ayenforcraft

On Dance (and lemons)

2012-01-23T16:43:00.005-05:00

(Lemon magazine photographs proudly displayed here!)

One of my resolutions this year (or "yearly lies" as my social worker friend's clients like to call them) is to exercise at least three times per week. Now personally, I hate gyms. I hate feeling like I am exercising for the sake of exercising. It seems like this strange commodification of movement - I will exchange 45 minutes of my time spent sweating while moving in place on this machine, for 120 calories which I watched accumulate, one by one, and which I can then apply towards a scoop of ice cream or maybe towards eventually getting into that smaller pair of jeans that I've been hanging on to which always make me feel bad to look at them but I tell myself it's motivational so I keep them around.

Pardon if you love gyms. Some like the convenience and regularity, the ability to target specific muscle groups; I totally get it, I used to coach people towards exercising more, and if it gets you moving, then yes, please please do go to the gym. Whatever it takes, seriously. For me, I love movement and I love doing things. Hiking. Biking. Jogging. Swimming. Yoga. Taichi. Dragon boating. Dancing.

I consider myself quite lucky that there are not one but two dance studios within 4 blocks of my little house here in Oakland. One that I've been attending teaches a fusion of bellydance, aerobics, and cardio weights (depending on the class). It's a bit crowded, but I always love learning new things and challenging my body. I also really love that the classes are filled with woman of all ages and all different body types, many with bodies that society would not judge as "beautiful" but who are stunningly gorgeous conveyers of the medium of bellydance. I feel totally awkward and stiff, but they are lithe and graceful, expressive, flexible, and you can tell that the women absolutely love it. They're confident and playful, they have fun, and their attitude makes them beautiful.

I think what I love most about my time there is that dance is "me" time. I spend so much of my life in my head, doing analytical things ... even though I'm somebody who does best when she stays true to her heart, engaging with creativity and empathy. Dance is very physical, very creative. Depending what you're dancing to, it can also be quite empathetic as you work to feel the music, express yourself through your body movements.

When I go to the studio, I don't ask anything of myself. I don't push myself to be bubbly and social, I don't expect to nail the steps and I don't judge myself if I don't work up a sweat. There's a flow to it and I just allow myself to sink right in. Time does a funny thing when I dance. There's a rhythm to each song which marks time in clear intervals, yet time also stretches out forever in front of me, almost as though the rhythms create their own version of infinity. It's like that when I run - there's a steady beat of my footfalls and my breath which I time to my footsteps, and within that steadiness time develops the most elastic quality. The "tension" between art and craft in writing and sewing and knitting is similar I think - the technique of craft creates an infrastructure within which an infinite number of creative possibilities emerge.

I think all the activities that I truly enjoy, like sewing and knitting and cooking and jogging and dancing and gardening, share some common features. They're tactile, they're physical. They're rhythmic, which lends itself easily to meditativeness. They have their own flow, by which I mean that they possess a repetition that can tends towards mindless, but they can also be challenging enough to be engaging, but not so challenging as to be frustrating.

I once had an Anthropology professor who pointed out that the notion that therapy must come from "talking through our issues" is a very Western-centric notion, and that in many other cultures the norm for working through difficult emotions is actually to engage in ritualistic, meditative and repetitive activities. I think I've found that a healthy balance of both is what keeps me most sane. And to me, they aren't activities that ought necessarily be reserved for moments of crisis. What's wrong with regularly spending time with your inner self? To quote the terminology of my professional field, it's like little doses of prevention ... which still carries negative connotations, because why can't it just be about peace and stillness and joy?

Anyways. I know this is a crafting blog, but in my mind there isn't actually much difference between crafting and physical activity, not in terms of how they both possess meditative qualities and sometimes the ways in which they can be creative. Truthfully, sometimes for me the creative and the meditative feel like two sides of the same coin, that coin which is a vehicle for bringing me closer to who I really am.

Fiber #43 :: Selbu

2012-01-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's a bit ironic, but ever since making my Paper Dolls sweater, I've been "dreaming and scheming," as my friend Jamie calls it, dreaming and scheming more stranded colorwork projects to knit up. Only the yarn I ordered online in October has been backordered and so I couldn't actually get to any of the projects! Finally I couldn't take it anymore and bicycled over to one of our LYS in Oakland to grab some gray that I paired with the leftover baby blue from Paper Dolls.

This is the free "Selbu Modern" pattern, probably the first stranded colorwork project I swooned over. Course, knitting colorwork in the round on size 0's sounded intimidating, so I opted for a sweater first (*snicker,* yeah, an entire sweater on size 1's just sounds so much more doable, don't we think? For those of you who don't knit, the lower the needle size, the smaller the needle. I think they maybe make 00's and that's as small as it gets. For reference, this hat comes out at 7.5 stitches/inch).

Mmm ... I really like this color combination. It reminds me of Alicia Paulson, who writes one of the very first blogs that got me into the crafting blogosphere in the first place. It has evolved through the years but I still visit regularly because of her beautiful sense of color, her firm belief in the power of handmade, her skill with the written word, and the way that she slows down and notices what's going on around her ... celebrates the small moments in life ... that's a mental place that I'd like to be. So, reading her is aspirational, you could say. (then again, isn't so much of magazines and fashion and lifestyle blogs aspirational?)

I don't know about anybody else, but I find that there is a definite rhythm to colorwork (and also lace) charts. It definitely took me one hat to figure out that rhythm, so this one is full of mistakes, although I love it anyways and wear it a lot because really, who can tell? As with lace charts, I'm guessing that as I do more of this kind of knitting, I'll get better and faster at picking up the rhythm of the pattern and charts, so that it becomes more and more intuitive.

They say that when you start learning you don't know what you don't know, then you know what you don't know, then you know what you know, and then you don't know what you know (it becomes so ingrained, so intuitive, that you almost "forget" that you know it and what the learning process was). I love learning new things and getting to that place of not knowing what I know. Right now, in relation to colorwork, I feel like I am tottering between knowing what I don't know and knowing what I know. It's kind of fun that there are so many subspecialties within knitting, let along within crafting, that allow for repeatedly going through the learning curve.

My brother helped me photograph this hat, so I spared you all but the sanest of the goofy photos. I do love the way he's the only one that can coax a normal expression on my face for these blog shots. He's a really funny guy, and with only 18 months separating us, he's also one of my closest friends. When he was back from med school on his winter break, we tried for occasional photography forays together, and once, while looking through the photographs I snapped of the prolific bounty that is my parent's Meyer lemon tree, he turns to me and says, "you should really work for a lemon magazine." Yes Michael. I think that would be a steady paycheck for sure. But you know. When you're busy laughing about the lemon magazine photography gig that's looming in your future, it's easy to forget to be self-conscious about getting photographed for your blog.

Purple versions of things I've made before

2012-01-02T22:20:00.006-05:00

If you've been hanging around this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I like to make multiple versions of the same thing. This gives me the opportunity to make tweaks, try new variations, or even get my arms around a garment or a skill and feel as though I progressed beyond "strong-arming my way through this" and towards "proficient." (Self-acknowledged bias: recovering perfectionist speaking. I'm working my way through a 12-step program.)

Sometimes I'll mix things up by making fall/spring versions of the same pattern, unselfish craft (gasp), etc. For whatever reason, the purple bug has bit me hard this season, and here I've replicated not one but two garments in the color purple.

Fiber #42 :: Iris. I'm not one of those people who has her wedding all planned or knows what she wants to name her children, but once or twice I've toyed with the idea of naming my (as of yet unborn) daughters after flowers. Jasmine and Iris. I'm pretty sure this is never going to happen (and if it did, what do you bet they are tomboys who hate their names and want nothing to do with crafting, color, or even creative pursuits?). So this is Iris in honor of that one piece of whimsical thinking, and because the color of the yarn reminds me of the flowers that pop up in spring.

This is my second take on the Featherweight cardigan in a DK weight yarn, knit up to 5 stitches/inch (instead of 6.5/inch, I think). It's Amy Butler 50/50 cotton/wool yarn. Her yarns come in absolutely beautiful colors (what else would one expect of a fabric designer with such a keen sense of color?). I've been curious to try out a cotton wool blend. We don't have much in the way of winters or summers in California, which makes pure wool sweaters a bit heavy 9 months out of the year. I know the cotton content will cause the sweater to sag a bit, but I'm hoping it will work OK with the sweater style and fit.

Lessons learned, second time around:

*This time around, I added a couple extra stitches to each front row panel of the cardigan. I like the result. Again, I used short row shaping to make the ribbing narrower around the neck than down the front. Glad I did that again.

*Last time I marveled at how lightweight and floaty the Felted Tweed felt when knit up on size 6 needles. However, the downside to that is a garment without a lot of structure and a tendency to stretch out of shape.

*This yarn is more dense (is that the word?), so the resulting garment feels more dense and structured. However, because of the cotton content, I will be curious to see the ways in which it will stretch out and sag.

*I think this type of cropped style works really well with dresses. It also does casual jeans-and-a-tee quite nicely. For skirts, I think proportions work out if layered over a blouse that has been tucked into a skirt (and possibly belted) --- which, now that I think about it, I really only have one skirt that this sweaters could do that with. Oops. However, it is a gray skirt, a neutral so that ups the mixing potential.

Next up, Skirt #29 :: Charmed.

As worn to my 10th high school reunion. As a coworker said to me, "Only you could wear mustard and lavendar and get away with it." Darlings, I'm going to have to quote Smokey the Bear on that one. "Only YOU can put together an outfit and sashay out the door with the attitude, heck yeah these go together!" (Insert: heck yeah I rock the hot pink wide-legged lovelys, I know you're just staring cuz you're jealous. Or: Yes, please do a double take at my exuberant poultry because I know you just want to get in on the action.)

OK but the skirt. I found this gorgeous pale lavendar/gray eyelet at Stonemountain & Daughters in Berkeley this summer. It's lined with a gray rayon Bemberg, which I think shows off the fabric without overstating the case, as black or white would have done (bonus: the skirt doesn't cling to tights = 4 season garment. Yes, we have warm winters.)

I used the same pattern as my "salvaged wadder skirt" with mods. That skirt is generally lovely but tends to hang in folds off the widest part of my hips, which are kind of the widest part of my body. This time around, I folded 3" out of each skirt panel and tapering to nothing at the waist, reducing the total hem by about 12" or so. I also accidentally sewed the waist 1" smaller (oops), which means that even though this skirt is the same length as the last one, the hem hits higher on my body.

And you know what? I love this skirt.

Lessons learned, second time around:

*The last time I made this, I used a very soft floppy fabric. This eyelet is rather stiff. I think I like the way the skirt hangs in the stiffer fabric with the narrower silhouette. I haven't measured it out, but I think this may be closer to a half circle skirt and that other one is a bit like a 5/8- or 3/4- circle skirt.

*Below the knee, generally more flattering than 2.5" below the knee.

*I think the skirt actually hangs better from my natural waist (this skirt) vs. an inch beow my natural waist.

*I messed up right back panel of the fashion fabric and cut it with the grain going in the wrong direction. However, I think actually like the way that makes it hang. Possible slapdash solution to a skirt with a little too much drape (the panels are cut on the bias)? I wonder if I used this pattern in another skirt with a drapey fashion fabric, if I could cut the skirt lining with the grain int he wrong direction and get a similar effect?

Hm. This purple stuff might be infectious. Look what I cast on for.

That list of things I said I'd never craft just got one line shorter.

2011: Year in Review

2011-12-31T23:28:00.005-05:00

Hm ... looks like I did one of these in April. Let's see if I learned any lessons from that round, shall we?

Hits of 2011 ... garments I like the most, garments that have received the most comments, garments that are the most "me" for whatever reason.

Handknits:

Handsewn:

Whimsical, quirky, bright, cheerful. I like garments, artwork, housewares, accessories, decorations that have personality and spunk, and more and more I have started making clothing that fits that description, too. I like this. I hope to continue this trend in 2012. Take my time and make it my own. If I'm going to take the time to make it, I might as well make it really, really me ... and since quirky and details are where I'm at, I should take the time to invest in that 20/80 rule (where that last 20% that takes it from handmade to Heck Yeah I Handmade That! takes 80% of the effort).

Misses of 2011 ... all have been donated to Goodwill.

2011 has been a year of dresses for me, but sadly not of successfully handmade dresses. The two brown dresses were "meh" on fit so I never really wore them. The green dress I adore, but I accidentally put it in the dryer and it shrank and sadly had to be donated as well. There's something about getting dresses to hang right, figuring out where waistlines should fall, that I haven't mastered. Something to work on in 2012?

Most worn:

I said it back in April and I'll say it again --- daym, there is something amazingly cozy about the combination of silk/mohair and wool knit up on big needles! I love lounging around in these sweaters (or trying to hustle them into a business casual environment). Probably won't make anything with this same yarn combination this year (too busy loving these sweaters and working on stuff in tiny gauges), but maybe next year.

Unexpectedly durable:

For how ambivalent I feel about the fit of this blouse, I've worn it surprisingly often. The bright color and 2 rows of beautiful lace are what keep me reaching for it. It's a combination of masculine and feminine, vintage-inspired quirky that works in a modern workplace. When I'm in a rush to get dressed for work, this blouse is a no-brainer for me to look and feel myself yet appear "acceptable" to the rest of my colleagues.

Biggest lesson:

I thrift a lot of stuff. Including a lot of stuff with refashion potential. I really like this skirt but had very little to pair it with, hence gifting it to my roommate (who said these were her favorite colors). More and more, I'm realizing how "time" is my limited resource when it comes to crafting (time and eyesight), and that I need to be very judicious about which projects I choose to tackle. "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" is something I've often said about academic and career choices, but I've been applying this more and more to crafting as well.

Here's to a good 2012 for all of you out there! Thanks for taking the time to drop by, read or comment, and for being the amazing, beautiful people that you are! This community has helped me stay true to myself and become the person I am today. You all are creative, inspiring people who rock!

Refashion #30 // Dress #8 :: Cranberry Cocktails

2011-12-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

Holiday season means dressy occasion season! Though I cannot lie to you, I hate dressing up. I hate fussing with my hair and worrying about the fact that I haven't a clue how to put on makeup (Asian eyes! How does one "sweep eye shadow over the lid until the crease" when there is no crease???). I also hate fretting about the fact that I have no appropriately dressy clothing. Thankfully the thrifting gods have stepped in on that front, and after a couple lucky scores and a bit of elbow grease, I now have not one but two cocktail-esque dresses that I can prance about in.

So ... this started out its life as a prom dress. I think I'm wearing 2" heels in the "before" photo and it still drags on the ground.

Originally I was just going to use gather the bottom to a wide black elastic waistband to make a super poofy but festive skirt to layer over a lace tee (tres trendy ... but maybe tres 2011?), but then my mom gushed over how pretty the bodice was, and so I tried it on and it turned out it actually fit me! How's that for thrifting karma?

To make a long story short, I basically chopped it off at the waist, chopped again 20.5" from the bottom of the skirt, removed 2 of the back panels (it was a 7-panel dress), put in pleats at the skirt waist for a 50's-inspired silhouette, and stitched the whole thing back together. The pleats atop are inspired by Zoe and exist because I hate strapless dresses and was going to add in halter straps (and then use the pleats to disguise the hemline), but when I added them on they looked strange and I made the last-minute decision to remove them, which is why, at 6:15 on a Saturday evening, I was still hand-inserting the zipper (cocktails started at 6:00, oops!)

The dress is a stiff 100% silk with horsehair trim inserted into the hemline, which is why it has such body. I had to iron those pleats in to take down the poof! Word to the wise, be careful when pressing pleats into silk. Those things don't come out so you better get it right the first time around ... and it'll hang funny if you don't get the angles right (which I didn't, exactly). I think it really needed the velvet ribbon belt, but looking at photos of the dress on and the floppiness of the bow, I think I should just attach with a vintage-esque bling-y brooch next time around (I put the matching bow in my hair. You can see the dress in vivo below; I cropped my coworker's faces as I wasn't sure if they wanted to appear on this blog!)

Truthfully, I don't think this is the best look for me. I feel very ... square ... in this dress. My bust ratio is not terribly pronounced, as it is my shoulder:waist and waist:hip ratio that gives me the appearance of curves, yet strapless dresses like this one are all about the bust:waist ratio and showing off shoulders (but in a "check out how sculpted my shoulders look! I spent hours in the gym to get this look!" kind of way, and in an isolated, not tying-shoulders-into-rest-of-body-silhouette kind of way. And clearly, I am not somebody who sculpts her shoulder muscles ... I mean, these days the only workout they get is pushing fabric through a sewing machine or propping up a pair of knitting needles. Hm ... 2012, I'm lookin' at you!)

But on a positive note, at the company holiday party they surprised the members of the committee that I chair with an achievement award, which meant that when we went up to receive our award, 500+ people got to witness the dress in action. If ever there was a year to wear handmade to the company party, this was it. Viva La Refashion-lution!

And of course, because it's me, here's how I styled the dress during the chillier moments of the night ...

Postcards from the East Coast

2011-11-19T00:29:00.005-05:00

Thank you all for the cardigan refashion love!!! As much as I love making things myself, it's always nice hearing that I'm not the only one crazy about crazily embellished cardigans =). I leave you with some photos from my recent trip to the East Coast. It was such a lovely week, full of good food, good people, and a good break away from life! Like a mini retreat. Such a treat, to be able to fly 5 hours and see some of my favorite people and sights!

New York:

And Boston:

Refashion #29 :: Mary, Mary

2011-11-15T23:22:00.003-05:00

You have been waiting with bated breath for this one, I know. And so without further ado, I present to you Mary, Mary (Quite Contrary), my latest sweater refashion and, if I might say so myself, just about the perfect garment with which to welcome (ahem) Fall.

Refashioned from one Large mens crewneck. I did some Frankenpatterning (thanks Ali!) and copying of a favorite cardigan for fit, cut a new back and two front pieces, harvested the bottom sleeve portion to attach 3/4 length sleeves, sewed 6 matching buttons onto one side and then decided dagnabit I wanted them on the other side and unpicked everything and resewed them, and of course created an entire garden of mustard colored flowers from wool felt.

This was the design I'd settled upon, but after I stitched everything on and tried it on, the massive cluster of flowers on the shoulder was, well, way too massive. It would've been fine if both sides were symmetrical in their massiveness, I think, but the asymmetry running diagonally down the side asked for less density of flowery goodness, so I unpicked about 4 flowers and reshuffled things a bit. I'm pretty pleased with the result. And nobody at work could tell it was handmade.

I thought the snaps would deter me from wearing this unbuttoned, but that's actually how I've mostly been wearing this so far. Something about the shrunken, cropped shape makes me think 50s, although I generally like to shorthand this asymmetrical, quirky, over-the-top embellishment style as "Anthropologie"esque. In one of my other sweater refashions, a commenter said she thought my sweater would be "more Anthropologie, IMO, if you made it more asymmetrical" or something to that effect. I remember thinking Honey, my crafting mission is NOT to just copy their style, that's just a stylistic shorthand, semantics! --- but a year later, I have that commenter to thank for inspiring me to move my flowers down to the bottom left of my cardigan, instead of keeping them at both shoulders where it was difficult to achieve a pleasantly mismatched look.

So. One of two "October" garments sees the light of day in November. The other one ... I'm off to work on right now!

Fiber #39 // Fig

2011-11-06T21:28:00.003-05:00

Greetings from New York! I've taken off for a week to visit my brother and some friends in NYC, and then trot up to Boston to visit some more excellent people. My first real vacation in a year and can I say --- it does feel great to be back on the East Coast! Almost as though I never left. Funny how that works.

My brother took me into Central Park where we snapped some photos of my latest handknit sweater, and ducked our way around the New York Marathon which had brought in hordes of runners and gads of supporters. While they were toiling away, we were working pretty hard ourselves to get some photos of this baby.

(Don't mind the flash of white -- it's my t-shirt, not my underwear, ha!)

This is the Ingenue pattern from Wendy Bernard's Custom Knits, and also the third time I've knit this one up (apologies on the laziness on self-linkage -- I've made it once in blue in 3/4 length sleeves, pretty much as this one looks, and once in white with full-length sleeves.) Clearly I love this pattern. It's absolutely classic yet interesting at the same time, and the perfect backdrop for a beautiful yarn.

The yarn I chose was Madelinetosh's Fig colorway ... I can't remember the weight, I think worsted. Have I mentioned how much I love the depth of her colors? Absolutely beautiful. They always make handknits look like a million bucks. Many of my favorite handknits are made with this yarn.

It's been a really nice day. We took our time getting started this morning, wandered down and through Central Park, then through the Upper West Side and down towards the High Line (an old freeway that's been converted into an aboveground park/walkway), had dinner at a Xi'an place in Chinatown which was mala spicy and vinegary-sour at the same time, several flavors you find easily in Chinese regional cuisines but have a difficult time locating in Chinese restaurants outside of China and which I have missed dearly, some really good lychee and ginger ice cream, a massage in Chinatown, met up with a friend of my brother's. I do love visiting New York! I think I'd have a hard time actually living here, but for the people watcher and fashion lover in me, it's a great place to dip in and out of, now and again. Especially when there are good people here to meet up with. More in a bit ...

Red, White, and Blue (Fiber #38)

2011-10-30T15:52:00.003-04:00

I made these awhile ago, just never shared the photos! Remember Challenge:Ridiculous? Well, I promised prezzies to peeps and have given out 3/4 of them (Debbie!!! Your package is freakin' sittin' in my room, giving me a guilt trip every single day!!!) ... and now that the recipients have received them, I can spoil the surprise and post them here.

Can we just say ... oh boy! Matching but not!

Not one but three cloches, all made from the same pattern, each just a little bit different. I think what I love most about this pattern is how well it takes to customization (ribbon? No? Bow? Flower?), different color combinations, and truthfully each hat showed was knit up in a different weight yarn but they still all work! So I sent Sigrid the blue one, Alessa the white one, and Ali the red one. And I think they each work for their respective personalities ...

Thanks ladies for sewing Ridiculousness along with me!

Tinkering with the mustard sweater

2011-10-23T00:14:00.003-04:00

Whelps, peeps, progress has been made, and dash it all if I haven't gone and recorded my progress to share with you, to boot!

