Since last Thursday, I have knit a few rows here and there on the body and the collar of the Basic Camisole. As much as I adore that VK Strap Top, I have not touched that since casting on. Quite simply, I have zero motivation for that project. Why can't I push forward and finish both projects?

I pass this tree on my daily drive to work, and I noticed a few spots of orange Saturday... I should knit so fast!

Autumn feels so close that the idea of working on a second tank after I finish the Basic Camisole seems ludicrous. I am not interested in slogging through two garments that will have limited -- if any -- wear time once them come off the needles. In a nutshell, I have Fall Fever.

The desire to knit something now for those extended crisp early mornings and late evenings in September is powerful. It is practically irresistible.

The latest crop of knitting magazines had a few patterns here and there that aroused a minor interest, but nothing outright provoked me. Is it odd to feel a summer knitting malaise about autumn projects?

My boss is a bit of a joker. A student came in the office earlier with a question about her phone bill. I was already helping her when my boss noticed a stranger standing in the main room of our office suite. He asked her if he could help her, and she pointed to my office.

Boss: Is she in there?
Student: Yes.
Boss: Is she awake?
Student: (nervous giggle) Yes.
Me: (forced, deadpan laugher) Barely. Today's consumption of coffee and soda may outpace my monthly standard. Anything to stay awake and alert.

Last week was a bad sleep week, and I am still recovering from working Freshman Check-in Saturday. Waking up at 6:00AM to get to work by 7:00AM on a Saturday seems particularly cruel. However, any feelings of self-pity I had about the early hour quickly melted when I stepped out into the brutal heat and humidity. Not all of the buildings have elevators, and most of the dorms do not have AC.

Everyone is heralding back to school. I just want to go back to sleep.

I like to think of myself as a woman of my word. I try never to make promises I know I cannot, or wish not, to keep. When I make a promise, I do my level best to honor it. Well, I have fallen short.

I promised Mardel and Sharyn that I would bring Coachella to knitting Thursday for a final round of kangaroo court. After my post yesterday, I realized that I needed to put Coachella to the test. The Personal Style Icon Test. My gut feeling is that neither Dita nor Rosalind would go for the racerback, but Maggie just might. But there is a second level to the Personal Style Icon Test, and that level is my own comfort level -- Does it feel right on me? Do I feel right in it?

Coachella is a great pattern. I fell in love with the neckline and the construction, but I was not true to myself. Outside of gym clothing, I have never worn a racerback. There something about the cut of it -- exposing the shoulder wings -- that makes me think of ham. Please do not ask me to explain this logic; I cannot figure it out myself.

The one thing I had to figure out was how to use exactly 522 yards of Fauve yarn. I refuse to buy some additional random quantity just to have more yarn lingering around, waiting for "some project" to be knit "someday".

Ravlery revealed a few contenders, and I finally settled on the Sleeveless Top #6 from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2004. The Strap Top (as I have named it) caught my eye when I was so new to knitting to know that every pattern is just a mix of the knit and purl stitches, but that it is "knitable"-- if the knitter is willing to try.

Why is it that every article and discussion about style rams Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O. down our throats as style icons? Having recently watched Grey Gardens and The Beales of Grey Gardens, I say without hesitation that Little Edie Beale had more individual style than her cousin (Jackie). Anyone who can fashion a cardigan into a skirt or a headscarf it tops in my book.

Last week, Stephanie and I had a short email exchange about style. We included favorite images snapped by The Sartorialist, and we noted which stylish ladies resonated with us.

As kooky as it may sound, I now subject nearly all of my clothing to what I call The Personal Style Icon Test. I have short list of personal style icons, and if I cannot imagine one of them in the garment, it is a pass for me. Sadly, I got caught up in the excitement of Coachella, and I casted on before I subjected her to The Test.

Who are my style icons? While I admire the style of many women, there are a few who stand out to me. They are as much about character as they are about fashion. These are timeless women to me. They are the past, present and the future embodied in one sassy lady!

Dita Von Tease
Nearly naked and lounging in a giant champagne glass, this retro-inspired glamour girl exudes more subtle sexiness and class than Pam Anderson in a conservative white button down.

In spite of the questionable marriage and the Bettie Page bondage photos, Dita manages to pull off vintage and vintage-inspired clothing without looking like the lead in the Ohio River Valley Players' summer stock revival of 42nd Street.




Maggie Gyllenhaal
Quirky, flirty and beautiful. She is ballerina, flapper, Jane Austen heroine, modern woman but little-girl-lost in one body. Her appreciation of fashion runs the gamut

She is haunting without haughtiness. A thoroughly Modern Maggie with more than a hint of Thoroughly Modern Millie.

I wish Hollywood would fall in love with her as much as I have.




