September 17, 2011
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Once again I'm starting my weekend in a desperately sleep deprived state. I have a nap planned this afternoon. I feel tired enough to take a nap now, but napping before the sun comes up seems silly, and I already tried just going back to sleep. It didn't work. Plus, I'm expecting people this morning.
I'm planning a PSD (personal sewing day), with intermittent breaks to talk with people.
I haven't managed a garment a week with my SWAP, but I have made two pairs of pants and two skirts (one of which still needs a zipper and a hem), plus a top that matches one of the skirts to make a two-piece dress. If I can get the jacket made, I'll be well on the way toward fall SWAP success.
My husband has my car, I did the grocery shopping last night, and all the HGP had for this week's cleaning was the foyer. A big deal if you have to clean the chandelier and dust the grand piano, but my foyer is a dozen tiles just inside the door, so I think I'm okay.
I'm therefore planning to put on Netflix and get my jacket made.
Jackets are hard to make. I have several that I've made in the past which don't quite fit, or don't quite look as though they were made by a proper tailor. I also have quite a few lengths of fabric intended for jacket making which have never been made up because I get too nervous about cutting into them.
However, I also have a couple of handsome jackets I've made successfully for myself, so I know it can be done.
The other things we're supposed to do on the HGP involve putting a meal and a batch of homemade goodies into the freezer, buying film and batteries, adding a couple of cans to our grocery lists for charity and for the holidays, and buying the materials for our homemade gifts.
I haven't yet decided what to make -- I'm a week behind on that. I was also thinking that, since I'm heading for Rome in a month, I should wait and buy unusual yarn or fabric there. It then struck me that in the internet era, the chances of finding something quite different may be slim, especially since Italy hasn't caught the modern knitting hobby bug. Knitting is for grannies in Italy, it seems, and yarn shops are staffed by severe people who won't let you touch the yarn.
I feel like making hats for everyone, just in case it gets cold this year. I'm not sure that everyone on my list actually wears hats, though, so socks might be smarter. I have to the end of the day to decide and purchase the yarn without getting behind on the HGP.
I had better dress, though, in case my visitors arrive early. It's okay to blog in one's nightie, but face to face communication requires clothing.
Comments (2)
Knitting magazines: lots of knitting magazines in Rome, with glorious pictures to inspire. Italian yarn shops are scary, but I managed to negotiate buying DK merino in Venice about 11 years ago, and the ladies were lovely. It helps to have a clear idea what you might want to make, and to show them. Also, book tickets for the Sistine Chapel and St Peter's, and turn RIGHT out of the Sistine Chapel (not left) to bypass the ticket queues to St Peter's.
@pink_hebe - Thank you so much for the inside gen!