Restingmotion

Oh Glory Day!!  Threads, Vogue Patterns, and the Fashion Sewing Group newsletter all arrived today:

Be still, my beating heart…

ON THE MENU

Pork Chops with Sauteed Apple Slices and Armagnac
Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Red Bell Pepper
Beet Risotto

Today was painting day and it was an absolutely perfect day for it, low 70s, sunny, and calm.  It is supposed to rain tomorrow evening so the job had to be finished.

I did the low walls behind the flower beds as this required crawling on the ground, leaning on one hand some of the time, not good for George with his unstable wrist, and often painting with the arm extended in uncomfortable angles.   The primer had taken forever as my hands hurt constantly due to the arthritis in my metacarpal joints.  I finally realized that it was the weight of the large 4 inch brush that was the problem.  I figured out that I just needed a smaller brush, 2 inches is about the maximum I can hold without my hand hurting.  I get less paint per brushload, but I paint much longer with less pain.  I still came out ahead. 

Notice I was not meticulous in avoiding the gravel at the back of the bed, it will get covered in dirt anyway.

Here is the finished garage front:

Since we finished painting about 3 PM, I decided to start working on a couple of large pots that needed stripping and repainting:

I actually hoped to get both pots stripped and possibly even get started on painting.  As usual I totally underestimated how long the job would take. 

It is interesting that both of these knitting books came into my possession this past week.

The Filatura Di Crosa book is one of a set of fall books that came over the weekend.  I really like the cover sweater and it immediately reminded me of old crochet patterns from my youth.  I have always looked good in these long straight garments as long as the silhouette is narrow and there is some shaping at the sleeve cap-shoulder area.  Drop shoulders truly suit very few.  The Filatura Di Crosa patterns usually do have nice shaping and this one appears to be no exception.  The body is crocheted from the neck down with shaping incorporated to form the raglan shoulders.  The sleeves are then picked up and crocheted in place from the skipped stitches of the arm opening. 

The book has it’s share of unattractive pieces and several classic patterns that are quite nicely done.  There is a lovely shell with matching skirt which would make a nice ensemble with a Chanel jacket.  They are nothing new or unusual if one has been knitting or saving knitting patterns for a long time, but that does not mean there is no place for classic elegant patterns.  There will always be knitters who don’t know the old patterns. 

The Bernat book was passed on to me by Cindy.  She thought there were several cute things, and there are some cute crochet patterns, but most of the garments, openwork crochet skirts, ponchos, and fringed minis look quite dated.  Some of the shapes could be updated and there is a tunic-type of mini dress that reminds me very much of the kind of tunics that are very popular in the stores now, all reminiscent of things adults wore in my childhood.  Of course I am not convinced that a crocheted tunic is what the world is really waiting for.  Still, the book is interesting and there are some pretty things and certainly a great trip down memory lane.

All this reminds me that I never did say anything about the Vogue Knitting.  I can’t really say that it was a disappointment as I am not sure that I expect that much.  There were three sweaters that I thought were nice as they were: The Michael Kors sweater was nice, classic, wearable and probably boring.  I could probably find a dozen similar patterns if I looked through my library.  I like it anyway.  Charlotte Quiggle turned out a really nice variation on a fair isle that shows that you can take a classic and tweak it to get something fresh and different without destroying the beauty of the original idea. And last, but not least, there is a gorgeous lace cardigan by Jennie Atkinson. 

That said there are a few other interesting ideas employing pattern, texture or color that I think could be adapted, sometimes I think with significant redesign, into something nice. There are several that have lead my mind to wandering and thinking of new projects.  I always like to look at the ideas, even when they don’t quite work and sometimes even when they are just bad.

It must be hard to publish a knitting/sewing/craft magazine.  Actually it is probably hard to publish any magazine.  There have gotten to be so many, and unfortunately none of them really distinguish themselves, to my mind at least.  I know nothing about the magazine business but I do know something about business and markets and I know that each one of these publications is probably under pretty constant pressure to increase market share.  We no longer live in a world where you can produce a high-quality target audience publication with a fairly fixed but loyal customer base.  I don’t know if there ever was that kind of world but a part of me yearns for it.  I do see better written and more sophisticated patterns in some of the older magazines, but I don’t remember if they were the norm or the exception.  I always hope that one of the unopened boxes in my mothers garage is her collections of old knitting, sewing, and craft magazines.  I know not everything in there was great but I do recall there were some nice things.

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And as for actual knitting, here is the second sock during the 7th inning stretch:

Unfortunately by the 9th inning I was dropping more stitches than I was knitting due to pure exhaustion and I had to put the sock aside.  It will be finished today.  Looking at this photo I see there are several other errors I need to drop down and correct as well.  Looks like a busy day ahead.