Postcards from the East Coast

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:

Mittens, Suggestions, and Sweaters

Really, I do have to keep milking these fall foliage shots while they last.


Have you read Sigrid's great account of Mitten Day? I loved it. Poignant, funny, and all sorts of, well, life just oozing out of every word she typed.

I also loved reading MAV's suggestions for handling a cold. Brilliant! I've been dealing with the lingering aftereffects of a cold myself, so this was a perfect read. Rarely does a cold knock me over and require a nap a day for an entire week, and still I'm not recovered yet. It's very odd. I know I know, my body's trying to tell me something. I am trying to listen -- why do you think I've indulged in those daily naps?

Also, I cannot decide what to knit next: this sweater or this bolero out of the white yarn I have on hand. Every Ravelrer I've seen has had major fit issues with the bolero, but for some reason I still seem to want to drive myself crazy over it. And while the sweater seemed like a dead-on choice a month ago, right now I'm wondering if I really want another hip-length cardigan/coat thingie. Thoughts?

Finally, here is a sweater that I've been tinkering with for a year now. I thrifted a 100% wool Abercrombie sweater yast year and had been toying with the idea of a button sweater for awhile so I jumped right in and, after some fussing around, creating this wavy design.

I like the idea of a button sweater. I like all the buttons on it. I loved sewing them on. I like the pop of color on gray, the slight off-beatness of it. But for some reason, I don't like wearing this sweater. I think it's the turtleneck. Rather than spend another couple years trying to get it right, I thought I'd see if it was appealing to anybody? If it is I can mail it to you. I mean, if only for the buttons, right? We all could use more buttons in our stash. And if not, then I'll just remove the buttons [yes, all of them] and put the sweater aside to felt at some point.

And if, for some reason, it's appealing to more than one person, I'll do that usual random number thingie. [For reference, the sweater is a M and fits well, I usually wear a S or XS]

Happy Halloween to all!

Almost a rainbow

The thing about the leaves here in Boston is that they change so quickly. Just one week before I shot this photo this tree was entirely green, save one little patch at the very, very top that my roommate Hana pointed out to me on a walk to the grocery store. And each day as I strode past it on the way to class - always a couple minutes later than I'd intended, no surprises there - I saw the color ripple down through the leaves until I just couldn't stand it anymore and had to stop for a photograph.


Now the leaves are almost all gone. We've had wind and rain in the intervening days, and though other trees in the neighborhood are quite pregnant with dry, rustling leaves, I can tell they will not be on this planet for many more days. Each day as I walk to school I try to tune out the thoughts that tumble through my mind, so that in the quiet I may better appreciate, and more firmly etch, these brilliant colors and tiny details into memory. I still strive for my moments of mindfulness and self-reflection; truly, they make my entire day better, and truly, I am never quite consistent enough in making time for them. These trees - their beauty - the charm of fall - demands mindfulness. If only we heed their call.

I sometimes wonder if Northeasterners and Bostonians make so much ado about the foliage and fall weather because we know what a doozy of a winter season we're in for, thus we cling to the short vestiges of beauty and that crisp feeling in the air, made all the more precious by their contrast to what is to come. Yet I remember slender, elegant and golden gingko trees in San Francisco every fall, their leaves scattered over the ground as though purposefully strewn there for the movie set of an art film. Or looking up at the 30 foot tall trees that line bike boulevard in Palo Alto as I cruised along to-and-from the fabric store in my favorite way to spend an afternoon, and taking in the brilliance of red, orange, green. All are precious memories. All have their own unique beauty.

We're in for more rain tonight and tomorrow. When we emerge, it may be a whole new world.

Thank goodness for the moments I did catch this past month! Thank goodness for mindfulness.

Light and Dark

It snowed this morning, and I walked to school on an errand in the drifting white mass, and then because I could not get enough of the snow and the freshness in the air, I wound my way around the park with its small lakes, stepped in to the frozen over community gardens, laughed out loud at the dogs playing in the drifts of snow. There is something about the combination of stark, bare branches all piled with white that catches my breath every time. Still no camera, so these little moments of beauty are ones that must live on in memory alone, and yet perhaps it is better that way, to be caught in the moment of appreciation and beauty and joy and wonder, instead of trying desperately to fit those moments into a rectangular viewfinder, intent on the capture instead of the magic of the moment.

I feel incredibly happy right now. Peaceful, content, giggling like a child as I plunge my leg into 8, 10 inches of powdery snow, making my way down stairs sideways and one step at a time, like a toddler learning to walk for the first time. Maybe the love affair will dissipate after several more months of wind and ice and sleet and trudging through slush, but right now I count this one of my happiest memories yet in 2009, walking in an almost uninhabited world, blanketed in calm and quiet.