Missing sleeves, but I couldn't help but get excited over the fun part - clustering the flowers around! Those buttons will be a pain, I'll probably use snaps and I hate sewing buttons and snaps onto the same piece of real estate - anybody got any suggestions? Plus I keep buying snaps and then forgetting where I've stuck them. I can remember where they were in the crazy landlady's house, but dashed if I can remember where I decided to store them here. I remember thinking I needed to be all efficient and economical with space, but cannot recall the ultimate decision I came to. Go Team Of One.

Becky commented on my prior post: This looks like it could be epic. (Sorry Roo it's not a hat ... although I wouldn't put it past me to use these flowers for a hat!) I burst out laughing when I read that comment, then thought - well why the heck not? The lady clearly knows my style. Epic? Bring it on baby. Hence making about 3x's as many flowers as I'd originally envisioned (I still need to make some more). I only hope this looks as good in person as it does in my brain ... but 'tis promising so far ...

Here you can see the cardigan refashioned:

(Forgot a "before" photo, sorry folks! But you can imagine what an oversized Mens sweater looks like.)

I designed it to be worn closed but I almost like the look open better. Makes me think I might refashion another cardigan to be worn open like this. No fiddly closures to deal with!

Next up: the fun and unfun parts. Making more flowers, arranging them and being asymmetrical and epic and Anthropologie-esque and all ... but then the sewing of buttons and snaps and of course, handsewing all the dang flowers onto the cardigan. Must remember to not go so overboard with my mustard flower garden that I cannot do practical things like sling a purse over one shoulder when wearing this cardigan ...

Fiber #40 // 50s Inspired Sweater

2011-10-14T21:53:00.005-04:00

Hang on ... THREE posts in one week ... AND a finished object??? What is going on over there in the Land of Jessica? (Although, hang on, it's about time isn't it? That was considered normal just a year ago)

So here's a sweater that's endured endless tinkering, retinkering, and then languishing as I couldn't figure out the last 0.5% of the project to make it wearable. It's a modified version of Mata Hari, a beautiful pattern which caught my attention not only because it reminds me of those 50s blouses with the ballet neckline at front and deep V in back, but also because the sweater is reversible. Hello.

You'll see from the Ravelry link that the original sweater does not exactly have a boatneck collar, which was the first of my difficulties in tinkering with the pattern. Even if you have some experience with short rows, including some heavy winging-of-it in modifying a sweater pattern to fit your mother, I do not really recommend offroading for a boatneck if you are using inset sleeves and haven't quite figured out the depth of armholes you need and are knitting this bottom-up, especially not if you are delusional about how deep of a sleeve cap you require (I keep forgetting that knit patterns tend to size proportionally, so that smaller sizes generally correspond to petite-r armhole depths, unlike many sewing patterns where I have to make a petite adjustment in armhole length).

I also opted to raise the v-neck by about two inches. Mostly for modesty sake when wearing the sweater the other way around, as I don't really go for plunging necklines over camisoles and wanted something I could wear to work. Unfortunately this means the v-neck from the back isn't nearly as sexy as in the original pattern, but then again, that may not be a bad thing for a work environment.

Here it is the other way around. Sorry for the color quality in the photos, this is a beautiful, deep, luscious, vibrant blue Noro yarn that photographs terribly. I'd had it in my stash forever, trying to find a pattern where I wouldn't mind if the single ply, wool/silk/nylon blend eventually stretched out and sagged. This style should look fine form-fitting or loose, I think.

And the neckline from the back.

I love this style of blouse so much, I am rather tempted to make another one (but with a better boatneck of course). However, it's rather a distinctive style, no? Maybe with tiny cap sleeves as a springtime blouse? I seem to have the best success sneaking one pattern into multiple garments if I can split them between seasons ...

Progress

2011-10-13T01:03:00.002-04:00

Every evening I stitch up a couple of these ... in preparation for a coming refashion ...

A plan for October

2011-10-10T17:59:00.002-04:00

Well, it's certainly been like **crickets** around here, hasn't it? I've been on a little internet diet of late - trying not to switch on my computer at night - which has felt great but has had the unintended side effect of dampening down on the blogging front.

My original plan for October involved this stack of fabrics:

I rarely sew full outfits, but for once was hit by a wave of inspiration to stitch up something that would all go together. After I pulled this stack out, though, and mulled it over, I realized that the reason I never wear pale gray blouses is that they wash me out terribly. Especially in winter. And since this would have layered under a sweater and involved so many ruffles that nothing could possibly layer under it, I've had to stick the gray back into the stash to let it mull over what it would like to transform itself into (it currently lives as a very large Mens button-down).

The sweater refashion and murky-lavender-not-quite-gray-skirt-in-eyelet are still in the works for Fall, though. We'll just have to see if they make it for October.

Speaking of the FO graveyard, I've really been trying to cut back on those projects that give off hints of "meh" before I get too far into them. Life's too short!

10.02.2011

2011-10-03T23:34:00.001-04:00

Is it possible not to love these ladies?

Congratulations, JS! Beautiful wedding, beautiful bride. Beautiful friendships, too. It's been ten years since graduation and yet here most of us are, ready to protect one another and take on the world.

Beautiful weekend.

Twenty Eight

2011-09-22T23:28:00.002-04:00

If only these came in adult sizes, I would order them in a flash -- my "birthday indulgence" gift to myself. After all, is there really a better time in life to wear bright purple shoes with orange moons, an owl and a pussycat? I mean, it's not like it gets to be an increasingly better time in life as one gets older, right?

This is how I justify every whimsical purchase I've ever made. And you know what? I've never regretted a single one of them.

Now, if only they came in my size!

Skirt #28 // Refashion #28 :: Colorblocked

2011-09-10T16:33:00.006-04:00

Wow! My refashion count has finally caught up to my skirt count! That calls for a little celebration. Oh wait, I am behind on celebrating Challenge: Ridiculous. One thing at a time, girlio.

Anyways, here's my latest finished object, after that sneak peek earlier this week ...

The other day I found this size 20W Boden skirt in the thrift shop and fell in love with the colorblocking, asymmetry, and geometric shapes. I have a coworker who is absolutely in love with Boden, and no wonder. Their stuff is super cute, well made, and impeccably styled in their catalogues. So maybe she had something to do with my bringing this home as well =).

As you could see in the "before" photo, it was about 13" too big for me as well as 2.5" too long (I like my skirts to fall below the knee, but not that far below the knee). First I hemmed both the lining and the skirt shorter, then treated both as one piece of fabric. Because I wanted to keep the pockets, I knew I had to refashion this from the center instead of bringing in the side seams. I simply folded it in by 6.5" at the middle back to create a back seam, and then created a 6.5" boxpleat down the center front.

(Back seam, edges trimmed and zigzagged)

(Front boxpleat. I stitched it down partway and then topstitched it to reinforce the pleat)

I don't think it's too noticeable that there's a new center back seam, do you?

Just as I was finishing this up, my roommate walks in and says, "Oh, those are my favorite colors!"

Sigh.

So I'm giving it to her. Which is just as well. I love it, the fit is perfect and I think it's adorable, but if I'm honest with myself I probably wouldn't wear it as often as I'd like ... and I like the clothes in my closet to pull their weight! I just can't picture what I'd wear it with, other than white or black or maybe gray (and I don't have any gray blouses in my closet. Or I have one thrifted one but it has red polka dots on it and I don't think that would work). So ... off it went to feed my roommate karma.

You know what I like though? I like how all the photos I took of it, caught me with the exact same expression on my face. Oh, and in the same pose.

I also ... hate to admit this ... but indulging in some non-selfish crafting feels surprisingly good!

The other thing I like is that I've now used a number of techniques to refashion skirts. There was the "skirt too big, fold one flap over and stitch on some buttons" skirt (scroll down to bottom). There was a "skirt too big, take in side seams to resize to smaller pencil skirt, and reuse hem while at it" brown wool skirt. There was a "skirt too big, take in side seams at top, cut off back vent and flip it around and overlap it in front and cover that raw edge with bias tape" skirt. There was the "skirt too big, detach the gathers and cut down waistband and add back in pleats instead" skirt. There have been several "slightly too small, will never lose the weight, chop 1"-2" off the waistband and finish with bias tape" skirts as well. And now I can add the "skirt too big, create new center back seam and center front kickpleat" skirt.

I like coming up with multiple iterations of the same concept. Makes me feel ... resourceful ... somehow. Creative. A "don't matter what item you fish up at the thrift shop, you'll find some way to reuse it" kind of gal. Sort of. But it's a cool feeling, three years into this refashioning thing.

On my crafting table right now ...

2011-09-07T23:04:00.002-04:00

Stitching up some prezzies ...

And a refashion ...

Among other half-finished, long-languishing projects ...

Comings and Goings

2011-08-30T15:02:00.003-04:00

Lest you think it's been all gloom and doom around here, some fun happenings from the past two months.

Every 5 years or so, Kat and I bully our group of high school friends into dressing up in matching clothing and taking photographs. Last time we did denim with a white blouse, this time it was black and white.

Stripes and colors spotted while out and about ...

Celebrated my grandma's 88th birthday. Luckily, my family knows how to ham it up for the camera.

Notice the family resemblance?

My brother came over to visit my place in Rockridge. Here he is cooking for me:

A friend from high school is getting married. !!! For her bridal shower, we had a nice tea party. The gifts were a little less prim.

Brunch with a coworker. We'd intended to do yoga in a biodynamic farm in the heart of SF, but when we got there it turns out we were off by a day so we hit up brunch, macaroons, and some bridal shower shopping in the Castro District instead.

Fiber #37 :: Rockridge Blues

2011-08-23T22:09:00.007-04:00

Speaking of the blues ...

This is something I knit up during the month of July. The month of July was certainly a Blues-y sort of month. I ran into a string of 3 weeks of consecutive wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night, unable-to-go-back-to-sleep insomnia. Which, for somebody who cannot drink coffee because it makes her jittery and headachey, is problematic indeed.

I also had a messy living situation that had to be resolved and got resolved in a messy fashion. It was resolved, thankfully, but involved many emails from my landlady that READ LIKE THIS (she was a drama queen throwing a tantrum), many weekends spent fruitlessly looking for housing, several weekends moving my stuff out of her place, and the resumption of 3.5 hour daily commute by public transportation. Yuck.

And work, though going swimmingly well on the surface, hit an emotional low for me ~ likely due to abovementioned factors but also due to feeling like I'd hit a wall and me having to mentally reconfigure what I thought I could contribute to the project I am leading. All this combined to make it really, really difficult for me to feel up for hanging out with friends, cooking, exercising, or doing much to maintain a sense of equilibrium.

A friend who has his MFT once kindly pointed out that sometimes when we're in a rut we avoid precisely the things that will help us out of the rut, thereby perpetuating the cycle - and it's funny, I can start to recognize these symptoms in myself of withdrawal and grumpiness which can eventually slide into depression if I am not careful, and yet sometimes it is hard for me to break from the cycle. Or rather, I try, but inconsistently, as though it wasn't important enough in life to invest sufficient effort. But isn't our mental sanity worth the effort?

Sometimes I think it is because there is some part of me that hates trying to be strong and forging ahead all of the time ... this sounds so non-feminist or non-post-feminist, but sometimes really I just want somebody else to come along and pick up the pieces for me. Sometimes. Intellectually, I know that I've made choices that stick me in this situation, but emotionally I feel like it would be nice if somebody else solved the problem for me. That yearning gets a lot louder when I'm tired and irritated and isolated and stressed and amidst that vortex of factors that will drag me down into The Cycle.

Sometimes, though, I'll remind myself that it's just because life is inconsistent. Our path through life is inconsistent, our path towards self-growth is inconsistent. What we want for ourselves is inconsistent.

Hm. This is so not how I thought I'd introduce this sweater.

This is my take on the popular Featherweight pattern. I used leftovers (and bought more of the blue) and knit up the Rowan Felted Tweed on size 6 needles to get gauge at 20 stitches/inch, which meant some math to reconfigure the pattern, but well worth the effort because let's be honest, who wants to knit up a cardigan in fingering weight yarn at 26 stitches/inch? Also, I love how floaty and lightweight yet warm the fabric is at this gauge.

Yikes, are my lats really that wide?

Aaa ... parently.

Anyhoo. I used 1 by 1 ribbing for the cuffs, bottom and front ribbing, and put in some subtle waist shaping via back darts. The yarn bloomed wonderfully and somehow, without even planning it, the length came out just perfect as well. The stripes are 12 rows wide and are exactly what I wanted. The whole thing is exactly what I wanted.

Even a slim side silhouette! "Rockridge" is the name of the neighborhood where I now live, where I've found a cute little house and two great roommates to live with. So ... although the making of this sweater saw me through one of the rougher months of 27, here's hoping the wearing of it will see happier times ahead!

Blues-y

2011-08-17T01:08:00.004-04:00

Hello all! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and kind words regarding my latest FO - it was a lot of fun to put together, though admittedly as I was fiddling with the piping (which added extra time) I kept wondering, "is this REALLY worth it?" Well, your comments assured me that it is!

Couple logistics regarding Challenge: Ridiculous.

1) Let's keep this running until September 1, say? That seems like a nice 'finish up summer' deadline for ourselves (cough, Jessica, cough, additional Ridiculous projects beckon!)

2) Any projects you would like to count as "Ridiculous" to be considered for a prize, please add your photos to the Flickr group. I think I will consider each FO as a separate entry ... but if you made something as a set (say, coordinating outfits ahem Ali) I'll consider the entire batch as two entries to account for the additional effort/time involved (does that make sense?)

3) As mentioned earlier, if there are less than 4 people who add photos to the Flickr group then I will just mail you all a prize (I'm knitting up some stuff for winners too). If there are more than 4 people, then I will put your entries into a random number generator doodad and go from there.

4) Disclosure: I am planning to showcase all Ridiculous projects in a Ridiculous Post, so please know that I will use your photo from the Flickr group for that post. If you have objections let me know via comment on this post and we will work something out ;-). But, free exposure and praise for you!

Any other questions? Bung them my way! If not ... continue to get your Ridiculous on, I've looooooooved the projects that have popped up so far!

Man, where have I been, right? Got slain by another illness for a good week and a half right as I was moving/unpacking into this new place, and then my brother has been in town so I've been spending some quality time with him. I know I don't mention him too often on this blog, but he truly is one of my closest friends and so whenever we're in the same town (first I was in China ... then he went to China ... then he went to LA ... then I went to the East Coast ... then he went to the East Coast) I love bugging the heck out of him. Hey Michael, let's hang out! Hey Michael, listen to me rant! Hey Michael, let's stay up overly late talking about the meaning of life! Hey Michael, want to drive me to the craft store?

Exactly.

So the other day I was looking down at my messy room and I noticed the stack of blues up above. It's a bit ironic. I had a blue phase back in middle school where all I wore was blue, white, gray and black (ah, preadolescent insecurity) ... and since then it seems I've spent the past decade and a half rounding out my wardrobe to encompass the full rainbow, yet in hues that mix-and-match well and are colors I adore. Recently, though, it seems I've been on a blue kick once again, making and thrifting and buying items that fall along that spectrum of blue plus white/gray/black. Full circle? Spirals?

Whenever I'm haunting Ravelry, I always love looking at the project pages Ravelers who clearly knit from a palette. It's like a portfolio that is cohesive, balanced, and beautiful. Oh, those jewel-toned purples and blues! Those muted reds and purples and mustards and grays! The pastel pinks and purples! The fall reds and oranges and browns! My own Ravelry page is a bit all over the place, uncohesive, but I think it works well with my general clothing philosophy that slants towards maximization of mix-and-match potential, including unexpected color combinations and the desire not to repeat the same combination (too many times). No seriously, that's one of my criteria for getting dressed in the morning!

I know some of you like to sew/dress from a palette, finding it easier to feel put together (or just to be able to wear your favorite colors!) I hate to admit it but I used to feel almost anti-palette (for abovementioned mix-and-match reasons), but lately find myself clearly doing the blue-muted palette thing. One blogger I admire who can do both the "sew/dress from a palette" and "sew/dress across the rainbow" is Tilly. She clearly has an eye for matching color and print to pattern! I feel like its natural to float between extremes - growing comfortable in one end, then yearning for a change and stretching in a different direction - although most people have a natural tendency towards one or the other ...

Challenge: Ridiculous // Dress # 7 :: Spectacle

2011-07-30T21:03:00.005-04:00

Whew! Took me an entire week to get photos ... but here they are! My latest Ridiculous sewing project ... Dress # 7 :: Spectacle.

Hah! Isn't it great to walk around with a dress full of spec's? (I know, the name is such a deliciously bad pun, I couldn't resist). I'm thinking mustard yellow tights + a gray blazer + black boots may squeak this into the office on a "casual" Friday come fall? In the meantime though, it combines the elements I search for in that perfect summer dress: loose but fitted, with enough pizazz to make me feel stylish when I walk out the door. Even if I literally just tossed on a dress and scrambled for the train.

I am not sure what inspired me to pipe both sleeve and neckband, but I think it's the perfect bit of detail to set off this otherwise crazy print. Crazy print: keep the details minimal, keep the pattern simple, make it all about the print. (Now, not positioning aforementioned crazy print right over one's bust? We'll save that level of finessing for next time! I don't think it's terribly noticeable though. I hope. You will tell me if this calls crazy attention to my chest, won't you?)

This is my latest iteration of the Fauxbetto pattern, lengthened to dress-length this time. I wanted to keep it loose enough that I could slip it on without needing a zipper, hence the lack of curved darts below bust. I think I've finally nailed this iteration of the sloper as it fits about as well as one can hope, and it now fills a "wishlist pattern" that's been on my brain for awhile - simple but fitted, works well with a fabric not woven to drape over curves (like all those fabulous novelty quilt cotton prints I see and cannot figure out how to work into a garment because they lack the proper drape. Hello quilting cottons. NOW I CAN ATTACK YOU WITH FULL FORCE AGAIN!).

To fix the sagging issues in the back, I shortened the upper back by 1/2" and then took a wedge out of each top shoulder seam for back only, and that eliminated most wrinkles as you can see:

However, I do notice that the lower hem of the front now hangs shorter than the rest of the dress. I think I need to add that wedge back into the bottom of the dress. Isn't it funny how these things work? It's a bit like when you add the wedge back in at the bottom for a swayback ... except in this case it's to the front bottom edge instead of the back bottom edge. My brain's too tired to make much sense of it, but if you have another suggestion for getting an even hem around let me know. (I confess I rarely mark a hem the proper way, that is to say I just eyeball what looks like an even hem on the flat pattern, hem and press. Flat, it works on this dress; but on the body, clearly it does not. Perhaps I should not be in such a rush to finish my projects!)

I also folded the entire back piece in by 3/4" at the center and moved the darts out 3/8" on each side to compensate, the second strategy to achieve a less wrinkly back. The next time around (I never know when to stop tinkering!), for the second, fitted version of this sloper, I may try making the back bottom better fitted as it is still not quite what I'd like.

But! But! But! Supremely thrilled. I shall be quite a Spectacle walking around in this one ;-). Too bad we can't throw a Ridiculous Meetup Party!

Oh yes, Ridiculous prezzies + how winners are selected. Um. Hm. If there are less than 4 of you who whip up a Ridiculous project, I'll probably just ship you all out a prezzie, but if there wind up being more than that, I think we shall go with a random drawing (more Ridiculous projects = more entries) and I'll email those selected to ask for a ranked preference, and hopefully everybody gets something they're happy with. If there's some prize unanimously ranked at the bottom of the heap, I'll probably throw in some extra goodies =). If you have more questions though, just ask! And thanks to everybody who has made up a Ridiculous project so far!!!

EDITED TO ADD: Challenge: Ridiculous deadline? Why don't we say until the end of August? That seems like a nice "end of summer" deadline, no?

Challenge: Ridiculous -- gifties!

2011-07-24T22:59:00.002-04:00

Hi all! Apologies for the radio silence, but sometimes life gets away from me (crazy landlady ... searching for new housing ... getting off my arse for a writing date with Ali which means writing the story that has eluded Draft One for five years now ... visiting with friends ...)

Without further ado, a couple little prezzies for people who participate in Challenge: Ridiculous:

Prezzie #1: Navy-ness. I have, for your consideration, two yards of navy linen (prewashed, I hope you don't mind!) plus fabric covered buttons and about 8 feet of bias tape, all made with leftovers from my Fauxbetto. I think this would make something lovely, classic, or quite possibly out-and-out ridiculous, depending on how you run with it. Either way, I think the yummy linen deserves a proper home (seeing as it may take me years, if ever, to use it), so I'm sending it off to a happy home in the blogosphere!

Prezzie #2: Bright and Cheery. I present here some lovely Anna Maria Horner voile and some thrifted fabric. I think I have about 2 yards of the middle fabric and the one behind it is a pillowcase -- I think it would make a lovely accent for the middle fabric, embellishment possibilities abound! For full disclosure, there is a small rectangle cut out of one end of the pillowcase, I'm not sure why. Wouldn't it make a great 60s or 70s ensemble with an elegant (voile) scarf? I don't know but I think somebody out there should show me how great it can be!

So! Make something for Challenge: Ridiculous!!! Just leave me a comment or drop me an email with what you've made, and you'll be in the running for a random drawing for a package in the mail! Come now, who doesn't love getting something in the mail?

And lest you think I've abandoned the challenge entirely, here's a sneak peek of my latest FO ...

Hehehe ... I'm pretty excited about this one ...

A Detour Towards Ridiculous?

2011-06-30T00:28:00.004-04:00

After teasing you all with green spec's and then other non-essential sewing, I got hit with a tidal wave of inspiration powerful enough to cause further detours off the mental sewing queue (truth be told, neither one of those prior projects had been in that mental queue, either! All the queue seems to consist of are my snooze-worthy projects.) What ensued was literally a case of she saw! she coveted! she dove in like a madwoman! Which is entirely the definition of "ridiculous," methinks!

Not quite the same as the inspiration top. I had this Italian checked stretch shirting in my stash, 1 yard chopped up in odd segments (math gone wrong, don't ask -- except, I ordered this when I was bound and determined to make a blue gingham-looking chicken scratch full skirt - and who does that with 1/8" checks??? The seeds of ridiculousness were planted early, my friends) and the premade navy bias tape didn't match, so I went with white though I'm wondering if I would have preferred self-fabric bias tape, now that I look at it. Oh well. With the premades this project took about 3 hours from start to finish, not bad if I say so myself.

