In the works: horse sweater

I've been planning this sweater for a while. I bought a book of beautiful Rowan children's sweaters last year, when I started getting serious about knitting. I also decided I would try higher end yarn.



I found these two yummy colours, and fell in love with them and the pattern they accompanied. The yarn is a cotton DK (double knit: it's a weight of yarn). It's one of the cheaper kinds, though still not cheap. It's not nearly as forgiving as the acrylic blends. If the tension is off, it shows—the tension being how tight or how loose one knits. So if some of my stitches are a little looser than others, it shows. This isn't a problem for blocks of colour (for me), but it does become a concern when I'm knitting with more than one colour.

The original pattern for this sweater actually has a little heart and the word "sweetheart" on it. I thought Maïa might prefer having a horse sweater, so I designed this:



I hope she likes it...

I hope to have this sweater finished by the first day of spring (so that she can wear it all spring and on the cooler summer days). We'll see, however, how that pans out. I've been busy with work lately, so I've had very little time for more fun stuff!

Solanne's faces

This blog has seen a number of creations by Maïa; now it is time for Solanne to shine. Until recently, Sol's designs had been rather undecipherable. But starting at Christmas time (Christmas Eve to be exact), Solanne has been drawing faces.

The second image is particularly striking as it recalls Edvard Munch's The Scream. I'm proud to see that she is as up on her art history as is her sister.

Christmas cross-stitch

Last year, we decided for a number of reasons to make most of the Christmas presents we were giving to family. I knitted a sweater for my mom and a scarf for Naomi. Derek carved and painted a fish sculpture for Nick. We painted and decorated frames that held our family portrait; we gave them to family (shameless self-promotion!). We even got the kids in on it: they painted little wooden ornaments for everyone.

The one craft-gift I am most proud of, however, is the one I made for Ken, my father-in-law. Almost two years ago, I was having a conversation with Ken about kids and about the empty nest. I mentioned how I could understand enjoying having your kids be all grown up. He looked at me, a mother of two very small children and said something very ironically, in that way that he has of being serious and silly all at once. I laughed and laughed. I immediately had a vision of a old fashioned country cross-stitch with his thought stitched on. So very heart-warming. I planned, then and there, to make it for him. (Just a little side note, there are a number of times that Ken has said things, usually ironically, that are quite memorable and quotable. This is one of the best.)

So here is my creation. I'm glad he enjoyed it! (we made and painted the frame, too)

Maïa's writing

I always thought that reading came before writing, but it seems that for Maïa, the inspiration to express herself in the written word has come early. Here she exclaims Maïa loves (heart) her crown:




Today we were decorating the Christmas tree (I know: it's a little early), and Maïa got to talking about Santa. We reminded her of all the work Santa's wife does, too. In our family, Mrs Claus has a name: Gerty. Now Gerty is actually much hipper than her husband. In fact, we have a Gerty figurine that we make out of Lego (picture to come, I hope). She often gets decked out in striped stockings and wears her hair blue, red, or green (none of that boring white for her). Maïa commemorated her thoughts of Gerty by writing out her name and cutting it out:


GORDE CLAS

Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part I

Today, Maïa brought home these pictures that she's been making over the past few days at daycare. Derek and I pulled them out to take a look after the girls were in bed. We were amazed (though not surprised) that all of them contained Cinderella in one form or another.

So here is Maïa's first theme-based exhibit. Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey.


This is a rare portrait of Cinderella for a few reasons: first, Cinderella is the only element in the composition; second, she seems rather angry in this portrait. This is the new Cinderella, ready to take on the world, and to punch out (or at least threaten) anyone who stands in her way. Also, there is a Frida Kahlo beauty about her here, would you not agree?


This portrait of Cinderella is Dalì-esque in its long lines and appeal to the subconscious. Here, Cinderella sports her never-before-seen mini ballgown. She is also wearing earrings on her unusually large ears. Perhaps another link to Dalì and his favourite subjects.


Cinderella Afloat in Flowers. Reminiscent of the great master, Monet. A shame this piece has been damaged.

Ode to Cinderella: A Visual Odyssey, Part II

This is a group shot of the princesses. The princesses are immediately recognizable by their physical attributes in an almost Pop Art approach, reminiscent of Andy Warhol. The one on the left in the yellow dress is Belle, which you can tell from the colour of the dress as well as her brown hair and eyes; the one in the middle is Cinderella, which you can tell from her blue dress, blond hair, blue eyes, and the weird hairband-earring combo that the newer Disney version sports; Sleeping Beauty is the one in the pink dress on the right; the girls in the green dresses are Mulan and Jasmin (the artists has left this particular distinction unclear); and the teeny-tiny girl between Belle and Mulan-Jasmin is Snow White. The pregnant "princess" is not identified.


This is a Picasso-esque drawing of Cinderella; her neck is actually wider than her torso! What flare Maïa has with a marker! In this representation, Cinderella does not have any hair; surely there is symbolism at work here. The image of the flying girl in grey behind Cinderella must be a Freudian element.


This is Cinderella: Larger Than Life. OR Cinderzilla. Certainly a tribute to Peter Paul Rubens.

