knit and purl

Malabrigo Worsted + Dovetail Cowl pattern by Carina Spencer = knitting awesomeness. I adore this cowl! Most of my knitting choices are simple stretches of stockinette, seed stitch, maybe ribbing, so this pattern seemed pretty adventurous. But amazingly, it is all based on simple knit and purl stitches, and the suggestion of using stitch markers to define the pattern repeat made staying on track super easy. The final texture is spongey yet intricate and I can't imagine a nicer yarn for the project. This was knit as a gift but I'm so in love with the pattern that I'm pretty sure I will have to knit myself one. And did I mention it is reversible?

I started Freedom by Jonathan Franzen while I was knitting Dovetail and just finished it up this week. I've heard many good things about The Corrections so I think I'll have to try it before making a final decision on Franzen. There were some things I liked about Freedom, but I definitely struggled to finish it. The characters - purposely flawed - were hard to like and there were entire sections bogged down by description. Oh well.

For more knitting and reading love, visit today's Yarnalong.

exhaustion

If there is one thing this renovation has taught me, it's this: we are not renovation people. We're homebodies. We find joy in being comfortable, in coming home to a relatively clean house that's quiet. So now that we're past the 5 month mark with this project, it's getting harder to let the noise, the dust, the daily, important questions not affect our moods. How do people go through renovations over and over again? And when they do, how do they accomplish anything outside of the reno? (I'm not knitting or sewing as much, let alone blogging.)

But there is good news - the end is in sight! These photos show progress, like having stairs again and having my own laundry machines back. Drywall has been going up all weekend and there is tile on the floors of the bathroom and laundry room. We're getting there. 

Sigh.

the girl might knit

In a rare moment of quiet over the holidays I managed to visit a favourite blog. Lori's photos and knitting projects are always so inspiring, and her recent post was exactly the inspiration I (and Sadie) needed.  Lori's simple i-cord bracelet seemed like the perfect solution for my reluctant young knitter. Yes, Sadie has knit a little and corked a little, but being 8, she's not very patient for things that take a long time to finish (oh wait, she does have oodles of patience for reading the same novels over and over and over again - it must be a crafting thing). But as the knitting mom, I instantly saw the opportunity for a quick and rewarding knitting project - and it was just the trick. I-cords are so easy and so fast that Sadie caught on in no time. She finished the day she started which even involved knitting in the car. It's super cute and she now has big plans to make them for her friends. With my stash I figure she could make about 987 of them?

Even though Sadie may not like knitting as much as I do, she does like wearing knitted things - especially socks. I gave her these on Christmas and I'm not completely ashamed to say that she's barely taken them off (hence the pilling already, there was no time to take photos!) Can a knitting mom really take issue with hygiene when a garment is so loved? I have more variegated Koigu sitting around so my cleanliness remedy will likely be to knit her another pair. And soon.

I may not have been blogging, but my knitting has been complimented by much reading. Another novel for my Canadian Book Challenge is David Bergen's A Year of Lesser. This is the first I've read Bergen and I've ordered another now that I've finished this. It's not that I found the story wholly compelling, but I was quite intrigued by the characters and the sense of place. Set in one town over the period of a year, the novel seemed to be a study of the relationships between spouses, lovers, parents and children more than being particularly plot driven. But these relationships were intense, often uncomfortable and they spoke volumes about how dynamics can change quickly, sometimes with very little to explain it. Not altogether different but definitely more compelling to me was Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. At a school silent auction fundraiser I won (well, "purchased" is more like it) a basket of book club books, which this of course came from. But it was quite wonderful. I equally disliked and loved Olive and applauded Henry for making the most of his marriage with her. I enjoyed how the stories were woven together and was heartbroken by some of the situations. Definitely a book to pass along to my mom.

Joining Ginny for the first Yarnalong of 2013! 

cowl season

Oh yes, I'm years behind in this cowl thing.  And so I'm making up for lost time and knitting a few, which has quickly turned into many. It's hard to stop myself from starting a new one every few days.

Luckily the holiday season provides a perfect outlet for this knitting obsession (although those endeavours are currently secret). My favourite free pattern for quick cowls is definitely the Slouchy Cowl. Big needles and bulky yarn make for a fast and warm garment. The purple one above is knit with Malabrigo Chunky which is so soft and squishy (I wear it way more than the red Puffin one I made last winter). Sadie's double moss stitch cowl is a simple, improvised tube, knit with a lovely grey shade of Sublime's Extra Fine Merino DK. Both wearable, both just the tip of the cowl iceberg.

