Yarn Along: Second Week of Lent

~knitting~

So I did it--I frogged the Lena T.  I knew I probably wouldn't want to wear it, and I also wasn't enjoying the knitting, which meant it would be hard for me to make myself finish it.  Miles and miles of stockinette in the round in fingering weight yarn.  Nosir.

Instead, I bought Cecily Glowik McDonald's Gemini pattern (and incidentally became kind of obsessed with her pattern designs) and cast that on instead.  The gauge was the same as the Lena, so at least I didn't have to reswatch the yarn.  I thought that the Gemini was a really versatile pattern, since it can be worn backward or forward, as a cardigan or pullover, and that the lace panel was a really nice detail.  It is a small enough section, and she has the lace pattern written out as well as charted, so I think I'm doing okay with it so far.  The pattern is written for wool, so I'm hoping that the linen will look okay when finished.  The yarn is a really pretty deep coral color that will go with a lot of my spring and summer clothes.

I also cast on my Chinook scarf out of daffodil yellow CotLin yarn from KnitPicks.  The pattern is very easy, and while I have to look at the pattern every line, I've nearly got it memorized and am getting to where I can almost read which line I'm on in the knitting.  A very satisfying knit, so far.  I like that you can knit as much as you want, since the directions say, "knit until you've used half your yarn, then start decreases".  I have two balls, and want to use up both balls of yarn, so that should work out great!

I was making really good progress on the Yellow Brick Road cardigan (I'm working the body now) but decided to set it aside for the Gemini as I won't need it until at least the late fall or early winter, and I might have a shot at wearing the Gemini this year if I work at it now.  The YBR cardigan is going so quickly, I think I should be able to finish it in fairly good time.  I just learned magic loop, so I might try that on the sleeves instead of my normal flat knitted and seamed sleeve.

~reading~

Lots of Lenten/spiritual reading, obviously.  I've been reading both Fr. Men and Fr. Schmemann in the evenings.

~cooking~

Lots of vegan food!  Well, sort of, this being only the second week of Lent, and we don't have a lot of cooked food in the first week (by Saturday, Piglet said he didn't care what we had for dinner that night so long as it was cooked; he was completely over sandwiches for lunch *and* dinner by that point). 

I've been wanting soups since my mouth is still a bit sore, and I decided to make this soup this morning, sans the lamb meatballs, of course.  My mods were to use butternut squash instead of kabocha, to use olive oil in place of coconut, and to use no-chicken broth.

It is amazing and hearty.

I also made a creamy mushroom leek soup last night for myself that was wonderful. Mods to make it vegan were to omit the bacon (obvs), use olive oil to saute the leeks, add a dash of vegetarian bacon bits, and vegetable broth instead of beef.  It was so good and so hearty with the full fat coconut milk.  The thyme really added a nice flavor.  I would caution, if you make this and use better than boullion for your broth, don't add salt to the pot.  I found it came out pretty seasoned and I could have skipped the sprinkle of salt on the leeks during the saute.

I have split pea soup going in the crock pot for another day this week, so the house smells kind of interesting today.  I might make a vegan banana bread too, I dunno.  I can't really eat regular bread because it gets stuck, and crackers are generally not a great idea for me, but cakey-type breads sometimes go down okay, and it is nice to have something to eat with soup.

Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!

Talking Tuesday: The Eucharistic View of the Body

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I hate to keep beating a dead horse and going on about a book I didn't like that much, but one of my issues with Angela Doll Carlson's book, Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body, is that she makes a spectacular point about the Orthodox view of the body, far from being either Epicurean (being given over entirely to the demands of the body), or Stoic (being given over to complete denial of bodily reality and focused entirely on the spirit), is rather Eucharistic. But she then fails to explain what that really means. I think it is a rather key point to understand, particularly in our post modern age, where Epicureans and Stoics abound. I found it immensely frustrating; how should we view the body, and treat it, in a way that is God-pleasing and healthy for our salvation? What is the purpose of bringing the passions of the flesh under spiritual discipline?

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Over the weekend, our church had a little book sale, and I picked up a copy of Fr. Alexander Men's book, An Inner Step Towards God.  It is a collection of his writings and a few transcriptions of talks he gave in the years before his assassination; I've long wanted to read more of his work.  So far, I'm finding the book very very good.  In chapter five, he talks at length about the Orthodox view of the body, and parses out precisely what I was looking for.

