Paulina's Blog

Sunday Craft Update -- December 18

2011-12-18T14:27:00.003-05:00

Every year, my sister-in-law Jill and I exchange Christmas ornaments. Finally, I finished the one started in 2010 and will send it on its way to Singapore shortly, only a full year late! I did start the 2011 ornament and, though it will not be ready for this Christmas, I hope it will be done well before next Christmas.

This design is from Teresa Wentzler's 12 Days of Christmas pattern. I don't know what made me crazy enough to tackle this challenge. Teresa Wentzler projects are tough enough without the added difficulty of working over 1 thread on 32-count linen. I haven't sworn off doing another over-one project, but next time, I'll go for 28-count linen and invest in a good magnifying glass.

Sunday Craft Update -- December 4

2011-12-04T19:10:00.004-05:00

I finished another two pairs of socks from Cookie A.'s wonderful Sock Innovation book. The first, from the pattern Bex, was made from Cascade Heritage sock yarn, and the second, from the pattern Glynis, was made from Elann Sock It To Me Shades. I loved the complexity of Bex and enjoyed the challenge of knitting it. Glynis took about a third of the time to complete, and it's also a great pattern -- interesting enough not to be tedious, but also very fast to knit up, as all the twists are made with K2tog and SSK stitches (no cable needle required)!

Sunday Craft Update -- October 9

2011-10-09T08:07:00.003-04:00

I'm still knitting socks from my Sock Innovation book by Cookie A. This pattern is called Wanida, and the yarn is Elann's Sock It To Me Panoply.

Sunday Craft Update -- September 26

2011-09-25T07:38:00.004-04:00

I'm on a quest to knit all the socks in Cookie A.'s fabulous book, Sock Innovation. The pair above is from the Sunshine pattern in Elann Sock It To Me Shades. They're modelled by Kate, who's not afraid to wear socks with her Birkenstocks.

This pair is from the Vilai pattern and is made from Cascade Heritage yarn. As you can guess, this one involved hours of tedious chart-reading.

Cookie A. has a huge fan club on Ravelry. They claim that knitting her socks is addictive and I'm beginning to understand why.

Sunday Craft Update -- September 4

2011-09-04T14:11:00.004-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been devoted to cross-stitch. First, I finished (only 9 months late) the stitching for the 2010 Christmas cross-stitch ornament for my sister-in-law, Jill. I'll post photos after I do the finishing work. I'm looking forward to starting the 2011 ornament but am impatiently awaiting the arrival of some specialty threads in the mail. I also made progress on my Chatelaine Japanese Garden last week.

I finished Mirabilia's Deco Spirits a couple of years ago, but it languished in my needlework basket for a good long time. Now, finally, it is framed and on the wall. I added a close-up of Water, my favourite panel, above. Unfortunately, my photos don't do the piece justice. It is much more sparkly in real life. I guess the torture of working with those Kreinik threads was worth it. Having since discovered Rainbow Gallery Petite Treasure Braid through the Chatelaine designs, I much prefer using that to add the sparkle, though Kreinik has many more colours.

Sunday Craft Update -- August 21

2011-08-21T21:12:00.002-04:00

It's done!! The Philosopher's Wool Color Your Own sweater with set-in sleeves is finished. Doing the shaped armholes with steeks wasn’t all that difficult after all. I ended up working the top two inches of the body back and forth to shape the neckline. (I always hated cutting out the neck hole and “wasting” all that yarn and knitting effort.) I also did the top inch of the sleeve caps back and forth, but otherwise, the entire sweater was knit in the round.

I made the armholes roomy enough, so the extra seam allowance doesn’t feel uncomfortable when I wear the sweater. However, the additional bulk prevents the seam from lying completely flat. I may have to do some extra blocking and/or clipping of the seam allowance to make the seam smoother. Otherwise, I’m happy with the finished product and will likely use this procedure again.

What I will not do next time is read the instructions quickly and carelessly. I had to rip out 6 inches of the body because I had decreased too many stitches when shaping the armholes. Often, when I talk to beginner knitters, they are embarrassed to tell me about their "stupid" mistakes. Well, this goes to show that 30 years of knitting experience doesn't protect one from totally idiotic mistakes.

Sunday Craft Update -- August 14

2011-08-14T20:36:00.005-04:00

Here, finally, is the fourth and last baby blanket made for Bernat's Project Linus Blanket Drive. I made it with the leftover Bernat Baby Coordinates and Baby Softee yarns from the first three blankets, using one of Bernat's patterns from their extensive collection of free patterns. And here, below, is the stack of blankets that my stitching pal Laura and I made this summer during the Bernat KAL/CAL. (The two on the top are hers.) They've been sent to Bernat and hopefully are on their way to the children who can use them.

Sunday Craft Update -- July 3

2011-07-03T17:52:00.005-04:00

I'm working on a very ambitious project: a Philosophers Wool sweater with set-in sleeves. I've done several of these sweaters before but have never tried changing the drop-shoulder style to a set-in-sleeve style. At STITCHES South, Melissa Leapman convinced me that it is indeed possible to do a shaped sleeve cap entirely in the round. (She explains the process in her book, Mastering Color Knitting.) And voila ... here are the sleeves. The shaping is done by binding off a number of stitches at the armhole, casting on a steek over the gap, and then using SSK and K2tog decreases. I knitted the final few rows back-and-forth to shape the very top of the sleeve cap, but otherwise, the entire piece is knitted in the round.

Now, I have to finish the body (the photo at the top shows the progress so far), cut the sleeve and centre steeks, knit the front and neck bands and sew up. I'm hoping that the steeked sleeves won't add too much bulk to the armhole seems, and that I'll have a wearable garment in the end.

Sunday Craft Update -- June 12

2011-06-12T21:33:00.003-04:00

I've been spending way too much time with the Harry Potter Knit & Crochet House Cup group on Ravelry, mainly because they've had awesome Quidditch projects this term. For example, there is the Gryffindor bookscarf, shown with The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum, a very good book about the development of forensic science in the early 20th century. The pattern, which uses DMC Perle Cotton #5 and tiny 2mm needles, can be found here.

Then, there is the Hedwig Illusion Dishcloth pattern from Freshisle Fibers. When you look at the dishcloth one way, it's a plain old boring striped dishcloth, but look at it from an angle, and the surprise is revealed!

Finally, I have a complete set of Pocket Potter Puppet Pals, based on the famous Mysterious Ticking Noise video. This pattern is also free from Inner Child Crochet. I really, really hated doing all the fiddly seaming, and I was going to abandon the project after completing Snape. However, Kate begged me to complete the set, and once I adopted an assembly-line approach, it wasn't such a struggle.

STITCHES South

2011-05-14T10:34:00.000-04:00

In mid-April, I went to STITCHES South in Atlanta, accompanied by my friend Laura. I'd been wanting to go to a STITCHES event for years, and now that I've gone, I have no idea why I'd waited this long! For the non-knitters reading my blog, STITCHES events are held several times each year, in various U.S. cities, and each is a multi-day convention devoted entirely to knitting. There is a full range of knitting classes from beginner to advanced levels, a huge marketplace and fashion shows.

These were the classes I took:

"Fully Fashioned and Fabulous" taught by Melissa Leapman. Melissa is an excellent teacher, and in this class, she covered ways in which to use fully-fashioned increases and decreases to shape garments. The best part of this class was having a conversation with Melissa afterward and getting tips on how to do a set-in-sleeve with a steeked, knit-in-the-round fair-isle sweater. More details in a future blog post, I promise.
"Reversible Cables" taught by Lily Chin. It's worthwhile to take a class from Lily Chin just to say that one has done so. Apart from being a big knitting celebrity, she also has a one-of-a-kind personality. This class was all about designing cabled fabrics that looked as good on the front as on the back, though both might feature completely different cable patterns. It's easy enough to follow Lily's patterns, but designing one's own (which Lily encouraged) was a challenging, albeit fun, mental exercise.
"Stitch Strategies for Hand-Dyed Yarns" taught by Laura Bryant. This class was about how to avoid undesirable pooling of colours when using hand-dyed yarns and how to highlight and stretch the use of expensive high-end hand-dyed yarns by combining with solids. This class truly made me look at my stash in a different light. I now have ideas for all those partial skeins of hand-dyed yarns that I'd thought would never be used.

Now onto the stash ...

I bought 5 skeins of Cascade 220 in bright colours, plus books by Melissa Leapman and Lily Chin, all pictured above. I also picked up a kids' sewing book for Kate.
The two skeins of brown and tan HiKoo yarn in the photo were part of the gifts we received at the Student Banquet. I also got an Addi Turbo circular, which I gave to Laura, as I already own a full set of Addis, and a Skacel lunchbag to hold everything.
At the Student Banquet, I also won a door prize, a gorgeous huge skein of purple Skaska cashmere/silk lace-weight yarn, which I gave to Laura. What prompted this unexpected show of generosity? (Normally, I'd never voluntarily give this kind of prize up, not even to a very good friend who's crazy about purple yarn.) Read on ....

As if the classes, shopping and door prizes weren't enough, I was the lucky winner of the grand prize at the Student Banquet -- a full registration (4 days of classes and admission to all events) at a future STITCHES event (any within the next two years)!! I offered the purple yarn to Laura in the hope that she'll go to the next event with me, but I don't think I'll have to work too hard to persuade her. I'm hoping some of my other knitting friends will join us next time!

Sunday Craft Update -- March 27

2011-03-27T14:11:00.004-04:00

Here are my first two blankets for the Project Linus KAL/CAL I wrote about in my previous post. Both use patterns available free from the Bernat site, using their Baby Softee and Baby Coordinates yarns.

By the way, I love the new Addi crochet hook I'd also written about in my last post, but now I'm intrigued by the new Addi Swing hook.

Sunday Craft Update -- February 27

2011-02-27T20:56:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks the start of Bernat's 2011 Knit and Crochet Along to support Project Linus, a non-profit organization that distributes blankets to seriously ill children. Bernat will be offering four new free patterns for baby blankets. All blankets delivered to their offices by August 1 will be sent on to Project Linus.

Bernat had sent the announcement earlier in February, and of course, I couldn't wait until the official start of the event, so I picked up a bunch of Bernat Baby Softee and started a blanket using one of their previously published free patterns. Now I have a growing stack of crocheted squares in front of me. Making afghan squares is the ultimate portable project.

I also bought myself a brand new Addi Comfort Grip crochet hook. It took me a while to get used to it, but now the crocheting is going very smoothly. After getting blisters from my old crochet hooks, this thought suddenly struck me. I've been spending a fortune these past years buying premium knitting needles, and I don't regret a penny I've spent on these tools which I constantly use. So why am I still using the crappy plastic crochet hooks I bought 20 years ago when I couldn't afford (and didn't know about) anything better? Moreover, high-end crochet hooks are way cheaper than high-end knitting needles, so I think it's time to replace my entire collection.