Hm, sketch in the back, no? But the eagle-eyed of you may point out that the original Sorbetto does not have back darts and you'd be correct.

Even more sketch. And there's a good reason for that. This is not actually the Sorbetto pattern. It is my sloper and it still looks as darn blousy in the upper back as my last blouse because I did not do a darn thing to change the upper back. Actually, it looks blousier because I did make the bottom half more fitted. Go team.

Blouse #8 // Checkered Past

Why is this a Ridiculous project?
Let me count the ways ... One, I work in San Francisco (cold year-round), rendering this unwearable at least 5 days out of the week, most weeks out of the year. Two, who goes and drafts their own version of a free pattern??? Three, if the last version of said own sloper block had major upper back blousiness issues, why would one not address that in their next iteration of the sloper??? Four, well, I literally saw, coveted, and started drafting. Practically instantaneous. It really was the perfect impulse project.

What was your inspiration and process?
Saw, coveted, drafted, stitched, shrugged over the bias tape malcontent and moved on, have decided will wear regardless. Have most certainly decided to never take sideways or back photos of this blouse ever again, nor to ever catch my image in any but a fully frontward-looking angle.

The technical: after my last blouse, I knew I needed to make some mods. My sloper's orginal back pattern piece had the waist line extending out from the upper back, so I just dropped that line straight down to the waist and made a new side seam to the hip that was 1/4" in from the original (to remove some of the extra side ease) and also used a less curved seam for that side seam. I also dropped the back darts down to the bottom of the blouse and made them 1/4" wide on each side. These 2 mods took 1.5" out of the bottom and waist of the back pattern piece. I also redrew the armholes to give me a lot more room, but I may have gone overboard in that regard (these seams sewn at less than 1/4" SA). I also removed 1/4" from each side at the lats (so, at that widest point of the back piece). You know, looking at these photos, I'll bet I could extend those back darts up by a couple inches.

For the front, I narrowed the bust by 1/4" on each side, redrew the hip line, then added in 4" for the front pleat (no idea what it actually is on Sorbetto). Left off the fisheye darts and prayed, with the stretch and the drapey yet crisp content of the fabric, that this would hang nicely off my frame ... and I think it does ... from the front.

Lessons learned?
Hm. I feel like this blouse can't decide if it is Italian sophisticated or country picnic, so I guess the lesson there is -- don't half-ass something, if you're going for a look then go the whole way, even if it takes a bit extra time!

But actually, I think the lessons are twofold. First of all, I rarely wear shorts but this top practically begs for a pair of shorts, no? And you know what? Not sure why I've shunned shorts for the past decade! They're brilliant in their own right. So thank you Project for getting me over that hump.

Second of all, sometimes it's really fun to just go with that impulsive project! When it works out it is so satisfying. And I feel like the more of these that I tackle, the better I get at them. The better I get at improvising, going on instinct, and best of all not angst-ing over the sewing, the planning, the new techniques, the off-roading.

Verdict?
Ridiculous? I ... think so. It seems so plain and, um, Sorbetto-ish to be Ridiculous. But I think the process was ridiculous enough.

I don't know, what do you think? Does it qualify as Ridiculous? Have you had projects like this?

PS: for a lovely other take on Sorbetto in navy and white, check out Alessa. I totally feel like we're same-wavelengthing!

Blouse #7 // Refashion #27 :: Minnali

2011-06-23T23:32:00.006-04:00

All this talk of Ridiculous, and I go and make a Summer Essential! Well, as "essential" as a cornflower blue blouse with white lacy collar edging can be ... especially given that this is actually my second cornflower blue blouse with white lacy collar edging. You can't say the girl isn't consistent! And anyways I was warning Ali that I might actually be engaging in a Summer (non)Essential Sew-Along, since I haven't the faintest bit of "basics" planned for this summer but rather a smorgasbord of stuff that fits what I'm currently into at the moment.

So, without further ado, my latest refashion, brought to you by the lovely and talented ladies Minnado and Ali, Blouse #7 // Refashion #27 :: Minnali.

Based off my sloper pattern, I stitched everything up and took it in at all sorts of areas (extra 1/8" at the front darts, extra 1/4" at the bottom of each dart, lowered that bust dart by 2", took in the bottom side seams by 1/4" each side, scooped out a wide neck). It was thanks to Ali that I took the class in the first place, and many thanks to Debbie for sending me the beautiful, beautiful lace - it totally makes this blouse ... makes it special, makes it me. And the tribute cycles back to Ali, who initially gave me the inspiration for the lace collar way long ago (although check out that cardigan by Debbie! Wowzers).

Swapped out the buttons for some cornflower blue ones I picked up at Joanns. I was walking in front of a coworker and she commented, "I really want to turn your blouse around. The buttons bother me; they remind me of a button up." Hm ... I guess it still looks like a button-up from behind! (She said this in the friendliest possible way - we had our summer interns with us that day and there were about 6 of us joking around. I always think its nice for interns to see that the people they work with/for are actually decent human beings with a sense of humor!)

You can see that there's still some major blousiness going on in the front and back. I think I like the look well enough, but I'm not sure. Luckily, as I've said before, I don't have to see myself from behind! Usually a tend to wear blouses that give me some sort of illusion of an hourglass, so wearing something that makes me look like a bit of a square is ... a step out of the comfort zone, I suppose. In a good way. Truth be told, I just keep staring at the collar and all my small quibbles with fit go straight out the window.

Can I admit to being slightly ridiculous when it comes to garment making? I probably spent 5 hours handstitching down that lace. Yes, 5 hours. That's one afternoon at Ali's place + 1.5 Masterpiece mystery movies. But I love how it turned out. I also have this thing where I hate dealing with ease in a sleevecap so I like to pleat out the ease at the very top. I think it makes for a nice detail.

All in all, I'd say this was not bad for my first "wearable" type muslin of my blouse sloper. I plan to continue tinkering away, and this initial run has me thinking about what I'd do differently next time. I need to scoop out more for those armholes for sure, it's a bit constricting for arm movements as is, at the moment. And there's some blousiness in the upper back I'd like to remove, and I'll probably pull it in more at the waist.

I wore this to work on Monday and my coworker said, "Did you make that? That looks like something you'd make." Which I take as a compliment, because I think it says more about cultivating a distinctive style than about handiwork (at least that's what I tell myself!) and because its nice to think how well we can express our personalities through this act of creation and creativity. It's fun to think how three of us all used the same lace in similar but distinctive ways, ways that show off our individual personalities I think ...

Challenge: Ridiculous

2011-06-19T22:50:00.004-04:00

Let's get to it then, shall we? Thank you again for your enthusiasm for a Ridiculous Challenge this summer! I'm pretty excited. I was thinking we could keep this fun but informal - I've created a Flickr group for you to post your inspiration photos and finished objects, and I'm putting together a prize package for the end of summer (more on that below). But in the meantime, a little recap of the challenge.

Challenge: Ridiculous is all about taking your craft to zany and unexpected places. Maybe it means taking on a "stretch" project that pushes your comfort zone - venturing into whimsical prints if you're usually one for whipping up basics, trying out a new technique you've been eyeing for ages now, pouring gobs of time into getting the details right if you're usually a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of crafter, or drafting a pattern for the first time ever. Or maybe for you it's about bringing the spontaneity back into crafting - she saw! she coveted! she plunged in without a second thought! - which could be the perfect antidote for us overthinkers out there (ahem). Great! That's exactly what the Ridiculous Challenge is all about! There is nothing Too Ridiculous or Not Ridiculous Enough. But if you ever catch a thought that begins with, "I really shouldn't be doing this ..." then 1) Go do it, please! and 2) consider it Ridiciulous Enough!

Whatever it takes to keep you feeling like a rockstar!

We'll keep each other updated through our blogs and through the Flickr page. Upload your inspiration, write rambling posts about your thought process. Do share with us what worked and what didn't! Improvisation and going off the deep end are both part of the creative process, and this here is about celebrating those together.

At the end of summer, I'll put up a post asking for nominations for Ridiculous projects that deserve an award (or at least to be showcased in a most Ridiculous fashion). We'll interview the Inspired Ridiculous Crafters about their inspiration and why this project was particularly Ridiculous for them, and crown a winner! I'm still figuring out prizes -- so if you wanted to contribute a prize, let me know. It would be fun if we could have different categories (Most Ridiculously New Technique Tried, Most Ridiculous To Wear To A School Reunion, So Ridiculous I'd Stalk You For An Autograph, etc.)

For my part, I'm planning a series of Ridiculous projects for you this summer. First up, a plan to convert this fabric into a summer dress ...

But if you're looking for some Ridiculous inspiraiton, please look no further than Sigrid, who has already stitched up a stunning example of Ridiculouslry. She deserves an ovation, that woman.

A-Squared

2011-06-14T00:46:00.004-04:00

Thank you all for your enthusiasm on the Ridiculous challenge! I am super excited and as soon as I get myself organized, I'll get us all organized! This is going to be a fantastic summer, I can tell =).

In the meantime, here's my latest FO. Really, I was tempted to call it Thoroughly Unloved - maybe you can't tell because of the high polyester content in the fabric, but this dress has sat crumpled in a heap for more weeks than I care to admit. It really just did not want to be finished. Why, you ask?

First and foremost, it's a polyester blend doubleknit which my machine hated. Skipped stitches galore, I had to go over every seam twice. Then there's the fit - it's too long in the armholes, so the waist hit about an inch too low (even after my waistline petite adjustment!) More rejiggering. Also, I am not terribly thrilled with the hip silhouette. I didn't want to take it in more because it would pull at the hips. I think I am just a woman who needs some darts in her life! I think this cut has a certain belly enhancing drape to it, there was some mad thickness at the neckline facing that I had to handstitch down, and I wound up finishing all hems by hand due to said machine skipping.

Hence the crumped-in-a-heap-unloved action. In fact, the only reason I finished this was because I had a lovely sewing date with Ali and her friend Athea, hence naming this Dress #6: A-Squared. It was only through the combined power of the A's that I powered through.

They also recommended accessorizing it up to make the dress more wearable.

How I wore it to work. Amazing what a bright belt and big yellow flower will do!

(Pattern: Vogue 8593. Fabric: polyester doubleknit blend that will never enter my stash every again. Dress quotient: still undeterred from filling. I'm learning to just move on, people!)

Ridiculous

2011-06-09T01:06:00.004-04:00

The other day Ali was discussing her desire to make up a dress in a whimsical print. She knows I adore a good whimsical print and am all for more people wearing whimsical clothing more often. And we started saying how it would be great to take on a "stretch" project like that this summer - something that's outside our comfort zone but which we think we'd really enjoy. Something ... something ridiculous.

I like this notion of ridiculous. Ridiculous can mean so many things to different people. For Ali, ridiculous might mean a whimsical dress (erg, or maybe I stuffed those words in her mouth, I'm pretty sure the word "ridiculous" actually came from me). Or Sigrid was telling me about a fantastic coat her son showed her, one with built in mittens that can be "activated." She says [and I hope she doesn't mind the direct quotation],

Ever since I have wanted to try something like that. It seems more liberating than trying to create the "perfect" this or that, which is what I seem to be hung up on right now.

Totally agree! For me, "ridiculous" means trying to squeeze a 6-paneled skirt out of a Men's button down, or knitting an entire sweater, stranded no less and my first time stranding no less, on size 1 needles. Who does that??? Or rather, why are there these random projects that fall way outside our comfort zone, something totally new to us, but which we are compelled to take on regardless? And isn't it odd that these are sometimes the most satisfying projects?

Maybe they're the ones where, like Sigrid, we're not aiming for perfection, and the process (or the product) is that much better for it - perfectly what we wanted, perfectly suited to the moment, perfectly quirky in all the right ways. Maybe they're the ones that bring some of the joy and spontaneity back into crafting, a sensation of que sera sera that can easily be lost as we hone our technical skills or recreate a runway garment.

So I'm proposing this. Let's make some ridiculous projects this summer. Whatever "ridiculous" means to you. It will be fun. There may be wadders ... that get salvaged ... and become 10x's better than the original concept. It will be low pressure, because after all, isn't "ridiculous," by definition, free from expectations of perfection, technical prowess, and practicality? It will be something to blow off steam when that other project isn't coming together. It will be a procrastination foil for all those garments that sound good on paper but aren't quite as exciting to dig into. It will be a mojo builder - let's just tear into this and see what happens! It will be ... whatever you want it to be. Whatever you need it to be. Amusing, stress relief, forehead slapping, a chance to try something totally wacky or really new, a place to ask questions or get inspiration.

I call it ... Challenge: Ridiculous. I've certainly got some ridiculous schemes up my sleeve (not in the least of which includes trying to talk Ali into making matching dresses with gigantic eyeglasses on them ... and then organizing a blogging meetup and showing up as TWINS. OK, now that I've revealed myself on the blogosphere, I may have to bury that crackpot scheme and come up with an equally ridiculous one.)

Anybody care to join? If there's enough interest I'll put together a Flickr group, or at least create a mini sew-along/ collaborative challenge. I'd love to see what other ridiculous ideas are floating around out there! We could cheer one another on! Gather inspiration! Push each other to new ridiculous ... I mean creative ... heights!

Blouse Sloper, Part 1

2011-06-05T20:24:00.003-04:00

As Ali mentioned, we took a class together over the long weekend to make a bodice sloper. Rather than learning to draft from scratch, the teacher brought in standardized muslins that she customized to our bodies. We then transferred those alterations back to a flat pattern, and were ready to get started!

So I headed home and pulled out a thrifted mens shirt, a cotton/poly blend in a vibrant blue, and got to work muslining out my new sloper.

Not bad. Not sure what's up with the rippling at the bottom, possibly due to the fact that I was basting this together at 6AM on 3 hours of sleep (another restless, insomniatic night), or perhaps my lack of ironing? It has about 3" of ease at the bust, which I like for a loosely fitted blouse look. I do, however, feel like a bit of a rectangle in this.

(I think I cut this crooked - for once, it's not my slanted posture!)

Oops, missed a button! I decided to keep the buttons in the back for a vintage-esque look. I'll probably swap them out for buttons a different color. I like the fact that I don't have my usual swayback issues. I'm wondering if this is because the sloper is cut such that it does not decrease in at the side seam towards the waist - instead, all the back waist shaping is via darts. I've never seen that done before! However, I have something of a broad back and well-built deltoids, so I'm wondering if I should really be leaving all that waist shaping to darts.

Think I need to scoop out a bit more at the front darts in the blouse bottom? I need to lower the front darts by about 1" as well. And, my nice muscle-y arms are going to require wider sleeves and more of an armscythe scoop-out, as my arm movement is currently rather restricted in this current iteration. In all, not bad. I'll tweak about a bit more and show off the results - soon, I hope, though of late "soon" for me as meant "weeks" and not "days".

Finally, in honor of Me-Made-June (I'm not participating formally, but I'm with you all in spirit!)

Handmade shrug, refashioned dress. Shoes DIY'd ala Mom. When I bought these flats, they were nude -- nude, as in, the exact same shade as my skin. SO not attractive. So she dabbed brown shoe polish on them and now they are 1 shade darker than I am. Much, much better. (If you were curious, we bought them with the intention of darkening them. They looked so ... sickly ... at the store.) That Mom, she is the queen of DIY improvisations, is she not?

It runs in the blood. She may have no desire to sew her own clothes anywhere, but she's still got the spirit.

Things Making Me Laugh

2011-05-24T21:43:00.003-04:00

The other day I saw a TV commercial which proclaimed: "Marijuana. The all natural painkiller." Or something to that effect. I couldn't stop laughing -- there is something quintessentially California about that type of statement ... both in taking itself seriously, and in poking fun of California's image as a place friendly to most things "all natural," and all things marijuana.

My brother was telling me his preferred method for falling asleep at night. "I start recounting the things that happened to me that day ... and I never make it to the end of the day. I always put myself to sleep." That set me off laughing like crazy, too.

Trying to round out the colors in my wardrobe!

And you know how I've been falling asleep of late? I fix in my mind some garment that I want to create. Then I mentally walk myself through every last step it would take, visualizing it from start to finish. "OK, so first I'd have to use tracing paper to trace out the front bodice. Then I'd need to widen the shoulders by 1/2" and raise the neck by 2" ... let's imagine placing the ruler down ..." And you know what? I never can finish constructing the garment in my mind. Like my brother recounting of the day's activities, I put myself to sleep through sheer boredom.

Isn't it true though? Technically speaking, sewing (or knitting) one's own garments is decidedly not an interesting activity to partake in. Frankly, one could say that there is quite a bit of tedium involved. Yet somehow it is also intensely creative, immensely satisfying, and oddly addictive. There's a reason we keep pushing ourselves forward in this pursuit. Any art or craft has a creative component and a technical component - we wield our technical skills towards a creative vision, and somehow in the process of diving into the creative flow of things it is no longer about the technical component but rather about innovation, improvisation, inspiration.

Usually when people ooh and aah over the things I make, I wave off the compliments with a flippant "You could do it too!" I guess I keep thinking about the technical side of things - it wouldn't be too hard to teach them to use a sewing machine or how to knit and purl. I don't give enough credence to the creative side as well. Yes, we could both sew a straight seam, but you and I would pick two very different fabrics for that pattern, I might choose contrast piping and you'd go with tiny buttons, I'd want a long hem and you'd opt for a miniskirt. And I'm guessing the secret behind this trick for battling insomnia is that I've already fixed on what the project will look like, so that my mind has already gotten out the "fun" components of the project, and all I'm left with is the tedium, the technical.

Hm. One wonders how I will feel about those projects, once I finally tackle them.

Fiber #34 // Paper Dolls

2011-05-15T19:11:00.002-04:00

I don't know if you've ever had this experience. You stumble upon a new crafting blog. You poke around. You admire it. And you think, "holy crap, this person ... dresses kind of like I do!" I like to think of it as "style doppelganger-ing."

There are a truly staggering number of talented men and women who craft. For me, most blogs I follow create styles I absolutely adore but would never venture into for various reason -- they sew from a different era, for a different body type, with different fabrics, to be worn in a different lifestyle, etc. One of the things I love about this community is how you can find a style doppelganger halfway around the world. Not only that, but you can follow along on their adventure as they push the bounds of their style, exploring and growing and shifting subtly over the months. The basic form is always there, but its expressions evolve with time.

For me, one of those bloggers with whom I feel a strong affinity as such is Roo (and is she on a tear or what?). Heh, I'm not sure the feeling is mutual, but she's made a dress out of the same fabric that I went and bought 2+ yards for a similar purpose, she started knitting a stranded sweater around the same time I did ... and I love how we diverge as well, like the fact that I chose the brown Slope Park colorway to her blue, and the difference in motifs we selected for our stranded projects.

Paper Dolls!!! This pattern has been in my queue forever now, and wowza, until I started this baby I never dreamt that I would ever, ever want to knit something on size ONE needles. The needles were so narrow I thought I might break them!

And damnit, I'm wearing this baby to work. I do not care. It's adorable; I'll just pretend it's part of the fair isle craze (wait, the fashion industry did have a fair isle craze this past year, no?). It's my first stranded project, and there are so many great variations out there that I can honestly see knitting it up again with a different yoke motif.

Things I would do differently:

I feel like I look like I'm popping out of this sweater because somehow my gauge shrunk and this sweater has a lot more negative ease than I was expecting. I might try knitting one size smaller on needles that are one size larger and hope it comes out to be a slightly looser sweater. We do think that would work, right?

My gauge grew on the stranded sections. Either I need to size down a needle when stranding, or I should weave in my floats.

The arms, as many others have mentioned, are tight. I would hold additional underarm stitches for grafting, and maybe cast on for arms that are 1 size larger.

I have a bit of funny bunching where the body and arms meet. Might need fewer body stitches so that there's no bunching at the join. (Somehow between this and the above bullet point, the math is supposed to work out!)

This is around the length that I normally prefer my sweaters and blouses to be, but the proportions of the sweater look off. I'd probably add another inch in length next time.

I might do some MC short row shaping on the sleeves before I attach them to the body so that they are less "cap" and more "short sleeve."

All in all, my general feeling about this one is one giant WOOHOO! The finished sweater totally makes up for the dearth of FO's around here for the past, like, 3 months. And come fall it will be Paper Dolls, part 2. But in the meantime, I've got more dresses to scheme.

Refashion #26 // Dress #5 :: Flutterbudget

2011-05-08T20:01:00.007-04:00

That was Charles Ingall's nickname for his daugher Laura, wasn't it? I remember loving that series so much, especially the improvisational way they created a home from ... from scratch, really. That creating, that spirit of making do, those were the passages I would read and reread as a kid ... still do, when I'm feeling nostalgic. Maybe that's part of what drives my interest in refashioning and why it called out to me, so instantaneously, nearly 4 years ago now.

My latest dress, another dress refashion (we're aiming for 80!) ...

From this:

I think it's a sundress from ... the 90's? The 70's? Anybody? I zoomed in on it immediately in the thrift shop; something about the pattern really drew me in. And of course, we all know that overly large is OK when refashioning, and actually larger is better because it provides more source material. The dress had been worn so often that the tag has faded and I cannot tell what size it is marked at, or what the material is, but it's a lovely, cool, soft and drapey fabric that feels like it was already well loved before I got it, and doesn't look one bit worn.

To refashion this, I first took up the dress by about 2.5" on each side by flipping the dress inside out and stitching 1.25" from the original shoulder seam line. This lifted the entire dress so that the empire seamline hit under my bust instead of just above my natural waistline. As a kid, my mom used to adjust some of my dresses like this until I grew into them. It's a handy trick for petites to know ;-) ... especially if you don't want your bra strap showing at the armholes!

Then, because the dress was still too wide, I used smocking in the back to pull in the waist. I threaded elastic thread into my bobbin and made rows of stitches 1/4" apart. I marked where my natural waist falls, and smocked from the empire seamline until my natural waist. You could probably just mark your natural waist and smock 1" above and 1" below the waistline to cinch in at the narrowest part of your waist.

But what I'm most excited about: the sleeves!