"A human body is God's wondrous creation, the most perfect creation in all of nature.  A person is not simply "imprisoned" within his body [as the Stoics believed], but lives by it expressed all of his aspirations through it.  The mystery of the Incarnation is a great testimony against those who would view the body form the point of view of non-Christian dualism and spiritualism.  These views are remnants of ancient Eastern beliefs and the teachings of Plato, but they are by no means attributable to the Bible or Christianity.  

It would be just as false, however, to put the body in an undeserving position, submitting to its every demand [as the Epicureans believed].  Our entire existence, which carries the stamp of original sin on it, is marked by a dissonance between the spirit and the flesh.  Therefore, many natural instincts stand in opposition to the spiritual life.  This is why the New Testament and the Church Fathers warn against following the flesh; remember that by "the flesh," the Scriptures mean mankind's whole psychophysical nature.  Saint Basil the Great compares the body with a horse that requires a bit.  Just as an uncontrollable horse will throw its rider, so the flesh, if left to its own devices, will enslave the spirit.  Conversely, the body, when put in its proper place, is capable of assisting the spiritual life and prayer (something altogether different from simply not impeding prayer).  Both the neglect and undue elevation of the body can seriously backfire and destroy the life of the soul and spirit.  The art of controlling the body and managing the flesh is called asceticism....

Healthy or ailing, rejoicing or suffering, our body must be the vessel of our soul, the instrument of its expression while striving for the higher life.  This is why the Apostle Paul calls the body "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19).  The Church, therefore, reverently venerates saints' relics.  As the Apostle Paul commands, we are to honor God with our bodies (1 Cor. 6:20)."

~Fr. Alexander Men, An Inner Step Toward God: Writings and Teachings on Prayer by Father Alexander Men.  Edited by April French.  Trans. by Christa Belyaeva.  Brewster, Mass: Paraclete Press, 2014, 47-48, parenthetical remarks mine.

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Fr. Men goes on to talk about bodily positions during prayer, and how best to hold the body to assist one's spiritual efforts.  He is startlingly specific about various things like placement of the feet and hands, proper positioning of the spine and so on.  He is very understanding of human frailty with regard to exhaustion and time constraints of the modern life as well as distraction.  He gives very concrete suggestions for making time to pray in the morning and evening, and talks at length about how to approach these things as a practical matter.  I won't go into too much detail, as I think the book is well worth a read.  It has certainly given me much to think about, and given me some things to work on in my own prayer rule.

Midnight Sky Redux

No, dear readers, your eyes do not deceive.  This is the same fabric as my Midnight Sky dress from last winter's rotation.   While I liked the original dress, and felt the colors were good for my skin, I never really got the fit right on that one.  The waist was always a smidge too high, and I've really been quite over my Frankenpattern dress for some time.  The dress has found a new home with the delightful Jessica, who was absolutely thrilled to have it.  I'm sure it will look fabulous on her, with her wonderfully dramatic coloring.

After sending the original dress on its way, however, I decided that I really would like to have this fabric in my closet, and that another Dottie Angel frock was in order.  I actually made this dress in the late fall, intending it for my winter rotation (and keen eyes may remember that it made a brief appearance in my winter pics), but I decided almost as soon as I posted my initial photos that the dress didn't really work well for my rotation, since I didn't have any heavy weight layers to go with it.

I confess, I nearly gave this one away as well; I thought perhaps I had made a mistake in making it, but I thought perhaps I should stick it in my spring pile and reassess in March.  Well, it is March, and I think I'm glad I kept it.  I do still lack an appropriate sweater to wear with this dress, and the black undershirt is rather thin, but the scarf does help to warm it up a bit and offsets the black.

I also didn't expect it to drop into the 20s in March, so I wasn't really prepared to wear this dress in such weather!  I have my black Bear Traps boots on again to keep my feet and legs warm!  I found the scarf on ThredUp a month ago, and bought it for this dress.  There are little moons in the print that are a sort of purpley-pink color that is hard to match (I know, I've tried!), but this scarf is close enough.  It has the advantage of going with all the coral-y things in my spring rotation as well.

Ye old kangaroo pocket.  Of course.

It is a really pretty print, and the blues are very deep and saturated. 

