woodel neesdles.

NUMBER THREE:
So these aren't technically colored, they are just different types of natural woods, but the added rosebud at the ends made me love them all the more. You can find them at Winter Rose Needles.

NUMBER TWO:
Harmony Wooden Needles come in straight, double pointed and circular and look like gelato heaven on a stick!

NUMBER ONE:
This etsy seller, Tikimau, makes vintage needles into jewelry, but sometimes she sells the uncut variety. I bet if you asked her nicely she'd make a pair for you. She just seems like that kind of lady.

Honorable Mention:
These are actually mini shawl pins I found on Etsy, but if they were standard sized needles, they'd be AWESOME!!!
Happy Knitting!

x,
charlotte

Wednesday 7 September 2011

The life of a shameless knitter.



I went camping with my family.


My poor clan is no match for the knitting monster into which I inevitably transform.... even on the vacation I took AWAY from knitting. It's an illness. You would have thought that camping in the great woods of New Hampshire would ease me of my ailment. But, no. In fact, it is in situations like this very one that the beast is strongest.
Appointments? None.
Responsibilities? None.
Bathing? Optional.
And not much else to do but blissfully sit, and stoke the fire.... or not.
Jeeeeeezzzz... what is a textile Jezebel to do, I ask you???? oh ya, good thing I packed my portable WORK!!!! Hope my husband doesnt mind...
Canoeing? Nah.
Rope swing? Nah.
Hiking? Thats ok, I'll just sit here and knit.

This is a fingerless glove that I knit while neglecting my family. But, the problem with gloves, is that you have to make two and I was totally ready to move on after I finished it... but hopefully, when I go camping next year, I'll make the other one.














We had to go to the grocery store a few times, about 30 minutes away from our paradise in the woods. On the way back, we stumbled upon this unforgettable farm, and needless to say, my favorite part of the whole trip.
Charlotte and I often fantasize about owning and operating an Alpaca farm and retreat where we will host crazed wool fanatics, much like ourselves, and sheer, spin, knit, and weave ourselves silly... every day. And just think of the unrealized possibilities for side business! Could you imagine a better conversation starter??? This poo farm is the ticket. I really hope your all with me on this one.







Its not that I wasnt in the spirit of camping. I just had found such euphoria in the notion that I literally had all the time in the world to park my butt in that folding chair, and MAKE STUFF. And nothing satisfied me more than feeding that beast.

However, it was pointed out several times that I may be spending too much time with my yarn, and not quite enough time with my..... marshmallow.





Yes. That is a knitting needle.



Well, I guess I did spend a little time with my family after all. I taught my Mumsie to knit! See how happy she is?



And even though my hands were in a constant state of knit, purl, knit, purl, I was able to still enjoy the sound of tall trees, the crystal clear lake lapping at my toes, wood smoke, and the company I keep. As for the knitting beast? Well, she is curled away for now and patiently waiting for the next time I find myself on a relaxing vacation.

I will leave you now with the words of Charlotte,
"knit fast, die warm."

~Cara

Thursday 1 September 2011

Can you use Quid Pro Quo in a Sentence?

Like this Wrap-round? The person who comes up with the best and most correct use of the phrase "quid pro quo" in a sentence wins it! And we're not giving it to any sub par entries! It's gotta be good people!!! You have till Sunday, winners announced Monday. Post your answers at Charlotte's label's Facebook page.
x,
Charlotte

Tuesday 30 August 2011

N Magazine Photo Shoot Sneak Preview!!

I've been packing up what feels like the entire Union Textiles studio for our first ever photo shoot held on location in the "Serengeti"* of Nantucket Island for N Magazine. While the shoot is mostly going to use pieces from my Fall 2011 isobel and cleo collection, there will also be a couple Seaweaver pieces and one collaborative Union Textiles garment in the shoot. I personally would have liked to get some more Seaweaver and Union Textiles pieces in the line up but unfortunately a good chunk of our collection is stuck in Charleston awaiting the announcement of the new date for the Music Loves Fashion event. I hope that it comes soon and that all our friends down South weren't badly affected by the hurricane. Here on Nantucket, it was just very windy with slight drizzles here and there that lasted all of 5 minutes. Everyone abandoned the island in fear and those who stayed boarded up their property. In the end it was way safer here than the rest of the East Coast. Several of my friends even went to the beach, where the waves to be fair, were massive and awe-mazing. Forgive me, I'm babbling! I have a cold in AUGUST and I'm a bit verbally discombobulated right now.

