OPP (Ha Ha!)

This is the OPP Polo at Target. OPP stands for Opening Price Point, meaning it is the lowest price for a certain garment category. I know these things because it was my job to design this polo at Target for a whole year. Yes, I designed this polo. Yes, OPP has a funny alternate meaning.

I've been seeing this polo a lot lately since it's been so warm outside. It's really weird to think that anywhere from 30,000-70,000 people buy one of these every week. I generally have a mixed reaction when I feel like I'm being inundated with memories from corporate life, like I don't know if I should be embarrassed about this. But I'm not embarrassed, because I enjoy recalling this time in my life as a funny test to see how far I could step outside of being me. It was surprising how engrossing the products became, since I started out a little angsty and completely bored. It was such a bizarre challenge that I had never experienced before, and the process of figuring out how to beat it became interesting enough to keep me going for as long as I could.

I actually really like this polo. I think it does a really good job at being normal, and sometimes that's hard to do.

Deadstock 2008!

Since I started making sweaters, a number of people have asked about the availability of some of my old work. So, I dug through several dense layers of closet material to find a box at the very bottom filled with these things. In 2008 I had a very different life of regularly participating in fashion shows and other fashion related events. During this time I became very interested in custom dyeing and realized my love for cotton basics.

Lindsay Noble designed the noodle image and did all of the screen-printing, while I made the t-shirts and garment dyed them. We called this operation Collaboration Thursday and have continued to join forces for multiple projects since then. Each shirt is unique in color and print placement (front and back), using a combination of heather gray stripe cotton jersey and plain jersey. We made only five to begin with, and now I am offering a last chance to buy one of these...it is summer afterall!

HOW TO BUY
Send me an email and tell me which color you would like (there is only one of each of the three options presented here). All styles are size S/M, price is $40.00 (includes shipping). I will not be posting these in the shop, but will send a PayPal email invoice if you decide to purchase. These shirts are cropped, and made from super soft cotton with a washed finish.







I feel like I made a million pairs of these shoes right before the t-shirts came about. You can buy these at Urban Outfitters now, but if you are interested in purchasing, send me an email and I can tell you what options I have available (no socks left). Sizes range from 6-10, price is $20.00 (includes shipping). And, for the record, it is REALLY EASY to make these and I would encourage anybody to try making them on their own.

HERE'S HOW
> Go to K-Mart and buy a pair of white canvas Basic Edition sneakers.
> Go to your local craft store and buy a box of RIT Dye in the color of your choice. BIG SECRET, most of the colors you see here are stock colors that have been dyed for a short period of time.
> Follow the instructions on the RIT Dye box to make your dye-bath, includes info on how to prepare the items you wish to dye.
> Place the shoes in the dye-bath, immerse completely, you may need to weigh them down so they don't pop out of the bath.

VOILA! Now you can make a color they don't sell at Urban Outfitters, and save a few dollars in the process. Plus, it's a great chance to spruce up all of those white shirts you can't wear anymore because they're not...white...anymore by sharing the dye-bath.

Knaptime!

What a weekend!
Maybe I'm about to disappoint, but I am a big LOST fan, so I spent most of the weekend anticipating the series finale on Sunday. We don't have a TV, so we had to wait until after midnight to stream it online...but as a special treat we projected it on the big white wall and moved the couch into the studio. I almost fell asleep a million times. I don't even think I have an opinion about what happened, it turns out that I don't care so much about LOST at all after all these years. Actually, I've already forgotten about it.

BTW, I'm melting, it's so hot here.
I WANT AIR CONDITIONING.
There, I said it. I want it so bad.

At any rate, it's not the weekend anymore. Here's what I did yesterday...

Every Day I Sit Here

Every morning, I hang out on the Internet while I drink my coffee. I used to take the Van Gogh mug because it's the biggest one we have, but I'm favoring the Mickey Mouse style now. After the Internet, I turn on all of the lamps and sit down at my knitting machine, and stay there for the rest of the day. This is the view from my knitting station, facing south to the storefront entrance of our apartment and studio.



This front corner hasn't changed too much in the past year. It's always been the place where we store our bikes and water our surviving plants. It's also where the P-Jammer clock radio has always been.

Moving westward, we take a walk on the ETC side. This is the big white wall where I shoot all of my photographs. When we moved in here, I wanted a place where I could put everything, he wanted a place where he could put nothing.

Here's a supply closet (which is really the stairwell to the basement), next to one of the only real closets we have. Do you want to know what our trash can says? SPECIAL AGENT COOPER. Yeah, we were hard into it when we bought this overpriced garbage at Target. The one in the kitchen says YUM.

This is our music center, lots of Side A's and B's in there. You see that glow coming from the bathroom door? That's a nightlight that was made for me as a Christmas gift a few years ago. Erin Smith cast her own bare breast and made it into a little pink rubbery lamp for me. It's always on.

Here's one shot to show the rest of the space, which is the part that we actually live in. Things get a lot more dense back there, and upstairs too. Would you believe that there's a living room behind my giant computer screen? Well, there's a sectional couch and a rug, but after living here for six months we changed our space from 50% studio and 50% home to 85% studio and 15% home. The "living room" took the biggest hit.