I need to figure out how to polish these boots--I bought them secondhand on ebay, and the toes are rather scuffed.  They were a fantastic bargain and otherwise in good shape, so I decided to overlook it, but I think there must be a way to clean them up.  Off to Dr. Google I shall go!

And because I know you are dying to know about dental surgery recovery (kidding): things are getting a little better, slowly, slowly.  I'm still taking over the counter pain meds around the clock, but lower doses, spaced out further.  Eating is still slow and difficult, but better than a week ago, so that is progress.  I will be a much happier camper when the stitches come out so that all the friction sores in my mouth can start to heal!

Just the facts:

Midnight Sky Redux dress: Cotton and Steel Honeymoon fabric, Simplicity 1080 (heavily modified), bias tape, elastic

Undershirt: Ann Taylor Loft, via ThredUp
Pink scarf: Land's End, via ThredUp

Tights: Foot Traffic Cotton tights in black, Sock Dreams

Bear Traps fur-lined boots: via ebay

Earrings: from my gram

Raindrops

Another newbie for the spring rotation: the Raindrops dress.  So named for the Cotton+Steel fabric it is made from.  I fell for this print sometime last spring, and ordered it immediately.  I then decided it didn't work for my summer or fall rotations, so set it aside until this spring.  I think the print is just so pretty!  

Not a lot to say about this dress, being pretty much like all the other Dottie Angel dresses I make. 

I've recently started cutting my back piece smaller because I've lost enough weight to do so and be comfortable in the dress, but I'm still tweaking the back elastic to fit appropriately.  The elastic points on my old back pattern were fine, but I've not quite gotten them right on the new back piece which is narrower. 

Also, I made two rayon dresses just before I made this one, and rayon needs a pretty snug back to look right in the front, so I may have overcompensated in this more firm cotton.  I ended up retaking half my pictures this morning because I had to go back and adjust the elastic for a looser fit.  I probably need to do it again for best results.

Basically, if the back elastic is too tight, it creates a drag line under the bust in the front.  (see above). 

Smiling is a little easier today, and while I'm still taking pain meds around the clock, I've been able to space the doses out a little bit more, so that is progress, I guess.   I just bought some daffodil yellow cotlin from Knit Picks to make a little shawlette to go with this dress and my Market Floral Zadie.  It is hard to see in the photos, but all of the white flowers have tiny yellow centers and some of the long flowers have yellow stems.  I think it will be a lovely contrast once it warms up a bit.  Today, however, we are back in the 20s with a good wind chill, so I added a sweater over top after taking the girls to the park and freezing my fingers and toes off.

Good spring boots.  Not good winter boots.  Should have worn my Uggs.

What happens when you retake your photos with two little girls "helping".  

Ponchik: "I'm cold, Mama!"  

Me: "Me too!" 

Ponchik: "Well, put on your coat, Mama!"  

Still didn't quite get the elastic right yet, but I'll fix it this afternoon.  I tackled my mending pile this morning.  The boys keep blowing through the knees of their (reinforced) school pants, so I had to do some patching and darning.  I also finished the hand sewing on my Hobby Horse skirt (at the park, in freezing cold, no less!)  I just have to add the hardware to close it.  I fixed both charcoal linen dresses on Thursday, so I'm feeling pretty productive right now, mouth pain notwithstanding.

Just the facts:

Raindrops dress: Cotton+Steel Raindrops fabric, simplicity 1080 (redrafted/modified), vintage bias tape, elastic

Blue undershirt: Gap via ThredUp

Wool-cotton cowl: me made (Main Street Reserve from Knitpicks--retired)

Tights: Foot Traffic Signature cotton in navy

Boots: KadiMaya in gray, via amazon

Zadie Zadie Bo-Badie, Banana Fanna Fo Fadie...

Me-my-mo-madie: Zadie!

I think I really like this dress!  Twee fabric and all.  I present my *knit* Zadie dress!  I admit, when Tilly released this pattern earlier this year, I immediately put it on my list of things to make, despite my misgivings about trying another knit dress.  I decided to order the paper pattern because pdf patterns kind of make me crazy, so I had to wait for shipping from the UK, but I'm glad I did.  I then had to talk myself into actually making it.

I present: The Puffy Face of Awesomeness After Dental Surgery.