Sunday Craft Update -- Feb. 13

2011-02-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest project, made from more of my Mille Colori stash, from the Ravelry pattern 198 yds. of Heaven by Christy Verity. It's a smallish shawlette or scarf and not terribly difficult to do, once you figure out how the pattern works.

Jellyfish -- Instant and Natural!

2011-02-05T17:06:00.004-05:00

This ("Instant Natural Jellyfish") has become our favourite snack ... Julia's and mine, that is. Todd can take it or leave it, and Kate won't come within a metre of it. We've been getting packs of it from the local Asian grocery store for an incredible 99 cents each. Commonly served at banquets, jellyfish is no longer reserved for special occasions for us. Open the package, mix in the chili oil and (sadly, MSG-laden) spice packet, and voila .... instant natural jellyfish! I think the cute pink jellyfish licking her lips (or whatever it is that jellyfish have) makes the contents extra-appealing.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-03T07:57:00.003-05:00

The Year of the Rabbit is here. Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy New Year!

Bunny pattern is from Ana Paula Rimoli's book, Amigurumi World. Check out her site.

Julia Turns 16

2011-01-29T11:47:00.004-05:00

Julia ... then and now. Happy 16th birthday, with love from the whole family!!

Sunday Craft Update -- January 23

2011-01-23T19:16:00.006-05:00

I finally got around to using up the remains of the Philosopher's Wool kit I'd used for this project. I added a few left-over Elann yarns and used fair-isle bands from Philosopher's Wool's Light 'n Easy sweater pattern. Todd says the hat is nice and warm, and the Globe and Mail claims tuques are back (or rather, still) in fashion.

A Month of Sundays

2010-12-21T14:32:00.007-05:00

I've been negligent and haven't updated my blog with my usual Sunday Craft Updates (or at all), so here's a summary of all the projects from the past month. First is a scarf and hat, with a ridiculously large pompom specially requested by Kate. I made this from a purple pack of assorted yarns from Elann I bought recently, with leftovers from a similar blue pack I bought last year.

I'd bought this hat kit from Mount Lehman Llamas a couple of years ago, knitted the hat, but procrastinated for a good long time before doing the final finishing. It's finally done now, with extra pompoms, again requested by Kate. Go check out Mount Lehman Llama's Web site. It's full of interesting and bizarre stuff (e.g., stereoviews of llamas from the early 1900's).

Finally, I used up 2 skeins from the huge J.J.'s Kaleidoscope Mohair stash I acquired earlier in the year to make a scarf for Julia. Somehow, despite my strong resolution not to buy any more yarn until I go to Stitches South next year, I managed to order 4 more skeins of J.J.'s mohair from Elann last week. At the deeply discounted price of about $7 for a 200m skein, it's pretty much impossible to resist!

Sunday Craft Update -- November 7

2010-11-07T11:08:00.002-05:00

I spent a few nights this past week knitting a sweater for Kate's llama, Llambardo. It's made of llama wool, of course, bought from Mount Lehman Llamas. You should check out their very cool Web site, which answers every imaginable question (and some unimaginable questions) about llamas.

I made this for the Ravelry Harry Potter Knit & Crochet House Cup, which may sound a little bit ridiculous if you don't knit and you're not a fan of Harry Potter, but for those of us who do and are, it's loads of fun.

I'm particularly proud of the no-seam construction. I made the sweater like a sock with two heels, and added buttonhole-like openings for the legs and tail. I'd put in too many rows in the front flap, which makes Llambardo look like he is sporting a bust or beer belly. Kate wants me to make him another sweater in purple, so I will try to improve the next version. I'm not sure if there is any demand at all for a Webkinz llama sweater, but if there is interest, I will work on writing up and posting the pattern.

Sunday Craft Update -- Oct. 31

2010-10-31T21:16:00.003-04:00

I haven't done a Sunday craft update for a while, and I have a backlog of stuff to write about, but this dress is what I'd been working on for the past couple of weeks. Kate got the mask when we were in Venice this past summer, and she wanted a dress to go with it. After checking out a number of ready-made options, none of which matched Kate's exacting specifications, I reluctantly agreed to sew a costume. So, several hours of sewing and many curses later, here it is.

Todd took Kate and several of her friends around the neighbourhood, while Julia handled the candy distribution from our house. One of the families down our street puts up an elaborate haunted house every year, and it seems the entire neighbourhood comes to our street to visit it. We had to shut down by 8:15pm, after 250 kids had come by and we ran of out candy again this year. One of these years, I'll manage to buy enough for the trick-or-treaters and still have a few candy bars left for myself!

Oktoberfest Race

2010-10-24T13:36:00.003-04:00

Here is a family photo from last weekend's Oktoberfest race. My cousins Rob and Beryl came all the way from Montreal to join us for the race. Their kids stayed home with Kate, while Julia and Todd also did the run with us. We were joined by many more friends, including Mark who was responsible for this photo, and Fei Min, my workout partner of sorts over the past five years.

Rob, Beryl and I did the 10K. This was my first 10K and I was both surprised and thrilled to finish it under an hour (though not by much!), along with Beryl. Rob was recovering from an injury but gamely did the run with us. Todd, Mark and Julia all did the 5K for the first time and had very respectable times, given that they only started training a short time before. Actually, Julia didn't train seriously at all, but I guess being young helps a great deal.

Apart from the race, for which we had perfect weather, we had a terrific weekend with our cousins. Rob and Beryl brought treats (both copious and meaty) from their home-made smoker, along with a lovely selection of beverages from Quebec and Eastern Ontario, and the kids enjoyed spending time together. We'll definitely do another race together next year.

San Francisco

2010-10-04T21:20:00.003-04:00

Todd and I went on a brief getaway to San Francisco, while his parents graciously looked after the kids. He had been to California many times before for business, but this was my first time there. On our first day, we walked from our hotel, the historic Sir Francis Drake (complete with Beefeater doorman), all the way to Fisherman's Wharf. At Pier 39, we sat and watched the mostly lazy but occasionally playful sea lions sunbathing.
We passed through San Francisco's large Chinatown on the way back and had dim-sum in a crowded restaurant that held only one obviously non-Asian diner (i.e., Todd). We also visited the famous City Lights bookstore, which played a significant role in the growth of the Beat movement. (More about my visit is here.) Coming from relatively flat Southern Ontario, it was hard work going up and down those hills, but it gave us a chance to admire San Francisco's architecture.
Our second day included several hours at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where we saw works by Paul Klee, Alexander Calder, Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte, and the New Topographics photography exhibition which showed rather stark images of the American landscape. As is usually the case when I go into a museum of modern art, there were a good number of "Wow!" moments interspersed with as many "Huh?" moments. (See Robert Rauschenberg's White Painting, for example.)

The food in San Francisco can be summed up in one word: fabulous! This city is a seafood lover's paradise. Todd and I had two terrific seafood meals at the Eagle Cafe and the Fog Harbor restaurants at Pier 39. The meals included a good deal of oysters and this magnificent Dungeness crab, cooked Asian style. My only disappointment was that they cleaned out the eggs and internal organs before serving the crab to us. Clearly, the restaurant doesn't cater to the Chinese crowd! In addition to the great seafood, we also enjoyed excellent beer, sangria and tapas at The Thirsty Bear.

I loved San Francisco and look forward to going back. Next time, we'll bring the kids with us. I'm certain they'll enjoy this wonderful city as much as Todd and I did!

My TIFF Weekend

2010-09-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

The Toronto International Film Festival has come and gone, and I'd meant to post this a week ago, but better late than never! I made it to TIFF again this year and had a great time, though it was brief. I am looking forward to the year when I can completely ignore family and work and do nothing but watch movies for an entire week.

Todd offered to take care of the kids and the household chores (which were substantial, after the first-week-of-school chaos), so that I could go into Toronto on my own the first Saturday of the festival. I saw Never Let Me Go, based on Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, and wrote more about it here on my book blog. A highlight was the post-performance Q&A session, which included the famous people shown in the fuzzy photo above: actor Carey Mulligan, director Mark Romanek, actor Andrew Garfield, screenwriter Alex Garland (author of The Beach) and the man himself ... Kazuo Ishiguro!

The next morning, I caught a showing of Inside America, a gritty and disturbing film about high-school students caught in a cycle of poverty and violence in a Texan town near the Mexico-US border. Directed and written by Barbara Eder, this film was based on her own experiences as an exchange student.

Though I was thoroughly depressed after seeing this grim movie, my mood lightened when I met Todd (who came into Toronto to join me for the day), my cousin Barnaby, and his wife Krista for lunch on the patio of Hemingway's. Then, the four of us headed over to the Varsity theatre for Life, Above All. This film, based on Allan Stratton's novel, Chandra's Secret, is about a 12-year-old South African girl's struggle to take care of her younger siblings and cope with the stigma of her mother's AIDS-related illness. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, which featured good acting and a terrific story and was as heart-warming as it could be, given the bleak premise.

All in all, it was a great TIFF 2010 experience, though not nearly as extensive as I would have liked. As I did last year, I opted to pass on the lottery to book tickets and wait for the single-ticket sales. This involved a futile two-hour attempt before work to book my order on-line. When I went onto the Web site again at lunch-time, I was able to get my tickets, but some shows were already sold out, and the three films that I saw did sell out shortly afterward. Maybe next year, I'll do some advance planning!

Sunday Craft Update -- August 29

2010-08-29T15:14:00.003-04:00

Got to show off my new toy. After having the Addi Click set on my wishlist for a couple of years, I finally ordered it from Elann. Over the past 10 years, I've been slowly building up my collection of Addi Turbo circular needles, in a variety of lengths and sizes. I even have duplicates of some, as I prefer using two 60cm circulars to double-pointed-needles for small numbers of stitches. Though they cost two to three times as much as basic plastic or metal needles, they are worth every penny. They are super-slick, the joins are smooth and best of all, the cords don't kink up. There's a reason these are called "Turbo"!

Two weeks ago, I needed an extra-long 6mm needle for an afghan I'm working on. I have a set of Denise interchangeable needles which have served me well over the years, but I'm such a knitting snob now that I can't bring myself to use plastic unless I'm desperate. So then came the dilemma: should I get the 120mm that I really needed, or the 80mm as it had more potential for future use, or a 100mm as a compromise? After agonizing over this decision for a while, I chose the obvious solution, which was to get all of them.

