December 18, 2023
Dear VTY girls,
I really enjoyed reading a bit from each of you last week! The simple act of sharing our recent musings through letters seems very pro-girl to me. I love how each of you have such thoughtful things to say and I’m proud that we are holding space for these creative, meaningful, and funny ideas. On the topic of creation, I’ve been doing a LOT of crafting recently. This fall I’ve knit a number of garments which I’ve included some photos of:
Currently I have two very exciting projects on my needles. The first is a Moby Sweater designed Danish knitting queen - PetiteKnit. It’s a classic fisherman sweater with intricate cabling. It’s quite a step up in terms of difficulty from anything I’ve knit before and tbh I’ve been really proud of myself to have learned many new techniques from the written pattern (with the help of youtube). I’m hoping to gift this sweater to my husband Q once it’s complete - maybe in time for next winter (it’s a bit slow going). My other project is a cozy sweater for myself. I was beyond thrilled when I stumbled upon a sweater quantity of the EXACT tweed I was dreaming of at a local secondhand craft store! (shout out to The Idea Store in Champaign, IL). These knitting projects have been lifting my spirits during increasingly long and cold nights.
I recently had a lovely craft night with my friend Lucy. We were inspired by pinterest to create stuffed felt ornaments adorned with embroidery and beads. I’ve included some of our inspo photos as well as our finished ornaments. I look forward to making some more before Christmas to keep for years to come.
Have you been doing any making? I would love to hear about any creative pursuits that have been bringing you joy.
Very Truly Yours,
Sydney
Dear Sydney,
I am so jealous of your crafty nature. I am especially envious of that fisherman sweater you’re working on. Also, the Christmas ornaments you made are giving heirloom to me. Excited to see what else you craft!!
As far as any making, I’ve been really digging back into photography, but much more specifically analog photography. I think living in an increasingly digital age has induced this longing for anything tactile and tangible.
One thing I love lately is Polaroids. My parents gifted me an old school Land Camera for my birthday a few months ago and I’ve been in the practice of composing portraits rather than capturing snapshots. The pack of film only comes with 8 frames, even less than a roll of film. It’s forcing me to slow down and be thoughtful about what I want to capture.
I also found some old rolls of film from a few years ago that helped stir up some creative inspiration in me. Seeing those old images of us reminded me how much fun it can be to just capture moments in time. I guess the next idea is to blend these ideas of highly curated, careful, and composed portraits with this idea of freezing snapshots of life. That is one of the things I love about photography no matter what medium: you have this moment in your timeline that gets to live on forever, all because you fired the shutter. That is just stunning to me.
Scenes from Austin, 2021(?)
Very Truly Yours,
Julianne
Dear Sydney,
I so admire how committed you are to developing a skill set for your own pleasure! Your knowledge of knitting and fabrics seems quite extensive now, and I find it so interesting how it has changed your relationship to clothing in general.
I often wish I knew how to sew, so that I could alter my own clothing—I feel that it would free me from so many restrictions in terms of curating a wardrobe! I enjoy the sensation of operating within that grey area outside of preconceived boundaries, and I figure it would give me a similar excitement if I could bypass all of the expenses and dissatisfied searching of shopping and create something more tailored to my tastes.
I am not typically a very crafty person, but I recently hosted a solstice dinner to honor both the death and rebirth of the sun, as well as the people I love! Myself, along with my friends Ines and Gabriella spent a few nights making crowns out of metal wire, cardboard, paint, ribbon, fake butterflies, flowers, etc.
On the night of the feast, we placed each crown on the plate in front of our individual honorees (I chose my partner, Ben and my close friend, Rayan) and then stood behind them to read a letter we wrote to explain what they mean to us. It was so, so wonderful to be able to espouse the virtues of people I love in front of others…and without restraint!
We took many polaroids of the night (sending a wink your way, Julianne). I will include some photos when I get back home from work.
Very truly yours,
Mackenzie
Sydney,
I LOVE the heart ornament. I’m so jealous and I need one now! Please craft me on and send it at some point before next Christmas. Julianne, I am so excited that you are getting back into photography! You have such a tasteful eye, and I can't wait to see the images you begin to create. I also request a photo of something. Me, You, something else… whatever it is I would treasure it. Kenzie, your solstice party sounds so enchanting. It’s giving me the vibes of the midsummer’s eve birthday I threw for my girlfriend last year but way cooler and much more stylish! I want us to be able to throw a meaningful and Pinterest-worthy event soon (I saw your post about it and I was very enamored ur rlly cool.)
Sadly I lack the patience and mostly I lack time to do crafts! Tragic. I am doing a lot of side projects these days- like writing a play and making music again, but all that is so tied up in success and hopeful monetary gain in the future (as much as I wish I could say it’s purely for the sake making art) so I’m not sure if that counts.
I guess the closest thing I have to crafting is cooking and baking right now! I love to host parties and dinners for my friends and Claier’s family when I can, and recently I threw a pre-Christmas dinner for them where I made mussels for the first time! I cleaned the mussels, removed the barnacles and the beard, and washed out the sand. It was a little weird at first because I’ve never cooked something that was still alive, but it made me respect the art of cooking more, and also think about all the people who take the time to prepare meat and fish and crops for our consumption.
Anyways- I cooked them in a white wine, shallot, thyme, and butter sauce, with chilies and garlic and all the usual. They turned out very well for a first attempt! Next time I think I will cook them for a little less time and In a different pan. Tired to take a picture and this was the only one I got and it sucks.
V.T.Y.,
Avery
