Annabel Lee
Harmony Crochet Bag
As All Annabels know, I am a fan of Lucy from Attic 24. And I am not alone. The colour-wise people at Crafternoon Treats who designed this beauty :- Have now made a fat-bottomed bag using the Lucy’s harmony squares. Isn’t it pretty!- I’m making my own and doing my best to use their muted colour palette. Here is progress so far with some floral experimentation. Now I need to block the square, gather it all up, crochet the top, add the lace and flowers and make the handle. That’s all!!
Continue Reading →Eighteen Books You Should Read After You Die
Hell is other people's libraries
We are all familiar with the lists of ten, fifty, one hundred, one thousand and one “Books You Should Read Before You Die”. We at The Varnished Culture had not realised that it has been definitively proven that there is reading in the afterlife but, as it obviously has, we have compiled a list of books which absolutely must be read after death – i.e. not in this lifetime.:- The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt The Magicians by Lev Grossman Anything by Milan Kundera Wired by Bob Woodward Zeitoun by Dave Eggers The Kite Runner by…
Continue Reading →Crochet Crotchets
I admire that craftiste who, upon finding the pattern of something which she desires to make – (say, for argument’s sake, the crocheted jacket on page 10 of Margaret Hubert’s “Runway Crochet)” – opens the cupboard containing her yarn stash, frowns a bit, then says “yes, that’ll do nicely” to some skeins of something and, just like that, starts to make the (again, just as an example), close-fitting long-sleeved Juliet Jacket. I admire her because she has made up her mind about the pattern , she has the right amount of the right yarn, she knows the right size, her tension is good, and she just…
Continue Reading →Wheels and Dollbaby Get-Togethers are Evil
At the Thrift Shop Bar. Image courtesy of Natasha Buccella
If you do not know that ‘Dita’ is both a burlesque artist and a cardigan; if you do not believe in cleavage, and if you think that leopard-print is old-fashioned, read no further. This post is for Annabels who say “yes!” to black satin pencil skirts and plunging necklines, who want a mermaid tattoo and love faux fur. Wheels and Dollbaby is an Australian women’s clothing brand with an instantly recognisable, sexy and sleek look, a retro vibe, a rockabilly hint. The brand’s creator Mel and her muse (the Dita von Teese) know their audience and do the same thing season after season with panache. I had only two Wheels items –…
Continue Reading →A Picnic in the Folly – Step 1
Some day soon I shall have a picnic (with cakes and champagne) in the folly, deep within the TVC gardens. First, practise the decoration…
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