Knitting Patterns for a Mori Girl

As promised before, a list of Mori knitting patterns. As much as I love crochet, you can make so many more kinds of clothes with knitting. You might recognize some of these from my wardrobe planning and you will be seeing them in later outfit posts. If your curious about which ones I did or how mine turned out, leave me a comment and I'll make a post about it =].

Miss Bracken

This one I love, because of the lovely texture! It's a really simple design too.

 In the Garden
Definitely a cute addition to a summer outfit, even here in California!

Bo Peep Scarf 
I love how simple and cute this scarf is. It can be hard to find good scarves that are unique, but not over done.

Flourish Cardigan

A great cardigan with a tip of the hat to nature, perfect for a Mori girl.

Sprig Sweater

Same here, but is sweater form.

Woodland Hoodlet

This hoodlet is beautiful! It has great, easy cables in the front and is very comfortable to wear!

YinYang Kitty Socks

I just love kitty everything. These are especially cute =3.

Fox Crossing Cardigan

Foxes! It's one of the trendy animals that I am totally in favor! Owls are cute, but foxes are way to great!

Julia Socks
I love to wear thigh high socks in the winter and these are wonderfully lacy!

So what do you guys think? Excited to start knitting? I am! Although I usually am =p. I do some posts about my yarn projects I have in the works for you guys in the next few weeks! Until then leave me comments if you have questions or want to share your own ideas with me!

Cold Weather Wardrobe Planning

I sew most of my clothes and am working towards having all of my clothes made be me. Growing up, when the weather changed from warm to cold or cold to warm we went out and bought some new clothes. I still have this habit, except I don't go shopping, at least not for clothes. Now I spend the months leading up to typical weather changing time (sept-oct), planning what I need to fill out the clothes I have.

So I've begun this process already and thought I'd share my methods with you. First, of course, I research. This involves three websites for me, pinterest, ravelry, and a new one called textillia. I usually start on pinterest, looking at my Enchanted Forest Style board to get an idea of the kinds of garments I want and an overall view of where I'm headed fashion-wise.  

Then I go to Textillia, which is Ravelry for sewing. It has lots of sewing patterns all in one place. You can save the patterns you like to your favorites and you have some other stuff like projects and a queue. I go through the patterns that I have saved and match a few with the ideas from Pinterest. This time I knew I wanted several dresses (basic for Mori), but I also wanted some skirts and blouses too. So those are the patterns I choose. Here's the line up for sewn clothes:

I finish off with Ravelry. The reason I work on the sewn clothes first, is that they are faster to make and are often cheaper materials, so unless I feel it would look much better in yarn, or I can't find a sewn pattern for it, I'd rather sew it then knit or crochet it. For this season I needed sweaters and cardigans, but I also wanted some knit skirts and a vest. These are the one I decided on:

The very last thing I do is thinking about and plan out the colors I want to use. I can be very picky about colors, so I always write down what shades I want to use for that season. I also do this, because if I don't, I find that I look for just pretty fabrics and my wardrobe leans to a few colors pretty heavily (too many good blue and green fabrics out there). It's also important to make sure you can create an outfit with each piece, so I need to make sure I either have or will be making things that can be paired. One main way I do this is by doing all of my accessory items (legging, coats, hats, scarves, gloves, ect) in neutral colors. This way I can pair those to any of my more bright colored clothes.

The colors I am planning on using for the fall/winter are:
Cranberry red
Plum
Navy
Ice blue
Brown 
Cream
Olive
Pine
Cooked Pumpkin/burnt orange
Dusty rose
Black
Charcoal
Burgundy 

What does your guys fall or winter wardrobe look like? Anyone have some fall or winter projects going or on their mind? Please share! If you guys are interested in following/checking me out on pinterest, ravelry, or textillia, click on the links and it'll take you to my profile for each of those sites. Hope to see you around!

August Update

Hello everyone!

Since graduating, I've trying to post more often and it hasn't happened as much as I wanted. Today I thought I would just update you guys on the goings on around here. First I got a new job! I now work at our local sewing machine dealer/vacuum dealer/fabric store. I'm still in training and will be for another month or two. I've been enjoying learning more about the sewing machine and being surrounded by fabric. One thing that I've been getting into since working there is machine embroidery. I already hand embroider, but the machine embroidery is fun and you can do a lot of cool stuff with it!

