Scenes from the babysitting front, day two of five

Not a lot of time but here goes:

• If someone spills milk on the edge of the counter you might want to check to see if any went into the drawer below. Or the drawer below that. And the one on the bottom. Also check under the pot lids.
• If you were to pull off the tabs of the disposable diapers by mistake, black electrical tape works just great and is water proof.
• If you smell toast burning yes it may be because you are having a stroke.
• Or you may have burnt the toast.
• Do you know they now make spaghetti-Os in the shape of princess crowns? A good plan B if you don't have any bread left.
• Don't lose the pink bear.
• And don't say "where the hell is that bear?"
• They remember to tell those things.
• Why would a person who won't get into the car after pre-school because their sleeves are wet from painting want to stand in the rain without a jacket on because they don't get wet in the rain?
• Look behind the chair for the bear.
• The best person I have ever slept with may be this Golden Retriever.
• Nutella rocks.
• Before they leave make sure you know how the remote works.
• How was the debate?
• I got stuck on mute.
• If you draw a heart on a Hallowe'en monster it is not scary anymore.
• Nap time is over.

About blogging and being a noticed blogger

A little while ago I congratulated the Mood bloggers.

Coincidentally, I heard from a few folks who were not happy they were not chosen.

Listen, it's a great fabric store. 

I am quite happy to be a private citizen who can go there as this is allowing me to disguise my visits to a much missed son as fabric buying trips. I love Mood, and whole lot of other places in the garment district, and I have been thinking of them all there in NYC increasingly as the fabric store at the bottom of my hill becomes increasingly depressing.

That's where I am. Frankly my sewing is more about experimentation/stress relief/fooling around than distinguishing myself at this stage of the game when there is so much going on.

But I do understand. A long time ago I wrote a lot for Threads and had a good time doing it. Everything I thought was interesting they thought was interesting and that was just great.

However somewhere a long the line the editorial direction changed and I started to be sent ideas and fabric, and what I was doing for fun became an assignment. I remember being asked to do a piece on stripes and was sent some high stretch silk (try matching stripes in something really stretchy, under pressure) in a colour that I would never wear and more or less hated.

So I decided to give it a pass unless the project was what I wanted to do, and let's face it what I want to do is pretty erratic.

I admit however feeling slightly disgruntled when I saw other names in that magazine, even though the simpatico editors I had worked with had moved on, even though I had moved on.

It was no longer my turn.

I also had to remember that just because someone else was doing a great job didn't mean I wasn't.

This is a lesson I seem to keep learning and re-learning in my life.

In the family I am no longer the big cheese, although it causes me great pain to admit that. I thought around the table last night that I no longer am the one telling the funniest stories, I am more the listener, and more the person who packs up the leftovers, and does the dishes in a quiet house.

Of course I would give everything to have one of those meals we used to have, everyone at home, everyone on the verge of a food fight, but that stuff is happening more often than not at other tables.

But I like to think I was the one who taught them to make people laugh.

I just checked and there are 7 billion people in the world. Being a really deep thinker I have figured out that means I am not always the one chosen and that the high points are just going to come and go in my life.

I stopped doing radio when I was introduced as someone who used to be as a political operator and I don't want to be known as a "used to be."

Which sort of brings me to blogging, although not really.

Why do any of us blog?

To be famous, discovered, appreciated?

Well some bloggers are, and good for them because there is a lot of work in excellent blogging.

Sometimes I am slack about it and I am well aware that the garments I show are not as wonderful as the clothes I was sewing when I had more time, and maybe when I took it all more seriously too.

Sometimes I wonder if it is worth it, particularly when someone emails me and tells me off, but then I read a comment and someone tells me that they spit out their coffee when they read something I wrote because it seemed true or funny to them that morning and I kind of find it reassuring to know I am not alone in the world.

Don't we all?

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving

I am turkeyed out so this will not be all that coherent. Sort of like my fly paper thoughts, only the just-loaded-the- dishwasher version.

First of all with all the cooking going on my sewing this weekend has been limited. Another Adele top which is in a nice very soft rayon but this will do the pointed hem tops for me for a while. Time to move on.

