Tuesday Musings

Notice how well I’m avoiding heading out to the garden today? Unfortunately if I wait too long the weather will deteriorate. Guaranteed. Right now it’s sunny with some high cloud but it’s not really very warm. I’m waiting for it to warm up. Right. Sure.

I was thinking (eep!) about the little shopping trip we did with my sister last Saturday. Please note that we are related through our mutual birth mom but were both adopted out as infants to different families in different cities. We didn’t know of each other’s existence growing up. We only met about 20 years ago – when I was 40 and she was 2 years younger than that. So considering these unusual circumstances we haven’t really done much in the way of Sister Things together. Clothes shopping would seem to be one of them.

D is a little taller and thinner than me with lovely real blonde hair that now is pretty much gone totally white. Looks fabulous actually. I’m envious. Heh. There’s not much in the way of good shopping opportunities in Haida Gwaii – though you can’t beat the peacefulness and the scenery – and her nearest city, Prince Rupert, is a 6-hour ferry ride away. So we went to Mountain Equipment Coop because she wanted to get some good-quality sportswear. MEC is one of those stores that sells clothes for the youthful “athletic” people, obviously not my demographic. Though I love many of their styles and technical garments, nothing and I mean NOTHING! fits me. They are cut too slim in the hips. If the shoulders fit, then the zipper doesn’t meet at the hem. If it goes around my behind, then the shoulders are falling off and the sleeves cover my hands. Phooey. I do not buy clothes there anymore. D, on the other hand did find some cute pants and capris. She also purchased some nice tops that after she got back to our house decided they were not flattering – even after an extended try-on in the fitting room – so she returned them. Guess her body is beginning to succumb to the same issues I’ve got! Clothes need to fit but skim the curves, not get caught up on the lumps. Sigh.

So here I go again. Why, with all us aging baby boomers hunting for clothes that actually fit, don’t they make anything for us? Because apparently it costs too much to manufacture garments for such a small “niche market” and besides nobody buys them anyhow. Obviously there are a lot of women out there wearing clothes that don’t fit or flatter them. Are they unaware of this fact? Are they used to the feel of ill-fitting clothes? Or perhaps just resigned? It’s certainly a good reason to learn to sew and fit your own body better, as I’ve discovered. However the skills, fabrics and notions to make your own technical garments are a lot harder and in some cases impossible to come by. I can’t make a really seam-sealed waterproof rain jacket. Or proper flat-locked stretch cycling shorts with a padded crotch. I can’t even find a source for a silk knit to make some undies. Unless I want thousands of metres and can deal with the Chinese manufacturers. Not.

I think I’m just feeling somewhat resentful that companies like MEC don’t even register the fact that a potential customer might not be shaped like an athlete yet still want to wear the gear. Maybe it’s just not worth it for them to even consider. Maybe I’m just a rare bird? I don’t think so though.

Meanwhile I’m still slowly plugging away on sewing the RoseBunting. I’m nearly finished knitting the Abotanicity Tunic too. Only a few inches of ever-decreasing sleeve to go. It will be so nice to actually finish such a big project and get on to something else. The Watermelon Eyelet baby cardi has gone nowhere and I really want to knit Jared Flood’s Rock Island shawl (Rav link) in black Zephyr silk/wool yarn. I’m feeling the need for a black shawl and this one is so beautiful! I even paid money for the PDF pattern. How unusual for me. Had to. It haunted me until I downloaded it.

Well it’s clouded over more now and Ruby the iTouch is all charged up and ready to play some podcasts for me to listen to while digging weeds. If I wait any longer it might be too late. I’d rather get rained on after I’ve accomplished something out there – rather than before I even get started.