Start a revolution. Don't hate your body.

This is wall graffiti from one of my favorite bars in downtown Asheville, The Vault (home of $3 glasses of wine on Wednesdays, yeaaaaaahhhh!).

I'm posting it because it's a sentiment I've been feeling more and more lately. I fell down the Pinterest rabbit hole two weekends ago, and while I really enjoy the service, I've found myself really depressed by the amount of thinspo people I am following are posting.

Thinspo (or thinspiration), for the uneducated in internets feminism and eating disorder awareness, consists of pictures of incredibly thin women that are nearly always accompanied by "motivational" commentary like "Gotta get in shape!" or "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!" I find it all incredibly depressing.

First, I don't approve of body-shaming, and that includes when people hate on their own bodies. That so many people I know are that down on the way they look is pretty disheartening to me. I don't think my friends are ugly or disgusting, and it hurts me to see them say that about themselves.

Second, I hate that I live in a culture in which so much of a woman's social worth is predicated upon how she looks and how much she weighs. Even though it's a system that benefits me most of the time, I still hate it because I see the way it chews up and spits out so many people I care about. I have more friends with eating disorders than I can shake a stick at, many more who fall into the somewhat-milder-but-nevertheless-devastating category of suffering from disordered eating, and still more who think that their lives would be so much better if only they were thinner, or prettier, or whatever.

I hate the way it makes me feel, too. I have better self-esteem than the vast majority of other women I know, and I still feel beaten down about my appearance and my weight sometimes. Some days, it's like a constant barrage of "You're not good enough," and my inner feministy whatever isn't always strong enough to drown it out.

As such, I refuse to feed it. I'm not going to post thinspo or diet tips or punishing exercise regimes or anything else that could be construed as endorsing the totally fucked up attitude that American society has towards women's bodies. I can't stop other people from posting it, but I'm not going to look at it; I am unfollowing any boards that are tagged as being about that subject matter. Life is too short to spend obsessing about other peoples' bodies while hating my own.

WiP Wednesday: Fingerless Mitts

I started these almost two years ago, but never got around to finishing them.

I have a hat to match, and I'm looking forward to wearing them all together-- if it ever gets cold. Seriously, this is one of the warmest winters I've experienced in this area.

Book Review: Fibble, The Fourth Circle of Heck by Dale Basye

I've been following the Circles of Heck series since the first installment came out in 2008. I'm a sucker for both young adult novels and satire (plus Dante), so I've really enjoyed the series thus far.

Fibble begins where the previous installment, Blimpo, has left off. It continues to follow the exploits of Marlo and Milton Fauster, who have switched bodies and been sent to different parts of Heck. Fibble, the circle that is home to children who lie, is a demented circus run by (who else?) P.T. Barnum, with a special appearance made by Richard Nixon. Milton, in Marlo's body, must rescue Marlo, in his body, from Fibble and avert a giant celestial calamity.

Entertaining, as always! I really love the way Basye has adapted Dante. And I'm looking forward to the next book, Snivel, which is due out in May. 4 out of 5 stars.

FO Friday: Quincy Hat

My first January project is complete!

Pattern: Quincy Hat
Yarn: Arucania Nature Wool Chunky #101
Needle: US #10.5
Finished Size: The pattern is one-size-fits-all, so I completed it more or less as written. 


Apologies for my ridiculous facial expression. This has has an unusual construction that is pretty hard to photograph. 


Here's what it looks like laid flat:

A different kind of WiP!

Now that I am working at a grownup job (of sorts), I have come to the realization that I have very little by way of professional clothing. My wardrobe primarily consists of t-shirts, minis, yoga skirts, the odd pair of jeans, and a few sweaters and hoodies for when it's cold. Needless to say, I wound up spending my birthday and Xmas money on textbooks and new clothes. While I have enough to last me until the end of the semester, my wardrobe still needs some serious updating.

Enter my sewing machine, Sparky the Singer.

I've had Sparky since 2007, but have neglected him since I left Nashville in 2009. A lack of space combined with laziness and general life busyness have caused my sewing skills and machine to fall into disrepair. My stepmother was able to fix my machine (the tension was funny and it desperately needed to be oiled!), but my skills, which weren't all that great to begin with, still need a fair bit of work.

My end goal is to be able to sew a good portion of my work wardrobe. I'm probably going to stick to skirts and (sleeveless) dresses (which I will wear with the 18,000 cardigans I own). Sewing them is generally more cost-effective than buying them. That's not usually the case with shirts or pants, and, based on my limited experience, shirts and pants are a giant pain to put together. Sleeves are hard. So are crotch seams, hidden zippers, and pockets that lay flat.

I'm starting out small with a quilt. When it's finished, it will be about three feet by four feet. Thus far, I have managed to:

1. Cut out the pieces (more or less) without incident.
2. Sew the triangles into squares that are (more or less) even.
3. Sew the squares into long strips. 

After that, I will need to:

1. Sew the strips into a completed top.
2. Cut the underside of the quilt out of the leftover green fabric.
3. Acquire the batting.
4. Layer the batting, top, and bottom together.
5. Do the actual quilting part.
6. Cut out and apply the binding.
7. Do whatever else I need to do to finish it off. 

It'll probably take me until the end of next week at the least. I've never made a full quilt before. Most of my previous sewing endeavors were pajama pants, tote bags, and wrap skirts, none of which are overly complicated or involve a lot of finishing. 

We'll see how it goes!