Ghosts Of Christmas Past

Last year I decided to make a couple of pairs of Sweet Mary Jane slippers, one for myself and one for a gift. The ones for myself worked out okay (and have since worn out), but my crap crochet skills prevented me from giving away the other pair. I was going through an old knitting basket the other day and found the incomplete slippers and realized that I can crochet well enough now to finish them off. So finish them I did.

Not much to tell here, just your garden variety Sweet Mary Janes knit out of some Lamb's Pride Worsted. The only mod is that I didn't do the button, I just sewed the strap on both ends. Viola! Instant present.

Books: Fun Dolls and Cute Dolls

Okay, these are some books to get excited about. I was so happy to see Aranzi Aronzo's Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls books. I love the previously released English versions of the Aranzi Aronzo books, but the projects in them were all "mascot" versions of the characters, which were felt and only inches high. I wanted some real softie action! These books, filled with patterns for doll-sized stuffies, are both awesome. The projects are super super easy, really cute and wonky enough to look good even if you're not a perfect sewer (i.e. me).

The projects in Cute dolls are your standard Aranzi Aronzo cast of characters: bunnies, bears, monkeys, cats and faves like The Bad Guy and The Liar. Fun Dolls is even better, with totally crazy little guys like Silky Kay (pictured on the cover), a sad little donkey, a pig, cars and coffee mugs. Like I said, they're all easy peasey to make and can usually be whipped together with things you have lying around the house: small amounts of fabric, old towels, t-shirts, whatever. Which means you can make gifts that are hand-made and recycled.


I've already tried my hand at a couple projects: (do NOT click this link if you are related to me, I mean it) this guy is a Christmas gift and I'm also almost done a Bunny Bug from the Fun Dolls book (pictures later this week). They're addictive and easy to personalize, so even if you don't follow the pattern to the letter there's a lot of potential in these books. Expect many more projects from these babies in the future.

SPC: Wardrobe Week #4

As indicated by yesterday's freeze-out story, it's finally got cold around here. I hate it, but I'm glad. It was just so creepy to go around the neighbourhood in a jacket (no gloves, no scarf, no hat) and see people's Christmas lights on, even though it hadn't really truly snowed here yet (there was a sprinkling before Halloween, but nothing major). I mean, this is Canada. It's supposed to be cold.

And now, man, is it ever. We had a very dramatic dip over the last couple of days. When I woke up this morning and saw that it had snowed, I thought I'd take a picture of my boots in the snow, maybe with Ruby's little booted feet in there too. But I'm not going out of the house today -- not if I can help it at least. So, here are my sock feet, which hopefully won't see boots or shoes until I venture out tomorrow.

You know, while I'm ashamed that this NaBloPoMo thing (or whatever it's called, I just winged that acronym) has got me writing about the weather, I'm glad I'm back on the SPC train. I kind of stopped taking my own pictures once I started contributing to their blog, but now that I'm not doing that anymore I have more time to snap some shots. Hopefully I'll keep up with it once this crazy November is over. In the meantime, check out more SPC shots here.

Brrrrrr....

I had a post all ready in my head this morning, but soon after Ruby and I returned from the library, I noticed it was pretty cold in our house. So I turned up the heat a notch. After lunch I noticed it was still really cold. And I hadn't heard the furnace go on for some while. Yep, on the first really really cold day of the year (we're talking about -15C), our furnace crapped out. So, after my attempts to restart the electric pilot light, we evacuated and headed to my folks' house. Aaron came home and was able to get it going again and we're nice and toasty, but no real post today. Sorry. Keep warm.

Cookie Confidential... The Final Chapter

Okay, I'm done. I'm done the cookies. I know some of you probably think I'm insane for calling my cookies done a full month before Christmas, but man, am I glad I started a month and a half in advance (and, if you consider that our big cookie event is our Christmas party, which is in two weeks, it's more like a single month in advance). As predicted, I'm now feeling really really really pregnant and the thought of standing in front on a mixer/food processor/floured workspace is enough to make me keel over. My second trimester energy is over and I'm satisfied that I put it to good use. I thawed out a small assortment of cookies to give to Ruby's teacher last week and they all seemed to be in good shape, so I'm confident everything will stay tasty.