I Want You to Be Together, Forever

Banner Necklace
by Cheri Messerli


Coney Box Top
by ALL


UPDATE!
Vintage Window Display
By Lindsay Noble

ALL Memo

It's almost been three weeks since the ALL Shop opened!
As orders are being sent out, I wanted to take a moment to address a few things regarding the items currently in the shop...read on for some official talk.

DYE-LOTS
All of the yarns I used are pre-dyed before I receive them, unless otherwise noted. During the bulk dyeing process, slight variations in texture and color may occur as a response to the way the yarn reacts to the specific dye-stuff for different colors, and may even change between dye-lots of the same color. This is natural! Because of this, some colors are immediately softer than others straight off the knitting machine. Wash and wear will soften the stitches, and using a low-heat machine dry for 10-15 minutes when your garment is nearly dry will also help.

STRETCH
Sweater-knit garments do not stretch as much as cut-and-sew t-shirt knits (like jersey), but they do stretch a moderate amount. Wash and wear will relax your sweater, and cotton will adjust to your body shape with frequent wear. Please ask as many questions as you like about size and dimensions before purchasing to make sure you are buying the right size!

FEEDBACK
Whether you have made a purchase, are considering making a purchase, or have just perused the site, I would love to hear your thoughts! Please send your perspective on the product selection, site usability, and anything else to shop@allforeveryone.com. This will help me make improvements on future items and sets!

Ok, that's all for official talk!
Except, there is one more thing I wanted to mention...

I saw Prince on Friday night at First Avenue for the first time ever. YES! YES! YES! That was a big moment for me, a real big one. I still get a little fluttery thinking about it. I mean, no offense to Mandy Moore or anything, but seeing Prince from a crowded balcony was way better than side-hugging MM outside of Square One in LA.

Wa-Wahoy

New in the ALL Shop,
Wa-Wa Fair Tank and Ahoy Crop Top!
Made for summertime, so sublime!

Modeled by Lindsay Noble
Hand-Drawn Backdrop by Eric Carlson

Not a Debacle!

The studio got a bit of a makeover this weekend!
ETC took the reigns and did what my mother used to do with me, to force the cleaning, organization, and improvement of my personal space. I tend to let things slide, piles accumulate and become permanent fixtures in our home. The yarn storage and flat file area had turned into one massive pile over the past months, proving that if there is an open surface, I will claim it as my own and fill it with...stuff.

But that's all different now! Eric designed these shelves for me and facilitated the installation. I painted the shelves and reorganized my yarn and fabric selections. We also made an ironing and blocking board to cover the top of the flat file, the place that used to be Annie's Pile. I can be sure that I won't make piles on top of my new ironing station, I've wanted one of these for years.

It's a good thing I have people in my life that know how to control my sprawling possessions, otherwise I'd probably be found in twenty years under a huge mound of cone yarn and sweaters, with forty cats on the loose.

For a quick laugh, here's what the old yarn shelf looked like...You can see two lamps, a bottle of spray cleaner, a massive jar of loose change, a set of keys, a pair of drumsticks, a few new pots for replanting house plants, and of course, a big pile of sweaters. Somehow, wedged between the two lamps and the shelves, I started a tower of white yarn that was probably intended to stretch to the very top of the shelf...and somehow, there is a perfectly normal lamp wearing a cone hat.

For U (SPS)

For those that were the first to order, your time is coming soon!
Be checking your mail, there's a package coming your way.
Hanging out at the Lake Street Post Office is a real trip. It's always busy, usually a line out the door. I like going there because I get to see Fred in action. Fred is incredibly good at his job, never gets riled or stressed, and is always clever. What a treat to be helped by Fred.

Here's the package deal!

Daily Candy

I don't normally do this...but I'm too excited to care about blogger etiquette, when you're supposed to toot your own horn and when you're not. Daily Candy (Los Angeles) wrote about the launch of my online store and released the story this morning. You can find the article here! I used to read Daily Candy every day when I worked at Target. I like their approach, which is generally light-hearted and humorous, covering a wide range of topics and styles. I probably used to care a lot more about being a slave to fashion publications, blogs, and so on...and my current embarrassment is surely residue from that time. That's finally starting to wear off, I think I check Style Bubble five times a day, every day. Surf's up!

THANKS MOM!

I had a feeling my mother would be the first to order when the shop opened last week. I woke up early on Thursday morning and posted the shop site all over the Internet and went back to sleep for another hour. When I woke up, there was already an email from my mother stating an order for the Multi Super Stasher. I would expect no less, moms are clever beings that generally know everything before you've even thought of it. Thanks Mom!

For all who placed an order since the shop opened, know that I am hard at work knitting your gear to send off to you! I already have new ideas for how to update some of the styles currently in the shop, so hold tight if you didn't find something you liked right away, because as soon as I get a spare moment some new fancies will appear.

Happy Day! Go be in the sunshine!