Toasties moving into autumn and dusting off the mothballed knits (or buying new ones)

[ToastCosILoveIt]

New thread for us lovely Toasties.

Outfit of the day for lunch with an old friend I haven’t seen in years:
Silk shirt , still one of my favourite Toast pieces but seldom worn in cars it gets spoiled ( a syndrome I’m trying to get out of )
Ecru Annies
Lina sandals

Sorry late to respond but thanks so much to everyone for the knitwear talk. I’m in real need of some jumpers and cardigans, so I’m going to have a look at the Uniqlo merino knitwear and Navygrey.

I’ve also come across a brand &Daughter, which looks really nice, but at a higher price point. They also have neckerchiefs, which I really like the look of.

@faustina forgot to add I’ll have a look at C and P and Mimi Berry too - thanks!

@dudsville A few years back, I used some inheritance from my grandparents to invest in beautifully crafted household equipment that would be regularly used and last for a long time. Including all the textiles. Love in everyday action. (I realise this possibly sounds a bit bonkers, but it makes sense of me and them :)

My short answer for textiles is Scandinavia, specifically Finland and Sweden.

I prefer pure linen for tea towels. I have a selection from Lapuan Kankurit, and also some of their linen bedlinen, which is amazing quality. (Been mulling their wool pocket scarves for presents). I also have some tea towels and dishcloths from Växbo Lin which are fantastic. Both have ranges of napkins and place mats too, which I haven't tried; but I do have some table runners and sauna cloths which are beautiful. I love flax.

(Unasked, but :) I like thin cotton or cotton/linen for bath and hair towels, exfoliating and fast drying. Mine are from Marimekko. For small hand-drying towels, a very colourful selection from Finlayson which absolutely do not have Moomins on them, why would they, no small children left here.

I should note that my mini shopping spree was post Brexit vote but before end of transition, so postage and customs arrangements were smoother and cheaper. If you search online, you might find some items in UK shops, to trial before committing to an international order?

Blankets need a thread-space of their own, when we're all snuggled up with hot chocolate, deep in midwinter, gazing out at the swirling snow. ❄️🌨️☃️

@OftenOrange I've got that shirt, one of my favourite pieces. I think it’s a silk cotton mix and I’ve found it washes really well, I’ve got myself in the right mind set with it now and wear it quite often.

Did you mean the 'Shoal block print kaftan' @Laska2Meryls ? I tried it, lovely but very thin.

Ah yes thats the one , Thanks @Theteapotsbrokenspout .. Thin is just the thing for hot campervan holidays.. especially as it will roll up small and as sleeves,- I am a pale easily sunburnt thing - hopefully it may be in the next sale ...

I love this @Stravaig ... I have used an unexpected inheritance to facilitate travel ( and Toast) and fortunately hopefully have enough from it to have planned for it to last for a good few trips yet,( after passing some on to DCs) but I also love household textiles... maybe I will indulge that also ..
I know that its not very MN to talk about inheritance, but I know that I was very fortunate to receive it.. ,( even more so as unexpected)

I have spent a very lazy day being very ineffective. I have an entire set of decent crockery from 25 years ago. I've mixed it up with some midwinter mid-century salad plates, and I like them v much, but my placemats, the old table cloth, the linen napkins and tea towels were all random gifts. So I decided to get this sorted out, but haven't found a thing all day. Thanks so much for the new ideas @Stravaig , I'll check them out now!

Looking great@Dee1224@OftenOrange and @Laska2Meryls ! For Dee, i initially typed @pond!!!

I do often think of myself as @pond-ish@dudsville !

I like the Midwinter pottery @dudsville

@dudsville Ha, I didn't get as far as crockery, I'm on the last couple of old chipped mismatched items! Between us, we're an entire sorted out person 🤣

I hope you find something that inspires, some lovely tablecloths in those links too.

@Laska2Meryls A succession of travels sounds glorious!

😁

And wonderful re the mid century midwinter appreciation! I like that they break up my slightly boring but naice crockery. I also have a nice and completely impractical set of wooden handled cutlery that comes out for special occassions. But I've never actually spent any time thinking about how the table comes together, I didn't realise it was going to be so difficult!

One of my difficulties is my house has bold colours, so it's hard to find things that go, but i don't want the neutrals.

@dudsville Ha, I didn't get as far as crockery, I'm on the last couple of old chipped mismatched items! Between us, we're an entire sorted out person 🤣

Too true @Stravaig ! 😁

I did our bedroom and the spare room during the pandemic. Dh did the redecorating and I was on bedding and curtains. I found an amazing set of mid century second hand curtains in a charity shop, £10 a window each for spare room and hall, such great quality and fabric. I did "my" bathroom a month or so ago. Funny how my mind doesn't notice a thing and then suddenly can't live another day with the stuff that's always been there.

I love Midwinter also.. my DM had a set of the 'Nature Study' tea service which was passed to me and I was lucky enough to find a matching teapot on ebay for a reasonable price a couple of years ago.. but a brilliant find was a complete Midwinter coffee set ( in a lovely teal) including the pot in a charity shop at the absolute bargain price of £30.. They were closed when I saw it un the window on my way to work , but I 'suddenly had to have a meeting' at 9am when they opened and rushed back only to find that they had put up an ' everything half price today' notice ! ( I gave them an extra tenner for their charity)...

I also love 1960s Poole pottery and Hornsea . I have a few lovely pieces, but I had to stop because ran out of places to display them all.. !

Georg Jensen Damask Georg Jensen Damask - Georg Jensen Damask (georgjensen-damask.com) is a very old and traditional company in Denmark, making tea towels, placemats, napkins etc in linen and cotton. Highly recommendable.
Another company that I like to buy from is Himla HIMLA | Beautiful textiles for your home which is a bit less traditional, with great linen products.
I would think that both brands would be available to buy in the UK also.

Sounds lovely @Laska2Meryls , what a cool set that is! I have one little serving dish with the red rose, i love that print but it doesn't really suit my home. My salad plates are "oranges and lemons', and two different " riverside" some in the summery version and some pale blues and grey and wintery. Oddly i think they all go with my crockery.

Thank you@BettinaInDenmark for the additional info, I'll check it out!

Today I'm doing what may be called a reverse french tuck. Is this a thing or do i look silly?

Looks good @dudsville .. I liked that blouse, but didnt buy it...
@BettinaInDenmark Danish homeware is just fab ( as are Danish houses) .. We have Danish relatives and when we go to visit them I am always eyeing up the wonderful furniture and homeware shops if I could I would bring lots of stuff back ( but soo expensive) ..

I have just looked: my Midwinter coffee set is 'Cassandra' ..

@dudsville The tuck looks intentional and cool.You look great in those trousers , very envious . I sent them back but may try again …

I’m wearing the navy linen shorts today. The ones that were nearly killed by the hotel laundry in Mallorca. I’m gradually getting the smell of fabric conditioner out of them but I don’t think the slightly greasy feel of it will ever completely detach from the linen fibres. Have also put on an Emma tee but it’s going to have to be changed, just too substantial!

You look great.

I’ve been kicking myself for years. I got a lot of Hornsea as a wedding present - the brown one with the stylised sunflowers - and about twenty years ago decided it was all very dated and replaced the lot with white porcelain. I have regretted this decision many times since.