I dressed myself!

Look how pleased with myself I am!

It's been two weeks since I finished this dress, and this is the first time I've put it on - I didn't even try it on for fit after I finished it!  But tonight we're going out for dinner with some friends and I wanted to wear it.  I tied the bow myself, and it really wasn't that hard!  I used the "rabbit ears" method ;-)  Look:

And I'm sitting back on my chair as I type this, and the bow is not digging into my back, so that's a great thing!  I have a feeling that has a lot to do with not interlining the straps.

Here's a full pic of the front and back so you guys can see the fit.  I probably could have taken a little more in on my swayback adjustment, but the fit of this dress depends a lot on how tightly you tie the bow, I found.

I like the length, but I think I'd be better off with a shoe that doesn't sit so high up on the ankle - it really shortens my legs visually.  But I'm sticking with these for tonight because I can drive in them, and while I like them, they're not my favorites, so if it storms later like it's supposed to and they get a little dirty, I won't be too upset.  Do you guys go to that level with your wardrobe planning?

In case it's cold in the restaurant, I'm wearing a shrug I knit years ago.  I like this pattern so much I made it three times!  It's loose enough that the bow doesn't look like a weird lump in the middle of my back:

One thing I forgot to mention in my construction notes is that I fit this bodice to the strapless bra I'm wearing.  I know several people added bust cups to the inside of their dresses, but I really didn't want to fuss with that, and strapless bras don't bother me.

I'm very happy with the fit!

Here's one last photo, because you can see the texture of the shrug better in this one.  It's really just a big feather and fan rectangle, folded and sewn a little at two edges, with stitches picked up and worked in rib for the sleeves.  Sadly, the yarn has been discontinued - it's a lovely, drapey linen/cotton/rayon blend.

And that, my friends, is the delighted look of a lady who has a pretty new dress, and is a mere two hours from a fantastic Ethiopian meal!

Eye Candy

The weather is pretty dreary in these parts today, and Hubby just delivered the news that we're expecting 6" of snow overnight.  So I thought I'd pretty things up with some images from the spring Phildar knitting magazines I got last week.

I grabbed all these images from the Phildar website, and I order my magazines from there as well.  I've been ordering directly from France for several years; it used to be a hit-or-miss proposition, but about a year and a half ago, Phildar totally revamped their website, and now the delivery is really swift - I usually have my magazines within the week!

The two new women's magazines for spring are No. 69 and No. 70.  Here are my favorites from No. 69:

This looks so French to me!

You can always count on Phildar for navy and white
(or black and white) for spring!

Crochet on top, knit on bottom!

You can't see it here, but the stripes are textured.

And here are my faves from No. 70.  Actually, now that I think about it, No. 70 also has men's patterns.  Nice ones, too.  But I'm only showing the women's designs today.

Happy stripes!

So sweet, and practical.

Gah!  I love this!

It's entirely possible that I'm drawn to this one just because
it's orange.

Because it's Self Indulgent Birthday Week, I'm spending the afternoon watching movies and knitting.  I've finished the back and one front of my Karanfil cardi, and should be able to finish the second front today.  Here's a pic of the back I snapped a couple days ago:

Do any of you knitters use Phildar patterns?  I've made several, but it's been a couple years since my last one.  Doesn't stop me from buying the magazines though!