stripes for sadie

There's always a crafting blackout before Christmas because I can't show any photos of what I'm working on, and I often give away the gifts before remembering to take pictures (2 pairs of wristwarmers suffered that fate this week). But luckily I have these legwarmers to show and I even had a willing model.

Inspired by Alana Dakos "Legwarmies" pattern, I chose these two colours from the machine washable Zealana Kia Ora Kauri line to make some stripey goodness. Their palette is great and it was hard to choose a colour combo. Since Sadie is all about wearing as many colours as she can, the purple and orange pairing suits her just fine. They look especially good with her new sparkly shoes and the often-photographed grizzly bear tights. Truthfully, the legwarmers aren't even in focus in the last photo but I couldn't resist Sadie's fashion shot - right down to the twisted buns in her hair. You can see how legwarmers are a real wardrobe staple for this girl's fashion sense. How does she channel the 80's when she doesn't even know what that means?

pompom fun

There was a time when I thought you required Buddhist patience to make pompoms. The whole 'cut two cardboard circles and thread massive amounts of yarn through the center' idea seemed simply ludicrous. Then one magical day I saw the Clover pompom makers and I laughed at my naivete (it was like the day I found out that a sewing machine could wind a bobbin BY ITSELF, bringing an end to years of winding them by hand with a pencil). But I hadn't really sat down and made a few until this week, and now I can't stop.

I'll have to thank the friend who needed 3 pompoms for a craft she's working on because that is what started my mini-addiction. And it's not just me - Sadie thinks these are great fun and she has the patience to sit and wind the yarn, and even cut them open (with supervision, of course). We decorated our gifts with them, hung them on the tree - I mean, bucket of dead branches - and I know we need to put some on hats next. Or a bunting style garland out of them. So many options. And it turns out they are a great way to pass the time at 3am when your teething, I'm-almost-crawling baby just won't sleep, not to mention being a perfect way to use up leftover balls of yarn. See? Totally addicted.

Hope all your holidays are merry and bright!

halfway

A minute ago Milo was a newborn. A squishy, helpless, lovable newborn. And then today he turned 6 months old.

I quite dislike how fast this is all going (I mean, I'm also halfway through my mat leave, and at this point I start the inevitable countdown) but I wholeheartedly adore watching this little guy grow. Now he is extra squishy, not at all helpless, and he's the loveliest little baby boy I know.

Apologies for the indulgent baby post. The mommy in me just couldn't help herself.

sweet magic

Gosh, swaps are fun. I just received a box at my door, all the way from the UK. Thank you, thank you to Linda of Queen of the Froggers for the beautiful Magic Yarn Ball! I am desperately trying to squash the desire to unravel it right now to find all the little treasures inside, but that wouldn't be nearly as magical as discovering each item as I knit. For now I can see some lovely buttons and the wool is scrumptious!

Extra special thanks to T Does Wool for having this great idea and organizing the swap. And Linda - I promise yours will be in the mail soon too!

matching feet

For some reason I keep buying variegated yarn even though I am disappointed 99% of the time. I picked up this Koigu Merino Crepe to make a hat for myself but quickly disliked the way the colour was coming out even though I was alternating between two balls. This yarn is rather pricey though so I didn't want to just pretend I never bought it. Which led me to making two pairs of socks for my two little favourite people. And being my favourite people, they (okay, mainly Sadie) love them and have been wearing them non-stop.

I used Debbie Bliss' Two Tone Socks pattern and made adjustments for Sadie's feet. The yarn is thicker than called for, but with subtle modifications both pairs fit well. And now I don't have to worry about this yarn again, but please, someone, remind me to never buy variegated wool again. As it is, I'm still sitting on some Dream in Colour Classy that I'll never use.

creamy white won

No more painting. White was the right choice after all, and we love, love, love it. Suddenly the kitchen feels bigger and brighter.

Baking will commence immediately.

colour conundrum

Nature always gets it right, and I always get it wrong. On the first try anyway.

