word on the street

Boy, have I ever become a book girl - and Sadie is my little book-girl-in-training. The two of us went to Word on the Street on Sunday and filled our book bag in record time. I think I've figured out a good system - kids books first so that Sadie can read something in the stroller while I find the few publishers with either good deals or just plain good books. My stops of note were: Coach House Books (poetry by RM Vaughan), Anansi (poetry by Ken Babstock and Dear Gabriel) and Insomniac Press (fiction and non-fiction, including a very enlightenting Lover's Tongue).

There is something so fantastic about a book fair at the end of September. On the cusp of Autumn, it's like stocking up on words for the winter. And this year's funny experience? Being interviewed while we sat on the grass and then quoted in this Toronto Star article. I laughed out loud when I read that Sadie and I were considered "two traditionalists". It's a Mommy moment I'll hold on to for, oh, about the rest of my life.

(P.S. Too funny! As I was grabbing the link for the Star article, I found that Quill&Quire's blog used the interview too. Suddenly I feel pegged devoutly anti-Sony Reader!)

kitchen duty

Every year when cheap peppers grace the grocery stores, I consider devoting a day to freezer cooking. Why peppers? Well, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant exactly four years ago, and the only thing I knew was that stockpiling food was a good idea. I purchased this cookbook, and planned a few days of cooking. One of the recipes was for 12 stuffed peppers, and although they weren't great out of the oven they were divine when cooked from frozen (I'll never understand why the difference). So for me peppers = September = a good time to fill the freezer with hearty food.

This fall I have another reason to be practical enough to devote an entire day to cooking. Sadie left her daycare in August and as much as it was time for her to move on, I desperately miss having her close to me during the day. The daycare was across the street from my work, and as soon as I walked out of my building at 6pm, in less than 5 minutes I got to be a Mom (which I have to say, is the best stress-buster of all time). Then Sadie and I would have a leisurely TTC ride home, catching up on our day. Now, everything has changed. Sadie spends her days at JK and with a good friend in the neighbourhood (and I have to note - Sadie loves, loves, loves this new arrangement!) and Jay picks her up because he's closer to home. Work is ridiculously busy, so I don't leave until 6:30 at the earliest and then I carry my work problems home with me on the subway. I walk in the door somewhere closer to 7:30, and have to get dinner ready immediately. Needless to say, this is why I need a freezer full of quick food. I want to spend time playing with Sadie and talking to Jay - not figuring out what to make us all to eat.

A simpler solution would be purchasing meals (frankly, it's not a perfect scenario to sacrifice one whole day of an already too short weekend) but I'm having no luck there. With Jay's poultry allergy, and Sadie's egg/dairy allergies, there is limited choice in Toronto. We live close to Urban Fare, but the one time we tried a casserole Jay had a reaction (even though chicken was not listed). And the vegetarian delivery service we used to love, called Jay's Gourmet, has ceased to exist. So I figure I need to make the food to guarantee that the ingrediants won't force either of my loved ones to use their Epi-pen. Which means I'll be in the kitchen with a whole lot of canned sauce and ground beef, playing Willie Nelson and wearing an apron. Truthfully, it's not so bad, though I realize there are way more cookbooks I could try. Branching beyond ground beef would be a good start if I need to make this a regular habit.

Which it seems like I will. Let's hope the can opener holds up.

pink persistence

Patience is indeed a virtue that knitting forces you to acquire. Case in point: this pink sweater. I originally bought some lovely tweed Garnstudio wool for the Juliet vest. I knit the vest from the top to 3 inches from the bottom before I realized I hated it. So, knowing that the wool was too nice to waste, I patiently unravelled the garment and wound the wool back into balls. Next up, I tried a top-down cardigan for Sadie using 3 yr old sizing from an online pattern. This time, I got 3 inches below the underarm before I thought, "hmm, this seems big, let's see if it fits me". Unfortunately, I was right and it was miles too big for Sadie. For the second time, I unravelled a garment and wound the wool back into balls. On to attempt number three: a top-down raglan sweater for Sadie, using a random number of stitches for the neck (I know, I know...I was getting loopy and obviously making poor decisions). I didn't get nearly as far before I realized it was too big again. Thank goodness the fourth time was a charm.

I can hardly believe how patient knitting has made me. I could really use a dose of patience at work these days, but for now I'll simply marvel at the power knitting has to change behavior. The secret to my fourth attempt was to do a bottom-up raglan, using the sizing from a Debbie Bliss pattern (ultimately, her patterns feel trustworthy). I tried a folded hem, but left the neck and cuffs as a rolled edge. The wool is lovely, but I've been told to wash it a few times for it to really soften up. And Sadie looks so great in this pink - as much as I bought it for myself, I could never have pulled it off. I found a great pair of pink cords for her that are the exact shade, so when the cool weather hits she'll be pretty in pink.

