Socking It To The Palooza

Yikes, sorry for the weird post title -- it's been a long day. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm participating in this year's Sockapalooza sock swap. A lot of those Sockapaloozers are pretty hot to trot -- if you check the Pligg, many of them are well on their way to completing their socks. Feeling like a slacker, I ventured out to buy my yarn today.

They had nice crop of sock yarn down at Make 1, but despite my pull towards the Opal, I felt the need to go with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock again. Here's why: the last two pairs of socks I made were with this yarn so I'm very comfortable with the gauge and having to tweak for my partner's foot size. Also, some people in blogland have expressed a difficulty coming across the stuff in their own LYS, so I wanted to share the LL love. Plus I just like the stuff.

My partner expressed an interest in earth tones and a disinterest in anything that looks like baby yarn, so I chose Mixed Berries, which I'm afraid looks much brighter in ball form as it did as hanks. Unfortunately, they were down to only one hank in the colours that would have been perfect. so I'm hoping the brown in the berry will temper the purples. But, the yarn should suit my tastes a bit too right? Any good gift does.

Anyway, I'll have to choose a pattern (probably something from Favourite Socks) and then I'll start 'er up. I'm a little nervous knitting for a foot I don't know. Wish me luck.

New York State Of Mind

This month's SPC theme is On The Street, a celebration of street photography, so I thought I'd combine my contribution with some notes on my recent trip. Here I am, just off of 14th street, meeting Aaron before heading out to dinner. I love the street action aspect of this photo (the fruit stand, the phone, the New York-ness) even if I look a bit grumpy. This was taken near the end of our trip, after I'd spent a full day shopping, mostly on foot. Hence the lack of colour in my face.

So, anyway, the trip, which now seems so long ago, was divine. As Aaron and I often do, our trip largely centered around eating -- I made it my mission to eat as many cupcakes from as many cupcake bakeries as possible (I made it to Magnolia, Buttercup and Sugar Sweet Sunshine -- the latter's pistachio cupcake being my absolute favourite, since I found Magnolia's buttercream to be just a little too intense. I ended up abandoning my chocolate cupcake halfway through). We also went up to Harlem for roti, down to the East Village for Moroccan, the Village for Cuban and also for Mexican, plus to Katz' deli for some pastrami (closest thing to a Montreal deli outside of Montreal, if you ask me).

We also did some things other than eat: felt like proud Canadians at the Jeff Wall retrospective at Moma, saw Bjork at Radio City Music Hall, Kevin Spacey on Broadway, bought shoes and dresses and shampoo. Best of all, I didn't feel total maternal angst from being apart from Ruby and I can hardly wait to travel somewhere fun again.

Word To The Mothers

Happy Mothers Day to all the mums out there. Our MD has been a bit rocky -- Ruby walked into our room at about 5:30 this morning covered in vomit. She'd eaten a ton of Asian pork dumplings last night and I don't think they sat very well. After a dunk in the bath (it was one of those barfs that got all over her hair and into her ears) and a change of pjs she slept for another few hours in our bed and seemed fine when she woke up. But, by the time we got to the fancy restaurant we took Aaron's parents to for brunch, she was passing out on the table and running a tiny fever. She's in bed now and I'm quietly freaking out, a little irrationally fearing food poison (which would have kicked in a little more full-force by now, I'm thinking). I'm hoping she's just over tired from a night of stomach upset. Okay...

Anyway, I treated myself to some gorgeous clothes by Sabrina Butterfly Designs yesterday at a local craft show: a couple of cute tops and a pair of really wide linen cropped pants. Very nice. Do check her out if she does a show in your area. And for my mom, I baked the chocolate chip angel food cake that you see above. The glaze is a little haphazard, but I'm hoping for deliciousness.

Okay, back to worrying about my boo. Wish us luck.

W.I.P. Friday: Shawl Therapy

Today was haircut day and I'm feeling like the new haircut (for Ruby, not me -- I weirdly like to grow it in the summer so I can wear it up) is ushering the summer. A friend of a friend commented the other day that Ruby looked like a mini Courtney Love. While I love La Love more than I probably should, I don't necessarily want my two-year old emulating her. So, I knew it was time for a cut.

So, crafts. I've been so irritatingly lazy. Except when it comes to my pie-wedge shawl. Ah, sweet garter stitch. I got though a big section of this while flying last week and this week I have a pile of movies to review for an upcoming film festival (the local queer film fest -- somehow I seem to have etched a career out of reviewing movies about transgendered people, curiously enough), so the garter stitch is just what the doctor ordered. I figure that by the time I get though a couple more gay and lesbian documentaries, plus the season finale of Top Model next week, this baby should be almost finished. Then I can start on my Sockapalooza socks. Once I buy the yarn, that is.

My other big W.I.P. is my garden. I don't have a green thumb. I have a lot of garden. How do you tell the difference between a weed and the start of a gorgeous perennial? Ugh.

