will knit for books

Wait - that's a little bit misleading. I mean that I will knit for the sake of books, not that I will knit for books as payment. Umm...no, I'd probably do that too. I'm a sucker for books. And knitting.

This "Canadian, eh?" hat is destined as a prize for the 2008/2009 Canadian Reading Challenge. I went all-out Canadian; clearly the colours are homegrown, and I think the stripes feel very "hockey", but I also knit it with Mission Falls 1824 Merino Superwash, a nice soft wool that is made right here in Canada. And I knit it entirely on vacation, at a cottage, and photographed it near a barn. So really, with the exception of not including a maple leaf, I think the Canadian angle is covered.

Size-wise, it works well on children and adults alike, it justs changes the style a bit depending on who wears it. Sadie would be my pick - I am biased of course, but I think she looks terribly cute in it. Well, Jay does too. Basically, I quite like the hat, and hopefully the prize winner will as well. At the very least I can promise it will keep the winner's noggin' toasty warm, in a truly Canadian way.

vacation days

Oh, what a vacation.

For the past two weeks we stayed at a fairly secluded cottage in Prince Edward County. We had grass to play on, frisbees to throw, books to read and fantastic views to enjoy. Now I'm wading through piles of laundry and tackling an explosion of weeds in the yard, hoping to ease back into real life. Thank goodness for the extra day off tomorrow because I can already feel the back-to-work anxiety creeping in. But I have lots of posting to catch up on, from knitting to reading to thrifting. Cottage vacations are perfect for all these hobbies, not to mention just general relaxing. Throw in a marathon viewing of Veronica Mars, almost-daily blueberry picking and a trip to a lavender farm and that just about covers our vacation story.

Like I said, oh, what a vacation.

wee distractions

You know that moment when you've been knitting, wreaking havoc trying to sew clothes, and looking at a to-do list of sewing for the house? It's precisely the moment when you say to yourself, "wow, I really feel like doing a bit of embroidery". I had that moment on Saturday and suddenly two wool cat rattles appeared.

Truthfully, I do have baby gifts on my to-do list which usually means knitting up a hat. But I've had my eye on this hand dyed embroidery floss I found in Paris and I think part of me has been missing using wool. And making wool softies. Definitely this shape is an easy step back in, but I thought the ears turned out particularly cute and that in itself might push me to fashion arms and legs next time. Though in the world of rattles, if adults could have them, one of these would be my choice. I keep picking up the ivory one and just holding it in my hand. Really, I like the size of it better...and it's mouth line and the fact that there isn't a grosgrain ribbon loop hanging out its' side (that's not my best idea and it leaves the poor peach kitty in gift-giving limbo). Oh, and there are little bells safely tucked inside both, completing the whole rattle picture.

Now I really must get to that home sewing. Shinzi Katoh fabric push-pinned into window moulding and held open with clothes pegs just isn't the look we're going for around here. Five months is kind of the limit.

baking therapy

When the hot weather hits, I forget all about baking. But yesterday it was argument central around here and when Jay and I were smart enough to stay out of each other's path, Sadie had a suggestion: "let's make muffins Mommy". That girl had the right idea. We put on our aprons, turned up Willie Nelson and tried a new concoction that was essentially a vegan-ized version of an Ina Garten recipe with an extra helping of chocolate. By the time they were ready the bad vibes were history and we all sat outside with our warm treats and shared them with the neighbours. Here's the recipe:

No More Bickering Muffins

1 cup Bran cereal (I used All Bran sticks)
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup non-dairy margarine (PC Celeb has one)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 very ripe banana
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/c cups flour (wholewheat or all-purpose)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (Loblaws No-Name are the only ones around here)
1 ripe banana, chopped into small chunks

Combine Bran cereal and soy milk and set aside for at least 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream margarine and sugar together, then add the very ripe banana and combine really well. Next add the molasses and vanilla. Finally add the Bran cereal mixture and mix well. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingrediants to the wet in two stages and mix until just combined. Fold in the raisins, chocolate chips and banana chunks. Using an ice cream scoop drop batter into muffin cups. This batch made 15 muffins for me, but I could probably have squeezed the batter into 12 cups. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Especially yummy when eaten warm.

seriously

Very serious note to self: When you are a full-time worker, cook, laundry mistress, wife and mother, never, ever think that you can sew without a pattern. What will result is a complete and utter build up of wasted time as you start making a skirt, turn it into a shirt, back into a skirt and then finally a tank top. Curse words will abound and you will have nothing to show for your efforts, turning your blog into a space where you only write about books (which you finish after you've thrown polka-dotted fabric across the room for one last time). This isn't 1991 and if sewing clothes is important, for goodness sake, rely on the structure and predictability of a pattern. And stop making things that make everyone around you think you're pregnant. There's a fine line between fashionable empire waists and a gather or two too much. Patterns are aware of these nuances. Use them.