With me getting a job and working four days a week, we've been doing all that we can to keep up on all the household things. We've decided to scale back for a bit and try to catch up on some things. I've agreed to go down to only only flavor of kombucha for the time being to lessen the work load.

The yards and the garden have been needing some work, but we have a lot of fires in the area at the moment and it's been very smoky outside for the past two or three weeks. Many days is too smoky to go outside without putting stress on your lungs =[. This has made it really hard to go out and do our outside tasks. Plus it's put a stopper in our usual walks to the creek and our swims.

 We have decide to ignore the smoke and try to start doing all of our outside activities again starting next week. Hopefully that goes well. One of the first things we will be doing is watching the meteor shower from on top of Mt. Lassen. Sunday night both me and Tom have they day off, so we'll be driving up there late and hiking to the peak to watch the meteors above the light and the smoke. It will be nearly a new moon that night so it should be a good sight. We'll try to take some pictures with my film camera and share them if they turn out =].

As for the farther future, we are going to Germany in three weeks to visit my host family during my host sister's wedding. It's been about five years since we visited last and we're very excited to return. We'll be there for two weeks and are going to travel to the Rhein area and possibly to the Black Forest area. I'll make a post or two about it, so been watching for them in September.

I am also planning my cold weather wardrobe. It's quite a lot of work, but also very exciting. I'll make a separate post of all of that, because I have some cool resources to share with you guys =].

We have gotten a few things done, like hanging a new mirror for the office (sewing room) and building a garden shrine in the back yard, but we have many more planned. I'll do my best to take plenty of pictures of the coming project to share!

What have you guys been up to? For you other Californians out there, stay healthy in all this smoke!

Crochet Patterns for a Mori Girl

I might have mentioned before, but the first craft I learned was crochet. It's the fiber craft I would suggest learning first. It's pretty simple and easier to learn than knitting at first, because you only have to worry about one hook and not two needles. I learned the basics from my grandma years ago, but there are a few books out there that do a good job explaining the basic stitches and now there are endless videos on Youtube if you need a visual.

To inspire people to pick up crochet and for those Mori Folk who already have the skill, I put together some crochet patterns to expand your Mori wardrobe. 

I find a cute sun hat for the summer is a must and if you are having a hard time finding one, here's a cute crochet one that doesn't need to be starched.  My girl hat.

I it can be hard to find cardigan patterns in crochet that look good. This one avoids the stiffness crochet can get with cute lace patterns that crochet excels at, which is always welcome in a Mori closet. Ariane cardigan.

These are a cute household item. The lacy leaf coasters could also be used as a bookmark.  Leaf Coasters.

Lace shawls are great any time of the year, but are one of the few items that can really add a Mori flare to a summer outfit without cooking you in the heat. Wild Hearts shawl.

I love this vest. I made one for myself this summer out of some DK yarn I got in Peru and it goes great over all of my summer dresses. The yarn was alpaca so it should do well as a early spring vest too and keep me a bit warm. Seashell vest.

This one isn't a free pattern like most of the other ones, but it's so Mori that I had to put it one here. I can't wait to get time to make one myself! Long Hooded Cape.

These collar are so dainty and would be a fun accessory to add to different outfits. They are good intermediate projects, because they work up fast. Lacy collar and Party collar.

Here in California, these crochet tops are really popular. They don't exactly go with the typical Mori style, but you can put them over dresses to add more style without too much insulation. I wear them with skirts and linen shorts in the summer, because typical Mori doesn't work with the heat here and I have to get creative. Crochet Camisol.

Have you guys come across any particularly Mori crochet patterns? Interested in trying one of these? I'll post another like this of Knit patterns soon =].

Mori Lifestyle

I love the fact that Mori attempts to be a lifestyle not just a fashion. For a subculture fashion, there is likely a reason people are drawn to it over mainstream fashion. I feel this is often, because of the set of values a fashion expresses. For example, the punk fashion is a whole subculture that has values and other things connected to it, other than the way you dress. Or the bohemian style that has become so popular, yes it's mostly about how you dress, but the people dressing that way like it, because of the values it expresses, like easy-goingness.

I think the "Mori Rules" are an attempt at making Mori a lifestyle. In my opinion not a great attempt, but an attempt none the less. These rules I thing did succeed in making it more that just clothes, but a full aesthetic, which is getting there. The rules were more of a description of the "ideal" Mori girl, but that won't fit anyone in particular and isn't what makes a lifestyle.