My previous experience with Tilly and the Buttons patterns has been decidedly mixed.  She drafts for a pretty straight up and down figure, and mine is definitely not, so I always end up having to grade between three or more sizes, which can be dodgy.  Plus almost all her patterns are above the knee lengths, so I'm always having to add a ton of length to get something that I'm comfortable with, and sometimes that skews the design lines.  My Miette was pretty much a disaster, and my Coco dresses are fine pajamas, but not so much for daywear.  I do think the Coco pattern would work well for a top on me, as the fit is good.

I bought this fabric in the fall when I thought that a lot of Monetas and Cocos were in my future.  It is the Market Floral Jersey in Navy from Art Gallery, and is a nice smooth cotton knit.  When those knit patterns didn't work well for me, and I decided I didn't love sewing with knits, I shelved it.  In the meantime, I sort of decided that the fabric was a little too twee for me, and that I might even use it for something for the girls.  It sat at the top of my fabric bin and mocked me all fall and winter.  I had thought it would be best for a summer pajama.

When the Zadie pattern was released, I decided to use this fabric to test the pattern.  As I said, I've had issues with sizing on Tilly's patterns in the past, and I wanted to be sure I'd like the finished product.  In the meantime, while looking at Tilly's Zadie inspiration board for tips and tricks, I found another sewist's Zadie out of a different Art Gallery jersey fabric and fell madly in love with her fabric (and the finished dress).  I found some of the same fabric on fabric.com, and started scheming to make one for my fall rotation.

Please excuse my grimace--smiling is still difficult!

But back to this Market Floral version.  I have lost enough weight that I now fall into one solid size, so I cut a straight size five and hoped for the best.  I figured the loose silhouette and knit fabric would be forgiving if I was wrong about the fit.  It actually is a nearly perfect fit!  I worried that there would be too much fabric in the back and swing out the way that it does on the black and white sample on the pattern packet, but it fits pretty close to my body (but not too close!)  The waist is pretty close to my natural waist and is drafted high to begin with, so there was no problem there.  I added about 3" to the skirt length to make sure my knees are covered.  I did worry that I was going to up the frump factor, but I think it works okay.

Recently, I was remembering a thrifted rayon dress I used to have that was a similar style to this, and even a similar fabric color and print, and missing that dress.  I may have inadvertently re-created it in a knit.  I suppose the subconscious works in funny ways.

So here's what is good:  the raglan sleeves are fabulous.  They fit me well at the shoulders and at the cuff, I have great range of motion.  The length is perfect for my Hobbit arms.  The neckband went on well without a lot of fussing (I generally don't like neckbands because they are fiddly); this one is drafted well.  The design lines of the dress are quite interesting, but it does make for a lot of pieces to cut and keep track of.  The skirt length came out where I wanted it to.

Here's what is tricky: the pockets and the join to the upper bodice is exceedingly fiddly.  Tilly even says in the instructions that it is fiddly, but I had to rip out stitches twice on both sides to get it to join without gaping oddly.  I still didn't get it just right, but by that point, I was starting to worry about distorting the fabric or putting a white run in it, since the print doesn't go to the opposite side of the fabric (the inside of the dress is white).  I'll try to mark the pivot points in a different way next time (I used pins this time, but I think chalk marking would have been better).  I also didn't get the points of the back side bodice and the front pockets lined up perfectly on one side, but the print is so busy, I think it isn't noticeable.  I do think that a lot of the style lines are lost on this print, but I'm okay with that.

One thing I'll probably do differently next time is to use narrow satin ribbon for stabilizing the seams instead of the clear elastic.  I think it might be more comfortable on the waist seams, and possibly easier to work with on all those fiddly joins.  I might also sew the neckband at 7/8" rather than 5/8" for a slightly narrower finished band.

Art Gallery Millie Fleur Line Drawings Jersey.  This is going to be my next Zadie.

I've been casting around for some time for a knit version of my Dottie Angel dresses.  Something that had long or 3/4 length sleeves and was comfortable and flattering without needing a belt for waist definition.  I've been buying my knit dresses from eshakti, and I've been very happy with those dresses, but they are solids, and I'd like a few print knit dresses in my closet.  I think Zadie might be "the one" so to speak.  I find I like to have around three knit dresses in a rotation (my spring rotation now has three).  I'm excited to add the Millie Fleur Zadie to my sewing queue for the fall!

Just the facts:

Market Floral Zadie dress: Art Gallery Market Floral jersey in navy.  Zadie pattern by Tilly and the Buttons.  clear elastic for stabilizer.

