That's odd....

Well, the camera is supposed to give you a better idea of the way you look, so DH and I had a bit of a fashion show last night.

I'm still having trouble with a few glaringly obvious discoveries.
1. Ankle-length skirts look good on me. Not practical, of course, but good.
2. I look better in sleeveless than in short or 3/4 length sleeves, and better again in wrist length sleeves.

As proof:


I thought that the collar and v-neck would suit better than the U of the pinafore (I think you call it a jumper on the other side of the pond), but I was wrong again.

The great escape

Well, that's what it felt like to me.

I went out for a walk today, with my camera as virtual company.

Here's the best of the piccies: you wouldn't think it was nearly November would you?

Open Access

Charles Darwin's notebooks are being put online for anyone to read. The original of the notebook he used while on the Galapagos has been stolen, but a microfilm copy has been used to make the information available.

Distraction:
I've been neglecting my knitting due to a few other interesting discoveries online.

1. The Fashion Incubator is a blog written by someone in the industry, and she gives wonderfully detailed tutorials on the way manufacturers construct garments. There's a discussion forum as well, but it's very focussed on small business owners.

2. Pattern Review is a message board, discussion forum and reference area for sewing of all kinds. You can get a free trial membership, but I've found it useful enough to pay up for this year at least.

3. The English Cut is the blog of a Saville Row tailor.

What not to wear.... (II)

A big 'look' this autumn is the shrug. It's supposed to look good on most figures, and provide a feminine touch....

Not on me it doesn't!



Muffin top in one easy step - and I don't normally have one.


Long cardigans, designed to "smooth over figure flaws" are no better. I feel (and look) like I'm wearing a tent.




My problem now is to find a way to look stylish without looking old. I'm looking for clothes that I can wear, rather than the clothes wearing me. A new haircut has been procured, and a new wardrobe is next.

For comparison

Here is the best fitting (note, not the most flattering) bought blouse I have in my cupboard.



Makes me feel a bit better about my own attempts!

Done!

Not perfect. Not even nearly perfect. Still, far better than anything I've got in my cupboard at the moment in terms of both comfort and fit.

I give you:
That Blouse


Here's what it looked like before I messed around with armholes, darts, and waist shaping:




Comments
I have no idea who that cake was made for - the link is to a professional sugarcrafter's site. I just thought it was amazing.

We didn't know about the wool-based insulation when we got ours done. I suspect if we ever have to do our own again we might use it, if only because laying fibreglass based insulation is the nastiest itchiest job I've ever had the pleasure of avoiding.

I'm still not convinced about a gored skirt - the one I tried on was an eight-gore tweed skirt, and I think I looked fairly awful in it. MOre trying on may be called for, but I think I'll stick to trousers or dresses for now.

Terry Pratchett

wrote the discworld series.

Someone has made the most amazing wedding cake!

Hill Farmers

have a raw deal generally. The sheep that thrive on the hills don't produce wool which is usable for anything but carpets, and for quite some time the cost of shearing has been around double the price a fleece would raise at auction, never mind the transport & packing costs. In part, this is because all wool has to go through the state monopoly, the Wool Marketing Board.

Two farmers have been working to find alternatives to burning their wool clip....

The BBC has details.

What not to wear....

Current fashion dictates knee-length tweed skirts 'town and country' looks etc.

Not for me!

These pictures, as in Trinny and Suzanna, show just why I won't be wearing tweed skirts.




The dress, sadly, was polyester, and was sent back too. The trouser/blouse is my usual work uniform. Below is the only kind of skirt that looks good on me at the moment. Not in the pub, though. There are more than enough drunks who will cop a feel for me to want trousers on if I'm collecting glasses.



Knitting
Not recent, but the last completed item.



A Baby Surprise sweater (Elizabeth Zimmerman) for my baby cousin in two colours of Sirdar Denim Tweed.

Howler

As in Harry Potter....


Feeling a bit better now!

I'll feel a lot better once they've sorted it all out, though.

Seethe

I am looking for a new Credit Card company.

I've been with Cahoot for a while now, as they offer a good internet-accessible account, with a decent interest rate on cash withdrawals (which I use when I go on holiday overseas).

Last month, I ordered some clothes and paid for them with my card. When I sent back the unsuitable items, a refund was made to my card, as is normal. I now find out that although I've set up a direct debit to pay my account, this refund was classed as a repayment and they've not taken the direct debit. And I'm liable for interest!

Not happy. The call center operative stated that if I make any repayment, that will automatically preclude the direct debit being taken.

I didn't make the payment.

By my reading of the T&C the direct debit payment should have gone ahead as normal, and I shouldn't be liable.

Cahoot appears unable to see this.