A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds est. 2007
Wee find: Winter warmers by Otto and Spike
See that lady hiding behind her rather lovely stripey scarf? That's me. Actually, it's not really me, but it bloody well could be. This is exactly what I looked like when I woke up this morning, now that frosty old winter has descended on Sydney again. (Northern hemisphere readers - bookmark this post for September - and look away for now or you might start to feel all hot and bothered.)
The one nice thing about winter is layering on loads of cosy accessories - and since the rest of you is covered up by coats and jackets, the accessories part is really rather important.
And why go through winter with dull/boring/mass-produced hats, scarves and beanies when you could be resplendent in this raspberry and mustard stripey scarf by brilliant Melbourne designers Otto and Spike? I mean really, it's a no-brainer, right?
Otto & Spike have a fabulous back story (you can read the tale about these master knitters here), knitting in the same factory in Brunswick, Melbourne for the past 40 years. I stumbled across their glorious scarves in Sydney's Workshopped last weekend, and after reading their lively banter on their website, I wanted to share them with you.
Unlike many other Australian companies, who take production off-shore, every single brightly-coloured purl and stitch is created in the original Brunswick factory.
And the end results speak for themselves - fine knitwear in a dazzling and fashion-forward array of pattern and colour. They use pure lambs wool in their products - mostly surplus wool "from an industry that has gradually disappeared" from Australia.
I love that this little company is so proud of its heritage, the raw materials they use - and even their collection of knitting machinery. Their factory sounds like a veritable museum exhibition on the history of knitting in twentieth century Australia.
Here are my top picks from Otto & Spike to keep you cosy this winter:
1. Pantonia scarf, $65; 2. Pantonia beanie, $60; 3. Harlequin scarf, $65; 4. Allsorts scarf, $70; 5. Slippery dip scarf, $65; 6. Big top scarf, $65; 7. Fagin fingerless gloves, $35; 8. Mad Mouse scarf, $65; 9. Bikes scarf, $60; 10. City block, $65; all by Otto & Spike.
See that lady hiding behind her rather lovely stripey scarf? That's me. Actually, it's not really me, but it bloody well could be. This is exactly what I looked like when I woke up this morning, now that frosty old winter has descended on Sydney again. (Northern hemisphere readers - bookmark this post for September - and look away for now or you might start to feel all hot and bothered.)
The one nice thing about winter is layering on loads of cosy accessories - and since the rest of you is covered up by coats and jackets, the accessories part is really rather important.
And why go through winter with dull/boring/mass-produced hats, scarves and beanies when you could be resplendent in this raspberry and mustard stripey scarf by brilliant Melbourne designers Otto and Spike? I mean really, it's a no-brainer, right?
Otto & Spike have a fabulous back story (you can read the tale about these master knitters here), knitting in the same factory in Brunswick, Melbourne for the past 40 years. I stumbled across their glorious scarves in Sydney's Workshopped last weekend, and after reading their lively banter on their website, I wanted to share them with you.
Unlike many other Australian companies, who take production off-shore, every single brightly-coloured purl and stitch is created in the original Brunswick factory.
And the end results speak for themselves - fine knitwear in a dazzling and fashion-forward array of pattern and colour. They use pure lambs wool in their products - mostly surplus wool "from an industry that has gradually disappeared" from Australia.
I love that this little company is so proud of its heritage, the raw materials they use - and even their collection of knitting machinery. Their factory sounds like a veritable museum exhibition on the history of knitting in twentieth century Australia.
Here are my top picks from Otto & Spike to keep you cosy this winter:
1. Pantonia scarf, $65; 2. Pantonia beanie, $60; 3. Harlequin scarf, $65; 4. Allsorts scarf, $70; 5. Slippery dip scarf, $65; 6. Big top scarf, $65; 7. Fagin fingerless gloves, $35; 8. Mad Mouse scarf, $65; 9. Bikes scarf, $60; 10. City block, $65; all by Otto & Spike.
