W.I.P. Friday: Loose Ends

Wow, have I ever been talking about food a whole lot in the last few weeks. No, it's not a smokescreen to detract from the fact that there's been little craft talk in these parts over the past few weeks. I have however, been knitting like crazy, but unlike my usual practice, I'm actually working on fairly time intensive projects. The Hearts and Stars baby blanket is still chugging along (I'm almost through two of the five balls of yarn) and here is my progress on the Zoe Mellor Fair Isle Cardigan for Ruby.

Obviously it'll need some good blocking before it starts looking nice and my fair isle skills are rudimentary at best, but I'm excited about and addicted to this project. But for the love of Pete, are there ever a lot of colour changes. Look at the back:


Yikes! I know I should weave in my ends as I go and I'm promising myself that I won't start another piece until I'm done weaving. It looks like the back of my stereo in there. Ugh.

In Praise Of Other Bloggers

Okay, this falls way into the "nobody cares what you had for lunch" category, but look what I had for lunch yesterday! Reading other people's blogs has changed my life immeasurably -- a year ago my crafting was purely knitting based and now I'm sewing and postcard making and embroidering and... well, you know. But I am never so pleased as when my stomach is pleased. What you see above is an apple and Camembert sandwich as suggested by Amy at Angry Chicken and the easiest chick pea salad in the world, as seen over at Orangette. Delicious. I highly recommend both.

And in other news, as many have already noted, the spring Interweave preview is pretty slammin'. I haven't knit anything from Interweave in ages, but I'm definitely going to go for Grumperina's socks and I've also got my eye on the shawlette and one of the cardigans. What I end up getting done remains to be seen, but you never know.

Self Portrait Challenge: Resolutions Week #4

I resolve to use the good cups.

That's right. Why drink out of a cruddy I Heart NY mug when I can be sipping tea out of an antique tea cup that was owned by Aaron's Grandmother? In my books "good cup" can mean a piece of priceless china or a Pyrex mug, either way, I have plenty of trinkets that give me pleasure and I should be putting them to their proper use. If they break, at least they were broken in the name of good tea.



Speaking of which, I briefly mentioned a treasure trove of items that were given to me back in early December, but I've been negligent in posting more. Pictured above is part of a tea set that Aaron's old piano teacher Elinor passed on to us after she moved into a senior's complex and needed to clean out the contents of her house. The set belonged to Elinor's mother and hasn't been used since her death in the early '90s (I know this because of the newspaper it was wrapped in). My goodness, it's a full Royal Albert Blossom Time tea set, complete with 16 cups and saucers, snack plates, the tea pot, a plate for the pot, creamer and sugar, a tray for the cream and sugar and a platter for treats. It's amazing and beautiful. I tend to go for less fussy '60s and '70s era collectibles, but this is a dandy that I will treasure forever. Thank you Elinor!

Postcard From Vancouver

We just got back from a lovely last-minute trip to Vancouver. Aaron wanted to help his sister set up her new computer and catch up with some relatives that we didn't see over the holidays. Also, with Ruby's birthday fast approaching, we figured we better take advantage of one more free flight. So, we got in on Friday and jetted home yesterday.

It was a really nice time. We visited the Vancouver aquarium and saw sea lions and whales; almost made Aaron's grandmother's heart burst at the sight of her great-grandaughter; watched the worst movie ever (Lady In The Water) and two episodes of the worst show ever (House Of Carters); ate lots of amazing food and drank amazing coffee; saw Ruby play with her favourite cousin; visited the White Spot; witnessed the devastation that Stanley Park suffered after the wind storms; walked in the rain; looked at the boats; played with vintage toys; admired Auntie Erin's phenomenal Pyrex collection (sorry, bad lighting, no photos); walked around Commercial drive; laughed with family around the dinner table.

All in all, it was nice to realize that all of our loved ones in Vancouver aren't that far away. And boy, was it nice to get out of town.

Bags Of Bags

Wow, it's already the middle of January and I've been remiss in showing off the rest of the crafty Xmas presents that I received. Today I present to you: the bags! I haven't treated myself to a good bag for ages -- or at least not one that's for the purpose of toting around diapers and diaper related equipment. I was lucky enough to get three bags of varying sizes under the tree, two of which were hand crafted. Hooray.

First up, Aaron commissioned one of his very crafty co-workers to make this messenger bag for me. I guess she even came in with a huge fabric selection and he went for this cool red and brown floral print. I love it because it looks cool and it keeps my hands and arms free for those clingy Ruby moments. The sewing job is totally pro and it's lined with pockets. Aaron's trying to convince her to sell them in stores.



And secondly, a little tweed bag made by Aaron's Great Aunt Kaye. I saw this bag a few months ago at Aaron's mum's house. Leena is part of this group that makes bags that are sold to raise money for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, with the money going to help women in Africa who are raising their grandchildren who have been oprhaned by AIDS. Anyway, Kaye, who is a master seamstress and also made my beloved tea cozy as well as a sweater for Ruby, sent a bunch of bags for Leena to donate to the sale. I admired this little number, so Leena bought it for me for Christmas. I think it'll make a cute little summer purse. And by then (fingers crossed) Ruby will be toilet trained, so I won't always have to have diapers in tow. Right?

Self-Portrait Challenge: Resolutions Week #3

I resolve to buy locally more often. I've always tried to support smaller businesses, but I think my craft fixation of recent years has really driven the point home. Of course, I also resolve to make things myself as often as possible (or, at least, as often as it gives me pleasure), but when I don't, isn't it better to buy things that were made by the person I'm buying them from?

