constant comments

first i just have to say—i SOLD A PATTERN TO MY FIRST ONLINE CUSTOMER!!
phew—i’ve been dying to say that ALL day! i am SO excited. i just wish i had a little virtual dollar bill to tape to my masthead . . . hmm that’s an idea for the storefront . . .

oh, yes, and in case anyone else is interested patterns for any of the lovely creations you see on these pages, please email me (using the link to the right), or leave a comment, and i’ll get in touch. until i get the store up (which will hopefully be very, very soon), that will be the best way to do it.

well, i should have written about skirts ages ago—yesterday’s post raised quite a flurry of comments! and i LOVE it!

Brooklynne Says:

The problem with knit skirts is they can sometimes be heavy and stretch so my suggestion would to do it about two inches(or more) shorter then you normally would and let it hang in the closet for a couple of days…. Furthermore cotton sags horrorably when it gets wet so I dunno what that would mean for humid weather(I dunno is it humid in ohio??) …. Also another thing to consider is are you a sweater? Do you sweat a lot? If so you might want to have a cotton with a higher acrylic/nylon content cause cotton is very absorbent… You could designa a lace skirt and build a lil shell out of a light weight faberic and layer…

you are so right—ohio is nasty humid in summer. i forgot to mention that when it’s REALLY steamy, i ride over to class in shorts (which i loathe), have a sort-of bath when i get there and change of clothes. then i ride home in those clothes. i’d probably be wearing the skirts either when it’s less than 85°, or only on the way home.

my theory is, that if the fabric is lacy, it won’t sag the way stockinette might do. it’s just a theory, but my guess is, that the more you try to make a fabric that is flat and structured, the more it will sag, for having no other way to give. the open fabric has wiggle room, so to speak (ooh, i like that!) and would also be lighter in weight. lace will DEFINITELY stretch, so the comment about length is a good point.
and about the two layers—well, isn’t that just a slip we’re talking about?
i could wear one—i do NOT have prejudices against slips the way some girls do. i happen to like them and i like the way they allow clothes to fall over the body, skimming instead of clinging. i’d rather do that than make a second garment.

PersnicketyKnitter Says:

What a cute bike!
About the skirt idea — I’m just thinking that it would be hard to maintain your ‘modesty’ when biking in a short skirt and hard to not get tangled up when biking in a longer skirt. Hmmm. I’m also wondering how good the ’seat’ of skirt would look after biking — might leave an unattractive stretched out area unless the yarn were REALLY stretchy/boingy
I just read Brooklynne’s comment and I really like the idea of a 2-layer skirt. You could knit the bottom layer to be a tight, stretchy, absorbant material and the top layer could be looser with a pretty lacy look. Maybe the top layer could just button on so you could take it off while biking and put it back on when you arrived. Then it would cover any weird stretched out saggy parts of the under layer.

first of all, thanks for noticing my ride! i showed the bike your comment and it rang the bell! now the other one is jealous . . .
secondly—(raspberry!)—modesty?? (hand clapping over mouth) sorry, that just came out; i don’t mean to be rude, i swear! i hear what your saying. it’s just that—i had to let go of that a long time ago; if you decide to ride a bike in the heat on a regular basis, people are going to see a lot of acreage! sometimes it rains and your ride become a wet t-shirt free-for-all—
what can you do??

and actually, you’d be surprised; on this type of bike, if the skirt is knee-length and has a little flare, it should be enough to accomodate the pedaling action without riding up or getting tangled (did you notice the chain guard on the Bianchi?). the skirts i wore last year were straight, and those rode up. but i wore them anyway . . .

DebbieKnitter Says:

HAHA Oh Anne, maybe you outta rethink this whole skirt idea. I am getting a mental picture of the saggy butt part that persnicketyknitter and brooklynne have pointed out and THAT would be funny. But ya know what, I bet you could design a gorgeous 2 layered skirt like Brooklynne suggested. Oh and I bet it would look sooo cute.

OR instead of two skirt layers or even a slip (which i do like!), i could wear some of those really lightweight lycra shorts or capris. then i’d be covered, AND there’d be a chance i would get spotted for the remake of “fame” or “flashdance”, or even “10”!!!

maureen Says:

ok anne, i know you want to knit a skirt – PLEASE do so, so we can see what to do. But in the meantime — buy a skort, it will be breezy, short and modest ENOUGH.

i’ve looked at the skorts, and terry makes some really cute ones. i might spring for one this year; let’s face it, i’m going to need more than 2 skirts to get through the summer . . . and if it turns out that a handknit one is not good for biking, i’ll need a backup.

HabitatJudith Says:

I miss spinning with you on Saturdays, but love reading your blog. I’ve recently started riding my bike to the office on days when it’s not raining and don’t have appts. that will take me out of the office. I have the same problems you’ve mentioned…. arriving sweaty and trying to figure out what to wear while riding that will be presentable the rest of the day. So far packing a change of clothes has been by answer. (That and a lot of talcum powder to cover up the umm.. odor.) Have to tell you that as pretty as the skirts look, they look and sound very impractical. What about a nice scarf or shawl to tie around your waist sarong style to pretty up the outfit?

hey judith (i’m waving)! i am so glad you are riding too; isn’t it great? oh, if only i were practical! we wouldn’t be having these discussions. in fact, i wouldn’t be blabbing all my business on the internet either. but here i am.

but i do have plenty of practical suggestions for friends that are impractical enough to ride to work: if you have an office, pack some clothes and bring them in on a day when you have the car (say, once a week). then, you can wash up and change when you get there, allowing your riding clothes to dry during the day. take them all home on another day when you have the car. if you don’t have a shower at work, make a travel kit of baby wipes, and small bottles of stuff to wash with. or, better yet, have your habitat friends build you a stall!! and a little cabinet for toiletries—haha!

bottom line (no pun intended)—i am really taken with the totally impractical idea of knitting a skirt or two for the summer. i just can’t let go of it.
the thing is, i figure that, even if it doesn’t work out for bike riding, they would still be comfortable for all the time i spend in my non-air-conditioned office in summer (have i mentioned the house from hell?).
and the other thing is . . . french women. if they can ride all over paris (in skirts!) and arrive fresh, sexy and attractive, well, you know i think i can do it too (course, you also now know, that i am certifiably insane, not just crazy-lady).

you gotta try new things.
ok, well I gotta try new things, regardless of the fact that knitted skirts have gotten so much bad press. what if, just as a fluke, i ended up with a GOOD knitted skirt? how cool would that be??

and just think of the delicious “i-told-you-so’s” you’ll be able to write in comments when it doesn’t work!!

and debbie?
yes, we can do a skirt class. name the day and the time, and let me know, hon.

and, a very special thanks to persnickety knitter for all the good suggestions she sent about the yarn rant. i just might have to put some of them to work. just a couple of weeks away now!! the email list is about half done, and it’s about 5 pages long so far.

thanks to EVERYONE who has gotten behind the idea; please keep spreading the word!