Sweater: LLBean (via ebay)

Necklace: gift from my sister

Tights: Foot Traffic signature cotton tights in navy

Boots: KadiMaya boots in gray (via amazon)--these are really comfortable boots!  They have a nice wide toe box.

Clean Thursday: Reading and Making

My dental surgery recovery is going very slowly.  I'm still on over the counter pain meds around the clock, plus tylenol with codeine overnight to sleep better.  I'm still eating just soft foods when I can manage it; eating is very painful and I really don't care to do much of it.  Talking is difficult and painful, as is smiling or laughing.  My face still feels puffy and weird.  I've had a much harder time focusing on the Lenten things I wanted to do this week because I've been in so much physical pain.

I suppose that is all to the good for the first week of Lent--it would be easy for me to get prideful about my endeavors.  I had hoped to drive up to our home parish for Presanctified Liturgy yesterday, but circumstances intervened (see below).  I did go to the Great Canon on Tuesday night, and I'm hoping to make it again tonight; my husband and I decided to divide up the Clean Week services between us so that we could each make it to some of them.

I think I would be in a better place with my recovery but for the fact that Birdie has come down with a fever, so she was up all night on Tuesday (and consequently, so was I), and stayed home yesterday from school in abject misery on the couch (hence no Presanctified Liturgy for me; I was too exhausted to drive an hour each way after being up all night anyway).  She is still pretty low today.  Her fever hasn't broken yet, but she slept a little better last night, so hopefully the with time and rest, she will recover quickly.  So far it doesn't seem to have settled in her lungs, for which I am very grateful.  (Long time readers will remember that Birdie has airway malacia and a mild immunodeficiency, so even minor viruses can put her into respiratory crisis).

Comfortable with motrin on board.  She was not like this when she woke up.

I did finish a few books this week.  I finished Angela Doll Carlson's Garden in the East: The Spiritual Life of the Body on Saturday night and as I wrote last week, I just didn't enjoy it all that much.   Her book did make me hungry to read more Metropolitan Hierotheos of Napthakos, so I pulled his book on the body and illness off our shelves to add to my stacks.

I then turned to Donald Sheehan's Grace of Incorruption, and it was like eating meat after consuming only white bread.   I did get a bit bogged down during his exegesis of the poetics of Psalm 118, and I confess that he lost me at a few points, but that was entirely due to my own lack of progress in the spiritual life, not on account of his writing.  The book is beautifully written, and while I almost gave the epilogue a pass, I'm glad I didn't, because it was a beautiful account of Fr. Sheehan's last days of life and the funeral week.  I found myself tearing up at points, the beauty of it was so great.  Our parish just lost one of its founding members to old age and infirmity, and I was reminded at several points of Patrick.  I think I will read it again at some point in the future.

After that, I finished Lysa TerKeurst's Unglued, which felt a bit fluffy after finishing the Sheehan book.  I did like the book, and found it quite helpful in a lot of ways, but it just didn't have the same depth of knowledge and understanding.

Next on my stack is The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and Barnabas Powell's A Faith Encouraged: A Devotional Guide to Being Orthodox on Purpose.  I was hoping to read The Way of the Pilgrim next, but our household copy seems to have gone walkabout, so I'll have to order another.  (Thank goodness for amazon prime!)  I'll probably wander through Schmemman's Great Lent as well; I've never read it all the way through.  I'm still waiting for Constantina Palmer's latest book to be released, but obviously, I've got plenty to read at the moment!

Please excuse my crazy hair.  Also, I'm not an amazon woman; I am standing on a stool.

I spent the morning sewing yesterday and am nearly done with the Hobby Horse skirt; I just have some hand sewing to do on the waist band and lining.  I also am nearly finished with the Zadie dress. It was kind of fiddly to put together, frankly.  It fits well and is reasonably comfortable, but I'm not sure what I think of the fabric.  I really disliked it when I tried it on yesterday, but I think maybe it is growing on me today?  I dunno. I still need to hem it so it is hard to say right now.  I do like the pattern, however.  The fabric was just something I had in my bin that is similar to the fabric I really want to use, so I'm okay with that.  I know what I'll do differently next time with my "real" fabric.