Initially I'd planned to just hem it up and call it a day, but when I tried the dress on and looked in a mirror, it looked a little ... underwhelming. My body type is such that, if I don't somehow emphasize my shoulders, I tend to look very rectangular (whereas if I incorporate my shoulders into the silhouette then it gives the impression of an hourglass). So I used the 6" fabric strip from the bottom of the dress to play around with sleeve options, and this is what I settled on:

I utilized the hem of the dress as the sleeve hem, slid the raw edge under the armhole, pinned, and then pinned a couple pleats around the top edge of the sleeve cap. As I got towards the middle I started "slanting" the fabric inwards, so that the sleeve hem "enters" the armhole about 1" from the very bottom of the armhole. I stitched straight over the original armhole hemline, leaving raw edges underneath on the inside of the dress, which I then covered with some hem tape (handstitched in). It took some pinning and repinning, and the sleeves are definitely not symmetrical but with the flutter and the drape of the fabric, nobody can tell!

I'm pretty pleased with this one, if I do say so myself. I'm happy to have found an alternative to "take in the sides" or "cut out an entirely new dress" for refashioning an overly large dress, although I wouldn't try this for a dress that's really really big. And the sleeves just make it ... complete. It's liberating knowing that I can improvise some sleeves onto a refashion. Step by step, the ENTIRE thrift shop is opening up to me ...

Refashion #25 // Dress #4 :: Slightly Purple Person

2011-05-03T23:51:00.003-04:00

Egad! She's putting up a FO! And egad! It's sewn! It's a refashion! And miracle of all miracles ... it's a dress! And purple?

Before:

After:

Tutorial here. Wow, can I just say that this took awhile. I am nothing if not a ridiculously meticulous refashioner. But I really like all the details that I put into this, even the ones that nobody would notice but me. The fact that I aligned the pleats with the princess seams. Or staystitched the waist. Used matching bias binding on the armholes, flipped to the outside for coordinated effect. And the yo yo's are fun, fun, fun, in their slightly asymmetrical way (which is the only way I know how to roll!) Because I'm realizing that the clothing I wear most often is the ones that make me smile when I see them hanging in the closet ... and so if it takes me 3x's as long to make those types of garments ... well, I'd rather have 1/3 as many handmades if it means a precious number of favorites. I'm content to thrift the rest.

I do have a question for you all, though. Check out this saginess in the back:

Granted, part of this may be due to how I was standing in the photo. But! I think there may still be excess at the top. Should I dart it out? Do a slash-and-slide? Do we think it's because I didn't interface the facing? It gapes a bit at the top back, but I've made so few dresses/blouses that I don't really know what to do with that. I tend to have a broad back but I guess I don't have broad shoulders ... suggestions? You all are more experienced with this than I am!

Definitely loving this one. Looking forward to warmer weather to bring it out. So Mr. Sun, I'm lookin' for you!

Thoughts on Garments Past

2011-04-17T21:11:00.009-04:00

Apologies for disappearing, but I've got a bit of a mold situation at my apartment so I've been spending my nights with my parents and off the computer, and unfortunately away from my sewing machine and knitting projects. So in this lull while I'm scheming and dreaming over warmer weather clothing, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect on this past handmade season (fall/winter) to take some Lessons into the next handmade season (spring/summer). Admittedly, this is where my DIY skill tends to fall short and the thrifter in me goes a bit nuts. So! In the name of tipping that balance, let's look back on the past 6 months, shall we? Favorite sewn garment: Not that it had a lot of competition! I made/refashioned a total of 4 skirts, 3 pencil and 1 A-line, all intended for work. I like how the pencil skirts were made with quirky or patterned fabrics, and the A-line in a conservative but veresatile gray suiting. If you followed me in MMM you'll know that the gray skirt was probably my most-worn garment, but this skirt wins the "favorite" crown via two simple tests: I still get that goofy smile each time I put it on, and it's probably the most quirky = the most "me." I'll have to keep that in mind when planning for spring/summer, then, because I've found that the me-made garments I like most are the ones that best reflect my style - whimsical, practical, offbeat, layers well, flattering cuts that leave me feeling comfortable. Right now I'm looking at two favorites from last year and thinking how I can rotate them into my work wardrobe (tricky, but if you have any advice I'd love to hear it!), and I'm thinking that whatever I make this year will have to integrate a quirky personality into a structure of formality. Favorite knitted garments: I've knit up a lot of things I really like this winter, but I find myself snatching these up as default comfy, versatile options. Is it any coincidence that they're the two sweaters where I stranded silk/mohair with wool to create a warm, soft, fuzzy, cuddly, drapey fabric with beautiful sheen and subtle depth? That stuff is expensive though, but it clearly makes me happy, happy, happy. Next year, I think I'm going to have to rethink my handknit strategy to compensate.

My primary lesson from MMM'11 is that I wear a heck of a lot of dark colors in winter. Subconsciously, I think I knew that all my formal/versatile work pieces were black or dark gray, but I didn't realize how much black and gray that was until I started reviewing the daily outfit photos. Even my bright accent pieces, while fun and interesting, didn't do enough to lift the funereal mood. It's time to stop with the black and dark gray and start in on some lighter neutrals. Recently I thrifted a light gray wool jumper and a medium blue wool pencil skirt, which I think will be a nice start.

Ah, that's better! Color AND pattern AND lightness! In spring/summer I think this will be less of a problem, but I know how easy it is for me to default to gray or black to "anchor" an outfit, and I should try to mix that up with other neutrals instead. Or, view the neutrals as the accent piece and the colors as the main course!

So, what's on tap for spring/summer? Dresses, for one! I've finally caught the dress bug and I think they'll be super fun, layered under a little cardigan or maybe a blazer if I really need to bring on the formalness. Prints, too. My mom likes to tell me how there was some crazy Italian designer in the 80's whose MO was to layer pattern on top of pattern on top of pattern, the more the better the bolder the better the louder the better, and when I was about five I was looking through a magazine with her and stopped at his page and said, "Ooooh, I like that." I'm so glad that patterning prints are currently viewed as non-clashing ... and somehow suspect that I will continue to dress this way once fashion trends have reversed course, once again. Which means ... bring on the prints, baby!

Portlandia

2011-04-06T22:31:00.004-04:00

When a friend from grad school mentioned that she'd be getting married in Portland in April (and then invited me along), I pretty much swooned. I mean, Portland is only the holy mecca for crafters, is it not? And it's only been on my list of places to visit for about 4 years now. And as a way unbelievable bonus, her high school friend offered to put me up for the weekend. Two public health geeks who make our own clothing, are thrifters and foodies, and happen to share a friend who was marrying her sweetheart of 10 years? Hello. Ticket was booked in a flash. Even begged a day off work to soak it all in.

I think my heart was singing the entire weekend.

My mismatched-in-a-crafty-thrifty-polka-dot-loving-way self fit right into the bathrooms even!!! Now here's a bathroom I could totally be down with. Especially since it wasn't at all considered unusual the way it would be in so many other parts of the world. I swear, these are so totally my people. Most of my life, I feel like I've spent time fending off stares, mild curiosity, and occasional rudeness for me just being me, but in Portland, I felt like - hey, me being me is a good thing, for once.

One could, say, pay homage to Bolt and wander up to the girls who work there and ask for fooding recommendations and wind up at a cafe that sells pistachio cardamom sea salt brownies. YUM. (And Bolt? Amazing. They had this great cotton/wool blue and white Dolce & Gabbana plaid that would've made a perfect Simplicity 3835 Fall work dress, except I was overcome by indecision. Damn you, Dithering and Prudence!)

Portland is the type of city where you might wander into a plant nursery and find baby chicks going for $5.95/chick ... where an explosion of food carts leave you wishing you could just take some laxatives and get on with the fooding (OK, kidding) ... where you could spend an evening listening to the musician housemate's songs and learning a Vietnamese cross between mahjong and gin rummy ... where you could fall into an hourlong conversation with the salesgirl who has her own clothing line made from repurposed fabrics ... and where there are entire stores devoted solely to wine, flowers, chocolate, and salt.

Salt bricks! You can heat them up and then sear meat or fish for a slightly salty taste, shave off slivers of salt into a dish, or rub fruit or blanched veggies along a small square. I swear, New York hipsters, it was first found in Portland.

Also, did I mention the vintage finds? Here was this tiny van filled with thrifting goodies. Soooo adorable ... and yes, they really do have the world's tiniest dressing room! A city filled with oddities and wonders in every corner, just waiting to be discovered. And the gardens ... and the greenery ... and the bicycling ... sigh ...

When I arrived at the airport for my flight back home, I was greeted by live jazz piping in through the speakers. So I hustled over for a spot and spent a blissful 20 minutes knitting away as our musician, middle-aged and mild mannered, alternately played the trombone and serenaded waiting passengers. The last song he sang was "I left my heart in San Francisco," and as I got up to leave, the musician gave me a small nod and a wave, so I smiled big and waved back, knowing full well that this San Francisco girl was leaving her heart in Portland ...

03.27.2011 Smorgasboard

2011-03-27T18:01:00.005-04:00

Ahhh ... I hope you've been enjoying your weekend! I know I've been enjoying mine! It's been so quiet and mellow here. I've done all sorts of household-y errands-y things like grocery shop and buy cleaning supplies, sweep and mop the kitchen and common areas, tidy up my room and run a couple loads of laundry, fold clothes, start on my taxes, and in a bit I'll cook up some food for the week. In between, spouts of sewing and knitting while March Madness plays in the background.

Do you watch college basketball? I really only watch the March Madness tournament each year, but I love how it's more tactical and less "shock and awe" than the NBA, the way luck can be such a large element - due to the nature of single elimination tournaments, small things can make a big difference, like whether or not a key player draws a couple early fouls, the randomness of somebody having an "off" game or if they're on fire. I'm also totally one who talks to the TV screen - "Rebound!!!" or "You have to go inside, those 3-pointers aren't working today!" or "DON'T FOUL HIM!!!" or "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice" ...

My roommate, the one I've only known a couple months, keeps saying to me, "Really??? You're interested in/do X? I totally don't see that!!!" X, in this case, being basketball, or watching sports in general. Which is funny, because if you knew me in high school I'll bet this would be no surprise, I was terribly into sports in high school. Probably if you asked those friends who knew me then if they thought I'd be into sewing and knitting and stuff, you'd get that same "Really??? I totally don't see that!!!" reaction. Even though both have always been "me" maybe they're just more apparent at different stages in life.

But anyways as I was mopping the floor today, I was thinking with some amusement that here I was, "slaving" away, whereas my other roommate would probably just hire a cleaning lady and be done with it. Not that I have anything against hiring a cleaning lady persay, but for me personally, I don't exactly feel like I have the finances to afford a cleaning lady. Or rather, I suppose I could hire one if I wanted to, but I don't mind cleaning and I'd rather save the money towards something else. I've seen plenty of people my age make that time/money tradeoff ... and I wonder if we're an odd generation, or maybe I'm the oddball in my generation.

My parents were up for dinner last night, and they were remarking about a comment that some GenY'ers had made in some article that, "We don't have enough discretionary income to save for retirement!" Wrong, said my parents, first you put money away for retirement, and anything that's left over is discretionary, not the other way around. I don't think we're a particularly financially literate generation, although to be fair I think financial literacy has gotten a lot more complex than it was a couple generations ago. I still remember reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and how they cut a slit in the bottom of a tin can, flipped it over and nailed it to the floorboards, and then deposited a nickel in the can each night to save towards buying a house.

For people in my generation, I feel like it's hard not to look around at our peers and feel like we, too, would like to be out making Starbucks runs each morning, that we "should" be able to have dinner out with friends a couple nights a week, lunch out with coworkers a couple days a week because it tastes so much better/is so much more convenient than leftovers, that if everybody else is out partying on the weekends or whooping it up in Vegas then why can't we skip out of town on the coming 3-day weekend too? Or buy the latest trends because they're all over magazines, or just pick up something new for each birthday, trip, and other major life event because that's what we've always done. It's all over TV and we think we see that in our peers, and so we think it's "normal" and then it feels like if we do not "have" this lifestyle ourselves, we are somehow deprived. Or maybe this is just how it is in the big cities, but I've noticed that vibe for several years now in the various places I've lived.

As I have to keep reminding myself, spending up to the very limits of my paycheck actually has a twofold effect. I'm not saving anything, and I'm acclimating to a heavy-spending lifestyle so that pretty soon I'll feel tied to a certain income level, handcuffed to a job because it'll provide that standard of living. As tempting as it may be to buy, buy, buy, I have to keep reminding myself that by not spending so much, I'm actually buying freedom and flexibility -- so that I could take a lower-paying job if it meant doing something I truly believed in, or divert on an unconventional detour for awhile and trust that it will be OK. "Investment towards my future," I keep reminding myself. "I'm investing in my future ... by not buying that now." It works sometimes. I keep trying.

My latest sewing project. I do realize that all these fabric and yarn purchases might just be in violation of the "investing in my future" mandate I've given myself. Sigh. That's, like, the next frontier and fodder for another post.

OK. I'll leave you with a couple favorites from the past 2 weeks of MMM. The rest are up on Flickr.

03.17.2011
Olive green tights were my piece of green for the day! Scarflet is only handmade component of this outfit. Love the juxtaposition of the thrifted dress and the expensive suit blazer. An admittedly short dress for work standards, I probably won't wear it in again.

03.24.2011
What are your fallback "look"s that you go for when you're tired? For me, I have certain color combinations that I gravitate towards - purple and green, purple and orange, green and orange, one of the abovementioned with gray and/or brown or just plain brown. Although, oddly enough, I don't have all that much green and orange and purple.

03.25.2011
As my friend says, I look like I'm wearing a doilie!

Hear Me Out

2011-03-24T22:04:00.002-04:00

When I worked as a health coach, I worked with clients across the country -- entirely by phone and email. Some of them had wonderfully grandmotherly voices, I could just imagine a silver haired school teacherly looking lady sitting at the other end of the receiver. Others spoke in gruff tones and Minnesotan accents, making me think of wild beards and brown hair and twinkling eyes (although I'm not sure why Minnesota = wild beards in my mind); upbeat optimism as they spoke of the shared diet and exercise plan they and their fiancee had embarked upon with my help; a chatty cook who slowly lost 20 pounds over the course of 6 months of working together.

And I'll never forget the man who confessed he had no real health goals in mind, but he liked that I called him once a month making no request of him and that I would listen, no judgments, to whatever he had to say. I always imagined him as a freckled middle aged redhead, and remembered how resistant and uncooperative he had been in our first conversation, although I realized later that it wasn't personal, his medications gave him some horrible side effects. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I was only supposed to make the calls if we were working through health goals together, but I called him monthly and jotted various progress notes into my files when we were through, for the benefit of any supervisor trawling my records in their spare time. I've always loved listening to the stories of others, and if I were to catalog and categorize the compliments I've received in life, being a "good listener" generally tops my list.

When I left that job to start grad school, a couple of my clients wished me well, most didn't say anything but just accepted the transition to a new coach, and a few took it hard. "Noooooooooooo!" shrieked the chef, which was heartwarming but odd at the same time, as she'd made such incredible progress and could be counted as one of my true "success stories." Another one of my "success stories" who used to email me long rambling weekly updates - I probably functioned as a diary to him - wrote back that he was sad but not surprised, since he didn't see how somebody like me could want to spend the rest of my life "telling fat old people not to be fat and old." (You can see why I didn't mind the long rambling weekly updates)

A couple went so far as to send over photos, a bit of a farewell but perhaps out of curiosity as well, wondering about this disembodied voice that floated into their voice message box or telephone once every week or two. One I even reciprocated and sent a photo in return, since she was one of my first clients and had been with me since the start. I think both of us were shocked, since neither of us looked as the other had imagined from our voices alone. I'm sure I looked much younger in the photo than I was, and she didn't have silver hair but chestnut brown, and smiling eyes but smaller than I'd envisioned, and somehow I'd assumed that her years of cycling 60 or 70 miles on weekends would have produced a gaunt frame, but she looked just as my maternal grandmother might have.

On the blogosphere the tables are turned a bit; you all know what I look like, but except for a couple of you out there, not many of you have heard my mellifluous coaching voice -- haha, have heard me speak (it's true though, I pulled out my "customer service" voice whenever I coached).

Until now! I'm pleased to report that I have published a short piece of non-fiction in an online audio literary magazine, and you can hear it for free online! The piece is called Coming Up For Air and can be found on the Drum Literary Magazine website. If you have a chance -- take a gander! As with my former coaching clients, I'm sure I sound different than you'd imagined! My piece is less than 5 minutes long, but they have pieces up to 20 minutes, which is a perfect little snippet if you're searching for something to listen to as you sew. They have fiction and non-fiction, which I love because I can mix it up with This American Life and random TED talks.

Two Corduroy Skirts

2011-03-18T23:42:00.004-04:00

Holy moly, I sewed something! I sewed two things! If these archives are correct, the last time I actually sewed anything around here was ... January. Oh crap, February. Well anyways. Not a lot of quality time with the sewing machine has been happening of late!

So back when I was thrifting with Ali, I spent a good five minutes trying to convince her that corduroy skirts aren't worth making because I've had a couple corduroy skirts that, ahem, wore away unevenly in the rumpus area due to excessive sitting/wear on my part. And then I went home and finished up 2 corduroy skirts. Go me.

In the name of crafting, I am shelving my pride to display 1) my belly, 2) the bulge of my belly over a too-tight waistband*, 3) the horrific mess in my room, and 4) the truth behind those seemingly styled photo shoots -- hello, Frog Socks! Ah, the uncropped, unedited version of my life. (Oh, oops, actually I did go and crop out most of the mess)

Turns out I do have an affinity for Laura Ashley after all. Picked this up in a thrift shop in Central Square, MA because the patterned fabric called out to me so mightily. Snipped 3/4" off the waistband to widen the waist and took in the hips a bit. Were women really shaped like this in the 80's and 90's? No wonder I had such poor body image in middle and high school!

Tada! Used some lavender bias tape on the waistband. I'm a bit stumped how to style it though. I can see it working with ... white ... gray ... black. Does green purple or blue feel too matchy? But wouldn't a different color feel like too much?

I don't know what it is about RTW pencil skirts, but I always think that the hip lines are somehow smoother than my self-drafted patterns ... which seems like it shouldn't make sense since I muslin those, try on and fiddle for a million hours ... and yet ... and yet. Maybe it's an ease thing. I try to build some ease into my self-drafted pencil skirt patterns, and then always feel like they look baggy on me. Maybe I need to accept the fact that I'm just going to get pull lines and wrinkles if I want a slimming silhouette out of handmade pencil skirts.

Here's my second go at my self-drafted pencil skirt pattern, made up in the half yard of Liberty of London babycord that I splurged on awhile ago. I'm still a little "meh" on this pattern (see note above about ease. Oh! Or maybe because RTW skirts usually have spandex in them?) Stumped on how to address this, because I have a couple more pencil skirt variations in mind ... which were all dreamt up assuming that I would be able to get this pattern down pat. Suggestions? What are your experiences sewing pencil skirts?

Closeup of the fabric. This version has front and back darts and a back vent. I'll definitely wear this because the print is too great to let it languish, and because I don't have all that many work-appropriate skirts. Erg. Well, work-ish appropriate. I think it works with a blazer, maybe?

When I unlazy myself enough to upload outfits photos, I'll continue the MMM'11 theme. Until then, I leave you with two awesome links:

A pretty cool edumacation tool ... the data geek in me is going crazy ...
Brooklyn Tweed's photo essay on the making of tweed yarns (start here)

*I may or may not have sucked in slightly for this photo. Trying to hit that sweet spot between demonstrating that the skirt was too small, and not spilling out too much in a public venue.

MMM 11-13; Aidez

2011-03-14T00:25:00.004-04:00

Day 11.

Handmade/refashioned sweater; thrifted/altered pants.

Day 12.

Handmade cowl. Hey there knitters -- I invented this one on the fly and am curious what others think of the pattern ... so if you like the cowl and want to knit one up and give me some feedback, just leave a comment or send me an email! Love to hear what you think =). I was looking for something drapey, with a fun stitch for visual interest, that wouldn't take up too much yarn and yet still be warm and cozy. I also imagined up a second iteration of it and would be curious for your thoughts.

Day 13.

Handmade sweater. You can't see it here, but I also straightened out my flaired jeans with a quick 10 minute refashion -- sweet!

Ah yes, so here is my latest finished handknit, the free Aidez pattern knit up in Cascade Eco stranded with Kidsilk Haze on size 9 needles. Wow was this an addictive sweater to knit! The various patterns were really easy to memorize and made it so interesting to knit up, and the large needles meant that I was just zooming along. I also knit both cardigan sides and both sleeves at the same time, and knit everything flat because I've discovered I don't like DPNs (or even magical loop or whatever its called). I'd rather seam -- knitting blasphemy!

I mean, isn't it unusual?

Somebody on Ravelry described it as "like wearing a blanket" and that is so, so true. Super warm and cuddly, it also has hangs like a blanket, which is not exactly my style but oddly it's growing on me, or maybe it's just the sweater. Four years into crafting and two point five years into making myself clothing, I love how I still get my moments of "Oh, this sweater has no waist shaping whatsoever ... lalala five weeks later ... hey wait a minute, why does this hang like a blanket? Oh. Right." But I think it rounds out my "lounging handmades" quite nicely, so that qualifies as "wardrobe gap."

Oh, and I think I'm officially converted to aran sweaters.

Friday night I was chatting with a friend from grad school about the catastrophe in Japan, and she mentioned that my grad school roommate had updated her Facebook status to indicate that she was OK, but that the tone of the update had been a bit panicked. Since I hadn't learned about the earthquake and tsunami until I got to work on Friday (where Gmail and Facebook are both blocked) and thus had no update on friends Japan, I hurriedly clicked over to Facebook and saw that my ex-boyfriend had updated as well with one word. "Alive."

Typical T terseness. His status was "liked" by many of our former classmates. Anyways, I've since had emails from both of them that they and their families survived, although much damage has been done. Terribly saddened by this course of events, and hoping that Hana is able to be with her family soon, and that T hears from his friends soon.

MMM 7-10

2011-03-10T23:35:00.003-05:00

I have some finished knitting (ah, when was the last time I sewed anything???) to photograph and show, hopefully this weekend, but in the meantime ... more outfitting!

Day 7.

