Domestic Life

I processed seven quarts of ham stock yesterday and baked three dozen molasses cookies. After that, I went to my sewing room and made a top:

This is Simplicity 9385, which has turned out to be a great pattern. It comes in two lengths with neckline and cuff variations and can be banded or hemmed. (”Cropped” on me is the longer version; the shorter version would be a belly shirt and no one wants to see that.) A cowl neckline is not one of the variations, but I borrowed the cowl piece from another pattern and frankenpatterned it onto this one.

I am trying to plug some holes in my wardrobe. I am also trying to make pieces that can be worn with at least 2-3 other items in the my closet.

This is a lightweight sweater knit, which is about as much as I can wear comfortably these days. I have another length of a similar sweater knit with royal blue, hot pink, and black squiggles on a white background that is destined to become a similar top, hopefully today. I may go stash diving to see what else I have that will work with this pattern. I’d like to try one of the cuff variations.

My me-made tops are the ones I reach for over and over. They fit well and they come in colors and prints I want to wear.

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This has been the weirdest winter in terms of weather. My hopes for a long, snowy one have evaporated. It’s the end of December and I can still see green grass in our yard. My (admittedly amateur) meteorological evaluation is that the plumes of moisture coming in off the Pacific either hit Seattle and travel above us into Canada before heading back down into the midwest, or they hit Portland and go south into southern Idaho and Utah. We’re getting precipitation, but it isn’t cold enough to fall as snow.

I should not speak too soon. We may still get hit with a bunch of snow in January and February. (Or even March and April.)

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Things seemed to have calmed down a bit in the chicken coop, although Little Roo is still a bit skittish. Baby roosters learn from older ones, so I am hoping that he is paying attention to how Dave treats the hens. I haven’t yet heard Little Roo crow. I’ll know when he starts trying, because he’ll sound like a rusty gate until he gets the hang of it.