Rosalind Russell
From fast-talking newspaper "broad" to everyone's favorite eccentric auntie, she played strong characters and was a rather strong character herself.

"Flops are part of a life's menu and I've never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses."

"Taste. You cannot buy such a rare and wonderful thing. You can't send away for it in a catalogue. And I'm afraid it's becoming obsolete."

"Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic."


By no means is this the full scope, nor is it written in stone. Notably, none of these women have my body shape, but style is as much about spirit and character as clothing to me. Helena Bonham-Carter and Cate Blanchett also come to mind. Bjork and her wildly daring choices are an inspiration and a reminder to pursue individual style.

My personal style is about picking pieces from various eras (1920s through early 1950s) and marrying them with current pieces to create something that is subtle but with a bit of flair. Do I do this daily? No, but maybe I should.

Improvement is an ongoing challenge for me. Self-improvement, home improvement, you name it. Home improvement is a huge challenge because we are renters, and too often my small exercises in small improvements seem silly. It can be tough to enjoy the pretty tea cup when it is stored in a dark and dilapidated kitchen cabinet, but I soldier on -- slowly creating a living space that does not resemble a men's dorm.

The last email I sent at work Friday was to Lea Ann, who is challenging herself with an August Clean Sweep, suggesting that we each get one small and beautiful thing for our apartments.

I am not boasting about the heart tin with the makings of guacamole, but rather the new sage-colored tablecloth covering our somewhat battered table.

With the kids out and about, we rarely eat as a family, and the kitchen table became a catch-all shelf. But that will change. No one is foolish enough to test me by sullying the tablecloth with skateboard tools, newsprint stacks or crumbs. Thus, I have struck upon an effective -- and pretty! -- solution to the problem.

I particularly like the small eyelet detail near the edge. I think I may have developed a new obsession -- table linens!

Sorry, folks. No clever post or pretty finished project today.

At the moment, there is are a number of small black clouds swirling, but nothing feels -- or is -- beyond repair. However, writing about it is not the answer. Maybe a year from now, one of these black clouds will be a little anecdote, but for now, it is akin to sifting through the rubble.

On a lighter note, I just cannot bring myself to purchase another container of this cheese:

Brag all you want about your cheese, but be humble about your spelling.

How ironic. I had been bemoaning my need for time away from work, and it has been delivered. Alas, it was delivered with a healthy dose of fever, aches and now some laryngitis, and this state of affairs does not lend itself to the knitting or reading that I had also craved. But last night, I picked up the needles in order to answer a few questions about Louisa Harding's Fauve yarn.

First off, Webs lists Fauve at a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch, but the ball band states 5.5 stitches to the inch. Even more confounding, The Knitting Garden states a gauge of 4 stitches to the inch. I feel my fever spiking! Suggested gauge and needle size are not gospel, but this all-over-the-map wildness is maddening. To ease the panic that I had just bought 522 yards of a yarn without a destiny I shut up and started swatching.

From bottom to top:
#8 Rosewood needles yielded ~10.25 stitches = 2"
#9 Denise needles yielded 10 stitches = 2"
#9 KnitPicks Options needles yielded 9 stitches = 2"
#10 KnitPicks Options needles yielded slightly < 9 stitches = 2"
I like the look of the middle two sections, although none of the sections felt too stiff or too loose. I think this yarn has a good deal of "play" when it comes to gauge, a plus in many books.

Now the knitting itch needed to be scratched, so I cast on for Coachella. I am enjoying the feel and the process of knitting with Fauve. It is similar to either SWTC A-Maizing or Berroco's Ultra Silk in terms of yarn texture/type and the "hand" of it. If you have not experienced either of those yarns, imagine the melding of Berroco Suede and SWTC Phoenix with the elasticity of Rowan Calmer.

Just mind your manicure. The slightest nail snag catches the yarn.

At home since Monday with something that appears to be the flu has me sleeping (more) fitfully (than usual) and climbing the walls. At 4 o'clock this morning, feverish and frantic, I decided that I could no longer bear the burden of my stash. All of that unknit yarn...it is weighing heavily on me. Perhaps I can entice you? The particulars:

• My home is smoke-free.
• Gmail me (lumay1966) if interested. De-stash fever would be a good subject.
  
• Please add a $6.00 flat shipping fee to the cost of the yarn.
• Payment in the form of cash-funded PayPal (no credit cards) is preferred, but a Money Order is fine as well.

And now, on to the yarn!

