W.I.P. Friday: Pile O' Fair Isle

Not much to share this week, but since I use this blog as a motivation to get stuff done, I thought I'd post my progress. Because, friends, there has been progress, just nothing that translates into a shiny finished garment. Here's my child's Fair Isle Cardigan basking in the sunshine (the cold weather finally broke -- Ruby and I were running around in jean jackets yesterday). I'm working on the last piece -- sleeve #2. After that, I've got a few more ends to weave in (though I've been a good girl, all the body pieces are woven) and the collar and the finishing on the pocket. Then we'll block 'er and sew her together. I was hoping to finish by the end of February, since I'm participating in the Fair Isle February KAL, but who knows. I've been distracted. Largely by this:


After realizing that I was not in fact doing a double crochet, but some weird half double hybrid, I pulled out my Happy Hooker book and reviewed my technique. Since I'm using a hook that's far too big for most of the leftover yarn in this blanket, a proper double crochet is just too loose for my liking (plus I think crochet is kind of ugly when it's too open), so I switched to a properly done half double crochet. At least I think I'm doing it properly -- I don't really care at this point because I like the way it looks. Anyway, I've got about eight inches done -- only a million more to go. But, I'm guessing my obsession will soon fade, so I'm giving myself until Christmas to get this baby done.

Have a great weekend! It's a long one here and the weather is going to be good. Hooray!

Love And Stuff

Happy V-Day! Like many I have a love/hate relationship with February the 14th -- I love the hearts and lace and flowers and candy, but I hate the disappointment and feeling like I've set myself up for heartache. I tend to make a big deal about things and since I was in junior high school, I've always dreamed of a big frilly heart shaped box full of bon bons. I have a perfect picture of it in my mind. Unfortunately, in all my years of dating, I've never actually dated a mind reader. Fancy that. But I think the man that I've chosen as my permanent Valentine has come as close as any mind reader ever could by treating me with....


Stinky cheese! This morning my sweetest of the sweet presented me with a lovely chocolate heart filled with Bernard Callebaut chocolates plus two blocks of Janice Beaton cheese! For those of you who don't live in Calgary, this is foodie heaven -- Callebaut is a world famous chocolate wizard and Janice Beaton is the queen of snobby cheese. In fact, urban legend has it that the two of them once dated! Can you imagine? Anyway, it takes a special man to give blue cheese as a romantic gift. I couldn't be happier. God only knows what I'd be without you, A.B.


The postman was also kind to me this morning -- look, another card from my Flickr swap, this one from Wendy. Thanks Wendy, this is beyond beautiful and I cherish it.


Finally, my first Superbuzzy order arrived. Two yards of amazing canvas. I especially adore the stacking dolls. I'm almost 100 percent sure these will turn into bags. I feel an addiction coming on.

Committment Phobic

I think I've been pretty good with my knitting lately. Since Ruby was born, I haven't had the time (or money) to piddle around with my projects -- I've been sticking to small items and for the most part, one at a time. But suddenly, with the pressure of holiday knitting long gone, I've become a full-fledged yarn harlot (apologies to Stephanie). Seriously, I'm not going to have another F.O. under my belt by the end of the year at the rate I'm going.

As faithful readers know, I've already got the stupidly fussy Fair Isle Cardigan and the ridiculously huge Hearts And Stars baby blanket on the go. So, what did I do on Saturday night? I took about two minutes to finally teach myself how to properly crochet and I dove in to the vintage stripe blanket as featured over at Bella Dia. I know this thing, if I ever finish it, will look a little off since I'm learning to crochet as I go (and boy, is my first chain ever TIGHT), but I'm addicted to it. I can't stop. Help me.


In happier news, the first card from my Flickr V-Day Postcard Swap finally arrived. Here it is on my fridge (the clown clip is just holding it, not part of the card). I love mail!

Winter White

This is our world this week. Brr.

Granny Sweater

You don't generally see a lot of acrylic blue and pink variegated baby sweaters on the knitting blogs. Most hipster knitters -- and I'll put myself in that category -- won't touch the stuff with a ten foot pole. But somehow, it seems like a right of passage for a little one to receive and cherish a sweater like this knitted by a loving grandmother.

Now, my mother doesn't knit (she crochets and made Ruby a couple of little baby things in the early days) and Aaron's mum tends to use the same kinds of natural fibres that I'm drawn to, so Ruby doesn't have a granny to knit these kinds of sweaters for her. She has three living great-grandmothers, but their fingers are all too arthritis-stricken to knit anymore. But incredibly, she's got two very generous great-great-aunts (that's right, Aaron's great-aunts) who have made her beautiful sweaters. Last year Auntie Kaye crafted Ruby a sweater for her birthday and Aaron's amazing great-aunt Betty sent in this little number for birthday #2.

I love it. It fits perfectly and reminds me that there are generations of women in our family who were crafting long before Lorna's Laces became all the rage. Betty sent the yarn band with the sweater (Aaron threw it out before I could get a picture) and the yarn is a brand from The Bay, who I don't think even make yarn anymore. Thank you Betty, for keeping my little one warm over the winter.