Mailbox Love

Oh, the mail has been good to me this week. It's always nice to return from a trip (which to me, always feels a little lonely) and then have your mailbox filled in the following days. One of my favourite bloggers, the lovely Ms. P announced some time ago that she was moving house and needed to rid herself of some fabric. She very kindly send me this stack of fabrics all the way from the U.K., keeping in mind my and Ruby's mutual love of pink (P has a daughter with the same girly affliction). She sent some really lovely pieces and I'm hoping they'll provide the inspiration I need to finally return to my poor neglected sewing machine. Thanks, P!


Then, I was so touched to see a little mother's day treat from my dear friend Sam, who, along with the other members of my old mother's group, is one of the reasons that I so sorely miss Toronto. She managed to find this little packet of Holiday Recipes, published in 1950 by the Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. The great thing about these cards is that they seem to predate the processed food craze of the '50s, so there's no condensed cream of mushroom soup or jello required. In fact, they're not only fun to read, but I really foresee myself making a lot of these things. Thanks, Sam, there'll be some Apricot Dainties in the mail for you before Xmas.

Book Review: Whining And Dining

Ah, back from the big city. I'll go into how wonderful and blissful and amazing my trip was another day -- Aaron's still out east (gets back tonight) and has the camera, so no photos. Instead, today I'll launch something new over here at Elizaboothy... book reviews.

So, here goes. I've decided to start peppering these pages with the odd book review -- probably mostly crafts, but today I've got a cooking/parenting book for you. It's Whining And Dining by Emma Waverman and Eshun Mott. I really wanted to pick up this book because Miss Ruby -- who used to count asparagus as her favourite food, followed closely by broccoli -- is the pickiest eater in the world. Pizza? Yes. Grilled cheese or peanut butter? Sure. Macaroni or pasta with tomato sauce? Usually. Anything else? No way.

So, Whining And Dining is a guide/recipe book for parents of picky eaters. The book itself is really fun -- the writing is cute and conversational and the pictures (which are of the authors' actual children eating actual veggies) really pop. It's funny and as a very frustrated mum, it made Ruby's situation seem so much more normal -- kind of like sitting around and gabbing with a mother's group. In addition to the main text and the recipes, there are loads of sassy little tips sprinkled throughout.

Now, the recipes. To be fair, I started trying these the week before I went to NYC and I did do some substitutions that weren't really that wise. I tried the chicken curry and a tuna and tomato pasta and... they weren't a success, either with the Roo or with Aaron. Still, there are a lot of others I want to try for dinner, as well as some good baking ideas. There's also a really clever chapter on party food that I look forward to trying once the occasion arises.

So, the long and the short of it is: an entertaining book with recipes that may or may not suit your tastes. Emma Waverman is the daughter of Canadian recipe master Lucy Waverman, so I know she's got good taste in food, I just have to explore further to see if these recipes work for me and more importantly, if they get some healthy goodness into my picky princess. Stay tuned.

Update: Tonight we had the Pad Thai from the book for dinner. It is one of the most delicious things I've ever cooked. We're never getting Thai take-out again. Even Ruby ate some -- in fact, she picked out and ate the chicken from the leftovers after she tired of her noodles. Hooray!

Randoms

Just wanted to let you all know that I'll be taking a break for the next week or so... I'll be out of town for a few days next week and I'm generally feeling too tired and busy to get much crafting done -- hence not much to blog about.

I have been reading a bit lately -- mostly the new How Sassy Changed My Life book by Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer. To be honest, it's gotten me a little obsessed with Sassy... like I need to get my hands on some old issues and I'm willing to pay for them. It's stupid -- when I was about 17 or 18 I chucked out all of my old Sassys. I had all of them, beginning at issue #1 and going though to about the end of 1991 or so. Then I decided teen mags were for babies and started subscribing only to music magazines. Oh, the regret.

So, I'll be in NYC for a few days next week and it's the first time Aaron and I have been there with enough money to buy more than a hot dog for dinner. NYC-ers, please bring forth your suggestions for delicious places to eat and fun places to shop. We're staying mid-town Manhattan, but we're willing to roam in the name of good food.

Pumpkin Head

Here's a teaser for the baby gift that I'll be giving my very first niece or nephew, who is due to be born in early June. Keen readers will already know that I've been spending the last four months working on a blanket for the little sucker, a blanket that needs to be blocked, but has been sitting in a ball on my work shelf for the past two weeks. Anyhow, I did manage to whip up this little hat to match and here are the specs:

Little Pumpkin from Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Misti Alpaca Worsted in "Pumpkin"
Needle: US #6 DPNs
Mods: Obviously a yarn substitution and since I was using a worsted (albeit a slim worsted) rather than the recommended DK I knit the newborn size even though I'm guessing this fits more like 0-6 mos.

Okay, I should have read the Itty Bitty errata page before today, because I now realize that the instructions for the stem are botched, but I think it still looks okay in garter even though it should be stockinette. I'm not totally crazy about how the stem/leaf looks, but that's got to do with my cruddy finishing skills. A details woman, I am not. I like these cute hats, but I think I may also make them a good old umbilical cord hat for more everyday use once we find out the sex of the baby.

