purple goodness

It feels as though this sweater took a long time to get through, even though it's toddler-sized. Perhaps it's the weather, or maybe the fact that every summer seems to get packed with things to do (and lately, not the happiest of things), but it sure felt great to weave in the very last end and convince Sadie to try it on.

The pattern was very simple to follow; I had knit the collar much longer but ripped it out to make the sweater feel balanced. I made a cleaner selvage for the edges, but it rolls inward anyway so I don't know if it mattered much. The one funny thing I found out is that when I transferred the sleeves to DPNs my knitting became too regular and looked totally different than the body. I switched to knitting them flat and it matched again, so I just had to endure more seaming. Unfortunately Sadie dislikes the sweater entirely - I had to promise she could wear polka-dotted sneakers that are still too big for her just to get a few photos. She was more than happy to tear the sweater off...I sure hope she changes her mind in the fall.

Pattern: Girlfriend Swingcoat Sweater by Wendy Bernard

Wool: Misti Pima Cotton/Silk, 3 skeins

Needles: 5mm bamboo circulars

A couple more shots on Flickr.

the birth house

Even though the premise interested me, I wasn't expecting to love The Birth House nearly half as much as I did. I took Friday afternoon off and sat in our quiet backyard - by myself - for hours, savouring every word and every scene. The characters were charming and real, the midwifery perspective respectful and fascinating, the story simply over too soon. I can't do a book review justice (I'll leave that to Ragdoll) but I certainly can gush. I loved, loved, loved this novel.

Photo courtesy of our local thrift store - when Sadie was about the same age we found this beauty framed. It's quite large, about 22" x 30". He/she has been hanging in our bedroom ever since.

have fabric, will sew...maybe

I've been itching to sew. Once, that was all I ever did, but these days my shelves of fabric stand untouched and my sewing machine mainly stitches gift cards. The wall hanging above is one of the last non-softie projects I completed soon after Sadie moved into her own room. Small quilting projects are so rewarding - I love sifting through scraps and randomly sewing pieces together, although my choice of black may be a bit macabre for a little girl (I tell myself this everytime I dress her in black too, yet I never really pay attention to my internal scolding).

Months, and I mean MONTHS ago I picked up these two floral prints and two polka dot ribbons at Designer Fabric to make a curtain for Sadie's window. Still unmade, I'm trying to muster the energy to get it done this week. And seeing as I'm breaking the rule about similar sized patterns together - twice! - I really should finish my rebellion and just do it already. This time, I'm crossing my toes.

The other shot is just context - a little vignette in Sadie's room. My Mom won the lamp in a raffle and the old toy is from when I was a baby, along with some other odds and ends.

And in a "small" aside, the wonderful folks at small magazine were kind enough to include my Trampy Bunny in their latest edition. It's pretty cool to be in such great company and Jay thinks Dawn's bunny rocks.