things to come

Here are the bits and pieces of what I'm up to. The two knitting books are waiting to be reviewed by me in some form; the first is Sexy Little Knits and the next Morehouse Farm Merino Knits. I have gone through both with the intention of trying a pattern from each. Unfortunately the cover of Sexy Little Knits is more inspiring than most of the patterns (unless you liked fashion in the 80's), but Morehouse Farms will be easy - the patterns are simple and the children's mittens are adorable so I think I will start there. Sadie will need to keep those little hands warm soon enough.

Next up, my knitting. Jay's scarf is half finished and I am still in love with this wool. It has a wonderful weight and bounce to it, plus the mottled effect of the dye is stunning (I'm not sure the photo does it justice). The other wool is to make a scarf for myself, though I don't know what pattern I'll attempt. I'd like a lacey scarf, but there's too much risk that I'll never finish it so I may just go with seed stitch like Jay's scarf. Tried and true, right?

Last, but certainly not least in my mind, is a tiny preview of my cross stitch project. It looks fairly boring in this state, I know. Trust me that it is going somewhere and I'm really just getting the hang of which materials to use and how to get through a lot of text without going bug-eyed. I feel really good about this project so I'll keep you posted as is starts getting somewhere.

And now I might take a break to start reading a biography of Margaret Mead's. Thank goodness it's a long weekend!

camera ready

Not quite two and this girl knows how to pose. The other great update in her world is that she has a little polar bear named George, but coming from Sadie's mouth it sounds more like "Dorge!" (insert great toddler excitement as you say it). I love hearing it and find every opportunity to coax Sadie into saying it over and over again. Bad mommy.

Summer is almost over and like last year, I'm feeling a burst of "making" energy. I've started a scarf for Jay out of hand-dyed Koigu merino wool (it's so soft and light, I wish I'd tried it loong ago), a cotton sweater for Sadie, and best of all, an actual art/conceptual project using cross stitch. I'm so addicted to it that I was even stitching on the subway today behind Sadie's stroller as she said hello to everyone around her (while also offering complimentary Melba toast). I'll take photos soon, promise. The other reason for finding some creative momentum has been that I have way more workspace now; before Sadie was born I had our big bedroom as a studio but it became a bedroom for all three of us once Sadie arrived. But Sadie's happily been on her own for a while now so Jay suggested we take the big room back as a shared studio for both of us. What a fantastic suggestion - not only is it a great space, but we'll also get to spend more time together while working. It's a win-win all around. Yeah for husbands with great ideas!

girl power

On August 3rd, my Great Grandmother turned 100 years old. 100! It's such a shocking thought. During her celebration we snapped this picture of 5 generations of women, because really, it's pretty special. All the daughters of daughters. Sadie might not understand the significance now, but when she's older I hope she appreciates this picture and the fact that the women in her family have lasting power. My Great Grandmother has been through a lot, seen a lot, and she's still going pretty strong. We all hope to have inherited her strong genes, right down to the little two year old she had her hand in creating.

Life sure is a wonderfully complex thing.

mitsy and bitsy

Phew! These two ladies are done. I've wanted to turn my little sweaters into dresses for some time now and Plush You II seemed like a great reason to go for it. Sure it's about 120 degrees outside, but these two mice are toasty warm. They stand around 13" tall (bigger than I usually make, but I made the dresses first - oops!) and are quite a close pair. I can't wait to see the rest of the submissions for the show and I hope these gals have a good time in Seattle.

Now onto a new project, starting tonight!

toy collection #1

With this post I am instituting a new rule for myself - no matter what I'm up to, no matter what I have or haven't made, I will post ONCE a week. Promise. This blog picked me up out of a creative funk last year and I owe it to the virtual world gods to keep it going (I also have a sneaking suspicion that I may be making more again now that Sadie goes to bed at 8:30 and Jay and I have decided to give each other free time). So it's a brand new day.

One of the BIO questions for Plush You II was whether we had toy or plush collections. I'd be surprised if none of us did, but I also thought what a great thing to share as points of inspiration. Eagerly I started taking photos last night of a few finds of mine and hopefully Jay will start letting me take pictures of his great toys too. I'm starting here with a doll I found in a Kingston market when I was a student. I couldn't afford him so I used my food money (seriously). His clothes are so detailed and next to the vacant face...well I just find the whole combination wonderfully awkward.