The Addi Click set has pairs of tips from 3.5mm to 10mm, and it comes with three cords in 60cm, 80cm and 100cm sizes. There's even an extra connector to combine two of the cords together to get an extra long circular needle. I tried the needles out as soon as they arrived, and I'm happy to report that they are as wonderful as I thought they'd be. The tips and joins are as smooth as the regular Addi Turbos, and the parts connect easily. I sure wish I could meet the engineers on their design team!

It was a big purchase, but I do intend to be knitting for the next 40 years. In response to this statement, a friend said, "Not 50?" Well, why not 50 indeed?

Eating in Italy

2010-08-18T20:40:00.006-04:00

I can't end my series of blog posts on our Italy vacation without talking about the food. When we arrived in Italy, we expected the food to be spectacular. The truth is, while the food was always good, it was spectacular mostly when we paid a large sum of money for it. Food seemed mundane and overpriced in a number of restaurants we visited in Florence and Venice. On the other hand, we had excellent meals at reasonable prices in Bologna. Bologna is known for its cuisine, but perhaps the fact that it isn't overrun with tourists in August also contributed to this. We enjoyed pasta with wild boar sauce, Parma ham, grilled Italian eggplant, and other local specialties including pasta Bolognese (Kate's favourite).

Coffee, juice and soft drinks were generally exorbitantly priced. However, beer and wine were always good and easily available. The best value, though, was the gelato, which the kids and I indulged in every single day of our trip. For most of the trip, I stuck with the lighter fruit gelato (SO much tastier than the fruit-flavoured ice-cream we get at home) but on our last day in Bologna, I couldn't resist this marscarpone-ricotta-cocoa concoction, truly a meal in a tiny cup! We also had great food on the Venetian Lido, where we stayed in a suite with a kitchenette. We discovered a little deli with excellent salads, cold meats and pastries. I bought a lot of marinated octopus there.

Just when I thought there was a danger that the kids would turn into snobby gourmands with all this good food, they reassured me by attacking the Haribo display at the duty-free store in the Munich airport. Somehow I ended up having to lug three kilos of this German jelly candy through Munich and Pearson airports. I opted to bring home chocolates from Bologna instead, and Todd is enjoying his bottle of grappa.

Bologna

2010-08-18T20:34:00.000-04:00

Our final stop in Italy was Bologna. This city seems to shut down in August but there was enough for us to do to fill the day before our flight out the next morning, and enough restaurants open that we were able to get several excellent meals. Not as much of a tourist magnet as Florence and Venice, Bologna still had plenty to see for those interested in history and architecture, and it was mercifully less crowded.

We started the day by climbing the Asinelli Tower, and from the top, we were able to get magnificent views of the city.

We then walked around the buildings of the university (the oldest continuously operating one in the world) before visiting the archeological museum, shown in the photos above. Bologna has an impressive number of museums, and most of them are free to the public. However, finding one that is open a good number of hours during the day in the month of August is another matter.

The thing I liked best about Bologna (apart from the food) was simply walking around the streets, soaking in the atmosphere of this very, very old city. It was a great way to end our Italian vacation.

Vivaldi and Venice

2010-08-15T16:36:00.000-04:00

More from our vacation .... Why, you might ask, did we decide to have a vacation in Venice? Well, it all started six years ago, when we bought a CD for Kate, Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery. This is an audiobook, set to Antonio Vivaldi's music, about an orphan girl who arrives at the Ospendale della Pieta in Venice. There, she and the other girls are taught to play in an orchestra by Vivaldi. Eventually, after a series of adventures that take place on the streets and canals of Venice, she discovers that she is the long-lost granddaughter of the Duke. The story is fictional, but Vivaldi really did teach orphaned and abandoned girls at this church (shown in the photo above) for several decades of his life.

Kate and Julia both loved this story, but Kate was particularly taken with it and asked for violin lessons, which we started shortly afterward, when she was six-and-a-half. As regular readers of this blog will know, she is still playing today and taking lessons from the same excellent teacher with whom she started. Not content with just violin lessons, she has been asking every year if we could vacation in Venice. A couple of years ago, a friend brought home a souvenir from the city, and that made her even more eager to go. Finally, we decided it was time for all of us to see Italy!

The Ospendale was our first visit after we arrived in Venice. To our dismay, it was closed throughout the entire length of our stay and was to reopen hours after our scheduled departure by train. This should have been no surprise, as our guidebook warned us that churches and museums (other than the most important and popular ones) set their opening hours in a rather unpredictable way, and these are prone to change according to the whim of the caretakers. Still, we were able to visit this shrine for violinists and admire the historic building from the outside.

As consolation, we were able to visit the Museum of Music, housed in the San Maurizio church and open to the public free of charge. There, we read about Vivaldi's personal life and many accomplishments and saw a number of beautiful instruments, many of which were from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Finally, I have to mention the Bridge of Sighs, not because it has any direct connection to Vivaldi or music, but because it is mentioned in a memorable scene from our beloved audiobook. The bridge connects the interrogation rooms in the Doge's palace to the prisons. It is named for the sighs of condemned prisoners as they take their last look at the beautiful Venetian lagoon through the little windows in the enclosed bridge before entering the prisons.

Venice

2010-08-08T21:26:00.001-04:00

After our too-brief stay in Florence, we boarded Trenitalia for Venice. Venice was hot, humid and crowded but truly as beautiful as I expected it would be. One of our first activities was to take a boat ride down the Grand Canal.

Instead of staying in the city of Venice itself, we booked rooms at a hotel on the nearby island of Lido. We got ourselves a three-day Vaporetto (water bus) pass and used this reliable and efficient service to travel between Lido and Venice (a mere 15-minute ride). We also visited Murano, another of the Venetian Lagoon islands, well-known for its glass making.

Despite the heat, my favourite activity in Venice was just walking through the maze of streets and bridges. We'd wind through narrow alleys, getting completely lost, and then we'd suddenly stumble upon some magnificent cathedral or monument in the middle of a large piazza.

Of course, we had to go for the requisite over-priced gondola ride, but how could we leave Venice without that experience?

After a first exhausting day touring Venice, Todd and I left the kids to recuperate at our resort in Lido. We enjoyed over-priced drinks on the famous Piazza San Marco after touring the Basilica with its stunning mosaics. The next day, we visited the Doge's Palace, which is filled with paintings and sculptures by famous Italian artists. Kate was more impressed by the palace's prisons, though. Later that day, Todd took care of the kids while I made a brief visit to the Accademia gallery to see more Venetian art.

Florence

2010-08-05T03:51:00.003-04:00

The first few days of our Italian vacation were spent in Florence, or Firenze. We stayed at a comfortable little hotel a block from the famous Duomo. We walked all over the city, including the 414 steps up the Campanile tower to relish the views of Florence, as in the photo above (taken by Kate).

Our first trip was to the fantastic Uffizi museum, where we saw Botticellis (including Birth of Venus and Primavera), Titians, Rafaels and more. The picture above was taken in the Piazza della Signoria outside the Palazzo Vecchio. The next day, we headed over to the Pitti Palace, the former home of the Medicis, where we saw another overwhelming collection of artwork. We were amazed by the sheer number of masterpieces that seemed to be displayed more or less haphazardly all over the palace walls.

Earlier in the year, in preparation for this trip, I'd reread E. M. Forster's Room with a View, which has the wonderful chapter, "In Santa Croce with no Baedeker." So, of course, I had to visit this church, which contains the tombs of Michaelangelo, Machievelli, Rossini, Galileo (shown in the photo above) and many others. Todd, being an electrical engineer, was particularly thrilled to see plaques for Marconi and Fermi as well.

I loved the art and architecture in Florence, and our three days there were way too short. I'll have to find a way to return one day!

My Cuke Runneth Over

2010-07-25T23:15:00.003-04:00

Last year, I lost all my cucumber plants to a hungry and persistent bunny. This year, I decided to share. I would plant two hills, and between them, I should have enough surviving cucumber plants for our own family's modest needs. Well, this time around, Mr. Bunny decided he preferred the zucchini. Still acutely feeling last year's loss, I was reluctant to cull, even after it was obvious that all the cucumber plants would survive. So this is the picture I came home to, after my week away. The cucumber plants are raging through the garden with a vengeance. We've started harvesting and have been eating cucumbers daily. We've even made a small batch of pickles. For this first week, supply and demand are more-or-less balanced but I'm sure this situation won't last too long.

A Week at the Ithaca Suzuki Institute

2010-07-20T07:46:00.007-04:00

Kate and I have just come back from another road-trip to Ithaca, for the Ithaca Suzuki Institute. I wrote extensively about the institute's program and touring Ithaca last year, so I won't bore you with all the details again. I will simply say that it was, again, a week of terrific instruction and inspiration for Kate. She had private, group repertory and orchestra classes, and she attended optional play-ins and concerts. The elite Preludio students performed in a fantastic all-Kreisler concert at the beginning of the week. Kate got to play in two group concerts this year, including the final play-down which (for her) started with Bach Double and ended with the Twinkle variations.

Kate had a packed schedule this time around, so we didn't have as much time for touring, but we did make it out to the Cayuga Nature Center, with nice easy hiking trails and the truly awesome 6-storey treehouse shown above.

We also escaped Ithaca College's cafeteria, where we had the unexciting but inexpensive meal plan, to eat in downtown Ithaca. We had good meals at Viva Taqueria and Moosewood Cafe, and Kate indulged in a spectacular chocolate ricotta mousse at the latter. I love walking around Ithaca Commons, with all its restaurants, bookstores and cafes. The photo above shows Kate in front of a stop on the Sagan Planetary Walk, named after the late Cornell astronomer and author, Carl Sagan, whose books I loved as a teen.

We are back home now, and Kate is getting a well-deserved break from violin practice. I am frantically trying to catch up with both housework and real work before we depart next week on our next vacation.

A Weekend with Family

2010-07-09T19:38:00.004-04:00

We took an extra-long Canada Day weekend to join Joe and Jill in Montreal. They're in Canada for a short time, and though I saw Joe a couple of months ago, we hadn't seen the rest of the family since we were in Singapore for Christmas 2008. Julia and Kate were thrilled to spend time with cousins Oliver and Martin, who are growing into smart, active boys with loads of personality! The girls were willing to babysit, so we even had an evening out at a Tapas restaurant in Old Montreal with Joe and Jill. Mom has almost fully recovered from her surgery (we were all teasing her for giving us such a scare earlier in the year), and Dad cooked plenty of good Chinese food, as always.

As an extra bonus, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal was on and we caught a few of the outdoor shows. Todd ducked into the Montreal Guitar Show for a couple of hours to check out the incredibly expensive handcrafted guitars made by top luthiers. I consider myself lucky that we managed to leave Montreal with only one new guitar, a nice but much less expensive acoustic guitar for Kate which ironically we found in a bookstore. Well, it had been a bookstore but now it sells musical instruments too, and we really did go in looking for books ....