I also have to replace the bias binding on my charcoal linen dress (and on a dress I made for my friend at the same time with the same binding).  The vintage binding is falling apart--I guess it was more brittle than I realized.  That is the first time I've had that happen with vintage binding.  So I've got a lot of unpicking to do today.  It is the perfect sort of handwork for looking after a sick girlie, so I'd better get to it!

Project 333: Spring 2017

Let me just state at the outset of this post that my spring rotation is kind of a hot mess right now.  I realized after pulling everything out and taking photographs that I still missed two things, and the rotation feels a bit unfinished at the moment.  At least some of that is to do with the fact that it is in fact unfinished (I still have two projects to finish sewing, plus a knitting project) and some of it to do with having a bunch of new things in the rotation that are "untested" so to speak.

Far left: Rifle and Co. floral rayon dress (unblogged), Foxgloves dress (unblogged), navy knit dress, Raindrops dress + blue undershirt (unblogged)

Top right: kelly green elbow sleeve tshirt, navy undershirt, coral undershirt, navy waffle henley undershirt

Middle right: Hobby horse canvas skirt (unfinished)

Bottom left: navy cotton cardigan, coral cotton cardigan, royal blue lightweight cardigan, charcoal gray lightweight cardigan, light blue cotton cardigan (not pictured)

Far left: Midnight sky dress + black undershirt (unblogged), First Light dress + light gray undershirt, navy linen dress, Liberty #1 dress

Top right: Blue cashmere pullover sweater, charcoal linen dress, kelly green knit dress

Middle right: gray striped shirt, plum striped shirt, blue striped shirt, navy striped shirt

Bottom right: red twill skirt, denim skirt, red cowl neck sweatshirt (not pictured)

I mean to wear the striped shirts as undershirts with my linen dresses, but I might also wear the gray and the blue ones with skirts.  

I'm also making a wearable toile of Tilly and Buttons' knit Zadie dress with some knit fabric from the stash, so we'll see how we go.  I've not had great success with her patterns in the past, but the style of the Zadie is one that is similar to my ready-to-wear knit dresses, and I really like the style lines of it.   I noticed someone else added a self-belt to cinch the dress in more in the back; I might try that. I'm hoping it works out.

This rotation feels kind of weird; on the one hand, I do feel like it is well suited for the crazy weather extremes we get in the spring.  On the other hand, I feel like I have a lot of pieces in this rotation.  But most of them are layering pieces, and some are specifically for certain dresses.  I tend not to do a lot of mixing and matching with my clothes, so I think that if an undershirt is meant to be worn with a particular dress, it is part of that dress.

I do find myself wondering why I'm still doing Project 333 in the way that I do.  I do find it helpful in terms of keeping my wardrobe manageable for a set period of time, and it does help me greatly to plan my sewing projects with more intention and care.  I've also learned a ton about what sorts of knitting projects work well with my wardrobe, but it is still a bit of a process, as I noted yesterday.  I finished three sweaters during my winter rotation, but none was a great success.  The best new knitted object in my winter rotation was a simple garter stitch cowl in a wool-cotton mix that I made over the summer.  I wore it a bunch this winter. 

I think it is mostly that I'm not reducing my wardrobe much any longer.  Perhaps that is as it should be; my wardrobe is at a manageable stasis, and I should content myself with that.  There are some pieces that I don't wear very often, either because they are vintage and a bit fragile, or because I don't prefer to wear them every day, but I think it is okay to have one or two special things at the back of the closet. 

I do worry that I'm profligate with my sewing and knitting, and that I give away or recycle things too quickly.  I do realize, however, that garments worn more often are garments that will wear out more quickly, so having a smaller wardrobe doesn't mean sacrificing creative impulse either.  And some rotations take harder hits than others by the end.  Some of my summer clothes from last year are looking rather shabby indeed--my Nike dress and Blueberry dresses look particularly worse for wear.  I'm planning to retire a few things and carry over several of my spring dresses.   

I think a lot of that is to do with my style--I tend to wear a lot of printed dresses, and not a lot of solids or neutrals.  Navy and gray are my neutrals, but they are background colors rather than the main event.  I notice that a lot of people who do Project 333 mostly wear solid separates with a few prints thrown in for variety.  I'm the opposite--I mostly wear printed dresses with a few solids thrown in, and not a lot of separates.  Perhaps I need to make peace with the fact that I like to have a certain amount of variety in my clothing and just move on from the extreme minimalist ideal in my head.