Turtlenecks - Redux!

Just saw this on Knitty.

Photo by Paula Pereira

Photo by Paula Pereira

I like the ease of the silhouette and the simple funnel neck.  Comfy and chic!

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: It's All About the Boots

Dress:  Aida Barni
Tights: Falke
Boots:  Old Gringo

Freakin' Adorable Dress (That I Will Not Be Buying)

Kate Davies was wearing this dress (without it's matching jacket) while modeling her new cardigan pattern, and it's freakin' adorable.  Yes, I would wear this.  The cardigan she designed is great with it.  She always does such a great job of styling her shoots, and I often find myself loving things she's wearing.   What a swell dress!

Feel Me, Eat Me, Read Me, Listen to Me

No snow days up here, but all family in DC & NYC seem to be happily hunkered down.   I pretended I had a snow day yesterday by spending half the day in my pajamas working on my tattered nightshirt.  I'm concerned that at some point I'm going to have to rely on love alone to keep that thing together, but in the meantime I patch and hope.

I made this last week and am making this tonight.  It's a good time for hearty soups and stews.

I'm making my way through this article about Cancer Alley in Mississippi on Bitter Southerner.  My father and I rode our bikes along part of that.  I remember talking about how the factories were spoiling the landscape, and I remember being intimidated (threatened, sometimes) by the huge trucks going to and from them.

Speaking of cycling, Momentum Magazine made use of recent released digital archives from the NY Public Library to show how cigarette packs used to include tips and trading cards about cycling.  I love the illustrations!

And last but not least (but with no internet link), I started listening to Gloria Steinem's memoir My Life on the Road, read by Debra Winger, on my commute to and from work.  I've really come to love audiobooks, and this one is engaging on so many levels.

Happy Monday!

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Column of Blue

Jacket:  Yohji Yamamoto

Shirt:  Ralph Lauren

Dress:  Morgane Le Fay

Boots:  Aquaitalia

Clothes I Thought About Buying: Blackbird Studio Dress

Last night was really the first time I had to remind myself that I'm on a make/mend/thrift journey (I like the idea of journeys).  The ladyfriend and I were walking to Mesa for dinner (yum yum yum) and talking about my decision to take the Brompton off the London roads (where I use it to get to and from work during the school year) until the thaw.  This decision will save me close to $200 because I won't be buying studded tires for it (a little sad).  So as we came upon Blackbird Studios, I saw this dress in the window and without thinking said, "Well, I could buy this now."  A split second later, I said, "Oh yeah, I can't."  And that was that.

Feel Me, Read Me, Eat Me, See Me

Here's a round-up of some of the things I've encountered over the last couple o' weeks that I feel like sharing.

Bikeyface does a great job of explaining why a person would need more than one bike.  Yes!  Equating bikes with shoes is amazing!  Plus, she seems to have a Brompton in the first panel.  Extra points!

As a big fan of turtlenecks, I found this NYTimes article interesting although I couldn't care less whether the turtleneck was "cool" or not.  It's awesome, which is beyond cool.

Also in the NYTimes was this about Campbell's disclosing GMO ingredients.  (Might file this under "Don't Eat Me.")

I was quite interested in the flurry of comments about the model in a post on Fringe Association.  Of course I like her look - shaved head and attitude - and the clothes are great.  Body image issues are everywhere, I know, but I felt like the comments got a bit preachy and self-righteous.  Not all crafters are into fashion, but that doesn't mean that it's inherently bad or damaging.  Karen Templer did a good job of responding.  Not an easy task.

I discovered Bitter Southerner through Alabama Chanin, and I'm looking forward to keeping up (as well as catching up) with it.  I have a not-so-secret Southerner thing going on.

Short list, but school has started, and I've got work to do.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Up, Up, and Away

Shirt:  Rivamonti
Jumper:  Marc Jacobs
Leggings:  Carouselink
Boots:  La Canadienne

David Bowie

I know I'm not the only one who is in shock today.  He seemed immortal.

Listen to your favourite Bowie album today.  I think I'll dial up Hunky Dory...ironic, given the circumstances.

It's That Time of the Year Again

Time to make the sausage!  This time we were at the organic farm where the pigs had been raised.  Always a great time!  I'm so lucky to be included in this process each year.  It's become a pivotal part of my calendar.

Chopping herbs for the Meadow sausage

Trimming & cutting meat

Grinding pig skin for the cotechino (super yummy!)

Sustaining mid-day meal!

Wardrobe Thoughts & Plans

So for 2016, I've taken the make/mend/thrift pledge, which means no buying new clothes.  I don't really feel like I purchase a lot of new clothing each year, but I probably buy more than I'm aware of, and my mother likes to buy me clothes (this may be harder for her than it will be for me).

I've been inspired by my own desire to make more of my clothing, the purge (as it has now come to be known in my mind - kinda biblical and still ongoing), things like Slow Fashion October and MeMadeMay, as well as Karen Templar of Fringe Association who has been blogging about crafting her own wardrobe and encouraging participation in slow fashion.

I wish I could sketch like Karen, but that is not part of my skillset at the moment.  So I've got some images and ideas to share here and will endeavour to continue to do so during this process (and forever - I'm nothing if not ambitious).

I tried to take a good look at my closet.  It really is an eclectic mix of styles and functions, but it suits me.  It also makes it hard to think in terms of key pieces, since I don't expect everything to be able to go together.  However, I have come up with some items that I think will pull a lot together.

What I'm Wearing to Teach Today: Yikes! Part 2 - The First Day of the Term

Have I mentioned that this is the painting that hangs over my desk?  Welcoming, I know.

Dress:  Yohji Yamamoto
Shirt:  Ralph Lauren
Boots:  Aquaitalia
Tights:  Wolford

Yikes!

Not a terribly descriptive blog post title but one that seemed to fit when I thought about how I might organize my thoughts for this post.  I think I'll actually have to do multiple posts for the sake of clarity and sanity.

Let's do a little holiday wrap-up.

The ladyfriend and I invited some strays, as I ended up calling our friends who weren't seeing family for Christmas, over for Christmas dinner, which we had on Christmas Eve in order to accommodate everyone.  It was quite the feast and lovely to share with friends.  Christmas Day we spend quietly together eating leftovers.  Pretty awesome.

My parents and the boy came on the 30th, and we all celebrated a new year together.  A lesson I learned, however, is that you can either go to a party on the 31st or throw a party on the 1st - I call it the "Go or throw" rule.  I did both, and it wasn't the best decision I've made, but both parties were fun.