Day 89 | A slow day

Today was a typical Sunday. It was overcast outside, little bit of drizzle and cold. It's not really the cold that gets me here in Sweden, but the darkness. Or should I rather say lack of light. As for the weather, there's a saying that goes something like this: "You don't get bad weather, you just get bad clothing." As for the dark, well there's not really anything you can do about that, but stock up on the candles and the red wine.

Just to give you an example of what I mean by darkness, the sun will rise tomorrow morning here in Gothenburg at exactly 08h30 and set again at 15h32, which means the length of our day is 7 hours 1minute and 11 seconds. Not a long time to do what it is that you have to do, if you take into account you're at work for 8 hours during the week.

As I said, today was a really slow day. After last nights wine tasting, it was a bit hard to wake up this morning. At 11am we started with the big clean up. Sixteen wine glasses, eight plates, lots of crumbs and lots of candles. After that it was basically a day spent lounging around watching football and movies.

I'm starting with my monthly comparisons tomorrow, where I compare things like the back pockets (day 57), inner seams (day 58), front pockets (day 59), bottom hems (day 60) and the button holes (day 61) with current photos, showing how much they have worn, with photos from day 1.

Day 88 | Wine tasting

I organised a wine tasting at our house tonight, with some friends. I live in Sweden, and not a lot of people that I've met here, are really wine lovers, although everyone drinks wine. Here more people tend to drink beer and spirits. I come from Cape Town in South Africa, where people drink a lot of wine, and tend to live in more of a wine culture. They drink wine, talk about wine, buy lots of wine, and store lots of wine.

The wine tasting for me, was just to get some of my Swedish friends here to enjoy wine more, than say beer, or for them to get know wine a little bit more. So, in short, we had really good wines, really good cheeses and really good home baked breads, with good company and lots of laughs. I'm posting the results on my wine blog soon, if you're interested.

As for the jeans, they made it through the night without any wine stains, but with just a little bit of dirt, which I'll try and get out in the morning.

Day 87 | I wish I invented blue jeans

Here's a couple of blogs and forums on denim and jeans that I scan every now and then for news and info. There's such a huge following of the product, that it's true what the one writer wrote: "I wish I invented blue jeans."

RepeatToFade
My Nudies
The Denim Blogs
Denim Blog

Day 86 | Terence and Donk

Been doing some searches for Dr.Denim images online and then stumbled onto this Australian website, called Don't Come. They have a lot of really cool products in their store/gallery, which they also sell online.

They have quite a bit of Dr.Denim products as well, as well as my next Dr.Denim jeans purchase called Terence, featured to the left. They also have the really cool Dr.Denim Chinos, called Donk, which I'm also very interested in. And in the words of the writer on their website, "The Donk Chinos are a favourite of Misa’s, who hasn’t taken them off for over a month now and a good option for those of us
that are getting tired of wearing denim every day."

I've already had a look for them at Red Devil, and have seen them for 599kr, which seems very reasonable, and I think available in Light Grey, Blue and Dark Grey. Really nice. But I am nearly halfway with this test, just another 95 days to go, then I can wear what I want again.

(Both images belong to Don't Come, and are linked from their website.)

Day 85 | Wax, oil and dye combination stains

I've been covering stains on clothing for the past 2 days, covering oil, protein and dye stains. It's been really interesting for me as to how many possibilities there are for removing stains, but that not all methods work for all stains. A lot of the methods are the same in principle, with a slight variation in the theme. The most important thing to remember is that bleach and denim don't mix well, so it's better not to get a stain in the first place.

As I wrote on Day 84 and Day 83, to remove stains from clothing, you have to first determine what created the stain. Fortunately we usually know what we have spilled, dripped or dumped on our clothes, but it's the times when you get home with something on your clothing, that it gets a little more difficult. Reading the label of the product that created the stain, should help in narrowing down your cleaning methods. Below is a list of some common stains and general removal tips.

Wax/Oil/Dye Combination Stains

• Ball-point ink
• Candle wax
• Carbon paper
• Carbon typewriter ribbon
• Crayon
• Eye make-up (mascara, pencil, liner, shadow)
• Floor wax
• Furniture polish
• Lipstick
• Livestock paint
• Pine resin
• Shoe polish
• Tar

"Firstly, spray or sponge with dry cleaning solvent like perchloroethylene or trichloroethylene, then rub a heavy-duty liquid detergent into the stained fabric area and rinse thoroughly. Secondly, soak the stained garment in a dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach."