So, here I am, enjoying a piece of bread from the Prairie Mill Bread Company, a local bakery that not only bakes its own delicious bread, but also mills its own flour! It's just as easy for me to run down there to buy bread than to buy the cardboard-y stuff down at the Safeway. I think things like this help me appreciate the city a little more. It's no secret that I'm wouldn't be living in Calgary if it weren't for Aaron's job and the proximity to my family -- in general I'm pretty down on the city's general vibe, it's layout and it's growing urban problems. But savouring things like this bread, buying local art, listening to local music, shopping at Make One studios and, I'll admit, drinking Big Rock beer help me realize that there are a lot of people like me around here. And the easiest way to make the city an great place to live is to keep eating their bread.

p.s. Yes, that is a wallpaper border in the background. Yes, we've lived here for seven months. Yes, we're slow on the painting.

Dessert Sunday

In the last year I've acquired a new mixmaster and, for Christmas, a full-size Cuisinart, so I decided that I've got to step up my culinary repertoire, which sadly consists mainly of one-pot meals containing chicken, canned tomatoes, beans, cumin and a rotating variety of other seasonings. So as a personal challenge to my kitchen skills and my waistline, I'm instituting weekly desserts. With the exception of pre-lunch Sesame Street and my 90210 fix during Ruby's nap, I don't usually watch daytime TV, but for some reason I caught the tail end of this recipe on CityLine this week. For non-Canadians, CityLine is a daily "women's interest" show that deals with things like cooking, interior design, fashion, health and childcare. While they have a major failure to realize that most Canadian women aren't gloriously wealthy Torontonian socialites, the show can be helpful at times. And they do have a great bank of recipes on their website.

So, when we lived on St. Clair Avenue in Toronto, Aaron and I developed a taste for the foods of the islands, so I thought that this recipe for Gingerbread Sweet Potato Pudding would be a good one to try. It's basically a cake made out of vegetables. Veggie cake. And guess what? It's delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I didn't manage to get a picture of it until it was almost eaten. Yum!

So, what did you make for dessert this week?

For The Little People

For W.I.P. Friday I've got a W.I.P. and a bonus F.O. for you -- all the abbreviation you could ask for. Last night I whipped up a little Umbilical Cord Hat (from the first Stitch 'N' Bitch book) for the aforementioned baby Aidan. Since he's a preemie and it's cold here, I figured one of these guys would be in order. I used the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in the Hawaii colourway that I had left over from my Sweet Mary Jane slippers. It's super soft and perfect for a baby hat (though I'm pretty sure that it's not machine washable) and a good colour for either a boy or a girl.

I have to say, I really love this pattern -- it's as perfect as it gets. Kudos to Jennifer L. Jones for designing it. I've probably made at least half a dozen of these things and it's the perfect baby gift, especially for Canadian babies. I made one for Ruby before she was born and we got so much use out of it. We had some feeding problems when she was new (I was a breastfeeding fascist and refused to break down and go for formula) and we had to go to the doctor every other day for the first two weeks that she was home with us. Since she was born in February and we lived in Toronto without a car, she really needed a good toque for the walks/cab rides to the doctor's office. And the Umbilical Cord Hat did the job. Plus, you can make one over the course of an evening.



And in the W.I.P. column, the beginnings of the Fair Isle Cardigan from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits For Tots. Naturally, I didn't swatch, so this may be for Ruby, or for some younger child in the future. I like living dangerously.

Hey Boo-Boo

After much procrastination (strangely, I'm addicted to knitting that blasted baby blanket), I stuffed Henry The Bear's arms and legs and attached all appendages to his body. Little Aidan comes home from the hospital tomorrow (good job, little one!), so Henry is finished just in time. I want to make him a little hat too, but I'll have to tear myself away from a just-started fair isle project in order to accomplish that, so I'm not betting any money on it.

I won't do formal specs, but this is Henry The Bear, knit from Jess Hutch's Unusual Toys For You To Knit And Enjoy. I used Cascade 220 for him and stuffed him a little less than I have for my other Hutch toys, so that he'd be softer and cuddlier for the baby. The only alteration was the omission of the "H" on his sweater. That was not so much an aesthetic choice, but more of a "wow, do I ever hate doing duplicate stitch" choice. So, there you have it. One baby gift down, two million to go.

Self Portrait Challenge: Resolutions Week #2

When I was thinking about resolutions, my original intent was to follow the advice of my favourite radio host, Stuart McLean. On last week's Vinyl Cafe, he was talking about avoiding self-improvement resolutions and sticking to things like "buy better, more expensive tomatoes -- live is too short to buy the lousy ones." But, to be honest, I've been pretty down all weekend after hearing about what happened to Helen Hill, so I've had to dig a little deeper. Not that treating yourself to a good tomato isn't deep in it's own way.

I resolve to appreciate more.

I resolve to appreciate the sweet life I have, faults and all. I resolve to savor my family, to accept myself and those I love for who we are. I resolve to take advantage of opportunities, social and work-related. I resolve to accept compliments without questioning them. I resolve to see the silver lining, give the benefit of the doubt and stay positive. I resolve to make sure my friends always know how much I love them. I resolve to be less self-conscious and afraid. I resolve to let my creativity flow.

Okay, sorry to get all Oprah on all of you. I also resolve to do laundry more often and watch less crap TV. I resolve not to worry about the fact that when I look at this picture of myself I can see wrinkles for the very first time in my 31-year-old life. And I resolve to smile as much as I possibly can.

My Heart Goes Out...

For those who haven't heard the news, former Halifax resident/social activist/film maker/zinester/all-around amazing person Helen Hill was killed in her New Orleans home yesterday morning. Apparently, Helen and her husband Paul Gailiunis heard a knock at their door at about 5 a.m. Thinking that it was somebody in an emergency situation, they opened the door only to be attacked. Helen was shot and killed and Paul was shot several times, but is still alive. He was found clutching their two-year-old son, who was (thank god, oh, thank god) unharmed.