And apologies for the lack of a great picture. The Misti Alpaca is so soft and lovely, there was no way this hat would take a good picture without a model to fill it out. And since Ruby's head is too big and her baby dolls' heads are to small, this Care Monkey (he came with a real name, but we call him Leon) had to step in, even though his football-shaped head kind of distorts the hat. But you get the idea.

W.I.P. Friday: A Whole Lot Of A Little

With Ruby's new nap routine (she goes into bed; she refuses to sleep; she gets very tired; she gets very cranky; she still refuses to sleep; she falls asleep in my arms as I comfort her) I'm not getting a whole lot done. But there is a lot of a little. I've resurrected my interest in the crochet blanket (though only a trained eye would notice a difference) and I did finish the baby blanket, which I swear I'll show you once it's blocked. Above is the accompanying hat -- the Lil' Pumpkin Hat from Itty Bitty Hats. Naturally, I'm not going to spend $14 on green yarn to match the body of the hat so I can make the stem, so I've been experimenting with stashed yarns, none of which are doing the trick. I think I have some Brown Sheep Nature Spun somewhere that should work, I just have to find it.


Next up, I've finally started my first embroidery from my long ago purchased Jenny Hart kit. This shall be a tea towel. Again, much more exciting once it's finished.


And, finally, there's a new crafter in the house. This little bag, with feathers glued on by Miss Ruby is full of beans. It's a shaker she made in her new music class. She and the other kids were marching around the room shouting Go, Flames, Go! I second that sentiment -- not usually a hockey fan, but the boys have been showing a lot of heart the last couple of games. Thank heavens for the Kipper!

Taking The Cake

Not a lot going on in these parts: the weather has turned cruddy again and I've been feeling a bit ugh. Yesterday Ruby was off at Nana's house and I spent most of the day in the kitchen. I made the cake you see here, a delicious orange carrot bundt, from a recent issue of Canadian Living. I also made homemade pizza (dough and all), but it didn't last long enough for a picture.

In the interest of keeping some content up here before I get around to blocking and photographing my Stars And Hearts Blanket (it's done, it's done!) and it's accompanying baby hat, here's a little meme, as seen over at Hula Seventy. I don't usually do these things, but I felt like sharing.

james brown or marvin gaye? Marvin Gaye. Though I was sad to see James go.

chinese or indian takeout? Indian all the way. At least once a week, thank you.

fleece or knitted blanket? Knitted. I have a prejudice against fleece -- probably because fleece jackets became so popular when I was in high school and I associate them with mean girls.

girls with makeup or without? I would take no make-up over too much make-up, but my preference is in-between. I love products, but only when applied with restraint.

costco or whole foods? I'd say Whole Foods, because I think I'd shop there if we had it in Canada. I don't have a Costco membership, but I do ask my parents to pick me up bulk boxes of organic mac 'n' cheese once in a while.

wildflowers or arrangements? any flowers would be welcome.

tradition or shakeups? Tradition. I resist change at all cost.

cello or trumpet? I like the cello better as an instrument, but I prefer jazz to classical.

watch-wearing or no? Never. Though I'm always desperate to know what time it is.

salt water or fresh (for swimming)? Neither. I can't swim. As for wading, I find lakes a little slimy and though I love the ocean, I'm terrified of sharks.

pants or shorts? Never shorts. Never. I wear jeans out of necessity in the winter, but skirts make up my warm weather uniform.

chatspeak or absolutely NOT? No. I'm a writer. I write in English. It bothers me even when I see "nite" or "cheeze" written out in public, so I'm not behind the lols and such.

digital camera or old-school? I love old-school but exclusively use digital.

wireless or plugged in? wireless for computer, plugged in for phone.

waltz or tango? waltz.

brian williams or anderson cooper? Peter Mansbridge.

time or newsweek? In our house its The Economist.

waterbed or mattress? Mattress!

cream and sugar or not? A little bit of skim milk, please.

CNN or BBC News? CBC. Though I have been watching CNN this week for obvious reasons.

iTunes or something else? CDs.

scented candles or unscented? neither. I don't have time to worry about candles.

prairie or mountain? I live on the cusp of both.

socks or barefoot? Barefoot. I make a lot of socks, but only wear them when I leave the house.

matt damon or ben affleck? Neither.

brass or pewter? Uh, neither.

wool or cotton? Wool to knit with, cotton to wear. Explains why I don't make a lot of adult clothing.

willow tree or pine? Willow.

gerald ford or jimmy carter? Jimmy!

france or italy? France in theory, Italy in practice. I like both kinds of food equally, though.

electric or gas stove? I prefer gas, but own electric.

thrift store or outlet? Thrift. But I do love Winners.

japanese garden or english garden? English.

sophia loren or liz taylor? Elizabeth Taylor. Forever.

W Is For Weekend

Ahh, the sun is shining and Ruby and I have just come in after having a snack of watermelon on the front porch. And I'm feeling relatively recharged — everyone slept through the night last night, myself included and Roo even had a short nap today. Plus we had an awesome weekend. We: slept in on Saturday morning (well, me, not the rest of the fam); actually got some writing done (again, me -- Aaron and Ruby went to the mall); celebrated our friend Annabelle's first birthday; went out for a fancy, but very bizarre Italian dinner (Roo stayed home with my parents); took a road trip an hour North to go thrifting; ate chocolates and watched movies.