"If the above steps do not remove the stain you can try soaking the garment in a dilute solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water if the clothing is white or light coloured. Warning - bleach damage to coloured garments is irreversible. Since bleaching can alter the colour of the garment, bleach the whole garment and not just a spot. If the stain is not gone in 15 minutes, it cannot be removed by bleaching. More bleaching will only weaken the fabric."

Other common combination stains

• Barbecue sauce
• Calamine lotion
• Ketchup or tomato sauce
• Cocoa or chocolate
• Face make-up (powder, rouge, foundation)
• Gravy
• Hair spray

"First, rub a heavy-duty liquid detergent into the stain then rinse thoroughly. Second, soak the stained garment in a dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach."

"If the above steps do not remove the stain you can try soaking the garment in a dilute solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water if the clothing is white or light coloured. Warning - bleach damage to coloured garments is irreversible. Since bleaching can alter the colour of the garment, bleach the whole garment and not just a spot. If the stain is not gone in 15 minutes, it cannot be removed by bleaching. More bleaching will only weaken the fabric."

"Before any spot removal process you should test the product on a non-visible corner of the garment. No method is always one hundred percent successful. Success can be thwarted by length of time the stain has set, the material and dyes that make up the fabric and the make up of the stain itself."

Hope this has helped a little with regards to removing stains. It's sure given me some food for thought next time I grab the general "all purpose" stain remover.

Day 84 | Protein and dye stains

Yesterday I looked a bit at oil stains, and how to get rid of them. Today I'll try and do protein and dye stains.

As I wrote yesterday, to remove stains from clothing, you have to first determine what created the stain. Fortunately we usually know what we have spilled, dripped or dumped on our clothes, but it's the times when you get home with something on your clothing, that it gets a little more difficult. Reading the label of the product that created the stain, should help in narrowing down your cleaning methods. Below is a list of some common stains and general removal tips.

Protein stains

• Baby food
• Milk
• Baby formula
• Mucous
• Blood
• Cheese sauce
• Mud
• Cream
• Pudding
• Egg
• Urine
• Feces
• Vomit
• Gelatin
• White glue; school paste
• Ice cream

"Protein stains should simply be soaked and then agitated in COLD water. Hot water will cook the stain into the fabric. After rinsing out the stain you can launder normally."

Dye Stains

• Cherry, blueberry
• Color bleeding in wash (dye transfer)
• Felt-tip pen (permanent ink-may not come out)
• Grass
• India ink
• Kool-Aid
• Mercurochrome
• Mustard
• Tempera paint

"Dye stains are one of the most difficult to remove. First, soak stain with a heavy-duty liquid detergent and let set for an hour or more. Then rinse thoroughly. Second soak the stained garment in a dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach."

"If the above steps does not remove the stain you can try soaking the garment in a dilute solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water if the clothing is white or light coloured. Warning - bleach damage to coloured garments is irreversible. Since bleaching can alter the colour of the garment, bleach the whole garment and not just a spot. If the stain is not gone in 15 minutes, then it cannot be removed by bleaching. More bleaching may weaken the fabric."

Tomorrow I'll look at Wax/Oil/Dye and other combination stains. It just seems that the list of stuff that can stain your clothing is endless, but fortunately the ways of getting the stains out, are too.

Day 83 | Oil stains

As I said yesterday, I want to have a look at how to remove stains from clothing. There's a lot of information out there, but I found some that I think I'll try when I have to. It's going to take a couple of days to cover all the information, so for today we'll look at oil based stains. The best solution as always is obviously to try and not get the stain in the first place, but we all know we don't live in a perfect world.

To remove stains from clothing, you have to first determine what created the stain. Fortunately we usually know what we have spilled, dripped or dumped on our clothes, but it's the times when you get home with something on your clothing, that it gets a little more difficult. Reading the label of the product that created the stain, should help in narrowing down your cleaning methods. Below is a list of some common stains and general removal tips.

