I have been so focused on coding the website that I am working on, that I didn’t even realize the all out assault—usually reserved for the Sunday New York Times Paper Boy—against my front door was staged by the Amazon.com delivery man (well, USPS, but Amazon sounds like more of an adventure, and besides, that is where I ordered the book from).

To my delight, Knits Men Want by Bruce Weinstein arrived as planned. I saw this book a few months ago, right after I got laid off, when I was Father’s Day shopping for my Dad at Book Shop Santa Cruz. Because I had just gotten laid off I didn’t want to spend money on anything that I didn’t absolutely need. However, as the months past, I couldn’t stop thinking about the great pieces in the book. My mother and I have this theory, that if you find something you like in a store, often times if you just carry it around long enough while you are still IN the store, by the time you are heading for the register you come to realize that you no longer *need* that object, and while you may still like it, you’ve moved on. This technique has saved my mother and I probably thousands of dollars, though, I am sure it has created thousands of go-back for the poor, unsuspecting retail staff. Sorry!

I have been carrying this book around in my mind since June, and haven’t been able to put it down. For just under $13 on Amazon, Ramon informed me it wasn’t a frivolous purchase, because it was patterns of things to create, not just an “object” to sit on the coffee table until I get tired of it. With the holidays approaching, I would like to knit something for Ramon for Christmas, even though I have just started Project Hallway, too. I think I can do it, or maybe I am just insane. However, knitting for men isn’t easy.

As I sat down just afternoon to begin pouring through the patterns before selecting yarn online—which I doubt I will order, because I prefer going to the local yarn shop and touching everything—I felt a strong connection with the opening paragraph of the Introduction:

“It’s 6 p.m. on a Thursday evening in early fall. My class at Sit-N-Knit, a spacious and welcoming yarn shop in Bloomingfield, Connecticut, is filling up—ten women have come to learn how to knit sweaters from the top down. Each one is knitting a sweater for herself, and each seems to have a sad story to tell about her experiences knitting for a man in her life.”

I think that this book and I are going to get along JUUUUUUUST fine! I have hope!

Also on the list for tonight are finalizing the pattern for the pink raglan, and finishing the front piece … The front and the back are more than half-way done. I just needed to sit and do the math to try to figure out the stitches for the raglan shape. I think I will throw together a muslin really quickly to make sure that it is, in fact, going to work.

… Speaking of math … I went to the class last night and dropped it immediately when I got home. I have already sold the text book via Amazon—oh how I love Amazon—and shipped it out. The professor didn’t speak English very well, and had a very thick accent. I could feel the frustration in my rising up and boiling over during the 3 hour period I was in class. Math scares me, almost as much as the dentist. I’d like to approach it in a friendly, open way, and this does not include a teacher that I simply can’t understand. I cannot bare the thought of coming home every Monday for the next 16 weeks looking to pick a fight because I can’t hold back the anger of math. Oh well, maybe next semester.

A busy day of new beginnings

Today, I start school. Yes, that is correct. I figured that while I am unemployed, now is a good time to brush up some of my old skills, and try to make them shiny and new again. I have signed up for one night class (math) and one online class (English 1a) at the local community college, but I am also hoping to make it into one daytime class: pattern-making. I know, I know, if I find a job, I will have to drop the pattern making class, but I am totally OK with it. I just figure, anything that can help get me going, would be a very good thing. I am on the waitlist for the pattern making class, so it is not a sure thing, but I am number four on the list, so that is certainly not too far down there.

I don't know what it is about school and the fall but I feel the excitement of the hustle and bustle and the opening of a new chapter. I told Ramon last night it was now Fall, as I closed the windows. He informed me that I was wrong, and opened the windows back up. Hmm. Maybe I am just buzzing with excitement, but is that a bad thing?

Armed with one of my favorite pairs of LAMB shoes, I leave for my busy day of errands and school, and cross my fingers that I will get into the class.

Raglan Sweater

When Gwen Stefani appeared on the cover of Glamor last October, 2009, I bought the issue from the supermarket because, as I remember stating, the pink sweater is "the hottest pink sweater ever made." Turns out it was a McQ sweater, and even though it was not on the runway, I have included it in my collection because I love it so much.

I have started knitting (and promptly frogging) this sweater a few times. I know it has been more than 3. I started it in May, and still haven't made any progress. I decided to try to knit a few other things before this pink sweater, because up until a month ago, I had never knitted a sweater. I started off with a simple baby sweater, which wasn't a raglan, but boosted my confidence to the point where I was ready try the pink one again. While it did boost my confidence, it didn't give me enough knowledge or any experience of a true raglan to really start the pink sweater. So, on Friday I began a second baby sweater, this time a true raglan. It came along swimmingly.