(But hey, that's a pretty cute bunny in the background. And perhaps the gingham challenge for Tie One On is worth a little effort?)

the final two

With only 2 days left in the challenge, it's time to post about my final two novels: All Times Have Been Modern by Elisabeth Harvor and Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay. Only just this minute have I realized that both authors are named Elizabeth. Huh.

So, All Times Have Been Modern. I took this novel to Paris and finished it there, and I remember closing the book and saying to Ragdoll, "well, I'm done." It wasn't that I didn't entirely enjoy it, but I didn't race through it either and I'm not sure I actually cared about any of the characters. I do think another writer would appreciate it more though; the main character is a writer who eventually takes time for herself to write a novel and struggles with the self-imposed task everyday. She enrolls in college again for writing and begins teaching to make ends meet and that entire lifestyle felt very authentic. The other side of the story is the incredible love affair she has with a younger man. I think what I enjoyed most were the ideas about men and women's relationships that the character had at this point in her life. On discussing the affairs both she and her ex-husband had had she says: "But his affairs were so brief and boring, they were nothing. I fell in love much more often than he did and so I was much more unfaithful than he ever was, in my heart." And a statement that just feels so right: "But he could also want more than sex, he could want what men have always wanted from women: consolation, conversation, to be truly seen by the other person." As I sit here and search my dog-eared pages, I realize that I probably enjoyed it more than I have let on, and I do think I will pick up another of Harvor's novels. She was a great find when all I though I had to choose from was David Adams Richards.

On to Late Nights on Air. This novel I flew through, and boy, was I distraught at the end. I liked Hay's writing style, it seemed to be equally sparse and descriptive, if that makes any sense. The characters were wonderfullyl crafted and I cared about them all. And what is so great - and why I think this challenge is so excellent - is that I really got a feeling for Yellowknife and for the landscape beyond. Before this novel, the emptiness and fear of the tundra was beyond my imagination, but Hay has since brought it to life. And the radio station setting was particularly fun for me - having worked in television for ten years I could relate to the technical details and the personality types. This is a novel I will pass along quickly and with high praise.

Now for my final knitting comparisons: I think All Times Have Been Modern felt like a fitted, slightly embellished sweater, much like the Sahara pattern I finished last year. It was promising at first (it seemed like an easy pattern), and it's not that the pattern got very difficult but there were many knitting stages and a few times I wasn't entirely happy with the finishing details. When it was done I knew it was a great garment, but I still haven't worn it because it is just a little too much for me to wear, although as soon as I dye it black I think it will become a favourite. And Late Nights on Air compares to the black cardigan I knit this year. It was a swift knit, I learned many new things along the way and I've ended up with a cardigan that will last for years and years...and be the perfect thing for a trip to Yellowknife (should that ever happen). And even better is that the pattern has lasting power - I'm about to start another in a different colour because it is just that satisfying. Oh, and since the two novels were both written by Elizabeths, it's fitting that both of these knitting patterns came from the same designer, Wendy Bernard.

So that's it - my first reading challenge finished. It was the perfect strategy for forcing myself to read regularly and learn about new authors. I hope the knitting comparisons weren't too off-the-wall, or the reviews too dull. Hopefully I'll get back to some serious "making" over the summer, but I just might join another challenge (or even this one again - there's no such thing as "too much" Canadian literature!) to keep this reading pace up. And for anyone looking to read more, I highly recommend the Canadian Challenge - it starts all over again on Tuesday! There's even going to be a very Canadian toque knit by yours truly as a prize - it's currently half knit and just waiting to be finished.

new york moment

Suddenly I just want to be at home. I have travelled almost too much in the last month and I'm looking forward to keeping within the city limits for the next while...or at least within arm's reach of my little lady. Last week I flew to New York for a work conference and I'm at the catch-up-on-all-the-laundry phase.

But yes, it was New York. I will never, ever pass up a chance to go there. In the tiny amount of free time I had to myself I finally visited Purl and Purl Patchwork - two adorable little shops that made me smile. Actually it was lucky I had limited time, because without boundaries I may have never left Purl Patchwork. As it was, I found enough to spend my money on and it turns out fabric makes your luggage quite heavy. See very cute selections above. Love, love the hand dyed wool.

