137/177 is the sum of 2014

137.  137 is the number of items I made this year.

I know.

Want to know the real number?

177.  I know!

137 is the base number, 177 includes, well, baby pants, a handful of plaintain tees (as in the ones of cotton and not my wool knit on that I love), panties (the "test" run ones and the patterns that work oh so well), those Mabels of summer and fall that got a wee bit smaller as the swimming and running laps toned me, a few run of the mill renfrews, and many briars.

Dude.

Let's just say I knew that number was up there, but when I went through my notebooks and made the final tally (pawing through the pages three times to make sure I wasn't over counting) my mouth fell open.  Yea, I know.

Though, I ran my fifth half marathon this year, went to five countries, finished three articles, taught an unholy amount of courses . . . just so many, presented about six conference papers (which two more are being converted to articles and book chapters these days), wrote so very much, made a couple of sweaters, and  . . .  I certainly didn't spend the whole year at my Bernie as the number would suggest.  As Intragram people know, and those close to me, I've been gone a lot this year.  Yea, one of us in this equation has insomnia . . . as if you couldn't tell.  Run down:

January: DC and Virginia (VA was compliments of a winter storm and Delta let me fly back from Richmond, which allowed me to see my folks for a few days)

Febraury: Boston my Boston

March: Ecuador

March-April: The Netherlands and Belgium

May: Eastern Turkey

June: Louisville and that accidental road trip across KY

July: Port Jefferson for an annual day trip out there and Virginia for my folks and North Carolina to see my sister

August: PEI, Canada and Virginia Beach for that half marathon

September: Connecticut and half a second in Massachusetts (for the Big E . . . the New England fall fair, otherwise known to non locals as "mental."  Yea, I said it).

October I was home.  Shocker.

November my folks came to see me.  I was home again.

December: I went to VA for a couple of days for the holiday.

It has been a busy year.  Indeed.  So, with all that in mind . . . instead of posting more than a hundred shots of things I made, I'm focusing on my greatest hits and some things I've known, re-realized, and--well--am shifting my talents toward.

Some of my greatest hits:

These socks.  I adore them.  Yes, yes I do.  That post was a huge hit, probably because of plaq farts.  Seems there is a a growing number of people who get more humor from the plaq side effects than I could imagine.  You're welcome.

The first man's coat I ever made.  The leftover fabric made my Anise, which is why I couldn't make my Anise longer . . . no fabric.  ;)  FYI, he finally let me adjust the buttons.  And . . . as the moment has been relayed, he is horrible to get a fitting from.  Cha cha. 

These hoodies.  

Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Canada . . . NYC, CT, VA . . . you get the picture.  T and I are wearing ours thin, together and an ocean apart.  

My Minoru.  When I posted it here I noted that it travels the globe and city with me, but getting a full on shot . . . elusive.  LOL.

 This one was a fan favorite.  The By Hand London Anna.

A summer staple, a fan favorite, and one that is worn tatty me thinks.  ;)  Another this summer I say.

Another Sol Hoodie.  Enjoy this pic, as the cuffs and pockets are getting tatty.  The color is faded . . . man, I love this hoodie.

A party skirt and a fan favorite.  The Kelly sans buttons.  I do love that skirt, with the sateen from Amsterdam.  Ya'll went bananas on how much you loved the hack and fabric.  Thanks!

And . . . while I've gotten no less than ten emails asking to buy this baby . . . no.  It's mine.  T has one, and . . . I am certain she isn't selling hers either.  

My tissue renfrew is a near once a week staple.  That Golden Local . . . Everyone loves it, and it is a fan favorite.  I layer with it.  A lot.

And Lisa Tuttle is as charming as her writing.  We are both hoping funding come through for us to see each other again in 2015.

Monetas.  I lived in this this summer.  Lived.  

The Myrtle and Myrna.  

Shell shocked from a conference.  Honestly, I reach for this one more often than not.  Tight and boots in fall and winter . . . I see more of this one coming.  It is one of those go-to staples.  I never modeled it here, but T took a photo the day of the conference.  Hence, a true in use shot, no posing, no lighting to hide the wares of life.  

More of a "HOLY SHIT, I DID THAT," a fan favorite, and . . . I made a bathing suit that stayed the hell on!

 A popular tutorial.

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My DVF hack.  I also softly let out the yoga bag pattern, with a zipper, that also serves as a tripod case.

