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Restingmotion

A spring weekend

A sailboat on the Hudson is a clear sign that it must be spring.

Although it is cold today, with a chill wind, we finally had a few warm days and I was able to spend a little time in the yard. A few new flowers are peeking up although they seem to be few and far between. But the hyacinths are up, looking a little chilly, but they are braving the cool weather.

I wish I could have shown you the crocuses, but they were a little shy this year. The blossoms were up, but stayed tightly closed most of the time. Occasionally they would open up, most likely only to be hit with a chill and wilt before my eyes. Still it was nice to see their bright little bits of color, just as these hyacinths are quite welcome peeping up through the sea of brown.

The yard has suffered through a few years of workmen trampling on my flower beds and my own failure to give them the attention they need. There is much to be done and I was happy to be out in the yard a little bit this weekend. I don’t see how I will manage to tackle everything, but it is really not something that I worry about that much. Increasingly it seems that life is not to be measured in the number of things that are done but in the joy of doing. That will be enough.

Still it was nice to see little bits of green here and there. I tried to grow primulas for years without success and it tickles me no end that these two, which were picked by DH about 8 years ago when he accompanied me to a local greenhouse, come back faithfully year after year. I was convinced they would be another failure, but they keep coming back, reminding me to keep trying.

There were few fiberly activities over the weekend. Yard work and a concert took up much of Saturday and Sunday found me possessed of a seasonally inspired need to clean, refurbish and refeather the nest.

I did find time to peruse the new Vogue Sewing:

I love the articles and information on the new Chado Ralph Rucci patterns and details about the garments and their construction. I have been a fan of Rucci’s for a long time and have taken advantage of the opportunity to study his garments whenever possible.

Of course I bought the first two patterns, although I don’t intend to make the dress right away. I hope to start the shirt soon and have the pattern on a stack of things that I must make muslins of VERY SOON,

There is also, unfortunately, a rather large stack of UFOs that must be completed simply because they have grown to be such a burden on my psyche. I am really hoping that I can work on both the UFOs and the muslins simultaneously……kind of rewarding myself for working through the stack, but you know that is not really likely to happen. Still, it is a lovely dream, and looking at the pattern will hopefully encourage me to wrap up those pesky projects.

It is still a little early around here for spring produce, but I just have to show you these beautiful mushrooms that were delivered this week. I know I am very fortunate to have a specialty mushroom grower near me and to be able be one of his customers. Although he grows mushrooms much of the year, this week the oyster mushrooms were incredible. Often when they are big like this they get a little thick and tough. In that case I usually roast them. But although these are large, they are also tender and delicate so I wanted to take advantage of their more subtle flavors. They were perfect for a quick stir-fry with a little chicken breast and some crisp snow-peas on the side. And that is the perfect way to end a spring weekend.

April 13, 2008
Got Thread?

Look what my mom sent me:

Oodles and Oodles of my favorite Mettler thread!

Thanks Mom!

April 13, 2008
A thought

I wonder what this says about me?

I hear a piece of 12-tone music, such as Anton Webern’s Five Pieces, Op 5, and I immediately start to smile and I want to dance. I get a little thrill, as if all the cells in my body feel a little spark. Obviously these were youthful pieces, perhaps a little rough. But still they make me happy. Almost all 12-tone music does, even the somber pieces seem to wake me up in special way.

Oh, I know, no one "does" 12-tone any more. Oh well.

And by the way, Ravel’s Quartet in F Major makes me very happy too.

What a lovely evening.

April 13, 2008
What to Wear

There
has been a thread over at Stitcher’s
Guild lately called "So What did you wear today? Why?" which I
have been following pretty avidly, even though I only posted there a couple of
times. Reading the various posts has caused me to think about what I wear
on a daily basis, versus what I sew and whether I want to sew most of the
things I wear (yes and no), as well as whether I wear what I wear because it is
merely convenient, or if I wear what I really want.

