Yarn Along: Making and Doing

This week (and school year, if I'm being honest) was just go-go-go all week long.  It felt like an All The Things week.  I did get a lot done, but didn't get much time to write about it, so this is going to be a bit of this and a bit of that.

~making~

After making three Coco knit dresses in a row, and then wearing them for a few days, I decided that I really don't like wearing that style of knit dress on its own.  The jersey I chose is a bit on the thin side, and I didn't like how I felt wearing them.  Like I forgot to get dressed or something.  I realized that I prefer woven clothing with some strategic knit layers.

I was ready to put them in my pajama pile (which does need some new blood), when it occurred to me that I could make a linen overdress and probably be happier with them.  I had some dark blue and  dark green linen that I had planned for frocks, so I went ahead and made them up this week.

I'm in love!  The whole thing works together, I think.  I really like the aesthetic of the linen, and the knit layer underneath is just right.  I still may repurpose the Cocos at some point (shorten the sleeves for a summer time pajama or something like that) but at least my effort (and expense) wasn't wasted.

(For the record, the layers under the dresses in these photos are just a ready-to-wear knit shirts.  Sometimes you need the extra layer on the bottom, sometimes, no).

These two linen dresses just feel like me.  Easy to wear, slightly rustic-looking, non-binding, unfussy, slightly muted, easy to layer up and accessorize.  I will write more about sartorial matters soon.

And I finished knitting something this week!  My L'Enveloppe!  I will write up my notes on ravelry, but mostly, it was an easy mindless knit.  The left sleeve is kind of evil at first (the instructions are a little bit unclear), but once I understood what I was supposed to do, it made sense and went quickly.  

I was a little uncertain about it as I was making it (whether I would like the finished product), but after blocking and wearing it this morning on a chilly school commute, I can safely say, I'm a fan.  I'd like to make another one in a lighter gauge.

This one is pretty bulky, but it is a nice neutral color and I think it will coordinate with a lot of things I have. (And you can see my Coco dress peeking out from the hem of the blue linen; I think the problem is that they don't actually fit me that well as a dress.  As a pajama or underdress, they are fine, but the sleeves are kind of loose, and the neckline is a bit strange on me)

I may add a few stitches to the collar side to snug it up a bit, as it wants to slide off on the right side, but otherwise, a satisfying project.

Getting L'Enveloppe off my needles meant I *finally* could cast on my Malabrigo Rios shawl.  I've been holding this yarn for almost a year, waiting for the right project, and I've decided I need a shawl that wraps around and buttons in the back.  I promised myself I wouldn't start a new project until something else came off the needles.  I'm using a version of the Rent Shawl, but my goal is to have it look like the Tess shawl in the end.  I like the instructions for the rent shawl better, and since they are both triangular shawls with basic garter stitch, I just need to make the wing span bigger to match the wrap of the Tess.

~reading~

I finished The Cottage Garden Diaries over the weekend and dove into Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years on Monday.  I'm fascinated.  I've decided that I need to read books that feed me on some level, and this book definitely fits the bill (The Cottage Garden Diaries also ticked the box).  Ms. Wayland Barber spends a lot of time trying to recreate how people made things long ago, for which only the archaeological record exists, rather than the usual written record.  She is an accomplished weaver and textile expert and her work and writing is amazing.

What I really love to do is living history, and to sort out how people lived and made in the past.  If I could find a job doing the sorts of things that Ms. Wayland Barber does for a living, I would be a happy camper. 

~domestic life~

In other news, our street is nearly finished (they are laying the asphalt today) and the sidewalks are paved again.  They laid the concrete road bed before the long Columbus Day weekend, so the kids could bike and play soccer in the street without fear this weekend.  

It was gorgeous weather, so it worked out well.  They were a bit disappointed when the asphalt guys showed up on Monday to start work.  I am ready to get street parking back!!

Nice new concrete sidewalks!  I strongly admonished the kids not to walk in it while it was still soft, as it is likely these will have last 15-20 years or more.

Piglet celebrated his namesday on Tuesday, and Boo is fighting an ear infection.  He had a fever for two days and had to stay home from school on Tuesday as well.  

Boo says he still can't hear well out of his left ear, and I think he is also fighting a sinus infection, but he has definitely perked up with some antibiotics and the fever breaking.  He's been back at school since Wednesday.

Whew!  I think that's all I got!  

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along.