We happily had the chance to spend time with many of our other Montreal cousins. Some joined us for a day at the amusement park and the rest we saw at a BBQ hosted by Beryl and Rob, who graciously gave us accommodation on our last night in Montreal. Now, Rob is a Master of Meat, and this photo above should convince you if you had any doubts. This is his pride and joy (after his three beautiful daughters, of course), his handcrafted smoker complete with wireless thermometer so that he can check the status of his meat in the comfort of his living room.

Apart from the horrible traffic between Montreal and Toronto, it was a terrific weekend, with great weather, great company and great food!

Sunday Craft Update -- June 13

2010-06-13T09:55:00.003-04:00

Elann had this amazing sale on JJ's Handpainted Kaleidoscope mohair yarn. A knitting friend and I couldn't resist and we split a massive order. There are still a few colours left, if anyone wants to take advantage of the 70% discount off regular price. Julia is modelling a mitred-square shawl, made from Elann's Sunbeam Stole pattern, free if you create an account on their Web site.

This week, there are a number of World Wide Knit in Public Day events. Unfortunately, I have a busy week and won't be able to make it to any near my home. In any case, I'm never shy about knitting in public and do so at least once a week. I don't need any extra encouragement, but it would have been nice to support the more timid knitters. So, please, go out this week and knit in public!

A Wedding

2010-06-03T18:00:00.004-04:00

My cousin Barnaby got married over the May long weekend! We travelled to Montreal to attend the wedding and reception, and everyone is thrilled that Krista (along with her four-legged friend, Mr. Frodo) is joining the family. They had a traditional Chinese banquet, the kind where you eat non-stop for three hours (followed by the traditional Chinese Black-Forest cupcakes, of course). Todd, Kate, Julia and I were happy to see all the cousins, and especially glad to see my mother there. She had just returned home after spending the past couple of months in the hospital and convalescent home, and there was no way she was going to miss this party. Congratulations, Barnaby and Krista!

A New Blog

2010-05-30T21:04:00.003-04:00

Kate and I have started a new book blog: Two Canadian Readers. We'll be posting reviews of books we've enjoyed.

Why a new blog, especially when I've been having trouble enough keeping this one up to date? First, I've been posting book reviews on LibraryThing regularly for the past year. I've not included the reviews here because I didn't want to clutter up this blog for those who come here for knitting patterns and family updates. More importantly, Kate was eager to have a place where she can post her own thoughts on her favourite books.

So we'll see how this new venture goes. The difficulty, of course, is in keeping it going once the initial enthusiasm wanes. However, if it gets both of us reading and writing more, even for a short time, then that's a good thing!

48-Hour Book Challenge

2010-05-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

It's time again for MotherReader's 48-Hour Book Challenge! This event will take place June 4-6, and the goal is to read as much as possible over a 48-hour period. Related activities include writing reviews on one's blog and visiting other participants' blogs to read their reviews.

I had so much fun doing this last year that I'll be joining again. Last time around, I read for 16 hours and finished 4 books, and I hope to increase those numbers this year. Kate has decided to join me as an unofficial participant.

For every hour I read/review/blog, I'm going to donate a dollar to The Literacy Group of Waterloo Region, an organization that provides adult literacy training. For every hour Kate reads, I will donate a dollar to her pick, The Central Asia Institute. This is the organization started by Greg Mortenson of Three Cups of Tea fame, to provide educational facilities in remote parts of central Asia.

Kate and I both have a stack of books ready to go. I've cleared my calendar of all commitments and warned the rest of my family that I will not be available for non-reading social activities or chores that weekend. Kate and I do have to attend a parent-child book club meeting on Sunday, but that sort of counts, doesn't it? Julia won't be joining, as she will be spending the entire weekend studying for her final exams, which take place the following week. The house will be very quiet, as long as Todd doesn't decide to hold a jam session.

Please consider joining us for this fun event or donating to these two very worthwhile charities!

L-Shaped Wrap

2010-05-26T06:55:00.005-04:00

Finally found a way to use up my leftover Louisa Harding Flotsam yarn. I made this L-shaped shawl with a feather-and-fan pattern (one of my favourite patterns -- so easy to do). The design is by Jill Gutman and the pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2010 issue. The shawl ended up a little smaller than planned, as I'd run out of yarn, so I'll have to find some way to make it stay on more securely. My lovely model in this photo is Julia.

Family Update

2010-05-09T22:40:00.000-04:00

A family update is long overdue, and Mother's Day seems a good day to post one. We're all doing well, but it's been a busy year.

Over March Break, Julia went on an exchange trip to Switzerland with her French teacher and a number of classmates. She first spent three nights in Paris (lucky girl!!) before meeting her French-speaking host family in Switzerland. She received a very warm welcome from her hosts and had a fabulous time there. Among other experiences, she got to see the Louvre and go snowshoeing in the Alps. After her return, we hosted her exchange partner from Switzerland, a lovely girl named Zana. The school took her on the requisite trips to Niagara Falls and the CN tower, and we had our own family excursions to the AGO, Chinatown and the Eaton Centre (a must for most teen girls, it seems, regardless of nationality). We were much impressed by Zana's willingness to try all kinds of Asian food and her excellent command of English, and we hope to see her again in Canada in the future. A few weeks later, Julia went on another school trip, an intensive week-long science/technology course in Ottawa with her entire Grade 9 class.

Concert season is almost over for Kate. Within the past three weeks, she has performed in an orchestra concert, a group violin concert, four Kiwanis competitions (violin, piano and composition), a school talent show with her band (for which she plays guitar), and a dance recital. Phew! It's not usually this crazy, but somehow, all the season-end recitals landed at the same time. She has one more violin recital to do next weekend and then she plans to do nothing for an entire week except play computer games.

Todd is still doing the usual stuff: travelling for business, playing guitar, building tube amps. I'm still reading, knitting, and writing software. I've also been volunteering with the adult literacy centre, tutoring a student once a week. It's been an interesting and rewarding experience.

For those of you who have been concerned about my mother, I'm happy to report that Mom is out of the ICU now and on the road to recovery. She seemed in good spirits when I spoke to her today and is getting stronger every day. She is still in the hospital but will likely not have to stay there too much longer. Happy news indeed for Mother's Day!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Summary

2010-04-11T09:13:00.004-04:00

Well, the read-a-thon is done and I managed to finish A Thread of Sky, 10 minutes after the official end time. I will eventually post a review on my LibraryThing account. My total reading time was 9.5 hours. As a summary of the event, I'll post my answers for the End of Event meme:

Which hour was most daunting for you?
11pm to midnight, right before I decided to go to bed.
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
There are a lot of great young-adult books out there. I had no trouble getting through Half Life, the first book I finished for the read-a-thon.
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
A separate page listing all the mini-challenges announced up to the current time, with start and end times, would be helpful.
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The event was very well organized, and I appreciated the comments from the Cheerleaders. I'm glad that a good portion of the prizes were reserved for the cheerleading squad.
How many books did you read?
Two, and about one-third of another.
What were the names of the books you read?
Half Life by Hiromi Goto
A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei
Clouds of Witness by Dorothy Sayers (still in progress)
Which book did you enjoy most?
I thought Half Life was exceptionally good, but I also enjoyed A Thread of Sky.
Which did you enjoy least?
I like Dorothy Sayers, and I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of Clouds of Witness, but the witty upper-class banter tends to be less appealing in the late hours of a read-a-thon.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I wasn't a Cheerleader, but I really appreciated having them visit my blog.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I definitely want to participate in the Read-a-thon again, and I'll be sure to sign up for at least an hour of cheerleading next time. One thing I regret is not taking enough time to visit other reader's blogs. I still plan to do this in the next few days, to see what others had read and hopefully get some good book recommendations.

That's it for now. Many thanks to the organizers and cheerleaders of this terrific event!

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #4

2010-04-11T08:08:00.002-04:00

Got up at 7am and I've been reading since. Getting a good stretch of sleep was a great idea, though I am truly impressed by the read-a-thon participants who were reading through the night. The event is officially over, but as I moved my own start time to 9am EDT yesterday, I still have an hour to go. I've got about 75 pages left in Thread of Sky.

Location: Montreal
Hours into challenge: 23
Hours read: 8.5
Pages read: 570
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 2

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #3

2010-04-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

I only managed 3 hours of reading since the last update. Apart from reading, I spent a couple of hours at the hospital with Mom (who is doing better today), and after visiting hours were over, had some time with Dad and my cousins. I did manage to read a bit at the hospital, while Mom was resting or someone else was visiting with her. Indeed, there was some fuss made over my Sony e-Reader in the waiting room, as a group of friendly strangers started crowding around me, eager to check out this gadget. Using a combination of English, French and hand gestures, I managed to describe the main features of the device. Now, I'm back at my parents' home and trying to catch up with the reading, but I don't think I'll be able to stay awake much longer.

Current progress:
Location: Montreal
Hours into challenge: 15
Hours read: 7.5
Pages read: 510
Books finished: 1
Books in progress: 2

Still working on Thread of Sky. Am about two-thirds of the way through and enjoying it more and more as I continue. At the hospital, I had only my e-Reader with me and started Dorothy Sayer's Clouds of Witness.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #2

2010-04-10T16:09:00.003-04:00

The Dewey's Read-a-thon Cheerleaders are great! The next time I do this Read-a-thon, I will definitely sign up to do some cheerleading myself. I wish I could visit more of the other readers' blogs right now, but the battery is dying on my laptop, the Internet service is unreliable and, with the swaying of the train, it's really hard to type. So I will make a quick progress report and save the book reviews and blog visiting for later.

Current progress:
Location: on VIA train 6006, heading into Montreal
Hours into challenge: 7.5
Hours read: 4.5
Pages read: 375
Books finished: 1.5

I am halfway through Deanna Fei's Thread of Sky. The story is about 6 American-Chinese women from 3 generations of the same family who embark on a tour of China to reconnect and discover their roots. The first third of the book was focused on developing the characters and revealing their backgrounds. Now, I'm reading about the journey itself and it is eerily familiar, reminding me of our own family's big trip to China in 2006. That was my parents' first trip back since they arrived in Montreal in the 1960's, and there were 20 of us, from immediate and extended family, from three generations. The characters' travel itinerary is almost the same as ours too. Coincidence?

Dewey's Read-a-thon: Update #1

2010-04-10T12:22:00.002-04:00

First of all, thanks to those who have left comments of encouragement as well as good wishes for my Mom! Your kind words are appreciated.