Like all questions in life, the truth proves to be complicated and at times
elusive. I have been contemplating pursuing the question further here,
but have been rather reluctant. A lot of what I have worn lately has not
necessarily been things I have sewn, but that is not really the issue. More
in my mind has been what is my view of the purpose of this blog and why do I
want to post pictures of what I wear. Is anybody interested?
Probably not, but then, truthfully I never expected anyone to be interested and was rather shocked to correspond with people who actually read my
words.

Originally I started writing to help me coalesce my own thoughts and keep a record of what
I was doing. Although I also hoped that the blog would help me to keep family and friends updated on what I was doing, my main purpose force me to keep track of my own projects and hopes and desires for projects. If my goal is to make sense of the random jumble of my thoughts
in terms of sewing clothing that I will actually wear, pursuing some kind of
survey of what I actually wear, and why I wear it, makes sense.

But do I
want to put pictures of myself in my clothes up on the internet for all to
see? I have always had issues with photographs; I am not a
"natural" subject tending to freeze when the camera is pointed my
way, or I take the opposite tack and look like I am trying to
hard. Add to that my own mixed feelings about my own
appearance as well as the role of appearance and "beauty" in society,
and the whole thing gets rather complicated.

One thing that appealed to me, long ago, before I started this blog, about some of the sewing forums was the idea that one could post pictures of what one sewed on mannequins. This allows one to see the garment and hopefully the mannequin matches the measurements of the seamstress more or less exactly. Using a mannequin also puts the emphasis on the garment, on the style and techniques, not on the person wearing the garment, and this appealed to me because I was able to focus on the "what" of what I made and the details of "how" it was made. Showing photos of the garment on the person for whom it was made shifts the perspective ever so slightly away from the garment and toward the person wearing it. I am not sure this is always a bad thing, and I understand that looking at a garment on a person is less abstract than looking at the garment alone, but I still struggle with this issue. There is probably some perfect blending of mannequin shots and a final view of the garment as worn, but I am still working out the details.

So, as a person who thinks far too much and worries ideas to death, I wait. I ponder. And I get nowhere.

And then, as if there was some divine alignment of the heavens, materfamilias wrote a post uncannily related to my own thoughts and dilemmas, except that she wrote far more coherently and cleverly than I could in my wildest dreams, surprisingly touching on many of the same questions, feelings and issues that plague me on this same subject.

So I decided to go ahead.

What did I wear this week?

I have three examples and each is telling in different ways. It was a casual week, working around the house, going to the post office and the grocery store, acting as chauffeur for my DH who is not allowed to drive for another three weeks following open-heart surgery.

Spring finally arrived this week and so I started pulling out summer clothes. Here you see my favorite summer sneakers. I dearly love these things. They are perfect with cropped pants or soft linen or cotton trousers.

Summer has long been, in my mind at least, a time for looseness and lightness, not really for serious clothes. In the summer I love brightly colored flat sandals and espadrilles and yes, casual canvas sneakers. But sneakers are problematic. They are easier to find than espadrilles in my neck of the woods, but as a person who has never learned to keep her shoes tied, sneakers present the added difficulty of laces. It is not appropriate to run around, laces flopping in the breeze at the half-century mark, and it is perhaps nearly as embarrassing to have to double-knot your laces at this age. Yes, untied sneakers seem to add to that air of distraction and dishevelment that seem to follow meeverywhere, but I don’t really want to run around with my shoes untied no matter how much I love my Converse sneakers. Most slip-on sneakers somehow never struck me as quite right, until I found these court slip-ons. Now I have them in several colors. Admittedly what appeals to me is the idea that they look like they should have laces. Even though I am fooling no one, and I see them everywhere, I still feel like a kid who is getting away with something every time I wear them. And what is more in keeping with summer fun?

This is what I wore yesterday. It is one of my favorite transitional outfits. When it is just a tad warmer I will switch from the suede mules to strappy platform sandals, but this will never be a heat-of-summer outfit anyway.