My other stop, and one I make on every trip to New York, is the Folk Art Museum. I just love that building, the collections and especially their museum shop. I found gifts for my Mom, Sadie, and a fantastic book for Jay (though I admit, I may take a peek or two at it myself). It's called La Porte, Indiana and is essentially a collection of photographs by one small town photographer, Frank Pease, that were found by Jason Bitner of Found Magazine. They were taken between 1940 and 1960 so the sense of nostalgia is fantastic, but what is so great about the collection is the variety of poses, fashions and expressions. These are regular people sitting for the camera with the sole purpose of being documented. And all in one package. I don't think we'll be shelving it any time soon.

Now back to that laundry. Oh, and the dustbunnies that are larger than our two cats combined. Sigh.

patience

Glass of wine enjoyed. Coquette Lace Tube Top finished.

After such an angsty day, I was pretty surprised to finish and LOVE my Coquette top. With a glass of wine next to me I picked up the project for what felt like the 156th time, and quietly pulled out two inches of ribbing. Then I patiently put all the stitches back on my needles and proceeded to bind off loosely. The ends were woven in and that was it. And as soon as I tried it on, it was like a different garment than the day before.

My one big complaint with the pattern is that I struggled with the lace panel and restarted it 4 times before I figured out the mistake. And just as I did, I realized that the corrections might be on the internet and sure enough they were. Now, it was silly of me to figure out this so late in the game, but honestly - can I not trust the book to be RIGHT? I'm not the most confident knitter, so I was convinced that I kept screwing up the lace instructions, and frankly I don't know how I managed to hold out so long without throwing the whole mess right across the room. But in the end the internet confirmed my suspicions and the only other problem was that I knit it much longer than needed. For that I take all the blame.

The yarn was great - Pima Tencel from Fable. Cascade has a similar yarn and at Romni it was a whole $2 cheaper per ball, but the colour palette just wasn't the same. As soon as I saw this plum-based taupe I figured it was worth the extra expense (and I only needed 4 balls, so it wasn't a terrible cost). And really, the colour is a big reason why I love the finished thing...even if I am a pasty shade of white myself. The addition of the polka-dotted ribbon is also a detail I really like. Truthfully I am addicted to black and white polka-dots, you just can't go wrong with them. And the final mention is that I modified the panel by only doing 4 repeats instead of 5. I had a feeling this would "petite" it a bit, and I think I was right.

Phew. Am I ever glad that silly old angst passed. Next up - finding patience to finish my mushroom skirt. It's pretty close to the being thrown across the room too, but I think I'll give it another go. With wine, of course.

i never learn

Today I am full of sewing angst. No wait, not just sewing, but knitting angst too. Maybe it's just angst, plain and simple. Yeah, that's probably it.

There is one sewing lesson though that I feel I should have learned about a decade ago. I always try to make skirts and dresses out of cotton that is just too stiff for a nice, flexible hem. This never occurs to me as I try it on while I'm making it, but as soon as I hit the final stage of hemming, suddenly I have a dorky garment on my hands because the hem is stiff and sticks out funny. Why do I get so seduced by heavy cottons? Why don't I just make all clothing out of reliable, wonderful linen?

I even did it on the skirt above for Sadie. At least she is happy to wear it, but the cotton is simply too stiff - even the gathers make me cringe a bit. Regardless, as soon as I finished her skirt, I started making a simple A-line skirt for myself out of some cute mushroom print fabric. I was so excited about it yesterday and then when I tried to fit in hemming it this morning (it's an ear-infected daughter and napping post-reception husband kind of day) it did the disastrous stiff hem thing. Anyone have suggestions? Would a hand sewn hem make all the difference? At this point I could handle the effort - it's much better than not finishing the skirt and wasting the time I have put into it.

Oh, and my Coquette Lace Tube Top is almost 2 inches too long, hence the other angst. Perhaps this just isn't the week to be crafting. Drinking a glass of wine, absolutely.

fuzzy cupcake

One night, while watching Hustle & Flow, I decided to knit a cupcake. I had no pattern, just an urgent desire to make a soft and ridiculously fuzzy version of the special dessert. Using scraps of wool and a half attentive mind, I finished most of it and settled for believing I would complete the bottom soon. I even went so far as filling the cupcake with stuffing...but then it sat. And sat. And moved a few times when I needed more room on my sewing table. And then sat some more.

Enter Sadie. Being 3 1/2 means looking at everything as potential doll clothes. She spied the unfinished cupcake, yanked the stuffing right out (onto the floor I might add, being 3 1/2 means also being messy) and placed it on dirty Baby Julia's head. And instantly, it was the cutest little hat I ever did see.

So Sadie is officially my WIP Fairy Godmother. Time to leave a few more sad and lonely projects in her path.