I didn't know Helen and Paul, but I certainly have known of them for years. They were an integeral part of the amazing Halifax music scene, with Paul fronting the Calypso Orchestra Of The Maritimes, Piggy. A good friend of mine who lives in Halifax always spoke so highly of the couple and even considered Helen a mentor -- so in a way I feel like I knew them. My heart goes out to Paul and his son and everyone in Halifax and New Orleans who came to know and love Helen.

For more info on Helen, please visit her memorial website here.

WIP Friday: Toys For Babes

Now that holiday knitting is a distant memory, it's time to get a move-on on baby knitting. I come from a big family. I have 25 first cousins and we're all pretty close. Since the cousins range in age from 10 to 40, with the bulk of them in the 25-35 demo, it comes as no surprise that there are four pregnancies in the family right now. Oops, make that three -- someone was just born the day before yesterday.

My one cousin wasn't due until the beginning of February, but because of some complications her little guy, Aidan came a full month early. Luckily, everyone is good and healthy, they're just keeping him in hospital for a week or so so that he can put on an extra pound before he goes home. Unluckily, I hadn't finished knitting my gifts for him. What you see above is a limbless Henry Bear, designed, of course, by the famed Jess Hutch. I also want to make him a hat, but since time is an issue, I think it'll just be another easy-peasy umbilical cord hat. Sorry Aidan, I wanted to try some fair isle for you, but you came too early.



Also on the needles is the Heart And Stars Blanket from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits For Tots, intended for my brother's baby, due in June. I am not a fan of knitting baby blankets -- too much of the same. So, I've decided to do one repeat of the motif, work on something else, and then return to it, which means unless the baby pulls an Aidan, I'll be finished in time. Since this is a very special addition to my immediate family, I'm sure I'll be making the little guy/gal a few other things too. And I promise, you will see some non-baby crafting on here soon. A woman can not knit for baby alone.

Home From The Holidays

We didn't actually go anywhere over the holidays, but with Aaron taking a blissful week off, we're kind of feeling like we're finally returning to real life. Mind you, the social madness of Christmas/New Years is coming to a slow halt -- last night Aaron ditched work early so that we could go to a hockey game (ah, our poor Flames were robbed by a trio of bum refs) and tonight we have a birthday party to go to. Still though, I figure it's about time that I show off some of the craftier gifts that showed up under our tree. Not to gloat, of course, but I think it's nice to share these kind of gifts on the blogs -- I know seeing what some of you out there received has already given me ideas for next year. All in the name of anti-consumerism, of course.



Today I'm focusing on Aaron's sister's girlfriend Erin (who would be Aaron's sister-in-common-law), who is an incredibly creative girl. She's an artist and an expert thrifter and thus an amazing gift-giver. For Aaron and I she whipped up a really cool oven-mitt pad with a matching dishtowl (which didn't photograph well). She's also a big pyrex collector and as difficult as it is for her, she's decided it's time to thin out some of her collection. So, we now also have a gorgeous set of orange and white pyrex mugs, which is one of my favourite Pyrex patterns.



Again, not photographing well, this other thing is a magnet from a series of her works of art. I love these things -- she basically lacquers bits of found paper onto a juice can and puts a magnet on the back. They're all one-of-a-king and really amazing. I think she sells some of this stuff in and around Vancouver, so look out for it.



And finally, check out this gift for Ruby. It's a beautifully embroidered dress/tunic that she'll be able to wear either over pants or tights forever. A great thrift find that really came from the heart. Thanks Erin!!

Well, I'm back to the grind. I recently realized that I haven't printed any of the photos from the last year and a half of Ruby's life. So, I'm uploading about 800 photos (I'm not kidding) to the photomat so I can make the poor kid an album. New parents, I'm warning you. Don't let your digital photos linger for this long. It's a killer.

Ring It In

It's been a while since Blythe has made an appearance over here, but since she's all decked out in her new party dress, I thought I'd give her a chance to show it off. The dress was a Christmas gift from Aaron -- it's a tiny approximation (though, not a particularly accurate one) of the dress that Molly Ringwald wears to the prom in Pretty In Pink. It's taken almost six years, but my husband has somehow become the kind of person who will seek out a tiny version of a dress from an '80s teen movie for a terribly expensive plastic doll. Don't forget that he bought me Blythe for my 30th birthday in the first place. Aaron, I love you. A lot.

Any way, we'll be ringing in the new year tonight and reflecting on how crazy 2006 has been for us. This has really been the year that we've shifted from our (relatively) starving artist in the big city lives to a (again, relatively) more comfortable parent types in a smaller city lives. Of course, everything is very relative (we were never even close to being in actual poverty and we're still living a pretty modest existence), but we've made a lot of big changes, both mental and geographical in the last year and we're hellbent on celebrating them. Hopefully 2007 will be full of an equal number of surprises -- though I'm crossing my fingers that none of them will involve us selling a house that we've owned for less than a year or moving across the country.

So, happy new year to all. May your 2007 be full of love, joy, and lots of good news.

Year End Wrap

Ah, a happy impending new year to all. I suppose that this is the time of year that craft blog types should reflect on a year full of productive craft time (or, as my case may be, the amount of time I spent in front of the TV/DVD player while my fingers happened to be knitting away). In 2006, I completed a single sweater (I know, I like the small stuff) for myself, one sweater for Ruby, 4 Jess Hutch toys, 7 pairs of socks, a pair of baby legwarmers, 3 scarves, 3 pairs of wristwarmers, 3 baby hats (including one that ended up on a doll), a neck warmer, a shawl, a pair of children's mittens, a beret and a pair of slippers. I also used the sewing machine to make an apron, seven Wee dolls, a kitty doll, a Halloween costume and the Olive and Archie dolls (which were well appreciated, by the way). Phew.