The past two weeks have been frenetic, overwhelming, jam-packed with numerous life lessons rolled into a single ball that always remains slightly out of reach. But that's why I feel a sudden sense of calm and relief right now; without the contrast, today would just be another day for the doldrums, passing unremarkably through the life history of One. And even at the apex of contentment and quiet joy I know that the downward slope beckons, unavoidably so. I can but temper the troughs, seek out a soft landing, but I know it is coming and I know I must accept that. That's one reason I love blogging, that I am able to etch down small moments to look back upon when the world does not feel cheery or bright. Remember.

Blue

Who knew that blue berries exist? I certainly didn't until I stumbled upon this while taking a turn about the neighborhood to blow off some school stress and enable my bad procrastination habit.


I also ran across a five, count them five, turkeys just chilling out in the middle of the street. Just calmly walking about the cul-de-sac or sitting on the asphalt, minding their own business. How I wished I'd brought my camera.

Somebody take the chocolate away from me. Seriously. When my mom handed me the 3 bars she'd brought from California she said, 'I didn't bring you more because I didn't want you to get fat' and boy did she have my number or what. She knows I have no self-control when it comes to dark chocolate.

But still she indulges me just a bit. Oh, mothers. How I love them.

Skirting the Issue

It never fails. Whenever exams season hits, I'm liable to start hunting for all sundry activities to occupy my time. I've probably cooked more consistently than I have in the past month. All of a sudden all those crafting projects I was too uninspired to tackle suddenly seem very bright and shiny and, most importantly, manageable. My exercise routine is never so good as when it is exams season.

Out on a walk, one of many walks, many long, long walks. No kidding, New England foliage is a sight to behold.

Of course, I wish I could say that my procrastination energy extended to cleaning up the apartment. No such luck. I think cleaning is something that will never come naturally to me, though on very special occasions I find it the most therapeutic activity known to mankind. Very sporadic, very special occasions. So despite my 11PM efforts to scrub the kitchen floor Friday night, the place is still a mess. *Carefully averts eye from small dust bunny under couch. I'll deal with it when it grows up some more.*

Ah, so here's a skirt I've been procrastinating blogging about [how ironic]. And of course, now that it's getting to be too cold to wear it, blog, meet Skirt #7, a.k.a. Self-Drafted Pattern #6. I don't seem to have much of a track record with patterns, do I? Anyways. This was my first attempt at a full-on refashion, in that I've never actually taken a piece of clothing and reworked it into something else. Old linens, yes, clothing, haven't been that adventurous yet. But inspired by a 2 month stint over at the fantabulous Wardrobe Refashion and all the genius that goes on there [and I should figure out how to do those button things but I'm too lazy. Don't worry. I plan to re-pledge so maybe next time around I'll figure it out], I finally picked up some skirts at the thrift shop with the intent of reworking them to my own aims.

Before:


As you can see, it moderately fit at the waist but was super long. I loved the weight and feel and color of the denim, though. I had originally intended to carbon copy ... I mean highly flatter through sheer mimicry ... this great skirt I saw on the Nordstrom's clearance rack back when I was still in CA [ah, but it was one size too big and twice as expensive as I would've liked]. Except my brain cannot handle simple arithmetic, apparently, so I had to swap out my original pleats for this design instead.

I do love the fabric-covered buttons though [my first time with them! And man, why haven't I discovered these already???], and the top-stitched waistband. I love being able to add in these details, just because. It makes handmade go from everyday to something special [well handmade is special as it is, but uber special]. The back has the pleats as well, which makes for a kindof interesting silhouette but I kindof have no butt to speak of, so luckily that one turned out OK. Now if it were the hips on the other hand ... but it's not.

And I have to say that unlike some of my prior posted skirt attempts, I am rather fond of this skirt. So hurray for lucky number 7.

And! My apologies for the awkward mirror shot but I possess exactly one mirror in this apartment, so expect to become well-acquainted with my shower rod + curtain in the coming months. I must say, this also makes for rather interesting outfits sometimes, as I often cannot be bothered to climb onto the toilet seat to figure out if what I'm wearing actually matches the fuzzy "inspiration" image in my head. And it goes without saying that the personal grooming is as nonexistant as it ever was.

Hello Fall!

Gah, they like to turn the AC up indoors. Why, I'm not quite sure, given that temperatures have been dropping steadily and will only continue to do so. Maybe they're trying to keep us awake in lecture. At any rate I think I'm going to start needing those wrist warmers pretty soon. As feared my scrunchy knitted ones are probably not going to do the trick. Maybe I should start looking into all those beautiful yarns they have up for sale on Etsy ...

