One Yard Wonder in a Week of Project Disapointment. Day 93.

With the whirlwind that was Thanksgiving, I didn't get much work on my projects done. Ok. Well, that's a lie. I just told you a lie. I got a lot done, but I don't feel like I accomplished a whole lot.

I completed kitting two hats, one of which turned out perfectly, so perfectly, in-fact that Ramon wouldn't take it off after I finished it, even though I didn't make it for him. I made this one from my altered pattern from the Knits Men Want book. I still think my pattern alteration could use some further adjustment, so I'll change more in the next one, then I will have changed so much I may have to call it my own pattern. There's a thought.



The second hat turned out too small. The hat is a pattern created for Hermione's knit hat in Harry Potter 6, I think it is. It is a cute hat, and a great pattern. I was making it as a gag gift, but my sister loves it so much, I think that I am either going to make it longer, or make a new one for her. Maybe the "child-size" one can be the gag-gift ... we'll see. Regardless, I still felt pretty disappointed when I realized I hadn't followed the instructions properly. For an adult it needed one more section and cable. The instructions say this, but I guess in the Thanksgiving on the grill coma, I neglected to read the instructions properly.





I also finished the crochet parts of my Monkey, and now I just have to put him all together. I LOVE the fez. Big Kitty does not. Too bad for Big Kitty.



Oh, and as you may have just observed, I finished the Lexington Sweater, almost two weeks ago now, and I love it. I find it to be more itchy than I was hoping, however at the Black Friday yarn sale at my local yarn shop (Hooray for 20% off of my entire purchase), I learned from a fellow knitter about Eucalan soap, which is supposed to soften the fibers, but not change the shape of the finished garment. I really want a Hermione Hat, myself, and since I have extra Berroco Ultra Alpaca in light grey from this sweater, maybe I will make one out of that, and try the soap on it before, hopefully not, ruining my entire sweater.





Yesterday was just a bad day. It started off with buying plane tickets out to see my sister in Georgia in January, only to realize that I had bought a red-eye flight, instead of the daytime flight. It was the only direct flight, and I feel really, really stupid. That is my second, maybe first, biggest blonde moment of the year, either right before, or right after showing up to my Bernina sewing class without my Bernina. I am still hiding in shame from that one, too. So, I looked into changing the flight, and it will cost $150. That is a $150 stupidity tax ... just so you know. Alas, I will just take the damn red-eye. Ugh.

The rest if the day didn't go much better, with the exception of taking advantage of some Cyber Monday deals. Ever since the cats decided to use my black boots for bladder relief after the door to the closet that their litter box resides in was accidentally closed all the way, for 24 hours, I have been in the market for some new boots. Imagine that. With Endless.com's freaking fantastic deals yesterday I go these two:

Kenneth Cole Reatcion Brown Boot. Basic, clean, wearable. Nothing special, but great for every day, jeans, leggins, etc.


A clear tribute to the Louboutin Emily from a few years back. I fell in love with this shoe when it came out, but at the time didn't have the $1000 for it. So, I now settle for the tribute, with will be fun to wear. I have loved these shoes ever since I saw a similar pair on Chloe Sevigny on the cover of Elle UK a few years back (image below). Just beautiful, and beautiful styling.

The shoes I bought:


The original Louboutin Emily:



Ok ok, back to yesterday. Well, Last week I turned in my dress shirt for my pattern making class. Happy that I chose a fabric that is very hard to see mistakes in, I received an A- on it. Not bad. I also finished the muslin of the Bias skirt that we have to turn in tomorrow, as I thought I had to turn it in last week. Well, the construction of the muslin bias skirt is a bit, well, questionable. However, I figure, you win some, you loose some. Then, I discovered that the skirt actually fits me, and if it were well constructed, it would look really nice, so I decided to make one. After my mom and I made a trip to a nearby fabric store during their black Friday weekend sale, I acquired some great, but inexpensive fabric for some upcoming projects. After making friends at the cutting counter, I even scored an extra yard and a half of the fabric for free. I met an awesome fellow with a passion for fashion, and who started tailoring classes as a Sophomore in high school. I told him all about my project, and what I as buying the fabric for. Apparently he thought I was awesome, too, as I didn't realize until I was looking at the receipt last night, and I wasn't charged for the last yard and half on the bolt.

