Pants.

Perhaps some of you, my readers, have insight about pants. Below is a conversation with my friend Amy. We need help.

Ann,

My dear stylist, what does one would wear for pants these days? I am just waking up from my FoggyBottom coma and I need help dressing myself. I have no pants.

Yesterday I spent 4 hours going to 2 malls (this is the way one shops in Atlanta). I was armed with macys and bloomingdale and loft gift cards, hoping to find 3 pairs of casual-nice pants to wear for normal social activities and maybe another pair of teaching/conference pants. I wondered around like a zombie finding tons of beadazzled jeans, black dress pants, and polyester bell-bottoms. I came home empty-handed, remain virtually pant-less, and unsure how to proceed except to avoid social activity.

I'm going to try my shopping spree again the next time I'm in a northeastern city. But, I'm feeling lost and thought I'd ask your trusted insight first: What does one wear these days? Where does one shop for pants? If I were a paper doll, what would you clip onto my legs? What's on your legs? How about the legs of other women who look good?

Whenever this activity tempts you, if you might find it fascinating, let me know!! Amy

Dear Amy,

Oh lord, pants. I have been thinking about your message for days, alternately laughing and sighing. I have very little to offer you for advice, having found my pant niche about a year ago. I either wear very cheap skinny jeans from the Macy's Junior's department (they're about $30 a pair and made to fit my adolescent boy-type figure) or woman's Dickies classic work pants. I own one extremely expensive pair of wide-leg black wool pants that I wear for all occasions for which skinny jeans or Dickies are not appropriate.

However, aside from the extremely expensive pants, these are probably not the most flattering options for your curvy, shortish body.

Would you mind if I post your dilemma on my blog? I think others will have suggestions, and, even if they don't, will be amused by and identify with the struggle for pants.

your stylist, lost in the world of pants,
Ann

Looking through my photostream, it seems that I am always wearing the same pair of Dickies, to be honest. Those of you who have met me know this to be true.

That last one is from Rhinebeck, in my Vert & Horiz sweater, with Kara Gott Warner, editor for DRG publications and Creative Knitting. Check out our shared sense of eyewear and haircut style!

The point is, though, these Dickies have gone from work pants to all-occasion pants.

What do YOU do for pants???

I'll be home when I'm sleeping

Was at Rhinebeck (Gale was there taking photos, she's so cool... and I got to be in the photo with the "Rhineck" sign! Note that in the photo above I'm posing with my sample at the Sanguine Gryphon booth, which was mobbed), was home for 3.5 days, put in a 30-hour week at the job, drove to Ithaca (you can see a bit about that on my flickr site), had adventures...


Look how cute Chris was modeling his Grundy during Rhinebeck.

Driving home from Ithaca on Monday I realized I was overtired when the Bob Seger song Roll Me Away came on the radio and I just started crying. Bob Seger + overtired Ann = emotions totally out of proportion to the situation at hand. I'm tearing up now thinking about that bit about the young hawk flying... more posting later. Sleep now.

Can't hardly wait.

I love Seattle THIS ..... MUCH!!!

A warning: At the moment I am writing from a fog of sleep deprivation. Somehow, over the past seven days, I have managed to complete a 46-hour freelance editing job, in addition to working 30 hours at my regular job and being in Seattle for 3 of them doing knitting book-related things. So that's where I'm at. But I want to update all of you before I crash, wake up to watch Project Runway, crash again, wake up tomorrow morning, and head down to Rhinebeck. That's right, I'll be there, and I'll have books with me for anyone who's interested!

Don't expect to see me at the big shindigs, though. I need some serious recovery time. If you want to be sure to meet up, just email me your contact info and I'll text you! I don't want to miss out on meeting anyone, but I know that large groups will be just the thing to push me over the edge I'm walking right now.

So. Seattle. I love you guys. The Seattle Knitters' Guild was an unbelievably warm, engaged, and talented group of knitters. Perhaps they will publish some photos from my talk (I wasn't very good about taking photos. Really).

I did some other yarn store touring, too. Churchmouse Yarns & Teas on Bainbridge Island (one of the only photos I took while in Seattle is that one at the top of the post, out the ferry window as he sun came out) was beautiful but pricey. I did purchase their Turkish Bed Socks pattern and some perfect Koigu for a pair, though. However, the Blackbird Bakery next door was my favorite stop. And I'm picky when it comes to bakeries. This one was a winner.


Of course I have to endorse the really amazing shop where my friend Hannah works, The Fiber Gallery. What. A. Selection. Wow. They now carry my book! Look, here it is! You can go purchase it in person! (Speaking of, there are a few small, local places that will be carrying my book, and I am thrilled. More on that later).


Then I taught an Albers Square log cabin knitting workshop (which was really fun; I'll be teaching it again at Knitting Etc. in Ithaca in two weeks) and had a trunk show at Little Knits, which is this incredibly luscious, colorful place... more tempting in person than online, if that's possible. My new in-person friend Vanessa took a few photos of the show and one of us... look, she looks lovely wearing a Transverse Cardigan, and I'm looking stylish but a little peaked, I think. (Okay, but look at all that roving behind us. That's just the roving. There is Madelinetosh yarn tucked into every nook of this place... just go to the Little Knits site, see the colors they have, and imagine them all there right in front of you. And if you're there, they also carry my book, so pick one up along with all your yarn).


Speaking of, I can't believe I wrote all that. It's time for a nap. I hope to see many of you this weekend! I'll be the tired-looking one with the big glasses, most likely wearing my Vert & Horiz, with husband in tow wearing his Grundy and probably a knit accessory as well and carrying a bag of books.

Automobile Trauma and Seattle Trip

Seeing that I'll be in Seattle from next Tuesday through Sunday, I decided to get into work as quickly as possible on Friday to try to accomplish as much as I could before leaving. So I took the car to cut my commute time in half.

And the car died.

In the left turn lane, in an intersection, on a very busy avenue, during rush hour. With my hazards on, while enduring honking and screaming and verbal abuse, I attempted to call AAA, Chris, and work, all the while screaming back at passing cars that NO I CANNOT MOVE MY CAR DON'T YOU THINK I WOULD IF I COULD, MY CAR IS DEAD. Twenty thoroughly traumatic minutes later, minutes that included a truck sideswiping my car while verbally abusing me, a cop arrived and helped diffuse some of the verbal abuse, followed by a heavyset grumpy man (whom I considered a superhero) from Boston Public Works, who used a tremendous truck to pull my poor Volvo from the intersection, followed by the tow truck.

After that experience, the $618 repair bill didn't cause me the slightest bit of stress. It was actually a relief to know that I now have a car in perfect working order that I can drive to Rhinebeck (yes, I'll have books with me), and then to Ithaca the next weekend for a trunk show at Knitting Etc.

But Tuesday I leave for Seattle! I'll be talking to the Knitter's Guild on Wednesday evening (Oct. 6... the blurb about my talk says, "Punk Rock, Bread, and Classic Design with a Twist," which I LOVE) about my experiences designing and self-publishing (and, of course, have all sorts of knits to try on and books to purchase), and then I'll have my books and garments at Little Knits for a trunk show and workshops on Thursday and Saturday. So if you're in the Seattle area, stop by! You can read more details here.


Saturday was my first trunk show, at Windsor Button... above are a few shots of the display. Thanks to everyone who came by! It was so much fun!