I am trying to paint our kitchen now that the appliances, counter and backsplash have all changed. Long ago it was a creamy white (like the cupboards) and then a dark charcoal gray. Last week I picked a taupe with a green undertone thinking that it would work with the glass tiles, which although they are frosted and backed with a taupe paper, still cast a green tint because of the nature of glass. Two coats of that paint and I felt we were living in a hospital. So then I tried the taupe (Para's "Stoneware") which is all through our house because I know I like it. But one coat of that and it looks more brown than it does in the rest of the place. My revelation while falling asleep - and believe me, thinking of paint keeps me awake at night when Milo doesn't - is that I should probably go back to white, even though it feels like a lost opportunity to add colour. When we got up I decided to take one more trip to the paint store (walking distance, thank goodness) and came home with tester pots of two whites that are not my trim/cupboard white. Now I'm sitting waiting for the patches to dry but I think I already know the inevitable. The kitchen is trying to tell me it wants to be the original white. After finally getting the perfect appliances, I am painting the walls the very same colour they are. Can you say "tired of painting"? And "tired of frozen dinners"?

Oh nature. I wish you could be my interior designer.

x love

Another hobby? Oh, of course. I can hardly find the time for all the others I have, but you can always use just one more. And it involves a needle, so it's more like half of a new hobby.

I had so much fun with my art show samplers that it was simply a matter of time before I imagined other things to do with little xs (x's? exes? x-es?) This bird is my first step beyond text, though I'm still very fond of cross stitched words. Actually, I just finished a sampler for Ragdoll, but I don't think I'll be sharing it here...I'm even more shy about what this one says. Let's just say it follows the same theme I started in the spring. But back to cleaner subjects, like this bird. Instead of using up pages of graph paper I downloaded a demo version of MacStitch and I can see how this might change my world. Sadie loved it too - we drew birds, tigers and some freehand words and you can immediately preview how it will look on fabric. Perhaps it's cheating a bit, but wow, is it fun. And it saves time, so overall it's win-win. The only thing the software can't account for is the wonky weave I use (instead of Aida cloth or even-weave linen, I use raw silk because, well, raw silk is wonderfully soft and beautiful). But I think I'll still buy the software. The text feature is very cool and I'll soon grow tired of drawing out the pattern on graph paper before shutting down the laptop (the "save" and "print" functions are disabled in the demo version).

So cross stitch projects are now officially added to my very long to-do list. Perfect.

prototype

Another vest in the spirit of all things academic. I can't help myself - vests are just way too cute on baby boys. I wrote the pattern up, but I think I'll try a second version at a larger size before sharing it (Milo is 18lbs...so I think I'll work with 12 months sizing next). I also want to slightly modify the neckline. I like the seed stitch border on the outer edge and I think repeating it on the inside (therefore making the center panel a bit wider) will just "neaten" the overall look. I can admit it - selvedges are just one of those things I care WAY too much about.

Anyone out there interested in this pattern? Is a 12 month size something you're looking for?

decision maker

I think the first comment I ever left on a blog was in response to something Lyn at Mollychicken wrote. Her daughter was five and no longer would wear dresses - or at least, dresses of Lyn's choosing. Sadie was only a few months old at the time and even though 5 years old seemed far away, I was surprised at how quickly Lyn's daughter was making her own decisions.

Sadie is now 5. And truthfully, she has been making fashion decisions for some time now, much to my entertainment (and I hope her teacher's). Most days it involves headbands with "stuff" attached, and there's a strong trend of layering different socks over leggings and shorts. Nothing ever matches and no matter how hard I try, I could never come up with the combinations she does. So when I got the Playdate Dress pattern from Oliver + S, I knew Sadie would have to choose the fabric or she would never wear it. And as we sifted through the options at FatQuarterShop, I was totally surprised at her choice. I was expecting her to choose something pink and girly, but she loved this holiday fabric and went for a real red-and-green theme. I didn't even get any say with the buttons. So in the end the dress is nothing like what I would have imagined, but it is utterly and absolutely Sadie (as is pairing the dress with grizzly bear tights).

Speaking of making decisions, Sadie also talked me into cutting her hair. I kept putting it off but she was determined. I shed a few tears when I did it - seriously - but it suits her. And as an added bonus, she looks younger now which helps me when I dwell on how fast this girl is growing up. Insert great big sigh here.