colour therapy

Tomorrow I go back to work after a two week, super-productive and yet entirely relaxing vacation. There is some trepidation though; the place that I left two weeks ago is no longer the same. The company I work for was bought by another last year and the deal became official just before the holidays. I hear that our company logo was taken off the building already last week...so I will be stepping into something changed, something different, something I may or may not be ready for. But hey, that's just the way things go.

To help stay positive through this transition, I'm thinking about colour. The blog got a small update (I mean really, I've had the same colours for over two years!) and I knit up a colourful hat to wear tomorrow. I was totally inspired by this baby hat (and what a photo!) so I rounded up scraps of Misti Cotton, Fleece Artist Merino and Louisa Harding silk to make the above. Adding the pompom was key, and so much fun to do. The hat was completely experimental, so I'm pleasantly surprised by the good shaping and when I asked Sadie what we should call it, without hesitation she said "Perry Hat". Okay, so Perry Hat it is. And at the very least, whatever happens tomorrow, my head will be plenty warm.

Next up - painting the living room red. Seriously.

family knitting

Just a quick catch up on some knitting projects. First, a scarf for Jay. I think I've finally convinced him he can wear light gray (we're stuck in a black thing around this house...even gray counts as infusing colour into our wardrobes). I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease because Jay's beard tends to wreck more natural fibres, and hey, it's totally cheap and pretty nice to work with. Next, the great bag my Mom crocheted for me this Christmas. It's sitting there in the photo packed full of wool she found for me and I love how stretchy it is. It's a great pattern and she did a fantastic job. Inside it is also a needle holder from Honeycake Designs, a lovely gift from Jay who was following my "Buy Handmade" pledge. Then, straight from the mother/daughter telepathic zone, here is the bag I knit my Mom for Christmas. I used Araucania wool, lined it with black denim and used handles found at Knitomatic.

Click clack, click clack.

housework

And by housework, I mean the good kind. Sure, we could be cleaning our bathroom this week or maybe pulling out a vacuum, but we're way more motivated to finish up some lingering projects. The back "cubby" off our kitchen was a god awful thing when we moved in and when I was on maternity leave Jay and a dear friend started to renovate it. Hilariously, we never squared anything up, but we sided it with cedar, drywalled the inside, painted the exposed brick and put a bunch of shelf brackets up so it could become our little Alice-In-Wonderland pantry. Unfortunately, we had a blocked eavestrough directly above and so sustained water damage soon after I painted the interior, and then raccoons took to eating the insulation Jay had put under the floor on the exterior. Fixing these two annoying problems became our numero uno procrastination reason for never getting back to the project. Fast forward to this fall; my Dad suggested Jay take the floor out and insulate above a masonite surface (take that raccoons!), we remembered the black and gray linoleum tiles sitting around (originally meant for our kitchen) which would really make the Alice thing work, and I had an urge to paint...anything. So now we're almost finished. As I type, Jay is working on more shelves (made from the tongue and groove floorbaords he salvaged from our attic - have I ever mentioned how industrious and talented my husband is?) and I have some quarter round to finish painting so the baseboards can get the final touch. The Shinzi fabric I've been coveting would be for me to make a curtain panel for the door. Even though it's not quite done, Jay spent some time this morning putting things on the shelves (he's a strange combination of skills - the handyman who also art directs). I'm so excited to have somewhere to display dishes we never get to see, like the polka dotted teacups and the Circa Ceramics bowl, and although you can't see it, the real highlight is that the microwave is on the other side and totally out of sight. All in all, we're pretty happy with it and feel like we almost have a real kitchen. Finally.

The last shot is just our table. With the new functionality in here we're going to try and keep the table empty so that it feels like a place people would actually sit and eat. The other night Jay gave the surface a sand, a new coat of stain and then I waxed it (which is suddenly our new favourite finish). Man, see how obsessed we are? And Jay suggested replacing the curtains with a roman blind of the Shinzi fabric...if I can get the Shinzi fabric. Anyway, that's how we spent our holidays and in a weird way it was relaxing. Though I have to admit, we're not the best at celebrating. There's always next year.

bobble anyone?