Oil based stains:

• Automotive oil
• Hair oil
• Bacon fat
• Hand lotion
• Butter/margarine
• Lard
• Car door grease
• Mayonnaise
• Collar/cuff greasy rings
• Salad dressing
• Cooking fats and oils
• Suntan oil or lotion
• Face creams

"Always try to treat an oil-based stain as soon as it is noticed. The longer you wait, the longer the oil and stain have to set into the deeper layers and threads of the fabric."

"First lay the stain face up on your workspace and sprinkle liberally with baby powder. Let the powder sit on the stain overnight if possible. If you can’t leave it sit over night leave on for several hours. In the morning shake off the powder, then with your hand brush the fabric to remove the remaining powder. If the stain is still very visible re-apply powder and let set another couple hours. Again shake off then brush off remaining powder. This will have absorbed the oil from the fabric."

"Now place your spot on an absorbent towel or paper towels with the stain facing up. Next apply a grease cutting dishwashing liquid directly to the spot with HOT water. Fingers or a toothbrush work well on most fabrics to get the suds into the fibres. The suds will lift any remaining oil from the fabric. Blot with a clean sponge, absorbent towel or paper towels until all of the stain is removed."

"Wash as usual. After washing check the stain. If it is still visible repeat scrubbing with the dishwashing detergent. Do not dry in an automatic dryer until the stain is removed to your satisfaction since drying the garment in an automatic dryer will set the stain."

Tomorrow I'll look into protein and dye stains. Hope this was helpful. I just hope I'll never have to go through this with any of my jeans.

Day 82 | How to wash "dry clean only" clothes at home

I found this interesting comment on how to wash your "dry clean only" clothes at home. There are a couple of warnings, but other than that, I think it's worth a try.

"In general you can successfully hand wash most dry clean only garments. The success will depend on the type of fabric, how the garment is put together, the dyes used, and the printing process used on the fabric. Also your hand laundering success is dependent on the amount of dirt and stains on the fabric. For best results always use cold water and a gentle cleanser - some gentle liquid face soaps work well. Hand wash by dipping the fabric in and out of the sudsy water. Gently scrub with your finger tips areas of heavy soil. Never use bleaches, regular laundry cleansers, fabric softeners, or rinse additives."

"After you have hand washed your dry clean only garment, roll them tightly in an absorbent
towel. Unroll the towel and move the garment to a dry part of the towel and roll again. Continue until garment no longer feels drippy. It may take 2-5 rollings. Never wring or twist your dry clean only garment, even when they are in the towel."

"If the garment is stretchy like a sweater you will want to re-shape and dry flat on top of your
clothes drying rack . If it is made of real silk, wool or other natural animal fibers you should
place your rack out of the direct sun light. Give your dry clean only garments a gentle shake, as this separates the front from the back of the material for faster drying time as well as removing any wrinkles caused by the rolling process. Tops and dresses should be hung by the shoulders. Be sure to straighten the collars into position you want them to dry in."

"Clothing items that are NOT safe to hand wash and are best taken to the dry cleaners: The garment is made from acetate fibres. It is a rayon garment (Rayon often shrinks – however it usually only shrinks once. So if that dress is too big or long you could try hand washing it. Once its shrunk it is unlikely to shrink again). There is a special finish on the garment, such as fabrics that are stiff. These may have a stabilizing finish to maintain the stiffness. The garment is leather or suede. The garment is very special to you - and you would be sad if washing by hand changed the garment in anyway."

Tomorrow I'll try and cover some more on stain removal, as I did on Day 41, where I wrote about trying to remove paint from denim.

Day 81 | 100 days left

Today we were basically out the whole day for a walk in the forest. It snowed here in Gothenburg two days ago, but not a lot, and the snow is still on the ground. It is really cold, and today was the first time that I had my down feather, extra padded, winter jacket on, as well as my thermal underwear, scarf and beanie. So you see what I mean by cold. But it was beautiful, and really nice to be out with the whole family and the dog.

I've written a lot about the weather, and how I think these jeans will hold up for the next one hundred days through the Swedish winter. As long as it doesn't rain along with a strong wind, as on Day 53, it'll be OK. For one thing, they don't keep the cold out, so I will need to wear thermal underwear to keep me warm, and then they might stretch a little more than usual with the extra layer, but I'll have to wait and see what happens. Should help with keeping the sweat away though, seeing that the first wash is still one hundred days away.

The two photos show the knees, front and back, and how they have been stretched in the front and creased in the back, over the past eighty one days of continuous wear. They really have become comfortable though.

