November 2015 – Page 2

November 13, 2015

Happy Friday + Randomness + Giveaway {CLOSED}

Happy Friday! Since there was no school on Veteran’s Day this past Wednesday, K and I headed to the Japanese Garden to meet up with some friends.

It was so beautiful and serene. I almost felt like I should whisper and suppress my coughs.

The autumnal leaves boldly accented the lush green landscape. Red, gold, persimmon (there were actual persimmons too).

The koi fish gathered under the small bridges. Many were autumnal in color too, but the one that caught my eye was indigo, of course.

A stately heron camouflaged itself into the foliage and scenery.

This calming, meditative and meticulously manicured bit of nature was just what I needed (we found two women hand-plucking moss off of a small tree; they smiled and explained to us how the moss hinders the beauty of the branches). It reminded me of these coloring books. I’ve always had a weakness for coloring books, and right now there’s an explosion of them on the market. These were meant to be research — I wanted to know what “anti-stress art therapy” looked like. I’m all about anti-stress, as you know. It looks lovely, it turns out, with simple line drawings ranging from geometrics to nature-inspired scenes. I find, however, that I’m not inclined to color in other people’s drawings (I keep wanting to create my own) and it seems a shame to let these sit around without de-stressing anyone.

I’m not sure if anyone would be interested in these but I’ll throw ’em out there to see if there are takers. Even if you’re not into coloring, I think these would make sweet gifts. I’ll select two winners, one for each book, and to enter the giveaway, I’d love to know: what do you do to cultivate mindfulness or a sense of calm? Do you meditate? Take walks? Drink a special tea?

I’ll leave the giveaway open until next Friday, November 20th and will contact the winner on the following Monday. International entries are always welcome. Good luck!

Mindfulness is good
But monkey mind is my norm
How about for you?

Have a superb weekend, all!

November 11, 2015

Quietly

As the cough subsided in K, it snaked its way into my throat. I imagine this cough to be a rather heavyset creature, shifting its ample hindquarters this way and that in my trachea, settling in for the long haul, probably knitting something scratchy and long to cause those pesky dry hacks. It happens every year around this time.

Instead of fighting it, I’ve learned to submit. I figure it’s my body’s way of telling me to shut up already, just rest. The beginning of the school year is always so frenetic and after about a month, a collective exhaustion seems to disengage the immune system, and the flu spreads like wildfire. Interesting factoid: I was talking to a friend who grew up in Japan and there, where the school year starts in April, they have something called the May sickness because a large number of students go through a similar spate of illness approximately four weeks after the start of a new school year.

So I am resting this week, using my voice as little as possible. But I can’t help but want to keep my hands and mind busy. I’m not very good at sitting still and doing nothing. Last week, I passed a storefront with “ReCreative” splashed across the window, and what caught my eye was a small sign that read, “yarn: $1”. Seattle Recreative is essentially a thrift store for crafters, but it’s also a community space for art classes and exhibits. The place was hoppin’! Filled with a mish mash of supplies from fabric to jewelry-making doodads to what appeared to be ancient tubes of paint, moms with strollers and toddlers were arriving by the droves when I ducked in to see what this whole dollar yarn situation was about. I ended up with a few skeins in my favorite shades, and snagged a couple of vintage National Geographics at 50 cents a pop too:

$6 well spent. I’ve also checked out a couple of promising reads from the library:

Still working on my Gingers. I started anew with a size 6 since my last attempt at size 8 yielded über mom pants with too much wiggle room around the tummy and thighs. I got my size 6 pattern pieces all prettily cut up, selected a denim from my pile that wasn’t quite stretchy enough, and alas, I couldn’t even get my calf in. I dove back into my pile, found another denim (in grey this time) with significantly more stretch, basted it up, but no, still too small. And the size 8 mom pants are fitting much better all of sudden, though still a touch loose. I am somewhere between a 6 and 8, it seems, though I have a sneaking suspicion that my monthly cycle may morph my body into two completely different sizes, depending on the time of the month. Since I clothe myself exclusively in knits and worn out jeans, this is difficult to verify.

Sigh. I’m getting mighty comfortable at the drawing board.

Anyway. Quietly, quietly. Time to pipe down and soothe, to still my overactive tendencies, to drink tea and let lozenges slowly melt in my mouth. To wait for the departure of my cough. And maybe dream about knitting something.

November 9, 2015

Monday Outfit: Faux Fur Vest

Good Morning! We had a bustling weekend filled with celebrations and Ultimate Frisbee (in the rain! K called Uncle midway to avoid getting sick again). I also stole away for a few hours to luxuriate in some crafting, and remembered my minimalist sewing plans. The warm zip vest seemed like a practical item to tackle for these days with rapidly cooling temperatures, but I couldn’t get myself worked up into a frenzy of excitement about sewing with batting.