The thrifting was actually Aaron's idea (I think he wanted a spring drive) and we picked up this cute little coffee service. I especially love the creamer and sugar bowl.

Feeling Friday

With Easter and spring break and everything, all of Ruby's city and library programs have been on hold. We're all about structure here, so the last couple of weeks have been tough -- I feel like I'm free-falling. My excitement and need to escape to a parents-only trip to New York (in a few short weeks) isn't helping. So, here are a couple of uplifting pictures to help usher in the weekend.

Above, the fruits of a shoe shopping expedition yesterday. Did you know that they make a version of those fun Keds ballet flats for toddlers? They do. Keds also make a pair of amazing toddler sneakers covered in tiny rainbows, which we also picked up. Aaron's calling them Ruby's pride sneakers, as Ruby proudly supports everyone's right to love freely.


And here's a placemat for Ruby that I ordered with my last Superbuzzy fabric splurge. I don't know why, but it really makes me smile.

Waiting By The Mailbox

Ooh, it's been a stressful week so far. Lots of work (good, but leaves me with anxiety), a girl who is a little frightened of her big girl bed and a husband full of anxiousness about his own projects is leaving me a little frazzled. With the holiday and all I haven't been feeling much love from my mailman, but today he came through big.

In addition to the newest issue of Amy's Mailorder (complete with a pattern for a Raggedy Ann-ish doll!!) and a Super Buzzy order, I got a nice Swapbot package. I joined Swapbot in a fit of lack-of-mail depression and then kind of regretted it, thinking it may not be for me. I'm still not sure how many swaps I'll participate in, but the first one is turning out better than I could have dreamed. It's a newbies swap, involving little craft supplies and stationary, but my first partner, a lovely woman named Derry, really went above and beyond.

The loot is pictured up top: a nice letter, a notepad, some candy, a pen, loads of beautiful cards and stickers and a recipe for some seriously delicious looking brownies. Much more than she was obligated to send. After reading the blog, Derry also threw in these amazing doll patterns that she originally bought for her then-2-year-old daughter, who is now in her mid-20s. A Care Bear and a Blueberry Muffin, to make for Ruby. I can hardly wait to stitch them up. Thank you so much Derry, for such a thoughtful package -- I'm really touched that you took so much time to put it together.

King Of The Castle

I hope everyone who chose to celebrate Easter/Spring had a great holiday. Ours was filled with good food and playing children (plus a bit of chocolate) and was quite lovely.


I have been crafting a bit as of late, mainly trying to whip up a few gifts here and there. I've been playing with this shape for a softie for a while now. I don't know why, but I've been sketching this little crown character for well over a decade and I figured he'd make a cute little pillow/toy. I had one on the go made out of a thick upholstery fabric that I scored at the thrift store, but he was a little too off to give away as a gift. So I grabbed some of the leftover linen from the throw pillows I made last month to make this little Crowny.


It's a birthday present for a friend of mine whose last name happens to be King and not coincidentally collects crown images. I added a little embroidery message on the butt (and pretty much stole the face from the Wee Wonderfuls Original Wee pattern) and voila, perfect present. I hope she likes him.

Hippity-Hop-Hop

Happy (secular) Easter! Guess where my little bunny slept last night.


We've officially moved to the realm of the big girl bed. It was a little dicey after the first hour (it probably didn't help that Aaron and I were watching Children Of Men at full volume in the next room and scarfing down delicious Indian take-out), but in the end she stayed in there for a full 10 hours. It may take Mummy a little longer than Ruby to get used to the idea of growing out of the crib though...

Happy long weekend to all. Hopefully yours won't involve as much assembly of Ikea furniture as ours has.

For The Love Of Socks

I present to you: Roza's Socks. I know, I haven't been talking much about these babies here on the blog, probably because they knit up so darn quick and caused me so little stress. What a lovely pattern. Before I get to into it, here are the specs:

Roza's Socks by Grumperina from the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Sassy Stripe
Needle: U.S. #1 DPNs
Mods: I used a larger needle size (I never gauge for socks) because I found the last Grumperina pattern I tried (Jaywalkers) fit too tightly and I have another ribbed pair of socks in Shepherd Sock that fit perfectly with this size needle. I also shortened the leg by an inch, because wool socks tend to roast my legs no matter how cold it is outside. Finally, I only did one round of purl between the cuff and the leg because I'm bad with instructions. Oops.


This is, I believe, my eighth pair of handknit socks, and I think I can say they're my favourite. The brioche stitch pattern was easy, but not mind-numbing and the pattern looks great. Shepherd Sock is always lovely to work with (and as the pair that are currently on my feet will attest to, wears really really well), though the short stripe segments do make for a fair bit of wacky-ness. These were a huge success and if I may say, I do prefer these to Grumperina's Jaywalkers (though the Jays do still have a place in my heart).