Anyway, I've totally gone off topic. N Magazine. Right. Check out some of the styling and looks that are inspiring the editor and photographer Nathan Coe:


Hot right?! It's going to be a sizzling photo shoot tomorrow morning, but I better get some sleep as our call time is 7am and I have to pick up Cara and the make up artist! Make sure to follow all the action tomorrow on Facebook and Twitter!

x

charlotte

*will explain that later

Thursday 18 August 2011

It's a small world after all...

I've decided it must be National Small World Week. On Sunday morning a friend of a friend that I let couch surf with me in Scotland 3 YEARS AGO and haven't seen since was on Nantucket Island. Of all the places he could have eaten breakfast at on his one day on island, he ate at my restaurant. Then today at dinner, I got to talking to a girl who ended up working for Teach of America. When I told her my college roommate also worked for them, we unearthed that she is good friends with my ex-roommate's current roommate, a TFA star. But that's not all. Before meeting the TFA teacher, I was in the Union Textiles Studio. I had received a package of clothing that I'm showing at the Music Loves Fashion event next Saturday in Charleston, SC. Well, I couldn't put the looks together without trying it on a model so my friend and neighbor across the hall, Ben from Lucky Dog Vodka suggested I go grab a girl off the street. Which I did. And who would've guessed the first girl I grabbed was the girlfriend of one of my old Nantucket friends from three summers ago, who haven't seen since and who had been on the island for days but was leaving in a few hours! Small world right?!

While I marvel at the small world moments that have occurred this week (there were TWO others I'm not mentioning), here is a (**makeshift**) glimpse at the isobel and cleo collection for Music Loves Fashion, modeled at the spur of the moment by the lovely Skylar:

x
charlotte





My pants, Cara's cashmere top.




Sunday 7 August 2011

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made...

Yes, that's right, New York. Everyone sings about it, from Jay Z to Frank Sinatra. So with such illustrious figures paying homage to the city that apparently never sleeps, who are we NOT to go there and see what it has to offer?

We arrived in New York on 28th and 7th Ave, right smack in the Fashion District, on the steps of FIT. Has there ever been another sign so telling and appropriate? Immediately upon our arrival we set off to work. A wee bit of shopping in Soho. Now this isn't fun, regular shopping, no it was work shopping, an entirely different breed of monster. Our task was to gather ideas and get inspired by what we saw in the stores. We hit Free People, Top Shop, and All Saints (one of my favorite British stores that has now crossed over to the US). Needless to say Cara loved my favorite store, All Saints (not sure if you knew this but we've come to realize in the past couple of months that we are indeed, the same person), and we got some great ideas to build on for our own collection.

The next day we hit the Met to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, Savage Beauty. The lines were hellish and after waiting outside of the museum before it opened and waiting again inside in the admissions line, the entry into the exhibit itself was still another 2 and 1/2 hour line. We ended buying a Met membership to skip the queue! Mr. McQueen never one to disappoint, was amazing. It sounds like such an understatement to say that, but I've been sitting here for l5 minutes trying to think of a word to describe it other than, awesome, amazing, fantastic, etc. The rest of the day consisted of Cara and I running around the city to our various yarn appointments. But let me stop yapping and let the pictures below do the talking!

To see all our pictures check out charlotte's label's page at facebook.com/isobelandcleo.

Shopping List:
Free People
All Saints
Top Shop
The Met: Savage Beauty Exhibit
The Yarn Company
Tender Buttons
Silk City Fibers
Karabella
Habu Textiles
Lion Brand Studio
Shareen Vintage

Downtown Yarns
String
Beads of Paradise

x
charlotte
a piece from the McQueen exhibit

a piece from the McQueen exhibit

the Yarn Co, on the upper west side. this was a favorite new yarn store discovery

Tender Buttons. Amazing store, there is also one in Chicago across from Barneys

silk city fibers, a yarn company that we use alot

Cara pontificating over yarns in Habu

yarn at habu. I love how they package it!

Charlotte became so overwhelmed she just had to lay over all the yarns

at lion brand yarns