Yesterday was a bumper day, mail-wise. The new Vogue and Bazaar came, filled with eye-candy for my continued perusal and inspiration, and a stack of knitting pattern books from Filatura di Crosa and Stacy Charles as well. Also in the mail haul were swatches from Leandro Fabrics and Michael’s.
Leandro sent a stack of gorgeous super 120s wools, and, in a separate package, a new Chanel boucle in shades of olive with a deep fuschia pink yarn running through it. Most of the colors of the 120’s were nice but did not inspire me, even though have been thinking of suits in plain fabric again. However there was one deep maroon that really caught my fancy, as well as the Chanel boucle
Michael sent a collection of Swiss cotton shirtings that were absolutely gorgeous. The fabrics are great quality and have a truly sinful hand. They remind me somewhat of the cottons used in George’s Charvet shirts. At $12.50 a yard I really don’t think they are unreasonable for the quality. I ordered three, shown below.
I finally opened the package from Emma One Sock. It actually came a week ago Friday but I was in NYC that day and spent most of that weekend otherwise engaged. After that the box served as a resting post for my NY Sheep and Wool purchases until I could get them sorted out and put away. Although I am usually tempted to open a package immediately, and probably would have had I been home when it arrived, I was afraid to do so with this because I knew I would want to delve right in.
My fears were well founded. The knits are wonderful and I want to start sewing them but it is the red Oscar de la Renta wool that is truly fabulous. It is much more vibrant and drop dead gorgeous in actuality than could have been conveyed by any photo. I hadn’t planned on getting to it right away but I am beginning to wonder if I should change that plan. Sawyer Brook had a similar fabric in a muted gray/blue which was much more subtle – it spoke casual, country sophisticate to me, whereas this fabric screams feminine charm with a touch of glamour.
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I have finished the muslins for George’s vest. I am pretty weary now, even though it is early yet, only 9:30. I will cut another time, when I am less likely to make mistakes. I have one more alteration to make, but it is simple, one shoulder leans more forward than the other and is less wide. This is an alteration I make for myself frequently and I have marked it on the muslin; I will transfer it to the pattern tomorrow. I knew that George was curved over a little more since he has had some collapsing in the vertebrae but I had not expected it to be as noticeable as it is.
The sun came out a bit this afternoon so I went outside to start dividing daylilies. The daylilly bed I am working in is pretty much packed clay and the ground is wet enough now to dig them up pretty easily. I am surprised they grow at all in that area. This is the one bed I paid a landscape company to build and plant and they did not do nearly as nice of a job as I usually do. They cost me a pretty penny as well. Nothing else grows there, the soil is too packed and they did nothing much to amend it except sprinkle an inch of soil on top. Some of the daylilies will go into the new stone bed under the kitchen window and the others will go into a temporary holding bed while I double dig their current bed and seriously amend the soil. I didn’t get far today, the blade of the shovel broke at my third clump, not that I am that strong, there has been a fracture line across that shovel for some time. I guess that means I will be going shopping tomorrow on top of normal Monday work, gym, and household tasks. I might not get to the vest until Tuesday.