Story Dice for Ursa

Once upon a time there was a friend of Safiya's named Ursa who liked to make up stories and who was having a seventh birthday.

Fortunately, Safiya's Mama was blessed with a solitary morning. This was because Safiya and Mr. S. had gone to proctor an exam at the university (it was Safiya's job to hand out the exams and remind everyone not to cheat). Safiya's Mama enjoyed her blissful morning by gathering up some supplies and leisurely crafting a birthday present for Ursa, having been inspired by some ideas for story dice that she saw posted on The Crafty Crow, by The Small Object, and by fo`ne`tic`lee speaking. It involved using her rather rusty drawing skills, but she approached the task with courage.


A house, ant, hot air balloon, orange shoes, green cat, blue elephant, clothesline, hopscotch, tree, paintbrush, bicycle, wings, wheelbarrow, mountain, rainclouds, stars, red purse, and birthday cake (with seven candles!) later, Safiya's Mama was quite pleased. She added some beeswax polish, a little sewn book (made from lined paper and a wallpaper sample from Farrow and Ball), a draw-string bag and ta-da!


A little bag of endless story possibilities, just waiting to come out!

Safiya's Doll

This is not some horrible doll-torture picture. It is the loving process of adding the final touches to a very special addition to Safiya's world.

A while ago Safiya came to me with a request. She wanted a doll, nay longed for a doll. A proper doll that she could practise on for when The Bump arrives. She has a fair amount of stuffed animals (ahem, thank you, extended family...), but we'd not ventured into doll territory yet. Fortunately my friend Katharine had recently made Waldorf dolls for her kids using kits from Weir Dolls and Crafts, and had reported very favourably on the whole process.

Safiya and I chose the components together, and in this case, considering the imminent arrival of The Bump (we're now at about a week-ish to go....) and my propensity for procrastination and the whole I've-never-done-this-before thing, I chose a pre-stuffed head, pre-sewn fabric body parts, and partially assembled hair.

Safiya's growing excitement was infectious, and it was satisfying, trying this new thing. We stuffed and talked and planned and sewed. And I came to appreciate the instructions that were stated with regards to attaching the head to the body: "This will be difficult..."

Right, I thought smugly, that's for people who don't sew. Ha! It was hard! Which is good :-)

And when she was done, Safiya took her in her arms tenderly and named her Charlotte.


She looks happy to be here, and is well-loved, like any new addition to our family.

...And Then There Are Socks

Isn't that a lovely scene? Indulgent and practical at the same time - the perfect combination. I really loved this class. Nevermind that coffee and yarn and needles was included; two hours on each of two Saturdays in the warm sunshine at the front of The Purple Purl and ta-da! my fear of knitting socks is a thing of the past, courtesy of Kate Atherly, our instructor. (She's the Technical Editor for Socks at Knitty - I love that there is such a person). I wish I had taken a picture of the inspiring, decadent pile of hand-knit socks that she brought with her - they were gorgeous! And, she showed us how to calculate the pattern for custom-fit socks - be still my beating heart (and ginormous feet!)

She was patient ("oh, that's o.k. - the swatch was really supposed to be ribbing instead of garter stitch, but why don't you go ahead and work a few rows while I talk about this next thing"), straightforward and helpful ("you're really twisted up here, I'll just rip out this little bit and get you started again"), and observant ("hmmmm, I'm not sure about your purl stitch - if you try it this way, you find your knit stitch easier to do). This is why, for me and knitting, a class is the way to go :-)

I like the light in this next photo, because really, it's a sacred moment, me actually having knit that much of a sock (and that photo is a day or two old, so there's almost double that now :-)....


I also learned that I cannot knit socks and talk at the same time, although I'm working on it. Also, fitting knitting into the day is a skill in and of itself. But I love the portability of knitting, and that even if I only put a few rows on each day, socks work up pretty quickly. And did I mention that I love wool socks? I'm committed, now...thanks Kate!

There Are Socks...

These are my favourite socks. Wollen, warm, cozy, cushiony - they are the perfect cold weather socks. Consigned to the back of the sock drawer (if Mr. S. detects holey socks he chucks them!), they lay there forlorn until, inspired by Becky's darning post, I decided to rescue them.

