winter girls

I've spent five minutes debating the vanity of posting a photo of myself, but I think I've got my argument straight: Sadie is in it. There is a general lack of photos with the two of us together so I am indulging. Also, my last post was entirely for Jay and I don't want to neglect the fabulous little girl in my life who was so fun to be with this weekend, even if we had to pile on loads of winter clothing for a trip outdoors. Oh, and the TVO Kids hat isn't so much a staple of mine (it's downright blasphemous, being a knitter and all) as it is swag Jay got the other day and Sadie's choice for me.

It would seem that there's not much "making" going on, but I have been busy with my sweater for the class I'm taking at Knitomatic. Ragdoll and I have been making headway and I can't believe how much I've got done (proving that taking a class is the only way I'll ever finish a big knitting project). On other creative fronts I plan to donate a piece to this event/great cause, and I'm working on a submission to the wee space at this shop in Vancouver. But with my full-time work at the fullest tilt I can imagine and Jay working furiously towards a show in Chicago I'm just trying to keep my mind functioning and our little family fed and smiling.

At least there's lots of inspiration out there: Loop, Egg Press, Lucy Jane Batchelor and Thornback & Peel.

love letter

We've had ten years of Valentine's Days.

I wanted you to be mine a long, long time ago. I wanted to protect your ears and be the only one to enjoy those breathtaking eyes. I wanted to hold your hand because it was beautiful and had the ability to create anything and everything.

In return you've given me my own soundtrack. You meet my every grumpy morning with a joke, and you know how to leave me alone. You challenge me, and I love you for it. Even at the worst of times, we can laugh so hard we cry. There is simply no end to your humour and to your talent.

Thank goodness for kitchen stools and locked doors.

(And I promise never to gush in public again.)

wicked needles

After a treacherous journey home Friday night (I literally pushed Sadie's stroller through the snow as though the wheels never even existed) I realized that I wasn't excited about any of my knitting projects. Enter above result. I sifted through pattern books and decided that a bikini top was in order, Queen of Hearts from Stitch 'N Bitch to be exact. Somehow in my exhausted but seemingly dirty mind, I thought this would be nice for Valentine's Day...you know, for the day in February when I pretend my house is carpeted with sand and it's the ocean I see from my window instead of snow covered outdoor furniture we meant to take in. Oh wait, maybe it's for the day my dirty mind was imagining. Gee, suddenly I've entered into slutty knitting.

Must be all this snow.

(As for the pattern details, I did attempt the intarsia bit, but it was annoying and I figured I could embellish the hearts instead. The black is 100% cotton, and the hearts are embroidered with leftover Koigu from the socks I recently finished.)

little old lady

For the past two weeks Jay has been putting Sadie to bed every other night. Luckily it's been working, but the one trick is that I have to disappear from sight at least 15 minutes before bedtime. So I retreat to the studio which is PERFECT! With only these small pockets of time I finished my Month of Softies submission. The theme was "Something New from Something Old". I have a collection of linen napkins and doilies in all shades of white, so I cut up a couple to create the whole body. I only used the machine once, otherwise I hand stitched her together (which minimized the sound - Sadie's bedroom is next door!) Her hair is mine from many years ago, carefully braided and secured. The only other old thing, the tiny MOP button to adorn her collar. I kept wanting to add a photgraphic face, but it just wasn't working. The blank face, reminiscent of Amish dolls, just worked best. She stands only 7" tall, but her ghostly nature is a nice break from the colourful wool creatures of the past year.

have gadget, will sew

Before the holidays I ended up with a Blackberry for work, and not only was the plastic holder ugly, but it did nothing to hide the fact that I was carrying around something that made me blush (I've held out on having a cell phone until now, so I have this earnest look any time I try to make the thing work). So with an extra week away from work and a desire to spend time sewing, this is what I came up with. My other cross-stitch project inspired the text detail, along with 6.5 stitches wonderful quilt. Black denim, toile and ribbon round out the rest of the materials, and because of its' tiny stature it took two attempts and a lot of handsewing to get it right.

I'd really hoped to get a submission for the Month of Softies done, but we've been watching Twin Peaks all week and other than some knitting I just relaxed. I did sign up for a sweater making class at Knitomatic (and chose wool for it twice before I got it right...which I hope my Cascade Heathers choice is) and got to the show Fray at the Museum for Textiles. I was particularly drawn to Sarah Maloney's work - her knit vertabrae and foot bones were delicate but seemed to possess great weight. While there, I wrote down this portion of a quote: "the ability of textiles to communicate human stories." With a little luck, and a bit more effort than I put in this week, I hope that this is the year I add to the communication.