As I waded through my stash of fabrics, I came across a piece of white-and-grey pelt the size of a placemat and recalled how K lingered to touch a faux fur vest at Target. I believe it was this one. K rarely stops to look at ready-to-wear clothes, so that moment stuck in my mind. Naturally, I had to make one for her.

I used this book, which actually has a pattern for a faux fur vest. I am thrillingly close to have sewn every pattern, and I’ll have to do a round up of all the clothes I’ve made from this book soon. I derive a lot of satisfaction from seeing all the outfits lined up together — it’s the small things in life, right? Or maybe it’s the touch of OCD in me.

I did change things up a little bit:

– K wanted a cropped vest, so I cut out the size 130cm, but shortened the length to 110cm.

– There are separate instruction for spring and winter versions for this vest pattern, and the winter faux fur version recommends a hook-and-eye closure. I didn’t have one, so I used one of the other closure options of a loop and button (the third option is a tab closure). The loop is leather, and the button is a vintage metal one from my mom.

– Since I had so little of the faux fur, I used it for the front only, and found a nice neutral grey wool for the back piece.

– I lined it with leftover jersey knit from the Halloween costume cape instead of rayon lining fabric that I usually use. This was purely out of laziness since the knit happened to be right there by my cutting table. I’m glad it wasn’t too fiddly!

I love quick, unnecessary and fun projects. Necessity sewing gets me down for some reason (underwear comes to mind).

If K could have given me a thousand thumbs’ ups, she would have. “I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it,” she declared.

(She accidentally threw the hanger on which the vest was hanging, which is why she looks like that up there. I think it’s cute).

The only tricky part is that faux fur starts shedding uncontrollably once you cut into it, so I was very, very gentle about handling the front pieces. I looked like a 90-year-old offering up a sacrifice while concentrating on walking meditation: I carried the faux fur pieces on upturned, flattened palms as I took painfully slow micro steps from the cutting table to the sewing machine. It worked. There was minimal fluffy tufts floating about, and the vest practically assembled itself.

Fun fun fun. I can now cross off the knit tunic, the skinny jeans and the (modified) vest from my minimal sewing plan:

Not too shabby, I’d say. K agrees.

P.S. I did not make the jeggings, though I wish I had because they’re so awesome. They’re from the neighbor hand-me-down pile. We’ve made very little progress on the clothes elimination front….

November 6, 2015

Happy Friday + Randomness

Happy Friday! I’m scuttling toward un-sickness, and I’m optimistic that I’ll be all better before the end of the weekend. I had a good day yesterday, a day full of lovely moments and quirkiness. As we walked to school in the drizzly morn, K and her friend spotted two ginormous mushrooms flanking a tree trunk (they were red, but I painted only one in blue — I’m going through a Picasso phase).

And then amid the remnants of Halloween decorations, I saw a carved pumpkin carriage.

I splurged on and thoroughly savored a slice of olive oil apple bundt cake at the ridiculously charming Coyle’s Bakeshop and chit chatted with a new friend.

On a long walk back to pick up K, I passed a nail salon and caught a glimpse of a much, much older gentleman getting a manicure from a tiny woman with a bun.

And speaking of buns, when the walk became too much and I boarded a bus, I sat behind a woman with an expertly coiffed updo. I couldn’t help but notice the haphazardly inserted pen in her hair.

I was able to cut out most of the fabric pieces for my ongoing Ginger Skinny Jeans project.

Yes. A good day.

Have a refreshing weekend, all!

*************************

Gonna make porridge
in my crock pot this weekend
mmmm mmmm mmmm can’t wait

November 4, 2015

How to Make Clothes That Fit and Flatter

Oof. I’ve been struck down by the bug that’s going around, and I was utterly useless yesterday. As I floundered about, I realized that the pile of books by my bed is out of control. There are about 30 assorted books, of which I’m currently reading 10 at once. I don’t normally do that, but I feel like my focus has been scattered, so I keep finding myself picking up one book and reading a couple of pages, then reaching for another book for a couple pages. It’s a bit of a schizophrenic way to read, but then I remembered that this was exactly the way I powered through my textbooks when studying for college exams. I don’t know if I’m absorbing more material this way or not, but the variety is sort of refreshing.

Beneath the 10 books in rotation, I found the book above. I hunted it down and ordered a used copy from Amazon a long time ago when I read Sarai‘s lovely review of it. The cover speaks of a well-loved and oft-thumbed through copy. Published in 1969, it’s full of charming illustrations and what appears to be a gentle style of writing, and although it hasn’t made it into my rotation yet, its turn is coming soon.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m determined to become well-versed in fit. Yes, let’s call this Project Survival of the Fittest. I’m aiming to start this…evolution, I suppose, at the beginning of 2016 since there’s no way no how that I’ll finish the book before then at my current glacial speed.

But first, I have to survive this pesky quasi-flu. Off to stock up on cough drops!