Month: January 2010

Quilting homework

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 19/01/2010

I kind of hate doing the sewing at home because it hurts my back. Well, and because it’s just more fun when there’s a group of like-minded people all messing around with fabric together. And, to be perfectly honest-and my mother can attest to this truth-I’ve never been big on homework. Ever. I think the last time I did homework, realistically, was around grade 3. After that? Forget it.

Here are blocks 3 and 4, a log cabin and a 9 patch respectively.

log cabin  9 patch

I had to cheat a little on the log cabin, the checkery green and yellow strip on the left side should run the entire length but I ran out of fabric so I put the darker green across the bottom all the way across. You probably wouldn’t notice unless you were a pro. The 9 patch is funny, the geisha fabric is this somewhat horrible fabric that was a nightie that I got at Value Village a million years ago, it’s got stains and paint on it and I had to back it with fusable…stuff. I love that it’s finally found a crafty home in my world.

While I am still doubtful that I will ever be a quilter, it’s been a fun class so far!

Phone

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 17/01/2010

I got a new phone the other day. My old, crappy phone was no longer holding a charge so it felt like time to trade up for something half decent. Half decent, she says? Ok, I got an iphone. And guess what! I LOVE IT!!! It takes great pictures on top of everything. And while I haven’t documented my haircut (yesterday) I did take a picture of Bill Baker doing what he does best: gossiping. I mean, tattooing. He’s opening a real shop soon, I can’t wait.

Old man Baker.

I got to tease him about getting old-he’s almost ready for that senior’s discount.

Then on my way home today from grocery shopping, there were 2 pictures propped up in the doorway of the Salvation Army store, someone’s generous donation. I tell you what, I am heading back there tomorrow for the bigger of the 2, the photograph of the big orange pussy cat. I’m thinking I’ll give it to Bill to decorate his new shop, lovely!

regal kitty  kittens

I like the kittens too. How to chose?

The whole fambly

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 15/01/2010

This is what we looked like…a long time ago. My mom’s had short hair for so long that I can barely remember this look at all. I do remember wondering who she was for a while when she did cut it off. And I still have that kilt, I could go poke it right now if I felt so inclined.

the family is here.

I look exactly the same now. More pictures of a similar ilk to come.

Wee Cait

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 13/01/2010

Don’t look at my underwear, ok?

Yes, I already posted this on facebook, so what? The date on the back is May 1974, “Just before Caitlin’s second birthday”, in my mom’s handwriting. I think we had our pictures done regularly at Sears (or…wherever) because we had relatives in England that we didn’t get to see regularly. My sister has a picture of the entire family that is SO brilliant, I wish she’d send me a copy-HINT HINT!

Panama

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 13/01/2010

I keep forgetting to post a picture of these. When we were in Panama, at Yandup Lodge, I bought a bunch of molas from women in the local village. I think all 4 of these cost me less than $40. I haven’t figured out what to do with them yet, but everything works out eventually.

molas

There were so many different designs to chose from, it was hard to pick. There were even Santa Claus themed molas that made me laugh, but I resisted those. I think I might talk about Panama a lot in real life to anyone who’s willing to listen, but I really, truly loved our time there. I dreamed about being in the main lodge, last night, looking across the water to the village.

I also need to figure out a way to hang the hammocks Ulti helped me buy from the Colombian (?) boat. One day.

I am a quilting b

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 12/01/2010

I started a night school course at The Workroom in Parkdale-the quilting sampler course. I’ve done plenty sewing in my life, but I will be first to admit it’s all been pretty slap-dash. Quilting is the polar opposite of slap-dash, you need to be very precise, measuring, cutting, pinning, all those things I’ve never been too careful about in the past. This is teaching me patience, for sure. The first block I made-in class-I wasn’t thrilled with. I realized, in hindsight, that the red/pink gingham fabric has elastic in it, BOOOO. And sew against shantung silk just made things go all twonky. So I started a new block, same pattern, tonight at home and it turned out marginally better. I still need to get a hang of pinning.

block  block 2

I also need to practice ironing. The second block I made used an old pillow case I had (the centre square) and a weird night dress I bought a million years ago (the pink/black triangles). The rest of it is new.