The sweater was knit in spring of 2005: kingfisher and although I love it and think it looks really good on I had trouble wearing it. To begin with, being a viscose blend with nylon it is too hot for the humidity of mid summer. Then I somehow had trouble finding the perfect pants. The color is good for jeans but it looked terrible with any jeans I owned. I was going through a period where I didn’t wear jeans much though, and all I had were basic "work" jeans that I use around the house and in the yard. I also couldn’t get the perfect pants. Everything was either too dressy, or too slouchy or just too something. I have a pair of medium blue linen pants that look nice, but the linen is very summery and the sweater, although bright and cheery, is really not a summer sweater. Linen pants look out of place on cold spring days or even on warmer fall days, adding to the impression that I just can’t get my act together.

But then, last fall I found this pair of jeans. They are by Wörn jeans and they, surprisingly, fit me perfectly right out of the box. I ordered them because they are cut a little higher through the rise than most current jeans.

But then, I learned that just having jeans that fit is not in and of itself enough. They fit well, they look ok (but they are not the kind of jeans that draw "oh wow" comments from my DH, and I have some like that too, music to my middle-aged ears) but they have issues. Namely I couldn’t find anything in my wardrobe that went with them without looking dowdy or like "mutton dressed as lamb" or "aging hippie wanna-be", until I found this sweater. Now I have the perfect pairing, even if I have only one outfit that goes with these jeans, I can also look at it is finally having the perfect outfit to wear with a favorite sweater, and therefore worthwhile.

The whole situation tells me several things:

I should make more sweaters in this basic shape as it is quite flattering. Hanne Falkenberg’s Mermaid is similar, and there are a host of patterns in this shape floating around the knitting world right now. I should take advantage.

I really should find other long tops with this kind of fitted and flared shape so that I can wear the jeans with other things. This is a good jeans shape for me and it always has been. I basically, whether fatter (now) or thin, have too curvy of a figure to be a natural in jeans. So I am thinking I should try some of the more ethnic inspired floaty tops that have been around of late. If i get the right fit through the ribs or waist with a gentle flair of asymmetrical bit of hem they might look quite nice. So I need to find another look for the jeans, one that makes the perhaps questionable styling work for me without looking too "middle-aged matron".

It is not proving to be an easy task.

I really like the jeans. They remind me very much of a pair I had with almost exactly the same fit and shape when I was in college. Of course, I look very different than I did in college, and I don’t want to look like a middle-aged woman trying to relive her teen years (God forbid! That is one period I most definitely DO NOT want to relive) but the jeans make me happy. I have a picture with me and some college friends sitting around a pool in 1977 in those jeans, and these jeans somehow evoke some of the same feelings in me.

I wore this on Monday. It was a bit chilly that day, and I was tired so I tend to gravitate toward long sweaters where I don’t really have to think about how I look but I can convince myself that I am at least presentable. They may not be my best look, but that is not the issue here. As a person who lives too much in my head, I do sometimes appreciate the idea that a nun’s habit provides a certain answer to how to get dressed and look pulled together, without really being interested in the necessary career path required. But then, nuns don’t wear habits anymore do they?

I suppose I looked a little frumpy here. I felt pulled together and even pretty because of the bright purple scarf. The long cardigan, although hiding any evidence that there is a figure underneath, tends to make me feel confident and happy on days when I am otherwise tired, as I feel like I just don’t have to worry about things like whether my tummy is sticking out, or how I am standing if my back is sore. I realize that long bulky sweaters make one look heavier, but I suppose that I really don’t care about that issue so much. So I guess what I am saying is that what makes one FEEL beautiful on any given day may or may not be what others thinks makes one look one’s best. But I think feeling attractive and pulled together is the key. I am wearing the same jeans. These jeans I see tend to look kind of rumpled. I never have figured out how to wear jeans and look crisp, no matter what jeans I wear or what I do to them.

I guess I am just not a crisp person. Floppy is as floppy does.