Now that this sweater is finally done - and really, I feel like I've been knitting this for months - I'm trying the Juliet vest again with a dark purple Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed. My fingers are crossed that it will work this time. So far so good...but I still haven't tried it on. See? I may have learned patience, but I haven't learned from past experience. Or maybe I'm just addicted to unravelling.

the new world

This week, there was a seismic shift in our family life: Sadie started school. Sure, it's only Junior Kindergarten, but it's still school. And as long as we live in this house, this is the school she will be attending. So, as I walked away from leaving her there on the first day, all I could think about was how she would grow up in that building, and that we wouldn't be there to see any of it. Oh - and I also thought really, really hard about not crying.

In a few short weeks she will be 4. She understands everything I say and her logic astounds me. Like every parent before me, I think her drawing is frameworthy. Case in point, during this profound week she drew a family portrait. Basically all the sizes are accurate, as is the amount of hair we each have, but the most important detail is the glasses she drew on Jay. Glasses! Oh, and that would be a pear shape for me. Of course.

I'll say it each and every year that I don't know how Sadie got to be so grown up. The baby cheeks are gone and the girl is breaking through. Long curls even cover the tell-tale backpack straps on this "first day of school" photo. It's been a seismic shift for sure, and all I can hope for is to keep my balance and a dry eye as we journey along.

tie one on

Three years ago I started this blog mainly because I wanted to join the "Month of Softies" challenge. I'm a student at heart - I thrive on assignments, and so far web challenges have got me making and reading more. angry chicken's "Tie One On" has always been on my radar, but this is the first time I've made an entry. The theme was Gingham Summer, and even though I had plenty of gingham and coordinating fabrics on hand, I ended up making an apron that is very simple bordering on downright plain. As soon as the ribbon went on I just could not add another embellishment. But I really like the hostess style these days, and I'm excited to pass this on to a special someone. Actually, that may be my new approach when I make things - figure out who would like it and give it away. Like I've said a hundred times to myself, our house is just too small and I'm not about to stop making stuff.

And check out the great Flickr gallery for Gingham Summer - this child's version is capital A adorable.

raccoon therapy

This little guy is from my "quick and dirty" category of sewing. I probably spent more time drawing out possible faces than sewing him (the whole bandit-eye-thing is tricky, as it easily veers into panda bear territory) but I feel like it took a while because I spread the short sewing time over...umm...about three months. Back in the spring we had a Mama Raccoon and 5 babies spending their evenings in our backyard, and it's no understatement to say that Jay was freaked out by them. So I thought I would adorable-ize the animals by making a stuffed version for indoors. Ridiculous idea I know, but that's how it started. Or maybe I just needed a new animal to try out.

In the end, Jay is far more fond of this fellow than I am. I don't dislike him, he's just not totally my thing. Generally I make very plain softies, so this guy almost has too much going on for me. Or maybe he just feels...stumpy. I'm not sure. But I won't abandon the idea of raccoons just yet, even though the family of 6 seems to have abandoned us. Perhaps they caught sight of this guy hanging out in their garden and found another tiny house in the city to call their own.

(As an aside - I'm amazed that the raccoon looks like he's out in nature, when truthfully at every edge of this photo are pieces of the city. Our front yard is so small, but if you crop it just right, instant forest!)

summer booklust

Truthfully, I haven't had much success making things this summer, but I cannot say the same for reading. For most of our vacation it was my hobby of choice, and my solitary subway ride home has really been adding up in reading hours. I've even finished another Canadian novel since I took this picture, but for now I'm going to see if I can do a quick recap of the six books above, three of which are part of my Canadian Challenge list.

A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews: Gut-wrenching. The insight into the lives of Manitoba Mennonites was fascinating, and yet so heartbreaking. After reading Toews' memoir for her father, I could see him in this novel's father character and it just added so much more emotion to his fragile existence. The tragedy of being shunned by your own community is hard to fathom, but I rooted for the whole family despite their impossible future.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan: Shocking, even though I never saw it coming. Most of the way through I had a difficult time empathizing with Mamah Cheney, the married woman who left her family to be with Frank Lloyd Wright. Her daughter was under 2 when she left and as much as I tried, I just couldn't get over choosing a man instead of your children. I feel bad even admitting it here, but I just couldn't let the feeling go. Regardless, the novel was a wonderful study of a particular time in history, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending knocked me clear off my feet and I can't stop thinking about it. And to know that it's true...my goodness.

Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins: I saw the author on Rogers Television on what must have been a very impressionable night. The next day I decided to pick the novel up as my vacation treat - a brand new hardcover about two creative types dealing with marriage and pregnancy. Unfortunately I was disappointed. The tension was good, even creepy, but in the end I don't know exactly what happened and it left me annoyed. For the time I invested, I wanted to at least understand the ending. I must be losing patience as I age - it was just like the end of Half Nelson, which still bugs me even thoughI enjoyed Ryan Gosling's performance.