In the unlikely case that anyone is interested, I'm borrowing this questionnaire from Lolly so that I can pay tribute to 2006, a year of knitting.

What is your absolute favorite project you've ever knit (one that fulfilled both process and product)?
The socks. If I had to narrow it down I'd say the Jaywalkers, because they were my first and you can't beat that first turn of the heel.

Which of your handknits do you wear the most often?
Again, socks. My current personal faves are the Simply Lovely Lace Socks (pictured above). A nice combo of warm wool, but lots of holes for my feet to breathe through.

What was your favorite gift to knit?
Kate. For Ruby's first birthday.

Which of your handknits are gathering dust your closet?
Fairly Easy Fair Isle. There's a reason I don't knit sweaters. Bulky yarn sweaters may not try my patience, but they sure ain't flattering to a girl's figure.

Which of your handknits have you gotten rid of?
Nothing from this year. I think Aaron donated my That '70s Poncho to the Sally Ann though, since I didn't even wear it once.

If you've knit socks, what is your favorite pattern?
I love any of the basic rib patterns from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks.

What would you like to make in 2007?
I'd like to do a really nice sweater, but something in a really fine gauge, so it might take me a while. I also know about a zillion babies waiting to be born, so I think that's going to take up some time too. Oh, and an afghan. We need afghans in our house.

What have you learned about your craft in 2006?
To stick to things I enjoy knitting. Sounds simple, but there's no need to push myself just to prove a point.

What events/sites have you particularly enjoyed in the blogosphere in 2006?
I liked Project Spectrum because it inspired me to become insane enough to knit a pair of socks every month for six months. I also liked the secret pal stuff I participated in. I want to get in on more wacky trades (though more focused -- I found SP a little too open-ended and stressful) and KAL kind of stuff just to keep myself motivated.

So, that's it. What did you make this year?

Doll Revolution

Phew. My final homemade gift of the season. Meet Olive and Archie, the famed Wee Wonderful Make-a-long dolls. I learned a lot from making these little guys. They're not perfect and I pooped out before I could do details like the collar on Olive's shirt, but I'm pretty proud of these dollies. And, since I abandoned the other knitted gift I had in the works (pretty much finished, but they were slippers and deemed far too small for the recipient's foot), I'm done. Done, done, done. Plus I spent 2 and a half hours wrapping presents today, so with the exception of the box of Amazon goodies that the postman brought at 7 p.m. tonight (which in itself was a Christmas miracle -- I was sure they weren't going to arrive despite Amazon's promises to the contrary) that's done too. And it seems like the Norfolk virus that has enveloped me is done too, seeing as I scarfed down my curry dinner tonight. Yippee.

With that said, I can't really see much more blogging action going on here between now and Monday, so happy holidays to all. Give your loved ones a kiss and a hug for me.

Wrapping It Up

Here is the last knitted Christmas present that you'll see up here on this blog. I do have one more to do, but I'll only be talking about it over at Who Wouldn't Want A Knitted Gift? in order to protect the innocent. This, of course, is the Airy Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, which will be presented to Aaron's sister's girlfriend, Erin. Yes, it does get confusing with an Erin and an Aaron in the family.

Unlike the last one I made, I used the recommended yarn for this scarf: Rowan Kidsilk Haze, in the liqueur colour. I must say, the addition of the silk into the mohair really made this a nicer and less itchy scarf. It was pricey, but definitely worth it. And I do love these little scarves, though knitting lace-weight mohair on U.S. #10 needles isn't the most relaxing knit.

So, only a few things to do this week before the big day, but things have been drastically derailed by a stomach bug that Miss Ruby picked up last week. We had to take a couch day on Thursday due to fever and intense grumpiness, followed by stomach clutching and more grumpiness through the weekend. Now I've seem to caught it and I know why she was so cranky -- those stomach cramps hurt. But, if I get my appetite back like she has I'll be enjoying my turkey on Monday. Yum!

Invasion Of The Wee People

The Wees are finished! Oh, how I wish the lighting was better today so I could photograph them more dramatically -- but alas, they will find their new homes soon, so I had to capture them today. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow morning and get a better shot for flickr. Either way, here they are, seven completed Wees for the purpose of hostess gifting (plus a few additional small gifts -- I don't, thank goodness, have seven house parties to attend between now and Christmas).

Their names are, from left to right, Esther, Edie, Alice, Riley, Stella, Anita and Violet. Not a single one of them is perfect or professional looking, but they were all made with love and lumpiness. A seamstress I am not, but warts and wonkiness are what makes folk art beautiful. Yes, I'm brandishing myself a folk artist. So what.



Oh, and for those not already familiar with the work of Hillary Lang (and thus must not be regular readers of this blog), you can find the Wee pattern over at the amazing Wee Wonderfuls site in the freebies section.

Just In Case You Were Wondering...

... I haven't stopped knitting. No, I haven't traded my yarn and bamboo DPNs for a sewing machine and some embroidery floss -- though I have been feeling that way lately. I think I've dove a little too far into the domestic arts this season -- I'm ready to sink back into my couch with a big pile of yarn and some #8 needles. And I shall, as soon as I'm finished my wees. In addition to the last two Xmas gifts I need to finish up (that ball of Kidsilk Haze up there is for another Airy Scarf, this one for my sister-in-law's very stylish girlfriend, Erin) I've started thinking ahead.

Already on the needles is Henry, Jess Hutch's teddy bear, who will be gifted to my cousin's yet to be born son. The little guy is expected to make his appearance about a month early, so I'm getting a move on. And that lovely orange stuff you see is half of the Misti Alpaca I just bought to make into a special baby blanket for my upcoming niece or nephew (my first!!), who will be with us in June. Considering that I never finished the baby blanket I started for Ruby when I was about three months pregnant, I best get a move on on that one too.

