What to sew, what to sew...

Like I mentioned last week, I started knitting up a second wool sock for a pair I've earmarked for my stepmother. That small act gave me a boost of knitting mojo. I've knitted about four inches of the cuff/leg, and with steady progress the socks should be ready for when we see her over spring vacation in two weeks.

My sewing mojo, on the other hand, has not only left the room, but it seems to have high-tailed it out of Dodge!

It's not for lack of patterns, fabric, or ideas--I've got plenty of all three. What's tripping me up is--and I'm ashamed to say this because I detest any whiff of body shame--my weight.

Last October I ended up in the hospital with a herniated disc, followed by DVT, with both conditions curtailing my cycling routine. Cycling is my exercise of choice, and it does a good job burning calories and keeping me fit. Not only was riding out, but walking was, too, because of all the ice and snow. (I had to be careful of falls or I could "bleed out.") As a result, I put on 25 pounds through lack of exercise and not watching my eating when my activity levels dropped.

Now...I'm completely confident that those pounds will come off now that spring is here, my disc injury has healed, the DVT is gone, and I have an awesome trike to cycle with. But I keep thinking, "Do I want to cut into this gorgeous shirting/Japanese selvedge denim/expensive wool boucle for a Grainline Archer/pair of jeans/couture fringed skirt when in six months I'm going to be three sizes smaller?" Yes, I could alter the fit at some point, but to be honest, I don't like doing alterations, especially on anything I've made. Is that weird? I don't mind hemming Levi's or taking in the sides of a RTW blouse, but when it's my own creation, it somehow annoys me and the garment never again looks as good as it did during the original fitting. It looks, I don't know, wonky.

The mature and rational side of my brain says, "Sew for the body you have today. Use the expensive fabric; you can always buy more. Test out that pattern you love. There's no guarantee that when you lose the weight, you're going to get a perfect garment anyway. And if you do love what you create for the 'bigger me,' you can ask a professional to alter it." (Geez, listen to me. I should listen to myself more often!)

But then Lazy Easy-Way-Out Di chimes in: "Why not sew a bunch of knit things to wear around the house? like t-shirts and yoga pants? That's how you dress anyway." Princess Di calmly interjects with, "Dahling, I thought you were trying to upgrade your wardrobe and not continue down the path of fashion dereliction? Yoga pants," she sniffs. "Really."

So I do nothing but pet my fabrics and gaze longingly into my sewing room.

What would you do?

In the meantime, here are some more pretty pictures of Newport. Last weekend I took another trip down there, this time with my son, and we were able to see the boat my brother is building at IRYS up close.



[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] See the lemur?[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Curved pieces of wood get shaped in the steam box.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] The view from Brenton Point State Park[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] My boy.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] The surf was crazy wild that day![/caption]