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Unfinished

I "finished" my muslin yesterday, except that it may or may not be finished depending on where I go from here and what decisions I ultimately make.

This is the blue stretch fabric I bought just for testing a few knit patterns. It was a $3 nylon/lycra knit, but it has a really nice weight and I love the color. If there are any scraps leftover it will probably make a lovely swimsuit.

In the meantime, what have I made and what do I think of the results?

The pattern is McCalls 6165 and this is the under tunic. I was inspired to purchase this top by Shams' version of this same pattern, and I am happy I read about her top before making my own.

The pattern says it is close fitting, but of course it is also for stretch knits, so the stretch factor should be figured into the fit of the pattern.

I bought the Xsm-Sml-Med size because although my full bust is 37", which makes me between a Med and a Lg according to McCall's size chart, my upper chest is small and I usually cut a smaller size and do a full-bust adjustment.

When I was looking at the pattern pieces however, I noticed that the width at the bust for the under layer was listed as 37" on the size Small. Now a size small is supposedly cut for a 31 1/2 to 32 1/2" bust and a 37" top is not what I would call close-fitting. In fact I once had a 32 1/2" bust and I would have called a top that was 37" at the bust pretty loose fitting. But, I reasoned, 37" should be perfect for me with a stretch fabric. Since the top flares out from the bust-line, I figured I would have more than enough room if I cut the small without a FBA and without any other alterations. This was a muslin afterall.

Here are the final results, taken immediately after putting in the second sleeve yesterday, shortly before dusk.

(click on photo to enlarge)

As you can see, aside from the bust, this is certainly not close fitting on me and I am in no way close to a small size. But it does work. I like the high armholes and the sleeves are not tight, although they look tighter than they feel. the dimension of the sleeve is actually larger than my upper arms, but I am sure the look of the sleeve will vary with different knits. With my next top I will probably make the sleeves a little wider.

And now we come to decision time. As I said, I planned this just as a muslin. The plan was to make it again in white, to wear with white jeans and this lovely striped mesh knit I purchased from Marcy Tilton. But I don't have any white stretch knit. I have off-white. I had forgotten that. It is no longer summer anyway, and black will work just as well. I have black.

But notice how nicely the stripe goes with the blue of my test-tunic. I am thinking I may be able to wear these together.

So next up is the tank-top version of this pattern in the striped fabric. The tank top is cut smaller than the under-tunic, which seems strange to me considering how they illustrated the patterns, but I can work with that. I will make the medium.

At the moment I have not hemmed the blue tunic and I have not finished the neck edge. If I decide I am going to wear this as an actual garment I will have to finish the neck. I will not use a facing as recommended in the pattern, but I am not yet sure exactly what I will do. I probably don't have to hem the bottom as the knit is very stable and I have rather liked the unfinished edges of garments, like the Elm dress I purchased last spring. Certainly this style lends itself to unfinished edges.

September 29, 2010
What I cooked Wednesday

I am terribly spoiled. Every week I get a delivery of fresh shiitake and oyster mushrooms from a local grower. I first encountered him at the Rhinebeck Farmer's market, where I became a regular customer. When the market closed for the winter I learned that he delivers to local markets and restaurants weekly, including some here in Hyde Park. My house is right on his delivery route, much to my advantage.

So I am always looking for perfect things to do with my mushroom bounty, not that this is a burden mind you.

Last night I made sockeye salmon with oyster mushrooms in red wine and it was fabulous. This recipe is a new staple in our house as the presence of red wine and oyster mushrooms is pretty much a given and salmon is a favorite as well.

The recipe is from the latest issue of Food & Wine magazine and can be found on the web here.

September 29, 2010
New Vogues

New patterns are up on the Vogue Patterns website!

As usual, there are quite a few things in my cart, which may, or may not end up coming home with me at the next sale. There is nothing that I need right away, that can't wait until a sale rolls along.

I've selected two dresses,

one jacket,

and one cardigan. I am particularly hopeful for the belted version of this cardigan following my recent success with the turquoise cozy. And of course this one is long enough in the back as well.

I've also tossed in three tops although it is possible that at least one of them will not make the final cut.

September 27, 2010
Saturday Morning

I look forward to the late-night hours after G has gone to bed. Sometimes those are the hours that I seem to be most myself. I work on projects, I read, sometimes I watch TV, I dream. No matter how tired I need some time, even a few minutes, to catch up with myself.

