Yarn Along: Out of Africa Costuming Obsessions and Overdressed

I finished a few things last week during my respiratory-infection-induced torpor.  I'm still kind of junky and congested, but at least the cobwebs are starting to clear.  I was able to do a bit of sewing Monday and Tuesday, and I spent this morning drafting and cutting out a few more projects that have been in the queue for a while.  I may have made a closet orphan.  Oops.  (More about that in a future post)

So, knitting. I finished the Katniss Cowl that my sister asked me to make for her (with big sad puppy dog eyes, so I relented about not making things for other people)  The color is better on her, but I wanted to take a pic to send her before I mailed it.  She's pretty happy with it, I think!  

I knitted a hat from some of the leftover yarn (my first adult-sized hat!) and a V for Victory scarf.  I've been wanting to try the pattern for some time (it was issued during WW2 for people to knit at home and send to the soldiers) and had some red yarn just sitting around.  It was an easy and almost mindless project.  It was also the first project to benefit from blocking, although I think perhaps a more aggressive block might be in order, as the edges still want to roll a bit.  

I've also finished the back and front of the 1940s Twisted Rib jumper, and am on to the sleeves.  I'm lengthening the sleeves to 3/4 length as I think it will be a bit more useful for my purposes with slightly longer sleeves.

I also started reading Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion, which piggy-backs very nicely onto Cheap.  I enjoy her writing style (although not the editing, oy!  Check the grammar, people!) and I'm finding a lot to think about.  I'm curious to see where she goes with it, as my chief complaint about Cheap was that it was not prescriptive enough.  I'm hoping for a little more of that with this book.   

In other news, I re-watched Out of Africa (for the umpteenth time!) and, in addition to the story, I so enjoyed the costuming this go-round, as I hadn't appreciated it so much until now.  I'm now kind of obsessed with a dress that Meryl Streep wears in one or two scenes and am scheming ways to recreate it.  I found a dressmaker's diagram from 1917 that is basically the same dress, and I think I might be able to draft the pieces from the sketch (combined with a few patterns in my stash).  

Go see Ginny for more Yarn Along!