I’m assuming the fashion industry, amongst many others, has been hard hit by the pandemic. I can’t imagine that there’s been a huge demand for high fashion during the past ten months. Perhaps the 1% are still wearing the latest outfits and stilettos, but down in the trenches, it’s another story. The new office wear de rigueur is sweats (or leggings when you’re feeling fancy) on the bottom with a tailored shirt, earrings and a dash of lipstick for the zoom meetings. Slippers complete the outfit. Though my orchestra is actually playing recorded concerts, I’m still at home an awful lot, so I often grab the same comfy pants I wore yesterday, but I might change up the tee shirt every couple of days.
However, lately I happened to watch a video by Kristy Glass, one of the knitting Youtubers/Instagrammers I follow, where she was styling her funky knitwear with her wardrobe. It was inspiring to watch someone acting like they had somewhere to go. She has an acting and modelling background, so maybe it’s just a habit she can’t break. (Fun fact: Kristy learned to knit in the dim backstage of the theatre while in between scenes, so she learned the difficult skill of knitting without looking at her work from the get-go. I’m a teensy bit in awe.) Watching Kristy gave me the inspiration to look at my dusty wardrobe and see what I could be wearing that might give me a lift on a Blursday (I stole that from another blog, tbh, but it’s perfect, no??)
First, I pulled out a garment I knit when I first got back into the craft about 7 years ago. After knitting a few cowls in bulky yarn as Christmas gifts for people that year, I decided to branch out (but not too far), so I picked this weird vest object in the same bulky yarn, which, in my defence, looked great on the model. It never really worked on me. At first it was too short, so I added about four inches to the bottom, but even then it was just an awkward, ugly/beautiful garment I couldn’t figure out how to ‘style’, as Kristy might say. Plus, that bulky, one-ply yarn really pills. Nobody warned me that by the time I was finished knitting, it would be covered in little fur babies. Eventually it got stowed on the top shelf of my closet, from where (whence?) I pulled it the other day. I knew I had to deal with it in one of three ways: frog it (for you non-knitters, that means to rip it out) and use the yarn for something else, give it to charity, or wear it as is. So, I put it on for a few hours and to my amazement, Dave spontaneously complimented me on my outfit. This made me realize this weird vest had some promise. It’s also the perfect thing to throw over me when I need an extra layer; it’s super cosy.
The second item I pulled out was an old quilted vest my mother made decades ago, which I inherited. I love it, and it’s one of only a few items my mom ever quilted. I guess she gave the craft a try and decided it wasn’t her thing, but she did a pretty nice job of the vest and she wore it a lot. I’ve worn it from time to time, but I’ve always felt a little self-conscious in it because its shape is a little boxy and maybe doesn’t flatter me, plus it’s obviously homemade. Now that I’m a crafter, it’s time to put that prejudice behind me and wear it proudly. I get some very comforting Mom vibes from it, and that’s a priceless feeling. And anyhow, the point is that I can wear what I want around the house!
One goal on my 21 for 2021 list is “dispose of anything you don’t wear, and wear the things you keep”, so I’m going to keep pulling things out of my closet and trying them on to see how they feel. Will I wear it during Covid? After it’s over? What things have I overlooked that could give me a boost? Of course, every single day without fail I wear at least one of my own hand-knitted things, and that gives me the greatest comfort of all. After all, I worked hard on each item and all for me! If that isn’t self-care, I don’t know what is. I hope the people who wear the things I’ve made them are feeling that same love, because it’s knit right in.
I’m on a Blossom Dearie jag lately, so here’s another of her wonderful tunes, I Wish you Love.
I love to hear from you!