Here is the current progress report:
Location: on VIA train 6006, heading east, just past Oshawa.
Hours into challenge: 3.5
Hours read: 2 and a bit
Pages read: 225
Books finished: 1

Following advice found on the read-a-thon site, I decided to start with an easy read, so I could start the day with a feeling of accomplishment. I chose Hiromi Goto's Half World, containing wonderful illustrations by Jillian Tamaki. This young-adult novel is one of the Ontario Library Association's White Pine Award nominees for 2010. This was a terrific read, set in a crazy, scary fantasy world not unlike one of Neil Gaiman's.

What's next? First, catch up with news on the Dewey's Read-a-thon blog, eat one of the yummy Rise 'n Shine bagels Todd and I picked up on the way to the train station, have a short nap, and then on to the next book.

Dewey's Read-a-thon: unexpected changes

2010-04-10T07:08:00.003-04:00

I had big plans to spend most of the day curled up on the couch next to a pile of books, taking the occasional break for exercise (i.e. walking around the neighbourhood listening to an audiobook on my iPod). Well, things have changed. Yesterday, my Mom, who has been ill for some time, was readmitted to hospital. I don't want to go into the medical details here (though friends and family members are welcome to e-mail me for updates). Suffice it to say that she is very weak now but we are optimistic that an upcoming surgery will restore her health.

The consequence of this news is that I decided last night to leave for Montreal this morning to spend some time with her and my Dad and hopefully to speak to her doctors in person. My initial thought was to withdraw from the read-a-thon, but then it occurred to me that I'll be spending many hours (at least 7 if I take the train, and ironically, almost as many if I fly) reading anyhow. Internet access may be spotty, so I won't be able to update the blog often, but rest assure I will be reading.

I'll be bringing along A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei, Oonagh by Mary Tilberg and maybe Half World by Hiromi Goto if I have room in my bag. I'll also have my handy e-Reader with me. For your entertainment, here is a rant. I'd just started Margaret Atwood's Year of the Flood, but the enormous tome is just too big to stuff in my backpack. I would dearly love to have this on my e-Reader but I balk at spending $19 for the e-book after I'd already spent $25 for the hardcover. Many publishers are talking about bundling print and electronic versions of books. I wish they'd stop talking about it and get on with doing it! I considered buying other Atwood books, but Kobo has only two others, one of which I've already read. The Sony e-book store has more Atwood selections, but they are only available to US customers. Margaret Atwood is possibly Canada's most well-known author ever, and you can't get her e-books in Canada?? Ridiculous!

Off to pack now and do the last-minute chores before heading out. Given the circumstances, I will probably set my official start time to 9am EDT instead of 8am.

Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon

2010-04-07T21:36:00.006-04:00

I had so much fun with the 48-Hour Reading Challenge last year that I am seriously considering participating in Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon. It starts on Saturday, April 10 at 8am EDT and goes for, as the name suggests, a full 24 hours. I'm a realist, so I'll aim for 8 hours, and any more will be a bonus.

Usually, Saturdays are packed with activity for us. However, Todd has graciously offered to take care of cooking, chores and children on Saturday. Seeing that he has been away most of the week on business, I can accept this offer guilt-free.

So what to read? Based on the Web site's recommendations, as well as past experience, it seems best to avoid anything long or heavy. Maybe this is a good time to go through some of the mysteries (P.D. James, Agatha Christie, Eric Wright, M. C. Beaton, Dorothy Sayers) I've collected on my e-Reader.

Anyone want to join me? If you're in the area, stop by for a cup of tea or glass of wine, but bring a book with you!

Sunday Craft Update -- March 28

2010-03-28T20:19:00.003-04:00

Every Christmas, Laura and I do a sock-yarn exchange. This year, she gave me a skein of hand-dyed Indigo Moon merino wool in this crazy and wonderful colourway. I decided to go for a hat instead of socks this year, and it took me some time to finish, given that the yarn was fingering weight. However, I made it in time to wear for one of the last cold spells of the season.

Sunday Craft Update -- March 7

2010-03-07T17:10:00.003-05:00

It's been months since the last Sunday Craft Update, but I've not been completely idle. Here is Kate's afghan, knitted according to specs (her specs, of course). I didn't bother writing up the instructions as it's a basic feather-and-fin pattern with random stripes. The yarn is from the gigantic stash of discounted Needful Yarns Santa Ana that I bought from Elann last year.

Kate's Pompom Hat Pattern

2009-12-06T15:53:00.005-05:00

I wanted to make another slouchy hat for Kate with the purple Tanis yarn I got at the Knitter's Fair, but she had other ideas. She insisted on a brimmed hat with a big pompom. So here it is, and I've included the pattern too, even though it's pretty basic. It's sized for an older child. However, this one turned out to be fairly stretchy and can probably fit a teen or small adult.

Instructions

Size: Child's large. Final circumference is 45cm/17.5in but will stretch to 56cm/20in.

Yarn: 1 skein Tanis Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Yarn (100% superwash merino wool), Green Label Aran Weight (115g/4oz, 196m/215yds per skein) in Grape.

Gauge: 20 stitches and 26 rows over 10cm/4in square using larger needles.

Needles: 3.75mm and 4.5mm (set of 4 double-pointed needles or 2 circular needles in each size) or size to achieve gauge.

Abbreviations:
K: knit
K2tog: knit 2 together

Instructions for Hat:

With smaller needles, cast on 88 stitches. Join in a round, making sure the row is not twisted and do rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2 around) for approximately 10cm/4in.

Change to larger needles and start stockinette stitch, knitting every row in the round. Continue in stockinette stitch until the hat measures 24cm/9.5in from the beginning.

Start shaping for crown.
First round: (K9, K2tog) 8 times. (80 stitches)
Next round: Knit.
Next round: (K8, K2tog) 8 times. (72 stitches)
Next round: Knit.
Next round: (K7, K2tog) 8 times. (64 stitches)
Next round: (K6, K2tog) 8 times. (56 stitches)
Next round: (K5, K2tog) 8 times. (48 stitches)
Next round: (K4, K2tog) 8 times. (40 stitches)
Next round: (K3, K2tog) 8 times. (32 stitches)
Next round: (K2, K2tog) 8 times. (24 stitches)
Next round: (K1, K2tog) 8 times. (16 stitches)
Next round: K2tog 8 times. (8 stitches)

Draw yarn through all 8 remaining stitches and close tight. Secure yarn in a knot. Weave in ends. With remaining yarn, make a pompom with diameter of 10cm/4in and attach to top of hat. Fold ribbing to form brim.

Sunday Craft Update -- December 5

2009-12-06T15:07:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks, with holiday parties and concerts, including a solo recital, orchestra concert and strings school concert for Kate these past three weekends. We're also enjoying a visit from Todd's brother, Tim. Consequently, crafting time has been scarce, but I did manage to complete a hat for Kate (photos and patterns to appear shortly). I'm also more than two-thirds of the way through the cross-stitch ornament for Jill. It's going to be a challenge getting it to Singapore in time for Christmas, but I'm still hopeful!

The 2009 Evergreen List

2009-11-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

One of my goals this year was to read most of the books on the 2009 Ontario Library Association's Evergreen list. I didn't think at first that all of them would interest me or even if that were the case, I'd manage to get through all of them, but I did! Even better, some friends and family members joined me in reading these through our book club. Here's a quick run-down:

Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover's Tour of Canadian Farms by Margaret Webb. Journalist Webb examines 11 Canadian foods and how they are produced, with a focus on sustainable farming. Fascinating stuff. I bought Ambrosia apples for the first time after reading this book. Would like to try dulse too, but not sure where to get it locally.
The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe. This is a psychological thriller, gruesome at times, written by Wolfe, a pseudonym for a supposedly well-known Canadian writer. Wolfe develops the characters well and does a good job of portraying small-town Ontario. The second book in the series, The Taken, has just been released.
The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway. This is a compact but intense story about three people trying to survive during the siege of Sarajevo. The title refers to the real-life cellist, a mostly symbolic character in the novel, who risked his life to play Albioni's Adagio to honour the dead. Definitely recommended!
Coventry by Helen Humphreys. Humphrey's spare and poetic style really appealed to me and it was a pleasure to read this story about two women whose lives cross during wartime.
Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott. This book, about a middle-aged woman who takes in a family after she accidentally crashes into the car in which they've been living, explores the notion of being "good". It's an engaging story.
In Spite of Myself: a Memoir by Christopher Plummer. Plummer's book is long and verbose, with names dropped on every page, but it is full of hilarious anecdotes and a must-read for fans of the theatre.
The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper. This is the story of a struggling writer who joins a writing circle and finds himself and his son drawn into the world of a serial killer. Wonderfully suspenseful, scary and disturbing!
The Outlander by Gil Adamson. The story of a young widow's flight through the wilderness of western Canada and US in the early 1900s, this was my favourite book of the ten. Beautifully written and a page-turner at the same time.
Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth by Margaret Atwood. Taken from the Massey Lectures, Atwood's discourse on debt (a historical, philosophical and literary view rather than a financial guide) is thought-provoking and timely. I do enjoy her fiction more, though.
Ragged Company by Richard Wagamese. This was the biggest surprise for me. Had never heard of Wagamese but absolutely loved this book about four homeless people who win the lottery. Wonderful storytelling!

And the winner is .... The Cellist of Sarajevo! The Distinction of Honour goes to Coventry. See the announcement on the Ontario Library Association's Web site.

The new Evergreen list will be released in February 2010. However, the other 2010 OLA Forest of Reading lists are available now. Kate plans to participate in the Silver Birch Fiction program again this year.

Julia's Slouchy Beanie Pattern

2009-11-07T16:25:00.005-05:00

Julia and I had seen a few slouchy hats in the clothing shops at the mall and I figured this would be easy to make. I had the perfect yarn for this project -- the gorgeous Tanis Fiber Arts yarn I picked up at the Waterloo County Knitter's Fair in September. Julia loves orange and this yarn has the most beautiful shades of that colour. Too bad the photos can't really do it justice. I include the pattern below for your enjoyment.

Size: teen or adult small. Final circumference is 51cm/20in but will stretch to 56cm/22in.

Yarn: 1 skein Tanis Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Yarn (100% superwash merino wool), Green Label Aran Weight (115g/4oz, 196m/215yds per skein) in Orange Blossom.

Gauge: 20 stitches and 26 rows over 10cm/4in square using larger needles.

Needles: 3.75mm and 4.5mm (set of 4 double-pointed needles or 2 circular needles) or size to achieve gauge.

Abbreviations:
K: knit
K2tog: knit 2 together
M1: make one new stitch by picking up, twisting and knitting through bar on previous row

Instructions for Hat:

With smaller needles, cast on 88 stitches. Join in a round, making sure the row is not twisted and do 10 rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2 around).

