Bohemian Bluestocking

God, I love my new jeans! I got a new pair last week, after a fashion meltdown, bewailing the moment when I realized I needed new clothes. I go to Lane Bryant, because I am zaftig, amd to be honest, I am tired of buying my jeans at Sprawl-Mart.

The don't gap at the small of back. It's a miracle. And they are TWO sizes smaller than I expected, because I am a very curvy girl. (I guess. That's what the jeans say. They talk to me and say -- cathee, you're a curvy girl, go two sizes smaller than you were thinking.)

The only problem, of course they is a problem, but a small one(s): They are 2 inches too long, easily hemmed. And they are bootcut, but a bootcut verging into flares. I narrowed the leg from the knee down, grading from nothing to 2 inches at the cuff, so they look more traditional bootcut, slightly wider than straight-leg.

In addition to fixing my jeans, I was able to finish up the two grocery bags and now I have a coordinating set of three to take to StopNShop.

I have a day off. In my current theater incarnation, I have 1.5 days off(1/2 of Sunday, and all of Monday, when the theatre is dark) I came in today to do a couple of hours work, truing up a shawl-collar vest pattern, which I will cut tomorrow afternoon, after my draper has trued and cut a tailcoat using the same lining.

But what to do now that I have the rest of my evening? Probably go home, clean the apartment a bit, keep knitting on the sweater I've started, maybe start another pair of socks, if so inclined. Not very exciting, I admit, but more reassuring that I can have a seemingly normal life, if I choose.

It can be soooo nice to see your stuff on stage. And this week it's even doubly nice, since it's a knitted item on stage. I knitted a wig for a current show at Shakespeare & Co, the regional theater I work at. And here are the pictures:(courtesy of their website/Kevin Sprague/Studio Two) And it actually looks like a wig, though slightly flat on top, the curls were a little tight to get into that small circumference. I am pleased, and as soon as I can get some close-up construction photos, I'll post those.

Tawashi are the very cute little Japanese scrubbies -- knitted with anti-bacterial yarns (there are two sites on Etsy, here and there,  where you can find them. There are lots(!) of pattern books out there, mostly crochet, but a few knitted ones as well. 

The end result is I have gone tawashi-crazy. All orphaned plant-based yarns in the stash are being knit up into tawashi. I have joined Tawashi-Town at Ravelry. I have done a Tawashi Swap (thanks RhondaB in Seattle for the swag!) The finished tawashi have started to pile up (there's a good sized plastic bin full). I talk about it my knitting group. I talk about them at my LYS's.

I knit, eat, sleep Tawashi.

I have started to think about designing them. I'll keep you posted as to ideas.

It's amazing what you can accomplished when you are unemployed/underemployed. Projects get DONE. period. end of story. It knitting, knitting, knitting, sewing, cooking, milk chocolate brownies, ginger carrot soup, homemade bread(?!), mopped floors(that just amazes me to no end -- I rarely mop the floors.)

I sorted all my embroidery floss and wrapped it onto little DMC cards.

And while it's certainly not boredom because I have plenty to do, I am wondering at all the things I've managed not to finish since I moved to Pittsfield. In the process of finishing some embroidery project(done after I sorted/wrapped all that floss) I came across/finished a dishtowel, as far as I can determine, has been sitting in the workbasket for over 10 YEARS. I packed it up unfinshed when I moved to Pittsfield from New Hampshire. I don't know if I should be horrified or humiliated.

Leave it at that. 

The homemade bread was yummy.

I have posted some new photos in the gallery. Little bits and pieces from past and present. Tell me what you think!

There is definitely some randomess/entrophy/dark matter floating around the universe these days:

• Veteran's Day I was working at my retail lackey job, and for the mist parts minding my own business, when a customer, out of the blue, asks me: "Would you happen to know what the time zone the Western Theater of Operations was on when the Armistice was signed in 1919?" Now admittedly I *do* know the answer (GMT) but what ever prompted this man to ask me? I am blandly running my cash register, singing to myself to pass the time. (not aloud, mind you) odd.
• We had a wonderful ring around the moon last night. I left the theater after tech rehearsals, and there it was, huge in the sky, a hands-span from the moon, one of the largest I've seen in a long time. They typically mean snow is on its way (they are formed by moisture and ice crystals in the atmosphere), but we merited only rain when I awoke this morning.
• There's seems to be seamtress work swirling around me as well, as well it should since I'll be with one less paycheck very soon. So I am glomming onto as much as I can to get me through the winter. There might me design work as well, but I am not holding my breath for that. That would be a gift, and sewing is just work-a-day.
• The Fall Festival of Shakespeare opens Thursday and runs through Sunday. The shows are ready to go. One looks fab and the other I am ok with. It's workmanlike work, and while I am certainly not ashamed of the look, I'm not incredibly excited either.