 Coco.  That is all.

This Mable actually has a near micro houndstooth  . . . the slits, the wool, the warmth.  That Archer, no. 1, died by the way.  

This jacket.  Hello Jackie O.  

Butterick 5526 stole my heart.  I mentioned this pattern in the Blazer posting, but . . . I love a button down, as we know.  I opted for sewn snaps on this one.  Man, I love this teal silk charmeuse.  A gray one is on queue.   Grainline's Archer is still a TNT, but this one . . . I like this one for a slightly more fitted look on silk and other day wear shirts.   

I copied one I saw on a TV show too. It's got white buttons, and it's in the wash right now . . . constant wear. Look close, there's button holes on the collar, the Negroni placket . . . I did this one in November.  

This is when I made myself slow down more.  More details.  More throw back to a Coco Chanel type quality verses Ralph Lauren, if you know what I mean.  Though, this is a Ralph copy.  LOL.  The plan was to wear this with a denim Moss, but the Moss I made over the summer  . . . beautiful but too large.  

My Blazer de Gaffe.  That leather makes the details.  It packs some weight with weft interfacing, horsehair, pad stitching, taping, leather elbows . . . leather patches on the front.  This is another one that is spot on me.  And, no, I will not sell it.  

This hat.  Dude.  

Channel has got nothing on that scarf and hat.  Nothing. 

 On other notes, that McCalls 6084 . . . um, I cut an XL, designed to fit a 42-44 chest.  Um, no.  Oh hells no.  I cut XXL sleeves with a XL sleeve head, per usual.  This thing . . .my Mom would shoot me, just shoot me, if I put her numbers on here.  Let's just say that the sweater fits my Mom perfect and she is larger than me by more than three sizes.  Yea.  If you make that pattern, size down.  If I make it again for me--doubtful as hell--I'd make a small.  My Mom got my cashmere, and she finally has a pattern labeled for her in my stash.  So, not a total fail .  . . Mom got a cardi, and as my Dad noted fitting her  . . . well, she hasn't let me make clothes for her for the sizing and redrafting reasons.  Another up, I made her sleep pants this year that fit.  Dude, we all breathed a sigh.  Though, I think she might be shopping for fabric for me to make her more. 

Mom in that sweater and clutching the computer bag I made her . . . and the hat.  

And that bag, since I put a considerable amount of time quilting it.  It's the In Flight bag from Amy Butler's Style Stitches, with an added two inches in width, end pockets, double the length handles, fusible fleece, quilted, peltex on the side, medium weight interfacing all over the body except the pockets and handles . . . 

Bagged out I am. 

This sweater, my PEI in Fall.  And . . . the Hudson pants.

And another Albion.  For my Dad's Christmas.  On IG I dubbed it "Fuck You Georgio Armani" as I went OCD and matched those lines.  And silk wool.  He picked out his fabric and asked for the coat for Christmas, and since he did hand me the fabric and all . . .   I love it as my Dad loves it so much.  I don't think I've ever seen him that pleased about a gift, piece of clothing, or coat . . .

I put it in a box and wrapped it, so that why there's a couple of packing wrinkles . . . odds are they are gone now with him wearing it so much.   

He's in some sleep pants I made him . . . The sides match on the plaid.  The center seam . . . the f-ing plaid was printed off grain.  Yea, get out of my head.  And . . . on side notes, Dad's coat was sketched twice, the sleeves were taken up four inches (see, the short gene don't fall far from the tree), and the sides are sewn on a standard 5/8ths seam.  His coat is an XL, and as he said . . . the length is perfect, the shoulders are perfect, the waist is perfect.  He hopes it gets too big, from his daily trips to the gym.  I assured him that for too big I'll take it in or make another.  Too small now . . . that's another story.  

Dad got Drtiz toggles as the ones he picked out ended up looking like a 3rd grader's art project.  I had these in the stash.  Save the day.  

And . . . while I've made my Mom bags of request this year, she wanted to sew one of her own (I'm also bagged out).  I helped her with the tedious hard stuff, like the piping attachment and pressing more layers of interfacing that Liberace has costumes . . . she literally had the lining to stitch, drop in, and hand attach to the zipper when I left.  I told her to use red thread so she can see it better . . . her sight is dimming in some ways, so the addition of lamps and shorter spans at the machine seem to help. 