Change to larger needles and start stockinette stitch, knitting every row in the round. In the first round, increase 11 stitches as follows: (K8, M1) 11 times. (99 stitches)

Continue in stockinette stitch until the hat measures 24cm/9.5in from the beginning.

Start shaping for crown.
First round: (K9, K2tog) 9 times. (90 stitches)
Next round: Knit.
Next round: (K8, K2tog) 9 times. (81 stitches)
Next round: Knit.
Next round: (K7, K2tog) 9 times. (72 stitches)
Next round: Knit.
Next round: (K6, K2tog) 9 times. (63 stitches)
Next round: Knit
Next round: (K5, K2tog) 9 times. (54 stitches)
Next round: (K4, K2tog) 9 times. (45 stitches)
Next round: (K3, K2tog) 9 times. (36 stitches)
Next round: (K2, K2tog) 9 times. (27 stitches)
Next round: (K1, K2tog) 9 times. (18 stitches)
Next round: K2tog 9 times. (9 stitches)

Draw yarn through all 9 remaining stitches and close tight. Secure yarn in a knot. Weave in ends.

Halloween

2009-11-01T19:17:00.002-05:00

Here's my crazy family on Halloween night, minus Julia who was in bed with the flu. Kate very generously offered to share her loot, which goes to show that little sisters aren't always annoying pests.

I'd bought Kate this lovely white princess dress for Halloween last year but she'd refused to wear it. "Princess" just isn't her thing. Instead, she opted to shred it up with scissors and splatter it with (fake) blood, for the zombie-bride look. (Personally, I think she looks more like Lady Macbeth with that knife.) We were especially pleased to find the perfect fabric for her veil at Len's Mill, but it made me sick to my stomach to think of how much I'd paid for my own wedding veil 18 years ago. To think that I could have made do with a $2 piece of fabric, a $1 head band and two safety pins ... but it's too late to return it to the bridal shop now. Todd opted not to repeat the Napolean Dynamite act (too embarrassing to Julia, who cringed at the thought of her friends seeing him on the streets) and went for a more basic look.

I stayed home and passed out candy to over 230 kids before shutting down at 8:30pm. When you have a crazy family down the street who sets up a huge and elaborate haunted house and opens it up to the entire community, you can expect a lot of trick-or-treaters. I don't mind, though, and the kids are always pleasant and polite.

Quantum to Cosmos

2009-10-25T20:42:00.001-04:00

In what kind of town would you find a physics festival for the general public? Well, right here, of course! The Quantum to Cosmos festival was an eleven-day event featuring lectures, exhibits and films to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Perimeter Institute. In contrast to the academic conferences I attend now and then, it was a refreshing change to hear and talk about science with regular (dare I say "normal"?) people. With my usual busy weekday schedule, I didn't get to nearly as many events as I would have liked to attend. However, I did get to a few and plan to view some of the ones I missed on the Web.

Last Saturday, I attended Sean Carroll's talk, The Origin of the Universe and the Arrow of Time, with my friend Sharon. Carroll is a dynamic speaker and I'm planning to check out his book, From Eternity to Here: the Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time.

The next day, Todd and I attended a panel discussion on Seeing Science Through Fiction that included Neal Stephenson, Lee Smolin, and Jaron Lanier. We were accompanied by our friend Mark who has convinced me that I should try Stephenson's novels. Certainly the themes for several of his books, mentioned in the course of the discussion, seem intriguing enough. Apparently, these are substantial tomes and I'll have to wait until I have a good chunk of time to devote to them. Maybe I'll start with Snow Crash.

Later in the week, I watched the documentary The Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird and Wired Future. This was an entertaining and interesting film featuring interviews with a number of physicists around the world, but I'm not sure I understood quantum theory any better by the end of it. Incidentally, my first real exposure to this topic (outside of high-school physics class) was George Gamow's Thirty Years That Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory -- an entertaining and highly readable book, if one can say that about any book on quantum theory.

Today, on the final day of the festival, I took Kate to the Physica Phantastica Exhibit, open to adults and kids of all ages. This included a prototype of the next Mars Rover, a 3D movie about how the universe was formed (including colliding galaxies, no less!), and many other fascinating exhibits. Unfortunately, we missed seeing Mark, even though he'd spent much of the weekend volunteering there in the big tent sent up in the city square.

All in all, it was a terrific festival. Hopefully, we won't have to wait for the Perimeter Institute's 20th anniversary to enjoy another event like this one.

Two-Colour Infant Hat

2009-10-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

I made this set for twins whose parents are Harry Potter fans. You can use the Hogwarts house colours, as I have, or any two contrasting colours. There are notes at the end for making a larger size.

Size: 3 months; circumference of 40cm (16in)

Yarn: 1 skein Patons Astra (50g, 147m per skein) in each of two colours, or other DK weight yarn.
For the hats shown in the photographs, I used the following combinations of Patons Astra for colours A and B: Cardinal (02762) and School Bus Yellow (02941); Dark Denim (02777) and Silver Grey Mix (02729); Black (02765) and School Bus Yellow (02941); Forest (02881) and Silver Grey Mix (02729).

Gauge: 22 stitches and 28 rows over 10cm (4in) square using larger needles.

Needles: 3.25 and 4mm (set of 4 double-pointed needles or 2 circular needles) or size to achieve gauge.

Abbreviations:
K: knit
K2tog: knit 2 together
M1: make one new stitch by picking up, twisting and knitting through bar on previous row

Instructions for Hat:

With colour A and smaller needles, cast on 76 stitches. Join in a round, making sure the row is not twisted and do 10 rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2 around).

Change to larger needles. Join colour B and begin fair-isle pattern starting with first round at the bottom of the following chart. In the first round, which is all in colour B, increase 12 stitches as follows: (K6, M1, K6, M1, K7, M1) 4 times. (88 stitches)

Work chart from bottom to top, repeating the 8-stitch pattern to the end of each round. Note that white squares are done in the main colour A and grey squares are done in the contrasting colour B.

Break off colour B and work remainder of hat in colour A. Start decreasing for crown.
First round: (K9, K2tog) 8 times. (80 stitches)
Next round: (K8, K2tog) 8 times. (72 stitches)
Next round: (K7, K2tog) 8 times. (64 stitches)
Next round: (K6, K2tog) 8 times. (56 stitches)
Next round: (K5, K2tog) 8 times. (48 stitches)
Next round: (K4, K2tog) 8 times. (40 stitches)
Next round: (K3, K2tog) 8 times. (32 stitches)
Next round: (K2, K2tog) 8 times. (24 stitches)
Next round: (K1, K2tog) 8 times. (16 stitches)
Next round: K2tog 8 times. (8 stitches)

Draw yarn through all 8 remaining stitches and close tight. Secure yarn in a knot. Weave in ends.

Notes on making a larger size:

Unfortunately, I don't have time right now to work out other sizes. However, I've included some notes below to help you adjust the pattern on your own.

I made this in a child/youth size as follows. Cast on 96 stitches. Do 11 rows of 2x2 ribbing. Increase 16 stitches to 112 stitches on first row by repeating (K6, M1) to end. Do fair-isle pattern, repeating a couple of the narrow bands to increase the height of the hat. Work crown as above except start with (K12, K2tog) on first decrease row, (K11, K2tog) on second, etc. If you don't want to do all the crown shaping in one colour (which leaves a largish area in that colour at the top of the hat), improvise and add in a yellow band, but take care to work the decreases into the pattern. Alternatively, you can add a pompom in the contrasting colour.

You can also increase the size by using a thicker yarn and correspondingly larger needle size.

Romanesco Cauliflower

2009-09-30T19:10:00.001-04:00

I love the fractal patterns in this cauliflower. Tastes good, too.

A Literary Weekend

2009-09-27T10:04:00.003-04:00

I had the great pleasure of seeing Margaret Atwood at the Kitchener Public Library yesterday. Actually, I saw her via a live video feed, in a room adjacent to the library auditorium where she was speaking. The overflow crowd was enthusiastic all the same. It was enough to be next door to greatness.

When I saw the announcement months ago, I planned to show up early for the ticket distribution that took place two weeks before the event. I arrived 15 minutes before the doors opened, figuring that would surely be early enough. After all, we're talking about a reading by a novelist who writes serious literature, not a U2 concert. By the time I got to the front of the line, I was told the auditorium tickets were all gone and there were only a handful of overflow tickets left. I managed to snag two for myself and my friend Fei Min, and I saw over 50 people in the line behind me go home disappointed.

Margaret Atwood read from her new work, Year of the Flood, but much more enlightening and entertaining were her comments during the Q&A period. She covered utopian and dystopian literature, the purposes of blogging and Twittering, anecdotes from her early writing days, and much more. I didn't envy the interviewer, as this is one very sharp and quick woman. It must be tough keeping up with her.

We then lined up with the rest of the crowd to get our books signed. I had the new one, while Fei Min had her cherished copy of Alias Grace, which might very well be my favourite Atwood work, of the ones I've read so far. (I'd read this novel during the long hours breastfeeding Kate right after she was born; it was so compelling and disturbing that I didn't manage to get the sleep that I so badly needed at the time.) Fei Min and I then spent the next hour rehashing the event over a couple of sushi rolls. All in all, it was a terrific way to spend a Saturday!

This afternoon, I headed over to Victoria Park for the Word on the Street Festival. I picked up a few books for the kids and listened to a couple of readings. The highlight for me was attending Shane Peacock's reading from his first Boy Sherlock Holmes book, Eye of the Crow. I already knew he was a first-rate writer, but I discovered that he is a superb speaker as well. He spoke about his passion for Victorian England and his inspirations for this series. He also warned would-be young writers that it's very hard work to write. I believe him, as his books seem to be meticulously researched. After the reading, I got Kate's copy of Death in the Air signed. She couldn't come with me to the reading because of a previous commitment, but she was thrilled to see the signed book when she returned home in the evening.

Mac 'n' Cheese

2009-09-23T17:40:00.002-04:00

I'm way too tired to write a book review, knitting pattern, or anything else requiring much thought, but I've been getting gentle reminders from various sources that I should keep my blog up to date. So the best I can do is this: Kate's fabulous home-made mac 'n' cheese, which I had the honour of helping her make. It was better than KD, really.

Why am I so tired? I guess it's the back-to-school chaos: getting used to waking up before 7am again, rushing to Office Depot because one of the kids absolutely needs a binder/notebook/glue-stick by the next day or else she is doomed to failure for the school year, dashing out to the grocery store after realizing there is no lunch food except granola bars in the house, being told about a parent-teacher meeting just as it was about to get started (with the reassuring words, "But you don't really have to attend, Mom"). However, things are starting to get better. Life isn't exactly returning to "normal", but we're starting to establish a new routine.