I tried to convince my Mom that she should model her own hat, but by the time I remembered to take the photo her hair was "done". Since I wouldn't be seeing the hat for a while I succumbed to modeling it myself. Here is the Twiggy Bobble Hat, courtesy of Andrea Tung of Fable Handknit. This was the first time I've made bobbles, and I admit, they were fun. I knit this for my Mom as a Christmas gift while catching up on old Heroes episodes (Jay and I had to sit at the computer to do so - not comfortable, and therefore, quite memorable.) The yarn is Rowan Cashcotton because I knew my Mom would appreciate the softness, and I enjoy knitting with it (the yardage for the price is also a big plus). It makes for a soft, lightweight hat and I hope my Mom likes it.

The dilemma of the day involves the fabric above. It's the "Holiday" pattern by Shinzi Katoh and I'm just smitten by it. Jay and I have been catching up on all things house this week (which is a whole post in itself), and we're focusing a lot on our kitchen. This fabric would work - I mean really work - in the space. Unfortunately, it seems that ordering right from Japan is the only way I can get it, but the instructions are a bit unusual and I'm so used to Paypal and direct ordering that I'm a little hesitant. I may try contacting Superbuzzy directly to see if this fabric is on their radar, but otherwise I may have to go without. Perhaps it's been too long since I've had a Shinzi Katoh fix?

stoked x 3

An old boyfriend used to love finding the opportunity to say he was "stoked". So, I'm taking his youthful, useful word and listing three things that have me stoked these days:

1) Sadie's drawings. One day all she could manage were scribbles, then a day later she knew how to make faces with arms and legs. This guy above doesn't actually have legs, but Sadie claims it's a tiger, hence the pattern on the body. Pattern on the body? How did she jump into this realm of undertsanding? (And I think I'll have to embroider him on something - how can I resist?)

2) Scarbiedoll's honesty. This post struck a chord with me, and I adore Nadine for sharing her experiences so candidly, allowing us to feel like we're not alone. 'Cause we're not.

3) This book. I asked Jay the other day if he ever thought I would become such a knitter, and he honestly answered "no." Deep down I know the turn happened after Sadie was born - it's the one thing I can pick up and put down quickly, and no sharp (well, not really sharp) implements are used so I can leave it around. Everywhere. But I mainly knit functional things from patterns so this book is a real inspiration. Nothing helps more than seeing a community of people pushing the limits of the craft, and I'm always stoked to hear the backgrounds of these artists - how they got here, what lifestyle they lead now, what future they are dreaming of. It's a great book to end the year reading, cosied up on the couch thinking about a whole new year of possibilities.

tree solution(s)

After seeing The Golden Compass Wednesday morning, I stepped off the streetcar one stop later than usual. I thought I could walk through our local park and see if any branches were lying around. There were two streets I could have walked up; I chose the one furthest away. I wasn't quite to the park when I almost walked past three piles of perfectly shaped, perfectly cut tree branches. I smirked at my luck and started digging through the pile. Finding four great branches among the bounty, I set off with them in my arms. One woman asked me what I was going to do with them and I happily answered, "they are going to be my Christmas tree".

One bucket, eight bricks and a length of jute later, the tree was up. Sadie helped me unpack the ornaments while I told her the story of my cardboard stars. We plugged in the lights and decided this was a good tree. Charlie Brown in style, sure, but a tree that met with the criteria I was given. Jay even likes it. The only downfall? It really doesn't photograph well, especially when there are paint-by-numbers behind it.

The other photo is my smaller tree endeavour. A late night inspiration from this blog had me dreaming of paper possibilities. Mine may not be as colourful, but drawing and cutting it was pretty fun and I think there might be more paper ideas to come. But speaking of inspiration, check out this fantastic advent calendar! It's a great blog and that robin's egg blue wall is awesome.

seeing dots

Every year on Christmas Eve, my Mom would give us one gift to unwrap - a new pair of pajamas. It didn't matter that we knew what would be inside the box, it only mattered that it was tradition and that we would go to bed in something new and warm. In my attempt to figure out how Christmas might work in our house, I've decided to keep up this tradition with Sadie. Of course, I've also pledged to be as "handmade" as possible, so I sat down this week and made a wee nightgown. I didn't use a pattern, so I probably took longer than I needed to, but in the end I think it worked out. The heart buttons are just an extra detail, and the entire back is regular buttons (this is what happens when you sew freestyle - you get stuck and sometimes button plackets are the only solution).