Refashioned/handmade skirt, sweater and hair piece (what do we call this, an oversized barrette?) You probably can't tell but those are yellow tights that I'm wearing. They make my legs look a bit ... fluorescent ... ill-like ... especially since I am yellow skinned, but I am crushing on the yellow hard enough to not mind.

Day 8.

Very professional, Jessica. Handmade cardigan, refashioned fingerless gloves. Can you believe that lavendar tee dates back to 1998? I still remember being in freshman math and staring at the other Jessica in class as she wore the exact same tee and thinking, "Man, she wears it so much better than I do!" If only 14-year old Jessica could see me now!

Day 9.

Handmade skirt. Both blouses are thrifted. With brown boots.

Day 10.

Handmade skirt and scarflet. Sweater and blouse thrifted. Favorite argyle tights. I swear, argyle tights in fun colors are one easy, easy way to brighten up an outfit! You can't tell in this photo but those argyles are red and rose. Normally I wouldn't think of red and pink as coordinating well, but they really work in these tights. One might admit to building the entire outfit around them and the scarflet.

I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but so far I've found it pretty effortless to work in at least 2 outfits with 2+ handmade/refashioned goodies each week!

Refueling; MMM 3-6

2011-03-06T23:40:00.004-05:00

For the past three months, my weekly routine has gone something like this:

Work and feel exhausted all week.
View weekends as a refuge where I try to refuel in the solitude of my den.
Repeat.

It got better when I moved to San Francisco, my commute was cut in half, I got knocked down by the flu, and I finally decided to stop waking myself up at 6 to be “productive” and just let my body rest until it told me it was feeling energized enough to try multitasking 6 different projects plus work (if you count “start exercising again” as a project, for example). But my weekends were still consumed with packing, moving, unpacking, moving some more, sleeping, and inhabiting a very comatose, very vegetative and introverted state.

Then, a couple weekends ago while I was out for a late afternoon run, the words of a mentor floated through my brain. We had been talking about the challenges of working at non-profits and dealing with burnout. “Every 3 or 6 months, check in with yourself,” he told me. “If you’re putting more into your job then you’re getting out of it, that’s not sustainable.”

“I’m putting WAY more into this job!” I think I did actually stop running and put my hands on my hips in indignation.

I tend to have this problem. As a former boss and professor once said to me, “I don’t think you could ever take a job where you’re NOT a little bit crazy about it.” She meant “where your heart’s not invested,” i.e. just viewing a job as a place to sink my bum from 9 to 5. I also really hate not doing a good job at something, especially if I can see how it could have been better. I did have one job where it was easier to “leave work at the office,” but 1) I was really good at that job, if I do say so myself, so I didn’t spend hours stewing over the ways that I could be doing a better job, and 2) it was a job with a really tightly defined scope and very little room for advancement in the company, so even if I wanted to get all crazy about going above and beyond, there wasn’t much opportunity to do so anyways.

So. Some counterbalancing has been in order because I know I need to mentally step away from work in order to give adequately at work. First up was some much-needed catch up time with friends across the bay. Last weekend I daytripped out to Oakland for some lovely fooding and thrifting adventures.

The ever lovely Ali, showing off a lovely royal blue, craftsy (if not handmade) handbag. We were good in the handbag department, but I fell down when it came to shirts and Ali scored herself some nice muslining source materials and fabrics. Imagine the two of us hogging a full mirror in the dresses section, me with some polyester goodness/horror (depending on your perspective) over my jeans, scheming together about refashion potential, all the while oblivious to the poor, nice old lady waiting patiently behind us to use the mirror. It turns out I have a collar fixation, I have it something bad and Ali is about the best/worst enabler in existence (again, depending on your perspective. I love her; my pocketbook does not).

And then my good friend Lindsay introduced me to some amaaaaaaazing hot chocolate over at Bittersweet on College. Chocolate cafe? Why are these things not popping up all over the place? They are truly amazing. I loved how the shop used vintage desks as café tables. We also had some fabulous Japanese food. We were a little stunned that we’re going on ten years of friendship. It certainly doesn’t feel like a decade could have possibly passed already … and yet, when I think about the person I was when I first entered college, I think maybe, yes, it really has been ten years.

Ah yes, it was nice.

And now ... more outfit photos!

Day 4.

Handmade/refashioned skirt. You can't tell but I'm wearing olive green tights, which add a really nice depth to most outfits (being neutral but colored). Apologies for the awkward pose, still trying to find a good spot to take photos. I thought I'd found the perfect place ... and all I had to do was unplug this ugly cable that was getting in the way ... and it turned out that I unplugged my roommate's cable connection. Oops!

Day 5.

Handmade sweater. If I could get away with it, these are the only types of pants I'd ever wear. But check out my mom's orchids!!! (I went home for the weekend) Does she have a green thumb or what?

Day 6.
Handmade sweater. Holding a lemon from my parent's garden and a macaroon that my friend and I picked up after brunch this morning. (More refueling! Literally) This sweater is so darn cozy, I can't believe it.

MMM'11 Days 1-3

2011-03-03T22:05:00.003-05:00

March is here - let the festivities begin!

Day 1:

I feel like this was a bit of a "in like a lamb ... out like a lion?" way to start MMM'11, as the only handmade item I donned was the cowl. Had a meeting at work and scheduled myself for a morning run, so I didn't want anything too complicated while hustling out the door. It's such a dark outfit that I added some bright blue accessories to lighten it up (featured left). (Ali, this is my most versatile sweater!)

Day 2:

Handmade skirt, blouse and cardigan. Score! Wore the same brooch as Day 1, and added in a matching one I found on Etsy for some extra bling. It would appear that I make/wear lots of dark, neutral clothing.

Day 3.

Pardon the bare footedness, I have a pair of black flats at work that I donned later (I usually walk to/from work in Merrell sneakers. I know it looks lame, especially when I'm wearing skirts or dresses and patterned tights or have on some conspicuously officey garb, but I have finnicky feet and would rather they be comfortable than give in to the whims of fashion).

Handmade blouse, handmade/refashioned sweater. Those slacks, I thrifted, shortened, and skimmed 3" of width out of each pant leg (they're still quite flared, but no longer bell bottom-y).

The blouse is semi-fitted, which you'll know if you're ever made Simplicity 3835, so I pinned it in the back so that it would fit better under the cardigan. I like the way these two necklines work together - the gathering that has a slight boatneck shape, topped with the deep v-neck - each flattering on their own, but visually interesting when paired together.

I've always thought this was one of the more interesting and flattering cardigans that I'd refashioned - possibly because it follows the "X-shape" principles outlined here, although of course I didn't discover that blog post until much later. I guess the wide scoop v-neck that cinches in at the natural waist, the two contrasting buttons that hit at the narrowest part of the waist, the "X" lines highlighted by the contrasting bias tape, were all happy coincidences towards creating a flattering garment! Something to keep in mind ...

Preparing for MMM'11

2011-02-27T17:11:00.001-05:00

The cardigan and the cowl.

Refashion Co-Op - Come join us!

2011-02-24T23:59:00.007-05:00

So ... you may have heard but there's a new collaborative refashion blog in town ... the Refashion Co-Op! Ever since Wardrobe Refashion shut down there's been a huge void in the eco crafting community, so seven of us got together to try to fill that hole a bit. We've got a great crew of contributors so far and welcome you pop by for some inspiration or to find like-minded crafters. And of course, if you refashion then consider contributing to the blog!

This here is a skirt that I refashioned from a larger pencil skirt (a favored trick of mine). I put up greater details in my post over on ReCo (hehe, as we nicknamed it during the planning stages), so pop on over there to take a gander!

I hope you'll join us! (And yes, this skirt will definitely be making appearances in MMM. It's a perfect work piece - formal and conservative enough so that the wearer can be taken seriously, but with its own unique flair and detailing, and neutral so that it can both go with just about anything and be worn quite frequently in an inconspicuous manner. I have taken to calling this combination S.E.W. - Simple yet Eminently Wearable, which is the name of this 26th skirt, 24th refashion of mine. One of these days, my refashions will outnumber my skirts. Re-Co will help me towards that goal :-)!)

Fiber #32 // Green-Eyed Monster

2011-02-18T22:34:00.003-05:00

I seem to keep misnumbering my handknit projects. Ah well. Here's my latest for your viewing pleasure. Fiber #32 // Green-Eyed Monster.

Remember how I threatened to make myself one? Well ... I did!

Yowza. How's that for an awkward modeled shot? Is it just me, or am I looking older than I did a couple months ago? I think work has been stressful! Or matured me.

Anyways, I basically followed the Selfish Seamstress' instructions except I made mine narrower and shorter. In retrospect I can see why she advocated for a wider and longer scarf, but I hate feeling like I'm choking on my scarves, so I tend towards the long and narrow ones. I have to say, this is one sweet scarf. Definitely looking forward to working it in MMM'11!

Speaking of MMM, I have decided to not go crazy over making myself new stuff for the month. In fact, I have resolved that between now and then, I will be more than happy if I make/finish:

1 cardigan (already 85% done)
1 dress (erg ... I am going to attempt a swayback alteration and to fiddle with the bust size, so I have been procrastinating this one)
1 cowl
1 skirt (already 60% done)

Coin Toss

2011-02-14T00:15:00.004-05:00

Even as a kid, I wasn't much for Valentine's Day. It just seemed awfully convenient for candy stores and Hallmark to have a holiday where the sole purpose of the holiday was purchasing expressions of love, and I wasn't much interested in being used like that. Since then, my cynicism has faded into apathy; last week my roommate asked me if I had plans on Monday, and I replied, "Uh ... cook dinner and relax like I always do? Why, what's Monday?"

The one Valentine's Day I did have a significant other to celebrate it with, I was sick with a cold so he came to visit me in my apartment. Not content to just buy me chocolates, he informed me, he wanted to make me chocolates instead ... because anybody could buy chocolates. And he made not one but two batches of truffles, so that he could pick out only the best ones to give me. (the rest sat in a Tupperware in his apartment; he planned to bring them to his mother) He was a real sweetheart and the best first boyfriend I could've ever asked for, but as with so many things in life, the timing must be right, and so we only had one Valentine's together.

Where is this going? Last year I wrote up this short piece, and it's always bothered me that I couldn't quite get it right. Part of it had to do with the fact that I didn't have enough distance from the material yet. Mostly, I'm still growing as a writer, so what follows represents Draft #4 of a piece titled Coin Toss. I expect it will see a couple more iterations before I consider it finished, but somehow I don't mind sharing it here on the blogosphere, even though I'm still not a fan of Valentine's Day. I usually don't share much about my personal life on this blog, but I guess I trust this space and the people who visit it, trust it enough to put a bit of my soul out there.

Among my more brilliant ideas in graduate school was convincing classmates I barely knew that we should form an indoor soccer team. I happily ignored the fact that I had not played since I was 12. That first game, we filed awkwardly into the gym and promised each other not to expect too much. Experienced and novice alike were soon running around, taking wild shots, high fiving one another. We took turns in goal, playing offense, hanging back on defense, or panting on the sidelines. Some of us quite liked the sidelines. Sometimes it seemed like there was nobody on the court but Mike, tall and broad-shouldered, pulling stunts like launching the ball off the walls of the indoor soccer court to confuse the opposing team, then chasing the ricocheted “pass” all the way to the other end of the court as the rest of us watched, dumbfounded.

Where to run, who to guard, how to pass, how to dribble; I didn’t know where to start. Frozen with uncertainty, I hung at the fringes and tried to disguise the fact that I actually knew embarrassingly little of the sport. In middle school, our ragtag school team had practiced on a field that sloped downwards so that winning depended more on the coin toss than on actual skill. But here, with only five on court at a time, there just was not a whole lot of room to hide. Why can’t you be like them, I’d whispered to myself. I hated this timid girl, this youngest and most primitive version of myself. Just try. Surprise yourself. You would have so much more fun. So would they.

* * *

For someone who looks like Clark Kent or Tom Cruise, Mike is remarkably down to earth. I usually position myself as listener with people I don’t know, but he deftly usurps me from the very start of the bus ride home from soccer. After years of training in active listening, I immediately recognize the mirroring posture, watchfulness, and probing questions. He’s good. Twenty minutes into it we have skipped the awkward small talk and gone straight to discussing the greatest social justice problem facing our country. He picks unequal immigration access. “Really? Not any of the injustices that already exist in society?” This stops him for a few seconds before he turns the question back on me to name my pick, which makes me laugh because this is payback for when I turned his probing questions back on him, and we both know it.

When he talks about eliminating childhood mortality and its multiplicative impact on improving poverty and health in developing countries, it’s his smile that kills me most. Not just the Superman dreaminess, although that’s part of it, but mostly because he is so willing to be real with me even though he barely knows me. He could have told me he wanted to work at the WHO and I would have believed him, because that’s what people at school want to do with their lives. Instead, he shares his dream job of starting an organization for youth in Africa to do art and farming.

I wonder if the gaggle of girls who flock to him know this side of Mike. I had played with him for over a year, yet all I knew before this conversation was his energy on the court. As a general rule I avoid men who look like Mike because I can’t stand the ego that usually goes with the smile.

He gives me just enough to internet stalk him properly, which turns up creative writing awards and a blog from his Fulbright year in Kenya. Just enough for me to better appreciate this creative soul with his strong devotion to social justice. We never talk about any of this. Once, I include him on a mass email invitation to a pie-making volunteer event filled with, quite possibly, too many exclamation points for those uninitiated to my great enthusiasm for food. He has a friend in town that weekend and can’t make it.

We share none of the same classes and I can’t seem to invent plausible excuses to run into Mike. There’s nothing like absence to fuel an obsession, and I start writing long emails to my best friend in California about how I wish that I knew what he was up to, that I wish I could just sit and watch him, that I wish I had more ways to Internet stalk him. How, the last time I felt this irrational, I was about 10. She writes back full of laughter and hugs. She remembers long, rambling phone calls about other crushes, ones where she punctuated my monologues with phrase like, “You are too cute!” and “I would totally have fallen for you!” If she notices that the irrationality is growing exponentially, she says nothing.

* * *

Another Wednesday night, another game of soccer. A year into it we have grown so large we are forced to split into two teams, but somehow Mike and I wind up on the same team. Most nights I am a magnet for the ball, though usually it is my face, and not my foot, that finds contact, and as I blink through the starburst of tiny white pinpricks that explode in front of my eyes I hear the referee shout, “She’s fine! She’s laughing! I’ve seen her take worse.” It’s amazing the kind of trouble that comes from running around like crazy to disguise the fact that I still feel like I have very little clue what I am doing. I keep telling myself that things work best when I run straight at my fears, even if it is this odd, fumbling, zig zagged approach where I can’t figure out what to do with the ball once I’ve got it, so half the time I only pretend to try to get open, when actually I’m trying to avoid getting any passes.

Tonight, we compare battle scars and ro-sham-bo for who will play “up.” In an ideal world we would all play both “up” and “back” and then substitute like mad; in tonight’s world, none of us feel very peppy but I’ve lost so up I go to the offensive half of the court, figuring that maybe if I bound around like crazy then at least I can get brownie points for effort.

A desperation shot at the goal is easily blocked. Groans of disappointment from the dark shirts; that’s us. The opposition juggles the ball with his feet, and dawdles in his corner as he decides what to do next. I run straight at him, there is some bodily contact, I am sure of it but never seem to feel these things until I look down in the shower an hour later and notice bruises up and down my legs. A flash of elbows, the ball knocks loose. A dark shirt chases it down. Passes it back to me. I’m too off balance to do more than deflect it with my foot. I scored? I scored. I scored!

* * *

One day I run into Mike on the bus to campus. As we cross the courtyard towards the main building, we pass one of our teammates, a postdoc we don’t usually see around campus, dressed up in a black suit and standing around with some colleagues.

“Yo, did you see David all dressed up?” Mike asks suddenly. “We should’ve given him a hard time.” He mimics striking up a conversation with the others who had been standing around. “You should see this guy play soccer!”

“Check him out!” he says.

Already did, I think to myself, then look up and realize that Mike is still checking him out, twisting around and walking backwards to take him in.

* * *

If we had not waited until the very last day of signups to cobble together an indoor soccer team in the passing period between classes, I’m pretty sure common sense would have convinced me to drop this whim, instead of talking six others into joining in. There’s something about not knowing how each game will end, whether I’ll score a goal or trip over my own feet. It is the exhilaration of just slipping on another pair of shoes and setting aside all else for 60 minutes. I can tell from the collective glimmer in our eyes after each game that the entire team feels this way. It’s what keeps us coming back, in spite of exams, papers, qualifying exams, and dissertations. This is what that unabashedly optimistic inner child was thinking about when she first hatched the plan for an indoor soccer team a year and a half ago, and I think she might secretly prefer that things never quite work out the way we think they will when we close our eyes and dive straight for our fears. She would probably say that life is more worthwhile when lived this way.

Me-Made-May '11 -- join us!

2011-02-12T23:40:00.005-05:00

That Zoe, she's at it again and inspiring ever more participants to flaunt their handmade goodies, whip up new treasures, and mix up our daily wear to include more me-made beauties. Because as many of us have discovered, if there's something you've sewn and feel "meh" about, if you can get to Wear #3 or 4, chances are you'll discover you love it after all, and those pesky little "meh" details fade into the background. The trick is to get to Wear #3. Enter Me-Made-March 2011!

[OK, this is from May 2010. When I get my act together I will photograph my March 2011 wardrobe options]

I, Jessica of ayenforcraft, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-March '11. I will wear one item of handmade/refashioned clothing or accessories each day for the duration of March 2011, and twice each week I will wear at least two handmade/refashioned goodies. I have no intention of creating handmade bras, underwear, socks, leggings, tights, or shoes, and therefore exclude those from the list.

And now, having said that, I foresee a massive knitted sock/knee sock obsession appearing. Sigh. I really need to learn when to not tempt the fates with those "famous last words."

I'm pretty excited. Last year, I participated in Me-Made-May but had to bow out of Self-Stitched-September because 1) I was feeling a little burnt out from MMM, and 2) I knew I lacked sufficient warm-ish weather clothing to get me through the month, and really didn't want to push my luck. Therein lies the careful balancing act I always find myself performing when taking on these sorts of challenges. On the one hand, I do love me a good challenge. On the other hand, I have the opposite problem that others in the crafting blogosphere experience - I have a pretty strong sense of personal style and what I like, but because putting together outfits is something that I really enjoy, I find that these challenges can agitate me if I don't feel like I have enough variety in clothing choices to put together a range of outfits that represent Jessica and how Jessica feels on 31 consecutive occasions.

I'm not sure if I'm making sense. Essentially, with Me-Made-May last year, my sense of pride/creativity in putting together fun outfits collided head-on with the limitations in my self-stitched wardrobe. For many, they view a handmade wardrobe in the context of a larger ethical statement about learning to live with less and to shop with intention, making a statement against unethical or ecologically unsustainable fashion practices. I'm with you on that one, but I'm vain, too. I want to feel cute/fun/playful/whimsical in what I'm wearing. Worse yet, I hate repeating myself, which means I want variety, too. Want, want, want.

Crafting is one hobby that I am deathly protective of. I never want to burn myself out from crafting. I admire people for whom crafting serves a larger purpose. For me, it does too, but the problem is that it also serves my very selfish, very personal ends of creativity, self-expression, stress release, fun, personal growth, and learning. And I still haven't reached a point where I'm willing to sacrifice those personal gains for the larger ethical purpose. I've also loved putting together outfits for as long as I can remember, and unfortunately, again, if forced to choose between that piece of vanity and the larger ethical purpose of crafting, vanity wins out.

Boy, I sound like a downer, don't I? But the upside should be that, nearly 10 months later, it looks like I'm ready to dip my toe back in the water! What gives? [And if you're totally bored by this point, I don't blame you. But Zoe was curious why any MMM/SSS veterans were returning, and clearly what I've written so far would go WAY over the word limit on Blogger's commenting system. Feel free to tune out 'til next time, when I show off even more selfish knitting FO's ... although I do have a refashion for you, too!]

A couple things. One, I have knit myself soooooooo many sweaters these past 2 years that I could probably scrape by on sweaters alone and be fine, albeit not with as much variety as my vain little heart desires. Two, because I started making/refashioning clothing when I was on the East Coast, most of my efforts were directed towards a winter wardrobe, therefore I have way more handmade winter goodies than summer stuff, so I'm feeling pretty confident that I can handle a challenge as such while the weather is still winter-y. The goal this time will be to dress as close to Regular Jessica while adhering to the MMM'11 rules, which I think is the ultimate goal. I don't want MMM to be something that's a chore, I hope it can be a proof of concept that dressing this way is sustainable.

We'll see. I have a sneaking suspicion that a couple "Lite" days are going to pop up [i.e. Jessica throws on some tiny knitted accessory and calls it a MMM-day], but I'm hoping to keep those to a minimum.

It must be optimism that keeps me coming back for more, optimism with a heavy dose of amnesia. I think that's a combination that every idealist needs though, don't you? We can but keep trying in this life, keep trying and trying and reminding ourselves that it is a big world and a long life. Sometimes it is best not to push it but rather to stay open to the opportunity reappearing in new form, and when it does, baby, you just jump on it like there's no tomorrow (except, of course, there almost always is.)

A Tale of Two Red Sweaters, part 2

2011-02-04T21:45:00.003-05:00

The second of my two red sweaters. This one might look a little familiar. Not only did I make a short-sleeved version over the summer, but I also made a yoke for Ali (who showcases a brilliant method for attaching a yoke to an existing top as an excellent refashion technique. Must. Copy. Brilliance.) What can I say? I looooooooooove this pattern. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of ordering that magazine.

Fiber #26: New England's Finest. So named because it was inspired by New England's finest season. Fall. I know Californians are supposed to be all snotty about our weather and whatnot, but I really do miss New England autumns. And in my own small way, I definitely miss the feeling of 4 seasons.

I've finally bitten the bullet and started investing in expensive yarns for some of my handknits. I have a couple projects that look so worn and faded after several wears that I've seriously contemplated reknitting them. Reknitting??? Another 20 hours of my life to replicate a project??? Sheesh. Consider me selectively converted; it depends on the project. Anyways, this is Madelinetosh in Tart. This scarf, which is still my favorite ever, has shown very little sign of pilling despite the great amount of wear that it sees ... between the gorgeous colors, the semi-solid variegation, and the hardiness of the fabric, this is a line of yarns I'll patronize more frequently. Guess that means I should stick to fine gauge knitting (which takes more time and therefore will hopefully mean less yarn purchased! Fewer handknits, nicer quality, or so the theory goes).