So, what do I plan to do with my new favourite socks? Send them away. By this afternoon these will be on their way to Vancouver as a birthday gift to my sister-in-law's girlfriend, Erin. (How does that work -- is the spouse of your spouse's sibling still your in-law? Or would she just be Aaron's in-law? I'm not sure). They're going to be hard to part with, but seeing as my first pair of Shepherd Sock Stripe socks were intended for her and I ended up keeping them, it's only fair. Plus, they're totally her colours and since I love her like a sister, I can't think of a more worthy recipient. So, I bid you adieu fair socks. You will be missed.

Self Portrait Challenge: Body Parts Week #1

Oh my, what a weekend. I often complain about feeling isolated in my role as mummy, but I actually feel like I oversocialized this weekend. Lots of great conversation and good times: we attended a wedding (Ruby stayed with her Grandma) on Saturday night and saw loads of good people; Sunday morning we had a two-year-old's birthday party; Sunday evening it was the Juno Party. By the time we got home last night, I was ready to fall apart. So, today I'm hiding. Behind my fingers.

This Year's Model

Okay, it's not a perfect photo, but friends, I got the kid to wear the sweater! We're going to a little party tonight (to watch the Juno Awards -- dorky, I know) and I think I'm going to keep it on her so I can show off my wares. As you can see, it fits, albeit a little snugly, though that may be because she's wearing a heavy jumper underneath it. So it should be fine over a little t-shirt. She's now convinced that it's not too small or uncomfortable or whatever, it may become a wardrobe regular. Hooray!

Pillow Talk

While the Ruby saga is easing up a little bit (though our true test will be tomorrow when she has to go to school), I haven't been in a very crafty frame of mind. Spring tends to bring a lot of busy-ness -- friends to see, trips to take (NYC next month!!!), general stuff to do. But I have been doing a bit of the crafty-crafty -- today I managed to finish off these throw pillows. Regular readers will know that I'm not much of a seamstress, but we needed some pillows for our new couch, which is one of those modern numbers that looks great, but doesn't have those overstuffed arms that make for good head rests when you're stretched out. So I ordered some fabric from good old Reprodepot and whipped up these butterfly cushions. It's a simple pillow, with a button band on the back for easy washing. I'm very pleased.


Also, I wandered on down to Make 1 to spend a gift certificate that's been burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas (I've been knitting from stash and haven't needed to use it -- can you believe it?). I had every intention of buying some yarn to cast on for Flair since i so desperately need a new jacket, but there wasn't a lot of cotton in stock, with winter still in relatively full effect in these parts. Somehow I managed to walk out with a copy of Favourite Socks (yes!) and this giant skein of Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace, which comes with a very easy shawl pattern. I'm not going to tell you how much it cost (um, just in case Aaron is reading this), but it was not cheap, though there is 1250 yards of the stuff here. This picture does not do the colours justice -- it's a beautiful blend of hot pink, mauve and grey yarn. And it'll make a nice lightweight project to take to New York.

Groggy Monday

There's a bit of sleep deprivation going on in our house today. How did I give birth to such a willful and stubborn child? Wait... don't answer that.

Although last night was rocky I did manage to score some time for myself this weekend: dinner out with the girls and a morning of shopping with my friend Mark. While I failed to find a spring jacket at Winners (damn you, trendy trench coats! I want something different and it's just trench, trench, trench everywhere) we did stumble across an awesome moving sale. There was a ton of crafty stuff, but the lady at the sale told us that the contents of the house belonged to her very ill mother, who was being transferred to a care facility. I don't know -- there's something so invasive about garage sales anyway, and I just couldn't bear to take this lady's craft stuff, even though she probably can no longer use it anyway. I don't know if I'd want someone rummaging through my half-used skeins of yarn if I was ailing. It's silly, I know, but it just seemed too personal. If I want to be a hardcore thrifter, maybe it's better not to ask questions.

I did take some books off their hands though, and this little Fire Kind casserole dish. There were mountains of other vintage cook books, including a Better Homes And Gardens library, but I just chose a couple of craft books and some Pilsbury bake books. I already am building a Family Circle Illustrated Library Of Cooking and I didn't think Aaron would appreciate another full set coming home with me. Speaking of which:

I also managed to score some more Family Circle books at the thrift store this week. I'm working my way up to try making that wiener tiara this barbeque season.

Christopher Robin

I have to confess: I haven't felt much like blogging this week because I've been in two-year-old hell with Ruby all week. She's going through this phase where she's throwing constant temper tantrums over silly things (her addiction to Flintstone vitamins and other sweet things and her constant need to wear a party dress at all times are two of the biggest sticking points) and she's also more clingy than ever. Three days in a row she's got booted out of her pre-pre school class because of crying and yelling "I wanna go home, I want Mummy!" It's been hard. She won't let me have a shower, won't hang out with Aaron in the morning so I can sleep in, won't let me out of her sight. So, to remind myself of how much I love her, here she is in the coat she randomly chose to wear today. I think it used to belong to Aaron's uncle Peter, who is now in his 40s. I think she looks like Christopher Robin.

And another one for good measure. Happy weekend.

