little old lady

For the past two weeks Jay has been putting Sadie to bed every other night. Luckily it's been working, but the one trick is that I have to disappear from sight at least 15 minutes before bedtime. So I retreat to the studio which is PERFECT! With only these small pockets of time I finished my Month of Softies submission. The theme was "Something New from Something Old". I have a collection of linen napkins and doilies in all shades of white, so I cut up a couple to create the whole body. I only used the machine once, otherwise I hand stitched her together (which minimized the sound - Sadie's bedroom is next door!) Her hair is mine from many years ago, carefully braided and secured. The only other old thing, the tiny MOP button to adorn her collar. I kept wanting to add a photgraphic face, but it just wasn't working. The blank face, reminiscent of Amish dolls, just worked best. She stands only 7" tall, but her ghostly nature is a nice break from the colourful wool creatures of the past year.

have gadget, will sew

Before the holidays I ended up with a Blackberry for work, and not only was the plastic holder ugly, but it did nothing to hide the fact that I was carrying around something that made me blush (I've held out on having a cell phone until now, so I have this earnest look any time I try to make the thing work). So with an extra week away from work and a desire to spend time sewing, this is what I came up with. My other cross-stitch project inspired the text detail, along with 6.5 stitches wonderful quilt. Black denim, toile and ribbon round out the rest of the materials, and because of its' tiny stature it took two attempts and a lot of handsewing to get it right.

I'd really hoped to get a submission for the Month of Softies done, but we've been watching Twin Peaks all week and other than some knitting I just relaxed. I did sign up for a sweater making class at Knitomatic (and chose wool for it twice before I got it right...which I hope my Cascade Heathers choice is) and got to the show Fray at the Museum for Textiles. I was particularly drawn to Sarah Maloney's work - her knit vertabrae and foot bones were delicate but seemed to possess great weight. While there, I wrote down this portion of a quote: "the ability of textiles to communicate human stories." With a little luck, and a bit more effort than I put in this week, I hope that this is the year I add to the communication.

Fingers crossed.

for special feet

You'd think socks have taken over my life, but I swear it's not true. On Christmas Eve we were running extremely late and just as we were loading up the car my midwife came around the corner - carrying a two month old. I didn't even know she was pregnant and it was so wonderful to see her again, especially with her new mother smile. She really is the most gentle woman I've ever met, someone I will carry with me for the rest of my life. She is going to be such a fantastic mother and her little baby boy is in perfect hands. It also turns out that she has moved just a few streets over from us so I thought I would try baby socks and walk over to deliver them.

These socks are the same Debbie Bliss pattern, size 3 needles and Koigu Merino. Luckily I think babies like crazy colour choices, and these are certainly no exception.

year end

I like to think I am not a procrastinator, but the only things I made this holiday season were a bunch of mini "bundlies" to give out as ornaments to a few special people...and I made them all the night before I needed them. Even though I had to stay up into the wee hours, it did remind me of how much I miss sitting at the sewing machine watching something new come together. And foolishly I thought I could keep the creative urge alive over my vacation from work, but a nasty, miserable cold left me glued to the couch with only knitting needles and a toddler to keep me sane. I still have a few days before I go back to work and the cold is (fingers crossed) letting up, so I may have hope yet. Inspiration isn't the problem - just before Christmas I got this wonderful package from Tamar containing two caged birds. We had just the place to hang them and they are the loveliest lovebirds ever, and I need to take more photos to really show the stitched details. I'll be in New York at the end of the month and hopefully I'll get to see more of Tamar's work in person.

At the very least I finished a pair of socks between blowing my nose and watching Tornado Sadie play with her new things. They took longer than Sadie's - of course - but they are still magical to knit and I love the feel of them on my feet...as long as I don't wipe out on the hardwood. Here are the details:

Pattern: Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks

Yarn: Koigu

Needles: 3mm Pony DPNs

Mods: just the ribbing, I kept it shorter than suggested.

dear santa

Oh, the crunch before the holidays. Work is crazy busy and even though I have a hundred things I should be doing tonight, sitting at the computer is about all I can manage. But I will quit my whining.

I have been wanting to show this fabulous nesting doll for a while. She is handcrafted by local potter/artist Julie Moon, who is still showing her work at Art101 in the UpCountry store on King Street. Anyone in Toronto looking for a unique gift should take a look - they are wonderfully charming.

Next up, a tower of knitting. I have started three new projects in the past three days - as if I wasn't busy enough already. I also visited (and purchased at) three knitting shops this weekend: Knitomatic for lovely Koigu, The Knit Cafe for Fleece Artist merino sock wool, and Romni for Xmas goodies for a certain special Mom that I know. So much wool, so little time.

Then lastly, the message I wish I could send out to everyone. This card is by Snow & Graham, and my camera doesn't do the letterpress justice. Suddenly I'm craving the camera my friend Max has - a Sony Cybershot DSCT10, which takes decent video and the most incredible macro shots I can imagine from a simple point and shoot. But alas, I'm not sure that Santa can afford it this year...unless I can justify that it's a tiny price to pay to have videos of Sadie with true audio. That's a good argument, right?