I probably could have winged it, but I approach any new skill with hesitation (what if I mess up darning socks? what horrible unremovable mistakes could result?), so I used a Very Instructive Video.

This is my fuzzy in-process-shot (having no darning mushroom around, I instead availed myself of a lightbulb):


And this is my not-much-better results shot (black-on-black yarn doesn't show well, sorry, but look - no hole!):


And now they are cozy-comfy on my feet again! Oh thrift, how I love thee.....

Many Words for a Good Week

See that light coming back into the house? That's another kind of new year for me. And that light arrived at the same time as a whole cascade of good things.

It started with an amazing community dinner. We had taken a break from the monthly community dinners in December, so it was good to gather with familiar and new folk, laugh in the kitchen, and eat hearty.

The next day my friend Tanya (who lives on the opposite side of the city - is it wrong that I not-so-secretly hope when they have to move they can't find a place in their neighbourhood and come to the east end? Hey...hey! Over here - it's cheaper here! :-) visited with her two (really lovely) kids. We re-connected, ordered Thai food and just hung out for the afternoon.

Saturday, well, last Saturday was a real treat. I had finally signed up for.....sock knitting! Woolen socks are right up there for me with chocolate, a thorough foot rub, and good sex, and I kept telling myself that it couldn't be that hard to learn. Bought a book and everything. Ignored book and sighed over expensive wool socks. Envied my friend Katharine's sock knitting prowess. Finally splurged (i.e. spent money on myself, which never happens without the prerequisite guilt) and signed up for a sock knitting class at The Purple Purl. It was indulgent and perfect and I'll write a bit more about it soon. This is the very first sock I knit, which Safiya is keeping for The Bump (which is what she calls her little brother-to-be). It is ridiculously small and I am inordinately proud of it:


Sunday a dinner with long neglected friends who Safiya adores. Anna and Carla leave this imprint on me, a kind of saturated, vivid emotional prism of light that does the heart wonders. Sustenance for Refik, Safiya and I came in the form of wonderful food, crazy laughter, surprise musical talents, and oil pastels. Our collective creative endeavours from that night now have a place of honour on the playroom wall:


And then last Monday came a crazy day where somehow things fell into place and a friend selflessly made the day so much easier. "Hey - no worries, Safiya can hang with us until Mr. S. can pick her up." "Hey - why don't you borrow our car?....and my cell phone." This from someone whose days are more hectic than mine. That help enabled me to in turn to be there for someone else, and I'm overwhelmed in a good way and constantly grateful.

And, on that same day, she gave me this:



Come on. It's a crocheted thyroid! It's beyond awesome, and I clutched it all day, a talisman to remind me where strength really comes from.

Then it was another great community lunch, a happy playdate for Safiya with a friend, and her circus class on Wednesday (where I witnessed her struggle with the idea of crazy groups of kids but also get in there like a dirty shirt and proudly master some new moves). Thursday I dragged her to a free lunchtime Canadian Opera Company concert ("I don't want to go!) which was so wonderfully crowded that we had to sit on the floor. She was mesmerised, as was I. Afterwards we tried a new sushi place and eagerly discussed which concerts we'd be able to go to in the following weeks. That day I also watched her swim. I mean really swim. It was short 'cause she's not quite mastered not swallowing the whole pool yet, but her little legs kicked and I could see where grace is going to soon emerge from that new-ability-awkwardness.

End up the week with a Friday-house-full-of-kids and good conversation, good homemade food, and just goodness all round, top it off with a Saturday where I wore grown-up clothes to a fabulous dinner at our friends' house with other grown-ups and our kids played and we stayed up late talking and then walked home on a just-past-full-moon night, and that will get you here.

Here. Safiya and Mr. S. went swimming together today. I sewed and listened to a little Ms. Reynolds. There was baking. Safiya requested to have that "really yummy soup" that we made together for lunch at dinner again. And, the house is clean. There's nothing sexier than a husband scrubbing the bathroom tiles in his boxers and socks :-) I'm also exhausted physically and have wicked heartburn, 'cause that's what The Bump does to me. I probably won't sleep very much tonight because of said heartburn.

But it's all good, and I wanted to write it down, and then go and dream of it....