Message In A Bottle

In a bout of creative insanity, I joined a Valentine's Postcard Swap on Flickr. I've been feeling a little intimidated because I'm not really a visual artist -- I'm not even a scrapbooker (and I admit, I despise the fact that "scrapbook" has become a verb -- but I like cutting and pasting things and with my knitting being kind of long-term and boring these days, I felt the need to explore another side of my creativity. Plus, I loooove Valentine's Day and since Aaron isn't the most willing participant, I had to get the lace doilies and hearts out of my system somehow, right?

So, I stuck to a couple of themes: old romance novels and vintage '70s Valentine cards (comb your dollar stores people -- you can still find the punch outs you had as a kid if you're lucky). Since I'm new to this kind of thing, there was a lot of trial and error, but I had a lot of fun.


I still have a couple more to make -- I think they'll be in the same style as the purple tissue paper/old valentine card ones. I mailed my first batch off yesterday -- I can hardly wait to see what comes my way in the following week or so. Hooray for swaps!

Dessert Sunday

Duh. Birthday cake!

Now, originally, dating back to last year, my plan was to make Ruby the same birthday cake every year of her life: my mom's fudge ribbon cake (the ribbon being a layer of cream cheese mixture). But last year's cake was a total bust (flat and flavourless) and it's a lot of work making a less than standard cake when you have a toddler at your feet. So, I turned to Aaron's mum, Leena, who makes one of the most delicious and simple cakes imaginable. Hence, Ruby will get this cake every year of her life from this point on.

I'm not going to give a recipe or spill any Booth secrets: lets just say that the cake is beyond simple (ahem, like, just add eggs and some oil and water simple) and the icing is a very standard recipe with some extra somthin' thrown in (ahem, an egg yolk and more butter than you want to ever think about in your life). I didn't get it totally perfected and as Aaron privately pointed out after the party I could have layered a lot more of the leftover icing between the two cakes, but all in all it was a rousing success. Operation delicious!

So, what did you have for dessert this week?

Dear Ruby

Dear Ruby,

Today is the day before your second birthday. You’re busy playing at your Nana’s house and I’ve been driving around all day running birthday errands with a huge smile on my face, thinking about the year that’s passed and how amazingly you’ve grown. Not physically – you’re still a petite little thing who has trouble keeping her pants from sliding down, but mentally your growth could be measured in miles. Last year I had a beautiful bald little baby who could barely pull herself up on her feed or mutter a coherent “ba!” Today I have a sassy little blonde on my hands, frequently crying “myself, myself!!!” as she stubbornly struggles to put on her own shoes.

Last year when I wrote a similar birthday letter to you, I marveled on two things: how much you constantly surprised me and how much you made me laugh. At the end of year two these two things are still very much true, but I feel like I’ve learned so much more about you. You are less of a mystery (chatterboxes leave little to the imagination), yet you continue to reveal new things every day. Here are some things about you, my Miss, that I know to be true:

1. You are a girly girl. Yes, you love cars and especially airplanes, but you also love your purse, your pink cell phone, dressing up in a tutu and high heel shoes and applying endless coats of lotion to your arms and legs.

2. You love pretending to clean or make soup.

3. You like cake. And pie. And ice cream. And chocolate milk. And pizza.

4. You hate having your hair washed, but love pretending to wash it yourself.

5. You love swimming with your Daddy, even though you are afraid.

6. You love your family. Often in the bathtub you name all of your family members (including pets) and make me draw them on the side of the tub in bath crayon.

7. You are a stubborn (or, if you prefer, assertive) little creature, which simultaneously drives me crazy and makes me proud.

I’ll leave it at a lucky number seven – but there are so many other amazing things that make you you. Our journey so far has been both frustrating and delightful and although I find it so hard to believe that you’re only two, I also can’t imagine what it was ever like without you. I love you forever and more and more each day.

xoxo
Mommy

Dessert Sunday

I'm continuing on with my pledge to do weekly desserts, but man, we've got to start throwing more dinner parties. A full dessert is just too much for our little family -- I don't like feeding Ruby dessert more than once a week (especially since she usually gets a supplemental dessert if we go to the grandparents' house for dinner, which we often do) and Aaron and I really shouldn't be eating the rest of a cake/pie/torte/whatever between the two of us over the course of a week. Last week I made an apple cake (too boring to have pictured) and the guilt was far less because I pawned some off on my parents. This week we had chocolate pie and as absolutely delicious as it is, I'm going to have to toss almost half of it.

So yes, chocolate pie. The picture is a little oozy (and I had to make it in a cake pan because Aaron misplaced my pie plates), but if you like your chocolate this is the ticket. I got the recipe out of a Kraft brochure and since it appeared in an advert, I don't feel like it's a copyright infringement to share it with you. Nothing too fancy, but easy as, er... pie. (apologies).

Chocolate Triple Layer Pie

1 1/4 cups Oreo Baking Crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 squares bittersweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup chopped toasted peanuts (I used walnuts because it's what I had)
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. chocolate instant pudding
2 cups thawed Cool Whip

Mix crumbs and butter in a 9 inch pie plate. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of plate to form crust. Mix chocolate and condensed mil until blended. Pour into crust and sprinkle with peanuts.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mix and beat with whisk 2 min. Spoon half of it into pie crust. Add half of the Cool Whip to remaining pudding and stir with whisk until well blended. Spread over pudding layer in crust. Top with remaining Cool Whip.

Refrigerate three hours.

So, what did you have for dessert this week. I want to know!

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.