Fingers crossed.

for special feet

You'd think socks have taken over my life, but I swear it's not true. On Christmas Eve we were running extremely late and just as we were loading up the car my midwife came around the corner - carrying a two month old. I didn't even know she was pregnant and it was so wonderful to see her again, especially with her new mother smile. She really is the most gentle woman I've ever met, someone I will carry with me for the rest of my life. She is going to be such a fantastic mother and her little baby boy is in perfect hands. It also turns out that she has moved just a few streets over from us so I thought I would try baby socks and walk over to deliver them.

These socks are the same Debbie Bliss pattern, size 3 needles and Koigu Merino. Luckily I think babies like crazy colour choices, and these are certainly no exception.

year end

I like to think I am not a procrastinator, but the only things I made this holiday season were a bunch of mini "bundlies" to give out as ornaments to a few special people...and I made them all the night before I needed them. Even though I had to stay up into the wee hours, it did remind me of how much I miss sitting at the sewing machine watching something new come together. And foolishly I thought I could keep the creative urge alive over my vacation from work, but a nasty, miserable cold left me glued to the couch with only knitting needles and a toddler to keep me sane. I still have a few days before I go back to work and the cold is (fingers crossed) letting up, so I may have hope yet. Inspiration isn't the problem - just before Christmas I got this wonderful package from Tamar containing two caged birds. We had just the place to hang them and they are the loveliest lovebirds ever, and I need to take more photos to really show the stitched details. I'll be in New York at the end of the month and hopefully I'll get to see more of Tamar's work in person.

At the very least I finished a pair of socks between blowing my nose and watching Tornado Sadie play with her new things. They took longer than Sadie's - of course - but they are still magical to knit and I love the feel of them on my feet...as long as I don't wipe out on the hardwood. Here are the details:

Pattern: Fleece Artist Basic Merino Socks

Yarn: Koigu

Needles: 3mm Pony DPNs

Mods: just the ribbing, I kept it shorter than suggested.

dear santa

Oh, the crunch before the holidays. Work is crazy busy and even though I have a hundred things I should be doing tonight, sitting at the computer is about all I can manage. But I will quit my whining.

I have been wanting to show this fabulous nesting doll for a while. She is handcrafted by local potter/artist Julie Moon, who is still showing her work at Art101 in the UpCountry store on King Street. Anyone in Toronto looking for a unique gift should take a look - they are wonderfully charming.

Next up, a tower of knitting. I have started three new projects in the past three days - as if I wasn't busy enough already. I also visited (and purchased at) three knitting shops this weekend: Knitomatic for lovely Koigu, The Knit Cafe for Fleece Artist merino sock wool, and Romni for Xmas goodies for a certain special Mom that I know. So much wool, so little time.

Then lastly, the message I wish I could send out to everyone. This card is by Snow & Graham, and my camera doesn't do the letterpress justice. Suddenly I'm craving the camera my friend Max has - a Sony Cybershot DSCT10, which takes decent video and the most incredible macro shots I can imagine from a simple point and shoot. But alas, I'm not sure that Santa can afford it this year...unless I can justify that it's a tiny price to pay to have videos of Sadie with true audio. That's a good argument, right?

'tis the season

We have a tree! Well, we have a potted shrub that will eventually go in the front yard, but this is the closest thing to a Christmas tree that I'll ever get. Jay isn't so fond of Christmas for completely understandable reasons and most years I plunk dead branches in a bucket of sand and hang my ornaments off the bare twigs - it may sound awful, but really, it looked pretty great. Even so, the scent of pine and real greenery is by far my first choice. Sadie's eyes just lit up when I plugged the lights in last night (my brother's birthday is today, so my Mom always tried to have the tree up by now) and she has been describing each ornament and counting the cardboard stars ever since. I took photos of two of my favourite ornaments - the first is one that Jay made (there's a little bit of Christmas in him yet!) It's a rubber baby frozen in epoxy and when the light comes through the bubbles just glow. The second is a see-through scene with one little girl looking out a window from inside and then another little girl looking in from outside. My Mom gave it to me in 1984, and it's just so charming and sweet. It's the one I'm excited to see every year - and I have to say, it suits this whole "live" tree much better.

I just hope my neighbours can forgive me for digging a huge hole out in the front yard that will stay empty for at least another month. Oops.

warm feet

With winter looming and a busy work schedule, I figured the time was right to finally attempt socks. I started with small toddler socks, but that didn't make the project any easier. The first sock took four, yes four tries until I got it right (at least the small scale wasn't so heartbreaking to undo). Needless to say I was well practiced for the second sock and it was a smooth knit. Sadie likes wearing them around the house but only on top of other socks, so I can't say they are very practical. However, I do agree that the process is quite magical when the heel takes shape, so I think more socks are in my future. And maybe for my feet next time.

In case anyone wants to know, here are the details:

Pattern: Two Tone Socks from "Simply Baby" by Debbie Bliss
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino
Needles: 5mm DPNs
Mods: None, except for needle size. I did the 6-12 month size, but with larger needles than called for. Oh, and I only used one colour.