Sleeping Babes

On Friday Aaron's mum, Leena, showed up with a load of stuff that had been given to her for me by a woman named Elinor, who was Aaron's childhood piano teacher. Elinor is getting on in years and is moving to an assisted living complex, so she's had to clean out her house and give away many of her things. I won't go into detail on the other things she gave us -- they are far too deserving of their own posts. But, among the treasures were these two little angel ornaments. They're plastic and date back to the early '50s, when Elinor would have been a child. Elinor's mother would put the unbreakable ornaments near the bottom of the tree so the children could play with them. Elinor wanted Ruby to have them, so they're now proudly displayed on the lower branches of our tree and will reappear there every year until Ruby has a home and a tree of her own.



Speaking of Christmas traditions, which is happily a hot topic among all the craft bloggers, we're starting a new one for Ruby this year. When I was a kid, one of the families in our neighbourhood had a tradition of allowing their two children, Heather and Rick, to open one present on Christmas Eve before they got ready for bed. Every year they'd be so excited for that one present -- which would always, without fail, be a new pair of pajamas to wear to bed that night. The thing is, while everyone else in the world new that the early gift was going to be PJs, Heather and Rick were always surprised and always delighted to find their fresh night clothes under the tree. They loved it. So, this year, and every year that she lives under my roof, Santa will give Ruby a new pair of jammies on Christmas Eve to keep her warm.

Got any traditions you'd like to share? Bring 'em on!

The Morning After

Well, the second annual A Very Boothy Christmas (yes, that's what it's called) has come and gone. Preparing for a holiday party is one of the most stressful things, in the realm of happy events at least, that one can knowingly put themselves through. Yesterday morning I was a basketcase, yelling at poor Aaron and accusing him of going out of his way to aggravate me. Then Ruby didn't want to have a nap. Then, although the invitation said anytime after 3 p.m., not a soul showed up until well after four. But, once things started rocking, it was an excellent gathering.

We had about 50 guests, including a swarm of beautiful little children, which made Ruby really happy. The punch (booze and not booze) was a hit and the cookies were enjoyed. I ended up making seven kinds: peppermint double chocolate chip, almond stars, orange chocolate shortbread, rum balls, pecan pie bars, ginger snaps and jalapeno shortbread. The jalapeno shortbread was the miss of the group (they caused a six-year-old boy to cry "Mommy, these taste weird!") and the pecan pie bars were the biggest attraction. I'm still tweaking my holiday baking repertoire, something that I imagine will take decades.

On a side note, Ruby was gifted her first My Little Pony, a sugary looking purple thing with a flowing pink and blue mane. She freaked out and spent the whole afternoon showing people her pony, demonstrating how to comb the mane and squealing "purple pony, purple pony!!!" What is inside of her that is so instinctually girly? While I secretly love it, I'm also afraid of my future, which will be full of Barbies and ponies and fake lipstick and high heels.

Wee? Oui!

At the risk of becoming considered a full-fledged Wee Wonderfuls groupie, I spent an hour or two whipping up my very first Original Wee yesterday. I love the cuteness of her imperfection -- I've seen some on the Flickr group that are made with sturdier fabric and turn out like perfect little Ukrainian Easter Eggs. But I like the lumpiness and bumpiness of my funny little wee -- she's like a flowery little blue and red potato.

I plan on making a few more of these in the next week or two to give as hostess gifts to the handful of parties and Christmas dinners we're going to over the course of the month. I have a bunch of fat quarters in different colours that I picked up for this very purpose. Cute, a little bit weird and costing only about $5 for the materials? Not bad. Plus, even with my crap sewing skills, I polished this girl off in about two hours.

Speaking of Christmas parties, mine will take place in a mere 48 hours! Wish me luck!

Tree Trimming

As much as I love craftiness and as much as I loooooove Christmas, Aaron and I have very little in the way of Christmas decorations. When we lived in Toronto (which took up the first five years of our marriage) we flew back to Calgary every year, so there was no point in getting a tree or decorating the house. Last year we did a little bit of decorating for our first annual open house, but we seem to have lost anything that we bought last year. So, save for a big and wonderful wind-up snow globe that my brother gave me a few years ago, our stock of jolly decor is lacking. But now that Ruby's old enough to start enjoying Christmas, I'm trying to catch up.

Of course, with funds being of paramount importance (i.e., we're broke), I'm trying to make stuff and do so on the cheap. I saw a really cute garland in the Martha Stewart Homemade Gifts mag where Martha's people cut discs out of old cards (they call them "vintage" -- snort) and use sticky dots to secure them onto string to make a kicky little garland. Easy as pie, no? Well, sort of. I cut up my cards (yes, I save all of my cards and I decided as long as the sender is not now deceased I would allow myself to sacrifice them), but I couldn't find any decent dot stickers, so I just bought some card stock and cut out a bunch of red and green circles. Since the adhesive factor was missing and I was hanging out at my parents' house yesterday (we had a lengthy visit from the electrician so Ruby and I were banished from our own house), I pulled out my Mom's old '70s style glue gun and went for it.



While the glue gun did the trick, I'm afraid I suffered from the most old school of crafter injuries -- the glue gun burn. My dad, who has a tendency to hover when anyone's doing anything in the kitchen, was standing over me, getting hot headed over a story he was telling me about an accident my brother had with a glue gun about 20 years ago. I was just distracted enough to dip my ring finger in a dab of hot glue that I'd just shot onto a disc of card. It... um, hurt. The worst part about a glue burn is the thing that's burning you sticks to your finger and continues burning you until you wipe it off. It killed for about three hours (it took me two to find the courage to pull the dried glob of glue off my finger), but by evening I was able to knit, so all is well.