Now, based off my skills from the baby raglan I feel like I can sit down and properly construct a pattern that will work for the pink sweater, instead of just "going for it," like I was doing before. I am armed with 13 skeins of baby alpaca, hot pink, and ready to go. Time to work on the pattern.

I hope I don't have to frog this thing too many more times. I don't want the yarn to look over worked.

It's certainly not couture, but was really great to learn with:


The Gwen Stefani Cover with the sweater I love.

Something borrowed

OK, so I have figured out what it is that I want to do.

One year,
30 looks, one designer,
based off of the list "10 things every woman must own,"
and ... I have to wear all of these looks (outside of my home, somewhere).

I won't be making all of the accessories, hats, hairpieces, etc, and I will also be taking a few liberties with sizing (based on my 5'2" frame, and what I can actually wear outside), colors, and fabrics as I can find them (or something close.

I want this project to challenge me and my skills, and allow me the opportunity to develop new skills. Because I am doing this with the goal of learning how to really sew--stitch on a machine, stitch by hand, tailor, pattern-make and drape--and I am not doing this to "be a designer," I am going to look at one individual who had true and unparalleled creativity to guide my hands and act as my mentor, even though he is no longer with us. I will use my current knitting abilities, and this will also give me an opportunity to learn to crochet.

Now, for the designer that I am choosing to work from: I have been inspired by Alexander McQueen's work for years. Coming from a creative/artistic background, I see more vision in AMQ's work than in any other high-end, well known fashion designer. AMQ was an artist, first and foremost. His visions found themselves in the world as garments, but they were much more than that. Inspiration coming from within, he made things unlike anyone else, and it is out of my great respect for him and hits life's work that I shall work from his creations to learn how to sew. As the days pass I will write much more of my love and respect for AMQ. While he may no longer physically be with us, I want him to live on forever. If there was ever a master ... I want learn more about him and his work. This should be a great exploration.

For additional guidance and focus, I am going to base the collection of garments I am going to create on "the 10 things every woman must own" by the famous and fabulous Tim Gunn. Of course with a few twists, and additions from my pattern-making and draping textbooks that I bough earlier this year.

1. Basic Black Dress
2. Trench Coat
3. Dress Pants
4. Classic Shirt
5. Jeans
6. Any Occasion Top
7. Skirt
8. Day Dress
9. Jacket
10. Sweatsuit Alternative (I am *really* going to be taking some liberties with this one.)

For the looks that I have selected, some of these are a far stretch to fit into the categories that I have put them, and some others are loosely grouped. I just figured, that if I am going to spend a year of my life looking at these things, then they should all be things that I absolutely love, or at least like.

I have labeled each image with a file name that reflects the number in T.G.'s list, so that the others might be able to see and try (probably hard) to see the category groupings I have selected to put each look in.

*I am trying to figure out which blogging site I like the most ... Blogger doesn't seem to be easy to set up a gallery in, and I have to do some more exploration. So, please visit my wordpress page to see the images:

http://projecthallway.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/something-borrowed/

Something New

I have been thinking about doing this for some time, but have not been able two work up the nerve. I like big projects, but I haven't had one in quite some time.

About a year ago Ramon, my significant other, and I discussed my frustration over not being able to complete any large projects. He said that my expectations were, "too high." Well, what's new? We settled on the idea--meaning he constructed and then convinced me-- of working on smaller projects that I could actually complete, and thus feel the satisfaction of the creative process seen through the conclusion.

The last big project that I worked on was in 2004, when I started my graphic design portfolio in my senior year of college and my final semester. If 60 hours a week worth of homework and portfolio building wasn't intense enough, I was also working at an an Apple retail store full time. By the end of it, my sister, who I had employed with a full time job of spray-mounting portfolio page, for the payment of an iPod, was about ready to kill me.

Now I find myself in the world of unemployment. As a way to keep myself busy while looking for work (as there is none), and to fight off the feelings of depression, I have been working on lots and lots of small projects. I love the small projects, and find them very satisfying and fulfilling. Nothing feels better than completing something that I have made by hand.

So, what is the big project? Well my goal is to learn how to sew. No, like really sew. I have been thinking for weeks now, how I might define and encapsulate my large project. A lot of different things have run through my mind, and some general concepts are sticking, but the hard parameters have yet to find resolve in my mind.

By the end of the day, I will post what it is that I want to do. Oh look, my first deadline.