Frumptastic

     Since moving to the mountains, my almost shoulder length hair has grown to nearly my waist, I recently cut 2 inches off, it has grayed around my face and thinned considerably, probably due to the cysts on my thyroid discovered about 4 years ago. 
     I've always had a bit of a swayed back which makes me look thicker in the middle than I really am and this has bothered my self image since I was very young and way too thin, no eating disorder involved, quite the opposite, but as a younger person, my metabolism was raging.
     As a knitter, as soon as I felt confident, I started making sweaters for me, worsted weight, top down raglans, usually loose and comfy.  For some reason as the weather has chilled here, and chill it did last night, down to 24f, and I pulled out my wardrobe of handknit sweaters, as I put each one on, I look in the mirror and feel frumpy.  Only one of my handknit sweaters, a fair isle red wood zipped cardigan doesn't strike me that way.  As a result, I have taken to wearing thin store bought, machine knit sweaters and thin omniheat fleece tops to ward off the chill.  This bothers me with the stack of sweaters I made sitting unworn on the shelf of my closet.

     Every idea, I have to unfrump goes against my nature, I won't dye the gray out of my hair, my hubby and I like it long, so a short cut isn't likely.  I have lost weight, so that isn't the issue, I'm not at this stage of my life going to start wearing makeup, so I guess what I'm going to have to do, is quit worrying about how I think I look and break out the warm wool handknit and enjoy them.  Maybe while I sit cozy and warm in them this winter, I will make a couple of thinner yarn and be more cautious of fit so next winter, I can wear handknits that aren't frumpy.