Either way, I really like the garland. It does have a tendency to tangle up, but I think it's a keeper. And I must say, it looks beautiful on what is the first non-artificial Christmas tree that I've ever had in my life. Happiness has been achieved.

Sweet Feet

Okay people... It's December 1st. I can no longer resist blogging about my Christmas projects. If you are a member of my family or a close friend who I may be making a gift for, I'd strongly suggest staying away from this blog until December 25. You too, Leena.



For almost a year now, I've been meaning to make a pair of Sweet Mary Janes. I've always considered Mary Janes (along with ballet slippers) my signature shoe, so I was immediately drawn to these knit slippers. Here's my specs:

Sweet Mary Janes
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in Hawaii
Needle: U.S. 7 bamboo DPNs
Mods: none
Comments: I love that because these are knitted in a worsted yarn they're more like a sock than a slipper (which might be knitted in a chunky yarn), but they're way faster to whip up than a regular sock. I did struggle with the crochet, but I'm starting to catch on, so I'm keeping this pair for myself.

The sample in the pattern seems to be knit in Noro (the pattern calls for "any worsted yarn"), which is thicker and sturdier than the Lorna's Laces, so my slippers are a little less structured than they could be. I've already started a second pair, but in Lamb's Pride worsted, which again is substancially thicker than the LL. We'll see how they turn out. Either way, this is a super cute pattern and should make for some good gifts.



In other news, Ruby strapped on her sparkly shoes today for a trip to go see Santa. Despite having to wait an hour (I didn't know that school-aged kids had a day off today) we had a great time and Ruby did not cry on Santa's lap (though she didn't smile either). I ran into an old friend from high school who I haven't seen in over a decade, which was really lovely and not at all weird like it sometimes can be. Here's Ruby showing off her shoes alongside Mummy's Mary Janes.

Kitten-y Soft

I know I've shown you a few snaps of this kitty already, but I figured I'd put up the finished product for the record. This is, of course, the put-together book Kitty from Hilary Lang at Wee Wonderfuls. This kitty is the first softie that I've every made using the sewing machine (or any technique other than knitting, to be honest) and I'm very happy with her. Originally I was going to make a few of these and give them out to friends, but I don't think I'm going to have time (Aaron doesn't like the sound of the sewing machine and I can't sew when I'm with Ruby during the day), especially since I'm in the middle of the very ambitious and more difficult Make-Along dolls (also a wee wonderful product).

So, this little Kitty will be gifted to my Miss Ruby. I'm not sure if I'm going to put it under the tree or save it for her February 1 birthday. I think I may do a Makee-Along set for her as well -- definitely for the birthday though, as I don't want to take on too much. Christmas is already starting to drown me and it's not even December 1.

Self-Portrait Challenge: Glam Week #4

It seems that since I became a contributor on the SPC site, I've been participating less often. Not good. So, here is my portrait for the final week of Glam month. For some reason, this month I was invited to attend not one, but two all-ladies dress-up parties. The first was a house party which I knew would be attended by a number of rockabilly ladies and vintage collectors, so I squeezed into one of the '50s party dresses that I so favoured when I was young (the only one that still fits) and put on my pearls. This Saturday I was forced to abandon the dress I had chosen for ladies lounge night (too freakin' cold!) so I dug through Ruby's dress-up clothes (which she doesn't use yet, but they're in safe-keeping) to find this silver top. I don't remember where or why I bought this thing, but I do know that it cost less than $5. I threw it back on this morning for my glam photo -- eat your heart out Marc Bolan.

Speaking of glam, I do have a story to pull out of the archives that matches this month's SPC theme. While I've always like the stylin' of T-Rex and early-era Bowie, I've had a life-long fear of KISS. When I was a kid they used to advertise mail-order posters on the back of Archie and Richie Rich comics and there were always a few KISS shots pictured. I was terrified of them. I'd have to leave the comics outside of my bedroom door while I slept. When I first moved to Toronto and got my job at the magazine I had an opportunity to tag along on a Gene Simmons interview and I decided to go for it. You know how the best way to get over a fear of flying is to jump on a plane? It was kind of like that. To make a long story short, Gene (who was not, by the way, in make-up) turned out to be creepier and more horrifying in real life than he was on the back of the comic books. While I don't have nightmares about KISS any more, I still shudder to think about six foot six Gene Simmons coming up to me and running his grubby fingers through my hair. Ick.

Warm It Up

It's freakin' cold here. I don't know what the weather is like in the rest of the world, but we're hovering around minus 30 Celcius here and it's beyond cold. It's so cold that it's become funny. I was remarking to Aaron the other day that people tend to put up their Christmas lights and trees super early here -- I honestly believe it's a reaction to the cold. It's like the thought of Christmas warms people's hearts enough that they can deal with the bitter cold. Oh Canada, you are a cruel mistress.

Anyway, sometime last week I finished these women's wrist warmers, as seen in Last Minute Knitted gifts. Unlike the last pair of these I made (yes, I'm wearing the same thing in the picture for that post and standing in the same spot. Yes, I'm lame), I actually used the recommended yarn, Noro Cash Iroha. It's soft as butter, I tell you. I'm not totally in love with the colourway, but seeing as I whipped these up with a leftover ball from another project, I am in love with the economy of these psuedo-mitts. Will I keep them, or will they end up as an Xmas gift? Only time will tell.

Zut Alors!

