Hello dear YLF friends, 
Remember me?  The past two months have been busy, and I have been lurking more than posting!  In any case, I looked back at my 2022 goals and can see that I checked off almost everything on the list.  ie. Find a swimsuit that fits, add some hand-knit items, and look for pieces with quiet edge and subtle quirkiness to add interest.    I made very few purchases and posted most of them on the forum.  In addition to yarn and a swimsuit, I purchased shoes and jeans in 2022.  I added very little to my wardrobe and continued to remove items.  I have lost about 5 of the 10 lbs I gained during covid chaos and basement remodeling while my pilates equipment was stored under a tarp. I assume the remaining 5 lbs are either menopause gain or muscle from weight lifting.  Most of my clothes fit again, but not all of them.  I culled my holding area of the clothes that no longer fit and gave them to the local refugee resettlement program.  I still have a lot of clothes that fit, and I remain mostly happy with my wardrobe, although I sometimes feel a bit bored. For whatever reason, most of the culled items were the more colorful and fun items in my wardrobe, and I am left with more neutrals.  My closet looks very grey and blah.  My color palette, which I have variously referred to as pale peacock, abalone shell, and Mediterranean Beach, now looks like a Stormy sky with gale-force winds over choppy ocean waves.  :-0

In 2022 I purchased jeans at NAS. The jeans have been a huge success, but I wear them so often that they will need replacing in 2023.  My entire jeans capsule is looking threadbare and worn, so one goal for 2023 is to continue to update my jeans since this is a key essential to my style.  In 2022, I purchased shoes when I was in Denver, visiting my son.  Most of the shoes have been comfortable; however, my favorites were some On Cloud Swift sneakers.   I purchased a second pair of OC sneakers at NAS, and they have become my favorite shoes. I find myself wearing sneakers almost daily with my hybrid schedule, and I rarely wear my dressier booties or shoes.  They are collecting dust!  Finally, I did update my eyeglass frames in 2022.  I tend to do that every year.  In 2022 the selection of frames was very limited for me because I prefer light, small and thin frames, and frame sizes are getting larger and thicker.  I took a pair of old frames and converted them to sun glasses when I could not find any I liked better.  

Despite my intention, I did not make use of the French five-piece wardrobe as a way to revise or keep my style fresh in 2022.  I didn't revise much and did more culling than adding to my wardrobe.  I purchased very few items.  Fewer than any other year since I have participated in the forum. 

An apparent goal, and something that I should have listed first but didn't, is to bring back color to my wardrobe.   My gear capsule needs a good overhaul as well.  I need new exercise tops and bottoms for every season.  In 2022 I intended to update my essentials list but never managed to get to this task.  I need to do this before I add colorful items since my wardrobe has become more casual, and it would be silly for me to add a colorful suit that I would not wear!  Rethinking essentials by season is going to be a priority.  I also will continue to add more handknits.  

My personal style sensibility remains solid.  GENUINE COMPOSED fits me like a well-worn tee.  My style adjectives have fluctuated over time, however, the words that feel most true at present are: SLEEK, CLASSIC, FRESH, FUNCTIONAL, and LIGHT.  

Below are some of my handknits for 2022.  I am a fairly new knitter, but I do think my skills are improving.   Please ignore the thread hanging from DD's sweater, it was a fit test and the end was woven in. The dog sweater is a bit large but she likes it anyways! My purple and green sweater is an attempt to do a fade.