As for reading, I'm running out of Elizabeth Hay options! I finished up Garbo Laughs which again was full of deep, rich characters. The storyline was linear and therefore much easier to follow than Student of Weather. The setting was Ottawa during the ice storm of 1998 and I loved understanding the references without it being from my own backyard. The shared love of old films across 3 generations of characters was pretty magical and I learned a lot about some classics. But in the end it's Hay's characters that stay with me and penetrate my thoughts. Harriet was fascinating and her family and friends no less so. What a set of neighbours to be blessed with! If you're an Elizabeth Hay fan this is another great read.

For an inspiring dose of reading and knitting, check out today's Yarnalong.

easy boatnecks

You can't argue with a pattern that lets you make a shirt in less than an hour.

Not that I have anything to argue with. Over the last two years I've tried a couple of pattern drafting classes and read a few books, but Wendy Mullin's Sew U Home Stretch never fails. Knits are a little more forgiving to sew with of course, but her instructions are clear and the basic patterns allow for lots of customization (which she explains fully). I've used this boatneck pattern many times and I'm always happy with the result. I made these two shirts a little wide so they would be comfortable, and the fabrics are both from Fabricland in Whitby (it turns out they always have much better choices than the Fabricland here in Toronto - darn suburbs). The white and grey is especially awesome - it's an organic, two-layer cotton similar to the fabric from one of Sadie's drapey cardigans. The other is a cheap, not-as-awesome rayon but the colour is great (Sadie has a scarf and leggings from the rest).

If only I could learn to centre my tags, these shirts just might be perfect.

snappy love

Another cardigan is finished but I have been way too lazy to block it, so this weekend I needed a quick knitting fix. I had ordered two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky from Craftsy last winter thinking it would make a more colourful hat and mitten combo. After a little debate I decided on knitting another Snappy Hat, because it lives up to its name and can be knit over the course of a day. It's a little tight though (I knit the medium size) so I just might unravel and re-knit the large this weekend (quick hats make that kind of crazy idea almost acceptable). I used 4.5mm needles for the 2x2 band and then switched to 6mm for the rest, and as a modification I think it works well. My last version rides up too much so the tighter band will help keep it in place.

On the reading front, I have finished up a couple of books over the last few weeks. David Adams Richards Mercy Among the Children however, is a tough one to review. I was thoroughly enjoying the story and the powerful need for the central characters to maintain honesty and integrity in every awful situation life threw at them, but at some point late in the novel I realized that every moment was bleak. These particular characters suffered unfair hardships and the only glimmer of redemption happened after both had died. It wasn't remotely bittersweet, it just sucked. I was left thinking that it didn't matter whether you approached life with honour or malice, your fate would be the same. Life seemed to be a relentless succession of depressing situations. I may wait a while before trying Richards' other novels.

I picked up The Family Fang next, hoping it would be lighter. In the end it was but I'm not sure I would recommend it. The story is interesting - performance artists have children and work them into their "art" which, not surprisingly, has damaging emotional effects on the children. But the tone is somewhat comical and the brother and sister are very likable characters. It's the parents, the artists, that are hard to take. I spent most of the novel being angry at them and also angry that the novel cast a negative shadow on art and what we define as art.

Lisa Moore's February was definitely my favourite. I felt a real honesty in the characters and appreciated the snapshots of life when the family was young and then when all the children had grown and moved on. Maybe I'm just looking for motherly advice, but Helen's perspective on her children was refreshing - although they had lost their father and although they may have struggled as a family financially and emotionally in the formative years, she allowed a certain amount of freedom and rebellion because she believed they would turn out in the end. She was not without her flaws, but she showed strength and love and resilience after losing her husband in an unthinkable tragedy. Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and will certainly try more of Moore's writing.

For more knitting and reading thoughts and stories, visit today's Yarnalong.

progress

With the temperatures dipping, we're pretty happy to have the basement closed in again. Little did I know that cinder blocks and concrete would be so exciting! Up until last week the new room under the porch was still roof-less, meaning we were living with a big gaping hole that let cold air in. This room is also where the new boiler will be housed so obviously we've been without a heating system and it's still not up and running yet. We are keeping somewhat warm with space heaters, but we're waking up to morning house temperatures of 12 degrees (55 degrees F). Brrr.

