Sorry for the delay in blogging...

Life just got a bit overwhelming!

The weekend was a blur of ferrying Lydia to and fro, catching up on cooking and freezing, cleaning out my closet, and generally keeping the household running.

I cut out my shawl collar dress on Saturday in a butterscotch cotton jersey, and spent nearly all day Sunday constructing it and embroidering a paisley motif on the back. But what a disappointment! It was huge on me, and hung like an oversized gunny sack, not anything I could wear at all except to a costume party for bag ladies....

Despite the bad first fitting attempt, I want to try it again because the construction details were good, and I think I can make it work. First off, I need to cut it two sizes smaller, even though my body measurements would insist otherwise (there's just way too much "ease" incorporated into the design). Then I need to adjust the empire waist a bit -- I had lowered it by about 3 inches on my first attempt, because a quick check of the paper pattern against my bust indicated that the waist seam was going to hit me smack dab in the middle of my boobs, not an elegant line indeed. However, 3 inches was too much, I only needed about 1/2 of that. And I want to alter the sleeves from being 3/4 open bell sleeves to being full length sleeves gathered into a loose elastic wrist, with gathers on top of the shoulder as well. I shall need to purchase another copy of the pattern to cut a smaller size, and draft the new sleeve pattern, and begin anew on Saturday....hopeful that this time I will succeed!!

As I mentioned last night when you called (so much fun to chat, btw!), Lydia's a sick little lamb, and she's still sick this morning. She slept well, no disturbances through the night, but she woke up sporting a fever of nearly 101 and a splitting headache - no school for her, despite her protestations! I left her looking like a pale, limp noodle on the couch, curled up in her fleece blanket and lying half asleep on a pillow after managing to down her tea and meds. Hopefully, no one else in the house will succumb, and she'll make it back to school tomorrow.

Pretty darn chilly this morning for the first day of October - about 40 degrees and brisk when I walked out the door for work. Definitely a day to wear stockings and closed toe shoes...we'll have to start cutting down the garden this weekend if we want to get it done before the snow flies.

Lily continues to shed her undercoat like a moulting buffalo - I can pull white tufts to wooly fur out of her backside with no difficulty, and there are constantly tumbleweeds under the dining room table. Am still debating with myself whether the $30 cost of a Furminator would be worth it. At this rate, it might be cheaper to buy the Furminator, because I'm liable to burn out a vaccuum cleaner!

Keep me posted on this Cornell skating trip, and let me know asap if you need me to send you a dress, or if you need some sort of practice dress or jacket. I'm working on a pair of pink knit mittens in the evenings at the moment, and could always use another project.

Hugs,
Mom