enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

spring capsule wardrobe.

So, technically, I am dropping this wardrobe into the rotation a little early. My winter wardrobe was supposed to go from January to March. But two weekends ago, I looked in my closet and wanted to cry over the amount of black shirts hanging in there...staring at me. It was making me sad to even think about getting dressed, which is the very opposite of what this capsule wardrobe plan is supposed to be about.

I reminded myself that I (not the calendar, not the Internet) am in charge and swapped things out last week. I'm excited to share today my very slimmed down (just 30 pieces!) wardrobe that's my least neutral yet (which isn't saying much).

Two of the new tees here were birthday gifts and I bought just a few things this time around...

• a pair of dressier tan sandals
• a gray tee shirt dress
• a loose fitting floral dress
• a pair of patterned comfy pants

Reminders : my daily life is SUPER causal and so my wardrobe reflects that. This project is not about who can wear the fewest items or spend the least or the most. This project is a million different things to a million different people. For me it's about clearing some room in my closet and therefore in my head. It's about looking forward to getting dressed and feeling like my clothing options reflect who I am.

TOPS & DRESSES : xoxo tee*, pink plaid button up I have had since college (similar), floral dress* (purchased in store at Target, no online link), loose-fitting white dress from madewell last summer (similar), white "workshirt" (similar), madewell v-neck, casual white tank, dressy white tank, denim romper (similar), light chambray button-up (similar), chambray shirtdress (similar), denim vest, madewell v-neck, gray t-shirt dress*, gray cardigan (similar), american apparel v-neck, lightweight sweatshirt tee (similar), hustle tee.

Once the weather starts to warm up all I want to wear are shorts with tees and dresses that don't cling too much. I also just crave more light colors. And some chambray, apparently. Remember anything marked with an * was purchased new for this capsule.

BOTTOMS & SHOES : patterned pants*, patterned maxi (from old navy last spring), brown shorts, green shorts (similar), denim cut-offs (similar, or do what I did and cut an old pair of jeans), jcrew toothpick jeans, longer gray khaki shorts (similar), rainbows, white sandals (similar), tan sandals*, gold sandals, leopard print slip-ons (same style, different pattern).

Most of these shorts I have had for ages so it was just a few purchases in this section. Those patterned pants feel a bit like the wildcard this season, but they are oddly flattering and I'm hopeful I'll wear them often. A whole lot of sandal options which I hope means I slip out of the default rainbow on occasion. And those leopard slip-ons from my fall capsule are still going strong. Probably one of my best buys. I'm shocked at how comfortable they are.

And that's it! Only 30 pieces because that's what felt right last week. I'm curious to see how I'm feeling in about six weeks, but right now I am grateful for the simple reminder that I get to make the rules and that when something feels broken, it's okay to fix it.

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See more capsule wardrobe posts here

the glam lamb knit cardigan.

Last weekend I finished up my last "for Elise" (<-- nine years of blogging and I finally got to use that link!) project for a long time. I'm now getting started on MAKE&GIVE30 projects! SO exciting.

I went out with a(nother) knit sweater. This time it was the glam lamb cardigan that I was so inspired to make after seeing Jen's interpretation.

Since I'm allergic to color in my wardrobe, I went with white for both the body and the sleeves. And since I'm still new to this and nervous to spend a lot of money on yarn for a sweater, I used Lion Brand chunky (in fisherman) for this one. (It seemed to be a great yarn weight).

This was a very simple pattern to follow (I made no adjustments) and even adding the sleeves was easy. It came together in a few weeks and for the most part was very mindless knitting (the perfect compliment to seasons 1-2 of The Americans).

The neck part folds over and is just huge and awesome. I seriously love it though I would probably love it even more if we lived in a cold climate. I realize these photos feature Ellerie more than the sweater but that's because the hardest part of "style blogger photos" (aside from finding cool walls) is knowing that to do with your face, body, legs, and hands.

Bottom line: great pattern, fun to knit, easy to wear. Highly recommend.

other notes : my jeans, shoes, sunglasses. Ellerie's outfit and shoes.

Today on the ELISE GETS CRAFTY podcast I'm chatting with Tracy Benjamin about creative routines...and blogging...and life. Subscribe to ELISE GETS CRAFTY on iTunes or stream this week's episode here!

striped knit cowl tutorial.

"Let's!" "Get!" "Crafty!"

Back in the day I had grand plans for my own craft channel TV show. Today, I present to you, episode one. (Just kidding. Though six points if you remembered without clicking that link what I'm talking about.)

BUT! I did film, edit, voice-over, produce and upload a short video (you can click below to enlarge) that shows how to knit a striped cowl from start to finish. It's going to take you more than 10 minutes to knit but only 10.5 minutes to watch (plus, probably some start, stop, rewind, wonder what the hell I am trying to demonstrate time).

striped knit cowl tutorial from elise blaha on Vimeo.

I have shared my go-to cowl tutorial before but this one is a bit different because it's smaller (tighter to the neck) and uses two colors which makes it look much more impressive than it is. The secret to a two-color cowl is keeping both colors attached the whole way through (which I demonstrate in the video). The video also covers how to long tail cast on, how to knit both the English and Continental styles, how to cast off, how to weave in your tails and what I do when I am not sure why something looks odd (spoiler alert - push through!).

I love a small cowl so this finished project is only about 12 inches wide and 15 inches tall when laid flat. (Yours could be bigger if you cast on more stitches and kept going for more rows.) I used US size 7 (4.5mm) circular needles that were 16 inches long and two different skeins of Patons Classic Wool Roving.

If you know what you're doing and don't want to watch a video, pattern instructions are below.

Long-tail cast on 64 stitches with starting color. Join the round, taking care to make sure there are no twists in your yarn. Knit all the way around with the second color. Switch back to the first color. Continue this alternating pattern for 54 rows total. Cast off with the same color you started with. Weave in ends.

