Winterizing my life

"And how", you might enquire, "is this related to the making of jackets, coats, and such????!" I'll tell you directly: it isn't. But, indirectly speaking, it's totally on topic. We had a 20-cm snowfall (the radio gal called it "tempete de neige", but it was merely a "tombe de neige" - a gentle fall, nowhere near a storm) - and the temps dropped into the negatives. Life in negative world space is about as appealing as this:



Last week's pics show that I got myself the lovely white rabbit angora hat to wear with my spanking new orange coat. The hat was a "one size fits all", which of course guaranteed 'twas a smidgen too small for my overinflated head. But hey, have steam iron will solve the world's problems yes? Betcha. Two squirts of steam on the rim, and the hat's as good as custom-made.

That still doesn't solve the problem of frozen ears. Earmuffs, which I happen to have and love, would - but, at pinkish red, they'd be a grotesque fashion faux-pas when combined with a rusty coat. Yeah, I know the runways these days show the most garish colour clashes (and, I might say, they've got nothing on the colour and pattern duels routinely sported at the veggie markets in Ghana - believe it!!!!) but here in bureaucrat-rich Ottawa, black is not just basic, it's obligatory.

Being the marginally obliging type, I dug out the (black) windpro fleece and (pinstriped black) wool flannel remnants from my Siege of Stalingrad coat project, and dup'ed my pinkish earmuffs in black fleece: a totally un-bragworthy 30-second project, I kid you not. Black boots, black gloves, black earmuffs: problem solved, eh? IF ONLY: Smallfry, who insists on joining me in the sewing/dining room at 6 am, got into the action: oooh, you made this?! cute! can I try it on?! oooh, comfy! (10s later): oooh, WARM! (13s after that): oooh, can I have it?! The Not-Totally-Evil-Mother snarls: NOT A CHANCE!!! this one's for DAD - but....



So, I winterized three sets of ears that morning, all before my coffee+shower+commute to work, two in basic-black fleece for the guys, one with pinstriped wool flannel on the outside (all the better to match the greatcoat) for moi. Surprised myself, too, as I'm completely non-crafty.

I then set to winterizing my brave-the-arctic-blast return from the bus stop with a hood for my new coat. Which took an additional two pre-work mornings.



And that, in case you were wondering, is why the (lovely, luscious, softly glowing, wistfully perched on the sewing machine's chair) cape is still waiting for its buttonholes.