Too tired to put it on me, and even the dress form is off kilter, so this is more an evidence than an illuminating photo.

Now onto what is firing around in my head tonight:

• Thank you for the coat feedback. The first one is more me and I felt that in my gut too. Have to decide if current fabric options in the sewing room are up to scratch or if I need to get something worthy
• Pattern hasn't arrived yet so I have lots of good angst time left
• My kingdom for a news anchor whose upper lip still moves.
• Three-year-olds think cookies shaped like turkeys and look like they were iced in the dark or at least by someone who left her glasses in the car are perfectly normal and in fact great.
• Do any of my Australian readers remember what wonderful fabric departments Buckley's and Myers had in Melbourne?
• If they are gone now don't tell me.
• I have been on a fabric diet since May and my nerves are shot
• I am going to knit that sweater again, one day, except this time get it right
• At least I can knit socks
• For both feet
• I miss my son in New York so much
• His sister will see him next
• I have a great recipe for pickled crudities if you are interested
• Helps counter balance the gravy.
• My husband cooks the turkey at 425 and it is succulent
• I was through the menopause before I found out you could cook anything above 350
• My sister-in-law gave me a seam ripper in a leather case
• I would not buy this for myself
• She is an ace
• Starting Thursday I am babysitting the two little girls, 1 and 3, for five days.
• The baby is still nursing 6 times a day
• This is Monday night
• I might not work on a coat muslin this weekend
• If you don't get enough email, try making a political reference on a blog
• All I was saying was where's staff?
• I am still saying that
• Do you think the kids will watch the VP debate with me?
• Might, we will all be up
• Bake at 350 blog has the best sugar cookie recipe ever
• See 350
• I am getting more exercise and cutting back on portions
• I have put on four pounds
• And that was before turkey cookies
• I used to be an ace with really little kids
• Wonder if that's still true
• Wonder what my sister in law is doing this weekend
• I need to sit down and do a whack of pattern reviews for pattern review
• Do you think I should do a SWAP this year?

I completely have no shame

You will see what I mean.

Everyone knows the purpose of a blog is to show other folks how skilled you are, all you make, and how well.

That's not going to be happening here tonight.

I finished my darling Heidi baby's hoodie and it really is full of mistakes.

This pattern, knit in one piece with all sorts of fancy (to me) increases and decreases, was way beyond my skill level.

Sort of like a sewer who had done a very nice apron and Christmas tree skirt doing the Channel jacket.

Listen I learned a lot. 

Learned things even other than the fact that I have a very long way to go before my knitting is ever to me what my sewing is. 

My problem with this project was the pattern which was one you couldn't see from the wrong side, not like patterns where you can see what is happening in the row below and anticipate what you are supposed to do from that. With this pattern you had to turn it around before you could see it was messed up and this often not until you had done a bit of knitting and increasing decreasing a few inches later.

I ripped out about as much as I knitted. Over and over again. And the TV debate was not much help.

But I finished it, and being an unreasonably optimistic, I like to think of this as sort of evidence of the triumph of the human spirit rather than a small sweater totally full of embarrassing mistakes. 

Also it is amazing to me how much the camera in fact does not lie. I don't need to point out my tortured errors because they are pretty obvious but you know it does fit her perfectly.

The other grandmother, who was also at the party and is a truly competent craftsperson, commented that it will be covered with drool soon and no one will ever know I purled when I was supposed to knit, which I thought was pretty nice of her.

I want you to know this was not all I gave the baby for her first birthday.

Moving forward, after I got this all wrapped up this afternoon I decided it would be good for my self-esteem if I sewed something.

So I whipped up this Adele top from StyleArc. I have made this top before and it used up some knit I was going to make a summer dress from, but after this hot summer I decided that rayon knit dresses are not completely cool. In fact after a sweaty summer I ended up wearing my rayon challis dresses most and have since decided that really is the best cool summer fabric. 

Unless you count seersucker or a nice cotton lawn, and other things I want to add to my stash as soon as I get myself within a thousand miles of a decent fabric store.

Oh yes the picture:

I told my photographer to be more artistic so he shot this from up higher.

I also got my hair cut by a new hairdresser I really like today. A complete Nova Scotia character. She told me while she was cutting this afternoon that she realized early in her career she had a true calling.