The last addition to the great cookie experiment were these chocolate pecan mounds, which I think came from this year's Canadian Living Holiday Celebrations magazine. Now, if you recall (which I doubt anyone does), the very first batch I made this year were similar shortbread, pecan-studded, chocolate snowballs, but these babies are much better. Rather than using cocoa, they're flavoured with a load of melted bittersweet chocolate, making them unbelievably delicious. Put it this way: I ate three of them before sticking them in my jammed freezer.

So, that's it. I might brave some of the candy recipes in my vintage cookbook collections just for fun, but we'll see. I am intrigued by something called Apricot Fancies. Maybe I'll find a burst of energy and try them... or maybe not.

In Praise Of The Post

I have a love/hate relationship with Canada Post: I hate how slow they are and that I'm pretty sure there's no one working my route on Fridays, but I love, love, love getting mail. After we moved to Toronto I decided it would be nice to send paper Christmas cards to people we knew -- mainly so that we could keep in touch with all the people back here in Alberta. In the beginning I bought those super cheap but really kitschy boxed cards from the dollar store (you know, 50 Assorted for $2), but as the years go by, it's been harder to find the overstock designs from the 70s that I tend to favour. So, the cards have got a bit nicer (though not handmade -- I'm not a masochist), I've started including wallet sized portraits of Ruby and the list grows every year.

Here's my stack of finished cards for this year, just waiting to be stamped and stuffed with Ruby's picture (from Wal-Mart, which I loathe to support, but they do offer quite the deal on kiddie photos). The stack on the left are the ones that need addresses tracked down, which is always a pain. Since we've lived in a couple different cities, have a lot of friends that have moved around and have massive families, the cards number at about 100 this year. I love this tradition of sending cards -- I know some people think ecards will do, but I totally disagree. Paper all the way.

And of course, if I get some back in return, I don't mind that at all. Not one bit.

America, You Crack Me Up

As I was lounging and watching Miracle On 34th Street yesterday (it was on in Martha's usual time slot -- which is my pregnancy ritual during Ruby's naptime), I was laughing every time a commercial for one of those goofy "Black Friday" doorbuster sales came on. 4 am? Really? Here our Thanksgiving is in early October, so our Christmas shopping season just slowly drifts in after Halloween. There's no "on your marks, get set" kind of day. In some ways, this fills me with relief, in others, I'm kind of jealous of your opening the floodgates mentality. Either way, Happy Yanksgiving.

(Random picture of Ruby inventing a craft for her Nana's birthday party. It's basically smiley face confetti stuck on the end of birthday sparklers in a bouquet)

MePod

I've finally become a member of the iPod generation. I know this may sound weird, since as some of you may know, that pre-maternal bliss I was a professional music writer, on staff at a music magazine. I still write about music, and even though it's pretty much a barely-paid hobby, it seems ridiculous that I'd wait until late 2007 to start using a MP3 player. But, I'm a Luddite at heart and I don't like giving up my CDs (which, until recently, I'd been getting totally for free). We have been using iTunes on our computer like a jukebox since we shelled all our our CDs and put them in those big binder things about two years ago (a baby proofing necessity), but no iPod for me, who usually prefers to listen to CBC radio during the day anyway.

Aaron got a free iPod Nano as a gift at work the other day and I swiftly claimed it (he already has one of those big fancy iPods with a huge memory, so he didn't need it). I've already fallen in love with using this thing in the car -- I love the concept of the mixed tape and iPod shuffle is the ultimate mixed tape. I do find myself skipping over happy songs and dwelling on the sad, though. I don't know what it is, maybe because I've had relatively little heartbreak in my life thus far (BIG knock on wood), I like hearing other people's pain through song so I have a taste of what it feels like. Sick, I know, but don't deny that you do it too.

