My best friend asked me the other day why I wasn't updating my blog.  I could have lied and used the typical "I'm busy" excuse.  But I didn't and I won't to you either.

Honestly?  I haven't wanted to write. 

Another friend asked my how I liked my new sewing machine.  Again with the honesty...

I haven't wanted to sew.

I wish I knew why.  I wish I knew I hadn't felt any inspiration.  I wish I knew why I was feeling some massive negative body image right now.  I wish I knew why I was already stressing over my 40th birthday (which isn't for a few more months).  I wish I knew why all I want to do is sit on the couch and watch "Doctor Who" and "Sherlock".  Wait, I do know that...they are both amazingly good British tv!

I am not a winter person.  I am a warm air and ocean breeze kind of girl. 

Why don't I move to Florida?  Crocodiles.  And alligators.  And anything that can eat me or my wild animal menagerie I tend to avoid.  Oh, and sinkholes.  I'm scared of those too.  So I stay here in the mountains of Virginia and try survive this massively cold winter.  And frozen pipes.  And missed school days.  And all I do is watch men with British accents.

I have a bad case of the winter blues.  If I cared enough I could write a song!

Before I sunk into my anxiety ridden winter negativity, I made a dress.  Again, I totally ripped off Lauren's version.  Again, I was totally inspired by Lauren's version.

Lladybird Lauren's Lola (say that three times fast)

I had previously avoided Victory Pattern's Lola because of the line drawings.  I imagined looking like a large fleece covered basketball.

Victory Pattern's Lola

Once I saw Lauren's dress I decided to give it a try.  I left off the bottom band and instead just did a basic hem.  I also left off the parachute sized pockets.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some big pockets.  But I knew that with pockets of this size I would be cramming them full of all kinds of unnecessary crap, which would not be an attractive look.  I also used an old sweater for the neckline and arm bands (just like Lauren!). 

I had to doctor the pattern for sizing as well.  The largest measurements for the top fit me but the lower half did not.  Since the seam placement was super important, I had to be careful with how I graded it up.  I had to add a total of 4 inches (that's right - FOUR!) in order to get it to fit over my hips.  I added a half an inch to each front and back seam just below the waist.  That way I would get the space I needed and still have my seams match.  Now the bottom fits perfectly.  The top?  Not so much...I have too much fabric in the lower back and at my high bust.  I took some in after putting it together but I think I actually needed to do some pattern alterations, not just dress alterations.  And my neckline is hideous.  My old sweater had lost all stretch and my neckline is too loose which makes it stand straight up in the back.  I try to wear this dress with a scarf to cover all my imperfections.

Oh, and I got my hair cut. 



I have never done a sway back pattern adjustment, and I should have given it a try on this pattern.  The more I look at myself in this dress the less I like it.  I don't know if there really is something to not like or if my winter blahness is taking over.  It is comfortable though.  How can a dress length sweatshirt NOT be comfortable???

On the bright side, I made these super cute boot cuffs to go with it!  I am in a local knitting group called Sip & Knit.  Twice a month a bunch of women get together to knit and drink wine...life can't get any better than that, can it?  I got this yarn at our Christmas Dirty Santa and it was just too wooly scratchy to have next to my skin.  And I couldn't think of anything else to do with one skein of yarn so it became boot cuffs!






They are basic stockinette edged with a rib.  They can be worked on circular needles or seamed.  I opted to seam them because I don't have circular needles yet and wanted to start on these IMMEDIATELY.  During a sort of snow event.  So I went with what I had.  I also wanted a simple pattern since I was using a two color yarn.  According to Ravelry, these should have taken me about two hours.  Which in slow-Kristin-knit time is about two weeks.  I'm still working on my sister's Christmas 2013 cowl.  I'll have it done in time for summer.  Hopefully.  Don't worry, Susan...school is closed tomorrow due to an inch of snow...and I'll work all day on it (in between constantly checking my kitchen sink for freezing pipes...and watching last Sunday's Sherlock and a few more Doctor Who episodes).




I'm sorry if I'm a little down on myself in this post.  My mood will turn around...probably sometime in mid-April.  Or after my 40th in May.  Then I'll be ok.  And I forced myself to do some future sewing planning.  Look out Schoolhouse Tunic...you are next!  I'm also thinking of making a hand-stamped scarf in a light spring weight fabric.  I'll also do a for real review of my new baby, my Viking Opal 650 sewing machine.

In the meantime, here is a pic of Max trying to convince me to pet him instead of write...