My Petit Flower

After seeing all the cute little hats over at Bloggy Baby Bumpers, I went and bought a copy of Susan B. Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats. There's a bit of criticism over this book -- mainly that she uses the same hat form over and over and simply adds embellishments or stripes. While true, there are a lot of good little ideas in this book and seeing as there seems to be an infinite number of babies in my world, I'm glad I picked it up. A girl can only make so many simple umbilical cord hats, right?

I went for what seems to be the most popular hat in the book, the upside-down daisy, intended for my cousin's little gal, who should come along any day now. I used leftover Debbie Bliss wool/cotton (from the fair isle cardigan) and the hat will accompany the Jess Hutch Dolly I made. I like this hat -- the gauge is a little looser than the yarn would like, but since it's a spring baby, it'll be cooler. Also, my petals seem to be shorter and fatter than others I've seen, making the hat look a bit more like an iced cupcake than a flower, but I still think it looks cute.

Speaking of cute, it's been a while since my little dewdrop has made an appearance. Here she is in her raincoat, making a call on her Barbie phone. I think she's talking to my sister-in-law, asking when her new cousin will be here. Hopefully not until I finish the baby blanket, right?

Sailing Season

Spring is making a tentative entrance here (though I'm not kidding myself -- there'll be plenty of freak snowfalls well into May), which means it's time to scan the streets for garage sale signs as I drive around on the weekends. I love garage sales. I haven't hit a whole lot of them in recent years since we didn't have a car for most of our time in Toronto and Ruby is just getting old enough to accompany me or stay at home with Aaron while I dig for treasure. I was pretty excited to see a moving sale poster in the hood when we came home from my sister-in-law's birthday party on Thursday, so Friday morning Ruby and I were off for the first sale of the season.

The great thing about our neighbourhood is that it's populated by older people, many of whom want to cash in on the city's super hot real estate market (prices have more than doubled in the last two years -- it's crazy) and move into condos, so they need to get rid of a lot of stuff. The house we went to on Friday was awesome -- an early '60s mod two-level split, inhabited by a woman who very proudly told us she was a great-grandmother. Most of the stuff was inside the house, which meant that we got to see the interior -- it was so cool. I kind of wanted to ask if she'd already sold the house too, but with prices like they are, it was probably going for about half a million dollars. Like I said, crazy.


Anyway, she had plenty of cool old kitchen appliances and furniture, but I promised Aaron I'd stay practical, since he hates the excess stuff in our house. I picked up this great Blue Mountain Pottery vase (we do actually need vases), mostly for the nostalgia factor. Blue Mountain was huge when I was a kid and I fondly remember a pair of ceramic dogs that lived in our living room for most of my childhood (my very non-nostalgic father long ago threw them out). I also couldn't resist this ceramic tray, because of it's overwhelming housewifey-ness. It's got a recipe for Ham Salad on it! I don't think I'll ever be able to bring myself to actually make ham salad or to serve it on the plate, but a girl can never have enough serving trays.


But, the true treasure was this 1957 issue of Family Circle, which the lady gave to me for the amazing price of absolutely free. Look at the smiling lady and her delicious cake, made completely out of pre-packaged foodstuff. It's a real gem, lots of thoroughly disgusting recipes, a fashion spread, mothering advice... but the ads are the best. My favourite advertises "And my doctor agrees that Jell-o is just the thing for babies" and features a six month old babe eating sugar, food colouring and gelatin. My crafty side wants to carve this thing up, but I think I'm going to leave it as-is for now.

At last...

Dudes. I finally totally buttons and all finished my Fair Isle Cardigan. A very fussy and very finished object. The specs:

Fair Isle Cardigan from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits For Tots
Size: 2-3 yrs
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Wool/Cotton in pretty much every colour it comes in.
Needle: US #3

Here it is. A fair isle cardigan knit in DK yarn. My mods were few, if any, and other than some chart confusion, I didn't have the kinds of problems with the pattern that others have had with some of the sweaters in this book. In the end I think this one falls into the "an experience to knit" rather than the "a joy to wear" category. The inside is neat, but there are a lot of loops and the fair isle and largely cotton yarn makes for a bulky and inflexible fabric. But I have no regrets. It was a challenge to knit, I loved doing it and I feel proud.

Now for the but... I'm sure many of you would love to see a picture of this sweater on the back of a certain two-year old. No such luck. Before it was blocked I tried to get it on Ruby and she screamed saying that it hurt her arms (I think her thumb got caught on one of the loops). Now she looks at it and will declare "Mummy made it for Ruby! My sweater!" but when asked if she wants to try it on she furrows her brow and says "too big." Nice. I'll try to trick her into putting it on so I can get at least one photo of her in the stupid thing.

On Hiatus...

...Just for another day or so. I went to a really sweet baby's shower on Sunday and in my attempts to wrangle Ruby and get her out the door for a nap, I left my camera sitting on a side table. But it's probably for the best -- we're completely off in our house this week. Aaron's been out of town (thankfully coming back today) and Ruby is suffering hard from Day Light Savings time. I like the extra bit of sleeping in (though, I should probably put a stop to it if I want her to get back on track), but it's like she's lost any sense of reality. All of the kids in her little classes are behaving so oddly -- I'm telling you, it's not worth the extra sunlight in the evening.