Now, I'm sure these two photos are incredibly boring but I can't help it. That concrete floor is almost 3 feet lower than our old basement! We can see where the walls will be! I want to sneak down there all the time just to stand and imagine the final space (and sneaking is hard, it involves climbing down ladders through windows and getting very dirty in the process). The two photos are from either end of the space but they show the one compromise we had to make: raising the floor of the bathroom and laundry room to deal with our problematic sewer connection. We were connected through the back of our house - very unusual - so the plumbing itself wouldn't allow for an 8' ceiling. These two rooms, and the landing outside, will have a 7'2 ceiling. But I kind of like the look of the raised step even in this rough state.

We're still weeks and weeks away from a finished space, but it's so satisfying to see it coming along. And of course we're breathing the biggest sigh of relief knowing that the underpinning is over and the house never fell down.

Phew.

kcwc: the inspired stuff

The photo for SweetKM's knit hood has been sitting on my Pinterest board for a while, inspiring me every time I glanced at it. It's so simple and so adorable. I guess I thought sewing one would be quicker, but between finishing it and then seeing that the talented lady behind SweetKM taking part in KCWC it seemed like the better decision was to order the pattern and knit it. So I found some red Mission Falls Superwash in my stash, started this red hood on Wednesday and spent two nights working on it.

There is an almost practical reason for making this one too - Milo is going to be the Tomten for Hallowe'en (Sadie is going as Pippi Longstocking and she thinks her brother should also be an Astrid Lindgren character, as obscure a reason as that might be). I may still add a pompom, but it works regardless. I only wish the strap was shorter but since you start the pattern with it I can't figure out how to change it now, and really, Milo doesn't care. He does care that I couldn't get a baby animal button on it though.

I finished my sewing week with an apron - something that Sadie certainly didn't need but that I was inspired to make. While checking out Trula's blog I spied some amazing linen aprons on her girls and started sketching out how I thought they must be constructed. I was a little wrong at the top (it should just keep tapering towards the top, not straighten out) but the resulting apron is still cute. I used Robert Kaufman's cotton chambray in black, fuschia gingham bias tape for the inside channels and black grosgrain ribbon for the ties. Sadie has dubbed it her "crafting" apron, so all is good. 

Inspiration is such a wonderful thing. Thanks to Meg for making this week happen again - quite simply, KCWC rocks.

kcwc: the practical stuff

Some sewing this week was for purely practical reasons: Sadie needed leggings most of all. I love that they are the easiest thing to sew. So a big piece of navy t-shirt jersey became a pair of much-needed leggings, another (and better fitting) drapey cardigan and then a pair of silly leggings for Milo (made wearable with a lion applique - he's really into animals). And I got one more pair of leggings out of the remaining striped cotton/rayon knit that her no-sew scarf was made from. 

Practical is good.

kcwc: bits and bobs

Not the most masculine garment for my little man, but I couldn't get this amazing knit hood off my mind and I had just enough stretch jersey to make a sewn version...sort of. Turns out that 3 year olds are incredibly understanding of your whims as long as you put an animal button on it. Anywhere. So we're calling this the "Ted the Skunk Hood" and Milo has happily worn it out in public. It's soft, ties nicely and has a hand sewn black grosgrain ribbon along the inside edge to cover the one unsightly seam (anytime I hand sew something it feels oh-so-satisfying). Ted the Skunk is from this little collection of forest animal baby buttons that Milo just had to have. I think he realizes that I'm easily convinced when shopping in fabric stores. Oh, and I'm responsible for those unfortunate bangs of his. Oops.

Next up, a drapey cardigan for Sadie which I first tried during the spring KCWC. Unfortunately I copied the original while Sadie was at school so it ended up a bit small (what, kids grow?). I fixed up the approach though - last time I cut straight slits to insert the sleeves into which resulted in holes because it was too much pressure on the seam at the two points. This time I measured the sleeve cap circumference and drafted an egg shape the same size and then cut that out. It worked perfectly! I've since made one more bigger which I'll post next time.

The fabric is especially dreamy. It's organic cotton knit, two thin layers held together in a subtle grid pattern. Perfect for baby clothes and pajamas, it's so soft. It's probably not very practical for a kid who pulls paint out everyday, but oh well. With such a simple rectangular shape the fabric could easily be repurposed later. The cardigan takes less than an hour to make - there's only 3 pieces to cut, and you could get away with only two seams to sew if you like raw edges. Perfect for the one-hour-a-day challenge.

More tomorrow!  And check out the latest in the KCWC Flickr pool.