Sew Distracted

Spring Vogue Knitting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obviously I am besotted.

Purple Scarf

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pattern shopping

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then there is this pattern:

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

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

Bright future

Spring colors.  I am knitting with spring colors, although there is still plenty of wool in my plans and plenty of cold weather still hanging around.  But the days are warmer and brighter because the sun is higher in the sky.  I know spring is on its way because the sun has risen past that point where I have to close the blinds in the late afternoon or the house is filled with the blinding glare and reflection of the sun on the Hudson. 

I also know spring is on the way in another sense because everything suddenly looks so much brighter.    I have been worried and preoccupied lately and I have not really felt like sharing, mostly because my thoughts and fears were far to close to my heart.  Call it superstitious perhaps, but I felt that if I voiced my wishes and dreams they might not come true.

But, as I said, Spring is in my step, in more ways than one.  I think it was good that Easter came early this year, because Easter has always been a harbinger of big changes and transitions in my life.  Again call me superstitious but I think Easter was on my side. 

DH was in the hospital last week.  He went in Wednesday for an aortic valve replacement and possible bypass.  I was worried, but not specifically about the surgery, but about many things, and I had hopes, high hopes.  DH has had a hard year since the lung cancer that was caught and removed last spring, and many other health issues in the ensuing months, some more minor, some more major.    He is home now and doing fabulously well after the surgery.

I spent the days in the hospital, but I thought I would sew in the evenings when I was home.  I always forget how exhausting sitting can be.  Those things I attempted to sew are best forgotten now.  It is only fabric after all and there is some fabric that will never be shown on this blog.  There was also a laughable attempt at a muslin, but that at least can be redone.

There are bits and pieces of things in process, and hopefully there will be things to show again soon, not just mistakes to toss into the trash.  I'm not quite there yet but I will be because my heart is lighter now and my ability to focus has also returned.

You see, I knew that the surgeons could fix DH's heart, this is such a common procedure now and the evidence was that this would be pretty straightforward.  But I had been watching my love slip away mentally, no longer paying attention, not seeing things, not following conversations, losing the ability to perform simple tasks.  This was very sad.  And although it is known that heart disease can cause one to be tired. and lose mental acuity, none of his doctors believed that the heart disease was the root of his problems.  They expected chest pain and angina, traditional symptoms, which my DH did not have until very recently, although he had a severely stenotic valve, and extensive disease in two arteries.  But he always did marvelously on stress tests, felt fine when he exercised, had no chest pain, and had no severe arterial blockages.   They all thought the memory issues had to be caused by something else because they see these as "secondary symptoms".  But they found extensive disease over a widespread swath of the affected arteries, just not a thick blockage at a single point.  They found a seriously malfunctioning valve.

And the first thing I noticed is that DH is brighter.  He notices things he hadn't noticed for a long time such as colors and music.  It is as if he could see and hear, but he had stopped registering these things.  We have conversations again.  He remembers what was said.  He cracks jokes.   He reads an article and discusses it.  These are all things I once took for granted.  These are all things I thought I had lost. 

I had hoped that the surgery would bring my DH back to me, at least in part.  I am reveling in finding this person has been returned to me.  And yes, now I know that spring is truly on its way.

Slip sliding away

March seems to be slipping by.  "Real Life" has been intruding here (how dare it?) and I have been a little flustered and unable to focus on my various projects.  And yet some of these same projects are progressing albeit slowly.  I have also managed to gather all my UFO's into one place where I can hopefully whittle down the stack

These came in the mail today:
I don't need to tell you that my mind is overflowing with ideas and inspirations and even a quick glance here says that even more is about to be piled on the overflowing scales.

They will at least entertain me during the remainder of my "busy season" here. 

I am still knitting, and yes sewing some too, but not on anything new or creative, mostly mending and alterations and simple gifts.  Things should slow down a bit in about another week and I hope to be a little more regular in my progress, hopefully with many things to show.

In the meantime I have house guests to attend to as well as various gatherings of the clans and many goings on which require my attention.

Back soon.

New

It was finally time for  a new haircut yesterday.  I had been counting the days.  Afterwards I went to pick up new glasses, something else I had been waiting for with baited breath.  I had been told that my prescription really hadn't changed much, but apparently it was enough.  Now I no longer have to take my glasses off to read, or better yet, to see the computer, which means there is less likelihood that I will be spending my time running around the house wondering where I put my glasses.  I got bifocals (or progressive lenses) a couple of years ago just to avoid that scenario.  An unexpected benefit of my new prescription is that oncoming headlights don't bother me nearly as much as they had even 24 hours ago.  The light must have been just blurry enough....now I can happily drive home from knitting group/class late at night without worry or headaches. 

Since the last time I updated my avatar was the last time I got new glasses, it seemed like it was about time  for an update there as well.