Anyway, I usually keep my music life out of this blog, but here are some of the songs that have been affecting me in my car lately. If you want a good pre-Christmas cry, feel free to make a similar playlist of your own:

Belle And Sebastian "The State That I Am In"; Bob Dylan "A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall"; Bright Eyes "The Calendar Hung Itself"; Neutral Milk Hotel "King Of Carrot Flowers"; Johnny Cash "If You Could Read My Mind"; Evan Dando "The Grass Is All Wine Coloured" Damien Rice "The Blower's Daughter"; Elvis Costello "I Want You"; Liz Phair "The Divorce Song"; Neil Diamond "Red Red Wine"; Nick Lowe "Only A Fool Breaks His Own Heart"; Bevis Frond "He'd Be A Diamond"; The Zombies "This Will Be Our Year"; R.E.M. "Everybody Hurts"; Ryan Adams "Come Pick Me Up"; Rufus Wainwright "Dinner At Eight"; Simon And Garfunkel "America"; Townes Van Zandt "Poncho And Lefty"; Neko Case "Margaret Vs. Pauline"; Gram Parsons "$1,000 Wedding"; Weakerthans "Left And Leaving"; Stars "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"....

I could go on. Forever. What are some of your favourite heartbreakers?

Books: Toys To Crochet

As you may know, I only really started to teach myself to crochet about a year ago, and much of my inspiration to pick up the craft came from my huge attraction to Amigurumi style crochet toys. I still haven't got much beyond crocheting trims on knit items or my every growing crochet afghan (a perpetual work in progress), so I thought Claire Garland's Toys To Crochet would be a good way to get me into the world of crochet toys. I've had this book for a couple weeks now, though, and I have yet to feel the urge to pick up the hook.

It's not that Garland hasn't done a good job with this book -- it's full of nice pictures (and at least a couple dozen animal, doll and mobile patterns) and the instructions certainly seem clear enough for even a novice like me to follow. I'm just not in love with the patterns. Some of them are just clearly not my personal style -- the bears and dolls are long and lanky rather than the squat characters I tend to favour. Others don't really seem to suit the medium of crochet -- because the stitches are so square and bulky, toys like the lobster, the monkey and even the plush cars don't look very polished... in fact, they're kind of messy looking. Again, not really for me.

With that said, there are a few things -- mostly larger, cleaner looking items -- that I would like to try after Christmas once I have some spare time. The mama pig on the cover is super cute (and very baby appropriate) and there's a horse puppet that I think would be perfect for entertaining a young baby. So, not a total loss, but not the right place to go if you're looking for hipper or quirkier art piece toys.

SPC: Wardrobe Week #3

I'm sorry I'm using Self Portrait Challenge as an excuse to show the state of the bump, but this blogging every day thing was bound to get desperate sooner than later. Anyway, here's another example of my non-maternity maternity wear, another item pulled from the juniors section of H&M.

Speaking of H&M, is it not great? Back when I was a younger woman, I exclusively wore vintage -- I'd regularly go to a rock show or something wearing a '50s cocktail dress. But, as I moved out of the 119 lb weight range and ebay pushed the price of vintage clothes through the roof, I was forced to settle into the weird stuff that ended up on the Gap and Old Navy sale racks (you know, those few items that the designers managed to push through alongside the classic pocket ts and ribbed sweaters, yet, unsurprisingly, few people actually wanted to buy). Once H&M finally came to Canada, though (maybe three or four years ago), I was sold. The Calgary store just opened this summer, blissfully within a year of my arrival here.

Still though, I sometimes feel that at 32 I might not be best suited shopping in the junior trendsetters department. I once ran into another thirty-something friend at a Toronto H&M on what happened to be a holiday or something and I couldn't believe how many teenagers were in the store. My friend looked at me like I was crazy and said "You know, this store is for them, not us, right? I mean, I shop here too, but it's marketed at teeny-boppers."

Ouch. I used to live across the street from a junior high school and I'd cringe whenever I'd walk by with Ruby's stroller and realize that a kid was wearing the same outfit as me. Oh well, if I'm feeling youthful, I should dress the part right. I just am glad they haven't brought Forever 21 to Canada. I wouldn't be able to stop myself.

Check out more SPC here.

