Fail to Win!

I look happy because I've refashioned two items that were not quite right into things that I wear frequently.

Remember Burda 7517 FAIL? I lopped of the bottom to turn it into a top, narrowed the side seams to get rid of the unflattering bell shape, removed the front darts and added back darts. I actually like it now.

Remember the Butterick 3133 I made to wear in conservative Zanzibar? It like it much better at 27" than at the old 32" length.

I turned two fails into a big WIN.

Notice in the background that it is 5 PM and the marine layer (off-shore fog bank) still hasn't fully dissipated (or, perhaps it is rolling back in before it even had a chance to fully dissipate).

I shouldn't complain when the rest of the nation is suffering weather like this.

Partly cloudy with a high of 70F every day is preferable to heat indices over 120F and sensible (bulb) temperatures of 108F.

This week's forecast for our area is typical. If you come visit us in coastal LA during the summer, don't forget to pack your jacket along with your bikini. You'll also need less sunblock than you think.

No More Gray

We've had marine layer clouds every morning for months on end. It doesn't help that I've been sewing and knitting gray all summer*. In reality, they are subtle non-colors (black/gray/cream/brown) with hints of myriad colors. Exhibit A, Aran Ring V2 in undyed alpaca from the Twist Yarns of Intrigue's own line of yarns.
The yarn comes in enormous 8 oz/650 yd skeins for ~$27/skein. It's a finer micron count than Frog Tree Alpaca, another yarn I considered for this design. In the end, the softer Twist yarn won out. I thought that 1 skein would be sufficient to make myself a version of the Golden Braid. When I finished the cabled section, I decided to keep knitting to make a short vest.

I ran out of yarn at a very unflattering length. I had to go back for a second skein for another $27. This sweater weighs 9 oz so I have quite a bit left. What should I do with the rest?

Although it is light in actual weight, it is incredibly warm and I won't be able to wear it until the weather cools down. In the mean time, you can pet it at Twist Yarns of Intrigue in Manhattan Beach, CA. It's front and center as you walk in (paired with Cathy's shibori skirt). Cathy has more alpaca, some undyed, some hand-dyed in her own subtle shades.
I might even be willing to sell or trade the 7 oz I have left.

Raveled here.
Pix of me wearing it in Meeting Shams.

* But I've recently switched to pink. More on that later.

Aside:
How thick is the marine layer? (Translation: How cloudy is it?)
Consider the MODIS La Jolla subset from NASA's Terra satellite, local time of ascension, 10:30. The marine layer is inland.
Compare with the MODIS La Jolla subset from NASA's Aqua satellite, local time of ascension, 13:30. It's a little bit clearer inland, but there are still plenty of thin clouds along the coast that are a bit too thin to show up well in the visible spectrum. On the ground, it still looks a bit gray.

Does this ever work?

This person (?robot?) won't let up. This is the second one I've gotten recently. Does this kind of email solicitation ever work?

from Monique Aros moniquearos@americanpopdigital.com via mcsv148.net reply-to Monique Aros to badmomgoodmom@gmail.com date Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 1:01 PM subject Reminder to Join the Tampico Beverages Blogging Program mailed-by mcsv148.net unsubscribe Unsubscribe from this sender

1:01 PM (6 minutes ago)

Hi [BMGM] -

I haven’t heard back, but I don’t want you to miss an exclusive opportunity to be part of our blogging program! TAMPICO® Beverages has just launched “Unique Like You” – a photo contest celebrating the arrival of the 20oz, single-serve bottles now in store! Enter today for a chance to win some cool swag – including a laptop computer – plus have the chance to be included in a TAMPICO® photo mosaic! :)

We’d love for you to be part of this launch by joining our blogging program*! Let me know ASAP if you’re interested and I’ll send over all the details you need to be an official program participant on behalf of Bad Mom Good Mom!

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Monique

Monique Aros
Account Executive
_____________________

American Pop
Social Media Marketing
main: 818 840 1030
web: www.americanpopdigital.com
twitter: @moniquearos

OMG
She's a real person. She is apparently a journalism student and she had to post a blog for Journalism 100 class. I will let the quality of her analysis speak for itself.

A friend about to be downsized said that she is considering going back to school to get a masters in social media marketing from USC (total tuition about $100,000 she doesn't have). Do you think this kind of education is helpful? Valuable in either an intellectual or economic marketplace sense?

Is there a better way to allocate our collective time and money?

Do tell. I have my own biased opinions about this, but I want to hear others.