Day 80 | Number 3005

Here's an interesting website, that covers the life of a pair of jeans over a period of two years. The page was translated by Google Translate, and I think it was in Japanese originally (View original page). I'm trying to find report one, but my Japanese is not so good, so it's taking rather long. If you can find it, then please let me know.

I really like what the jeans look like, and how they have changed over that time. This is exactly why I have a problem with buying pre-washed, pre-worn jeans and pre-marked jeans. They might be a little bit more comfortable from day one, but they don't seem to last as long as raw denim jeans, where you get to wear them in and you get to leave your mark on them over time.

Day 79 | Three Cleaning suggestions

I was on Superfuture Supertalk again today to check up on something and found a post where someone asked the standard question about washing their jeans. It wasn't the question so much, but the answer that I thought was really well put. Here goes: "How can I wash my jeans so that they don't become faded and won't lose colour and will still look new?" The question isn't really well put, because what they want is to wear their jeans, but it should never get old. But be that as it may, here's the answer.

"Personally I would suggest the following:
"1. Dry Cleaning - The only caveat would be to be very wary of this cleaning method if your jeans have leather labels." (Have a look at day 35 and day 36 where there's more on dry cleaning)

"2. Cold water soak - Good for just getting rid of dust and non-greasy dirt. You'll lose a little indigo, and may get a bit of shrinkage (depends if your jeans have been preshrunk) , and lose the shine that characterise many dry jeans."

"3. Cold-to-tepid soapy water soak - If you have greasy stains (e.g. food), this may work for you. It's like washing delicate items, like handmade quilts & cashmere knits - use a simple soap (e.g. pure vegetable soap, no enzymes, no phosphates, no bleach). Soak and rinse in clean water until satisfied."

"Turn inside out before washing, and hang dry." "Wet washing will remove the shine, but you'll get some of that back with wear - as the natural compression and friction will recreate a calendering effect. (Like when you iron a black cotton shirt and create unwanted shine)."

Day 78 | Manolo interview

I'm always interested to read more about denim, jeans, Dr.Denim or any other story relating to the denim phenomenon. And let's be real, this is a phenomenon. When eight out of ten people on the street is wearing the product in one form or another, it has to be. I mean you don't see chinos on eight out of ten people, or corduroy for that matter.

So it's with my stumbling across the internet, that I found www.monolo.se. It's a website that covers style for men, and they did an interview with Alexander and Johannes from Dr.Denim. It's in Swedish, so I translated it so more people could understand. You can view the original article on www.monolo.se.

"We had a talk with Gothenburg Brothers Alexander and John from Dr. Denim on their favourite jeans, role models and why jeans seems to survive all trends.

Tell us the brief story of Dr. Denim.
Dr. Denim Jean Makers operated by a family with 35 years experience of denim. Alexander, John (brothers) and Morten (old pike) began with Dr. Denim in 2003 and the first deliveries were sent out in February 2005. Morten handles a large part of production, while everything from design to distribution is handled by us.

Can you describe the process leading to a pair of Dr. Denim jeans? From sketch to finished pants?
Alexander and I make a sketch that we send to one of the factories we work with. First, they do a prototype, and at the same time they work on a new laundry wash for us, because we supply them with new washing recipes all the time. Then, we will review the prototype and make adjustments. The next step is to decide on the model and washing categorization for the season collection, shown at fairs and in stores, for the buyers. Then comes the production, often with little more fine tuning and a few months later, the jeans hit the stores. It usually takes between three and nine months from idea to finished product in the stores.

The drafting begins with the details that back pocket, coin pockets, seams, fit, wire colours and wire distance, and other design elements. We specify the course of every single thing - from shades of threads to the nuances of buttons, pocket lining, threads on the inside so on. At the same time, we select materials, and doing laundry experiments on the side, and of course we fit samples.

Do you have any examples of the genre?
We think that Paul Smith has made a really good job with his trademarking, all the way from garage operations to where he is to date. His colourful interpretation of both casual and formal-wear is impressive. There is no logo trash, which is something that there is too much of today.

What seems to survive all the jeans trend cycles?
There is no simple explanation, but there is a lot of renewal, which is something that happens all the time in the jeans industry. As you're working a lot with spinning, weaving, dyeing and laundry treatments, so you can do new stuff all the time, and this is precisely why it's fun to work with denim.