We'll see if it passes the Sadie test; she has a quirky habit of not liking anything I make her. My new plan? Don't tell her that Mommy had anything to do with it.

another monday

Admittedly, hearts are not really my thing, but I have an inkling that three year olds like them. So, to match her cookies, here is Sadie's tiny apron. The pinks and purples are more muted than she would generally pick, but I'm using fabrics I already have (honestly, I have a contract with myself - absolutely no more fabric enters this house for an insane amount of time. Ditto with patterns. Not ditto with wool...I need at least one indulgence.) It was ridiculously fun to make the ruffle and I hope the apron gets used to the point that cookie batter gets wedged between the folds.

So another Monday, another gift made. Not quite as inspiring or as relaxing a day as last Monday, but oh well. At least I got a belated thank you gift almost finished and spent some quality time humming along to Johnny Cash. Perhaps spending the previous night in Sadie's bed being kicked incessantly by little feet had something to do with my mood?

And man, do I ever wish we had some natural light in this house. Winter equals dark, muddy photos...and apologies from me.

baking and waltzes

To make up for not taking much vacation this year, I have the next 4 Mondays off (oh, and a whole week in the middle). This week was my first Monday and it was fabulous. I had already pledged to buy handmade and even purchased a few gifts from Etsy, but there were some stuffed cookies that wouldn't ship to Canada. So, after a good clean up of my small workspace, I put aside all the bird drawings and conceptual pieces to make room for some Christmas gift making. Inspired by these Etsy sellers, I made Sadie a half dozen cookies, complete with sprinkles and beads. It was the most wonderful way to spend the afternoon, quietly handstitching the cookie tops and reacquainting myself with my wool scraps. I also listened to an older Cowboy Junkies album, Rarities, B Sides and Slow, Sad Waltzes but it was anything but sad. I did shed a tear or two but the message of all the songs seemed to be that the things we say are important, and that love can be forgotten if you don't acknowledge it or spend time tending to it. One song was inspired by a story (forgive me, I'm forgetting all the details) of a man who, when he lost his wife late in life, filled their apartment with cardboard hearts and other obsessive amounts of kitschy items. He loved and missed her so much that he surrounded himself with these unique reminders. Anyway, it was the perfect album for a perfect afternoon. And a nice start to the holiday season.

But why cookies? Well, Sadie likes to bake banana bread with me, so I thought a baking theme might be fun. She's very good at stirring and she doesn't get bored anytime during the process. Now I've started a purple apron ("purple's my fravrite colour Mommy!") so she can dress the part too.

the december debate

The holiday season is never easy in our house, and already this year is no exception. But I deserve a newsflash: when you pair two artists from two different cultures and religions and then those two people create a darling little girl who happens to be the sum of all parts, well, how exactly is December supposed to work? I stress the artist part because this probably accounts for the main source of frustration - an inherent need to NOT do the things everyone else is doing. For Jay it's even easier; Christmas has never been in his book at all, so whenever December gets close it's my expectations that I have to come to terms with. And believe me, I come from a family who loves, loves, loves Christmas. Not the baby Jesus variety, because our house was religiously non-religious, but the variety where you put fake trees up at the very beginning of December and outdoor lights are a serious business. My Grandmother was the Queen of Christmas; one year her house was even photographed for a double page spread in the newspaper (she decorated with red velvet and white year round, but at Christmas the white trees and dozen miniature villages came out in full glory). So, I come by my inner desire to decorate and celebrate Christmas quite honestly, but I am prone to wanting to do things different and I also have trouble with consumerism. So what's a girl to do?

Well, a girl finds ways to balance this sensitive time, though with life at the current pace, sitting down and coming up with good strategies is challenging. But I have made one decision, and it feels like a good start. I've always made as many gifts as I can, but since I'm short on time, I've decided to Buy Handmade this season. The only exception will be books, because there is no equivalent and I'm just too strong a believer in the written word. The best part though? It's hardly a struggle - I mean, here I am spending glorious pockets of time looking through Etsy shops and it doesn't even count as procrastination! Happily I have already ordered from these fantastic folks at CircaCeramics in Chicago and also Cyberoptix TieLab.

If the thought interests you, here's where people are pledging. I love that people come together and organize such a thing. Peace and joy, right? Oh, and if anyone has some great strategies for keeping December peaceful I would be ever-so-thankful for the sharing. Especially Christmas tree alternatives...I've run out of room in the yard to plant live shrubs and my dead branches in a bucket of sand is just too tantalizing for Glen Miller.