One thing leads to another

Have you ever freshened up a room with a new coat of paint and found that suddenly the bedspread, or pillows, or curtains look dowdy -- or the wrong color, or just somehow not right? 

Well, it happens with planning a new capsule for spring sewing -- how can you complete your plan when you know your closet is overfull with clothes that just don't work for you anymore?  So, after figuring out the pants/skirts I wanted to sew I decided it was time to do a little closet organization. DH was away for a few days, so timing was perfect. I could pull out/try on/make piles to my heart's content. And make piles I did -- such a huge pile of things that just weren't right anymore.  No photos, because it was an embarassment of poor choices and over-consumption. Hopefully I've learned an important lesson and will be more mindful of future fabric purchases and garments sewn. 

One thing I will show though are the little tags I bought to label different 'areas' of my closet. They're called "blank clothing rack size dividers" (mine came via Amazon) and they've been so useful in bringing order to my slacks and leggings -- now I know when I reach for something that it is exactly what I want. No more cropped length when I want full length, or navy when I need black -- such happiness from a little piece of plastic!

I'm hoping that now that the closet is sorted that I can get back to choosing which tops/blouses will be made to go along with the skirts/pants I have already picked out.

Another goal I've set myself this year is to use up more of the stash -- not only fabric, but also yarn, beads, etc.  To that end I pulled some ribbon yarn (Berroco Zen, now discontinued) to make a spring/summer light coverup. Since letting my hair go grey it's no longer one of my best colors, but I think I can get away with it since it pairs well with navy -- which is one of my basic neutrals.  Here's hoping next year I won't be going through the closet and saying "what was I thinking?".

Pattern is a variation of Soft Serve by Doris Chan from her book "Everyday Crochet". 

All Done

I don't seem to be able to get a decent photo of this one, but finally finished the Soft Serve (Doris Chan, Everyday Crochet) made in Kimono Ribbon by Louisa Harding.

I think this will be a nice little wardrobe addition -- just enough to dress up a tank and linen slacks, but without being too fussy. I lead a fairly casual life, but every once in a while it's nice to make a little effort. Here's a closeup shot that may convey a little of the nice gleam the ribbon has:

The color runs from light gold through a coppery brown to an almost black dark chocolate brown. I don't see it listed on the Louisa Harding site, so perhaps it made its way to Elann as a discontinued color. This is my first time using Kimono Ribbon, although I've knit with many other ribbon yarns, and I would say it's fairly typical of a ribbon -- it really wants to twist and turn while you're working with it. I'm not one to try to keep it flat and smooth while stitching (and I wonder if you even could with crochet) so that didn't bother me too much. It's a nylon yarn, so to block I simply ironed it. As I mentioned previously, I'm not sure if the heat will 'set' the yarn (as in killing acrylic) or if it will return to its crunched up shape when I wash it. If I'd made a gauge swatch (I know, I know...)I could test it out with that, but since I didn't I'll just wait and see. Why no gauge swatch? Well, sometimes I take a chance when working in one piece from the neck down -- you can often "swatch as you go" when working that way, especially if you don't mind a little ripping. But kids, please don't try this at home!