Friday, January 28, 2011

Moved!

Since its inception, I have been publishing this blog here, and in one other location to test the format that I preferred, and to see what was or is working the best for both me, and my viewers.

I have recently moved the entire site to: http://project-hallway.com

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

-Julie

Monday, January 17, 2011

Now, if only I had a subway to ride.

After my long winded longings about going to New York and thoughts about art and Alexander McQueen, I took some pictures of the hat that I just completed from Modern Top Down Knitting, the Subway Hat, also one from my 12in11 list.







Great pattern, took one day, even including making the lining and adding the braids. The pattern was simple, but I learned three new things. This is the first—and not the last—hat I have done from the top down. Big yarn—I used Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes in Blue and Natural, Colorway 2001 and 2003— and big needles meant it went along quickly, and I got the majority of it done at the Laundromat yesterday. The second new skill was doing the crochet boarder. Super simple, and this is another skill that I will be putting to good use in the near future.

On Saturday I found a fleece remnant in the bin at the local fabric store, and a buck later, it was mine. It was .45 yards and 2x what I needed. I quickly drafted a pattern, surged it together, & over-locked the edges. I included a 1/2" seam allowance, so I folded it up, and stitched it. Incorporating the braids seemed like it might be fun, and also something I hadn't done before (3rd new skill).I also over-locked the braids into the lining, in the seam allowance, so there is no mess, no muss, and no fuss.



Being lazy I used my Bernina 450, the correct thread—natural for the crochet boarder, and light gray for the fleece—and a top-stitching needle, I carefully, and quickly sewed the lining into the hat. I know it was cheating to do it this way, but, hey, I don't mind.



So warm, now I just with I had a subway to ride on ... New York? Something about New York?

Alexander McQueen + the MET = Dilemma.

Upon surfing through my Sunday NYTimes this morning, fully aware that I am a day late, I also realize that I am about two months behind on the news. On November 11th, 2010, the Met issued a press release about an upcoming exhibit: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, May 4, 2011–July 31, 2011. How I could have missed this news baffled me, though it shouldn't.

I don't think I have been on my A game, for a while, and then upon hearing recent news, I think I've sort of fallen off the inspiration wagon.




My sister and I have talked a number of times about branding in fashion, most recently about the Spring 2011 McQueen collection, the first by Sarah Burton. Of course this collection was bound to be under great scrutiny. People wanted to know if Sarah Burton would be able to live up to and continue the vision, artistry, raw imagination, and workmanship of Lee Alexander McQueen. Her collection was recognized as meeting these goals, though, both my sister and myself felt it was a regurgitation of Lee's ideas, and cleverly masked the insecurity of the line's new designer in rich textiles, attention to detail and exquisite tailoring, also things we had seen before, but expect, as we should from the McQueen line. All this being said, I honestly feel that the line should have, well, been laid to rest in the wooden box alongside its visionary, creator, and proprietor. Never content with making fashion for fashion's sake, his voice has changed in his death and he is now, merely, and sadly a brand. No longer art. It will be a long time before we see that much true creativity, artistry, vision and workmanship in fashion, and ultimately, modern art.



I am currently trudging my way through Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson. It's not that it's that bad, it's just not that good. I found it at the library a week ago in the "bestseller" area, clearly, misfiled if you ask me. The author interjects his opinions in the weirdest places, I don't think you were actually there buddy, so why tell just this one paragraph like you were, and all the others like your not. The flow is a bit catty-wham-pus for my taste, and it seems like the content could be written in such an exciting way, and it is just not. I just finished reading a section regarding the wardrobe and how Audrey, and Holly, made modern fashion accessible to all, not just the elite. But, I don't know that she made fashion accessible, I think that she made specifically style, and the essence of chic accessible. I think that true fashion, and style are different things. Style can become a brand, but art can never be. Just look at what Andy Wharhol did with brands and he is still, and will always be seen as an artist.

The article in the NYTimes that indicated that I do, in-fact, live under a rock, and enlightened me to the upcoming McQueen exhibit at The MET, shared my opinion on fashion, brands and commodity as being, not one in the same. Apparently the brand Alexander McQueen can be sustained from creating one-off pieces for ladies with high bank rolls, dresses costing upwards of $30,000 each.