The Tree Project, Day 1

Collaboration with Alex. We are photographing the trees in our lives - for him, around Berkeley, for me, in San Francisco.

This project has been perfect for getting me to be more aware of my surroundings, of the sheer beauty, variety, shapes, colors, textures, tones of the trees around me. Pulls me out of myself and my inconsequential worries, and back towards the world at large.

And I always love projects that involve staring at trees. Today on my walk to work, I discovered gorgeous, glowing golden gingko trees, palms, little microeconiches [I am totally making up words now] that have been carefully potted and planted in the sidewalks along Noe St., or flamboyant gardens on the way to Castro.

It is a wondrous urban jungle I live and work in.

the sun returns to the foggy city!

Has it really been over a month since I last posted? I guess so. Bad Jessica bad! Then again, internet connection at this apartment is awfully spotty. No excuse, really, I know.

The sun came out in SF! The youth went on spring break, and so did I! We may have long hours at this job but there certainly are some perks ... and flex time is one of them.

Monday I took my youth to Crissy Fields/Ocean Beach for a "poetry writing workshop." Which is really to say, we had lots of bonding time together and wrote some poetry on the side.


Mine is the bare foot with the skirt attached to it. That would be me, skirts all the way, running barefoot in the grass. I love my youth, I really do. With teenagers you just have to remember to not set out with an agenda firmly grilled into your mind, just go with the flow and meet them where they're at. They've shown me so much, taught me so much. We laugh together and I love watching them grow and develop, opening up to the rest of the group and to each other. I can't wait to see where they are in ten years.

A teaser shot, I know. I love the chemistry in the group.

It was such a beautiful day. And here I am, snapping more shots of nature. At least there are some constants in life.

And because I'm a real narcissist sometimes, here's a picture of me that one of my youth snapped. It is one of my more favorite photos of myself ...

I love that I don't have my usual 'smile for the camera' smile. So this is what it looks like when I smile at you. No, this isn't some awesome action shot - we were playing Red Light, Green Light, and I have this habit of being a little ... overdramatic ... at the most ridiculous times, like, say, when you're playing a game where you have to freeze all the time. In all the other photos I'm half falling over or have my arms swinging in the most wild directions, feet all up in the air and sticking out at odd angles.

And you know, I love that I work with teenagers who are more than totally willing to play Red Light, Green Light with me, they get EXCITED about doing so. I sense tomorrow's leaders in this group today.

The following day J and I went hiking at Mt. Tam. J is a coworker, but really that doesn't do her justice, because she is a coworkers AND a friend, just like so many of my coworkers. I tend to strongly compartmentalize the different parts of my life, and so while my coworkers mean so much to me I still refer to them that way, because that is the niche they occupy in my life.

Mt. Tam was gorgeous that day.

Both the large and the small pieces of nature.

And the super large.

Not even an hour outside of SF you can find such lovely wilderness. We have mad dreams of returning, or of future escapes. Now that is something to look forward to.

Encouraged by my favoritest Amoeba in the whole wide world, I did go ahead and sign up for the On Assignment: Portraiture photography course at the ASUC Art Studio in Berkeley. I have very little formal knowledge of photography so I thought it might be fun to take a class, see where that takes me. I'm very unaccustomed to thinking of photography in very formal art-critic terms, and probably will never do so, but anyways the class has been good for the stimulation and challenge of weekly assignments.

Week One: Self-Portrait.

28: The Happy Result of A Little Serendipity, also known as You Be The Judge

Today I bring you a number of variations on the same shot. Oh, nature.

28: The Happy Result of A Little Serendipity. Just happened to be walking down the road when I noticed this tree with the pretty purple flowers. Out came the camera, just as the cell phone rang. So as I'm talking to dad I'm also snapping off shots of this pretty scene, and a little bee comes out of nowhere and starts zooming around. Undeterred, I continue my one-handed-photography-while-brain-simultaneously-controls-mouth-and-attempts-coherent-thoughts. And this, my friends, is the happy result of that bit of serendipity.

Again I had too much fun with tinkering with the photos. May I present 3 more versions of this shot, all cropped and edited in various ways [by the by, the above version was edited as well. Never one to let well enough alone]:

Let me know which one you like best! Sometimes I think I might just get too fancy and simpler is better. If I had a super duper camera then I could do this focus/blur thing a whole lot better, but I think I have to wait at least a year to scratch together some money and hope that prices come down somewhat [a lot], as commodities tend to do as their appeal catches on and they get further away from their initial entry into the market.