Excitement Brewing...

I don't have a picture right now to upload, though there's always something being made, unmade or just even thought about in this household. Just ask the dust-mites. They're used to the patterns being tossed upon them just before I turn off the lights at night time. I am completely enthralled with possibility even if it's only because it's Friday and we've got decent, summer-like weather for the first time in what feels like weeks. Windows are being pressed open, socks tossed, feet are being bared by the thousands all across the Chicagoland area. I'm not quite there, although I want to ditch the boots and embrace my sandals. I'm just waiting for my toes to grow pretty, ok? I did shed a layer of winter leggings this morning. My pants have not felt this loose in a long time, it's almost like I've lost a few pounds when in reality, I've just gotten rid of what wasn't there in the first place. So I am thinking a loud of things to do, places to go and one closet to clean.

1. A bike or a Razor scooter. There's been lots of chatter all across the Internet about bicycling. Who's doing it and who's not to save gas money. I'm not, only because I have ready access to public transportation, and an unlimited rides pass on local buses and trains. If I didn't have this, I probably would get a two-wheeler and get truckin'. It's too bad I've experienced my share of bicycle parts (I had a back wheel stolen while I was in college and I'm still scarred from the experience), or I'd get a retro-style bike with an old-fashioned daisy-decorated basket and a bell to warn everyone to get out of the way because I'm coming. Actually, I'm more likely to buy a Razor scooter, which would get me to bus and train stops fast. I like the idea of racing one of these things with a kid in the 'hood, although there's an athletic adult in my building who owns one of these things and I'm sure would gladly contest me. That'll have to wait until I go to Target to buy one though. In any event, is it my imagination but are culotte skirts coming back? (Please don't tell Erin. You might ruin her weekend) I have this super-cute cottony lemon green culotte dress from the 40s. It has the most adorable purple and belt. I have to wear it with a pair of Spandex underneath. I haven't worn it in a while. I now have an excuse though, if our Mayor ever gets the rent-a-bike plan off the ground then I won't have to buy my own wheels.

2. More random-ness. There's also have been articles and more articles about Americans cutting back on meals out and even meals in (Maybe that's where the In-and-Out Burger gets its name) to pay for those aforementioned gas bills. They're still buying television sets from what I read and see when I visit the mall. I was wondering if stores like Jo-Ann Fabrics, Hancocks and independent yarn shops are feeling the effects of the new frugality. Are you still hitting the pattern sales? Or if the stores are too far away, are you joining online clubs like Club DMV to get your cheap pattern fix? If you're all set on patterns and fabrics for life on this planet, are you feeling like you're great-grandma Milly during World War II and diving into your fabric collection to make your next set of clothes? Me, I haven't bought fabric in what feels like eons, which is unusual since I'm usually in this store at least once a week. Then again, I haven't been going the free sewing demos like I usually do, so I'm less likely to add fertilizer to the fabrics in my closet. Here's another question. For those of you who have hundreds (perhaps thousands) of patterns, are any of you selling some of the more prized ones on eBay so you can pay your bills? Just curious, but then again I don't prowl eBay the way I used to so I can't tell if listings are up, down or sideways in this category. I've got a new weekly poll on this topic. See the left sidebar for more information.

3. Summer knitting. It's funny in the past when I was really into crochet, I'd been lining up my crochet hooks and my yarn for the-skirt-of-the-summer project by now. This time around though, I think I'm more likely to do some knitting. I've gotten used to the way knitting needles feel in my hands and in my purse. I'm a little more comfortable with patterns, but I still feel lost a lot (just ask the dust-mites again. They hear me talking about all this constantly.) I'm actually thinking of winging this pattern in a Lion brand cotton from Jo-Ann Fabrics, which means I wouldn't get all the handy input I'm used to from the local independent stores (they'll help you if you buy their yarn, otherwise, you're kind of on your own unless you participate in a class). I think I'm just going to attend a Meet-Up and or this Stitch N Bitch Group. Or probably both if I do decide to embark solo. Which brings me to another related question. I'm going to a silent film tonight. I don't have any knitting to bring with me. How rude would it be to knit something while you're watching a film with others? I read in a knitting book that while it once common for women in the 1930s and 40s to knit while they're were at the movies, it might not be so socially acceptable now. What do you think? I might have a poll on this topic in the future.

4. Sewing Summer. I'm also thinking about what I want to sew. Mostly t-shirts, since I have this Jalie pattern and a couple of $1.99 Simplicity patterns that jumped on me while I was at Jo-Ann Fabrics recently. I'd also want to make some bathing suits since I'll need at least a few, even if only for my water aerobics class. (An aside: would you believe the life guard asked me today if I was in the class? I felt insulted. I guess I shouldn't be, I was like the youngest person in the waters. I think the instructor, who's my age or thereabouts, was happy to see me. She asked me what my name was. I didn't tell her The Lazy Milliner. ) Even when Lake Michigan warms up finally in July, I'm still more likely to plunge into a pool inside then outside. Yes, an indoor pool is more accessible, and I'm far too lazy to walk six or seven blocks (this is where a scooter would be helpful) to go to the beach. One of my favorite things to do when it gets really hot is to go to Vogue Fabrics, where it's air-conditioned, and sew all afternoon long, or at least until the heat breaks later in the day. I get something done, save on my cooling costs, and I do something social (you'd be surprised how many shoppers come up to me and ask me what I'm sewing while I'm in the classroom at Vogue.)

5. Closet Cleaning. I frequently think about my closet, and how rarely I wear what it's inside. I actually go into it more often to exhume fabric from collection to get a dress off a hanger. Time to give all that and more to Columbia College's study collection. I actually have a box ready to go...I'm just waiting for shipping expenses to drop. Do you think that will be any time soon?