Thoughts from an Older Lesbian

So thanks, guys, for being shocked at my being dubbed an "Older Lesbian."  Mafia has it right when she points out that you get old VERY young when you work at a college.  I was actually given this title at the ripe old age of 29.  I had a student worker, a very smart, very cool person who may by now be approaching the age of 29 herself.  She has a blog, though she doesn't update it very often (HINT HINT).  Anyway, I fancied myself a bit of a mentor, and was giving her some probably questionable advice, when she said to me "it's nice to have an older lesbian to talk to about this stuff."  And I'm all looking around behind me for a heavyset woman with a flannel shirt on (when I was a "younger lesbian" that's what the "older lesbians" looked like).  But she wasn't there.  And she was referring to ME!

I had actually gotten used to this whole Older thing even before that.  At 25 I was vp of a small marketing research firm.  Being in this college town, we had a great labor pool, because we could hire the people with the bright pink mohawks and the sixteen lip piercings and put them on the phone interviewing doctors and no one would be the wiser.  But I had to meet with the doctors and the marketing types, so I was all pantyhose and shit (see how old I am?  I was working before "business casual" was the norm.  Yes, pantyhose were required.), and so I was THE MAN at 25.  Even so, being an Older Lesbian at 29 was a bit of a shock.  Now, at 35 (36 NEXT MONTH, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?), my Older-ness is undeniable, at least in the context of a traditional college.  Plus now as a Lesbian Mom (TM), well, I'm a role model.

Be very afraid.

ANYWAY.

Can someone please stop me from buying this?

Or, you know, possibly this?

Or, more practically for everyday and work wear, this?

 

I saw this jacket in the Woodland Woolworks catalog a month or two ago, but I nearly had a heart attack at the price and decided it was far too rich for my blood.  Wendy has just started one, which got me googling, and of course it's cheaper on ebay.  I'm not a big fan of kits, but this is a nice enough pattern that I think it might be worth giving up on any shred of creativity and just buying the damn thing and knitting it exactly as instructed.

So let's not pretend that I'm not buying this thing (hey, I'm finishing UFOs right now, and at least for the moment the many jobs are paying actual money, and let's not talk about all the wool in the closet, shall we?).  So do I get the red one and then make another, more conservative one with my own damn yarn?  Or do I make the nice calm gray one?  Opinions?  Discussion?  Yes?

Twisters, the current plan is to have a beer after the fest--People's Pint at 4 pm.  We can survey the damage admire our acquisitions then.  I may take the kids to a farm in the morning (after emailing people that Tregellys is way the hell out there, I may take the kids there in the morning, then go solo to the Grange in the afternoon).  The plans are still a bit up in the air, but anyway, I'll be at the Pint at 4.

See you there.

Comments

[Dena Childs]

I saw that jacket at Colorworks (in wonderful darker purples, my favorite) and even got to try it on. All I remember is that I looked great in it, but still couldn't justify the $280 price for the kit. No way I'm talking you out of getting it. Get the grey kit and then make another in your favorite color group. Urgh, I had almost forgot about the Mermaid jacket. Now it'll haunt my dreams again.

[Rachel H]

The red one. Absolutely the red one. You can go conservitive shopping the stash, but if you're going to treat yourself, go big. It's a gorgeous jacket and deserves a gloriously bright colour.

[S.Kate]

Red! Red! What Rachel said!

'sides, the grey one looks kinda, um, flannel-like...

[maryellen]

I'm not old. At least I don't feel old and I sure whine like most children I know. But why does everyone assume I'm my daughters granny. My grandmothers were really old and wrinkled I'm not?

[Sneaksleep]

OK, so if you were an Older Lesbian at 29, does that mean I'm just 4 short weeks away from becoming and Older Bi Gal myself? What does that even mean?

As for the jacket, first I was going to say go conservative and buy the gray kit, because then if you are only lukewarm about the result, at least you'll have something you can wear with lots of different outfits. But then I read Rachel's comment, and I guess I agree. If you're going to splurge, go all out. And then, in a few months when I've gotten through more of my WIPs, talk me into getting one too. :)

[juno]

Green. Go with the green. Pretty.

[margene]

Why O Why did I click on the Ebay link? I've bought from Cucumber Patch and she is wonderful. I LOVE the jacket and I'm sooooo tempted. Darn it all!

[Cassie]

Damn it. I need that jacket. If it makes you feel any better, you're younger than me.

(And I'm still laughing about looking for the flannel shirt.)

[Colleen]

Why would I discourage you from getting that jacket kit? It's fabulous, and it looks like one of those things that you would wear all the time. All. The. Time.

Um, speaking as someone who is 30 and as someone who has a hard time remembering that I'm not still 18 (but that GOD that I'm not, KWIM) I don't consider 35 or 36 remotely old. Not a bit.

