I'm back bitches! Here's a coat.

I have safely returned from Iceland, and I still have all my fingers and toes! Truthfully, it wasn't all that cold. Very bearable, even. I managed to be comfortable with decent boots, thicker tights or leggings, layers and a good coat. I actually made the coat, right before leaving! Here it is, being used:

I'm wearing wool trousers here because we were supposed to be going on a whale-watching trip (which was cancelled because of the rough weather. We did go the next day but didn't see any whales. Great day though!)

I do own a coat that would have been warm enough for Reykjavik, a great 1940s number that I'm sadly wearing to death, but I felt like a hood would be welcome in this particular climate, and I wasn't mistaken! There was a lot of wind at times, and being able to hide my entire head easily made a huge difference.

I used a Burda pattern for a casual hooded coat and didn't really make any adjustments, or a muslin. I measured the pattern pieces and thought I could get away with the thing not being a perfect fit. Guess what? It's ok! It came together pretty easily, except for the sleeves: there was a huge amount of ease in them, making it impossible to set them in as intended without gathers.

I opted to add belt loops to make things easier, and went for six wooden buttons instead of one and five hidden snaps. The outer fabric is a combination of two boiled wools, interlined with a densely woven suiting for warmth, windproofness and stability. I lined the entire thing in cotton flannel and it turned out perfectly fine for Reykjavik in January. Layering with a long woolen cardigan even made it warm enough to go exploring at night, in some pretty windy weather!

The hood makes me happy. No matter how cool elves are, I'll always be a hobbit at heart, and this wooly coat makes me feel like one. I can't really explain it.

The scarf is another handmade thing by the way! I found a knitting chart based on the wallpaper in 221B Baker Street (the one in the BBC version of Sherlock) and used it to knit a giant tube, which I then sewed up at the end and decorated with tassels.It's massive and perfect for hiding my face or protecting it against the wind!

Seriously, all this together feels like wearing blankets. I was a bit worried about how lining something in flannel would make it harder to put on, but I was trying to use stash fabrics for most of this project and wanted to avoid buying a lining. It works quite well, as long as I hold my sleeves whilst putting the coat on!

This little vacation was really awesome! We went to see a friend who is doing a three-month internship over there, and she was so happy to see us (likewise). The week went by incredibly fast, and I think all of us fell in love with Iceland. Here's some other stuff we saw/did:

We celebrated New Year's Eve in the city, between all the crazy people shooting off fireworks left and right. It sort of felt like very happy anarchy, and we had a blast!

I took loads of pretty pictures and walked on ice. Most of those birds were assholes, though.

I would recommend the Golden Circle tour to anyone, it's a pretty intense way to see a few really beautiful spots, even if quite touristy. These are the Gullfoss falls, and my jaw dropped when I saw them.

Oh yes, and this (omfg). Northern lights. We were SO LUCKY, the weather was clear, there was a very big chance to see them and one of Nena's lovely new friends wanted to drive us around to look for them. It got pretty late and it was immensely cold and windy (that's why my pictures are all blurry and stuff) but I'll never forget this. It looked otherworldly.

I have two more new things that I photographed in Iceland, so keep an eye out for them!