10 Adrienne Vittadini Allegra
87 yards, 4.5=1"
85% cotton, 15% nylon
color #504 Clay (salmon), lot 193
$60.00






SOLD
5 Reynolds Mandalay
98 yards, 4=1"
100% silk
color 02 (yellow), lot 02
$20.00





10 Rowan Calmer
175 yards, 5.5=1"
80% cotton, 20% poly
color #489 Delight (soft peach), lot 28J6
$72.00







SOLD
10 Karabella Aurora 8
98 yards, 4.5=1"
85% merino wool
color #716 New Leaf (heathered leaf green), lot 4309
$60.00

I went to Webs and this is all I bought.

Can you believe the utter restraint? Even with a full two hours to mull, muse and shop, this is the full extent of the damage done.

I will be honest. I already feel haunted by the Berroco Comfort. I bought it with the intention of using it for the Perfect Periwinkle Turtleneck Tube Vest from Fitted Knits, however, I realized within hours of the purchase that I could use my reclaimed yarn. After all, I have the orange Rowan Handknit Cotton (Sizzle), the green Rowan Calmer (Elspeth-Cece-froggie) or the the lilac Rowan Calmer (Ribby Shell) -- all of which could work perfectly. Ugh!

I am trying to reduce my stash, and my poor memory throws up a roadblock on the path towards a minimal and zen stash.

Envy is an ugly thing, but there are times when I envy the yarn, patterns and projects of others. When friend and knitting group member, Anneliese, mentioned last Saturday that her copy of Vogue Knitting had arrived, I was a little miffed (and envious) that my mailbox did not yield the same treasure.

Imagine how irked I was to spy a copy of not only the latest Vogue Knitting, but also the latest Interweave Knits, at a yarn shop in Pawling yesterday! This was madness! Why do I pay for a subscription if I am not going to be "one of the first to know"?

Well, my ruffled feathers were soothed when I returned home to find the Fall issues of both Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits in the mailbox. As I was headed off to my knitting circle, I barely glanced through them. Tonight promised to be an indulgence of knitting magazines, What Not to Wear and working on the Basic Camisole from Knitting Lingerie Style.

It was a "possible" for my Ravelry queue -- until I saw Veletoungue's. My weird knitter's envy (not to mention hair envy) took over, and it jumped from "possible" to "cast on" in the time it took me to drive to Pawling -- to buy a bit more of the discontinued Katia Ceilan that I already had in my stash -- and back.

As my boss was preparing for his business trip, he continually asked me about the knitting project I was planning for my solo time in the office. I will knit at lunch, but I am not nearly "ballsy" enough to knit at my desk with vendors, coworkers and administration sashaying about. And let me just say that the only knitting I did during work hours this week was knitting my brow. Ugh! The small tragedies that occurred in his absence!

The office digital camera arrived yesterday, but I was far too frazzled to even open the box. Today, is far more sedate, and the nuttiness of the week, I am indulging in a little game of when the cat's away, the mouse will play...with the new digital camera. Particularly when the cat has some knitting to display.

The Green Seed
Karabella Cap-Sleeve Raglan
Classic Elite Yarns Four Seasons
Color 7697 - SpringGreen, 4 and 1/4 hanks
Inox #5 24" circular needle
November 17, 2006 - August 2, 2007

While simple, this was an exhausting knit. Double moss stitch wears thin rather quickly. Moreover, my lack of knitting planning resulted in a some seaming strife. I know edge stitches are a wonderful thing when knitting a pattern stitch, but the gap between knowing and doing was wide on this project.

The demon green seed was finished last evening en route to the Shawangunk Mountains for a sunset with Joe. The seaming strife was witnessed at lunch today by my favorite coworker/lunch buddy/knitting buddy, Sharyn.

Work Weary

My apologies to the truly overworked and underpaid of the world, but I am experiencing the sort work weariness that only the misdirected liberal arts majors in the United States can experience. At the tender age of 41, I cannot tell you what color my parachute is, but I can tell you without reservation all of the ways in which I hope to never earn a meager living again.

With my boss and his boss out of the office this week, I was prepared for a rather easy-going time of it. HA-HA! All I can say is that my week has been such that a trip to the Ladies' Room is a luxury and a time-stealer.

But it's not just this particular week at this particular job. It is an on-going, multi-fold problem and is this the issue:
I hate to be tethered, but "freedom" doesn't offer health insurance or a 401k. I need to be challenged, but not overworked. I need to be well-paid, but not so much that I am a slave to some buzzing electronic device.

No matter how interesting the work environment, how wonderful my boss or how stimulating the work, it all falls apart eventually. There comes a point in every job where just showing up makes me feel as if I am living something a akin to the spawn of a Kafka novel mating with a Solzhenitsyn tome. I am the poster girl for the easily-bored and wildly-restless Generation X.

Sitting at the same desk, seeing the same people, doing the same work day after day after day -- without an end in sight -- is a mental gulag.
My spirit could not be less willing.