Video courtesy of WWF Canada

Every 9^th of February Canadians celebrate National Sweater Day.Canadians are asked  to put on their favourite sweater and turn the heat down a few degrees to help take action against climate change.

If every Canadian lowered the heat a few degrees this winter, it’d be like taking 300,000 vehicles off the road!

Seeing as here in the UK it’s pretty chilly and we tend to consume alot of household energy especially at this time of the year I think it is only appropriate that we join in with National Sweater Day (or National Jumper Day).

So if you are at home today pull out one of your grannies finest and turn the thermostat down a few degrees.

To find out more about National Sweater Day click here.

Learn to Sew Good with the fashion recycling charity TRAID at monthly workshops held at the TRAID Camden store. Bring a garment you no longer wear, and they’ll give you the skills you need to fix, alter and revive your wardrobe. Workshops will be held on the second Thursday of every month between 6pm and 9pm (there’s one on this Thursday 9th Feb!). Entrance is free but booking is essential email sewgood@traid.org.uk or tel: 020 7485 5253.

Go sew good.

Last weekend saw some great weather and everyone was out in it. On Sunday I took a stroll down to our local city farm in Bristol’s St. Werburgs. The farm is run by the local community and the vibe there is very relaxed, you’re allowed to pet the animals, and children are encouraged to get involved.  Spring is the best time to go, as there are lots of baby animals and the farm is a very lively place. Next door is a pub called the farm and they do a delicious Sunday roast.  There is also the bath city farm which has beautiful views over bath and for all you Londoners there is the hackney city farm.

So if you’re stuck for things to do this weekend search out your local inner city farm, you will be surprised at how many of them there are tucked away and why not take some snaps of your day out and post them up on our face book page. Links to all three farm websites are below.

http://www.swcityfarm.co.uk/

http://hackneycityfarm.co.uk/

http://www.bathcityfarm.org.uk/

Here at bibco we love a good celebration, whatever the reason and as January can often be a quiet month, we thought we would share with you some of the national awareness days celebrated all around the world.

First and foremost, world fair-trade day which in 2011 was held on the 9^th of May but the day chosen can vary from early to middle may. The chosen day is used for promoting fair-trade issues and it is a good way for any one working within the fair-trade industry to hold conferences, fairs and festivals celebrating all the positive changes the movement is making. You don’t have to be working within the fair trade industry to take part, you could simply buy some fair-trade chocolate or fair-trade coffee or even better why not treat yourself to something from the new bibico range, which is shortly to be released on the bibico website and boutiques all around the country, which you can wear on the day.

Below are some more national awareness days for January that you can put in your diaries:

• Everyone’s favourite yellow bear, Winnie the pooh day, 18^th January
• Get popping, National popcorn day, 19^th January
• Nothing better than a good old belly laugh, global laugh day 24^th January
• The most important meal of the day… breakfast!  farmhouse breakfast week 22^nd to the 28^th January
• Get popping again, Bubble wrap day, 30^th January

Whichever day you chose to celebrate, let us know what you get up to on the bibico face book page and post up some pictures of the day’s events, the wackier the better.

After Christmas we can all feel a little blue, decorations come down, back to work and school and nothing to look forward to  but spring and Easter, which in this cold windy weather seems a million miles off but do not fear, a stitch and bitch is near. I’m sure you are all well aware of the stitch and bitch craze that has made a real come back in recent years but with the Christmas festivities over, now is the time to make full use of one near you. If you are local to the bath and bristol areas then you have plenty of knitting clubs to choose from.They run one at cox and baloney on cheltenham road in Bristol  every Monday from 4 to 6, which welcomes all knitting abilities. It is £6 a person but it includes some very delicious tea and cake. If you live out in the sticks or are unable to get to one then why not start your own, all you need is a big teapot, enough mugs and chairs for your friends that will join in the fun and some needles and wool, which can be found in local charity shops or car boot sales. Even if your knitting skills only stretch to squares and oblongs, why not try an easy  scarf or head warmer and who said tea cosies have to be round. You could even stretch to a craft club, maybe try some patchwork sewing, or hanging hearts in retro fabric like in the picture below. Fill your home with colourful handmade creations to brighten your mood and say goodbye to the christmas blues.

Happy 2012……

We’ve started the year with a bang by launching our Winter sale. There are some beautiful pieces still avaliable from our classic jersey dresses to our cosy lacy V-Neck cardigan and there are still a few pieces left of our Bella’s Bow Blouse.

The stock is running out fast so don’t leave it for too long…..

Have a great start to the new year

Bath Xmas Market 2011

This years Bath Xmas market runs from the 24^th November to the 11^th of December. As always there will be lots of great things to see, do, drink and eat.

Bibico will be there again this year on Abbeygate St with our Autumn Winter Collection which includes some cosy chunky knit cardigans all made from soft 100% wool or mohair, a selection of our tops, dresses, skirts and our new range of baby knits!!!

This year we have designed some great acessories that would make perfect Christmas presents or if you prefer something to keep for yourself. If it was anywhere near as cold as last year you’ll need all the warmth you can get!

So if you are in the South West on these dates please drop in and see us…..

bibico

p.s

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Chunky Knit Wool Cardigans & Jumpers

We’re big believers in using quality natural materials in our garments. Our knits are made with 100% wool or mohair. We use wool because we think it looks and feels great but there are alot other reasons why we use it to make our knits instead of synthetic materials. Here are 10 reasons why our woolly knits are better than the synthetic ones:

Natural

Wool is a natural fibre. It has evolved to produce a fabric that has become one of the most effective natural forms of all-weather protection known to man.

Renewable

Every year sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a renewable fibre source. Woolgrowers actively work to improve efficiency and care for natural resources, endeavouring to make the wool industry sustainable for future generations.

Breathable

Wool has a large capacity to absorb moisture vapour and sweat next to the skin making it extremely breathable.

Durable

A wool fibre can be bent 20,000 times without breaking and still have the power to recover and return to its natural shape, this reduces the need to replace garments and top quality wool products stay looking good for longer.

Biodegradable

When a natural Merino wool fibre is disposed of it takes only a few years to decompose and can be used to put fertility into soil for crop growing. Most synthetics on the other hand, are extremely slow to degrade.

Easy Care

Wool’s fibres have a natural protective layer which prevents stains from being absorbed, they also pick up less dust as they are static resistant.

Recent innovations mean wool garments are no longer hand-wash only, many wool garments can now be machine-washed and tumble dried.

Multi-climatic

Wool is active, reacting to changes in ones body temperature to keep you warm when you’re cold but releasing heat and moisture when you’re hot.

Natural Insulator

Wool can insulate the home providing and retaining warmth; reducing energy costs.

Elastic

The natural elasticity of the wool fibre means it stretches with the wearer, but then returns to its natural shape, so there is less chance of garments sagging or losing their shape.

Safe

Wool has a naturally high UV protection, which is much higher than most synthetics and cotton.

***information courtesy of campaign for Real Wool. Support the Campaign here….

Floral Print Tea Dress

Well it’s back to the 1940′s this Autumn with our version of a tea dress. A graceful yet casual dress thats perfect to wear in these sunny Autumn days or wear it later in the season with one of our chunky knit cardigans. This season we have made the dress in two prints and a more classic and grey or navy made from a cotton silk blend.

Vintage Tea Dress

Navy Cotton Silk Tea Dress

Grey Cotton Silk Tea Dress

Bella Bow Blouse

Classic Jersey Dress

See-Thru-Me-Blouse

Tea Dress