Sewing the skirt went sort of well, the cutting of the pattern not so much. After not having cut myself with an exacto knife since I, literally, cut half way through my finger 6 years ago, I cut myself twice last night. Then I burned my finger with the iron. Then the waistband just wasn't work, so I ripped the whole damned thing out. Ramon advised me, at this point, to stop for the night. But, seeing as how I was now bleeding and burned, I persisted. I tried a lighter weight interfacing in the waistband, and and used it in the whole waistband, instead of just half. Success. From the freebee yard, plus just a little extra for the front panel, and then, needing to make the second waistband I have created this skirt, which Ramon has declared his favorite, stating, "It kind of looks like a flower at the bottom." Ramon, you're cute. I love you.

As this is the second one-yard wonder of the McQueen project, I have decided to honor them with a new category, viewable on the Wordpress version of my blog. The first one-yard-wonder, of course, was the sequin dress.



Today's disaster? Well, my beaufiul McQueen Blue Sweater Dress is almost done. I have been struggling with how to do the collar for weeks. I even knit about 7 different collars, none of them working right, until the one that I made last night. And then, this morning, I stitched it into the completed body of the sweater and what happens? The stitching doesn't stretch like the rest of the knit, making the head/neck hole to small.

So, this means that I need to rip out the entire neck, and the shoulders and well, you know. Ugh, I don't have the heart to do it today. I cannot expressed just how bummed I am about this though.







So, I guess it is, literally, back to the drawing board today. I need to get some drafting done on my final project for school, and I am way, way behind on everything else McQueen. Hello Holidays!

Seasonally affected. Day 81.

I feel like I have just been behind since my event in October and the the trip to Kentucky. I have fallen about 3 weeks back in my Pattern making class, luckily we haven't had anything due, or maybe that's a bad thing, because then I don't have to commit to working on anything until just before the deadline.

For about a week my motivation level has been really low, and I have been feeling really glum. I only spent one afternoon in my sewing room last week, working on a skirt, only to get interrupted and then not make any more progress.

Well, yesterday, finally, I got a little dose of motivation from I don't know where. I made great progress on a number of projects, including a lot of my school work. Next week I have two big, sewing drafting projects due, a skirt on the bias and a tailored shirt. I am ready to begin construction. I am also working on drafting my final project, which is part of my overall final for class. Additionally, I finished drafting the entire "collar" assignment, which I did miss, but you are allowed to turn in one assignment at the end of the semester if you miss it with a "coupon" that the professor gave us on the first day. I don't like turning in things late, and for that matter, i don't like being late. I like being on-time, and I like over-achieving. Big shocker, I know. But, can you really blame me for putting off drafting peter pan collars?

Ramon has been down for the past few days, too. He spent the weekend at the track with his s54ti. Thoroughly disappointed with its performance, even though he is very proud of the overall accomplishment, we both find ourselves at home in a bit of a funk, but at least not at each other. I think that we are both experiencing "Seasonal Affected Disorder," where, you feel depressed because the sun is gone at 4:30 in the afternoon.

Despite the blues, I did get quite a bit of knitting done over the weekend. After she turned me onto the most well written show I have ever seen on network television (HBO and AMC aside), Friday Night Lights, which I spent the entire weekend watching and knitting—how have I never heard of this show before???—my sister came over on Sunday afternoon after spending a weekend on a break from law school homework, riding motorcycles in the Santa Cruz Mountains with our dad. A breath of fresh air it was great to hang out and I even convinced her to help me wind about 20 hanks of yarn into balls as i don't have a swift and a yarn ball winder. Oh, wait, I do. It's my sister.

I completed both of the blue sleeves for the McQueen Sweater dress, and just today I finished one of the two sleeves for the Lexington Sweater, and already have it stitched into the sweater bodice. I can't wait to wear this sweater. The size 5 needles are killing my wrist but I don't really want to take a break. I feel like I have been letting myself down on the sewing portion of Project Hallway. I think part of is the seasons changing, and part of it is the school projects, like the peter pan collars. I guess, I feel like if I am sitting in my sewing room, I should be catching up on projects for school, even though I'd much rather be working on things for myself.