This week I was better at putting my own goals first, at making room for me, and also making room for "we" in our daytime schedules. Neither of these is easy in a world that revolves primarily around G. Although it sounds strange, the "we" part gets left out of "G" time all too often, and there are days when sharing is difficult. This week was more rich in togetherness than usual, and this was good.

But it is only at night after G has gone to bed that I seem to be most fully myself. It is no surprise then that I have trouble balancing the need for sleep with the need for those precious hours where there are no demands. Often my night-time sleep is interrupted. Sometimes I get grumpy although I try not to. It becomes a difficult choice. Do I stay up a little longer, knowing full well that I will probably not be allowed to sleep through until morning. Or do I give in to tiredness, knowing that sleep alone is not enough. I need both, I need sleep, and I need that unencumbered time. I try to find a happy medium between competing demands.

We went through a rocky week where sleep neither patient nor caretaker got more than 2 to 3 hour snatches of sleep. Then we caught up a bit and I was able to sleep through the night but at the cost of falling asleep myself almost as soon as I got G settled into bed.

Last night the inner demands took over and I was compelled to stay awake much of the night, unable to sleep, but perfectly content with myself and the silence of my space. Blessedly G slept well even after I came to bed at 4 AM, usually his most restless period. Of course we were up at 6 but I expected that.

What did I do? I watched "Legally Blonde". I made stock and baked brownies. I knitted and finished another piece of my current sweater. I sat with two cats jockeying for position on my lap as I read A Three Dog Life which hit far to close to home in places and made me cry and pause and have to put the book down and distract myself before returning, hence the light and entertaining movie. Besides I love that movie precisely because everything is such and extreme caricature of reality; it makes it so much easier to laugh at ourselves and let our defenses down allowing wisdom to sneak in unawares. The book was not so light and filled with laughter, but I can't really tell you about the book yet. Too much of it is too close. I wonder how I would feel about it if my life were different. I will never know the answer to that question.

Of course I know this extreme wakefulness is a symptom of something else, of something I am avoiding or not facing, perhaps not even admitting to myself. It is a new thing. Yes I love the evening hour or two, but these recent inability to sleep, this craving for the darkness as opposed to the daylight is something else. I know I am on the cusp, it is just there, just past the tip of my mental fingertips, waiting for me to grab hold. I know I'll get there.

It is just past 9:30 AM. G just went to the gym with J. I have two hours. I think I am going to back to sleep.

September 25, 2010
Turquoise Cozy

Theresa asked that I wear my new shoes to knitting group yesterday, and I obliged although I usually have a personal rule about wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row. Besides, it gave me another chance to play dress up in the closets and I haven't gotten any new sewing to show you despite my best intentions.

Actually the exercise was quite productive because I figured out a way to wear a garment that I have loved in theory but hadn't yet figured out how to incorporate into my actual working wardrobe.

I'm talking about this lovely turquoise sweater of course. The color is obviously fabulous for me so it always seems a shame that I haven't worn it more. It is one of those long DKNY wrap sweaters called a cozy and this one was a "summer" weight as it is a linen knit. The problem was that I never found a way to wrap it that I liked, that didn't look matronly or just downright awful. Now this could have been partly that I was 30, or 20, or 10 pounds heavier, and admittedly I didn't try it out this summer as it was too humid for even linen sweaters. But it is a perfect weight to wear now as well.

This wasn't really the look I planned. It happened because I was standing in front of the mirror holding two corners and saying "now what do I do" and I happened to think this worked very nicely. It does work very nicely.

After wearing it half a day, and looking at the photos, I wondered how the outfit would look with a belt, and since I don't own an appropriate belt at the moment, I thought I would just do a little coloring in Photoshop to see how it looked. I am actually a bit surprised at how much more defined it makes my waist, which I think makes me look thinner. But I am as yet undecided about how I feel about this as I rather like the long flowing look as well. Not that I should ever turn down the illusion of an actual waist, mind you. Certainly looking for a belt will expand my options.

The other pieces that got rescued from oblivion was the pendant and pair of matching earrings. They don't match exactly, and they were not purchased at the same time, but they do work well together.