In other me news, my dad was kind enough to take me to the hockey game last night (Ruby kept saying "Mummy and Grandpa go to hoppy game!") where the Flames beat the St. Louis Blues in a very exciting shoot out. There are perks to living in Calgary.

W.I.P. Friday: Hot Socks!

I know, I should be posting photos of the totally finished, totally blocked Fair Isle Cardigan. Here's the thing: I haven't sewn the pocket in or attached the buttons. I know. Part of my lack of motivation is Ruby's utter refusal to even try the thing on: she claims it "hurts." Also, she's been prancing around non-stop in a brown Old Navy hoodie that rarely comes off -- she puts it on over her pyjamas in the morning and I don't think there's any replacing it. That, coupled with her desire to wear party dresses every day (and rain boots) makes for a pretty interesting, but fairly typical, two-year-old wardrobe.

So, since the knitting of the cardigan is done, I cast on a pair of socks yesterday. They're Roza's Socks, as designed by Grumperina for the new issue of Interweave. I'm loving them. I had a couple of stashed hanks of Lorna's Laces' Shepherd Sock in Sassy Stripe on hand, though I'm sure this garish colourway would make poor Grumperina cringe. I like the colour combo -- it reminds me of a blanket my Grandma crocheted for me when I was little, but I'm not totally happy with the lack of striping. Last time I used this yarn (in Fresh Stripe), it was pretty stripey, but I know others have had pooling problems. This just looks like a bit of a mish-mash, but I kind of like it.


And finally, look at the progress on the crocheted blanket! I've been averaging a row a day, which is pretty quick going, now that I've got the technique down (I admit, I was throwing the yarn with my right hand -- I couldn't help it). Ruby has already told me that it's to go in her crib. I'm not sure about that, but hopefully I can get it done in time for the eventual move to a big girl bed.

Return To The Valley Of The Dolls

At last, something I can call a FO! Here's the finished Dolly, from Jess Hutch's Unusual Toys For You To Knit And Enjoy. I love this little gal. She's knit up with Cascade 220 (which is less fuzzy than the recommended Lamb's Pride -- though that can be quite nice too) on US 8 needles (though, she is a little loose -- but I wanted her to be a decent size). I have a big box of Cascade in about eight colours that I always use for making these toys -- it's like a little box of paint that I can use whenever the fancy strikes me.


Here's Dolly with the other Jess Hutch creations that we still have kicking around at home: Squarey and Kate. I must say, I really love this doll, other than my all-time fave, Spherey, I think she's my favourite. I really like her basic body -- I have visions of making more of them in the style of Russian stacking dolls and just skipping the arms and legs. I do love the dress too -- I hope that the baby that this is intended for has a lot of fun with her as she grows older.

Speaking of favourites though, Ruby has already claimed Dolly as her own -- I'll have to hide it while she's sleeping and hope she forgets about it. The toys I make for her she couldn't care less about, but the gifts are so enticing even if she doesn't know it's not for her. Speaking of which, I'll have FO photos of the Fair Isle Cardigan once I can actually get the thing on the kid. Because it's for her, she's refusing to wear it. Nice.

Self Portrait Challenge: Online Tools Week #1

I've gotta admit -- I'm not in love with this month's SPC theme. Online tools are not really my thing, I much prefer organic cut 'n' paste forms of expression. I mean, it took me years to give in and finally get a digital camera -- I liked the thought of using film too much to give it up. Anyway, I did find that the Scribbler tool was kind of fun and mesmerizing to watch, so I made this little drawing of my own self.

Other than procrastinating by sitting in front of the computer, our little family had a nice weekend. Lots of visiting with the grandparents, a nice trip to the park to play in the snow and a super short wait to get into one of our favourite breakfast joints (where the line is usually about 45 minutes long! Undoable with a two-year-old) made it a relaxing one. Oh, we also watched Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and The Big Chill. We're not into partner-swapping (um, not in the least, thank you), but somehow that's where our mail-order movie chips fell this weekend. Weird.

W.I.P. Friday: Hello Dolly!

The Fair Isle Cardigan is in its final stages, Stars and Hearts Blanket is about 3/4 done and the crochet afghan is growing by about a row per day. So, here's the first look at the newest project, another Jess Hutch design. This little Dolly is a gift for my cousin's baby girl, who is due sometime this month. I think the toy/hat combo has become my signature baby gift, and since I've been assured that the babe is a little lady, I thought I'd take the opportunity to knit up Dolly from Jess' Unusual Toys For You To Knit And Enjoy.

I must say, so far at least, this is my favourite of all the Hutch toys I've made (and there have been, ahem, a few). So much so, that I'm contemplating keeping her, or making another for myself. Legs and arms should be finished up in a couple days, so I'll give you a full run-down on the Dolly then.