Maybe I'll feel better once I get to the actual sewing, instead of just the drafting. Why does coffee only have caffeine and not inspiration, too?

Proof that I have been doing something:


The work room looking worked from pattern- drafting, but, again, proof that I have been doing something:

Monsters. Day 74.

I just got a phone call from my mirror souled creative other-half who I haven't heard from since the Great Departure of 2010. Such joy from hearing his voice over my little iphone, but so much anxiety talking about the incident that I actually started shaking. I thought I was over this. Well, OK, I knew I wasn't over it, but I thought I'd at least started to move past it. Anger is a funny thing. I compared this incident to breaking up with a love, but it is different, seated deeper than that. Hanging up the phone, I realized that my old friends, depression and darkness had invited themselves in for the evening. I've had break-ups that were easier to cope with than this. The snake that you don't even hear. Feeling his fangs pierce your skin, your world spins more slowly. It doesn't happen instantly, this little guy has other plans. Meandering through your veins, taking it's sweet-ass time, the venom seeps through your arm, then your leg. Time seems to stop, and then it finally reaches your chest. You feel the pulling, and tightening. It may not be enough to kill you once the when some of venom has been sucked out as if it were part of a great tormenting exorcism.

Months pass, the bruising finally heals, the scabs come off, and you start to exit the shadows, in the darkness that you have become. Still shaking and sweating, you realize you will make it through, but you may never look at the world quite the same way again, and the world will never see you in quite the same way either. No longer poisoned, but still tainted.

This event. This thing. It is sticking to me. I called another good friend from the same space, and realized while on the phone that I have closed off my world from what it was before, making it as small, and warm as possible to combat my inner anger. Was this healthy, was this really the right thing to do? I still get txts from people seeing me on Speed Channel or HDTV Theater, from before the year changed seasons, ironically letting in more light, which seemed to be the opposite of my life at the time. Now that the seasons are changing again, darkness seams oddly inappropriate, welcome, but not where I am moving.

Maybe it's time to actually step back outside, back into my previous life. Maybe not.

I have made some good progress on the Sherpa skirt, but now feel so distracted that I have become sidelined to the rest of the day. My focus gone, elated to hear from my friend on the phone, anxious about the past, and now, again, the future, I leave you with my Lada Gaga Meat Dress Halloween Costume.

Inspiration from a Lady who keeps her personal life private in the fish-bowl that surrounds her, and lives through art both of her own creation and of others. She may seem like only an outlandish pop-star, but she is courage in physical form. My—somewhat silly—tribute to you.

And, depression and anxiety, a message to you: You can suck-it. I'm too good for you now. I don't know why you can't see that. Bitterness, you can suck-it, too.

As my D200 camera battery is dead, and I have conveniently lost its charger, these photos are courtesy of friends. Neither show the shoes well, which were the best part. You win some, you loose some. At least someone remembered to take pictures. The police hat is courtesy of my friend Sarah, who also dressed up as a stripper police officer. You can see my "steak" hat in the picture of Ramon Stan and me.




PS - I apologize for the cryptic nature of this post. It's better this way.

Mostly Horses. A fair amount of Bourbon. A little bit of knitting. Day 74.

Being in Kentucky for the last week gave me a lot of time to think about things, but no time for sewing.



I am, admittedly, extremely disappointed with Churchill Downs. $80 a ticket gets you a spot on a cold, metal bench—the weather was also only 40°F—next to some beer swillers strikingly reminiscent of Nascar fans, and absolutely zero view. Your also left to walk 2 miles to your car, unless you want to pay $15 per person, each way for the shuttle bus, to go those said 2 miles, after you've already paid $20 to park. We left early on Friday, watching the remainder of the races from a really great bar just over the Ohio river in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The seats, drinks, and company were all leaps and bounds above the experience at the track.

Perhaps my expectations were just too high. I've been to Kentucky before, but had spent most of my time in Lexington. Even though it was only a short, short amount of time, I feel in love with Lexington, and I though Kentucky. After driving across the US and back, twice, we found the best hospitality in Lexington. It is true that people are much more friendly as soon as you get outside of California—I'm not a hater, I love California, but in California people do not say "Good Morning" to you as you pass them on the street, they don't even make eye-contact with you—but there is something special and supremely friendly about Lexington. The last time we were there, I was ready to buy a fantastic house and buy a horse. I thought that these were my people.