April 11, 2008
books, books, books, a sea of books

Long before I learned to sew or knit I was a reader. I have fond memories of summer afternoons walking to the local library and bringing home stacks of books, devouring them and then, and then repeating the entire process the next day. I think it was because I repeated this process so frequently that my parents had me write book reviews of every book for a while one summer. I don’t recall that the book review assignment lasted all that long, but I kept reading. It was not a big step from reading to acquiring books, although I do truthfully know several people who read constantly but have no urge to possess the books they have read. It is too bad I did not acquire that gene. I have managed, over the years to divest myself of many books, and I do read many more books from the local library system, but still the piles of books accumulate.

So now you
know the truth about me, I am a hoarder of things despite all
protestations to the contrary that I like things neat and clean…..no minimalist
I. But I do accumulate specific
things: books, fabric, yarn, patterns — too many patterns probably, especially given my pattern buying the last week or so, but they do take
up far less space than the fabric or the books.

This week
has been preoccupied with the books. We have converted one of the spare bedrooms into a workout room/library and most of my "spare" time this week has been spent putting up the shelves and filling them with the books slated for this room. It is by no means the entire collection: our new library houses only the gardening books, oversized art books (both very small collections) and the fiction/literature and cookbook collections (much larger). I had in fact hoped that there would be a little more blank space on the shelves for future growth, but that growth will have to be achieved somewhere else in the house, or curtailed.

The room is small and makes maximum use of the space. This is the long bookcase, on one end of the room, about 9 feet long by about 9 feet high. There are 8 shelves on each wall; you only see glimpses of the top and bottom shelves in this photo. I had hoped to get all the fiction on this wall, and I probably would have had I not used the bottom shelf for oversized art books. As a result some of the fiction wrapped around the corner to the shorter wall, as seen on the left side of this second photo:

Here is the corner view. It is difficult to get a good photo in a room that is only about 9 x 11 feet, I can’t get far enough from the shelves to include a complete shot. The books on the right are on the long (9 ft wall) and the ones on the left are the shorter shelves (about 5 1/2 feet) There is a pair of file cabinets and a doorway to the left of the shelves.

The short wall contains my cookbook collection, with the exception of that top shelf just under the ceiling, which is the beginning of the fiction and literature section, authors beginning with "A". In the end it works out as that shelf is 8 feet up from the floor, effectively out of reach without a ladder and probably more appropriate for literary volumes than cookbooks, which will be used more frequently.

That is Penelope Ann in the corner, my DSD’s dressform. She is in desperate need of a new, more flattering outfit. DSD stripped Penelope of her clothes last time she visited and I haven’t yet made her anything new, poor girl. Penelope Ann would be about 5’6" if she had a head, so that gives you a relative sense of height in the room.

There is more to do; there is a walk-in closet in the room, out of view in these pictures, it would be behind the photographer that still needs to be cleaned out but I have had enough for now. Even the prospect that this may become at least a partial fabric closet isn’t enough to keep me slaving away at it right now….although I have enjoyed putting away my books, and revisiting a few of them, I have been neglecting my sewing and knitting and miss them terribly.

April 6, 2008
Collapse

Sometimes it is just the littlest things that push us over the edge.

There I was at 3:30 on a normal day with its normal highlights and frustrations. I had just left the post office and was crossing the street to the parking lot and my car. On the right I had my purse over my wrist, my umbrella in my hand and the mail sandwiched between my arm and my coat. On the left I was balancing a rather large package against my hip.

Midway across the street my umbrella gave up the ghost and collapsed around my head and shoulders, blocking my sight, wet nylon in my mouth, tines entangled in the front of my trench preventing me from easily extricating myself. Meanwhile I daren’t drop the mail in the middle of the road.

That was it.

When I got home G was in a tizzy about something but I just ignored him (it would not have been pretty otherwise) and made a cup of hot chocolate. Reading David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day quickly lifted my spirits. I hadn’t read Sedaris before, I was laughing so hard I could hardly stay in my chair.

It was my favorite umbrella too, wouldn’t you know.

April 4, 2008
Spring Vogue Knitting

Well, the Vogue Knitting did finally arrive over the weekend and I had plenty of time to peruse it over the weekend, and again this afternoon when a minor accident kept me from my assigned task of installing bookcases in the new library.

