To Stitch or Pitch?

Should I write more about sewing and less about hats?
	Yes.
	No.
	Write mostly about sewing with hats thrown in once in a while.
	More about hats, and less about stitching!
	None of the above.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

That is the question. I'm writing lots about hats these days, but not getting a whole lot of responses. So I'm wondering if it's the topic. Not many people wear hats these days, perhaps it's far more interesting talk about lingerie, dresses, or even socks. People, particularly those who want to be well-covered, wear these items of apparel. But hats? Lots of folk could take or leave 'em. Most do the latter.
When I started this site, I thought I'd write lots about sewing, but I didn't want to get caught up in the technical how-tos because I figure that's for another site. I was eager to discuss more of the existential elements of stitching. Funnies stories, outright tales, and interesting adventures on way to finishing a particular project or abandoning it after birth...but not quite leaving it on the steps of a nearby church. My latest unfinished apparel is hanging out on the vintage French metal daybed in my office (that would be Vogue 7898). It's actually slumped on a pillow like a dead woman, her arms hanging over the headboard, awaiting resurrection. I forgot about a Vogue Fabrics plastic bag, filled with a half-done warm mohair knit sweater coat, forgotten when it got warm. Oops. There's also the Banana Republic bag with hat pattern pieces that have been sitting untended for at least 24 months, sitting on my bedroom rug.
But I digress. So when I started this weblog, I thought I would wax not so poetically about my passion for sewing, but that was hard in a way because it's not my only hobby. I crochet, knit, and I'm aching to try hairpin lace. Then I started writing about hats, because, well, they're a constant in my life. I've got hatboxes in my closet and I wear something on top of my noggin nearly every day, so that seemed like a natural. Super-easy to find something profound about five times a week. It seemed different that the umpteen sewing-related blogs out there. Plus I figured maybe guys might like the topic....I meet many who love to see women wearing chapeaux, and some even don fedora at times.
But my frequent hat posts haven't elicited much response. Do I smell? I promise I bath and wash my hair regularly. I can't have bad breath - I floss once and brush my teeth at least twice daily much to my periodontist's delight. I also wear Angel by Thierry Mugler. But if I stink, just let me know. I can take it. I wear deodorant also, Secret's Vanilla sparkle.
So post your thoughts if you're so inclined, vote in my poll if you care (or dare). And if you don't anything that's fine by me. I'm going to visit eBay this evening, probably check out the current listings for 1950s issues of Vogue Knitting, particularly those with knitted dresses. I don't know why, particularly since it's getting warm out there to elicit those 17-year locusts here in my neighborhood and I don't want to knit anything that has a finer gauge than my tights.

Nabbed
Finally!

Anytime I get ready for a trip, I somehow gravitate to the fabric store. I can't really explain it. There's just this instinctive need to acquire more textiles before I vacate the premises for a while. It's not like I'm going to be sewing while I'm away. Perhaps I'm prepping my home for my eventual return to the sewing machine, lining my nest if you will for when I must come back to Chicago. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics on Saturday to take advantage of the $3.99 Vogue Patterns sale (I finally managed to get the above set of hat instructions on sale. Hurrah!). Even at Jo-Ann's, I was buying a concentric-patterned chartreuse, turquoise and brown fleece for inexpensive airplane blankets. Now that I'm leaving tomorrow night and I'm packing I have this incredible urge to go to Vogue Fabrics. I nearly went there tonight but I decided I needed to go to the grocery store instead. Even so, I'm already making plans to go there tomorrow before I dash off to the airport in the afternoon. I'm thinking of getting this Italian eyelet that I swear I've been seeing everywhere. If I don't do it before I take to the skies, this particular cotton might be gone when I return, and I know I will be devastated beyond imagination if that turns out to be the case. (Actually, I'll be kicking myself, but I seem to be end up with sore buttocks when I do that. Kicking yourself is a little difficult if you think about it. I'm certain I'll fall on the floor multiple times trying.) So on My To-Do List, somewhere after copying my passport is...going to Vogue. It'll be a mad dash, I swear. No lingering around the remmant tables. I know exactly what I'm doing. In fact, you could likely blindfold me and I'll be able to pick out the fabric. It's the second row of shelves, third one up as you enter the Silk Room. (Isn't that a lovely name for a particular place in a shop? But I have to tell you there's a lot of more than just silks in this department). I'll grab the bolt, head to the cash register. I know how much yardage I'm getting. Credit card? Here you go, Gabby, Kate or whoever else is manning the cutting table. Sign receipt. I'll be out of the store faster than Spiderman with Mary Jane in tow. Except you'll see me running down Main Street with eyelet in hand, moving so fast, some people might think I'm a ghost from the one of the sunken ships off of Lake Michigan. I might get arrested, not for indecent exposure, but scarying the living daylights out of the local residents. Then I won't be able to board my plane with my mother (!!!) to go to Galway, Ireland where I'll be attending this conference. where I'm certain I'll be daydreaming during one of the lectures about the next pattern I'll tackle when I'm back in the Midwest. How often do you think about sewing when you're doing something work-related?

Have a hat and
doggie, will travel

This is a page from a vintage 1950s edition of Vogue Knitting. What strikes me about the photograph is how contemporary it looks. How many celebs do we see walking around with their Chihuahuas, big bags and oversized sunglasses? Too many. But not enough go the extra mile and wear a cute hat. I guess that would bring too much attention, but that's precisely what I adore about the model in the photograph above. She doesn't feel the need to hide behind glasses. She's relaxed, happy and looks like she's on vacation if the resort in the background is any indication. My goodness, the life! I wonder what's in her purse. Definitely not a laptop. Smart woman. Nor a Blackberry. Even more brilliant. That's how I like to travel, light and not too much information, preferably with a knitting project so I don't batty while I'm sitting hours on a plane. If you're wondering if I'm going away, I am. Next week. Overseas. I'll tell you more in a future post.
Anyhow, I'm vaguely envious that this woman can wear a hat with NO BRIM. Here I am, temporarily doomed to hats with brims for a while. At least as long as I am wearing Lustra bleaching ointment on my dermis. Yesterday, I was wearing my pink suede cap (a no-no, according to my doc) and feeling Very Nervous about walking about letting Ms. Sunshine kiss my sensitive skin. However, I was wearing tons of Very Good Sunblock, not only the Neutrogena variety mentioned previously but La Roche-Posay's Anthelios SX, a daily moisturizing cream with sunscreen and Mexoryl, which blocks UVB and UVA rays. I got my sample of this product from my physician's office, but you can find it at select CVS pharmacies. So far, I'm looking good with not one but two sunscreens on my face even though I didn't wear the prescribed broad-brimmed topper yesterday....What kind of hats are you going to wear to protect you from the sun?