I am sick of seeing the LV insignia bags. I don't want compromise in art or artistic vision for everyone to be able to buy something "authentic." I wish there were more separation between fashion (art)—so little of it that there truly is—and "style."

Appropriately featured, the Alexander McQueen exhibit will be opening May 4th and running through July 31st. Ironically, I received a promotion from Virgin America Airlines this morning, before learning of the exhibit, advertising fares through mid may from SFO to NYC for $139 (before taxes, fees, snacks and movies). So now comes the great question, do I fork over the $300, find a couch to surf on, grab the bull by its horns and fly out for one night for, perhaps, the only chance I will ever receive to see, in person, the amazing work of Alexander McQueen?

And if I do go, what do I wear?

Even though I drove 800 miles for real Alexander McQueen fabric, this, sadly, I think is outside of my budget ...

Please help send me to see Alexander McQueen at The MET

Images in this post are from Vogue, July 2010, United States: A Noble Farewell for Alexander McQueen by Annie Leibovitz

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Whoa. That's a lot of bins. Day 136.

So, I never thought the day would come, but I have found a type of yarn that the cats desire and crave even more than wool. Think this isn't possible? All those smells, those woolly, delicious scents. Well, I've got one word for you: Angora.

Who would have guessed that my kitties would fall head over tails for the glorious smell of one of these little guys:



Luckily my sister came over last week to help me with the great OrganizationFest of 2011. Amazing as my sewing room is, I have been struggling since it's installation with were to put things away. It is a small space, now made smaller by massive project. At the end of each project I have to tidy up, and put all of my tools and materials away, which is fine, but, I as I just mentioned, I didn't really know just where to put the stuff.

Jenny, the great organizer, asked me to come up with some goals, then she would come over, before returning to her fourth semester in Law School to get everything organized and in its place in one fell swoop. We started the day making a list of everything that needed a home, then making a list of the sizes of the possible homes. Off to the Container Store with great anticipation the great OrganizationFest of 2011 was underway. After learning that the Container Store has nothing useful, unless you are buying into their Elfa system, or need to put away 1. specific things, 2. small things, or 3. kitchen things, we went to Target and hit the Organization Jackpot, much to both my, and my sister's surprise.

Finding appropriate homes for my yarn, fabric, tools and the like we loaded up our bins and found that we needed a seeing eye dog. By some miracle we made it to back to the first floor, to the checkout line without incident.



After playing a bit of tetris we fit them all into my '96 318ti BMW, making only one trip. While many joke that the "ti" stands for trunk impaired, I say to you, "Suck it." We can fit more stuff in my ti than in any of our other car, quite possibly including the X5.

Less than three hours later, we turned the eye-sore into a totally usable space.

In order to appreciate the greatness of the new space, I must share the befores, as embarrassing as they are, in addition to the afters.


The sewing room in its new-found glory:




The sad sewing room before:




The left side of the sewing room closet before:


The left side of the sewing room closet after:


The right side of the sewing room closet before:


The right side of the sewing room closet after, pattern paper now properly contained:


The Yarn Buffet, now just the Buffet filled with Buffed appropriate items, and not one strand of yarn. All of the yarn is now categorized by color and fiber in the sewing room, in the right side bins under the sewing table:



So now, even though the kitties have found their new found Angora love, my yarn, and my sanity are saved after receiving a lot of help from my sister.

Bunnies be gone, at least from my kitties minds.


Thank you Jenny!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Thinking about you. Day 132.

So, I had meant to post on Friday, and then yesterday, but those things just didn't happen. I was super excited to post about about Jenny coming over to direct the Great OrganizationFest of 2011, until I became distracted by some news about some friends. I heard the news about two friends, both in the hospital, both not doing well. Out of respect for both individuals—both in different situations—I will not get into specifics. Though I will say that yesterday, Ramon and I took a 3 hour drive to see if a car was salvageable. It was not. Luckily, the wife of Ramon's best friend is still alive, though she will be in the ICU for a while, after a very, very scary, and very, very bad accident.


And, with that, my goal of posting once a day in 2011 goes right out the window, but there has been good reason.


Cliché, I know, but these events really get you thinking about the ones you love, and how quickly things can change, and how unexpected the change can be.