You probably will not be surprised to learn that there are several things I like; it is actually more surprising when there is little I like in this magazine. Don't know when any of this will get knitted though, but knitting inspiration pops up when it will and all these lovely sweaters will pool around in my brain, jostling for position, until the right one just happens to jump to the forefront.

I do like the cover sweater very much, and I like this little cropped thing as well:

Although at the moment I love this blue one but can't imagine wearing it. That might change. It is not so that I am worried about whether it will look good on me, because if I can figure out an outfit, I know it will look good, because it will look the way I want it to look, I just haven't gotten that far along yet. Someday it might just pop into my head though.

I have been really thinking about shrugs and cropped sweaters this spring though. They are somehow in my head even though that trend is probably over, or perhaps it is because that trend is over — once again I am not sure I really care. I'll make what I feel like wearing.

It is probably no surprise that I love the Kaffe Fassett cardigan, or perhaps even this interesting top by Mary Lynn Patrick. Although I am not always fond of Ms. Patrick's patterns, and I tend to be somewhat wary of combining too much pattern and texture in one top, this one appeals to me somehow, although it could be that it just reminds me of some of the ethnic and heavily patterned influences that are popular in fashion right at the moment.

This tunic with its combination of cables, lace and really classic shape definitely appeals, as does this sweater with its asymmetrical design that looks like it will be easy to wear and entertaining to knit:

March 31, 2008
Give me a needle, some thread, your old t-shirts

This book arrived a couple of days ago and I have carted it around with me instead of knitting whenever I thought there would be some waiting around time, and I have been stealing moments with it whenever I thought get away with a little peak.

I have been aware of the work of Natalie Chanin through her company Project Alabama for some time, and I have been fortunate enough to see and admire some of the beautiful garments they produced, and sold in stores like Bergdorf Goodman. I have been thrilled to read that these same artisan stitcher’s continue to be employed making beautiful objects through Natalie’s new company, Alabama Chanin.

I knew I would buy the book as soon as I heard about it, even if it hadn’t included a pattern and instructions on how to make the inspiring garments. I had kind of figured out how to create the reverse applique that Project Alabama was known for. But I find that the book is inspiring and helpful and filled with wonderful ideas and techniques. So perhaps now I will actually use the recycled t-shirts I have been saving up for just such projects. There are all kinds of ideas for projects beyond shirts, including wonderful floppy flowers and a fabulous boa.

But the truth is, that I love it just as much for the stories about the stitchers that create the Alabama Chanin garments, for the sense of history and culture that permeates the book.

I applaud Natalie Chanin for creating the opportunity for this kind of work and for figuring out a way to keep it going when Project Alabama had to close.

Obviously I am besotted.

March 29, 2008
Purple Scarf

For some weeks at knitting group I would stare across the sitting area at a grouping of the luscious colors of a display of Road to China wondering what excuse I could use to purchase some. There wasn't really enough of any one color for a sweater, and I am really more of a sweater knitter than anything else. I have oodles of scarves and believed I didn't need another until one day when I was sitting next to that particular pile of yarn and I noticed that one of the colors perfectly matched my favorite purple winter raincoat. I bought the yarn that night, fully intending to start the scarf right away, but I put the yarn aside while I fretted about what kind of stitch to use and of course, it slipped out of my mind.

I started the scarf just before DH went into the hospital, figuring it was easy enough to remember under stress, but also just interesting enough not to be monotonous. Last week was warm enough that I believed I might not wear it until next year, but it is plenty cold again today and there is a threat of snow mixed with our rain tonight and tomorrow.

Somehow just thinking about the soft snuggly scarf around my neck makes even the thought of snow seem tempting in that I hope it is cold enough with just enough snow that I have an excuse to wear the scarf without it becoming a bedraggled mess. Of course, I don't want it to REALLY snow, nor do I want the snow to stick around, I just want a hint of snow, a warm scarf, and then for the sun to come out and melt it all away.