TA-DA! Pull a gray sweater out of the hamper to match, pretend it's not 80 degrees in November and wear with pride!

making it work with minimal accessories.

I was asked a few weeks ago on a capsule wardrobe post to share my go-to accessories. That would be easy and fun to share, I thought. My accessory collection is much more minimal than my clothing (you're pretty much looking at it in the photo above). I've never been a big statement piece person and because of that I don't have a lot of different stuff.

On a normal day I wear my wedding and engagement ring on my left hand and a thin gold ring that Paul and Ellerie gave me for Mother's Day on my right index finger. I never take out my cubic zirconia studs (until I lose one and then I pick up a new pair on sale at Macy's). Most days I will also wear my Odette New York arrow cuff.

And obviously, there's always the fitbit on my left wrist. I recently realized that I could upgrade my fitbit band. I don't know if these band options have always been there or if they recently came to the market but there are so many colors now. I wanted a gray band but the individual one was sold out so I bought this neutral pack and split it with my mom. The gray is about 400% better than the black for my wardrobe.

About twice a week I'll wear the watch I've had for almost five years. I can't type properly with it on so usually it just gets worn if I'm headed out.

For the rare occasion when I need to be fancy, I have two pairs of earrings that I wear. This pair (in a rose gold) from Dogeared is my favorite and the second fake diamond pair (very similar) was what I wore for our rehearsal dinner. Both are fairly neutral and really go with anything. The shapes are simple enough that they never feel on or off-trend.

I have two cocktail rings - one in a neutral (similar, similar) and one in a fun color (sort of similar) - that I wear to weddings. And I have built quite a bangle collection (I love the kate spade idiom bangle line) and so one or two of those are sometimes added when I go to dinner or something.

And that about sums it up. I've realized I am not a necklace person. Every once in awhile I'll stick with something simple and gold for a few months (this was the most recent one) but for the most part when I look in the mirror the necklace looks odd with my neckline and/or face so I end up removing it.

Funny (semi-related) story : when shopping for my wedding dress, I went to two traditional shops before deciding that the J.Crew dress I had in a box at my house (seriously. It came in a small box like a pair of jeans.) was the way to go. The lady at the second shop had almost sold me on a white, poofy, strapless wedding gown. And then for reasons I'll never understand, she put a pearl necklace around my neck to "complete the look." I saw myself in the mirror and had a Carrie Bradshaw-like wedding dress meltdown. I looked like a wedding cake topper and felt totally unlike myself. I turned red and started to get hot and we quickly left the store. Totally bizarre, right? But yeah, necklaces are apparently not my thing.

What about you guys? Tons of options fans? Minimal fans? A little bit of both? I am always impressed with the folks who can wear bold and awesome jewelry so well.

capsule wardrobe update.

on me: dress (stripe version only sold in store), bag (mine is three years old and going strong, but this and this are similar), shoes, vest. on e: shoes

Hello friends. May I please update you on the status of my wardrobe?

IN SUM : OMG, best plan ever. I'm totally hooked, the end.

For those of you that prefer details, please read on.

On who this capsule wardrobe plan works for: as with everything I blog about, I am only looking to find what might work for me. I never think anything I do will work for everyone. For example: If you love getting dressed in the morning (and prefer to have a lot of options) this project is not for you. If you don't "waste" money on clothing (like I have been known to do), this project is not for you. If you are happy with your style and don't need improvement (that sounds like the dream!), this project is not for you.

Ideally, when I am done with this project (four seasons total) I will have a minimal rotating closet of items that look good and work together. I will no longer be frivolously spending AND I will love everything that I own. #dreambig

On what to do if you work out of the house and need to dress up more: this is an excellent point and many people can address this better than me but if you would still like to try, I recommend not stressing about "the rules" and instead picking rules that work for you. If it was me, I would probably create a weekday wardrobe of 25-35 pieces and then a weekend wardrobe of about 15-20. And I'd call it a day. The real key is just to eliminate the closet clutter that you never want to wear at work or never want to wear at home, much more than it's to get married to just 36 items of clothing.

shoes, shorts

On laundry: It's been just three weeks but I feel like I'm doing less laundry because I have be sticking with just one outfit day. I am no longer changing into "comfy clothes" first thing in the morning and then "getting dressed" in the afternoon to go somewhere. I am also seriously considering if items (like jeans, shorts, long sleeves) really need to be washed right away or if they can make it through another wear (they can). I am trying to keep laundry loads as big as before which means I find myself reaching for different pieces more often (because they are clean still).

succulent art (bought on major clearance because the frame had a minor crack!), art print, frames are target, lo & sons OG bag - major splurge that's worth every penny.

On packing for a trip: we went away for a weekend in early October and packing was the best thing ever. Everything I have matches everything I have. And everything I have I love, so...boom.

On not spending: I have not bought any clothes or accessories for me (which is good, considering it's been only three weeks). I have also not transferred my clothes shopping habit and started buying for Ellerie or Paul (which is really good). It's helped that I un-subscribed to every email offer from stores so I no longer know that Gap is offering everything for 80% off or j.crew has another huge sale. #thereisalwaysanothersale

On my favorite piece so far: As I've already said, the denim vest, my wildcard, is a spectacular hit. My mom likes it. Paul likes it. My girlfriends like it. Ellerie would like it if she understood. I want to throw it on with everything which is the only downfall. If you don't love the madewell pricetag, this one looks super cute too.

What about you guys? Anyone else trying this? I'd love to hear your takeaways - especially if you live in colder climates or a work dress code.

You can see more details about my Autumn capsule wardrobe here. And remember, this is not a new concept. Tons of folks do this with great success but I was really inspired by Unfancy.