The whole got me thinking about lifestyles and what makes someone life one way over another. I realized it is a persons values that dictate how someone lives or wants to life. For example, if you value honesty, this will likely cause you to interact with others in a certain way. Because of this value you refuse to lie to someone, this may affect you in other ways too. Like you may not take certain actions that you would not want to tell anyone about, because you don't want to feel the desire to lie to someone. As you add more values they begin to interact and this creates more changes to how a person chooses to live. When many people hold similar values this becomes a shared "lifestyle".

I think this is where the "Mori Rules" fall short. They are not describing values, but hobbies, clothes, looks, ect. These are the expressions of values and may be different between each person, even if they values are the same. The value of honesty for example could be expressed by not lying or it could be expressed by not deceiving in anyway, action or by spoken word. If you only include people who express their value of honest by not speaking a lie, you cut out a lot of people who should still be included.

So, I have decided to write up the values I think are part of the Mori lifestyle. The ones I connect to and try to express through my life and my fashion. I will also include different tips/examples of how these values may be expressed, in case you're interested =].

Nature:
This is expressed in many way in the Mori subculture, from enjoying walks in the woods, to preferring natural fibers, to wanting to wear floral fabrics. This may also be affecting hobbies, like handcrafts or cooking, because they connect you with the natural world and help to ease the negative effects industry has on it.

Beauty:
It is clear in every picture or visual we have of Mori that beauty in all things is important. Whether it's a purse dress, shoes or everyday item, Mori folk want the things in their lives to be beautiful.

Independence:
I put this one in here, because of the general feeling I get from the idea of Mori. Someone living out in a old forest. This speaks to independence from society, the rushing pace of cities, the consumerism of industry, and also the ability to someone or thing to stand up on it's own.

Gentleness/kindness:
This value really seeps into every part of the Mori culture. From what colors are worn to how someone acts or looks at the rest of the world. I think this is expressed in the calm mannerisms of the Mori girl and even the idea of taking your time for things. I certainly don't feel gentle when I'm rushing around trying to get chores or errands done.

Practicality:
I think this is express in the clothes themselves more than anything. Clothes that are comfortable, shoe that you can hike in, ect. I think when you mix it with the value of beauty it's really special. Not to have things that are just useful, but also beautiful and vise versa.

Calm:
I'm not sure if this one is a value itself or just an expression of gentleness, but it's such a large part of the Mori culture that I don't think it hurts to mention it twice. I feel the calm value comes from the idea of befriending forest animals, if your not calm you will never even see them.

Comfort:
I think this is basically gentleness, but towards yourself. To be kind and gentle to yourself, that's basically your own comfort. In my mind this is another extension of the gentleness value.

Home:
This is an extension of the  comfort value. Home is the place you feel most comfortable and therefore is highly valued. This is expressed by home-based hobbies, or careful decorating of the home.

Consideration:
This is also another extension of the gentleness value, because can you really be kind and gentle to something without considering it? I don't think so. For Mori Folk and their love of nature this value is extended beyond just humans, but to other creatures as well. How far it goes will likely depend on the person.

Here is a list of mine that follow the values above and are expressions of the value. I wrote them in a
way that matches the original "rules".


Works toward understanding and belonging in the woods.

You love things that are practical and beautiful.

Things that have stood the test of time are the best.

Consumerism is not your thing.

Making things for yourself or handmade by others.

Natural materials are preferred and synthetic ones are avoided as much as possible.

Gentle colors are preferred over intense ones, as are rich colors, neons are bad.

Floral fabrics are used often.

Comfort in clothes is valued above other things.

Different textures are used in outfits.

Calm is an important quality.

Fairy tales are enjoyed and inspire you.

You love to cook and eat at home.

Spring sun naps are a seasonal delight.

You enjoy the little riches of each season as it comes.

The feeling of soft giggles is how you would like be to all the time.

You aim to be majestic as a animal of the forest.

You aim to be soothing like a breeze through the meadow.

You aim to be considerate and respectful of all things in the forest, from a small spider to the racing
river.

Lace is great.

Skirts and dresses are the most fun.

Full skirt and ruffles are your favorite.

Symbols of nature, flowers, animals, are often depicted in you clothes.

Nothing keeps you from your walks in the woods, not rain, or heat, they are all part of the wonder. 



So what do you guys think? Would you add any values to the list? How do you express your Mori
values?