A Week of Colorful Sweaters Recap

Last week I decided to push myself outside of my comfort zone and wear my crazy sweaters, back to back, and just see what it did for my confidence. Here's a little recap of each day...

Sunday // I wore this gorgeous and extremely colorful sweater for the first time last Sunday. Since I wore it to church, I guess I expected a few more "oh my's" at the sight of the blinding colors. I got a couple compliments but nothing too exciting happened. I just felt really good wearing it. 

Monday // Oh the dot sweater. I don't know why this one makes me so nervous...but it does. I think it has something to do with the fact that the crochet dots are literally hanging off the shirt. It may not be as bright as the others but it is very "Look at me!". I wore it to class and out of sheer embarrassment, kept my puffy jacket on throughout the day. That was definitely the self-esteem low point of the week. It really showed me how much I let the opinions of others dictate even the smallest parts of my life. I don't want to do that again. 

Tuesday // As promised, I wore my heart patch sweater on Valentine's day and definitely felt the love. I wore this to my internship and got some very sweet comments from my boss. When I told her that I added the hearts on myself she sounded impressed and I probably blushed a little too much. The best part of the day was the elevator ride with a cute and mysterious guy who smiled at me before I got out at the lobby. I'd like to think that he thought my sweater was super cool. ;)

Wednesday // I should give the swan sweater a name...like Gertrude or something. Haha. This is another sweater that makes me especially self conscious. It was really warm that day so I couldn't hide Gertrude under a coat or anything. Why would I want to though? A girl I never expected to compliment my style immediately said, "Aw that's such a cute sweater!" when she came into class. It really showed me that I judge people to fast, assuming they think I'm weird, just like I think they are judging me. 

Thursday // My horse sweater didn't get much love. Who knows why, but it went unnoticed all day at work. However, because of that I actually stopped thinking about what was on my sweater and didn't care that no one said a word. I finally felt like I was wearing something I love for the simple reason that I love it and not worrying about what other people think.

Friday // This sweater is just so cozy! The comfort level of this one supersedes any and all floral-related embarrassment. I could never feel shame when wearing something so snuggly. 

Sunday // This one was meant for Saturday, but I never left the house due to rain and paper writing and I didn't want to cheat. ;) So that meant another happy and colorful Sunday. 

Here are a few Instagrams from the week. (My username is sheepishknitcrochet) 

As the week went on, I noticed how the challenge became less about growing confidence and more about simply wearing my favorite sweaters. I didn't feel particularly daring in my heart sweater (it would be pretty sad if I did) but I did feel more like myself. That's the most important thing, right? To be comfortable enough in your own skin that you can wear what you want without fear. Clothes are such a tiny and insignificant part of who I am, but I know if I can wear a fun sweater or confidently chat with someone in class about my knitting, I'm on my way to a stronger me. 

It just might take me a few more colorful sweaters to get me there. ;)