Handmade By Other Hands

So, I'm actually feeling pretty confident about my Christmas shopping. Now, in the olden days, I never started shopping until December 1. But, as I grow (larger and older), I've felt the need to start earlier and earlier. The reasons are many. First off, kids want certain things from Santa. These things often sell out of stores fast. You can not explain to a three-year-old that the elves sold out. So, you buy in October if you're reasonably sure the little one isn't going to change his/her mind. Secondly, as extended families grow older, they tend to scatter throughout the world. The post is not a particularly efficient system this time of year. Gifts must be sent at least a month in advance (and that's when you're willing to shell out for airmail. The surface deadline overseas is somewhere in October). And thirdly, I like to give handmade or unique gifts. Which means either making stuff or sniffing through Etsy and the craft fairs like a pig for truffles.

On that note, I don't have a ton of time to make stuff this year, what with our vacation coming up and the creature growing in my belly, so I'm letting others do a lot of the work for me. I've been on Etsy like mad (again, the whole issue of the post comes up) and the craft fairs here all seem to be happening, like, this week. Most of the stuff I've picked up can't be discussed or shown on such a public forum (what's Christmas without secrets?), but aside from Ruby's much coveted Snow White doll, I'm trying to stay away from the whole made-in-China thing. Here's something, I can show you, a super-cute little bunny necklace for Aaron's cousin, from TV Tray Art. Cute, no? There's another big craft fair this week and I'm hoping to pick up some ornaments. Since American Thanksgiving is only days away, I'm ready for the Christmas flood gates to open (as if they haven't already).

Cookie Confidential... Part Three

Oh my, I am exhausted. Between Leena's birthday party yesterday, Aaron's work Christmas Party the night before (yes, in the middle of November it was a fun time, but not very Xmas-y) and more family fun today, I'm ready to keel over. Needless to say, the cookie baking has slowed this week. In fact, it may soon be grinding to a halt -- nine batches in, I barely have any room in my freezer. But, I did manage to do some production since we last spoke cookies.

Earlier this week I did a pan of yummy lemon bars, but did not photograph them, since they just look like some lemon curd on a shortbread crust. You've seen it before. The recipe I used (I think it was from last year's Chatelaine Christmas baking special, I don't remember) called for more lemon juice than I had, but they still turned out to be sour to the point of puckering, which I kind of like. I'm craving sour these days -- so if they're too sour for others, I'll be the crazy pregnant lady scarfing them down.

I also made about 150 of the Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies from the current issue of Chatelaine, which are delicious. Of all the cookies I've made, these are the first ones that I think will become a family gotta-make-em every year classic. They just taste like Christmas. Ginger-y and full of molasses, they have just a few chocolate chips in there for an extra surprise. There are the kind of cookies worthy of leaving out for Santa. Ruby is pleased.

Happy Birthday To My Baby's Nana

Today is a milestone birthday for someone really special in our life: Ruby's Nana (and Aaron's mum) Leena. A beautiful knitter and absolutely devoted Nana, we love her more than any blog post can express. Today feels like Christmas -- family from all over the world flew in to surprise her yesterday and I best be getting back to the celebration.

Now We Are Two

I'm a little surprised that I haven't had a lack of stuff to write about with this blogging every day business. In fact, I missed celebrating my own blogiversary because I was blabbing about other stuff. On Wednesday, Elizaboothy turned two. Hooray. Since then I've watched Ruby grow from baby to mini-teenager and expanded my realm of craft beyond knitting. Oh, self, you've come a long way.

Speaking of which, here is a picture a sock that belongs to the second pair I ever made (Mata Haris). I've worn a hole in it. Strangely, I'm not miffed about this -- it kind of feels like a right of passage. Like I've somehow arrived.

Dishcloth Dish #2

Okay, so I know that dishcloths aren't the most exciting knitted items to look at, but I'm actually quite enjoying them. I think I've mentioned this before, but I sort of love the crazy variegated colours that Sugar and Cream comes in. Maybe I'm just telling myself this so I can embrace the cheap yarn. Either way, though I haven't been living up to my promise of knitting three dishcloths before picking up a new project, I have been chugging along. Also, because we'll be going on a last minute vacation a couple of weeks before Christmas, I'll be missing some planned holiday parties, so I have a few less hostess gifts to knock off.