All in all I am happy with the scarf and happy with how it turned out. I had 4 skeins and each skein yielded about 10" of scarf so I have enough length for cozy warmth but not much excess. The only problem is there was a little trouble with the dye on some of the skeins. I know the yarn is kettle dyed and I expect some variation in the color; that adds to the charm, but there was one section of two skeins where the color seemed more variable than the rest, although all skeins were from the same dye lot. When I blocked the scarf, and got it wet, the variation became much more noticeable:

It is not quite as visible in this photo as it appears to me, but DH tells me he can't really see it when I am wearing the scarf. If you look to the left of center in the picture you see sections where the variagation in the yarn is not just lighter and darker shades of the same color, but actually a different shade of red. I didn't see this when the yarn was in skeins, and actually it didn't look this red until after I got it wet, almost as if some of the color washed out in those places.

It is not a major disaster, but an annoyance nonetheless. I don't think it is going to stop me from wearing the scarf but that tinge of disappointment remains.

March 27, 2008
Pattern shopping

I had to hoped to have something new to show you today, but the truth is that I am just too tired to pull myself together enough for a photo shoot, even for arranging a photo shoot if I use Matilda as the model.

At the moment I am too tired to do much of anything, although I do have the brown rice on the stove and the rest of dinner will be very easy and quick to prepare, so I have a few minutes. DH and I took a couple of very short walks today, total for all three was probably less than half a mile, although I supplemented my walks with a trek on the exercise bike and treadmill in the new workout room.

The builder also called and he is coming out tomorrow with the stonemason to install the bluestone that is supposed to finish off our pool. That meant that I had to get outdoors and pump off the water that accumulated last week while DH was in the hospital and I wasn’t paying attention, get the accumulated leaves and winter gunk off the pool cover and the deck, and get the cover open so they could work tomorrow.. Luckily it was sunny today so it was quite pleasant in the sun, but still a bit brisk in the shade. None of it was a big job, just time consuming, and I was frequently running back and forth from deck to house.

When I came in I made a double espresso and sat down and perused the new Vogue patterns. Thank you Marji for bringing them to my attention.

Of course I ordered a few, especially the two new Ralph Rucci patterns. I have a huge file of pictures of Ralph Rucci garments I have gleaned over the years, even though I haven’t actually knocked any off yet. Hopefully this will get me a bit closer to that goal.

I also really like the new Issey Miyake pattern, it looks quite interesting and wearable as well as fun to make. Issey Miyake retired a few years ago so the designs are either several years old or were designed by someone else. The label still exists in stores although I don’t know the name of the current designer. But then, I believe the lower priced Miyake lines were designed by someone else before Mr. Miyake retired, much the same way the lower priced Armani Collezioni line designed by someone else, not Armani, although it is designed under his supervision by someone who understands the "Armani look".

Besides, I am buying the pattern because I find the pieces very intriguing, especially the jacket, and I would probably buy it no matter whose name was on the pattern envelope.

I also bought this dress pattern because it is very pretty and wearable and I like this kind of style. I suppose I think there is no such thing as too many variations on a flattering shape. If can get myself to actually make it, and perhaps even more than once, it will be the kind of dress that will be the mainstay of my summer wardrobe.

Then there is this pattern:

The dress is pretty basic. I probably have jacket patterns that are similar enough that I could cut and paste and come up with something like this, but why bother when I can just get the pattern. I like the raglan sleeves and the cut of the jacket, I like the jacket and the dress. Mostly however I am buying it because I immediately see it made up in a fabric that has been sitting in my stash for some time, a fabric I still love but haven’t made up. I don’t remember how much I have off hand, but I hope I have enough. I basically haven’t made it because every time I look at the fabric I see the garment I originally intended to make, a garment that would now look somewhat dated, and I hadn’t found anything else that I liked as much. Now I hope that I get it made up this time around before the new pattern looks really dated.

I also ordered two pant patterns. The new Alice and Olivia pattern is just cute and even though I have several patterns with variations on this shape and cut, what is one more? It might be different right? The Sandra Betzina pattern is one I know will look good on me as that has always been a flattering pant shape. Besides I tried on the prototype and know they will look good.

March 26, 2008