1. Some weeks I seem to get so much done with my restricted but semi-reliable kid-free hours, and others I just… don’t. Some weeks, also, I can’t German. It’s a bit of a mystery but for whatever reason, this has been one of Those weeks. Not terrible. But, well, not my best. Is okay. I’ll just keep plugging on. Can I award myself points for keeping my desk more or less clear? Because that I have done, and that’s worth something. Go me.
2. I assembled the t-shirt I was working on to the pre-bindings point, tried it on, realised it’s a total fail. The big diagonal seam across the front is buckling weirdly (and very noticeably), and the whole thing is unattractively boxy. (This is the project that inspired me, so don’t blame the pattern – as you see it can look properly gorgeous!) Evidently I forgot the advice to go down a size. After trying it on, I shrugged and put it all in the scraps pile, but I think I might take another look and see if it’s salvageable by doing that seam again, and taking the sides in a bit. Ripping overlocked seams is Not My Favourite so given the hugeness, I might actually just cut them off. In any case: the odd thing is, I don’t actually mind this screw-up.* Sure, it’s a pity, but regardless of the final result I’ve learned a fair bit from my sewing so far, and am happy to just keep chugging along. Maybe no more knit fabrics for a while, though. Time to follow the beginner sewing rules?** At any rate I’ve made a start on my next project – plain, boring cloth napkins, as per my project-by-project beginner sewing book. Go me.
3. Spent an afternoon with an English knitter and her kids. (It was weird speaking to kids in English. Confusing. Wrong.) Possibility of (very welcome) new friendship. Go me.
4. I haven’t been very good about running lately, but since last weekend, I’ve been out three times. Today’s run… well, I wasn’t feeling it. I was tired. It was hard. I tried a sprint to the end, but actually couldn’t do it (legs felt worryingly wobbly). Turned out I was running a full half-minute faster (per km) than I managed last week! Go me.
5. Tonight is Chränzli! Chränzli means “little wreath”, and for some reason also means an evening of gymnastics performances as the village Turnverein shows off what they can do. It’s quite a thing, very social. In our village, as I think a lot of others, the Turnverein is surprisingly central to village life – they operate almost as a culture commission (although technically we have one of those too, which is responsible for the Christbaumbrennen). Anyway, so our village puts on a Chränzli every two years, and I hear it’s a lot of fun. Elf’s beginner-level group won’t be taking part, but as the El half of ElkiTu (Eltern-Kinder Turnen – the Swiss really love this style of abbreviation), I’ll be up there on stage with Little Dude. Go me.
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* Also, the stripy skirt I made has an unexpected issue – after its first wash, the fabric above the diagonal seams has puckered weirdly. Guess this is where the universe teaches me about the importance of pre-washing? It’s a shame, but I’m still enjoying wearing it around the house. Outside, not so much.
** You know, like “get used to wovens before knits”. What other beginner rules I should be thinking about?
Woolly thoughts (and fuzzy logic) 