Well, I quickly learned that Louisville is not Lexington. There are hardly any horses, or friendly people. I did see a house with at least 12—yes, I counted—broken down Camaros on the front and back lawn, and two separate Jesuses on the front lawn in vertical bathtub houses, I assume to protect him from the snow?

Ramon flew back on Sunday, and my mom and I drove on to Lexington from there. Well, there she was, the beautiful, and friendly town that I'd remembered. Wow, the people are just so friendly there and it is beautiful with its proud fall colors. My mom and I went to Keenland, and then to the Kentucky Horse Park, followed by the Fasig-Tipton auction, were we saw fillies and mares being auctioned who actually just ran, and won races at the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs two days prior. While we couldn't see them from our "seats" at the track, we saw them up-close as they sold for extremely hefty bids at the most amazing horse facility I had ever seen.

Sold for $1.95m!


An excited filly at the Keenland Auction. Note how when the video begins all four of the horse's legs are off the ground.


That night we went to the well known Malone's Steakhouse, had steak that rivaled Peter Lugars in Brooklyn, delicious bourbon drinks, and then ran, literally, into Bob Baffert as we fumbled through the rotating door as we were leaving. He giggled at us. We were clearly having a good time.

On Day 2 in Lexington we went to Lanes End as they were having an open house in the Stallion barn. I actually got to meet, and pet Curlin like was a pet, even though he is the most money winning race-horse of all time, and two-time horse of the year. He stands stud at Lanes End now, and his first weanlings are just coming on the auction block. We saw a few at Keenland and at Fasig-Tipton. Just amazing, and beautiful to see him up close after watching him race. He was like a freight-train on the track. He just kept on coming, and nothing was gonna get in his way.




While Curlin doesn't get the win in one—one of the few—this is on of the most amazing races of my time, and a good display of his amazing ability.


While I was busy horsing around not only in Kentucky, but in the days before the trip began, I didn't have time to finish the blue sweater dress before departing, which actually worked out, unexpectedly, for the best. It was way, way to cold in Louisville to be wearing anything to Churchill Downs but thermal pants under jeans, furry snow-boots, two long-sleeved thermal shirts, a sweater, a hoodie, and a fuzzy mountain-hardware jacket, along with a leather and faux-fur, ear-flap hat, and an umbrella. Given that the blue sweater dress was so closed to being finished (only two sleeves to go), I elected not to take it to the blue-grass state at all. To much bulk in my beautiful DVF handbag, which was my singular carry-on item. I know, I can't believe it either. Instead, I decided to take an entirely new project, which is more the color of the limestone rock, gray, which is, oddly enough what causes the grass in Kentucky to have that famous blue hue.

Using my airplane friendly bamboo size 5, 29 inch circular needles, I cast on the sweater front at the airport, and even though we had less than 20 minutes on our layover at Chicago, Midway, I had the sweater through to the first few bodice increase stitches by the time we got off the plane in Louisville. To my mom's horror, I did it all while reading a book—it was a fluff book, The Carrie Diaries.

By Saturday the entire front side was completed, and I'd moved onto the back-side. Last night I finished the ribbing on the neck. And, even though I haven't even started the sleeves yet, I stitched the shoulders and sides together, to test the fit, anyway. I just couldn't help myself, and I am super happy with it!



I have named this sweater the Lexington Sweater for obvious reasons, even though it is very clearly based off of a Theory sweater currently at Neimans.



Ok, so I am not ready to move to Kentucky by any stretch of the imagination, but I did have an amazing trip, and I loved spending the time with my mom and Ramon, even though Ramon only participated in the shitty end of the trip. I am now feeling extremely behind in my Patternmaking class, but it is well worth it for—oh God this is corny, but still true—the memories that we shared on our vacation.

Now it is time to get back down to business. I am rounding up some Halloween pictures, so there will be a less horsey, more "horrific" post coming later today. My Bernina has a fine layer of dust on it too. That has GOT to go!