Yes, my shows at Shake&Co are almost done (they open Wednesday), but:

• My molars have started to ache. sharp shooting pain kinda of ache, with me lying on the bed, saying"please give me a respite, please."
• I've developed a sinus headache that's turning into a headcold. So now when the toothache throbs, I feel in my ear, and behind my eyeballs. A toothache behind my eyeballs.
• I am at work at 2am, stitching trim on a dress, because the director wants another dress rehearsal today, but I have to be at the other school this afternoon for their dress  rehearsal. Can't I drop it off Wednsday am? nooooo, that would make too much sense. They have to run changes Tuesday, never minding that this actress doesn't actually change clothes. And I also got: "I thought the veil would be longer? Can you make it longer?" IT'S TWO(now one actually) DAYS BEFORE YOUR SHOW, . HMMMM. NO. THAT WOULD BE YOUR ANSWER.
• My parents might actually come to one of my shows. Before everyone says, awww, that's so sweet, why is that on the "but...." list; In the over 5 years I've lived in the Berkshires, they have never once come to see me. They only live 4 hours away. hmmmmm. Now I know Massachusetts is a foreign country to the rest of New England, but....
• And because the shows are opening Wednesday, I am missing knitting circle. And I might miss it next week as well, since we are in the middle of Festival Week.

Somewhere in all this, I promised myself I would start my Buttonhole Bag. I've changed my mind about the colors. I've gone with a chocolate brown and sapphire Cascade 220 instead (old standbys). (Gave me an excuse to buy some yarn, like I needed much of an excuse.) Probably some stranded colorwrok of some sort. I also bought more Dale of Norway Tuir in black and dark magenta, which I will use with a halh ball of mustard colorl,  for another pair of Warm Hands Knitalong mittens. Two pairs are down so far, though: (1) A fingerless pair in Adrianne Vittadini silk/cotton baby blue, with a eyelet edge threaded with blue-edged brown ribbon, and (2) some anynomous(sp) dark green silk/cashmere/merino from Goodwill, 1x1 cable twist cuffs with squared off tips. Pictures to follow soon, I promise.

So despite the multiple pains in my head and ass, I seem to be making some progress nevertheless. humph. That wasn't supposed to happen.

Now, admittedly, I can be quite obsessed about clothes. Working for a theater can make you that. And I love talking about the free stuff I can score from our donations (Latest coup: a pair of leather Dansko half-boots with a cute buckle, a shearling coat in my size, and I 'm note a tiny person either, and a black chenille scarf -- all FREE!) So when I mentioned the shoe room to Abi and Jess, partners in yarn crimes, they were more than a bit distracted by the thought of a room full of shoes. And I'm not talking about an largeish closet either, but a real honest to goodness room. To wit:

And the big stockrooms are just as full. This is one aisle of SIX in the men's stockroom. We also have a women's stockroom, almost as big, which holds all the dresses, period and modern, plus our fabric stock. (Think about that stash!!??)

This aisle holds colorful pants, breeches, ethnic wear, vest, swimwear, hospital wear, bedroom wear, and kimonos. And yes, it's one of 6 aisles in this room alone.

Beth S noted to me that the codpiece reminded her of blackadder (woof!) and yes, I will admit, that a fair amount of my costume ideas are inspired (not copied, mind you) from british television. and that yes, one of the shows I am designing this fall, Much Ado About Nothing, is taking place just after WWI. There are no such things as new ideas. Darn.

And I want Abi to know -- that would you believe there's a much younger Hugh Laurie in this photo. Imagine that. :)

But as queenie would say: I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a concrete elephant.