I had really planned for today to be an at-home day with plenty of catch up housecleaning to do and a long list of telephone calls to make but we changed plans.   DH had been increasingly uncomfortable following minor surgery on Monday and we went in to the doctor's office for a quick check.  All was fine; we were in and out even before I could get two rows knitted on a new scarf I brought along to start.    DH had the fine suggestion that we should go out for coffee and a pastry somewhere so a discussion of possible coffee shops ensued.  He wanted something with a lovely view, but I really couldn't think of any:  a lovely view of a parking lot perhaps, or perhaps a lovely view of the intersection of Route 9 and Market Street.  But there are no charming shops or pedestrians strolling the avenues so this was less enticing.  I finally had the idea of going to the CIA.  I used to meet friends for lunch at the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe, but hadn't been there lately, and I wasn't sure that DH had ever been.  It was perfect.  We both had a lovely piece of brioche filled with serrano ham and manchego cheese and a cup of excellent coffee.  We even scored a table with a view.  DH agreed that it was a lovely place and is already talking going over for an occasional morning spent perusing the NY Times with coffee and a pastry.  Of course lunch is always an option too.  Friday morning pastry with my DH, now that's a nice way to spend retirement.  Of course brioche doesn't help with knocking off those Christmas pounds, but you know what, I really don't care.  I'd much rather have the brioche.

.We had to walk past the bookstore on the way back to the car.  Even though I haven't put up the shelves in the new library/workout room and therefore still have my cookbook collection stacked around the house, I bought two more, although I think these are as much reading books as cooking books.

Raymond Sokolov and Corby Kumer are both writers I have long enjoyed so I know I will enjoy reading these books regardless of the state of the recipes.  But I am sure I will find something we like as well. 

And yes, those are little bits of yarn peeking out behind the books.  It is still piled up on the cutting table, and I bought more last night.  But at least I decided what I am doing with the new yarn.

Temptation I tell you, life is just too full of temptation.

They call me Mardel

It is actually my (middle) name.  I got the idea for the title by from Carolyn.  When I clicked on the link I expected nothing.  With a name like Mardel you learn not to expect much from those "what does your name mean" databases.  This time I got an answer.

What Mardel Means

You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated. You master any and all skills easily. You don't have to work hard for what you want. You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you'll knock down anyone who gets in your way! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

And you know what else?  A surprising amount of it is correct.  Especially the part about being a little flaky and irresponsible, especially of late.

I have not sewn up the completed "Dreaming of Spring" spring might come first, but I still expect a few weatherly glitches.  I am knitting Maggie.  My red skirt has not been cut because I have piled up all my yarn on the cutting table (now there is a frightening thought, so frightening in fact that I dread going into the sewing room).  And I have piled up all of my clothes on the ironing board vowing that I can't put them away until I figure out what fits, what doesn't, and what goes with what.

Oh yeah, and I discovered that somewhere along the line, probably in a series of internet connetion accidents, I managed to save 5 copies of my menu/recipe/USDA nutrition analysis databases, each with different subsets of information.  Now I have to manually correlate them and merge them all back into one.  That would be much easier if I were the kind of person that made the same 20 recipes over and over again.  Instead I am the kind of person who has 500 some recipes I use regularly (meaning more than once a year) and a huge reference list of books and other things I would like to try someday.

Perhaps it would just be easier to run away and start anew.  But I know that doesn't really work.

I guess being hyper-organized has its downsides.  Sometimes I get so tightly wound I just have to go into shut-down mode awhile. But I'll get my act together again.  I always do.

Dreaming of Spring

Dreaming of Spring is what I named the stripy green and purple sweater I am knitting from the mixed bag of Colinette yarns.  It is really a winter sweater but the colors just sing to me of the promise of spring.  I've got the body on the blocking board and the sleeves are almost done (about 1/2 sleeve to go).

I haven't really decided how I am going to finish the neckline yet, or which yarns I am going to use.  I am planning on adding some decorative touch at the bottom of the sleeves as well, but haven't planned that yet either.  It is all kind of a guessing game and I just hope I like the finished sweater, but I love looking at the knitted fabric as I go along.  It is just so pretty it always makes me smile.

Welcoming March

Although there was a distinct lack of sewing in February, which was never my actual plan, I have to admit that it was generally a good month, despite continued cold dreary icy weather, lack of sunshine, and 10 days of sickness. 

Early in the month I dubbed it "distraction elimination month" meaning that I set myself a goal of clearing up as much of the backlog of household purging, remodeling, and maintenance projects were weighing heavily on me.  I knew that I was incapable of really settling down to sewing when mounds of projects were right outside the sewing room door and the weight of those accumulated projects had really started to overwhelm.

Although I am not starting March with a clean slate, the remaining projects are really small additions to routine maintenance.    Without all these mountains of projects surrounding me, I can see no excuse for staying out of the sewing room.

As often happens when my sewing is more virtual than actual, I have been fabric shopping.  I purchased some things from Ann over at Gorgeous Fabrics  and then, after they arrived and I indexed them and put them away, I found the perfect dress for one of the fabrics, a dress for which I had not purchased enough fabric, so I had to go back and buy more of this beautiful green silk chiffon:

Despite my best intentions, I cannot buy just one piece of fabric, it just seems like a waste of shipping dollars, but I am sure that it just pure rationalization on my part. 

Like Marji  I was inspired by Gigi's photo of the draped pink cotton  but I managed to avoid clicking on the link to Gorgeous Fabrics until I realized that I definitely needed more chiffon.  Dreaming about green chiffon two nights in a row is a strong indication of "need" in my book, and once I was on the site I could not resist this lovely purple cotton or the pink one either.

Spring seems to be nowhere near to arriving around here. I still have a couple of feet of snow on the ground so these might rest on the shelf a little longer, but they will be there, in sight, taunting me and reminding me that spring will indeed arrive.

Meanwhile, I have another sweater almost finished, a new one to start, and a skirt waiting to be cut out.