a long, long, time

i just checked in at ravelry, and realised i hadn't updated anything there in a long, long time... two baby cardigans have moved from wip to fo (one almost two months ago), and i have re-awakened a cowichan-style cardigan project for the kiddo, which i set aside sometime before xmas so i could concentrate on the one i made for my husband.

the fronts and backs of "invadin ur space" are done, following the videogame theme, and on the weekend i joined the shoulder seams and added the collar. last night i charted the sleeve pattern. i wanted something a little different from the all-over aliens pattern of the body, so i took my inspiration from this photo i found on wikimedia commons, taken by billy hicks at an amusement arcade in lyme regis. it's a japanese space invaders arcade cabinet, and i charted one of the alien gorilla beasties for the sleeve. not sure yet whether the second sleeve will be a mirror image, or different beastie.

it's here! it's here!

the fabric i ordered from spoonflower is here!

the eye of novelty fabric is going to be a shirt for the kiddo. when he saw it, he said, "if that's a shirt, i will wear it every day."

and this is the cottage curtains fabric, a project that's a long time coming. i really like the look of it. have to get up there soon, so i can compare it to the real thing and see if it needs tweaking!

and it was all yellow

so watching bye bye birdie the other day made me fall in love with yellow all over again. everyone was wearing yellow in that film - from ann margret's iconic dress from the opening sequence, to janet leigh's fringed number (and her brassiere), to various minor characters (including the little brother's pyjamas).

it's like a breath of fresh air, all fluffy sweetness and light, combined with the lovely silhouette of that era, probably the last year with a hint of dior's new look before mod took over.

so of course i wanted a taste of that, and took advantage of a rare day for myself, and pulled out the elna supermatic. i had bought some yellow gingham a while ago with the intention of making myself a summery ensemble, and the day had come!

now, i know i have more sewing patterns "somewhere" but of course no simple blouse pattern was presenting itself, so i drafted one. and i am pleased to say, it fit perfectly with no alterations required!

usually i fall prey to some form of body dysmorphia and over-compensation and over-compensation for over-compensation, which requires some taking in or disturbingly misplaced darts. but this time i got it right. even the collar sits perfectly. yay!

and lots of nice compliments when i wore it to work the next day.

think i'll be making another blouse or too from this pattern. i'm very keen on the "sleeveless/short-sleeved blouse under a cardigan" look, lately. a bit prim, but that is fine.

i also made a half-circle skirt to go with - the effect of a shirtwaist dress, but more practical/versatile for me. i love the half-circle cut. and it is easy easy to do. and somewhat more wearable than a full circle! because the gingham is such a lightweight fabric, it's fully lined in cotton muslin.

more buttery birdie loveliess:

one of those days

this is one of those days where you just don't want to do anything. it's supposed to be gorgeous, so really i ought to go out and enjoy it, but for now i think i'm just going to settle in with some fluff (bye bye birdie perhaps, or maybe basil rathbone as sherlock) and eat brownies.

these brownies are "sort of" healthy, due to being made with zucchini and whole wheat flour. but you'd never know it, no doubt because there's also a cup and a half of butter in there, and chocolate chips.

they are super-easy to make, too.

zucchini brownies
3 cups grated zucchini (i grated 3 zucchini)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups butter, melted & allowed to cool
2 cups white sugar
2 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda

combine zucchini, eggs, butter, and sugar. stir.

sift in dry ingredients. stir till just combined.

pour in a greased & floured 9 x 13" baking dish. bake at 350f for 50-60 minutes, or till it doesn't jiggle in the middle.

happy anniversary to us!

haven't been able to post for a bit as i was afraid to see if i had completely destroyed my card reader. there was an incident with a leaky takeout box containing pastel de tres leches. if you've never tried it, you should, especially if you love sweet and sticky dairy products. just don't put it in a takeout container and then stick that container in your handbag. which should be obvious, but whatever.

anyway, the black radish recipe i ended up going with was the simplest one: the buttered black radish from israeli kitchen. basically, the recipe is this: slice them up and saute in butter till done. what could go wrong? nothing actually. the kiddo turn up his nose at them, but my brother in law polished off the leftovers and said "what is this stuff? it's good!"





and, as i said, it was our anniversary the other day. the traditional gift for a 7th anniversary is wool.

sigh.

so sad to hear of the cuts at the nfb.

73 jobs lost, mediatheques closing. all to save less than $7 million, less than a rounding error on the cost of the unnecessary fighter jets we're so keen to purchase.

i worked at the nfb about a decade ago, albeit briefly. due to cost-cutting measures they had not at that time hired anyone on a full-time permanent basis in years - everyone was on contract. the terms of many contracts stipulated that they could only be renewed after a 1-month gap of service (i suppose to prevent any attempt by a contractor to argue that they were a proper employee and deserving of a measure of job security), so although my boss wanted me to stay, and wanted to re-hire me after my gap, i couldn't realistically afford to stay in such a shaky position.

it was a very frugal place to work. i remember once needing a floppy disc (remember those? worth maybe a dollar?), and having to justify my use of it to the office manager before she was willing to unlock the small supplies cabinet. our holiday party was a far cry from the lavish events i attended in the private sector - we all chipped in for pizza and boxed wine, then went out to karaoke at a dive bar. i don't think the nfb contributed a cent. we had a great time though.

i also remember the reactions i got from americans when i tried to explain where i worked. a government agency to produce documentaries and animated shorts? amazing! the universal reaction was that the nfb was one of those things that made canada truly awesome. the dozens of international awards and nominations demonstrate that that view is widely held.

a widely-respected organization that's fiscally prudent - what's not to love? apparently nothing is too good for the flaherty chopping block.

curly-writing cookies

so the kiddo asked me a week or two to show him how to read curly writing. he doesn't entirely understand that it's the same letters written a different way (i.e. he'll see a printed word and say "how do you spell that in curly writing?") but i thought cookies would be a fun way to learn the concept of making a letter out of a single line (or rope of cookie dough). also, cookies.



these are just plain sugar cookies from the much-loved "cake and cooky cookbook" published by family circle 50 or 60 years ago. some are a bit thicker than others, so some needed a bit more baking than others. and someone lost interest in curly writing and just rolled out the dough with his very own rolling pin. they're tasty either way!



he doesn't have his own apron (yet), so he's wearing my old craft smock from when i was his age. my mother made it for me, same dark green as a chalkboard, with white bias trim and my name embroidered on the pocket!