Nana & Grampa, by Maïa

Maïa drew this picture this morning. She decided that she wanted to make a card for Nana. So she began to draw Nana, who is seen here in profile, wearing a dress and high heels; she's obviously decked out for a ball. Nana is part of a matched set: Nana & Grampa, so Maïa drew Grampa, too. He, too, is wearing high heels, which elongates the look of the leg, as evidenced here.

The best part of this drawing, though, is that Maïa sounded out and wrote both "Nana" and "Grampa" on her own, with only a little help with writing the G. That's my girl!

Hallowe'en colouring, by Maïa

Maïa coloured this picture a few days before Hallowe'en. Notice the clever and creative use of colour. Notice also the little face on the witch's bag: "That's an ogre face." The little dots to the right are musical notes that are coming from the flute (the rectangular object with dots on it — the dots are the holes).

Hallowe'en drawings, by Maïa

The theme for this week at daycare is — surprise, surprise! — Halloween. Maïa drew this cat pumpkin, as she calls it. The lines coming out of its face are whiskers, which is self-evident, once you know. The eyes are in the shape of hearts. And you can see that the cat pumpkin is surrounded by little hearts, three of which have rounded bottoms, but one is done quite well, I would say! Oh, and that black blob on its head... that's a crown (all princesses need crowns, you know).


The main figure in this tableau is the cat at the centre. Note the vertical pupils in the cat's eyes: Derek told her about cats' pupils a couple of months ago. Her capacity to remember such things always amazes me. The figure to the right is Rapunzel. I'm not sure what she has to do with Halloween, but it's a pretty good likeness, I'd say. The figure to the left is another cat, which you can tell by the whiskers, pupils, and myriad claws.

More knitting (and some cross-stitch, too)

more...



This pattern was taken from an Icelandic book of knitting patterns that I found for a very reasonable price. I made a number of variations: Icelandic patterns, it would seem, are normally knit in the round (in one piece, knitting around and around, like a tube). I found it very difficult to do with so many colours, so I broke it up into pieces. Also, the colours are different than those called for in the pattern. But given that I have a Rubbermaid container FULL of yarn that my mother and mother-in-law have given me, I thought it wise to use what I had!

This particular yarn is a wool-acrylic blend that my mother-in-law had been using to make an afghan. She was tired of using the circular needles required to knit such a big piece, so she gave me the half-made blanket, yarn and needles and all and told me to do what I wished with it! The colours were so beautiful and rich, I couldn't resist taking them. They also all coordinate with my in-laws' home. I always joke with Derek that we shouldn't let Solanne wear this sweater to her Nana and Grampa's house because we'd never find her among the décor!



These are the two cross-stitch name samplers I made for my girls. I started Maïa's when I was pregnant with her and finished it in the months after she was born. I started Solanne's while I was pregnant, too, but only got around to completing it this past summer. I switched up the colours a bit for Solanne's to make it a bit different, but I liked the pattern so much that I couldn't bear to try to find another. It goes very well in their animal/Noah's ark-themed room.

Some knitting

This is the place where we'll post our latest creations. By "our" I mean mine and Derek's and Maïa's and Solanne's.

I'll start this blog with an entry on my latest knitting creations. Actually, things I've made in the past six months or so...


This is a little coat I knitted up for Maïa last spring. This is actually a pattern from the cover of my first knitting book, Monkey Suits. I liked knitting it because the pattern (like all patterns in this book) was relatively easy. I like the little details like the pockets, and the hat adds an extra je-ne-sais-quoi. Instead of the recommended blanket stitch around the edge, I decided that the coat and hat set needed a crochet border. So I learned a basic stitch that really cleaned up the look of the set. (There are also mitts that go with the set; one is done, I have yet to take the hour or so to do the other!)


This is actually the second time I've done this pattern. The first one was made in an oatmeal colour with burgundy trim for Solanne. She wore it last fall, winter, and spring. This particular sweater was made in a size 3 to 9 months, and it's also from the Monkey Suits collection. I whipped it up in about a week this summer for my cousin Shawn's new little baby boy, Joël. It's actually a very easy pattern, without any increases or decreases in the body of the sweater, and only a couple of increases in the sleeves. The hat was another matter, but it kept me on my toes, so it was fun (and it knit up in no time at all).


Derek loved this hoodie and was really excited about me making it. It had been on the back burner for a while, but the biggest size this pattern comes in is size 4, so it was now or never to make it for Maïa. I had a bagful of a wool-acrylic mix yarn that my mom gave me, so I didn't even have to buy any, which was a treat.

The body and hood is made of one piece, which reduces the amount of assembly at the end, but makes for a really long project; sometimes it's nice to have a few smaller pieces to make so that you feel like you're getting somewhere! This was the first time that I was using two colours to create a pattern, which is very different from using two colours to make stripes! It was also my first time making cables. My mother-in-law assured me that it was a cinch. I must admit that I wasn't convinced — until I tried it, that is. It took me exactly one try to get the hang of it, and now I'm ready for twisty and complicated cables... when I find the right pattern.