My TIFF Experience

2009-09-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, Todd and I went to TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival for the very first time. It's sad, really, that we've never ventured there before. I always had the impression that tickets would be expensive and difficult to get and that it would be worthwhile only for serious art film aficionados or celebrity chasers, but I was wrong on both counts.

We left early on Sunday morning and arrived in Toronto in time to pick up our tickets and line up for our first movie, Up in the Air, at the Elgin Theatre. There's Todd, in the photo above, with the much needed Starbucks latte. We got in line an hour ahead of time, and already the line was several city blocks long, but the wait was worthwhile, as we did get good seats together.

It was a great experience to see a movie at the beautiful Elgin, the ceiling of which is shown in the photo above. Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman (of Juno fame) was superb. I loved everything about it: the acting, the story, the humour, the cinematography. It's definitely Oscar material. All these years, I've never really understood the George Clooney love, but in this film, he is fabulous.

After lunch and ale at Les 3 Brasseurs, which these Torontonians insist on calling The 3 Brewers, we returned to an even longer line-up in front of the Elgin to wait for The Joneses. This movie, directed by Derek Borte, shows consumerism taken to an extreme. Unlike Up in the Air, The Joneses was merely good, not great, but it was still entertaining and thought-provoking. A bonus was the fact that this event was the world premiere and consequently featured celebrities walking the red carpet. The director, joined by various members of the cast including David Duchovny and Demi Moore, appeared on stage after the screening for a short Q&A session.

So was it worth it to travel to Toronto, stand in lines for hours and pay twice a normal movie-ticket price to see films that will be available everywhere in a few months anyhow? Definitely yes! There is something thrilling about seeing a film for the first time with 1500 other enthusiastic people. The other filmgoers we met in line were generally friendly, polite and well-informed (typical Canadians, I'd like to think). Though we weren't all that concerned about spotting celebrities, we were impressed when one fellow sitting next to us said he saw Penelope Cruz the day before. A couple of minutes later, his friend passed by in the aisle and told him that she just saw Geddy Lee from Rush, prompting Todd to say, "Wow, I'd rather see Geddy Lee than Penelope Cruz anyday!" I have no doubt that statement was said with complete sincerity.

All in all, it was a terrific day, and next year, I'll have to figure out how to abandon kids and work for a much more substantial TIFF experience.

Sunday Craft Update - September 13

2009-09-13T07:33:00.004-04:00

I went to the K-W Knitters Fair yesterday. This stupendous annual event is really the best of its kind in our area, and probably in the entire province. I could have spent the whole day there but given my tight schedule, I had to power-shop. I bought, among other things, four skeins of Tanis yarn. Unfortunately, my photo does not do the yarns justice. The colours are various shades of glorious grapey purples and brilliant oranges. Buying high-end hand-dyed yarns in colours other than blues, reds and neutrals is extremely out-of-character for me. Orange yarn?? What the heck was I thinking? Really, the Tanis yarns had such beautiful shading that I just couldn't pass them up.

This Day Eight Years Ago

2009-09-11T07:28:00.003-04:00

The September 11 disaster will be a perennial choice for the "What were you doing when ... ?" question. As with John Lennon's death and the Challenger disaster, I can remember vividly what I was doing the moment I heard the news.

Shortly after 9am, word was spreading through our office about the attacks on the twin towers. Soon after, a television set was set up in the common area and a crowd was forming around it. The managers probably concluded early on that nobody was going to get any work done that day.

Just before 10am, I got a call from Todd, who had arrived in Los Angeles a couple of days earlier. He had just woken up, as it was 7am in his time zone, and he had not had any news of the day yet. After I told him what I knew, he looked out his hotel window and saw armed officials patrolling the streets. Later in the day, he found out that the conference he was to attend in San Diego was cancelled, as was his flight home.

That evening, I spoke to my mother in Montreal. She had spent the entire day trying to reach our many relatives in New York City. We found out the next day, to our great relief, that all were accounted for, including a cousin who worked on the ground floor of the World Trade Center.

Over the next few days, I worried about how Todd was going to get home. Though I didn't have any real concern about his safety, we figured that being out of the country at that time was not a particularly good idea. Todd and his colleagues decided to rent a minivan and start driving in the general direction of Canada. After a few days in the car, they reached Des Moines, where they were finally able to get a flight to Toronto. Five days after the disaster, Todd arrived home. A friend of ours, who lives near us and who was also in southern California for a different business meeting, decided to wait it out at a beach resort. He arrived home shortly before Todd did.

I worried also about my Muslim friends, many of whom I'd met during my graduate studies, and hoped that the fallout wouldn't affect their families greatly. One of my saddest moments was seeing a former high-school teacher on the CBC news, several weeks after the disaster, talking about the daughter and son-in-law he lost when the towers collapsed. I'd always remembered him as an energetic, funny and powerful man, but that day, he seemed so fragile and broken.

As a child, I'd spent several summers in New York City, and I recall my aunt proudly pointing out the antenna on top of one of the towers. Her son, an engineer, had been part of the design team. I haven't been back to New York City in 30 years, but I would like to return one day soon and see how the city has changed.

First Day of High School

2009-09-09T08:00:00.004-04:00

Kate started grade 5 yesterday, but today is Julia's very first day of high school! By 7:30am, she was dressed, had eaten breakfast, and had all her stuff organized and ready to go. What happened to my kid??!!

The Summer in a Nutshell

2009-09-07T16:25:00.001-04:00

It is definitely time to revive this blog, and I'll start with, "What I Did During My Summer Vacation." One thing I did was work, as I wasn't fortunate enough to have the whole summer off, but I still had plenty of time to spend with family and friends. My cousins Beryl and Rob spent several days with us, and the girls had a great time with Emma, Amanda and Olivia. We went into Toronto with them after their stay here and spent an afternoon at the Ontario Science Museum.

Julia had a terrific two weeks at summer camp with one of her friends from school. She claims she had a great time, despite the fact that she and her cabin-mates got caught in the biggest and wettest storm of the summer during their three-night out-trip. She then spent the rest of the summer relaxing at home and doing some volunteer work at the library and at our neighbourhood pool, reading with kids and assisting with swim lessons. Julia seems to enjoy working with younger kids, as long as the group doesn't include her sister.

Kate also had two weeks at a different summer camp with one of her good friends. This camp had a small lending library and Kate made it a personal mission to finish one Nancy Drew mystery each day at camp. Not surprisingly, she earned a "fastest reader" award from her camp counsellor. She told me that she did put the books aside long enough to swim, canoe, learn to make a fire, and do the usual camp activities, and she is looking forward to returning next year.

Todd and I had the opportunity to enjoy a kid-free weekend with our friends Mark and Sharon. We spent a couple of days in the Niagara Region, tasting and stocking up on wine, eating excellent food, and playing Settlers of Catan and Pandemic. I also got through at least a dozen novels and produced a decent crop of lettuce, peas, beans, eggplants and cucumbers this summer, though tomatoes were disappointing. Tomorrow, it's the start of a new school year!

Touring Ithaca

2009-07-24T21:28:00.000-04:00

Kate and I have had some breaks between her violin sessions to tour Ithaca and the surrounding areas. We visited Cornell University, where I'd spent four months as a visiting student 23 years ago. The photo above shows Williard Straight Hall, and it houses the Ivy Room in which I had a good many lunches. I spent much of my time at Cornell studying in the beautiful, old Uris Library, which unfortunately was closed when Kate and I arrived. I also tried to visit the North Campus townhouses, which are not particularly interesting but holds some nostalgic value for me. Sadly, the entire campus seemed under construction and after several tries, I gave up trying to find an open route there. Nevertheless, it was wonderful walking on Cornell's beautiful campus again.

The Finger Lakes region is well-known for its waterfalls, and it's not surprising that so many people here are sporting "Ithaca is Gorges" T-shirts. One afternoon, we popped over to the Buttermilk Falls, just a 5-minute drive from Ithaca College. Buttermilk Falls is actually a series of small waterfalls rather than one large drop. Kate and I worked our way down one of the two trails following the falls and saw a number of interesting rock formations along the way.

The next day, we took the longer drive to Taughannock Falls, which supposedly has a greater drop than Niagara Falls. We parked near the lower part of the gorge, where we were able to hike 20 minutes on a wide and gentle trail to the base of the waterfall. If you're in the area, I highly recommend a visit. The views of the gorge and waterfall are stunning.

A Week at the Ithaca Suzuki Institute

2009-07-23T21:32:00.002-04:00

Kate has now finished Day 4 of the Suzuki Summer Institute at Ithaca College, and there is one final day to go. This is Kate's third Summer Institute. Two years ago, she attended the Southwestern Ontario Suzuki Institute and last year, the Suzuki Kingston Musicfest, which I wrote about here. These week-long camps are held every summer, in various places across North America, and they all follow similar formats.

Kate has four classes each day. The first is an hour-long lesson, shared with two other students who are playing at a similar level. The instructor works with each student on his/her particular strengths and weaknesses for 20 minutes. Then, there is a group class with 10-15 other students, in which the kids work on songs from the Suzuki Repertoire. After lunch, Kate has an orchestra class, and finally, there is an hour-long play-in. The play-in is an informal, lively session in which the kids get together with an instructor and go through pieces from the Suzuki Repertoire, often with fun variations.

When you follow a Suzuki program, you're expected to be able to play all the repertoire from the early books from memory. Kate's private and group violin teachers at home expect her to review all the pieces regularly, and she gets the opportunity to play them at group classes and concerts. The consequence is that you can throw a bunch of Suzuki-trained violinists together at any time, and they'll be able to play a large selection of songs together.

In addition to the classes, there are recitals and concerts every afternoon and evening, as well as lectures about the Suzuki method for parents. To avoid burning out, Kate and I pick and choose carefully just a few events to attend. Earlier in the week, we saw a concert given by the Preludio group, consisting of the most advanced students. The concert included the entire Four Seasons by Vivaldi, which Kate knows well, having had to learn parts of it for her orchestra group at home. The soloist, Allegra Wermuth, is a teacher at the institute. Just as impressive (to me, anyhow) is the fact that she is also a knitting designer and publishes an on-line knitting magazine, Petite Purls. (OK, I had to get some mention of knitting in here, and yes, I've been taking my knitting along to some of Kate's classes.)

Then, there is practice to be done. At the end of each day, or in between classes in the practice rooms available at the music building, Kate reviews the instructions given by her teachers. It's not all work, though, as you can tell by the previous blog posts. We've had time to tour Ithaca and the surrounding areas. Tomorrow will be a busy day, though, as the week ends with the final concert. Kate will be playing in the orchestra and also doing a selection of the Suzuki repertoire with all the other violinists, and then she gets to enjoy a big party at the end of it all!