Time For A Bath

Oh, I'd love to take a bath, thank you, but I'm talking about my little fair isle cardigan. Yes, the knitting is done. Against the advice of the ladies down at Fair Isle February I went ahead and seamed the sucker before blocking. I don't have a proper blocking board and for some reason I just felt in my gut that my pieces would fit together better if I seamed first, especially seeing as it wouldn't be hard to match the fair isle stitch for stitch. Anyway, she's seamed, all ends are woven in, and she's ready to go. I tried the sweater on Ruby last night and it barely just fits pre-blocking, so once that crinkly fabric is smoothed out, it should be good well into the spring. Hoorah!

As for my other knitting, I'm feeling pretty productive these days. The Hearts and Stars blanket is chugging along, the crochet afghan continues to grow and I've started a wee Dolly for yet another cousin's baby. I'll do a WIP update on Friday for those of you who are more interested in knitting than random pictures of myself or used crockery.

Self Portrait Challenge: B&W Week #4

What a wonderful weekend we had, doing all sorts of things that are out of our ordinary weekend routine (i.e. housework, trips to Canadian tire, doing anything possible to avoid having to make dinner). We: went to a car show (culture shock!), talked on the phone with a dear friend in Germany (new baby!), ate burgers at a drive-in (and milkshakes!), went skating (well, daddy and daughter, I stayed home and relaxed), watched Marie Antoinette (thumbs down), saw some old friends play music on national TV (SNL!), computer chatted with a dear friend in L.A., had brunch with a dear friend here at home and best of all, went to an Oscar party.

Speaking of Oscars -- they're like Christmas to me, I love them. And while the actual show was pretty blah this year (even the dresses were boring) I had so much fun actually getting to watch them with friends again this year. Ruby attended and made it all the way to the Best Actress award before she pooped out and had to go home (we were taping it at home, so nothing was missed — don't you worry). Best of all, I not only won in my Oscar wager against my Dad, earning me a very fancy dinner out, but I also won the party pool! Hello $35! Thank you to The Departed!

Pyrex It To Me!

I don't know why, but I've had the itch for Pyrex lately. Now, I'm not a huge thrifter. I loooove thrift store finds and I'm always envious when I go into the home of a hard-core thrifter, but I've never had the patience to really really get into it. But, maybe it was my sister-in-law Erin's recent gift of some milk-glass mugs, or perhaps it was our trip to her house when I basked in her own Pyrex shrine (she easily has 100 pieces -- no kidding) that has given me a huge urge to accumulate stuff. Either way, I've been meaning to get out there thrifting and today I finally got around to it and hit gold!


Before we moved, Leena found a couple of awesome Butterfly Gold Pyrex mixing bowls for me, which I love and use daily. Today at the Interfaith I snagged two Butterfly Gold teacups and a oval covered casserole! So matchy! I was really out for some solid refrigerator boxes, but I'm always up for adding to a set.

So, thrifting. I think I'm up for resuming a solid garage sale regimen come spring. Anybody with me?

Self Portrait Challenge: B&W Week #3

Wow, I've been neglecting the old SPC lately. Maybe it's because I've been feeling a little rotten lately, physically speaking and am not feeling like sharing my cold-stricken, norwalk suffering self. Or maybe I'm just not so sure that my loyal readership are that into seeing a picture of me every week. Either way, I decided to go for it this week, but it was hard. Is it just me, or am I starting to look old?

I originally wanted to do this shot early in the morning without make-up, but after the initial few shots, I couldn't bear the bags under my eyes and general puffy lines around my face, so I slapped on some make-up. Maybe it's the dry weather or my ill health (damn those germy little kids!), but I feel like I've aged five years in the last few months. I've always felt fairly young-looking for my age (31 for those of you who are snoopy), but I know it's catching up on me. I spent most of last week with a terrible pain in my leg that I was convinced was a blood clot. A trip to the doctor confirmed it was... varicose veins. That, coupled with a recent trip to a rock club populated by 19-year-olds has made me feel, finally, like I'm an actual grown-up. But, besides that nagging pain in my calf and a few vanity attacks, I don't mind it. Life is good. Now if I could only get rid of those bags under my eyes, I'd be invincible!

Heirloom

Again, I'm posting about things that other people knit. But this one is just too good not to share. Check out this dress -- a beautiful fingerling-weight wool yarn in a pale green (though the colour is more intense in real life than I could capture in a photo) knitted into a gorgeous child's swing dress. The whole thing is in a diamond seed-stitch pattern that is simple, yet really interesting looking. I love this dress, it's so classic but contemporary looking.

Now, would you believe me if I told you that it's almost 60 years old?


This gem of a knit was crafted in about 1949 by Aaron's maternal grandmother for Aaron's mother Leena, who was a toddler. Can you believe it? The family is pretty meticulous in taking care of their treasures, but this thing is in great shape. Plus the design looks like something I'd knit now (though I don't think I'd have the patience to knit a full dress like this out of sock yarn). Leena gave it to me a few weeks ago with the request that I take a few photos of Ruby in it so that she could send them to her mother. We tried to do a photo shoot this morning (the dress fits perfectly), but Ruby protested to much for Aaron to capture a good shot. So, here is the dress, without Ruby. Feel free to bask in its glory.