So here's a funny story. I'm eating lunch at work with two coworkers, a girl about my age who's shown flickering interest in learning to knit, and the new IT manager whom we both barely know. She asks if this sweater is handmade. All of a sudden, the new IT manager goes into a big long spiel about knitting - how this sweater would probably cost my coworker $600 if she wanted to commission me to make one because minimum wage in San Francisco is nearly $10/hour, how I must've been at this for many years now because he can see that my seams are nice and tight, how yarn should not be washed in detergent because that strips it of its softness (um, I did not know this), what a pain it is to discover a mistake 20 lines up and have to rip back, how this sweater was probably knit up on bus rides, nice afternoons out in the park, or lieu of watching TV.

From this 60 year old man, on his second marriage and a bit of a talker, I certainly did not expect to find such a strong advocate of the quality of handmade. But as my mother said, you never know whose mother or grandmother was an avid knitter, who might've been taken along to yarn stores and fabric stores as a young child.

As you can see, I mimicked the lace-ish pattern in the collar at the hems. I am so, so thrilled with this sweater and cannot wait to continue wearing it. And given the vagaries of San Francisco weather, this, ironically, is probably a 4-season knit.

A Tale of Two Red Sweaters

2011-01-27T22:12:00.003-05:00

Knowing that I had not one, but two selfish knitted FO's to show you guys, I probably shouldn't have been so quick to whine and moan about making a sweater for my mom. Ah, but we do love a good grouse now and again, don't we? Plus - then you guys can give me flack if I don't get around to my dad's sweater/vest anytime soon! Collective guilt, I look forward to it.

I admit that I was 92% done with mom's sweater when I couldn't stand it anymore and cast on something for myself. It felt so deliciously wrong. It also felt so deliciously wrong that one could possibly knit a sweater on size 10 needles and create a fabric that was so beautiful. And I totally got my comeuppance for it, because I could tell from the way that my mom was eyeing this tomatoey orangey combination that she was scheming plans for a second sweater to be made, one that strands a Knit Picks heathered with a Kidsilk Haze. Not this exact combination, she says its too bright for her. But oh, we have plans! (I'm such a softie. I love my mom so much, I can't help but get excited for her about the sweater I'm going to sweatshop myself through for her. Besides, she's about the best yarn enabler I've ever met.)

Inroducing Fiber #27 :: Orange Marmalade

This is the free Francis Revisited pattern, knit up stranding together a worsted weight wool yarn with a fingering weight mohair/silk blend. I'd read on a couple blogs that the combination prevents pilling and produces a fabric with a pretty sheen and beautifully textured color, and have been itching to try it out. My very first sweater ever was knit up with Wool of the Andes, and while I loooooooooove their color selection and supreme affordability, that sweater has pilled greatly and faded a bit with time. I do recommend this combination - it is everything those other bloggers promised, plus supremely soft and fuzzy and cuddly. This may have displaced the First Sweater as my go to slouching around the house, comfy sweater, and it's super warm to boot. I just have to remind myself that Knit Picks stretches out like crazy, so knit with 3" or so of negative ease. (If you're curious, I used Firecracker Heather/Wool of the Andes and Marmalade/Kidsilk Haze)

A little shot to try to demonstrate the awesome coloring effect going on.

Anyways! Finally dragged my arse in to work today (and wore this sweater). Turns out that everybody is always sick when they first start working here. Hm. On balance, I think I'd rather be well, even if it means less knitting and Chinese soaps, then go through what I just went through ...

01.25.11 update

2011-01-25T20:56:00.003-05:00

Ugh. I have been knocked flat by a flu for nearly a week now. I don't think I've been this sick since I was a kid. Part of it is exhaustion, part of it is the nasty bug that everybody around me seems to have had caught already this winter.

In between naps and feeling woozy, about all I've been able to manage is to watch Chinese soaps and knit. It's a strangely blissful combination. I've had the hankering to dive back into some old favorite series' for a couple months now ... working in Chinatown does that to me. It makes me nostalgic for the time in my life when I was super, super into Chinese music, Chinese movies, Chinese TV, Chinese language, Chinese dance, you name it, I was there.

This is such a quality series. I have always loved the cinematic excesses that come along with martial arts films: the flashing swords! the flying! the mythologies about 'qi' or energy and how you can shoot beams of energy to heal or harm each other (or yourself), walk on water, or battle entirely in the mind. But I also love this series for its own sake, the way it simultaneously perfectly embodies the martial arts genre of Chinese movies/TV, but also perfectly takes the genre to such extremes that it's downright funny. Both dramatic and melodramatic, both heartwrenching and sappy, both serious and comical. At the climax of a 5-minute scene where a mother, about to be banished forever, speaks movingly to her daughter about how her love for her daughter exceeds all else known on this planet, my dad interrupts her monologue with a theatrical whisper, "Chinese PROPAGANDA!"

We are all cynics in this household.

Besides the reasons mentioned above, I suspect that another reason I love Chinese martial arts movies so much is that I understand the genre well enough to parse the sincere from the over-the-top. It's what makes parodies so much fun, right? You know the original reference and can see where the train has gone off the tracks. Yet it's still fun for me because I am not inundated by this all the time, like I am with American films. Because I've seen so many chick flicks or superhero movies or teen dramas or thrillers, I can predict pretty easily: oh, we're :45 minutes into Spiderman? Our hero's probably already gone through the self-doubt and attempt to renounce being a superhero, and is just about ready to have somebody close to him die which means he'll have to cut off ties with everybody he cares about in order to "protect" them and set up a me-vs.-the-world scenario, and because he won't tell anybody he cares about why he's doing this, he will also be forced to watch his girl take up with his enemy, thereby creating a showdown where she watches the two of them battle it out and she understands that the superhero truly loves her after all.

Maybe if I saw a couple of those each year, I wouldn't mind, just like I overlook the inconsistencies and weaknesses of the martial arts genre. Its strange how intimacy works that way - sometimes, by drawing closer to a subject, your like and dislike both intensity. You tire of it even as you can better appreciate the nuances and subtleties.

I've been thinking about the generation of sewists before me ... the ones who grew up with sewing as a necessity and not a luxury. That is a level of intimacy with sewing that I do not yet know, as I have not elected for an entirely me-sewn wardrobe. Not just wardrobe, but household goods, bedsheets, curtains, you name it, they sewed it. It was a matter of economic necessity and not of choice. I could see where shopping for clothing, or no longer having to sew up the damn slip covers for the couch, was such a luxury. What a welcome relief! Is it only because I view sewing at a comfortable distance, akin to my beloved Chinese soaps, that I am so fond of it? What happens when we take what was formerly a hobby and turn it into a necessity, as is the case for those who opt for an entirely handmade wardrobe? Hobby - often finding pleasure in the process. Necessity - driven by necessity in the outcome. I know it's possible to balance both, but I'm less sure how to get there.

Fiber #29 // Seeing Double

2011-01-19T00:26:00.002-05:00

So ... I knit my mom a sweater for Christmas.

When commuting 3.5 hours/day on public transportation, that translates to very little sewing and very much knitting. I had casually mentioned to my mom that I could knit her a sweater, and was, admittedly, a tad shocked when she took me up on the offer. Erg, really? OK. We cast about for a pattern for awhile, and then I brought my Trina into her room and asked her to try it on for fit, and it seemed like it would work well as a base pattern, with modifications.

First off, we lengthened it a good deal, so that it is no longer a cropped cardigan but a long-ish one. We also stranded two yarns together, a gray and a brown, to create a soft, marled, heathered look. The nice thing about doing this with two neutrals is that the finished product really does go with everything. Then, I did gads of short row shaping. Please don't ask me to recall what I did because I can't remember anymore. We tried it on as we went along, and I marked spots with safety pins to indicate what needed to dip more and where, and mentally crossed my fingers that I would remember how much and when to stop and try it on her again.

I am not going to lie, this was a beast of an undertaking. Even though I was knitting on large-ish needles (size 8's), this is much bigger than anything I've ever knitted before. And I wasn't even making it for me! Haha. Also, I had to reknit an entire sleeve that I somehow made 3 inches too narrow (I know, don't ask, I have no idea how that happened, either). And the thing about winging a patten is that you really can't go on autopilot, so there were nights where I was mentally too tired to pick this up and have a go at it. In fact, in the course of working on this, to give myself little "breaks" I started and completed one scarf, got 85% through another one, and dashed off a couple scarflets to boot. Don't judge me and my knitting obsession, I've been commuting 3.5 hours/day by public transportation.

Whereby I further my matching-but-not syndrome! (MBNS?) The button was a vintage one my mom bought for $0.49, maybe 35 years ago? I love that.

Oi, but I've told her that I love her very much, and will not knit her another sweater for two years. If only because my dad got really excited and put in a request for a vest. Aaaaaaaah ... actually, he asked for a sweater and I'm trying to talk him down to a vest. Well, if he's OK with holding off for next year, I might develop a bout of amnesia and agree to a sweater anyways. I can't help it, I need to do a certain amount of selfish crafting or else I tend to lose motivation. Isn't that horrible? But ... isn't it also ... honest?

Warm Things for the Neck, part 2

2011-01-13T00:01:00.004-05:00

Whew! This weekend sort of got away from me. I meant to post on Saturday ... and then ran out of sunlight for taking photos. Then I meant to post Sunday ... and wound up taking longer than expected to drop off some stuff in my new apartment in San Francisco. And then on Monday and Tuesday night I was crashing with a friend and didn't get a chance to upload photos. But finally! Here I am.

One of those ever-popular infinity scarves. I was equally inspired by Ali and Wardrobe Refashion - I can't find the link to the exact post, but I'd seen a couple people cut up wool slacks to make scarves, and when I spotted this really great pair of wide-legged wool pants at my local thrift shop, I jumped on the opportunity to marry my inspiration sources. I know I've blogged about the great offerings at my local thrift shop before, but wow. This was a pair of lined wool suiting slacks, really nice quality wool suiting, that looked like they had never been worn. Holy crap! And they even almost fit me. That would've been doubly exciting.

This is about 55" long and a little over 8" wide. I lined it with a quilting cotton that vaguely reminds me of a reproduction fabric. I love the contrast between the formality and masculinity of the wool suiting, paired with the graphic florals and bold colors of the lining. It's pretty lightweight but warm, and I have a whole leg left! Perhaps a second infinity scarf.

And then ... I went and did more knitting. (And even more knitting, show you next time) Remember this shrug? Well, this is actually the same pattern, but transposed onto a scarf and knit up with laceweight yarn on size 5 needles.

It's a pretty simple cascading pattern. But pretty! And I love this yarn. It's amazing stuff. I'll try to look up the yarn tag when I get back to my parent's place and post it up on Ravelry, if you're curious, but man ... I gotta use this again in the future. And the color. Gotta use it again in the future. See, this is what happens when you engage in non-selfish crafting. You wind up making double of everything.

Warm Things for the Neck, part 1

2011-01-05T00:16:00.004-05:00

The other day I was commenting to Minnado that, like her, I have found these scarflets to be the perfect gift knitting pattern. OK, I think we used slightly different patterns, but the effect is essentially the same! Warm, fun, cute, stylish, work-appropriate [sigh, everything passes through that filter these days], colorful, fast to knit up ... really, it's perfect. I love both of these colors so much, it's making them hard to give away. I've already caved and kept the red one for myself, but the blue MUST go to my friend who already commented that she loved the color ... hold me to that, blog! Have a couple more that have come off the needles, but I think you get the general idea.

Pattern: Anthro-inspired scarflet (free Ravelry pattern)

So ... I hike about 3/4 of a mile uphill to work each day. And I have a choice: I could start off at the bottom of the hill, slightly chilly, and be completely overheated by the time I get in to work ... OR, I could start off at the bottom of the hill, freezing my arse off, and be just. about. right. by the time I get in to work.

I opted for the latter. Hence the "need" to make this scarf. Because the plan only works if I have a gigantic scarf, hat, and gloves to supplement the meager warmth offered by my denim jacket.

For this scarf I stranded 2 yarns together: one super bulky, fluffy, and marled gray and brown and cream; the other, a pretty blue and white self-striping sock yarn. Then I did a classic seed stitch on size 15 needles until the yarn ran out. My inspiration for the color scheme was this Free People cardigan:

It was suuuuuuuuuper cute. But it was also made with a suuuuuuuuuuuper crappy acrylic/wool blend that was pilling in the store, and that buckle detail I love? Suuuuuuper crappy pleather that was peeling in the store. Oh, crafting, what a quality snob you've made me! I just couldn't settle for something so cute that was so crappily made. But like any good DIY'er, I found a way to capture the essence and make it my own. With my own hands.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the Warm Things for the Neck series!

2010 Year in Review

2011-01-01T12:28:00.005-05:00

Forgot these are fun to do.

(Sorry for tiny photos - anybody have a better photo collager they can suggest?) Hm, I see a few I haven't blogged about. Ah well. Can't catch them all. I guess I made a lot of clothes this year! Knit a crapload of stuff. Recaught the refashion bug. Definitely want to improve my blouse/dress fitting skills in 2011. Keep refashioning. I think I'd like to get back to patchworking though, playing with pattern and scale and color is fun. Find more ways to mix-and-match between sewing and knitting. Play with trim.

Music and Tarot

2010-12-31T01:41:00.003-05:00

Last week was beautiful. Monday night I met some friends at Grace Cathedral Church to listen to a Christmas music performance by their choir. None of us are religious, so we were just there to enjoy the music and the atmosphere. I love how, with good friends, you can just pick up again as though it wasn’t two or three years since the last time you saw one another.

Earlier that day, as I walked to work I noticed a sign advertising “Tarot Readings.” Funny how you can pass by a building a hundred times without noticing it. Seeing it reminded me of the friend of a friend – apparently, she performs a daily tarot reading, not so much for divination purposes as for the purpose of creating a meditative, ritualized time each day to check in with herself, to stay grounded. It’s almost a spiritual moment for her, my friend says. And yesterday morning when I looked up and saw that “Tarot Readings” sign, my mind immediately jumped to that thought.

About five years ago, my dad made the passing comment that meditation would probably help me manage my insomnia. You should really try it out, he advised. You’re probably right, I agreed, but it just doesn’t feel like the right time in life for meditation. Recently, I’ve been hearing whisperings – from within, from the universe, from the subconscious, from wherever it is these promptings emerge from and then are heard – that 2011 may be the year to tackle spirituality. I’m not a religious person and was not raised in any defined religion, so what I think of as “spirituality” probably falls closer to creating a quiet space in my daily life, a space to listen to myself and listen to the universe, a temporal, physical, or mental place for reflection, meditation, or introspection.

It’s really easy for me to get caught up in the small things – this idea wasn’t well received, that girl at work doesn’t like me – and I frequently lose sight of the bigger picture. I think my quest for “spirituality” is a search for a way to let go of the small anxieties and dramas before they invade my entire consciousness like a cancer. Now that I’m working again, I feel like I need constant reminders of the bigger picture – what’s going on in the world besides my own small problems, perspective on my place in this world – a way to focus on all that I do have, instead of what I do not. I guess I think of this spiritual quest as a gentle reminder to hold fast to those pipe dreams, to live life as the best possible version of myself, to laugh more, give more, forgive more, play more, create more, explore more, celebrate more.

So as I was sitting among friends and in the midst of all this beautiful music, I decided to try it out. An ex-boyfriend of mine used to close his eyes when he ate so as to better concentrate on the flavors in his mouth, and, remembering him, I, too, closed my eyes through this performance, letting their harmonies ricochet off the walls and flow over my consciousness. Instead of meditating on emptiness, I meditated on the music. While I did that, I held onto the successive images of the people I am grateful to know, eventually just focusing on the music itself.

I’ve had a spotty track record with New Year’s resolutions in the past, and this year my friend has suggested a series of “goals” instead of “resolutions.” Goals like “attend a meditation retreat,” or “plant a garden” (there’s nothing as meditative as digging your hands into soil!). I’m not exactly sure where any of this is headed, but my friend just lent me a pack of tarot cards, and I’ve been thinking of trying out some meditation on the train ride home, maybe to jazz or classical music or such. We’ll see. I do know this. Inspiration, hope, joy, beauty, and serenity all lead me to live life as the best possible version of myself, and right now, the thought of creating some space in my life for rituals that promote my particular brand of spirituality, are filling me with those very qualities.

To 2011.

'Twas the 19th of December, and all through the house

2010-12-19T23:34:00.003-05:00

The holidays!!! Every year we decorate Thanksgiving weekend, and we're a family that likes to go all out in the decorations (if you're curious, there's more of that sparkly stuff circling the base of the television, for example). Unfortunately I'm working both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve so it's not like I have more time for jolly-making this holiday season ... but my brother is coming home!!! So I'm super excited and determined to reserve some quality time with him one of these evenings. I think we're going to talk about, among other things, the rigors of med school (of which I know nothing), and that television series of his that he wants me to write (the one he anticipates will run, oh, a casual 6 or 7 seasons ... I think we need a new rule for this collaboration, and it is: Michael, I need you to take at least one writing class!)

Wow, there's nobody like my brother to get me off track. Anyways, back to the decorations. If you thought I had a lot of sweaters and skirts, then I'll need you to take a moment to check out our tree. Clearly, a tendency towards collecting, especially things that are 1) cute, 2) quirky, and 3) unusual, runs in the family. But, as you can imagine, it makes for a fabulous time with the holiday decorations! (and for Exhibit B in the collecting category, please refer back to the photo at the top of this post for that nutcracker collection)

If you were beginning to fret that we lacked for handmade in the decorations category, worry no more. Check out, for example, that fantastic beaded loop at the bottom left of the above photograph. That's a classy little number, isn't it? Now just imagine its brother, made of packing peanuts artfully colored every hue of the rainbow, strung up on yarn ... and then imagine that you are the mother who is receiving not one but two such lovelies because they are earrings, to be carefully looped, one over each ear! And imagine your daughter begging you to wear your lovely birthday gifts, and that you go so far as to parade them out to the grocery store, at which point the clerk takes one look at you and says, "Oh myyyyyyyyy" and you just smile. Really, you'd be about the best mother in the world.

This one always tugs at my heart, that bell. My brother crocheted that one, and I always marvel at how he was able to get the darned thing to curve. That's a pretty special one, especially since he's since retired his hook.

Anyways, not sure if I'll make it back to this space before 2011, so I just wanted to wish everybody the happiest end to 2010! This little blog has grown so much this past year, it's truly humbling and fills me with gratitude, although the best part has been getting to meet so many excellent people and to be able to participate in this great growth of creativity and inspiration that is the online crafting community ... well, really, anybody who has any affinity for beauty, for handmade, for art, for joy and serenity and empathy, and of course for food. You all rock. 1000000 times over.

Salvaging a Wadder

2010-12-12T12:29:00.004-05:00

Ouch. This one's not pretty. It started with Tasia's Las Margarita Dress, which I absolutely adore, and upon close inspection it seemed like a silhouette that would work well for me. Well, about 10 million hours later, I had to toss it aside in pure frustration.

If you're like my parents and want to say, "Weeeeeell, it's not that bad ..." my reply will point to great hypocrisy on my end. I'd probably say that to a blog friend too [especially seeing only a photograph and not in person]. But for myself, I know I'd never wear this monster.

First of all, we've got these great mini-Madonna bust darts going here, which is something I don't quite understand since I cut/graded a size with 1" ease in the bust area, except what I think is going on is that I need a greater petite upper chest adjustment which would lift the entire upper bodice and smooth out a lot of those fit issues [muslim, that's what a muslim is for!!!] Also, it's strangely baggy in the bust area for something that's only supposed to have 1" ease [user error: I don't think I was sewing at exactly 5/8" SA].

Probably my greatest error was deciding to underline this instead of interfacing it - and choosing a stiff thrifted duvet cover to underline a soft, floppy suiting fabric. *Facepalm.* What IS that, Jessica??? So sometimes I say that I'm a very tactile learner - I learn by doing, and I learn fastest by MAKING MISTAKES and then going, oh geez, I don't think I was supposed to do that. Ten gazillion hours of my life, gone.

Probably the biggest reason I'd never wear it, though, is that this dress makes me feel fat. There, I've said it. I know we're supposed to be in some post-modern age where feeling empowered via handmade trumps societally-imposed standards of beauty and whatnot, but honestly I don't like wearing clothes that make me feel bad about myself, Me Made or otherwise. So I chucked it.

And then meekly retrieved it from the garbage can [all right, from the floor]. Because one thing I'd noticed about the pattern was that it had a really nice, full skirt, and even though I've made myself a squillion skirts already, I don't have a plain gray A-line skirt that would look inconspicuous in an office. So I unpicked the skirt, re-stay-stitched with quilting cotton selvedges, reinserted the zipper, inserted the lining the wrong way and decided I didn't care anymore because we were at the ten gazillion and two point five hour timepoint, and the hemmed it up.

Much better.

Still as twirly.

(December) Refashion Challenge #4: Lydia

2010-12-05T15:43:00.006-05:00

Well. A month and a week later, here's my final sweater refashion for Fall. As I'd mentioned earlier, my inspiration for this came from the yarn ... that, and a memory of this great pattern I'd spotted on Ravelry, Joplin. Add in some mismatched buttons and an oversized ivory cabled pullover sweater, and you have the recipe for one bona fide granny chic refashion.

I started with an oversized turtleneck that had once been my mom's. My mom likes to wear her sweaters loosely fitted, but after wearing this a couple times she decided it was too much white for her, so into the Goodwill pile it went (I've mentioned this before, but a good number of my "thrift" finds are actually from my family's pile of goods they're intending to donate. I'll say it again, we clearly need better communication on this front).

Generously sized, as you can see. I used Sigrid's excellent tutorial as a guide, winging it slightly when I got to the sleeves. I wasn't quite sure how long to cut them and erred on the side of too long, which does make them and the sweater body a tad longer than I'd like, but certainly nowhere in the realm of ridiculous. This was my first time using a narrow zigzag to reconstruct an entire sweater on my sewing machine, and it was so trouble free that I can't believe I'd been scared to try for months now. What was I thinking?

