Cooler than You: Stupid Things I Say and Do

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), wro...

Because summer left before it really came, and now fall is here . . . Back in May I made a knit dress, from viscose and donned it nearly all summer. May, from May Me Made in my NYC park.  That Moneta is what I still call my Parisian Dreamer.  A nary month later I made a maxi version on a smaller pattern.  Yup.   I was very excited to get my bourbon tee, can't ya tell? June . . . in Louisville.   That bourbon trail: you can get a passport at the visitor's center or (and AND) use the app on your phone.  The passport is stamped, and it is pretty nifty.  You know you want one . . .   Le sigh, of all the travels this year me and my Parisian Dreamer did not make it to Paris.  In two years I turn 40.  I'm going to India that year, and on the way back I think I will stop in Paris for a few days  . . . Perhaps.  India when I am 40, for certain though.   Another one . . . I wore this one s...

So, yea, I've been sewing a lot of knits lately.  A) I heart the quick ease they bring (I mean talk about self gratification) and B) one of us is in need of basics.  As a rule, I do my damndest to keep my fabric on two shelves of a bookshelf and to keep the yardage bought to what I need.  Well, with with knits I like to see scraps pile up (as I'm making knickers) and I'm known to get creative with sculpting tees and what not.   On that note, hoodies abound with a generational passing glee.  Seriously, young and old wear them.  Before my Gram passed in 2000 she wore mine from time to time.  I kid you not.  If she was alive now she'd certainly have some of these as she liked the open fronts the best.  So, in that regard when you think about fashion and its evolution one that stands firm my generation did was bringing knits into a sense of everyday glory.  Yea, Coco Chanel brought jersey in for women's daily wear.  But, knits have...