There was band practice tonight so Shannon and Ari built a nest in the tub and read more Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The looked super cute:

tub reading

And I took a bunch of self portraits and this is the only one I vaguely liked.

Not my hat.

What’s the difference anyway?

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 10/01/2010

Since switching (back) to knitting-from crocheting-I’ve noticed my attitude towards yarn has changed drastically. Because crochet is such a yarn suck, I pretty much used acrylic yarns exclusively. They work great for amigurumi anyway, cheap and bright. Now that old stash lays dormant in my bins, and I buy nicer yarn for knitting.

Here’s my current stash basket, full of beautiful yarn, needles, patterns, yarn labels, snips, magazines and candy-everything a knitter needs. It’s an old laundry basket, lined with cotton, and I sewed  pockets from retired jeans  around the perimiter to use as needle holders. I also got a makeup brush holder from Body Shop and use that for smaller dpn’s.

basket of glorious yarns

Ziploc bags are also a knitter’s best friend. The 2 big balls in the middle were a gift from Ashley, delicious chunkiness from Nora Allen.  I’m thinking beret. Or mittens.

More stuff I love: I’m on a rose perfume kick right now. It started with a need for soap in the bathroom, we always have a supply of Dr.Bronner’s, usually peppermint because it’s nice and tingly feeling, but I bought a small bottle of the rose scented soap last time, just to try it out and I LOVE it. It’s so pretty smelling, not like granny underwear drawer at all. Now I also have rose perfume from Noah’s and it’s awesome.

Signed a little person up for her first gymnastic classes this morning. She starts on Wednesday and couldn’t be more excited about it. The gym is a block from our house, so that’s nice too. There’s actually an adult’s class once a week that I am seriously considering joining. Maybe baby.

Now I am off to buy cat food for the old grey rag!

Whatever the opposite of gorgeousness is

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 06/01/2010

Shannon and Ari were watching some documentary about animals on the verge (as in, the last one in the world) of exctinction and paused it at this screen shot. Lord. I stared at this for half an hour while he made dinner.  Never has the name Turdy been more appropriate.

unnnggggh.

It’s not a caption, it’s a subtitle. I wasn’t listening, so I don’t actually know what was being said about this gruesome beautiful anus turtle.

Gorgeousness and gorgeosity

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 06/01/2010

I got this yarn in the mail (fishy wishy in a dishy, 105g, 400yds) yesterday from Seejayneknityarns. It is even prettier in real life, lemme tell you. The colours are crazy, now to decide what to do with it-and the other balls of yarn in my ever growing stash. I’m sure I will figure something delicious out.

fishy.jpg

I also spent 5 hours with Bill Baker yesterday working on my sleeve we started over 10 years ago. That was…fun? Maybe fun isn’t quite the word I am looking for-it was 2 hours of laying a stencil and drawing, 3 hours of tattooing. But I love Bill’s company and because we haven’t sat together in so long it was nice to catch up on all the local gossip. Is there a tattooer that doesn’t love gossip? If so, I don’t want to know about it.

yow.

I love the morning after scrub in the shower, pure bliss. There are 2 spots that are-unfortunately-lymphing still and despite my best, repeated efforts, still are gooping up. UGH.  Back to the bathroom with me.

First post of 2010

Posted by Caitlin Jane – 01/01/2010

It snowed a little here in Toronto today, not much-maybe an inch or so-but it sure was cold. How cold? This hydrant/faucet thingy on Roncesvalles was feeling it:

Brrr.

Don’t lick it.

We did end up playing at the park too, but not for long. Ari and I worked on several projects, the first a teddy bear gingerbread kit she got for xmas a year ago and the other  the new shrinky dinks she got this year (thanks to Aunt Jodi and Uncle Devon and their brood). The bears were fun, the kit only provided 11 eyes so a few of them were scary cyclops bears.

Bears.

The picture is blurry because I had to rush to snap it before any got eaten. So silly. My shrinky dinks are being made into stitch markers for knitting!