This collar pattern (Joplin, link above) is fantastic. It's such a great vintage look that also works up well in a heavier yarn (I used a light worsted weight brown with slight variegation), though if you stuck with the fingering weight yarn called for (which would make a thinner, less oversized collar), it would really hit that sweet spot between vintage, retro and modern. In fact, I'm hoping to do that with some ivory yarn leftover from these and a brown tee somewhere down the line.

I think that my sewing goal for 2011 is to work on my fitting issues. I get close, but not close enough that I'm really happy with the end results. This sweater, I'll definitely wear. But I've had some duds in the dress/blouse department which tells me - if the only garment you can reliably sew is an A-line skirt, it's time to get serious about learning to fit clothes! I'm wondering - could I learn what I need to know through books, or would it be better to take a class? Sometimes there's nothing like getting immediate feedback from a skilled professional who really knows their stuff and can spot your problem areas [and offer helpful solutions!] in a flash. Then again, there's so much great stuff floating out there on the Internet. I wish there was some central site where you could post muslims or photos of garments that have fitting issues, and then others could offer feedback and suggestions. Or IS THERE, and I am just missing out???

Obligatory overjoyed photo. I have to say, I think I do really well with these challenges-on-a-timeline. They push me to try new techniques and expand my comfort zone, and it really stimulates my creativity, too. I still remember the night (October 1st, probably!) that I dreamt up this mini personal challenge. I could hardly fall asleep, as all these random ideas kept clinking around my head, disparate components clicking into place. September 30th, I had some vague notion of a stack of sweaters that had been sitting around for 2 or 3 years, waiting for my skills to catch up to my Refashion Pile, and a color vague notions of color combinations that might work. October 2nd, I was getting to work. And it's been so much fun. I'm definitely doing more of these in the future!

The Creative Process :: Inspiration

2010-12-02T00:33:00.004-05:00

[Photo found here. Scroll down to the middle. Can I just say that the whole ceremony and display looks Very Chinese? Actually, can I just say that her whole outfit is Very Chinese? Man, I miss those Chinese fashions sometimes. You could get away with wearing the randomest stuff there ... because no matter what you wore, the minute you stepped onto a bus or crowded street you'd be bound to find somebody dressed even more randomly. It was awesome. Most liberating thing, fashion-wise, I have ever done for myself, living in that madness for an entire year. It completely recalibrates your sense of what's "normal" and "risky" in fashion. Highly recommended.]

When I look at this photo, the first thing I notice is those sleeves. That looks like stupendous refashion potential, of the variety I'd expect Antoinette to bust out of that genius head of hers.

Thing is, I don't think I'd actually wear the cape/capelet/whatever it's called. However, I can see that detail - the sleeves, with those excessive cuffs! - staying in my mind and percolating for days ... weeks ... months ... years ... before one day it emerges in some project or other. Take this skirt, for example. No joke, the skirt that inspired it was posted about by Amanda about two year's prior, and if you look through the "Crafting inspiration" folder on my hard drive, you'd probably find another 3 variations on it before I settled on my own version.

Anyways, that was a slight tangent but what I'm trying to say is, I've noticed that for me, my inspiration comes from the details. A ruffle. Some buttons. A piece of lace. A scrap of fabric. Bias trim. And from there my mind starts turning over the possibilities, trying to figure out how to incorporate it into an entire project. In essence, I tend to build up whole garments from a single detail. This shirt -- all about the fabric that I used in the trim. This cardigan -- it was all about the yarn, and a fuzzy notion about big flowers. This scarf -- well heck, I just wanted to make a scarf with goldfish in it. This skirt -- all about working in the polka dot trim.

It's the same with the way that I write. Usually I'm inspired by some flicker of emotion, a passing image on the street, and off I go. Other people, I think, work in the opposite direction - an overall concept, some big notion of what they're trying to accomplish. Like Ali had a "look" in mind with her latest refashion [which, by the way, I ADORE.] ... I would probably stare at that, get sucked in by the polka dots, and then stew for ages about how to work navy polka dots into a black cardigan. Or writers, they have some big piece of humanity they want to explore. Me, I start with the small stuff. Who knows why? All I know is that this is what makes me tick.

I finally got off my swollen arse and finished up that fourth and final (October) refashion! Here's the "midpoint" photo, once I photograph the finished object this weekend I'll post about it ASAP. It's very satisfyingly granny chic, and unlike last time, I think it falls closer to the "chic" end of the spectrum than the "granny" ...

And if you're curious, this one started with the yarn. However it is the bou-TONS, as Jamie-who-gifted-them pronounces them, that are exactly what makes it look so good.

Thanksgiving // Thrifting

2010-11-28T23:54:00.005-05:00

I hope everybody had a lovely weekend! For those in the US who had an extended weekend ... I hope you enjoyed it! I spent time with family, attended my annual get together with my high school friends which included a very rousing game of Clue Jr. (intended for ages 6-10 ... which prompted us to decide that we would do a gift exchange this year based on the theme "board games"), and instead of heading out on Black Friday bargain hunting schemes, headed out on thrifting bargain hunting schemes.

Sometimes the pickings at my favorite local thrift shop are abysmal but recently I've had a string of fantastic luck of late. I don't know what it is - maybe the depressed economy means that stores are having a harder time getting rid of inventory so more is getting donated, or people are really clearing out their closets (like I've actually seen stuff that could count as vintage! It's a first), or maybe they've got somebody new in charge of procurement. Whatever the reason, I am totally thanking the thrifting gods! But of course, with more temptation comes the need to remind myself of my personal rules when it comes to thrifting:

1) Focus on high quality basics. One of the best thing about thrift shops is the opportunity to get higher quality for the price you pay. Below, pure wool or silk sweaters, and some brand name, too. I have found, though, that you need to inspect wool sweaters at thrift shops since a number have holes in them -- which you can repair (and I've done so on the black and gray), but at some point you have to ask yourself if that large hole is worth the 3 bucks (or you can always embellish your way from basic to Anthro!)

2) Look for garments made up in fabrics you couldn't work with otherwise. Some of these are made with fun, unique prints that I know I would never be able to find in a fabric shop (and am not inclined to hunt out in online fabric shops ... I don't do well with choice overload). Others, like the second from the left, is a dress I would never think to tackle myself -- a bunch of stretch knits fit together all funkily. Cute, but cuter when Made By Others. If I tried it, that would be one ripply mess jutting out in funky directions all over.

3) Thrift to fill a wardrobe hole. When I moved to Boston, I had exactly one winter skirt. The minute I signed myself up for 2 years of grad school, I began keeping an eye out for wool skirts at thrift shops. Oddly enough, I never found a single one that fit me off the rack, but sourced a number of oversized 100% wool skirts that I later refashioned into my current wardrobe staples.

4) Look for an interesting twist on a favorite/basic. These are 2 of my favorite garments ever, a white button-down in an eyelet cotton, and a denim pencil skirt with a panel of chevrons running up the middle. Included in this category are "details that I would never tackle myself," (like those chevrons! Pintucks also fall into this category).

5) Keep an eye out for interesting fabrics with refashion potential! As with most refashions, it isn't about the garment itself but the potential it represents ... here I am always sucked in by quirky prints or high quality materials. This is also the category that causes the Refashion Pile to get out of hand. But ... but ... !!! So usually I try to gauge how long the refashion project would take. Too long, and it goes back on the rack. The sewing queue's always longer than I will have time for, as it is!

6) Look for garment features that really make a statement ... (and have refashion potential). Like #5, this can also cause the Refashion Pile to quickly get out of hand, although I think I would've snagged this one regardless. The other day, though, I had to put back a fantastic black dress with a 80's sailor bib that would've made a really striking dress because I realized I had already thrifted 3 black and white dresses in the past year, and didn't need a fourth one that also required an extensive refashion!

So those are my general guidelines. Look for good quality, look for basics/that fill a hole, and look for something fun you couldn't otherwise get (either because you'd never invest the time yourself, don't have/can't work with a certain type of material, or they're a period piece). What do you think? What else is on your list?

Selfish & Envy

2010-11-22T22:56:00.003-05:00

Oh, that Selfish*. She really knows how to get under your skin, doesn't she? Moments after she posted about her Envy Scarf, I knew that Me. Want. Me Want BADLY!!!

Haha. Me also want to imitate her entirely by also using Lang Jawoll Magic sock yarn ... and the LYS didn't have a good color in stock. So instead, I did the most Unselfish thing possible and made one for my mom instead. I probably violated every Selfish Crafter dictum that exists by doing so ... but in my defense, my mom bought the Noro sock yarn that I used to make this scarf, and besides, doesn't she look cute?

She loved the combination of grays and browns, set off in stripes by the cream sock yarn. It's a very "soft" look, to quote her, and to be honest it reminds me a bit of my former roommate. She was really good at working those neutrals, and combining the "softer" neutrals seems very Japanese chic, somehow (or maybe I'm just saying that because Hana is Japanese? Making this Hana chic?)

Ah, but here comes the selfish part. Admittedly, about 1/8 of my way into Envy, I started daydreaming about the scarf that I would make myself (because ... we'd each picked up a ball of this Noro sock yarn). Okay, let's be honest. As I was casting on, I was already thinking about myself!

I snipped out the gray portions of the yarn, which left an unheavenly number of ends to weave in. I have this tendency to mash too many colors and neutrals together anyways, and it seemed like I would just be OD'ing it if I made a scarf with 3 different neutrals in it. This is the free Baktus pattern, done in a 2:1 stripe ratio.

*I like this. It makes me feel like I'm on a first name basis with the Selfish Seamstress herself. I can just see her introducing herself: "The name's Seamstress. Selfish Seamstress."

Crafting Personal Style

2010-11-18T13:33:00.003-05:00

One of the fascinating aspects of sewing my own clothing has been the impact on my sense of style. In my world, Before Sewing and Knitting, clothing choices were limited to whatever was in stores that season, and I cannot tell you the number of times I would emerge from a shopping foray emptyhanded, shaking my head that this season's "it" look just wasn't something I could get on board with. Maybe it was the wrong shape for my body, or the "hot" colors washed me out, or hemlines were an unflattering length, or it was a look I wasn't comfortable with (babydoll tees come to mind). It was certainly possible to construct a personalized style from the offerings found off the rack, but it existed within a narrowly confined range that was dictated by the whims of fashion designers, magazines, buyers, and the commercial fashion industry.

Sewing and knitting have blasted open the possibilities. It's not even like it extended one or two ends of a spectrum, but it's almost like being able to operate in 3D after a lifetime of 2D. Whole dimensions, added in a heartbeat! (Heh.) Beyond having the power to step off a consumption treadmill controlled by the fashion industry, being able to make my own clothes has demanded a level of active participation in cultivating a personal aesthetic. All that time and effort invested in handmade garments means having some skin in the game - the stakes are raised for choosing a pattern, a color, a print, a hemline, a look that really speaks to me and works for me. Nothing is more disappointing than investing hours in a project that doesn't fit or isn't flattering, and it only takes one or two of such duds to get us to take a step back and really figure out: what do I like? what is flattering? Instead of passively going with whatever is "in" that season, crafting has demanded that I actively define my style.

To a lesser extent, the same can be said of thrifting. When you step into a thrift store, you're on a treasure hunt. That, again, means actively seeking out that which you like; instead of knowing that anything on the racks should "work" for fitting into what's currently fashionable, thrifting by its very nature means overlooking the vast majority of what's on the racks, and honing in on the one or two jewels that speak to you. Whether you thrift for high quality basics, quirky pieces or period pieces, cheap substitutes for the current hot item, or with an eye towards refashioning, again you're forcing yourself to take a more active role in creating a personal style.

I don't think it's any coincidence that when people learn to make or alter clothing, they don't just recreate what's already in stores. Part of that is because it seems counterproductive to invest hours in goods that you could just buy off the shelf, especially when the appeal of handmade is customization and the freedom to make whatever you want. But I'd also argue that what's offered in stores doesn't fulfill all of our needs, or else why would we be creating handmade substitutes? From my personal experience and watching the evolution of my blogging friend's wardrobes, it seems that the longer we make, the more distinctive our style becomes, and the more it deviates from the current "look" because we're going through an iterative process that constantly refines our own sense of what it means to look good and feel good in what we wear. As we develop the skills to bring our ideas to fruition, we're also fine tuning those ideas. And that ensuing freedom also allows us to pull from a wide range of inspiration.

Thrifting and handmade both lend themselves to creating eclectic ensembles, and maybe that's part of what drives the distinctive styles that result when people start down this path. But what I also love is the wide diversity of styles that emerge from this eclecticism, like how two women drawn to 1950's silhouettes can still have very different styles, depending which period of the 50's they like, or the color palettes that suit them, their choice in accessories, if they favor a bold or dimunitive look, whether or not they prefer literal interpretations or a "modern" updating of a classic pattern.

I admit to many moments of self doubt when I craft. I wonder if this is really the "best" use of my time. I wonder about being a one-woman sweat shop when I could just stroll into Target and find cheap clothing that fits. When I produce a string of duds, I wonder if I've learned anything at all in the last 4 years (you know what this means ... upcoming dud post!!!) I wonder if it is really vain and shallow of me to be so into clothing when there are still so many people living on less than $1 a day, the economy is submerged under water, and the polar bears are losing their homes. I wonder if this form of empowerment is really a form of empowerment, or if it is just a feel-good substitute that keeps me from thinking about the larger issues facing our world and our generation.

But I also think this is about a sense of self. Sure, this may not be the most important aspect of self to cultivate. But it's a start. And it makes me happy. More confident. You know, maybe this site will get shut down in 3 years because I've moved on to other things, and maybe in 10 years I'll be dressing radically differently than I do now. But I'm pretty sure that wherever I'll be in 3 years' or 10 years' time, it will be a direct product of who I am today. And if crafting and developing a strong sense of personal style is part of who I am today, then I am going to embrace that with full force. It's the only way to get to the Jessica of 2013 or 2020.

(Handmade sweater, handmade blouse, refashioned wool skirt.)

Irelande

2010-11-14T23:12:00.003-05:00

Here's a sweater I've really loved wearing this Fall (and, this being Northern California and all, I'm still wearing it ... just slip on a long-sleeve shirt and tell myself that's how it's supposed to look, dangit! It's still a little unbelievable to me that the weather here is so warm in November. Call me strange, but I do actually miss those 4 seasons! Come February I'm sure I'll feel differently, but this does not feel like Thanksgiving should be around the corner.)

This is the Forecast pattern from Knitty 2005 (modified using other Raveler's notes). The designer mentioned that she created this sweater to show off just how much fun it is to play with texture, and I couldn't agree more. There are bobble and cables, seed stitch, garter stitch, and ribbing that goes in two directions. Apologies for the touched up picture below, but you can see what I mean:

Admittedly, I feel like a bit of a linebacker every time I wear this, due to the cables + bobbles running down each arm. If I'd thought it through, I'd probably have omitted the bobbles in the sleeves for a sleeker look (something to keep in mind for the future!) But it's such an unusual sweater and such a perfect color that really, I don't care.

This is the Irelande colorway of Cascade 220, and my second time using this yarn. I have to say that I really like Cascade 220. It's reasonably priced, there's an unbelievable color selection and the heathered's all have a beautiful depth, the yarn is very sturdy and doesn't pill much with wear, and the finished garments are all toasty warm! I'm already mentally planning out other projects to make use of it. They'll just have to queue up behind my other projects in various states of completion (or in the mental queue).

When I first started up knitting again, I had a very strict one-in-one-out policy, meaning that I would only buy enough yarn for my next knitting project, maybe two. Yarn stashes are much more expensive than fabric ones and knitting is inevitably slower than sewing (say it takes anywhere from 3-6 skeins of yarn to make a garment ... it adds up quickly), so I didn't want to create a huge stockpile. And by also limiting myself to only 2 projects on the needle at one time, I was able to create a strong sense of momentum to keep those projects moving forward and nothing lingering for too long.

But oddly enough, I can't seem to stick by that same rule for sewing. Now why is that? I sometimes wonder if I'm just fooling myself into thinking this approach makes me vastly more efficient at churning out handknit FO's. I wonder if I would be more inspired, or less inspired, by my fabric stash if I didn't let myself order any new fabric until I sewed up the fabrics I purchased in the previous round. Of course, this is vastly inefficient because it means you can rarely take advantage of a good sale. But if it means ultimately saving money by not buying fabric you don't actually use ...

Too many variables. My brain is going into overload. And just think! This dialogue starts up every time I think about getting new craft supplies. The neuroses, they inevitably show up through the facade, eh?

In search of inspiration

2010-11-12T14:14:00.002-05:00

Recently I've found myself drawn to the profiles columns of newspapers, specifically the columns that profile artists or entrepreneurs. At first glance it seems funny to lump those two into the same category, but I think they share many similarities: creativity, resourcefulness, the drive to create, taking an idea and bringing it into fruition, that leap from taking a concept from the ethereal to the tangible. Because it's always a leap, whether you're hatching a computer business in a garage or staring at a pile of fabric and some hastily scribbled notes stuck haphazardly into an inspiration sketchbook, scissors in hand and teeth biting down on lower lip as you prepare that first cut. Nobody knows for sure that it will work, but somehow there is that burning desire to just try, the faith to stay true to your vision even if it is one that the rest of the world does not yet understand.

As someone who was raised by immigrants or the children of immigrants and into a culture that tends to promote education and the pursuit of a professional degree as the hallmark of success in America, neither art nor entrepreneurialism was emphasized in my family. My grandparents all left China because of the ravaged fighting that culminated in World War II (the country experienced over a decade of civil war and warlord infighting before the Japanese began moving down through Manchuria and into the country) and came to the United States at a time when very few Asians lived here. My dad entered middle school at a time when Georgia had not yet desegregated, and they couldn't figure out where to stick his family of 7 siblings.

America was different back then, so their immigrant experience and narrative for success was one that sought stability, and primary among this was the notion that so long as you had a professional degree, nobody could take that away from you, no matter what race or gender you were. And since we tend to transmit the values and the narratives that we know best, that was just the environment that I was raised in. It's one that I appreciate because education still does make a huge difference, but that doesn't mean I personally don't also find value in creativity or that entrepreneurial drive.

(A can of Red Bull makes for a moderately successful pattern weight! It was purchased by mistake. I can't remember who we eventually pawned it off on. Also: sunscreen.)

Anyways, I like to read profiles because, as a writer, I find it easiest to dive into a new subject by learning as much as I can about it. The technical details, yes, but also about the emotional landscape. I love coming across those pearls of wisdom or drawing inspiration from other people's stories about perseverance and overcoming setbacks. It also reminds me that though I may sometimes feel lonely in my pursuit of this alternate universe where everybody celebrates handmade and creativity and appreciates the small moments in life and steps off the materialistic treadmill to strengthen our relationships and overall sense of community, others have gone through something similar. Maybe it's oriented around building a business (or non-profit organization) or bringing their art to a new level, but the struggle is the same. The impulses are the same, the lessons are universal.

I'm going to be starting a new job soon (yeay) and one which will require a really long commute, at least initially, and I was thinking that it could be good to gather up some of these inspirational materials as I commit 3-4 hours each day to public transportation. While I knit, you know? Podcasts, memoirs or biographies, magazines, whatnot (I suppose if I really wanted to haul my laptop around, movies would be on that list too). Do you have any suggestions for me? For example, I recently discovered* that Fresh Air on NPR sometimes airs interviews with artists. And occasionally I like to tune in to TED while I sew, because they have all sorts of fascinating people giving short talks. Or where do you go when you want to hear about people who are doing something interesting?

*Funny story there - I was telling my brother about one of my many crackpot dream jobs which was to profile people doing interesting work in social service, you know, instead of constantly talking about all the problems in our world lets talk about some of the solutions that people have found! ... and he recommended the show because he likes Terry Gross' voice. "You could be the next Terry Gross!" I'm guessing that means I'll need voice lessons to make my voice sound pleasing enough for radio. In addition to learning how to be a really, really good interviewer.

Refashioning Handmades

2010-11-07T16:43:00.002-05:00

You might recognize this skirt from a few posts back. It's one of my favorite refashions of all times, and one that hasn't been properly documented here, I don't think. Best of all, it proves that you can resuscitate the (hopefully few) handmade items that get made but never worn.

This started out as two skirts: a thrifted bias-cut blue and brown plaid wool skirt that was tea length and just tight enough to warrant the wishful thinking "if I lost 5 pounds this would fit perfectly!"; and Skirt #2, never blogged, a navy fine-wale corduroy skirt traced off my favorite denim skirt at the time - fitted through the upper hips, then flaring out slightly to an A-line, with cute patch pockets in the back (the denim version bought from a Japanese department store in Taiwan, so you know the detailing was nice!). Unfortunately, Skirt #2 suffered from that hip-bubbling-incorrect-petite-length problem that all my fitted-at-hip skirts experience, and never got worn.

Initially I had just planned to refashion the wool skirt, so I cut 4" off the top and then improvised some asymmetrical pleats in the front and 2 pleats in the back, one over each, er, cheek. But when I tried it on it looked all wrong. First of all, I got that puffy bum look going, and moreover the asymmetrical pleats in front needed something extra to prevent them from looking like pleats that were mistakenly placed to one side only.

Enter Skirt #2. I carefully unpicked those patch pockets and slapped them on over the pleats, effectively tacking them down and reusing the little buggers that took me forever to make! Then I put in a faux pocket patch on the front to tie the look together:

Still not yet satisfied, because the pocket patch looked a bit random from the front, I decided to hack off the bottom of one skirt and attach it to the lining of the second. I'm pretty sure there's a better way to do this, but I just made a straight cut across the bottom, basted it to the lining, and then used a piece of bias tape to cover the raw edges:

And tada! A completely reworked skirt. By now you can see that the corduroy is starting to show signs of wear because I'm always reaching for it.

As a sometimes-quilter, I often find myself making little stacks of coordinating fabrics. In this case, the contrasting textures of the corduroy and plaid wool drew me in, and I loved the contrast in scale between the pin dots in the brown quilting fabric and the plaid. Mixing fabrics in dressmaking can be challenging since you're not just matching fabrics, you're also matching them to a pattern, matching drape and print scale, and then matching the finished garment to the rest of your wardrobe.