And it is possible to adapt to so many different styles, so it fits in so well with everything from vintage, to dress, to... whatever it may be. Therefore, it is highly likely to become a standard in the closet - it is so established that it can hardly disappear. And we have a lot of interesting ideas of so far untried novelty, so an idea drought should not happen any time soon.

What is your favourite pair of jeans? What is so special about just them?
They are a pair of Unagi from Dr. Denim's first production series, and also our first jeans model made from raw urban edge denim and that I had on faithfully each day since the first delivery. Firstly it is all the frictions and stains in the history of a genuine pair of Dr Denim's, and secondly, so is one of each of the very first things we have done. Better "a good pair of jeans is like a member of the family" feeling is hard to find."

Day 77 | An early morning

I don't know how many of you follow Twitter, but I just posted: "It's 3am, what am I still doing up?" That is exactly my question. What the hell am I still doing up? I was out to a friend's place tonight, and the night never really seemed to end. When it eventually did, it was 2.30am, and I was walking home in the freezing cold.

Apparently it's quite warm for this time of the year, according to the locals. I don't think so. Anything under 15 degrees Celsius is cold, where I come from, but it's averaging 4 degrees Celsius here at the moment, which means we do have days dipping under zero, and it is still autumn.

Be that as it may, I still managed to get a blog post out, even though it's way past my bed time. The jeans are really comfortable now. I am struggling to think what other jeans would feel like on, after having these on, every day, for the past 77 days.

Day 76 | First Rate

I am trawling around the internet a lot lately, not just because I'm a web consultant and it's part of my job, but also because I'm trying to learn more about denim, how it is made, where it is made, etc.

Today I stumbled onto a website called First-Rate.se, who specialise in selling men's fashion online. It is a Swedish website, I should warn you. But if you'd like to read what is written on it, you could always copy the web address http://www.first-rate.se/ into Google Translate, and Google will translate the entire website into any of 30 languages for you in under five seconds. Try it. They're surprisingly accurate.

On the Dr.Denim page you can link through to view all of their products, but below is what they had to say about Dr.Denim. I translated it from Swedish to English, so more people would be able to read it. "A denim brand from Gothenburg, which is relatively new to come onto the market. Two brothers, Alexander and John are the guys behind the brand. It is no secret that they downloaded much of their inspiration from Japan with their technology and many years of expertise. Jeans manufactured in traditional Japanese looms and with the conspicuous orange edge on many of their jeans. Dr Denim jeans sell based on individuality and quality are combined with Scandinavian fit and design. Dr. denim also offers cool tees, tops and jackets."

Day 75 | Trying on jeans

I was wondering today, when I will buy my next pair of jeans. I mean I don't really need a pair right away. I still have 106 days left in this test, before I wash the ones I have on, so I'm not in a rush. I do however want to keep up to date with what is out there, so I keep looking around and keep trying on different brands, styles and washes.

As I mentioned on day 73, I have spotted a pair by Dr.Denim called "Danny", that I really liked. I saw them online, so I haven't tried them on yet, but will be on the lookout for a pair. Perhaps tomorrow I will go down to Red Devil, and see if they have it in store there. I have tried on another pair by them called "Terence", which I have tried on, and absolutely love.

Today I tried on two different styles in H&M called "Brag" and "Original". I do have a pair of "Brag's", put these were a different colour. It's not really my kind of denim, because there's nothing really special about them. They're just your average pair of jeans, you buy from your average shop. I prefer saving some money and buying something really special, and something I really want. Fortunately for me, these Dr.Denim Harris jeans I have on, didn't break the bank.

Day 74 | A small town called Järna

We're away again this weekend to a small town an hour from Stockholm, called Järna. We're here with another couple. My fiance and my friend's husband attended a baking course here today and will attend one more tomorrow. They got it as birthday presents, because they both love to bake.

The course is offered by a Swedish company called Saltå Kvarn, and is very popular, because it is usually booked up three months in advance.

My friend and I however will be taking it easy, catching up on some reading, and travelling around in the area, while the other two are busy baking.

Day 73 | Jeans Danny

While I was looking around the internet I found a nice website where you can buy clothing online. It's called Sid&Sally.com and that's where I saw a new pair of jeans from Dr.Denim. They're called "Danny", and according to Sid, "Danny is a straight and narrow fit with extra deep hip pocket for a little more 'baggy' look."