Now that I am out of town for the next four days, taking care of some things, I have no way, other than iPhone and iPad, complete with new bluetooth keyboard, to take pictures and update Project Hallway. I can't help but say that I am feeling really down about my friends, and wish that there was more that I could do to help, and be there. Make the problems, and pain go away.


Until I get back home, I would just like to encourage you all to donate blood. You never know when something might happen to someone that you love—a thought that we try our hardest to stay away from. But if, and when it does, sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest difference.


By contacting your local Red Cross you can find a blood donation center near you. If I could figure out how to make a link with the iPad through Wordpress, I would, but no such like. The URL is: http://www.red cross.org



I thought I might take this opportunity to mull over some ideas on McQueen, but I think that I'll save that for another day. Doesn't seem to fit in this post in the right way.

I will have you know that I did wear my favorite pair of LAMBs on the plane for you. They are closed toe, so a little more appropriate for winter than the ones I thought you might like to see me wear more. I got a lot of looks with my 5" heels, and, of course, you are on my mind the whole time. I really hope you start feeling better ASAP!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

12in11. Day 129.

A Challenge!

Yesterday, sifting through the Ravelry.com forums, I came across a group titled 12in11. Participants of the group are to select twelve projects to complete in 2011. Of course these are all yarn projects, be it knitting, crochet, spinning, dying, etc.

So my readers, I thought I'd pose the same challenge to you! Why not make 2011 a little more creative, and inspiring than last year? 12 projects isn't that hard, it could be 12 different complicated dinners to make, on per month. 12 5k marathons to run. 12 food festivals to go to.

For my 12 projects, on Ravelry.com I have selected a number of items I have already ordered yarn for, or have started, frogged, and haven't finished. Because I have so many projects on my plate, I didn't want to go, well, overboard. I have a tendency for doing this ... I doubt anyone has noticed.

Here is my ravelry.com, knitting & crochet, 12in11 list, not necessarily in order:

1. Selbu Modern


2. Amigurumi Penguin


3. Annie Hat


4. Subway Hat


5. Feather Dress



6. Museum Tunic


7. Lace and Broomstick Hat


8. Netted Clutch


9. Noro Striped Scarf


10. Fuzzy Mitten Lamb



11. Lace Panel Tunic


And, I am sneaking this one in here, for January. Like I said, I am not trying to go overboard, and this one is legitimate even though it is my pattern, and I finished it yesterday.
12. Diamond Slouchy Beret


What is your 12in11 list?

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Snuggly, until it gets prickly (or, well, itchy), just like Frannie. Day 128.

I went to the library this afternoon to do some research for a project. Wait let me re-phrase. I went to the library today to *try* to do some research for a project. I love the library, I do, but they did not have one single book in the entire system—not just the branch I was in—on the topic I am trying to research. How? Why? Does not compute.

Feeling a little down, I returned home, and finished the second Taylor Swift hat, which I had started this morning. The red one was a "large" and this blue one is a "small." I found a few (4) errors in the pattern, so now both the pdf, blog and ravelry.com page are all updated. I hope this hasn't lead to any frustration, unlike my trip to the biblioteca. Lame.

I have also learned that I need to take picture in the morning in the mirror, not at night, as I look like the ice queen.





Knitting the hat for the second time took SURPRISINGLY less time than the first. Big needles, big yarn = 1 day project. Who knew? The first time around it took a week, but there was a lot of figuring out to do. I wore it out when we went to the Mexican place for dinner, and it is super snuggly, but I actually prefer the red wool hat, which is Superwash Wool, and not itchy, as opposed to the Mirasol Sulka which is 60% Merino Wool, 20% Alpaca & 20% Silk. Even though it feels like my mom's kitten, Frantic Frannie, it actually got a bit itchy by the end of dinner. Not what I expected.

Working the smaller size went well though, and I think that it is a bit better size for me than the large. I have a small yead, but my brains are mighty—granted not as mighty as my Mensa sister, but, you know.

Despite the library's terrible shortcomings today, I did fine a book about Audrey Hepburn in the "bestsellers" section, that I am going to try to give a go. I still have Ramon's sweater to finish, but I have a bunch of calculations to do for the pattern for the sleeve, and I am just not sure that tonight is the night.