As much as I love the effect you can get from combining fabrics in a single item of clothing, I find it pretty challenging to make it work ... and to not get the "hm, a patchworked vest, interesting" vibe (although I firmly believe that patchwork can work in clothing, but it's tricky!) I think all the mixing and matching here works because the skirt has a pretty streamlined A-line shape, it's visually interesting with just enough "funky" to keep me satisfied, and the navy and brown are both neutrals which makes it easy-ish to match.

I wonder if I'm the only person who fights this urge when they sew clothing? Or if other people are veritable fabric-matching-junkies like me, how do they incorporate these into their garments?

Fauna

2010-11-02T00:53:00.002-04:00

*Squeak!* I was supposed to have a fourth and final sweater refashion for you by ... yesterday, at the latest, but eek! I had some supplies on backorder which didn't come through until today. In the meantime, I was all ready to get snip-happy with a gray crewneck sweater I'd recently thrifted (and believe me, the concept is in my brain and ready to go!) when I had a little reality check that, crewneck or not, this 100% wool, nicely fitted gray sweater was probably a perfect neutral and layering piece for cool weather. So the new plan is to give the sweater one season to see how much wear it truly gets. And to give it the best possible odds of survival, I tinkered with some accessories to help me get over my aversion to crewnecks because of their supposed "boring" factor.

Hm. Definitely a pop of color, but I think I would want something else fun to pair with it (funky skirt? earrings? a scarf? hat?) ...

Basically, I cut a rectangular strip out of a felted sweater and rolled it up to form a rose, stitched it atop a deep green yoyo, and added a pair of leaves in a lime green. It was a ribbed sweater, so I cut along the rib lines to keep my edges straight.

Been watching a lot of baseball this past week, so all this handsewing has been the perfect companion to the World Series (oh, we are long-suffering fans here in San Francisco. Believe me, I've seen lots of bad baseball games here. Football, too. And lets not even start with basketball!).

Yeah, I got a little enthusiastic. This is a wool blend from Joann's and an ivory thrifted cashmere/wool/nylon cape. I do love mustard yellow, but truthfully have a hard time figuring out what to pair it with (other than gray), so this sweater seemed like a good opportunity to try out some flower fascinators. I've had this idea for wearing more fascinators in my daily life (I have a peacock headband from San Francisco) ... big clusters, fun clusters. This may need some tweaking, but I like what I see so far. Although this makes it tempting to go out and buy more wool felt ...

So yes! Accessories! A good reminder that a sweater needn't always be chopped up to be worn more often :-). And a versatile way to add a splash of color to many outfits. Versatile yet eco-friendly ... score, and score.

This morning's walk

2010-10-28T14:48:00.002-04:00

As you may know, I've been actively searching for a job since moving back home to live with my parents. The process of job hunting is full of false starts and long stretches of despair, punctuated by glimmers of hope and unexpected opportunities. Especially in this economy, I've expected that I will have to work five times as hard as I did the last time I was looking for jobs, and that the path may be filled with multiple false dawns and a lot of failures before I get to that next stage in life.

Today I woke with a headache which worsened when I looked through my inbox. Isn't it always the case that just when you think you really must soldier forward, it is better to give yourself a little break, and subsequent recouping allows a more productive afternoon than would have otherwise been possible? So I stepped out for a walk, and in stumbling across a park found myself suddenly staring at a split in the road. And in a twist on Robert Frost, although the two paths certainly differed in degree of wear, I could clearly see that the more well-worn path would lead in a long, winding, circuitous path away from where I wanted to go. Whereas the lesser-worn path, which truly disappeared entirely 20 feet from the fork, lay in the general direction where I knew I ultimately wanted to go.

True to form, I took that second path. Instead of pavement, it led me through crunching leaves, past thin saplings, and onto a slightly worn path which seemed to lead towards a series of urban gardens, blockaded from access by a series of gates. Although, of course, if one looked closely, it became apparent that there were gaps between the gates, and once through the gates was a tiny, before-unknown and wild tangle of urban gardens.

Now, if you know me in real life, you know that I love, love, love urban gardens, love crunching leaves and the smell of Fall, I love going for walks and I love stumbling across unexpected treasure troves. It seemed like such a perfect metaphor for where I am at in life: one path that is clear and which pretty clearly takes me away from where my heart wants to go, and a direction my heart would prefer even if it has no clue how to go about getting there, and one which likely holds so many of favorite things along its path. And actually, one of the reasons I took this walk was because I need to make some decisions, and its never easy to consciously turn down the easier decision, is it?

Have you read The Alchemist? I'm not very good at reading signs, so sometimes when things pop up in life, I can't tell if the universe is offering up an opportunity and the right thing to do is to follow the path of least resistance and take it and trust it will land me in the right place because the universe conspires to make your journey easiest at the beginning to encourage you, or if those little "nooooooooooooo"s I get from my impulsive, intuitive side should be listened to because I'm supposed to listen to my heart. Does that ever happen to you? It's part of what causes me to doubt that intuition. But anyways, I know that indecision is bad for me because it just causes anxiety to hang over my head and occupies a lot of mental space ... and as it only took me a couple seconds to decide which way to walk this morning (most of that time, I'll admit, was spent taking in the environment so I could write about it later), I guess I should stop waffling and get on with my "analog" life, as Sigrid would call it.

Making the Case for Creativity

2010-10-27T13:11:00.005-04:00

The more I craft, the more I rediscover little glimmers of creativity buried in various parts of my soul. It's like that proverbial tugging at spiderwebs, as you gently tug one thread, it snags others connected to it, and pretty soon your entire tapestry is affected [actually, I can't remember the proper metaphor, but you know what I mean]. Sewing has led to refashioning has led to reviving my crochet skills, I've picked up knitting again and am adventuring into all sorts of fun clothesmaking territories, I'm writing more, growing more confident with the camera, and feel that occasional itch to draw or paint or play with mixed media.

The other day I was reading a newspaper account of retirees who had (re)discovered creative pursuits. In that article, two themes really struck true to me: 1) that oftentimes the first artistic medium was not the one they were ultimately drawn to, excelled in, or turned into an all-consuming hobby (one man started in glassblowing and eventually stumbled into painting and now shows his work in various art galleries, for example), and 2) that by accessing their creative side, they felt more alive, more joyful, and frankly just felt more. Stronger emotions, and a wider range of them.

For me, crafting has unlocked this entire creative side of me, and I really feel that this creativity leads me to be a better person. It helps that crafting overlaps with core principles like environmental sustainability, generosity and giving back, (re)connecting with loved ones through various forms, making do and being resourceful, being intentional about our time, energy and resources, celebrating beauty etc. But I also feel more content and grounded, more whole, more appreciative of small joys in life, more happy, and really, the more I dive into creativity, the more I see inspiration everywhere and the more I bring creativity into every aspect of my life. And I have truly found that the first craft may not be one you find most rewarding or the one where you are most inventive. I'd call myself a moderately skilled patchworker and quilter at best, but when it comes to refashioning I find myself staying up at night, getting more and more excited about the possibilities.

Grad school was a really left-brained time for me, and one of the scary parts of reemerging from it was discovering just how much I had numbed myself just to get through the experience. This summer has been a slow thaw - oh wow, I can actually feel my back muscles for the first time in over a year! Or waking up in the middle of the night just bawling from the emotions that flashed through in a dream - and suddenly, I'm remembering my dreams each morning when I wake up (however briefly, and no, they don't make much sense nor are they terribly interesting, just random people in my life showing up in randomer scenarios).

But at the same time, I think my crafting really took off in grad school. Maybe it was my antidote or maybe it was my one tentative hold on sanity, and boy, did I cling tight. I just remember stepping off the bus to school in April and feeling so very alive from writing and knitting and sewing, and knowing I would be able to get through the rest of the semester. It's like when you're determined to pull off a refashion, the question is never if you can do it, but how you will accomplish your mission. I think that by expanding the emotions I felt, by helping me see life through new lenses, by constantly exploring new techniques or even new mediums, and by encouraging curiosity and patience and the confidence that I can teach myself almost anything, crafting has changed who I am.

Today when my friends describe me, "creative" is a word that almost always pops up at the top of the list, even the ones who don't actually know that I sew, knit, crochet, write, bake or photograph. It's funny standing on this end of the journey and looking back, knowing that millions who read that article have no idea just how true it really is, but hoping that some of them will be inspired to give it a try. They have so much to gain.

October Refashion Challenge III - Refashion #21 :: Bella

2010-10-24T22:08:00.002-04:00

This time I started out, again, with a crewneck sweater that's been sitting in my closet, unworn, for several years now. Like the blue sweater, it's a bit large on me:

Anyways, as I was thinking about what new type of refashion I could tackle for my third crewneck, I was inspired by the black color to make this refashion very classic and simple: black and white, light embellishments, and a ballerina neckline.

Hehe, my dad only managed to catch one eye! Serves me right for tilting my head. Anyways, this was quite simple to pull off. I simply removed the ribbing at the neck, then I put the sweater on and measured where I wanted the neckline to reach - in this case, I extended it about 1" width-wise in either direction then curved it down and blended away to the front center. In the back, I lowered it about 1.5" and made a similar curve. The fact that it perfectly echoes my clavicle is, between you and me, the happiest of coincidences. I took the sweater in about an inch on each side, and narrowed the sleeves, too.

Courtesy of Sigrid's recent tutorial, I used some bias-cut silk ribbon to finish off the neckline by simply encasing the raw edge and handstitching in place. I got two sizes of buttons: one set to set off the neckline, and one set to hold my turned-up sleeves in place, as before:

Remember that huge fuss I made about handmade wedding wear? In the end, I wore this sweater and black slacks, set off by a pair of faux pearl studs, a peacock feathered headband and my hair pulled back in a bun, and a ring/bracelet set from my aunt. Very black and white. Very "erg, it's an outdoor wedding in a foggy part of California and the weather forecast calls for rain, I would rather be warm than fancy." Very "let's be honest, that gray dress is a tad too small and it has no stretch, I'd rather eat comfortably than be fancy."

Given that it was the Ritz Carlton, I was probably the most underdressed person there, although I like to think that personal style counts for something, so maybe we'll say "understated." And though I was ultimately happy with that choice, it did create a fair amount of hand-wringing on the night before the wedding.

The thing about Silicon Valley is that it holds enough people who don't think twice about dropping hundreds on an outfit, that whenever a fancy-type social event pops up on the calendar, it gives me pause that my handmade garments are somehow "good enough." Meaning expensive-looking enough, meaning fashionable enough, meaning ... well, meaning that they don't even look handmade, if I'm honest with myself. It's a strange type of inferiority complex, made stranger by the fact that I've known the bride and groom for almost 15 years, known my circle of friends who attended for over half my life.

Honestly, nobody who really knew me would care what I wore so much as the fact that I was there to share in the happy occasion, and as I stood there fretting on Friday evening, I realized I just needed to get over my insecurities and figure that if I just stepped into the room with confidence, nobody would even see the clothing I wore, just the smile on my face and the happiness in my eyes, happiness that these high school sweethearts were finally tying the knot after 10 years.

And maybe some people did point and whisper, but whatever. This is just who I am. And OK yes, maybe my mom does have a point that I could keep an eye out for some fancier black pants [and that, no, I can't just add fancy decorative trim to existing black pants ... she totally knows me, as she's the one who pinned in this sweater at the waist and arms] ... and OK yes, maybe next time I won't finish my outfit the night before the wedding [actually, I didn't even get the sleeve buttons in place in time] ... but I am happy I stuck to the plan and didn't resort to my high school Homecoming dress, if only because that's what I wore the night the bride and groom went to their first school dance together. Although, hm, now that I think about it, maybe that would have been poetically fitting ...

October Refashion Challenge // Refashion #20 :: Ashley

2010-10-20T00:05:00.006-04:00

So ... this started out as a brilliant purple crewneck Merino sweater, plus some blue/purple floral fabric first used in this project. I love the sweater's color but rarely wear it because the color is so vibrant that it's hard to wear with anything but neutrals [or at least any other clothes I currently own], but the basic crewneck means I always felt a bit plain when I wore it. Seems like the perfect candidate for a refashion, eh?

I had originally envisioned this as a sweater-with-bib, one of those fads that was really popular 4 years ago (and isn't that the beauty of handmade? Doesn't matter how late you are to a bandwagon, you can still get your arse up on it long after the rest of the riders have jumped ship). I started by removing the crewneck, after which I panicked that the subsequent neckline was too wide to make a proper bib and, once the panic died down, hastily invented Plan B.

Enter the peter pan collar, complete with improvised drafting and numerous revisions (envision me standing with a muslim collar pinned to sweater, looking in the mirror and marking with pen directly onto the muslim. Classic.)

Somehow these photos don't do justice to the strange effect this combination has upon the resulting refashion. My dad, who normally doesn't have much of a fashion opinion, took one look at me in my new sweater and, well, convulsed. My mom uttered a noncommittal, "Interesting ..." and after several seconds of speechlessness, said, "Well, it's kind of Laura Ashley." Personally, I feel like I tried to drag the 1950s into 2010 and got stuck in 1990 instead.

Let's talk about this one, shall we? My theory, and chime in if you have a different one, is that the peter pan collar, already quite feminine, becomes over-the-top feminine in such a girly, flowery fabric, and as such begs to be paired with a girly color and fabric, something like a soft lavender cabled twinset. Like, playing up the retro look, instead of trying to drag it towards "modern." Yet the saturated purple color moves in the opposite direction, and the result is stuck in the sadly familiar "not quite a girl, not yet a woman" no-mans-land of Epic Wadders.

OK, but I do like this detail of how I dealt with the too-long sleeves. Simply tuck them under to halve the length, and then secure with 2 fabric-covered buttons. Mimics, a tad, the buttoned detailing on coat sleeves.

So now we move on to how to proceed from here. As usual, I'm torn:

1) More is better. Somehow, I tempted to think that if I just added a fabric-covered belt in matching fabric, all would be healed and somehow this entire look would be pulled together. I think that I barely have enough leftover fabric to pull this off.

2) Double the risk, double the reward/failure. I'm also tempted to think that my initial instinct was correct and that this fabric combination works better as a sweater-with-bib, in which case I would unpick the bias binding, remove the peter pan collar, and attach a bib instead. The collar would then be saved for another project [hm, eBaying lavendar cabled cardigans, maybe?]. Truth be told, I'm not sure I have enough fabric for this, unless of course I carefully match seams and piece together the leftovers.

3) MMM/SSS lessons, silly! And of course, there's that realization by many of you after MMM or SSS that once we wear our handmade "eh" pieces several times, we come to forgive their sins, so maybe I should commit to wearing this out of the house 3 times before I pass final judgment. Ali? I think you're going to drag me out of the house in this one though, because I'm not sure I can actually bring myself to be seen in public in it.

Augh! How to proceed? What would you do??? And where do you think this project went off the tracks? Would any peter pan collar work with this type of sweater/color? How do you balance factors like pattern, scale, color value, style, and retro elements when planning projects ... or what else do you take into consideration? This is super nice fabric and a super nice sweater, and I hope to 1) salvage it somehow, and 2) learn from my mistakes so that I don't repeat them.

Speaking of not repeating mistakes, here are my raw materials for this week's project in the October Refashion Challenge ...

October Wardrobe Refashion Challenge II: in progress ...

2010-10-15T18:16:00.004-04:00

Apologies all for the teaser in-progress shot, but this week has turned out much busier than I thought it would be. Hopefully back early next week with a final product. Until then, happy weekending!

Fiber #19 // Monterey

2010-10-12T23:32:00.002-04:00

My mom and I went down to Monterey for my birthday, and while I was there I stumbled upon a cute little yarn shop that had literally only been open for 7 weeks. The owner was telling me about how increeeeeeedibly excited she was to be starting this venture, how she had spent 15 years working in underwater photography which was great but sometimes difficult because everybody around her was so passionate and so happy to have work and passion overlap and how she had never really found that passion but now with her new yarn store she was getting there and it was soooooooo great.

Well, who was I to say no to a little birthday yarn splurge? Especially on such a lush, deep teal in such a soft, soft yarn.

This is the free Abalone pattern, shrunken style. I think it's supposed to be a little more oversized and slouchy, but I like it as is -- and plus, there were sufficient leftovers for my latest refashion! Score, and score. Mods as usual on my Ravelry page. The yarn I used is chunky and warm so this style would have been rendered rather ridiculous in New England weather, but for California, I think it could actually get a fair amount of wear.

The other night I was telling my dad that a tripod has been on my wishlist for forever and a half. He looked up at me from where he was bending over the shoe rack (now filled with my shoes), and said, "Oh, but I have one right here!" And he wasn't kidding. Apparently we like to store massively heavy tripods from the 80s by lying them on their side between the rain boots and the flats. Which works out perfectly for me, since it means I'm no longer confined to taking photos wherever there's a handy nearby ledge, lawn chair, teetering stack of books. Or all of the above.

Mini-Tutorial: Converting a pullover sweater to an embellished cardigan

2010-10-11T14:45:00.004-04:00

Mini-tutorial for you to refashion your own embellished, swingy, customized cardigan from a pullover sweater! I realize some people have a knack for looking at something and realizing immediately what steps it takes to create a similar DIY look, but for others the instructions and tips can be helpful. I do apologize that this is more like a list of steps with some photos than a full-blown "how to," but it's also my first mini-tute so I hope to get better at them in the future!

I started off with an oversized crew neck sweater. Because we're grabbing the excess sweater material and overlapping it in the front to button up, it's important that your initial sweater be several sizes too large!

(Apologies for crud on mirror. Cleaning that off apparently falls rather low on the priority list around here.)

Step 1: Locate middle of the front of sweater. Carefully cut open the sweater so that there is now a front-left and front-right panel.

From here, I like to finish the raw edges of my sweater front panels because I don't want them unraveling on me! For this project, I used some ribbon, but bias tape would work equally well.

Step 2: Attach ribbon to front sweater panels.

(Show with wrong side of fabric facing up).

You could machine stitch this. I was having trouble keeping it non-ripply, so I hand stitched it.

Step 3: Turn ribbon under and blind stitch into place so that stitches barely show through on right side of fabric. This is what it should look like once you're finished with this part:

[Sweater, right sides facing out, and I flipped over the interior of the cardigan to show you the ribbon facings.]

Step 4: Pulling the cardigan fronts together so they overlap, determine how much overlap you'd like and mark snap placement. I used 3 snaps but you could use more or fewer. Then I sewed decorative buttons on top of the snaps so that it would look like I buttoned up the cardigan.

At this point, try on your cardigan to see how you like the fit. If desired, shorten sleeves to 3/4 length (you could use a similar technique of folding under and covering with bias tape. I'd recommend bias tape or anything that stretches, since stretch is more important for sleeves than for the straight front edges of your cardigan).

Optional: Take in the cardigan arms and sides if still too big. Mine looks like this, but I will say that I am not sure this is the proper way to do this. I turned my cardigan inside-out and pinned out the excess under the arms and at the bust area, then machine basted and checked for fit.

Step 5: Embellishments! I mostly used the flower patterns from Crochet Adorned, specifically the Egg Flower, 5-Petal Flower, 5-Petal Pointy Flower from the Garden Party Cardigan, and the Daffodil from the stitch dictionary in the back ... but you can find a bunch of free patterns here, or there's this and this or tons on Ravelry. I also made up my own pattern for the tiny flowers, as follows:

round 1: ch 4, slip stitch to first stitch in chain, creating a ring with 4 stitches.
round 2: (ch4, sl1) into ring 5 times. Bind off.

Details to make your life easier:

1) I used a worsted yarn and crochet hooks size G to I to get chunky flowers. For me, this produced flowers that were 1", 2", 3" and 4" in diameter. You want a good variety of sizes to create a visual tension and interest.
2) I made a total of 17 flowers: 6 tiny, 6 small, 4 large, 1 XL. I put 5 on each front panel and 7 on the back. If I had planned the back better, I probably would've made more to create a denser look that matches the front.
3) I am 5'2" and usually wear a XS or S in RTW tops. So if you are much taller or larger than I am, you may want to make larger flowers, or more of them.

Regarding embellishment placement, I personally liked the contrast between the small and XL flowers on one side, balanced by two large flowers on the opposite side. But play around with what you like best, and be sure to try it on before you commit because embellishments look different flat vs. 3D!

To attach the flowers to the cardigan, I stitched along the outermost edge of the flower, like so:

Hm ... but don't pull so taught that it causes puckering. Red thread used for contrast so that you could see it, on the real thing I used a dark blue.

And that's it! Time to strut into Anthropologie for some crafting reconnaissance as you wear your newly embellished, completely one-of-a-kind cardigan :-), and mentally calculate how many cardigans you can sew/refashion/knit for the price of one of theirs ...

Let me know if you have any questions or if this is unclear, and I hope this is helpful!

October Refashion Challenge #1 // Fiber #18: Amarynth

2010-10-08T23:44:00.005-04:00

First up in this October Refashion Challenge series:

A dark blue pullover sweater that's sat in my closet for several years now. It's a very soft and lovely and warm pullover, but several sizes larger than I normally wear, and it turns out that I'm not terribly fond of crewneck sweaters. After a lot of handstitching and crocheting, my new cardigan:

I plan to put up a brief "how to" over the weekend, but essentially I slit up the front center of the cardigan, turned those edges under and finished them with ribbon, folded the sleeves up to make them 3/4 length, and then handstitched a bunch of crocheted flowers onto the front and back. Add 3 decorative buttons with snaps underneath to hold it closed, and voila!

I found the buttons in a jar of vintage buttons that my mom gave me, and the yarn is leftover from my latest knitting adventure [photos coming soon, I promise!]. I had originally thought that bright red buttons would be fun, but on second thought decided that keeping it a blue-on-blue theme would increase the overall versatility of the sweater. I was trying for an Anthropologie-esque feel with the oversized flowers and random placement, but the jury's still out on whether that was achieved or not.

Yes, if you look closely the 3 buttons are not evenly spaced [sigh, what was I saying about listening to Farmer John and measuring???], and yes, if you look closely those sleeves are not exactly the same length. But my current motto: as long as it wouldn't stop you from wearing it, (and I stand so lopsided that most people probably wouldn't notice), then I would rather spend the time on a new project, rather than unpicking an old one!

Speaking of new projects, here's the second on my list for the October Refashion Challenge. Stay tuned ...