Oooh boy. Young knitters, take this tale as a lesson as to why you should always check for gauge. So, I decided that I'd knit my Grandma a tam for Xmas. Berets seem to be a hat often favoured by older women and I figured if I purchased a fleece scarf in a similar colour it would make for a great gift. So, I printed off the handy beret tutorial from Petulant Feminine (thanks P! It's an excellent pattern and I highly recommend it -- any problems were created soley by myself) and grabbed some barely labeled yarn that I got for Christmas last year. It's beautiful hand-dyed wool that Aaron's sister picked up from an independent merchant and I had no idea what weight it was classified at or anything. So I started knitting. And knitting and knitting and knitting.



As you can see, the thing is freakin' huge and looks more like a big poofy chef's hat than a chic beret. Unless my Grandma suddenly sprouts a head full of dreadlocks or develops an affinity for the music of the islands it just isn't going to work for her. But somehow, I like it. It's super warm (though kinda itchy) and I like that it totally covers my hair. It did slip over my eyes at one point while I was driving today and I should probably rip back the ribbing and reknit it on a smaller needle, but since I hate the feeling of tight winter hats, I think I'm going to keep it as is. I have a month to reattempt or I can always buy a felt tam at The Bay.

Automatic For The People

So, here it is. The Jess Hutch robot, knit for the little dude next door. Before I get to the grit, here are the specs (as if you didn't know):

Robot from Jessica Hutchison's Unusual Toys For You To Knit And Enjoy
Yarn: Cascade 220 in light blue, green and orange
Needle: U.S. #8 wooden straights
Mods: I stuck to a more solid colour scheme
Comments: Hmmm. I gotta say, this is the first Jess Hutch toy that I haven't been happy with. Sure, he's cute enough, but he doesn't have the same panache as say, Kate or Spherey. I blame it on the flat knitting and my own lousy finishing skills -- whereas the other toys (save for the ultra-simple Squarey) are marvels of construction with their round shaping, Mr. Robot is a slightly messy affair. I found that he was a bit of a pain to finish and I don't love the way the arms came out (that's a loose end at the top of the right arm -- I didn't have time to weave it in before I snapped the photo). I'm also not crazy about the way my less than tight intarsia looks with Mr. Robo stuffed fat. I think it'll be fine to give to the little boy next door, but I wouldn't hold it up as my finest work. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Mmmm....Muffins!

So, has everyone seen Hannah's new blog The Recipe Box? Her idea is awesome -- to create a place to share family recipes with the rest of her blogging community. The first recipe posted was for Orange-Chocolate Chip muffins and being a fan of the dark chocolate/orange combo and an obsessive muffin maker, I had to heed the call. I think I would make them a little more orange-y next time out (maybe a whole orange's worth of juice rather than half), but they're really great and really easy. And they're fattened up with olive oil rather than butter. Olive oil! In a muffin!



This also, weirdly enough, marks the first time I've baked with self-rising flour. I can't get over how cool this bag of flour looks. I love it!

Thursday Love

I love making gifts. But even more so, I love buying gifts that others have made -- all the specialness, but a fraction of the effort (and often, not even a much higher price). I really love the local Christmas craft fairs. And while I do have a penchant for the hipster craft fairs like D.U.D.E. in Toronto and other such places that attract the blogger types, I also have a soft spot for the old fashioned community hall fairs with older folks selling their goods. I stopped by a fair yesterday that had a few hipster types (there was a table manned by a few cute indie-rock glass blowers) but I ended up forking my money over to the seniors.

In addition to a few other things, I bought Ruby this little wooded truck with tiles teaching her the ABCs and 123s. An older gentleman made it and was selling a variety of little trucks for a mere $18 each. His wife told me that their greatest challenge was coming up with new designs since the trucks were so sturdy and handed down from child to child, their customer base couldn't just buy the same thing over and over. I also hit the Ukrainian food stand and bought a bunch of frozen cabbage rolls which we ate last night. Our whole house now smells like cabbage. Um... yum!

Happy Blogiversary!

Hey! I've been doing this for a year! Well, a year as of yesterday actually. Anyway, last November, at the urging of my insanely talented friend Sam I opened the doors to Elizaboothy. I missed the feeling of writing (almost) every day (which I gave up once I stopped working to raise my daughter) and I also needed a kick in the butt to keep my craftiness going (ditto). And guess what? It worked! In the last year I've kept the knitting up, learned how to make socks and, most shockingly, finally learned how to use my sewing machine. The blog community has kept me so inspired -- I'm chomping at the bit to learn how to crochet, quilt and do just about 100 other things, so I can promise you that Elizaboothy will be going strong for the next while to come.

Speaking of sewing, I didn't get nearly as much as I had hoped done over the weekend because I was too busy cleaning up baby vomit and in more recent days, my own vomit. Damn you stomach flu! Ruby seems to have recovered but although I'm feeling much better I still can't keep much more than saltines down. Still, I managed to make some progress on my put-together Kitty (see above pic), I blocked Mr. Robot, started a pair of wristwarmers (which I made good headway on whilst waiting to get some bloodwork done this morning) and I bought fabric for my Make-Along set. It's that time of year and I love it.

W.I.P. Friday

Note: If you are a close friend or a member of my family and think that I may be making you a gift, I'd strongly suggest that you quit reading the blog until after the holidays. Don't say I didn't warn you. Leena, you're okay to keep reading.

Okay, I had to get that picture of my pouty lips bumped from the top post. Ugh. I haven't had many F.O. to show this week, but I have been working hard. My holiday frenzy continues and what you see above is the fruit of this week's labour. I've got a Jess Hutch robot (in Cascade 220) on the go for the baby next door, a Wee Wonderful Put-Together Kitty (not sure who this will go to, but it's partially to practice for my masterplan Make-A-Long set for Aaron's sister) and a secret Cash Iroha project, which I'll most likely blog about on some of my KAL sites. I expect all of these things to be done soon, so more deets to come.