Above, another of the Banana Boat cloths from Lion Brand's Just Gifts. Every time I do this pattern I think I should be making it bigger, but then I don't. I do like the double coloured slipped-stitch pattern though and this one is a little more mindless than the Mason-Dixon Ball Band cloth.


Next, something called Kitchen Cotton Dishcloth from the good old Dishcloth Boutique. It's basically two rows of garter, then two rows of 1by1 rib. Easy peasey and textured enough to scrub.


And finally, the Short Row Dishcloth, also form DB. I like this one -- it was really fun to knit, but I refuse to ever knit another dishcloth with a seam. It's jut silly.

Book: Boho Baby Knits

Usually when book titles include words like "boho," "groovy" or "cool," they're anything but. So, I approached Kat Coyle's new book Boho Baby Knits: Groovy Patterns For Cool Tots with hope, but also with a fair bit of trepidation. Surprisingly, these knits are everything the title promises: cute, stylish and yes, really cool, while still being kid-appropriate. For years Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits For Tots has been my go-to for Ruby knits (mainly because it was gifted to me right before her birth and it's the only kids knitting book I actually own), but I think Boho Baby Knits has bumped it to become my new handbook for knits for my kids.

Like I said, the best part about this book is that the patterns are stylish, but not in that "my kid is cooler than your kid" kind of way. I for one could never imagine dressing my kids in the precious pastels that dominate so many of the more genteel pattern books -- these are for real kids who like to have fun. The book is divided into patterns that fall into various categories of cool: At The Cafe (which features a pretty eyelet skirt, a very handy nursing shawl, cute dolls and a boyish boatneck sweater); At The Bookstore (amazing lace fairy wings, an adorably over-the-top "poet coat", and a super cute knit picture book); At The Gallery (Picasso-inspired lounge pants, a mobile and, of course, a beret); and my fave, At The Concert (a honky-tonk jacket, Cheap Trick-inspired checkered leggings, and a band t-shirt). While there is some whimsy (I'm dying to make the Poet's Coat, but I doubt I ever will get to it), most of this stuff is really functional, which is a big plus.

I also appreciate that Kat has included plenty of boys' knits (she has a son herself), which will come in handy, since we found out that Frank will indeed be a boy. I really want to make him the Modernist Stripe Sleep Sacque before he makes his appearance and I think I can probably churn it out between Christmas and his March due date. There are also cute vests and socks and sweaters and soakers that are all very boy appropriate, plus a few skirts and dresses (not to mention those fairy wings!) for the girly girls. I really think I'm going to have a lot of fun with his book -- I just have to wait until my holiday crafting is over to really sink my teeth into it.

SPC: Wardrobe Week #2

I broke down and bought a maternity winter coat. I'm weirdly stubborn about not spending a lot of money on mat clothes. As much as I very much want this baby, I think I'm in denial over the fact that I'm entering the final four months of my pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Ruby (who was a February baby, so the pregnancy followed a similar time line to this one) I refused to buy a winter coat. I instead borrowed an a-line dress coat from my mother. Because of the a-line cut, it fit over my belly, but I felt ridiculous wearing this huge swinging coat everywhere I went. As I road the streetcar and subway to work I really looked like a Dickens-esque street urchin -- it was very silly. To make matters worse, I just looked large, not pregnant, so I couldn't even get people to give up their seats on transit when I really needed them. It was not one of my finer moments in fashion.

I was going to try to get away with sassy sweater coats this time, but I've come to terms with the fact that I now live in Calgary, not Toronto, and it gets colder here. Plus, as my friend Kathy gently pointed out the other day, even though I'm due mid-March, I will probably need a winter coat here through April and, ahem, I may still be wearing mat. clothes through the spring (she just gave birth to her second child a couple of weeks ago, so she's entitled to make such observations). So, I saw this number in the Old Navy maternity section the other day and I returned to the mall yesterday to buy it. Because it's Old Navy, it was, like, $50. Which means it's also not the warmest thing in the world, but it'll do. It's cute and the lining has deers on it. That's good enough for me.

See more self portraits here.