[Kat]

Green. I love those colors. As others said, once you have the pattern it will be easy to shop for 'conservative' yarn. I may have to get one myself.

I'm twisting this weekend too. This will be my first foray into fiber related fun (other than going to a LYS or knitting on my couch).

[Kat]

Green. I love those colors. As others said, once you have the pattern it will be easy to shop for 'conservative' yarn. I may have to get one myself.

I'm twisting this weekend too. This will be my first foray into fiber related fun (other than going to a LYS or knitting on my couch).

[Jessica]

I am partial to the green one but if you have ever seen my wardrobe you would notice that everything is some shade of green.
You are SO not the old lesbian. I have to admit sometimes the college students at SB make me feel old and out of touch and I am more or less their peer! Your friend is right...you get old very young working at a college.

[Isela]

I love the green :)...go with the three of them ;)

[Norma]

No NO NO! Anyone who said green is WRONG WRONG WRONG. You MUST have the red. MUST. With your dark hair and coloring, va-va-voooom!

And if you're old, I hate to think what that makes me. Flippin' ancient.

[Martha]

Oh, the heavyset women in flannel shirts, I remember them! The LLBean chamois shirt (worn as a jacket) was the necessary accessory in my neck of the woods.

I have to ask a delicate and difficult question here that probably only someone who has tried on the jacket can answer: does the peplum drape over your hips, or does it flare out and make you look hippy? Not, Mamacate, that you are hippy, but there are garments out there that make the most petite amongst us look like pears. I am concerned that a heavy knitted fabric might flare rather than drape, and I know I would hate to spend all that money and time only to discover I'd knit an unflattering garment.

That said, the red one looks a little hunting jacket to me, but green and grey ones are fabulous. I kind of like the lavender shade to the grey. But if you favor the red, you should knit the red.

[Carole]

What Norma said - RED! And don't forget, you're younger than me, too. See you tomorrow, I hope!

[Kathy]

Thirty-five, old? No, no, no, not at all. Thirty five cannot possibly be old, because I am in fact thirty-SIX and not old at all. And I won't be old when I turn thirty-seven next month, either.

(runs up, pinches those wee, young cheeks and exclaims, "aren't you a wee cute one?", then runs off again)

[sara]

I love the jacket, particularly in green/blue, although Terry (fashion maven that she is) points out that it'll make anyone's midriff and bum about twice as big as they already are. I'm not sure if I care about that or not, but it did make me pause...

--Sara. PS - I'm back - yay!

[JoVE]

re. what it will do to your bum -- ignore them. It will make it look like you have a waist, which we were discussing the other day.

Stephannie has actually started knitting this. there is stuff on her blog (http://acunningplan.typepad.com/andsheknitstoo/). You could ask her. She did get it partly as a 'smartish' thing to where when she is teaching.

I don't think you can be an 'older lesbian' until you are at least 40, with or without the flannel shirt.

[Thorn]

Oh lordy. Personally I am partial to the green, but with your coloring, I agree with others who've said the red. And agree that if you really really love it, you can always find your own conservative colors for it later.

Perhaps a nice indigo blue with light blue or light purple? Don't mind me.

[Steph]

Buy Mermaid. Its fun to knit and while you might be mindlessly following the pattern, the construction is fascinating and you'll learn something about shape and design that will inspire your creativity.

It is knit in fingering weight wool so it will not make your butt look huge or any other such thing.

I bought it on the advice of a friend who knows what works on people's bodies (she's writing a book about it) because she told me it would give my boyish figure a waist.

Now as for colour. I have been told that the red one is electric--very pink red (you don't strike me as that colour for some reason).

I love the green one. I went conservative with number 5 (black, kingfisher and some greeny grey colour) and I love it, but I still pine for the apple green one because it's saucy.

Hey I should be knitting it right now. It may be just garter stitch but there's something to think about construction-wise all the time so it's interesting too.

[Marcy, Blogless]

What Normas said, red is SO the right color for you--not the green. I really love the green,but the red will be fabulous on you. And WHAT may I ask is wrong with flannel or chamois shirts??? Hmmmmmmmm? :D

[wenders]

I'll bet if you went back and asked, she'd be MORTIFIED that she said that, and that she's almost at that 'old' age herself.

AND, since I know of whom you speak, and at which particular institution, there is something to be said for old = experience and self-reflection rather than the youth that is evident in the hordes of women who happened to have too much peach schnapps at a perhaps gambling themed-event. Not that I would know, or anything...

[Lori]

This is where I ordered my 2 Falkenberg kits DeCapo and Tokyo. They were an extremely reasonable price, and customer service was excellent.

http://www.kangaroo.uk.com/falkenberg/falkenberg.asp

[katydid]

actually, i think you were wearing flannel. and maybe a pair of boots...