'tis the season

We have a tree! Well, we have a potted shrub that will eventually go in the front yard, but this is the closest thing to a Christmas tree that I'll ever get. Jay isn't so fond of Christmas for completely understandable reasons and most years I plunk dead branches in a bucket of sand and hang my ornaments off the bare twigs - it may sound awful, but really, it looked pretty great. Even so, the scent of pine and real greenery is by far my first choice. Sadie's eyes just lit up when I plugged the lights in last night (my brother's birthday is today, so my Mom always tried to have the tree up by now) and she has been describing each ornament and counting the cardboard stars ever since. I took photos of two of my favourite ornaments - the first is one that Jay made (there's a little bit of Christmas in him yet!) It's a rubber baby frozen in epoxy and when the light comes through the bubbles just glow. The second is a see-through scene with one little girl looking out a window from inside and then another little girl looking in from outside. My Mom gave it to me in 1984, and it's just so charming and sweet. It's the one I'm excited to see every year - and I have to say, it suits this whole "live" tree much better.

I just hope my neighbours can forgive me for digging a huge hole out in the front yard that will stay empty for at least another month. Oops.

warm feet

With winter looming and a busy work schedule, I figured the time was right to finally attempt socks. I started with small toddler socks, but that didn't make the project any easier. The first sock took four, yes four tries until I got it right (at least the small scale wasn't so heartbreaking to undo). Needless to say I was well practiced for the second sock and it was a smooth knit. Sadie likes wearing them around the house but only on top of other socks, so I can't say they are very practical. However, I do agree that the process is quite magical when the heel takes shape, so I think more socks are in my future. And maybe for my feet next time.

In case anyone wants to know, here are the details:

Pattern: Two Tone Socks from "Simply Baby" by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
Needles: 5mm DPNs
Mods: None, except for needle size. I did the 6-12 month size, but with larger needles than called for. Oh, and I only used one colour.

mail heaven

Ahh, mail. Just before we left for New York I got this wonderful package from Julia at Moth Heaven. Fabric, beads, badges, patterns...the bounty was endless. It's such a powerful feeling when someone you've never met understands exactly what you like. The detail shot reveals the sweet spot: pages from a 1914 mini calendar. I don't know what I will do with them yet, but the type, scale and age make them a prized new addition to my paper things. Thank you Julia!

When we returned from New York another package was waiting for me, this time from Dawn. Gertrude the Bunny is the lovely creature in the corner, and she is just one of the many dolls Dawn has been making for Supermaggie. With any luck I'll be able to find some time this weekend to get packages out myself so that power of mail karma can keep working.

As for New York, Jay and I had a great weekend away. I tried to visit Seedhouse to see if I could get a glimpse of Tamar's fantastic creatures, but unfortunately it wasn't open. Giant Robot was a more successful venture, and then a small splurge at the Camper store in Soho. We toured the MOMA for the first time in 10 years and I could have spent hours with the artist's books in the "Eye on Europe" exhibit. Oh, and speaking of books, when we walked around Chelsea looking at galleries we stumbled upon the first ever "Artist's Book Fair" sponsored by Printed Matter Inc. Again, I could have spent hours there, but it wasn't totally Jay's thing. I still managed to walk away with a small treasure - a book of poetry by Simon Cutts called "The Smell of Printing". What a perfect title, and what a perfect trip.

Perfection was shot to hell when we got home though - Sadie has decided she doesn't need to sleep. All week we haven't been able to get her into bed until midnight. Midnight! She is an irritable walking zombie and tonight is the first time I've been able to even sit down at the computer. I sure hope it's a phase and not punishment for us leaving her. Two year olds...I can't say I wasn't warned.

two years and counting

I apologetically admit that in our house, birthdays pass without much fanfare. With Sadie they definitely seem more important, but until she knows that it's her special day we get away with stretching it out or even celebrating on some other date that works for everyone else. It is no surprise then, that her birthday party was held on November 11th...even if her birthday was October 6th.

To make birthday matters worse, this photo isn't even from either her birthday or the party. I've chosen it because I feel that it presents her "twoness" if such a state of being exists. No longer can I refer to her as my baby - she is most certainly a little girl. She often chooses tights over socks, she knew instictively what to do with a rolling Dora suitcase, and she speaks to us in little sentences that two months ago she couldn't even imagine. She's two, she's a toddler and she's the most fabulous creature I know.

Hey, it's been a while and the mommy in me just had to gush.

noggin warmers

There seem to be babies popping up everywhere, and this time around I think I understand the size of a newborn head. So a series of hats simply had to be knit, based on the hat from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits. I first made this hat before Sadie was born and she still has a few years left of wear in it - it was that big! I love the shape and it's an easy project...even when there are five of them to make. One of the mothers is having twins, so I also finished a special hat just for her, Louisa Harding's Flora Hat. Moms need recognition too.

I was surprised recently when I found a new Debbie Bliss book, Simply Baby, that was just like Baby Knits in terms of level and amount of cute patterns, but this book is half the price! Somehow seeing a $14.95 sticker meant I had to have it, as though this was some fantastic deal for a girl with more pattern books than is ever going to be necessary. If I didn't have hobbies I would be a rich woman.

Which reminds me of the other photos. This is my new knitting bag which I picked up during my week off. It's by Shinzi Katoh, and I couldn't resist. The fabric is so charming and I have quickly learned that the flat open design is great for knitting projects. I'm too scared to look through his other designs because I may not have enough reserve. As it is I'm thinking of this bag as a Christmas gift to myself.

Help.