Spherey The Third

Oh, predictable me. A baby is born and I turn to the Jess Hutch book Unusual Toys For You To Knit And Enjoy. Again. This here is Spherey, the third, which was finished just hours before we met its recipient, a tiny little gal named Stella. I started knitting this for a little friend named Lilly, who was born way back in August, but then Stella appeared and needed a welcome gift. Since the colours worked (with Stella being a girl and all), off it went. I'm going to try to make Lilly a Dolly to send off before Christmas, since I don't think I have any Spherey mojo left in me.


And here's Spherey the Third with Spherey The Second, who is still waiting for his recipient to be born (unless the child is being born as we speak -- it has been a couple days since I spoke to the mama-to-be). I must say, that Jess Hutch booklet is getting good use -- did you know that one just sold on ebay for over $200? That's so crazy. But I ain't parting with mine. So don't ask. There's too many babies in these parts for me to part with it.

Cookie Confidential... Part Two

My cookie mania continues, much to the chagrin of everyone (okay, well, Aaron) around me. Since we last spoke cookies, I've whipped up four more varieties. The fact that I'm treating this more like an experiment than a chore is what's keeping me going -- though Aaron has told me that if I don't start doing other things like cleaning out the basement before our party, I'm grounded. Not really, but you know how these things can get when you're in a relationship.

Okay, again, I'm drawing mostly from the Better Homes And Gardens Christmas Cookie mag (email me if you want the recipes). I started the week with Lemon Cream Cookie Sandwiches. Now, I don't usually do sandwich cookies because they a) need to be rolled and cut b) you get half as many cookies as you bake. Since these are sliced out of the icebox, they were actually very easy. And delicious. As is my usual practice, I added lemon juice to the frosting as well as the required lemon rind, for a much more lemony experience. When I was a kid I was obsessed with lemon curd tarts that my Grandma made at Christmas, so I need a lot of lemon in my life this time of year.


Next, Coconut Lime Meringues. I'm not usually that attracted to meringues, but when I saw that these had lime and coconut, I couldn't resist. And they're super easy. And yum.


And then, moving onto the newest issue of Chatelaine magazine and drawing from their Cookie Contest winners, Cranberry Shortbread. Pretty straightforward: a shortbread with craisins and pecans. 'Nuff said.

I also did a pan of Coconut Candy Bars today (not pictured), which is basically a graham crust with a layer of almonds, condensed milk and coconut, topped with melted dark chocolate. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm anticipating perfection. We have a lot going on in our lives over the next few weeks, so I don't know if I can keep up the pace, but I still have about 10 varieties on my list, which I know I'm not going to complete. But I'm still having fun, so I figure I have at least a few more batches in me.

Books: Last-Minute Patchwork And Quilted Gifts

So, I decided to treat myself and order Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson (owner of the lovely little Purl yarn and fabric shops in NYC). Joelle's other book Last-Minute Knitted Gifts has served me well over the last couple of years and though I didn't love the other book in the series, Last-Minute Fabric Gifts (which was actually written by someone other than Joelle), the previews and reviews I'd seen of this new one looked pretty good. Plus there's a pattern for a Hillary Lang toy in here, so you can't go wrong.


I'm drawn to pretty much every single pattern in here (I love the birds on the tree hanging quilt the best), but there's one problem: I've never quilted. I know it can't be too hard, but since sewing doesn't come as easily to me as knitting, I'd really like to take a quilting class before destroying all kinds of expensive fabric. Of course, with a baby due right after Christmas, there's no time for that. In fact, I can't see myself making many of these projects for the next few years. But I'm still glad to have the book for inspiration, because it is really beautiful and full of great ideas.


With that said, there are a few little things I can see myself making sooner rather than later. I love the little pincushions pictured above and since they don't actually involve quilting, I think they may be a good place to start. Ditto for the tiny bird ornaments, which I'd like to try before Christmas hits (though, on a side note, due to some crazy circumstances, I'll be out of town for a full week before Christmas, drastically cutting into my Christmas craft time). There are some really sweet baby blankets in here too, which I'd like to try, perhaps before Frank's arrival. We'll see how far I get.