And, the stupidly early cookie bake-off continues as well. We're having our holiday party early this year, so I have less than a month to finish all the treats. This morning Ruby and I whipped up some ginger snaps. Delish!

Self Portrait Challenge: Glam Week #1

I love make-up. I have a lot of make-up. Lately though, I don't wear very much make-up. When I used to work full time at the magazine, although our focus was on music we had a very tiny style section that warranted the editor in charge of it the right to solicit beauty companies for free product. It was great -- for four years I didn't have to buy shampoo, sunscreen, lotion, bubble bath or cosmetics. And we got good stuff too -- clinique, benefit, origins, cake, cargo, mac... it was like my own personal sephora,

While the make-up train made it's last stop ages ago, I still have a lot of the stuff left in my linen closet. I know that you're not supposed to keep make-up around for years and years, but I don't seem to go through it very quickly, even when I go through periods of wearing a lot of it. To glam it up, this morning I put on two of my fave lip products from my pantry -- Clinique's colour surge lipstick in golden mink and Benefit's It Was Just A Matter Of Time Lip Cream. Yum. I would never wear either of these colours out -- way too dark. But to glam it up, they suit me just fine.

Off And Running

Is it lame for me to have already started my holiday baking? As previously mentioned, Aaron thinks I'm nuts and annually begs me not to "overdo it" when it comes to my holiday prep. Since I'm not working outside the home (though the freelance stuff is starting to pile up) and Ruby's not a screaming infant this year, I'm already full on for Xmas. And it's frickin' November. And I don't even celebrate it from a religious standpoint. Am I turning into the crazy stay-at-home mom with no life?

I'll admit, when Ruby and I popped into Winners last week (to try on fancy high-heel shoes), I briefly contemplated buying one of those Christmas sweaters with bobbly snowmen and sparkly gift packages, but I stopped myself (and purchased something from the "junior trendsetters" section to overcompensate for my momentary lapse in judgment). And I've already baked about five dozen cookies that went promptly into the freezer -- the almond stars you see above and a huge batch of double-chocolate peppermint chip. But this isn't because I'm chomping at the bit for Xmas -- it's because I know myself. I know that I'm going to get busy and burn out sooner rather than later. And I want to get all this stuff done because I want Ruby to grown up loving the holidays as much as I do. Is that so crazy?

I knitting news, I signed up for Norovember since I'm currently working on a top-secret project in Cash Iroha, which I can't really blog about here. Button to appear as soon as I can take a moment without Ruby tearing up my office.

Hip To Be Square

I didn't sign up for the national blog month post every day thing, but I may as well have. So much to post about! Tis the holiday season, I suppose -- I'm trying to crank out the small items and as of an hour ago, I've begun my holiday baking. It's so weird, I used to be very lazy about this stuff (i.e. did nothing), but I've been overcome by some weird desire to be super-mom. A friend once commented that as soon as Aaron and I had Ruby we somehow became The Flintstones, and despite my years as a Women's Studies' minor, it's true. Oh well, sisters, we've won our right to choose and I choose to bake cookies.

But I digress. I present to you my first holiday FO. This was one of my longest current WIPs -- I think I started it when we were still in Toronto. But, since I decided to give it to Ruby as part of her Xmas gift, it counts as a holiday knit. Ha.

Squarey from Jessica Hutchison's Unusual toys For You To Knit And Enjoy
Yarn Lamb's Pride Worsted in Orange You Glad, Lotus Pink and Limeaide
Needle U.S. 8 wooden straights (and DPNs for the limbs)
Mods put sleeves and pants on him
Comments: I love it. I didn't test for gauge, so I was amazed that the pillow fit perfectly -- I really thought I was going to have to polyfil this guy. But he's soft, cuddly and given Roo's love for softies these days, he'll be well loved. Given her affection for a stuffed Pilsbury Doughboy that she was given, I'll be glad to put a non-commercial buddy into her arms. As it is, I can't get her out of the grocery store without poking the boy on the frozen cookie dough display and watching Ruby giggling maniacally.

My Swiss Miss

Yesterday my friend Mark and I took Ruby to Walmart to get her Xmas portrait done. Usually I avoid Walmart like the plague (a gross, unhealthy, over-Americanized plague), but Mark and I have made it a tradition to take Roo to the Wally for the portrait. My main reasoning for this is because it's so flippin' cheap -- a package of 42 prints is only $19.95, and this includes the sitting (this is by no means meant to be an advertisement for Walmart). Of course, they don't give you a choice in which shot qualifies for the special and they take a bunch more which they later try to sell you for 10 times the price. But I do like the general cheesiness of the whole process and Mark enjoys his role as art director/Ruby wrangler.

What you see above is the dress that we chose as Ruby's costume. It came with a box of family heirloom hand-me-downs that Aaron's aunt Bobbie (the mother of the next youngest kid in our clan, Aaron's five-year-old cousin Maren) gave me after Ruby was born. I have no idea how old it is -- I've seen pictures of Aaron's 31-year-old sister wearing it when she was about Ruby's age, but it might date back farther to Aaron's aunt, who's about 50. Either way, it was made in Italy and it's absolutely beautiful.

As I very secretly predicted, the actual photo session was a bit of a bust. Ruby was fine and was sitting in front of the Swiss village background that Mark selected as the photographer set up her equipment. Right before she was ready to start snapping, Roo had a big freak out and refused to sit. We did everything we could to please her, including a walk through the hardware section of the Walmart. She continued her refusals. Finally, we bought a package of shortbread cookies and bribed her. She sat there, on the photo platform, happily chomping away, but would cry whenever she was without cookie in hand. So all of the photos feature Ruby holding a cookie and wearing a wide crumb-covered grin. I think they're pretty cute and will provide an suitably embarrassing story once she's older. Ha.