Mending Mondays

Having recently removed the last remnants of Things That Do Not Belong from my studio in the basement back to their rightful places all over the rest of the house (post-bathroom renovation), I was aghast to see that my mending pile had secretly and mysteriously procreated when I wasn't looking. I say "mending pile" as if it's had that allocation my entire life. As if my mother had a Mending Pile to which she tended, and so I too, was destined to have a Mending Pile.

This one got created late last night....corralled might be a more appropriate term. And so, I have instituted Mending Mondays. Today it was buttons. And also, the removal of some embellishment on a thrift store jacket find for Safiya. I get that she's a girl and she likes glitter, but I fail to see the need for a bunch of sequins to be situated at her hip on a jacket as if she's going to toss her hair and wink at me from across the kitchen. She's four.

So, because it takes me ten minutes to eat breakfast and it takes Safiya nearly ten times that, my fingers were kept busy while she ate and drew and we chatted about things that matter to us both, mainly dinosaurs and time machines. Unfortunately, any documentation of my progress did not turn out well, due to the dim light this morning.

Why dim, you ask?


Arg! Snow! or...rain?....Whatever!....Bah!



The bunnies want to go outside and play.....


We made do with crossing the backyard for an impromptu tea party in our currently-being-fixed-up-shed. Just us, tea, and the wood shavings, while it was miserable outside. It was lovely, really....

..............................................

p.s. I think my early morning mending enthusiasm might have stemmed from the Repair Manifesto (found via Swiss Miss) which might get carved into our fridge, I like it so much ;-)

Process and Pleasure

Pleasure can mean letting go...forgetting and focusing...existing in that liquid, effortless bit of time where judgments and qualifiers slide off you and it feels like it's forever and nothing all at once.

All of that to describe an afternoon of potato stamps.

I hadn't done potato stamps since I was a kid, and it was Safiya's first try. We decided to make cards, and her suggestion was for us each to pick an animal and a colour and then people "would know who the card was from."

The T-Rex gave me confidence.




Soon it will be solstice...preparations are being made...

Who Are You And What Have You Done With My Daughter?

This morning (and it's still Thursday) Safiya woke up and turned into some other little girl - that's the only way I can figure it out. The thing is, not only does she love pink, she detests green (except for trees and broccoli) and that's the Way It Has Been. Well, she's not vehement about it, just matter-of-fact - "But Mama, that dress has green in it." "Here you go, Mama, you can have the green ones!" And when beloved Granny gave her a t-shirt in said colour (what was she thinking?), Safiya just looked bewildered and said "But it's green?"

Today when she looked in her closet for what to wear, the first thing she picked up was a pair of underwear - "Oh, look! My little green underwear! Aren't they cuuuute?" As if it was a lost puppy. And then "And now I need a beautiful green shirt".....Wha-Huh?

But to top it all off, after searching for green pants or shorts or anything, she turned to me and said "Mama, can you make me a green skirt?"

Be still, my beating heart!

She picked out the fabric. No pattern (obviously), just chalk and guesstimating. Had to phone my Mom about putting in elastic. Near melt-down trying to get her to try it on for fitting (it wasn't done yet, you see...)


And all of the sudden it was noon and lunch-time. Time flies when you're having fun!

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It just dawned on me from those pictures....those legs, her legs.....they don't belong to a baby, do they.....sigh....those are definitely little girl legs.....time really does fly.......

Renew

This morning this:


turned into this:


It's almost done (just have to attach the ribbon around the middle somehow), partly due to the fact that when Safiya saw the pink elephants, she wanted to wear it right away, and partly due to the fact that the back of my throat feels as though it's been filed away with a nail file... *cough*...*bleh*...at least it's me and not the babe....

Refashioning clothing is kind of new to me as well. I mean, I've cut arms off things before (the original sweater above sacrificed its arms to make arm-warmers for Safiya), whipped up a few hems, sewed stuff for the house, but never tried to re-attach things. The ruffles on the arms above? yeah, I meant to do that...but the neat thing is it turned out better than I had envisioned! It's tricky, but very rewarding. I've been seriously considering taking the wardrobe refashion challenge, (we follow most of the "rules" anyway around here, and it looks like so much fun), but I think I'll keep my commitments manageable-ish right now.

