Getting enthusiastic about sewing again

I was watching the latest The Fat Squirrel Speaks (episode 274),  where AmyBeth (of whom I am a huge fan) was discussing making "house pants".  These pants were wide-legged, with an elastic waistband and huge pockets.  One of the pairs was made from an old bed sheet!  I went and looked at the pattern, but they didn't have my size and I liked flow of AmyBeth's cropped versions better.  At first I went looking at 1930's lounging trousers, but realized they just weren't as full in the leg as I was imagining and were maybe a bit long (which wouldn't be hard to fix).  I still wanted something a bit more skirt-like.  Then I remembered a pattern I had purchased from Reconstructing History!  I could easily modify the 1910's Ladies Cycling Skirt to have pockets and a partial elastic waist!  Practical, supposed to be worn with boots, and  historybounding?  Fantastic!  I am also pretty sure I have the supplies to make one (or three).

While nobody in the house shares my enthusiasm, I may have been sketching out mods and making notes on the pattern over dinner, one can hope this feeling will carry on for a bit so I will not only be able to make my modified cycling skirts... but also finish all my sewing projects...from last summer.

I believe the correct title is "Plant Weirdo"

In case it hasn't been obvious, I have a bit of a thing for plants.  All. The. Plants.

When funds allow, I purchase all the varieties of favorite types of plants, like tomatoes, and any rare types, particularly of herbs, that I can get my green-stained, dirt covered hands on.

This year has been one of the first where I could buy interesting seeds and the dirt and containers to put them in, (for more than one type of plant).  Normally, it's tomatoes.  One variety, maybe two and then I am usually out of space and resources.  While I am sadly still restricted to containers, I may have planted more than a couple types of tomato.  I spend mornings and afternoons giddily bouncing between front and backyard; watering, picking, re-adjusting.  

I mean, I managed a blueberry!

And wee pumpkins!

There's also the squirrel planted snapdragons in the front:

Along with other wildflowers that while I don't know what they are, I enjoy very much!

There is also knitting.  Of the four projects I am currently working on, three are green:

Surprising to no one, the fourth one is black.  It's also garter stitch and not very exciting to look at quite yet.

All four of them can be worked on while I read.

Happy Juneteenth!

I had a conversation this week, (that may have gotten a little heated on my part), with someone who did not think Juneteenth should be a thing.  They were also not entirely okay with the Confederate statues being removed forcibly.

As I would prefer to celebrate Emancipation over traitors to the country.  Happy Juneteenth!

For those that do not know what it is or why it should be celebrated, (by everyone), you can read here, here or here.  Or just use your favorite search engine and look it up! :-)

90 Days

That is how long we have been doing the quarantine thing.  Every three weeks to a month, we go get groceries.  Our state is technically fully open for business, which really means most people think the whole pandemic thing is over and it's back to business as usual (almost no precautions taken).  There is no reason to believe this approach will have a good result.  We can stay home, so we do. (No one in the house has anything resembling a sleep schedule at this point. The only constant is dinner; served some time(eventually) between 6pm-8pm).

Happily, gardening continues, despite the weather insisting on punctuating summer weather with spring storms and temperatures.  (I actually had to turn on the heat this morning.)

The salad I continue to be able to harvest has been highly welcomed.

Nasturtium blossoms taste a bit like radishes.  Everyone enjoyed eating the blooms, which is good as there are lots more.

There are decent daily harvests of sugar snap peas and beans.

I'm working out of containers and apparently, accidentally did some chaos gardening.  (Which I didn't know was a thing till this morning).  It's really enjoyable!  At least if you don't mind not being sure what is where or even what is going to sprout.  I tried to start the season as a good, proper, organized gardener.  There are notebooks with types, planting dates, and success rates.  Seed trays were labelled and carefully transplanted.  Then...then the squirrels happened.  Seeds were flung everywhere.  Seedlings were hurriedly stuck back into, hopefully, the correct pots. Extra seeds were planted because it looked like the originals had been eaten.  So now there is salad growing...pretty much everywhere.  I have to hope that the sweet peppers and hot peppers were placed back in their proper pots, and there are twice as many pumpkin plants as I had planned.  Woohoo?

I've been taking a couple of classes from OSU's Professional and Continuing Education catalog.  I signed up for their Introduction to Urban Agriculture course this morning.  The others have been from their Master Gardener Short Course series. 

I re-cast Organized Chaos. (There seems to be a theme) The original, while pretty, met with a moth in just one crucial spot about two and a half years ago.  I only just had the heart to rip it out (the project had been sitting in the freezer for the last year and a half) and re-start it in a different yarn.

It has been super enjoyable to knit lace again!  Practical is wonderful, but not always as fun as a ridiculously huge, simple lace shawl.

Knitting on other things has been happening.  I just keep forgetting to take pictures.  Or I take pictures...and then forget to post them...or feel decidedly wrong about posting something that feels so very shallow during current events.

I have spent an embarrassing amount of time watching YouTube videos.  Good Life Permaculture.  Permaculture Magazine.  Bernadette Banner, (historical costuming).  And The Tarot Priest, one of the few readers I have found that really does seem to hit the mark (and I am really, really picky about that sort of thing).  I also watch an absurd number of people who do things with yarn, GG is wonderful, dunderknit is the swear-y one that even Husband enjoys, and the Knitters League is just fun, (if you're into yarn and things).

At some point, there will be proper summer weather allowing for more time outside, (or at least the backyard), till then I will keep my knitting inside and learn all I can to make the outside a better place to be.

Political Lipstick

I bought lipstick yesterday.  It sounds like a vapid and, frankly, clueless act yes? (Especially to announce semi-publicly).  The lipstick is from Lipslut.  The color I bought is called F*ck Trump.  As of this posting, they are donating 100% of sitewide earnings to organizations fighting police violence, systemic racism, and the oppression of Black Americans.  Seemed like a good purchase to me. 

My knitting has also gone a bit political, which it has done before.  Documenting points in time as well as making statements.  There are the pussy hats, standard and elven, that still reside with my other hats and continue to wear occasionally.  The Social Distancing Cowl, is on the needles in a very subdued color palette.  No, I don't think it tasteless or tacky.  It is a commemoration of a global event, a physical remembrance of something that may fade from memory.  Some things I just refuse to forget. 

I went stash diving and am winding the yarn for this hat right now.  It will be cast on after dinner this evening.

I think I have decided on a color palette for All Together, likely a dark charcoal background with contrast colors in burgundy, green and purple, (mainly because I couldn't decide on just two contrast colors).

Yarn and lipstick as political statements?  Count me all in.

Anything I Say Will Not Be Enough

I currently live in a decidedly red state that is painfully monochromatic.  My neighborhood is small town retiree suburbia.

Most of my social media accounts lie quiet, untouched for weeks on end...except for my tumblr account. On that platform, there is an endless re-blog of information.  Are you white?  Read these and learn.  Are you out protesting?  Here's how you deal with tear gas.  Here are the latest updates from those protests.  These are representative of the latest themes.  You may have to scroll to find stuff pertaining to current events.  You may not. (No, I've not gone anarchist. For multiple reasons.)

Instagram is a platform for showing things, for having people see what you want them to.  There is a minimal sense of exchange of information or of anything un-polished.  It does not feel like the right platform for this moment.  (Though I don't think it's ever been the platform for me as none of my life is really "Instagram-worthy".)

Right now is about doing something.  Hells, buy a sock pattern. The front page of Ravelry right now is pretty darn useful if you have the funds to do so.  Spread (accurate) information. Be supportive of others where you can, however you can.

I have stated this before; People. Are. Not. Things.