Inspiration breeds skill-building

Over the past couple months, I've been obsessed with creating the perfect summer sweater. You know the kind--a thin, flowy piece that's perfect for the breeze by the water without making you sweat bullets. It looks good with or without pants, and is perfect for that impromptu road trip.

And the way I began thinking of the design was from looking at my cat, Gretchen. I'm sometimes convinced that she's a just a woman trapped in a cat's body. Her strut (I can practically hear the bass drum with every step, a la Jessica Rabbit), the way she crosses her paws when you pick her up, her OCD level of self-care... If I could draw, I'd come up with a human manifestation of Gretchen--Curly dark hair, mid-back length, hourglass figure. She'd have a mix of the sleek and Bohemian to her--Cigarette pants and heels, but the summer sweater (described above) that would hang on her perfectly.

Yes, these are things I think about. On a regular basis. This and being a sexy hacker librarian. And witches and vampires. What of it?

So, I hunted around for inspiration for potential designs. And I (re)discovered Wildfox. It's such a fun, summery line. They have collections dedicated to knit sweaters, of both the cozy and cool variety. Most of the colors they offer have absolutely nothing to do with my personal tastes (I don't do pastels. Give me neutrals, give me dark, rich, bloody hues, but no pastels. And dear god, no pink.), but I enjoy the silhouettes. If I had money to actually spend on my wardrobe I would totally buy something from there. Like one of these:

This black cardigan.
This 'can you really even call it a sweater? who cares?'
This 'french' one.
Okay, this one isn't knit, but I still like it:


But see, thinking about making sweaters for myself and for the shop, has me thinking about other potential clothing designs, and garment construction in general, which has me thinking about sewing. Something I only know a little about.

And so, the first skill that I will be building upon (outside of my yarn crafts) this year will be sewing. I found a cute Online Sewing Course that I plan on signing up for within the next month! Now I just need a working sewing machine...perhaps I can propose it to my private investors (i.e., see if my mom has one she isn't using).

This shop has created a monster. And it hasn't even opened yet.

OH! But it will be opening this weekend! I mean it this time ;)

~A~