Have you checked out the latest issue of The Knitter? It features an article about making a living from knitting and I had to smile at the number of familiar faces popping up: the indomitable Kate Davies talks about combining academia with knitting, the extremely lovely Emma King talks about being a workshop tutor, and the ever fabulous Ms Old Maiden Aunt talks about being an indie yarn dyer. A cornucopia of friends and acquaintances - and it leaves me wondering just how big the UK knitting world really is. On the subject of knitting, everybody and their aunt have aired their views on the Deep Fall issue of Knitty. My considered view is be summarised thus: Sorry, But Not For Me. Do not get me wrong, I like some of the patterns but none of them strike me as a Must Knit. Beatnik stands out with its vintage feel and lovely cabling - it is a Norah Gaughan design, after all - but most of the other patterns just feel anonymous (or in one pattern's case, downright unflattering). Maybe it is the styling? Maybe I have become jaded? Maybe most of the really cool designs get submitted to Twist Collective or are self-published?
I'm still working on my baby alpaca cardigan - things have been a bit too hectic for my liking lately and my knitting has taken a back seat. I'm pondering my next big knit, though. I have some ideas swirling round my head, but many of these ideas have been thwarted by the Self-Stitched September project. Like so many other SSS participants I have realised I have actual wardrobe gaps and that I have FOs I hardly ever wear. Roobeedoo sums it up quite nicely:
Identifying my palette will undoubtedly help: if all my new items fit the colour-scheme, it should be easier to put together a coherent outfit in the morning. And that's quite exciting! In the past, I have been guilty of making ever-shifting plans, which got conveniently "forgotten" when the next shiny project caught my eye... and ended up with a great big heap of mismatched summer quirkiness. With a clear practical objective and a colour frame of reference, there will still be room for a dash of quirk, but it will "work".
I have recently been looking at my clothes and I'm very far from a capsule wardrobe. What does help is that I tend to gravitate towards the same colours (peridot green, deep purple, dark lipstick red, deep fuschia, rich teals) again and again. Now I just need to gravitate towards neutrals too and I can build upon that. I think. I also think I'm starting to gravitate towards a more minimalist style (I'm DEEPLY in love with this outfit, for instance) which may muddy the waters a bit.
A lovely weekend lies ahead. We are having overseas visitors and I'm really looking forward to showing them fair (and rainy) Glasgow.