I like the colour and the cut. Now it's between them, and another pair from Dr.Denim I mentioned before, called Terence. But I still have 108 days to go of wearing the same pair of jeans for this test. After the 3rd of March next year, I'll be looking for another pair.

For now, I'm loving the way these jeans I have on, change all the time. Getting softer and a lot more worn in.

Day 72 | The evolution of jeans

Here's the main reason I am writing this blog and doing this test, to learn more about denim. Below is what I could find to be the most accurate on the beginning of denim, by Jan Adkins for motherearthnews.com. If you disagree, feel free to comment.

"In 1853, a Bavarian immigrant named Levi
Strauss, an astute merchant in San Francisco, responded to the gold-rush need for tough miner's clothes. He had his stock of brown cotton tent canvas run up as plain trousers, no belt loops and no back pockets. A cinch belt in the back kept them up. Scrabbling among too many rocks and too little gold, crawling along shafts, wrestling timber supports and balky dray mules, Strauss's "overalls" lasted. They were cheap and they felt good.

Strauss switched to denim (from serge de Nimes , a twill made in southern France) and had it dyed in reliable, uniform indigo. By the I860s, Levi Strauss's blue pants were daily wear for miners and farmers and cattlemen throughout the West. In 1873
he bought, for $69 — the price of the patent application — an idea from a Russian immigrant tailor in Reno for making miner's pants stronger by riveting the critical seams. They were nicknamed jeans after the city of Genoa, where sailors wore blue cotton canvas.

By 1880 the Levi was full-blown, with orange stitching (including the trademark "arcuate" design across the back pockets, once the functional anchor for pocket lining), bar tacking, rivets, watch pocket and the "Two Horse" leather patch. Lot numbers are assigned to products and, for the OI-weight denim used, the "waist-high overalls" are called 501s. It's true; more so than most of the thin ghosts we call up for our heritage, Levi's are rooted in the real stuff."

Really interesting stuff, if you realise how popular jeans are today, and that it all only happened in the last 155 or so years.

Day 71 | Laurence Grey

On the trip to Stockholm this week, I made a stop in at Urban Outfitters, and found a couple of Dr.Denim items in one section of the store. I tried on a shirt called "Laurence Grey", which is the one in the photos, but can also be seen on the Dr.Denim website.

It's one of those really nice and warm winter shirts, which you can usually pick up in second hand stores. The only problem I have with the ones from the second hand stores are that they're older in style, and that when they fit me around my body, the arms are too short, and when they fit the length of my arms, the body is way too big. The new styles from today are usually more fitting for people who are as skinny and tall as I am. That is exactly why I bought this one from Dr.Denim. Perfect fit, really nice cut and some great details.

On another note, I had a closer look at the creases made by folding up the hems of the jeans, so they don't wear at the bottom, and was shocked at how much they've worn in any case in the last seventy one days. But that is what will happen from wearing them everyday I suppose.

Day 70 | On the way home

Here we are siting on the train on the way back from Stockholm to our home in Gothenburg. It's raining outside, and everyone is keeping themselve busy for the three hour trip. Some people are reading, some listening to music, others sleeping and the two guys next to us are doing these really cool drawings in pencil. I'm watching movies on my laptop.

But it's good to know I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight. I'll publish some photos of my new Dr.Denim shirt I bought at Urban Outfitters in Stockholm. But first some rest. I've got a real busy week ahead of me.

Day 69 | Americano

It was so good to have nothing to do today, but go for a walk through town and do some shopping. We did get caught in the rain a bit, but buying a cheap umbrella at H&M sorted all that out.

I'm a huge coffee fan, and love to get my daily fix, like I think most Swedes do. Apparently Sweden is 2nd on the world list with regards to coffee consumption per person.

Be that as it may, we found a really nice place in Söder called Ljungrens café, on our trip into town today. They make a fantastic Americano. Highly recommended. Lunch was at my favourite place Wayne's Coffee. I really do like there toasted Bagels with cream cheese.

Tomorrow we head back home to Gothenburg with the fast train, then I'll be able to cover more on the jeans than what I've been able to from my mobile this last week.

Day 68 | At the fireside

The weather here in Stockholm has been, not too cold, but grey and rainy. By not too cold, I mean we were still wearing our scarves and gloves, and big jackets. So cold, but not yet any snow.

