Which mistakes can you live with?
We all make mistakes. (Obviously.)
And fortunately in knitting, (almost) every mistake is fixable.
(Apart from things like lighting your sweater on fire.)
But that doesn’t mean all mistakes need to be fixed.
I’m not advocating sloppiness,
because there’s no need for that.
But pure perfection is boring,
and usually unattainable.
Wafian has a spot where the boarder is garter instead of i-cord
– when I got distracted for a row.
Eirwen has a couple loose stitches near the beginning
– where the magic loop pulled a yarn over too large.
Izar has a couple stripes completely out of order
– where I forgot what I was doing for a bit.
Tumbling Deco was supposed to have a smooth boarder (like Mrs. Peacock)
– but I didn’t have the blocking wires.
When it comes to mistakes in my knitting my thinking is…
: if it’s structural, fix it.
(an incorrect stitch count, an off-center repeat, funky shaping, extra rows)
: if it’s cosmetic, it can stay – or get fixed – usually depending on my mood.
(a misordered stripe sequence, a different blocking method, an incorrect stitch that your eye glosses over)
So, which mistakes can you live with?
8 clothing related reminders from Month One of The Self-Made Wardrobe. Because reinventing the wheel every time sucks.
It’s the beginning of Day 32 of The Self-Made Wardrobe Project.
Yesterday was the end of Month 1, today is the beginning of Month 2, and I’m beginning to maybe believe that this project might not be as crazy as it feels.
At the very least I know I can come up with something to wear every day – freezing when the weather finally gets cold is a whole other thing though.
Since I’ve been doing this for over a month, I’ve learned some things, about what I like, and what I don’t.
So I’d like to write myself some clothing related reminders.
They’re not rules. Or even guidelines.
They’re just reminders.
Things I’ve learned, and would rather not have to re-learn.
Because reinventing the wheel every time sucks.
(Of course, these work for me and my wardrobe. You can have whatever wardrobe reminders/guidelines/rules work for you and your wardrobe.)
I want a reminder that…
: crew-neck T-shirts never fit in any dimension. If you love it, buy an XL and cut it down.
: you don’t have big feet. You’re a 7 or a 7.5. I don’t know where this big footed idea came from.
: go for fuller skirts – not pencil skirts. You like walking, and don’t work in an office, so not having pencil skirts is really ok.
: you prefer cardigans to pullovers. So knit some damn cardigans already.
: blouses aren’t really your thing. If there’s one you love – excellent! Otherwise don’t beat yourself up over sticking to tank tops – just make some interesting over-shirts.
: you don’t really like dresses. Don’t get sucked up into blogland’s need for all the cute flirty dresses. You prefer separates – and that’s ok.
: go for the dropped waist or at your hips. You don’t really like things at your natural waist.
: buy black fabric. And grey fabric. And blue fabric. And other solid fabrics. I know the prints are more fun to buy. But the solids make the prints more fun to wear & style.
And let me repeat that last one.
: buy the solid fabrics.
These reminders are things I’ve found work – for me.
Sometimes I go against them (most of the time I go against the fabric reminder – but this project is changing that).
But when I remember to remember these things about myself, how I wear my clothing, and how I interact with my wardrobe – things go a little more smoothly.
And who doesn’t like things to go a little more smoothly.
the basic plan is balance
Last time, I started the self-made wardrobe project with a laughable number of garments. (4 skirts. 2 sweaters.)
So there was usually a bunch of scrambling* to find something to wear every morning.
*and by scrambling I mean sewing.
This time I’m beginning with.
2 dresses. 4 shirts. 8 skirts. 3 sweaters. 1 sweater-dress/tunic. 1 kimono.
And a plan. (Or at least the beginnings of a plan.)
Everything I really wear fits into one of these categories:
: over-shirts/sweaters/jackets (all of them)
: tank tops & camisoles (I basically live in “tank top + jeans/skirt + something”)
: jeans (eep.)
: maxi skirts (as a jeans substitute)
: skirts (for looking cute)
: dresses (2 might be enough?)
: winter coat (double eep!)
So, if I (more or less) evenly distribute the garments I make into one of these categories, I should be ok.*
*and by “ok” I mean “always having something to wear…”
Of course I’ll be making more tank tops than over-shirts/sweaters/jackets, and I haven’t figured out how many pairs of jeans I’ll try to make yet…
But if I basically try to balance these categories, I should end up with a mostly balanced wardrobe.
We’ll see how it goes.
The plan = Balance (more or less)
(I mean really, what could possibly go wrong?)
