Three Stitchty Five

061/366

I took an intensive, week-long throwing class back in August. After several (dozen) false starts, I managed to make myself a yarn bowl.

It was challenging to let go of my expectations for what I could do — especially as a beginner (and as a, uh, control freak). I threw this tiny bowl on the third day of class. It was the first piece I didn’t want to toss out the window.

060/366

I finally got this done after planning it for a year. I’ve always felt a little kinship with Boh as this silly mouse, trying to knit and being completely overwhelmed by it. I’m pretty sure I’ve made that face at least once per project.

My new tattoo approach is “does this make me feel happy?” If the answer is yes, then I’m probably going to get it. I’ll typically wait a few months to a year, just to be sure, but 90% of the time I end up with it.

I don’t think every tattoo needs a strong emotional connection or deep meaning. Sometimes you just want to look at your shoulder and see a silly little face staring back at you.

And sometimes I break my own rules and impulsively get tiny totoros from a flash sheet.

Turns out a pandemic coupled with your partner getting Covid will really take the wind out of your sails. Even though I didn’t get sick. Even though we live in a place that feels relatively safe. Doing any extra projects still felt like too much.

I’ve missed it though. I missed having a break from staring at screens and thinking about work and the world. I missed the slow (sometimes painfully slow) process of making things by hand.

So I’m re-starting the project. Who said the 366 days had to be consecutive? Time is made up anyway.

???/366

My sewing room has taken on a few changes with everything that’s been happening. Though I’m still knitting almost daily, I find myself drawn more to physical distractions over stitching. And I know I’m extremely privileged that that’s even an option.

Being a content writer right now requires almost all of my energy & spoons. Hoping to get back into a groove soon, but letting my brain just do what it wants for a bit feels nice too.

Hand dyed by Undercover Otter in Amsterdam.

I’m in love.

046-048/366 - actual representation of me knitting.

Really though, I made very little progress on anything this weekend thanks to the new Ann Patchett novel. I regret nothing.

🎥 Spirited Away

041/366 - 045/366

I did *not* make this dress. It’s from Anthropologie ca. 2004. And I kind of hate the sleeve strings/bows. But I still love the dress, and I’m trying to figure out how to alter it. I think the best course is going to be to snip the strings and flatten the ruching on the sleeves.

Storms Cíara and Dennis hitting this month have really derailed my running training. But at least I’ve put a huge dent in my mending pile.

I’ll forever appreciate that my mom taught me the basics of sewing when I was a kid. I love that I’ve always been able to replace a zipper. Or fix my favorite romper when I lose a snap. Or buy a new-with-tags $300 coat on sale at a consignment shop for $30 because no one else could be bothered to sew a button back on (the button was even taped to the tag - took 2 minutes). Sure, sometimes things sit for a year, but I always get to it eventually.

035/366 - it finally cleared for a bit.

I love the light in our apartment. It’s south-eastern facing, so we get this buttery light well into the afternoon. Sitting in the sun on the couch, knitting, and drinking coffee is just about my favorite thing to do in the morning.

034/366 - it has been just dumping rain here, but at least this knit is sunny ☀️

033/366 - one of my favorite things about knitting is that it’s portable. When I sew, I’m mostly stuck in one room at my sewing machine, which... isn’t my favorite.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my sewing room. It’s lovely and sunny and warm. But sometimes a girl just wants to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea (or maybe gin) and watch a movie - and also be doing something small, repetitive, relaxing.

I almost said productive there, but it’s not really about productivity, is it? If I was in the business of cranking out crafts, I don’t think I’d be weaving fabric with sticks and string.

It’s also about ending up with something at the end that’s uniquely yours. It might be rad, or a total mess (not mutually exclusive - have created rad total messes before) but it’s always worth it.

032/366 - one of the nicest things my past self did for present me was labeling and cataloguing all my needles. Cause like, holy shit, y’all, has this ever saved a lot of time.

I couldn’t find my size 3s yesterday, then questioned whether or not I even owned any (master of gaslighting myself right here, folks). I checked my spreadsheet and hey there they are. So I went back to my bag o’ needles and sure enough.

They turned out to be 4 sizes smaller than I actually needed for the project (thanks, swatching) but *still*.

025/366 - 031/366 - the last few days, I’ve just been casually working on this sweater a few rows at a time. Slow and steady and all that.

022/366 - sometimes a 365-project means knitting in a sequined cocktail dress at 11pm after you’ve come back from dinner and drinks in Brooklyn.

One of my favorite things to do as a souvenir of places we’ve lived is to buy yarn from an LYS and make something as an homage to that place. Usually it’s a hat, since I wear those the most. When we left Portland, I bought Hawthorne yarn in Buckman & Ladd’s Addition colorways. I’ve already found some beautiful yarns in the Netherlands. But I didn’t have anything from Montana. So I had this Polkadot Sheep hand-dyed bulky shipped to Austin when we visited. And I can’t wait to start working on my Second Street hat.