G gave me the pendant first, and several years later I saw the earrings in the estate case of a local jeweler and subsequently pointed them out to him. I actually like and wear the earrings far more than I wear the pendant, and was thinking of eliminating the pendant from my jewelry box, but wearing it yesterday made me think about it a little more and the decision has been delayed.

I see that the length of the omega that I wear with the pendant competes with the neckline of the tee I was wearing yesterday. I love that particular neckline on tees, but it obviously works best with a longer necklace (or no necklace) and if I want to wear something shorter I need some scoop neck tees, of which I have very few at the moment and none in gray or black. This will obviously have to be corrected.

I am also seriously considering looking for a more distinctive chain, or getting the pendant put on a strand of beads, in which case I might actually wear it more. It certainly bears looking into.

September 24, 2010
New Shoes

A new pair of shoes arrived yesterday. I am wearing the today. How is that for perfect timing?

Back in August Sal over at Already Pretty reviewed a pair of pumps by Heavy Machine and offered a coupon for purchase. I was intrigued by several styles, but this pair caught my eye and I ordered them.

I was thrilled that they fit perfectly and felt very comfortable on. Even though they are a summer shoe, I thought they would work perfectly during the transition into cooler weather. Besides they fill a niche in my wardrobe, one I didn't know needed filling until I saw them, but now that they are here I see many possibilities.

I really love the tapered chunky heel with the little cut out at the top. At the moment I think I will be wearing them more with pants, mostly jeans, than with skirts as they seem a little clunky to me. I know that is the style, and with the right outfit I might change my mind. Never say never.

Today is warmer, in the low 80's, and I am having a "please don't put anything snug near my tummy" day so I wanted something loose and airy. The blue shoes reminded me of a loose blue organza tunic and the white on the shoes made me think of my white jeans, which I recently replaced with a new pair. I may be one of the few women in this part of the country who seems to buy new white jeans every August instead of at the beginning of summer. I haven't worn them yet this September as I was in a softer more muted phase. That will change however probably as the weather turns colder; winter always makes me think of the contrast of black and white, or the combination of white with soft light grays and pinks.

Anyway, here are the new shoes with the newish white jeans as worn today. Its kind of a silly pose, but G felt like playing with the camera today and I therefore felt silly and was having fun posing without the pressure of running and jumping in front of the camera before the self-timer goes off. I'm really going to have to get a camera with a remote. Eventually.

September 22, 2010
What I Cooked Wednesday

I adore September. I adore fall generally, but September holds its own special place because of the way it lies just on the edge between summer and fall. The nights and the mornings are crisp and cool, and often the days also are on the cool side, possessing that unmistakable feeling of fall with its sparkling crisp feeling, and its brittle, humusy, dried aroma which is so different from the warm wet floral earthy must of summer. There are still warm days but they lack the oppressive humidity of August, they feel precious and fleeting.

And then there are the vegetables and fruits. The fruits of September are definitely of the autumnal variety, pears and apples, crisp and sweet with a hint of tartness and an occasional melting tenderness but without the lushness of summer fruits. They are like the autumn air. But the vegetables, the vegetables are another matter all together. Yes there are fall vegetables coming in, pumpkins and winter squash, crisp greens that shunned the summer heat. But, here in the Mid Hudson Valley at least summer vegetables tend to reach their peak just as August begins to fade into September leaving September full to bursting with eggplant, and peppers, zucchini and tomatoes. In September we have a wealth of tomatoes and eggplant, peppers if we are lucky, and the summer squash is still prolific even as the winter varieties start to ripen.

Of course it will all come to a halt with the first frost. But in the meantime we are allowed to savor the waning warmth and bounty of summer. It will be gone soon enough.

Chicken Breasts with Zucchini Pappardelle. Thinly sliced raw zucchini, wilted slightly by tossing with hot sauteed chicken breasts. From this recipe. Perfect for a summer evening by the pool. Perfect for a September lunch on the deck, savoring the warm sunshine and crystal clear skies.

September 22, 2010
Redo

Have you ever seen "Holmes on Homes"? My contractor asked me this the second day he was on the job with my dec renovation and my heart leapt into my chest. I looked at what he showed me and knew he was perfectly correct. I felt so stupid. I even said this to a friend.

But wait.

There is more to this story. I knew this part of the deck had a problem. I knew it while the contractor was building it, and I knew all along I would get to this point someday. Why feel stupid now? I made a decision; it was a good decision for me at the time and I stand by it today. That momentary clutch of insecurity? Gone. Well, I wish I could have come up with some snappy response at the time rather than letting my sense of insecurity flap in the breeze.