Along the way she swore I have the patience of a saint as she ripped out more stitches than went in.  I laughed, reminding her the roles certainly have changed.  

Finally, my Cosmo--like the one I made T and close to the one I gave as a baby bag, is a go to.  Sees the world, city, and countryside.  Mine is the blue and pink one.  That sweater, of fingering weight yarn is still going strong.  Why? Why do I decide every year or so, just after the angst of the last fingering weight fades, to do another?

We can't forget the other three dresses I lived in all summer, over on the Curvy Collective. 

And . . . one night in KY, along the Ohio, with sounds of Willie in the air created a moment of perfection. With all of the travel, of of the writing, all of the sewing, all of the knitting . . . Willie is certainly a top ten of my 38 years.  This city girl still find unexpected solace in unplanned moments. 

Thus, conclusions for a year of travel, writing, teaching, and a near unholy amount of sewing? 

In October there was a clear notice that I needed to return to what I love and wear well.  Blazaers, jeans, pencil skirts, button downs, tees (near always with a scarf, unless it is blistery hot in July), and classic frocks that let me move without being over-the-top or dowdy.  Everyone does it, but here I found that I'm done with el cheapo fabric and things that I know when I make them I'm not going to wear them for the long haul.  

On the yarn, I've realized I enjoy small batch yarn better.  The feel, the color, the variations of it.  I have some Pattons Kroy Sock yarn for three pairs of socks, some Knit Picks Tweed in worsted weight (leftover from something else) for a pair of thicker socks, and Knit Picks fingering tweed (see that sweater peeking out from the Cosmo up there) . . . other than that I've got yarn from the Green Market, some Yowsa from Miss Babs for another cardi, some wooly yarn I got at The Big E (from a small mill in Maine), and the last of my PEI yarn.  Conscious decision . . . small batch yarn.  Knitting is rather personal, as you birth the fabric from your lap, in a metaphorical concept, Hence, I want those pieces I love.  Color work mittens, that I made two pairs for myself, and have enough for two more pairs (clearly gifts) . . . they are complex, and I knit them tight to make them sturdier for daily wear and grip your hands.  Yet, they need to come from yarn I love if I'm going to put that kind of effort into them.  Sweaters, complex or not, really have to be from great yarn.  If I'm going to work with it that long . . . yes, knitting cardis and daily staples it might be, but like my Channel scarf (i.e. Sex and the City) it should be something that stays for the long haul.  

Fast fashion has taught us to make/wear disposable clothing.  Yet, while running tees and knit tees wear thin quicker than not, the crafting of a shirt disposes of moments of the day.  For a few hours, the hell of life, cast aside as the focus of edge stitching supersedes demands of others.  Indeed, this year has been stressful.   

I've always been one of those horrible runners, who sucks and doesn't go fast.  Yet, I have decided that I'm going to run more this year.  Every day.  A mile day, usually more.  But, I want a mile a day.  Why? I am fully aware I need to balance the stress better.  A mere three years ago I did.  I realized last week that I walked a long route at least three times a week for things like toothpaste, oranges, and such.  Why? I made sure I planned a route to let me escape, per se, from the chaos itself.  Thus, running and errand hopping . . . Somewhere along the way I started buying the toothpaste and oranges in one haul.  Kind of like fast fashion, all at once, quick and dirty.  Just like crafting jeans and a blazer takes patience and detail, I need to let myself wander the side streets again.  So, running every day.  Walking for oranges .  . .  all about the the balance.  

For this year, the makings . . . they'll certainly still be there.  I mean, I can not bring myself to walk into a store these days.  Tanfer was with me in shop and she got a huge amount of joy from my trashing the construction of a shirt.  I am certain the shop girl made lewd remarks about asshole Americans after we left.  Oh well. 

This year: bras, jeans, another coat, silk blouses as I love these more and more with jeans to pencils, a few shirt dresses (from Grainline and McCalls), another blazer, a wool plaid dress . . . yes, staples of quality.  Since, looking above shows that ones I love the most are the ones with the best details . . . travel printed twill tape, detailed sleeve plackets, silk cut and sewn to lay on my body well, socks so comfortable my feet aren't tired or cold, and a bag that clerks at Coach wanted to buy it, and coats for others that make them happy.  The precision, the little details--like my missing walks and side streets--are the center per se.  

On that, 137/177 is the sum of a year.