However, with this cold weather come other benefits, such as sitting in front of the fire and drinking red wine. Tonight is one of those nights. Cheers.

Day 67 | Toys and babies

The last couple of days in Stockholm has been spent in between meetings, interviews, friends, babies and lots of toys.

There just does not seem and end to the amount of baby toys out there. Hard, soft, big, small, furry, smooth, etc, etc. All shapes and sizes. All made with the same goal in mind, to make the screaming and crying stop.

This one is by far my favourite one. A big, fat, soft, furry panda. It's also been the most effective one I've seen in the fight to keep it's owner, Ingrid, entertained.

Day 66 | CommunityOfSweden.com

Today was a really good day. Had good meetings regarding work and had coffee at my favourite coffee place here in Stockholm, called Wayne's Coffee.

But, that was not the highlight of my day. I spend a lot of time on a website called CommunityOfSweden where I have met a lot of really nice people who love Sweden as much as I do.

Today I got to meet 2 of my friends from the website face to face for the first time. Fransesca is from Italy, and is visiting Stockholm for a while, and Tommy is Swedish and he's the owner of the website.

It was so good to meet them for the first time and just goes to show how small this world has become.

Day 65 | A beautiful day

Winter is really a beautiful time of the year, when the sun is out and you're out for a long walk in nature. That was today for me, and I was joined on the walk by a friend and her daughter Hilda. The photo is her lying on my legs. I think that will be the style of photos I'll publish for this week in Stockholm. Just my legs in the jeans in a different environment.

Day 64 | Arriving in Stockholm

The day started off with our train leaving an hour and a half late, and it being a different, older train, which meant the trip taking four hours instead of three. We were supposed to travel on the fast X2000, but it never arrived, and we still don't know why. The trip was not very scenic either, because there was thick mist all the way.

But now we're here. Let's see what the week holds, in what I think is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Day 63 | On the way to Stockholm

It's travelling time again. We're on the way to Stockholm tomorrow for a week. Got some business meetings scheduled for this week, and hoping to pick up some design work, then it's holiday time next week. Just want to take it easy and see the city again. I'll also be blogging from my mobile, so excuse the photos. My Sony Ericsson K610i only has a 2 mega pixel camera. I've got some post from my previous trip to Stockholm, all the way back on day 9 and day 10.

Now it's time to pack, and here's my first dilemma. I know I'm doing this test and all, and that I have so far only been wearing this pair of jeans for the past 63 days, but I'm taking an extra pair on the trip, just in case. You never know what happens.

Day 62 | Stitching

I haven't really covered stitching in the past sixty or so days. We all know that all jeans can vary in many ways, from denim type, to cut, to style, to wash, to just about anything under the sun. The same with stitching. I covered different ways, different manufacturers treat the button holes on day 17 for instance, so imagine what else is possible with the stitching.

You can vary the colour of thread, the thickness, the length of the stitches, the style of stitching, the way you fold the denim while you're stitching. So many ways to change the look and the feel of jeans from one to the next.

The Dr.Denim Harris Blue Black raw pair I have, has the "standard" yellow denim stitching. Nothing fancy. Hidden stitching on the outside leg, and the yellow visible stitching on the inside leg. You can see from the three photos that the stitching isn't brand new any longer. There's a bit of chafing and some wear that has started to show on the lower legs. I covered the wear on the denim and the stitching on the lower leg on day 58.

The denim around the stitched areas on the jeans are starting to show some real wear. Should be interesting to compare photographs again in a months time.

Day 61 | The button holes (1st comparison)

I've said a couple of times on this blog, that I expected the buttonholes to wear the fastest, and the most, of any other part of the jeans. So far I've been wrong, see day 60.

In the beginning they seemed to be wearing out very fast, but then it sort of evened out, and they haven't gone past a certain point for a while now. They were very stiff in the beginning, but soon loosened up, from the every day wear. The buttons now, go in and out much easier than they did on day one.

The left hand side comparison photo is from day 23, and the right hand side photo is from today. I have also done some button hole comparisons with other jeans manufacturers on day 17, but here's what Dr.Denim has to say about button holes.

They call it the "Lucky effect". The cause: Repeatedly undressing in a hurry. The effect: Button hole worn out or button missing.