This deck is only three years old. It took three years from planning to finish (well, winter did get in the way). I thought I did all the right things: got quite a few quotes, talked to people who had worked with the various contractors, polled everyone I knew, got recommendations, narrowed it down to three who who all had quoted similar prices and then picked the one that seemed to have the best recommendations, who seemed to know what we wanted and seemed competent to do the job.

Except it didn't quite work out that way. I knew there were problems fairly early on. The contractor seemed to read the plans with blinders, only looking at one little piece at a time, not relating the pieces to the whole. But my hands were full. We had just learned G had lung cancer. I was supervising the deck, closing the business, and trying to get G through chemotherapy and major depression. Then there was more depression and heart surgery and a deep dive into dementia and frontal lobe impairment.

At some point, after the concrete was poured and the foundations were solid and sound, somewhere between the third and fourth carpenter on the job, I just said to myself "its only money; I just want it over and done and I'll fix it later". I had stopped paying as much attention to how the job was going by that point. I had too much on my mind but I knew the cost was running well over contract. But I also knew the hard stuff was done. The concrete pool was now reinforced and no longer tipping down the cliff. I didn't have to worry about my pool falling down on the roof of the house below me. The french drains were in place and the deck was no longer pitched toward the house so that all the rainwater ran into my foundation. Those were problems left me by the contractor who built the house. I knew the pool, for which a permit had never been issued to begin with, was now up to code.

Lumber and labor are expensive, but they were the least parts of this job. I could do them over. I didn't want to pay for another extension on the building permit. I didn't want a long legal battle and I knew the contractor was going to want all the money he could get. I didn't want the distraction when I needed to apply all my energy to helping G.

This spring I was ready. I had two goals for the summer deck redo: Fix the area immediately around the pool, which had some issues and would require some structural modification as well, and replace the decking on the entire deck, as the material we originally requested has major mildew problems. That second item was not the fault of the original contractor as that information came out after the deck was planned and under way and the company declared Chapter 11 rather than deal with the unhappy customers. It was a necessary expense that falls into the general life category I call "suck up and deal". I talked to a contractor I know and trust, and reserved a spot in his schedule.

In the end, we will only get the middle section of my decks done this year, the part around the pool. I needed more structural work than I anticipated which means the job is taking longer and costing more than expected. The good news is that I love the way it is turning out, and I love watching carpenters who take pride in their work and tackle a job with care and meticulous planning and workmanship. The final results will be worth the effort. Even now, before they have finished, the deck looks worlds better than it did before, as seen in this post. This makes me very happy, happy enough that I don't mind having to put off replacing the deck surface on the other two-thirds of the deck, the parts that are structurally sound, until next spring.

September 20, 2010
New life for an old sweater

It started with the jeans.

I bought a new pair of jeans from Chicos after reading about them over at Une Femme. My local Chico's doesn't carry the premium denim line, and doesn't carry tall sizes either, so I had to order them.

On me, the waist hits at my actual waist, not below as shown on the model, but the fit was otherwise good, so I thought I started checking the closet to see what might work with them style-wise and color wise as they are a rather interesting shade of grayed brown but not a taupe.

I immediately realized that this Peruvian Connection cardigan was a perfect match. I've had this cardigan several years, and I although I love it, I've had a hard time actually wearing it.

The color of the cardigan itself is actually a little dull and dark on me, and I can't really wear it unless I pair it with a top with a rich cool color like the turtleneck shown. Luckily there are several of "my" colors in the print, so finding a coordinating blouse is not difficult.

Finding a coordinating bottom, that goes with other things in my wardrobe, has proved more difficult, as I really don't like the way it looks with black, despite the black in the pattern.

Perfection does not always fall so easily into one's lap however. The color match was perfect, and the sweater fit, but the boxy shape wasn't all that flattering, perhaps another reason it has sat neglected on my shelves for some time.

I was about to throw it in the Salvation army basket when I stopped myself. If I loved the sweater enough to hold onto it so long, why not try to alter it. What could I lose? In the worst case I would have a sweater I still couldn't wear. So it might end up in the trash rather than in the donation pile; that was a risk worth taking.

