I finished Airy this evening. (it's from Spring 2008 Interweave Knits)

At first I kind of debated photographing it - I had showered and washed my hair, and was in pajamas and had no make-up on.

But I decided I had more time this evening than I would tomorrow morning (or tomorrow evening, for that matter: evening meeting). So I got dressed again, and combed my hair (as much as it will stay combed in the humidity we currently have) and put on make-up and photographed myself in it.

I'm going to refrain from commenting on how I feel like I look in the pictures. I recognize I'm going through a mildly body-dysmorphic period, and when I look at all these pictures I feel like they don't look like me for various reasons. So I'm not going to comment on how I feel like I look. (Also bulky yarn = bulkier appearance on body).

This actually feels a bit anti-climactic, I suppose it's because I've been working on it for so long. And because I'm kind of tired right now. And because it's HOT and I will not be able to wear this for at least two and a half more months.

So here it is, open, which is how I would ordinarily wear it:



(This is also the photo that I feel "looks most like 'me'")

And here it is closed. The sweater is shorter than I anticipated it would be; I think it will look better over a dress (but darnit, I don't think I currently have any dresses it really matches) than over slacks and a top.



This one is kind of dark but it was an attempt to show the buttons on the sweater. They are vintage Czech glass buttons (not sure how old; I'm guessing 1930s at the oldest and perhaps 1950s at the latest) that I bought at an antiques shop:



I think this is the best use of them because the sweater, when it is washed (infrequently) will be handwashed, so the buttons will be more protected.

I think I'm also going to include an "outtake" photo (I nearly deleted it from Flickr) here, because I have to admit even though I cringe a bit at how I look, it makes me laugh, because this is the kind of look I start to get when a student comes and says something like, "I forgot my paper can I e-mail it to you later today and oh I have to leave early because I have to take my kid to the doctor and I'm going on vacation in two weeks so I will be out of class, will I miss anything, kthx" and I am trying to avoid going all angry with them but am also no longer able to smile amiably. Call it the Cognitive Dissonance look. (Just as "stress" is "the thwarted desire to choke the living daylights out of some jerk who desperately deserves it," Cognitive Dissonance is "I don't want to totally screw up my chance at getting decent teaching evals but I am beginning to feel my left eyelid twitching like Chief Inspector Dreyfus' as this student continues to ask for things I do not want to give")