Years ago we had a mine disaster in the province (Springhill if you are from here you know it) and her sister, also a hairdresser, heard that the women were all holed up in a hall waiting for news, you know those awful waits that go on for days. So my hairdresser and her sister packed up their gear and went to the hall to help out.

"We did hair straight for three days. Best we could do and at least they looked good."

I think she and I are going to get along.

Now I am going to leave you with a question.

I have some wonderful sort of beige gabardine type heavy water resistant fabric that is the tail end of my last NYC trip haul from last year.

I am considering two patterns. 

Looking at the person who is a terrible knitter shot from above in the last picture which one do you think would work best? I need to do some decent sewing to get my creative legs back:

And finally finally, now the sweater is done I am catching up on my very neglected blog reading and want to congratulate the talented sewers and US bloggers who are part of the new Mood network.

I am thrilled to see so many familiar faces and really will enjoy seeing their creations. Just like you learn so much from a pattern when you see it made up, it will be very useful to see some Mood fabric turned into garments - so much more instructive than a small square on the computer screen.

I am putting together my shopping list for November and geared up to be inspired.

Still knitting that sweater

Only three days to go until the birthday.

I was thinking if the baby was in Brownies I would have badges I could sew over the mistakes, but as she is turning one that isn't an option. And I wouldn't be much of a grandmother if I wrote on the card "here you go this nearly killed me."

Seriously though I have learned a lot and the next one, if hell freezes over, would be perfect.

I recommend Crafty workshops though. Gives you somewhere to post messages like "someone help me" and "never mind I just read the instructions."

So that's the life update, apart from my job, which I am doing between rows, and the fact that I am pretty sure I put in a massive order to StyleArc in my sleep last night.

I will sew again.

Have a good weekend

I had this idea I would save time with the baby's cardigan if I had a pattern that did not call for much sewing up. This one is a bottom up raglan where you do the sleeves in the round then attach them to the body.

It appears that I have knitted on the sleeves so the underarms are at the top and the sleeve cap underneath.

This was not as easy to do as you might think. 

Also my seed stitch appears to be punctuated by blocks of mistaken stockinette which I am hoping, because they are so regular, might look like a very progressive pattern. Is there such a thing as an edgy baby sweater?

Maybe not in Nova Scotia.

I'm quitting for the night, not because I think it will look better in the morning but because my dear husband has signed me up for his company's golf tournament tomorrow.

It will be fun he says, just relax and have a good time. No one will care you can't really golf, just a friendly game.

With a bunch of men. 

Right. 

Not likely to be competitive at all. 

And the prize for the winners is a trip for two to some place this golfer will never be seeing.

Real casual game.

I was going to be making some sort of an outfit for this event but I have been busy knitting some sleeves in upside down.

So I went and bought a jacket and some pants as Costco as I do not really want to overinvest in this thing.

You didn't know Costco carried golf clothing did you?

Well they don't.

Over and out. 

Still knitting ...

Time marches on and I am getting closer to that birthday.

This is the sweater I am making. I don't really need a class but the pattern was what I was looking for.


OK, maybe I need a class, I skim instructions to my own detriment, and having things written out really s-l-o-w-l-y is helpful.

Plus seed stitch hides a lot.

I took a break from this and started a knitted doll but am back to my sweater.

The doll so far is looking like something my dad used to throw for the dog when he was training her to retrieve, except it has red shoes. And so far no head. Which actually is just like the dog toy come to think of it. She was a chewer.

The other break I took was the big seasonal wardrobe change over when things from the basement go into the closet, and things from the closet go into the basement.

I like doing this job a lot more when it is summer clothes I am bringing up.

It is amazing to me how I go overboard in one direct and make wardrobe holes.

A few years ago it was dresses. Then I had my skirt year and lately it has been cardigan jackets. Suddenly I have far too many tops and no pants really that are all that presentable except for a few pairs, so I am going to have to attack that once this sweater is done.

Where are you standing the beginning of this season?

What are the holes in your wardrobe and how did it happen? Are there somethings you can sew but don't? Are you still struggling with a TNT?

I could do with a sewing discussion right now.