Any other toy collectors out there?

london bound

Well, that sure was a big break from posting. There has been so much going on that actually creating things has taken a permanent backseat for far too long. But I have a deadline for Plush You II coming up so tonight I hope to finish a little knitted dress for a new animal friend. Fingers crossed, of course.

The piece above is one of Jay's newest, and it is currently on display in London, UK. The show info is at this link, and there are also details there about his artist's talk. Getting ready for this show has been one of the many things going on around here. While I was on maternity I completely forgot how swamped my summers always are at work; I go to bed thinking of work and wake up with a new to-do-list. We have a vacation planned in August that we're really looking forward to - everyone in this house needs a break. And some rest.

On the weaning front, it is all done. I am sad to even type it which might also put into perspective where my head has been this past month. I wish I could have let Sadie lead the way, but life happens and some things couldn't budge. She took to it quite well, but there is truth in what everyone told me: it's harder on the mother. Cheers to that one. And for a mom who swallows guilt daily for being the one going to work and leaving her little girl, it was one of the things that I knew she really needed me for. Of course, this is a new stage and she is just as content when I play with her hair or dance with her or read her stories, but nothing will ever compare to that wonderful first bond. I'm almost through the mourning of it, but wow, it's a biggie.

tax evasion

It's a pretty sad fact that I haven't yet done our taxes, and here it is, the beginning of June. I don't absolutely detest the task, but really there are so many other exciting things to do with my small amount of free time that I just keep putting it off. This weekend is it though ... except for the gardening I'd like to get to.

Our backyard was a gravel pit when we moved here - honestly - and over the years we have rescued it from it's ant-ridden fate by building a deck and taking a stab at gardening. My father is an expert in the garden so I'm fully aware that my attempts are crude and haphazard, but that hasn't spoiled the fun for even a second. Last year I put zinnias at the foot of the deck for some colour (that was Dad's suggestion of course) though this year I think I'll try something different. Dahlias? Poppies? Wildflowers?

And on the emotional rollercoaster known as weaning, we're down to one feed a day right now. I've been teetering hormonally the whole time but I realize that it will be a great evolution in my relationship with Sadie, and I'm so impressed with her flexibility. Really, my little girl is such a trooper - she adjusts to anything. Now if only she could convince her mother to do the taxes...

the beginning of the end

As I type this entry Jay is putting Sadie to bed. Without me. Without nursing.

I'm still not sure what I feel; we've been at this for 20 months now and that's a pretty long run. Sadie took to nursing like it was her only passion plus she has a milk allergy which made extended nursing almost compulsory. But for the last little while there have been times when I resent not being able to get in the house after work without my shirt being pulled in all directions. Or that I keep getting to work later and later as her morning feeds get longer and longer. Or that I forget what it's like to have my body to myself, keeping my chest as more of a mystery to strangers. Sure, gone will be the days where we could count on the backup nutrition of breastmilk, but hey, we are parents now and we should get a handle on feeding Sadie a balanced diet (well, avoiding milk and eggs isn't so easy...we're working on it). Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade this whole experience for anything in the world. We're taking it slow, but it's just that tonight is the night.

The beginning of the end.

corner collection 3

Here is another corner, revealing our one and only black door. Four years into the house and we still have 6 more to go. Sigh. And admittedly, this isn't so much a corner as a small space for sentimental things, such as the embroidered portrait of my old cat Cleo, perfectly captured by my wonderful (and dearly missed) friend Kristen, and the photobooth photo of me and my Dad when I was six and we were taking the train to Chapleau (I remember it was close to midnight, but my Dad and I went to hunt down some candy...some things never change), and a rare photo of Jay and I together at a friend's wedding (Jay wore his Dad's royal blue and orange suit, circa his parents wedding, 1970). These personal items only hang out in our bedroom, part of a decision we made a while ago regarding what goes where. But now that Sadie is here, meaningful memories are making their way into the public parts of our house too.

Thank you, Sadie.

siesta

Ahh, we're back from a sunny and sweltering Mexico. This prim and proper bunny has been half finished for some time now and after returning home I felt he had to be finished (plus he was a gift for friends who truly deserved his company). I've been feeling short on creative time, but I hope the springtime changes that. My new plan is to embark on weaning, keep my day job work to the daytime hours and get back to sewing.

Fingers crossed.