The Given by Daphne Marlatt: Long ago someone handed me Ana Historic and I devoured it. I loved that novel, and to this day I rank it as an all-time favourite. So you can imagine my high expectations for The Given. Sadly, my experience wasn't the same. Definitely there were beautiful passages and fragments of thoughts that I savoured, but the story itself wasn't as complete for me and I lost interest quickly. I dog-eared many, many pages - I just think the novel form wasn't right for this story. Does it count if I say the cover is fantastic?

A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart: Oh, Jane Urquhart. I adore everything she has written and this particular novel was spectacular. Also, I read it at the cottage, in Prince Edward County, having no idea that the novel was set inPrince Edward County. Clearly this added another dimension to my experience, but I wouldn't have needed it, the novel was such a pleasure on its own. Her language is so clean and gentle, and I fall into another rhythm when I'm inside one of her stories. The characters fascinated me and the whole notion of landscape informing our essential nature is inspiring.

The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson: I chose this mainly because the story synopsis mentioned a 17th century embroidery pattern book, but I enjoyed it far more than I was expecting to. Of all these books, it was the lightest and swiftest, almost like chick-lit for the fibre geek (that's me). I learned historical facts I never knew, travelled from the British Isles to Morocco and enjoyed descriptive passages about fabrics and needlework. It was exotic, authentic, and I know my Mom is going to love it!

Hmm, I just realized that's a lot of girl power - I should sneak a male author or two in soon! And next time I'll try to get back to the knitting comparisons. Six was simply too much to tackle this late at night.

push pins be gone

Most days involve working, making dinner as soon as I get home around 7pm followed by getting Sadie to bed. At 10pm I get back downstairs with only enough energy to sit and knit in front of one Veronica Mars episode (which we're almost done...what am I going to do?). Considering all this, I'm still a little shocked that I finished this blind. But make no mistake, I had to make a deal with Jay to get a few hours alone on a precious Saturday afternoon to work the miracle. I'm not crazy about dipping into quality Sadie time, but the push pin look had really worn out its' welcome.

Otherwise there's not too much to say about this hard-to-photograph blind: Shinzi Katoh fabric which I still really love, a simple roman blind style, and finally the breakthrough to use white lining to keep the blind as bright as possible (using regular muslin was truly a stumbling block for me). Finally, one check mark on the bloated to-do list.

One small secret though...after all the painting efforts of last year, I'm about 99% certain that I have to repaint the kitchen. The grey feels too dark, and I miss the ivory walls. To-do list, you get bigger every day.

thriftin' in kingston

Unless we want Sadie to own the worst collection of teddy bears ever, our thrifting days with her are numbered. In fact, she may not even like the whole thrifting hobby her parents have, but this summer the stangers-keep-giving-me-teddy-bears-for-just-being-cute habit kept her sufficiently interested.

Over vacation we learned once and for all we're really not beach people (Sadie included). What we do have a strong love for is exploring every junk shop/thrift store/antique stop we stumble upon. I may even proclaim it's the whole reason Jay likes travelling by car, anywhere. Our two weeks in eastern Ontario were thrift-prolific, and the photos above are just a few of the fun things I found.

Even during university Jay and I seperately enjoyed the Sunday antique market in Kingston, and every time we get a chance to visit we find a gem. This time it was the $18 table and chair set for Sadie. Each piece folds (great for packing up into the car) and it was made in Belleville which feels nice and authentic. Sadie loves it, though the GIGANTIC smile she has in the photo may have more to do with the little sequin purse her Gramma found for her. At the market I also found what I consider to be "the perfect bowl". Stamped "Pigeon Forge Pottery, Tennessee" it is a cool oatmeal colour, glazed inside but matte on the outside. And the shape is oh-so-pleasing. Some may say plain, I say perfect.

I also had luck with books and patterns. Does anyone else think the photos in old Beehive pattern books are a day's worth of entertainment? I may not have the courage to try the patterns though, the small type and older references are daunting but the women's cardigan on the cover is pretty cute. It reminds me of the Garnstudio cardigan people have been making, which is on my knitting wish list. And although it doesn't look like much, the small white book, sold to me for a whopping $3, is ominously called "The Wedded Life". It was written by a Philidelphia Reverend in 1886 and its' three chapters are called Marriage, The Husband's Part and The Wife's Part. Even better is that the front page is filled in by hand as a certificate of marriage, dated April 5th, 1898 and signed by witnesses. The book is also full of little newspaper clippings, the very last one being the obituary of the husband listed on page 1. It blows me away, and the language describing marriage...wow. This is probably hands-down my favourite find.

See? We're addicted. I couldn't even pass up another wool blanket (I mean it's aqua, how can I resist?) though I'm dragging my feet making wool softies these days. But as an aside, I've almost talked myself into making another run of Bundlies circa 2008, and aqua would be a great colour to work with. So anyway, that's the story of a hopeless thrifter. Thank goodness I married another hopeless thrifter. We just need a way bigger house.

To store all the awful teddy bears, of course.

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.