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

The Self-Made Wardrobe Week 47

26 Jun 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 323 – Friday, June 19th archer button up shirt // black tank top // grey maxi skirt robot clock necklace // various rings // flip flops Day 324 – Saturday, June 20th archer button up shirt // black tank top // jeans bicycle necklace // rings // black flats Day 325 – Sunday, June 21st 2nd archer button up shirt // black tank top // grey maxi skirt robot clock necklace // rings // flip flops Day 326 – Monday, June 22nd archer button up shirt // black tank top // grey maxi skirt robot clock necklace // bracelets // rings // flip flops Day 327 – Tuesday, June 23rd archer button...

A week of planning, rather than making…

24 Jun 2015

what's in the works

Each Wednesday, I take stock of the projects I’m working on. What I’m Working On… Crafting wise? – nada! It’s just been one of those weeks where my crafting mojo has been MIA. I’ve contemplated making lots of things, like… : finally putting the buttons on my 2nd archer : adding sleeves to my crazy colorful slipped stitch sweater : picking up some white cotton lawn for a 3rd archer button up : picking up some swishy fabrics for more skirts : contemplating breaking my “separates = better” rule for a Sallie jumpsuit I’m sure my crafting mojo will come back eventually – it always does – I just hope it comes back sooner rather than later, because I want new clothes… No related posts.

To Read Over Coffee #2

21 Jun 2015

To Read Over Coffee

A collection of links from the past few weeks that I think are interesting/amusing/educational/insightful enough to read/watch/listen & think about over a cup of coffee (or out in the sunshine). Making: “When the word ‘craft’ loses it’s meaning” from the Craft Council of England From the article: “Everywhere you turn now you’re sold a craft utopia. Artisan bread? Craft beer? Craft crisps? What, or who, is the consumer supposed to believe?” As a maker, it’s easy to ask “who made my clothing?” but how often do you ask “where does my fabric come from?” Karie Bookish with some thoughts on Written Instructions for Lace From the article: “For the first time since I began doing this professionally, I am not going to offer written instructions but just a fully charted pattern. It has been a tough call to make (I know many people like written instructions) but I think it’s...

Welcome! I'm Holly Chayes.