I pinched out the excess fabric at the waist and figured I could easily take out four to five inches, tapering to nothing below the sleeves and at the hip. When I looked at the sweater pattern, I noticed that if I tapered the seams in one inch on each side I could make one of the black diamond shapes meet perfectly at the waistline, which meant that not only would I not mess up the pattern, the perfectly placed diamonds right at waist level would add another illusion of waist-shape to the garment.

I wanted to do it the seaming on my Bernina rather than on the serger as I felt I had more control. I put on the 1C foot and selected the double overlock stitch, marked my reference points so I would take the same amount out on both sides and started sewing.

I was a little nervous before I cut the fabric. But I gritted my teeth and did it anyway.

I am rather happy with the results. The photo at the top of the post shows the sweater after the alterations were made. I didn't think to take a before photo, I was just too caught up in the excitement of the moment. In fact I was so excited that I wore the sweater and the new jeans that day, even though it was too hot to wear a turtleneck, and the little camisole I wore with it didn't provide enough color to keep the cardigan from making me look as washed out and tired as I felt. Never mind, it was a happy kind of tired.

September 20, 2010
An Hour at the Culinary Institute

Yesterday morning I sat out on the plaza at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) for half an hour, sipping a cappuccino and just enjoying the cool, sunny September morning. I had been there a couple of days before, over the weekend, when the plaza was pretty empty. But on a Tuesday morning the plaza was busy with students walking back and forth and few visitors toting bags from the bookstore or just enjoying the view.

Truthfully I was one of those people toting bags at one point. I had an hour to myself while G was taking an exercise class at his gym, a mere quarter mile down the road. Usually I get the house to myself a couple of hours in the morning while G and J go to the gym and then go out for coffee, but J wasn't available Tuesday and I volunteered for car duty, knowing full well that I had the perfect opportunity to indulge in a little cookbook shopping.

I had no particular reason to be there, especially not in the bookstore. I already own over 300 cookbooks and certainly don't "need" any more. (The photo shows only a small portion of the cookbook shelves.) But need is such a subjective term, and I love cooking and cookbooks. I love reading them. I love cooking from them. In fact there are over 150 cookbooks on my cookbook wish list. I would probably find most of them necessary as well, if I owned them. I am no minimalist, especially not where cookbooks are concerned.

Truthfully, every cookbook in my collection is used, although not perhaps in steady rotation and has been saved for a specific reason. This is not to say that mistakes aren't made, or that a well-meaning interloper does not occasionally invade the space. The books that can't keep up usually fail pretty quickly.

Like everything else in my life, I tend to cook in cycles. We might go through a Middle Eastern phase in the kitchen, or a Mexican phase, or a seafood phase. Or I might just glom onto one or two cookbooks purely on whim and cook from them over and over for days or weeks until something else catches my fancy.

I had seen a few books I was interested in on Saturday, but at the time we had a reservation and I knew I could come back anytime. And come back I did. But I didn't come back without a plan or rules. I checked my cookbook wish list and even printed a copy of it to take with me. And I decided that no matter how many books I wanted to buy, and there would be many, I could only come home with three.

I think my choices worked out well. I indulged in one frivolous, just because I want it book, David Tanis' A Platter of Figs. Then I purchased two books that helped to fill holes in my existing collection.

Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings will not be universally applicable as wheat starch doughs are far more common that doughs I can actually eat, but there are things I can use directly here, and I am hoping that there is enough information that I can understand other doughs better with the hope of eventually creating my own, compromised versions of old favorites. I do have Florence Lin's book on Chinese Noodles and dumplings, but this book covers a much wider variety of doughs and I think I will learn much and enjoy the process.

It seems odd to me to think that I have very few Indian cookbooks, but it is true. I have longed liked Indian food, but until about a year ago, G wouldn't touch it, always blaming the yellow rice he ate in the cafeteria during the late night shift at Passavant Hospital in Chicago during his internship. But a year ago he discovered a little Indian restaurant near us that he loved, and he loves going out for Indian food. We've been exploring more Indian cuisine at home as well. He likes to help grinding the spices and is eager to try new dishes. 660 Curries should allow for quite a bit of exploration with new tastes. Now that the weather is cooling down a bit the idea of cooking is getting more appealing. Cooking curry might be just the thing.

(photo of the plaza at the Culinary courtesy of the CIA's website)

September 15, 2010