There's so much more from this weekend's craft foray, but I'll soon swoon (I hate being under-the-weather), so I'll just leave you with this image of sweetness from our weekend jaunt in the park with friends:

In Which Everyone Gets a Colour of Their Own

Last night, during that inbetween time after dinner and before bed, while Safiya and her Babo (that's Dad in her other language) were playing "going to the tea-store" and "going to the hot chocolate store",

I made this little guy:

A little while back, Safiya noted that her baby microbe (who is actually a pimple: propionibacterium acnes) was in need of a Babo. In her world, there is heavy emphasis on completion of the family these days, and while she is aware that there is a wonderful variety of families out there, to her two-year mind, if there's a baby, there'd better darn well be a Mama close by and yes, a Babo too would be nice. Her Mama microbe (ear ache: s. pneumoniae) was a gift, and one day we saw another of its kind in a store which she promptly declared was the baby. The baby is a beloved stuffed...animal?...and they both hail from this line of toys (genius idea). And, trying to stay in the crafty (and frugal) spirit, I thought..."how hard can it be?" Well, now we have the whole family (though the Babo's looking a little rough around the edges):


Why does the Mama have a blue elastic around its neck? Simple. She's a Mama and so she's blue. Everyone in Safiya Land is assigned a colour. She (and any other baby) is pink (obviously), I'm blue, Babo is green, her Granny is yellow (my Mom has blonde hair), and so on...the interesting thing is that now she remembers a lot more people than colours, so there has been some sharing of colours, some learning of new color names (maybe Auntie Mel can be fuchsia?), and some demotion (if you go from a primary or secondary to a tertiary colour you've been demoted).

Stuffed animals don't usually get me all warm and cuddly - I've always been more of a book and blanket kind of person (of course, that changes when you have a child and you consider building an addition so that the stuffed animals and dolls can live in the comfort that they deserve), but Hillary at Wee Wonderfuls makes probably the most charming stuffed dolls and animals (her picture, not mine):


and she is a generous crafter: there is a toy make-a-long, and free patterns - I highly recommend going and having a look. I also like Florence's Flying Star Toys, and if you're looking for a fair trade doll, check out Nova Natural for Waldorf style dolls (Martha has her own version).

The Babo microbe was immediately accepted with delight, and the first thing Safiya said was "But Mama, he has a pink mouth. He doesn't need a pink mouth, he needs a green mouth!"

Obviously!

Yesterday's Post

Yesterday's post is in photo format. I took the first of Kerri's 100 ideas, and instead of actually picking up things on my walk, I took photos of my walk from our house to the grocery store (gorgeous day!). Just a mundane, everyday kind of thing, but I was wondering what it might look like through a lens. I tried to take pictures without thinking about it too much, just focus on what I was drawn to and click. Probably every amateur photographer/artist has done this kind of thing, but I don't care...I've never done it before. Maybe next time I'll be more adventurous and take pictures of every person I meet on the way, but I'm not that bold...yet.
It took a while to figure out how to put it all together, and in the end I opted for a collage template from my HP editor-thingy, as it was all taking a great deal of time! I don't have any great insights into this mini-project, however. The beginning process I enjoyed, but editing photos is something at which I am not adept, and for which I do not have the proper programs, I suspect. So there was a certain element of frustration which I didn't anticipate. Maybe frustration and creative process is something worth exploring. Is it useful? Is it something that you can train out of yourself? I suppose it arises out of impatience and feeling pressed for time....ah there's that time thing again.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Today wasn't a crafting day. It was a phone people, figure out why the dryer isn't working, pick chocolate muffin off the floor, laugh with Safiya, explain that some animals eat other animals (don't ask), smell the fresh air (it was +6 degrees today!) kind of day. Throughout the day I was itching to get to my knitting, but that's the nice thing about knitting - it's patient.

Underneath it all was that bubbling, thinking, twitchy finger feeling. And then the wonderfulness of Kerri Smith came across my screen. I'm not a paper crafts kind of person (although I love wrapping presents), and painting downright frightens me (what if I get it wrong? isn't that a strange thought?), but one of the points of this experiment is to push me beyond comfort into that other place. The universe has been prodding me toward collage as well, which again, is foreign to me. However, one of my favourite words is palimpsest and so, and idea:


And, as a before bedtime present, here is Kerri's 100 ideas - sweet dreams!