Holly Chayes

Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.

This online space has been around in one form or another since 2010, it focuses on making, creativity and living a curious life, plus a lot of clothing.

Some of the projects I've worked on in the past 10+ years include...

Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes

An interview podcast that's all about clothing (and also, not *really* about clothing at all). Find all the details and listen to conversations about comfort, style, change and shopping here. Or search for Talking About Clothes with Holly Chayes wherever you listen to podcasts.

Who Wears Who?

The Self-Made Wardrobe Project

Predecessor to Who Wears Who, a year-long challenge in 2014/2015 where I only wore clothes I made. That year would have been a lot easier if the clothes had magically made themselves. Learn more about The Self-Made Wardrobe Project and explore the archives here.

The Shawl Geometry Book Series

Enough shawl shapes to keep you knitting for a lifetime. A multi-year exploration of math, shape and space in knitting, where I documented traditional shawl shaping, and iterated on those traditions to create new recipes of shawl shaping. Ultimately this lead to 75+ shapes, and 400+ pages of common and uncommon shawl shaping instructions. This project was inspired by a dozen individual shawl designs, each encapsulating a love of geometric lace design. You can find The Shawl Geometry Series here.

Thank you for being here with me. –Holly

15 days to go – The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 50

17 Jul 2015

The Self-Made Wardrobe

The Self-Made Wardrobe is a project where I only wear garments I’ve made. It’s a year long experiment in getting dressed without clothing labels – it’s a year about noticing patterns, trying things, and observing what happens. Day 344 – Friday, July 10th black tank top // pirate skirt robot clock necklace // rings // sandal wedges Day 345 – Saturday, July 11th black tank top // black maxi skirt robot clock necklace // bead crochet bracelets // rings // flip flops Day 346 – Sunday, July 12th 2nd archer button up shirt // black tank top // black maxi skirt bicycle necklace // rings // flip flops Day 347 – Monday, July 13th black tank top // graphic silk circle skirt robot clock necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops Day 348 – Tuesday, July 14th black tank top // black maxi skirt robot clock necklace // bracelets...

two sweaters and a shirt

15 Jul 2015

what's in the works

Each Wednesday, I take stock of the projects I’m working on. What I’m Working On… : knitting, sewing, AND crochet?! – holy smokes batman! : my crazy colorful sweater – I’m still not sure what I want for the sleeves, but at least I tightened up the loose line of stitching by the neckline. : my 2nd archer button up shirt (finally!) got buttons, however many weeks after I started wearing it… : and a crocheted something or other – I have a vague idea for a draped crop sweater – so we’ll see how that works out. No related posts.

Finished: Sweatpants in Skirt Form – A Grey Maxi Skirt

14 Jul 2015

FOs, The Self-Made Wardrobe Garments

Sometimes projects work out perfectly the first time. And sometimes they don’t. This skirt project somehow manages to fall into both these categories at the same time. I originally bought this fabric way back in the fall, with the intention of turning it into a loose, lightweight, hoodie/cardigan of some sort. My idea was to start with a basic kimono, and then add a hood, plus gathers/tucks/pockets/whatever to pull it out of the realm of dull grey sack, and into the realm of cool versatile cardigan. That plan very much didn’t work out. I cut and sewed the kimono, and started playing, but nothing worked. It refused to look like anything but a dull grey sack. It was at an advanced level of “just not working out” and I didn’t even bother taking photos. So I did what any experienced crafter would do, and shoved the project in a drawer...

Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.