Arrived in Ithaca

2009-07-21T20:34:00.008-04:00

On Sunday, Kate and I arrived in Ithaca, after passing through tiny towns with wonderful names like Romulus and Ulysses. Ithaca is a lovely city, with breathtaking views and a granola feel to it. Indeed, we drove by the Grassroots Festival as we were nearing the city.

We stopped in the downtown area for lunch, and Kate immediately spotted Ithaca Guitar Works. (She clearly takes after her Dad.) We browsed for a bit and eventually left with new guitar picks for Todd and a Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus songbook for Kate. The warm and enthusiastic shop owner had the good grace not to sneer as we bought it. We then stopped into a little cafe with excellent smoothies and wraps for lunch. We liked the food so much that I intended to return with Kate later in the week, until I found out it was owned by a religious cult. Maybe that's why the staff members were so friendly and helpful.

The Suzuki Institute takes place at Ithaca College, and we're staying in one of the residences here. Yesterday, we took a needed break from the university dining hall food. The food here is about as good as you'd expect from such a place (i.e. not particularly good), but at least they have decent Green Mountain coffee. We returned downtown and had an excellent meal at the famous Moosewood Cafe. I bought one of their cookbooks years ago and still use it frequently.

This is the amazing view from outside our residence room. Unfortunately, the view on the inside is not as beautiful. When we walked into our room, Kate immediate said, "Mom, this is just like a prison cell!" I reprimanded her for having such a negative view, but then I started to see her point. Perhaps it was the cement-block walls, or the small window located at the top of one wall, or the sheer sparsity of the room, even by residence-hall standards. However, a quick trip to Walmart to get supplies (including pillows that offered more than a centimetre of height) made our room much more comfortable. We really can't complain. The mattresses are comfortable, the room is very clean, and it is reasonably close to the classes. We do have a 15-minute hike uphill, though; it's a good thing Kate plays violin and not cello. Also, no one complains if you practice your instrument here. In fact, there is a kid next door who seems to be practicing every minute she's not in a class. Not surprisingly, she's one of the most advanced students in her age group. I'll write more about the violin program itself later.

First Stop: Niagara Falls

2009-07-21T17:30:00.002-04:00

Kate and I stopped at Niagara Falls on Saturday, en route to another week-long summer Suzuki Violin Institute, this time in Ithaca, New York. Kate had been begging to see Niagara Falls for ages, whining about how her friends were more well-travelled than herself, the only one who hadn't seen the falls yet. This comment came from a kid who's been to various countries in two other continents, thanks to having family members scattered all over the world. However, I agreed that it was a shame that neither of us had seen one of Canada's greatest tourist attractions located practically in our backyard. I'd technically seen the falls once before, briefly in the wintertime, but that barely counts.

So off we went to do the grand tour, despite Oscar Wilde's famous words: "The Niagara Falls is simply a vast amount of water going the wrong way over some unnecessary rocks; the sight of that waterfall must be one of the earliest and keenest disappointments in American married life." I bought each of us an Adventure Pass, which started with a ride on the Maid of the Mist. This boat ride, the highlight of our day in my opinion, took us close enough to the American and Horseshoe Falls to be soaked in spray. Well, we would have been soaked were it not for the ubiquitous rain ponchos handed out at every attraction near the falls. Feeling the power of the water thundering down around us was an incredible experience.

We then went on the White Water Walk, a very scenic walk right next to the Whirlpool Rapids. This was followed by the Niagara's Fury "4-d ride", included in our Adventure Pass, but which frankly pales compared to the real thing. Kate loved it, though. Finally, we did the Journey Behind the Falls for a close-up view of the Horseshoe Falls. And now, we can say that we've really seen Niagara Falls!

Two Anniversaries

2009-07-13T20:09:00.005-04:00

Two days ago, Marilyn and John, Todd's parents, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. There was a big party in Wasaga Beach, well attended by over 200 family members and friends. Their entire wedding party was there, along with many people they've worked with in their long careers and extensive volunteer service. It was clear from the stories and comments I heard that they've touched many, many lives and they play a vital role in their community. We, of course, already know that they're wonderful parents and grandparents. Congratulations, Marilyn and John! We wish you many more years of happiness.

Todd and I are celebrating our own 18th wedding anniversary today! We're having a low-key celebration with our girls this evening. It's been a good year for our family, and I expect the next will be even better.

A Renaissance of Sorts

2009-07-09T06:13:00.003-04:00

I've been reading a lot lately. I'd always read a lot, spending hours a week at the library in my youth and taking literature courses all through university as my non-technical electives. However, sometime in the past decade, I became brain-dead. With the pressures of raising kids and working, I found myself reading mostly paperback mysteries, knitting magazines, and children's books, while only occasionally picking up something more substantial.

So what happened to change that? I'd been reading more the past couple of years, but the real turning point occurred in March. Kate participated in the Ontario Library Association's Silver Birch program and raved about the books. At the same time, Julia started studying Shakespeare in her grade 8 class. With some feelings of envy, I realized that my kids were reading more interesting and weighty material than I was!

I seem to be making up for lost time now, though the reading is seriously cutting into my craft time. (I'm still knitting every day though!) I've recently discovered LibraryThing, an online service for readers that's just as fun and comprehensive as Ravelry is for knitters. I'm working through my 7th book from the Evergreen list and also finished The Book of Negroes by Laurence Hill, our region's "One Book, One Community" choice. The Book of Negroes was fantastic ... can't really say much more about it that's not already been said in all the glowing reviews. I also loved Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, a novel from the "young adult" category. On our way home from our Montreal vacation, I made Todd drive the entire seven hours because I couldn't put the book down. I'm also slogging through Mark Danielewski's The House of Leaves, after being tempted by an online event announced at the Wordsworth Books blog. This is one bizarre, challenging and mesmerizing read!

Celebrating the End of Middle School

2009-06-18T21:57:00.009-04:00

Julia celebrated the end of Middle School with her grade 8 prom a couple of nights ago. Here she is, looking very grown up in the dress and wrap I'd made for her. For those of you who had wondered why I've not had any "Sunday Craft Updates" for a while, the reason is that I was not allowed to divulge any details of the prom outfit until after the event.

Grade 8 has gone very well for Julia. It culminated in her school's annual end-of-year ceremony today, where she learned that she graduated on the honour roll. It's been a fun two weeks for her. As soon as exams finished, the whole grade 8 class went on a trip to Quebec City and Ottawa that included a white-water rafting experience. Then there was prom followed by after-prom parties, and now summer vacation begins!

48-Hour Book Challenge: Summary

2009-06-07T17:56:00.005-04:00

The 48-Hour Book Challenge hosted by MotherReader is done! Here is the final summary:

Hours spent reading: 16
Hours spent blogging and writing/reading reviews: 2
Books finished: 4
Pages read: 1268

These are the books I read:

Good to a Fault, by Marina Endicott
Eye of the Crow, by Shane Peacock
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell
8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, by W. Bruce Cameron

I also convinced Kate, my 10-year-old, to do some extra reading this weekend, and she completed 4 hours. She suggested we donate to our local Humane Society, for each hour we've read. For each of her hours, she will donate 50 cents from her allowance and I'll match her donation, and then I will donate $1 for each of my own hours, for a total of $20.

I enjoyed the weekend immensely (even though I have a lot of unfinished housework waiting for me now), especially having my friend Sharon join me for a few of those hours. It is great to be able to read with good friends, without feeling the obligation to make small talk during the process, but being able to exchange recommendations and ideas with them afterwards.

I am also happy to have discovered this challenge and MotherReader's blog. Many of the other bloggers doing this challenge seem to be particularly interested in children's and young adult books, and a good number regularly review books in these categories. I mainly read literature (especially Canadian literature) and mystery myself, though I do read a good number of children's books recommended by my kids. However, these days, I'm always on the lookout for good young-adult novels for Julia. I only managed to read a small sample of the many reviews posted during the 48-Hour Book Challenge, but I'm looking forward to going back to some of the blogs in the next week.

It was a great weekend of reading, and I certainly hope to do it again next year!

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #4

2009-06-07T17:15:00.002-04:00

I spent my final 3 hours reading W. Bruce Cameron's 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. As the mother of a teenager and a preteen, I found this book absolutely hilarious and sadly all too true. Here's a typical morsel of wisdom from Cameron: "The teenage years represent a formative period in which your daughter goes from wasting money on childish things to learning how to waste money like an adult. Your job is to fund this process." I tried to persuade Todd to read this book, as it is written from a father's perspective. However, he probably feels he is too busy surviving the arduous process to read the survival guide.

While we're on the topic of how to cope with a teenager, a truly useful book is Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall? This book had been recommended to me by a number of people, and it offers good, practical advice, written in a succinct manner. Of course, even after all this reading, I still don't feel like I understand the mind of a teenage girl (despite the fact that I was one a few decades ago). If you ask Julia, she'll probably tell you it's equally difficult understanding and coping with parents.

48-Hour Book Challenge: Update #3

2009-06-07T08:50:00.002-04:00

I've read another 4 hours now (3 yesterday evening and 1 this morning), for a total of 13 hours. There are still 8 hours left in my 48-hour challenge, but I have to squeeze some exercise and chores (maybe even a shower and meals) in there as well. In those 4 hours, I read Malcolm Gladwell's Blink.

Blink is about how people make decisions, and it contrasts the decisions made from "snap judgments" and those made from prolonged, rational thought. The book is mainly a collection of anecdotes. I'd read Gladwell's Outliers earlier, and there is similar criticism of both, that Gladwell is not providing original research, that he doesn't show the whole story, that some of the conclusions are flawed. However, I enjoyed both books immensely. Whether or not I agreed with every conclusion he draws, he made me think about details I'd missed and re-examine assumptions I've made about the way I perceive the world.

I loved, in particular, the closing story about trombone player, Abbie Conant, who faced an enormous struggle in the classical music world because she was a woman. The whole story, as written by her husband, is here.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update #2

2009-06-06T16:39:00.003-04:00

It is almost 5pm, the halfway point in the 48-Hour Book Challenge. I managed to read for another 4 hours today, and a friend will be arriving shortly (with her own stack of books) to join me for the evening. I'm pretty pleased with the number of hours logged so far, considering that I also squeezed in the following tasks: hosted a sleepover party for a bunch of teens (not so hard, since my job was mainly to put out food and then stay out of the way), finished two loads of laundry, went for a 40-minute walk, and interacted (a very small amount) with the rest of my family.

I finished Marina Endicott's Good to a Fault, one of the books on the Evergreen list that I'm tackling. The story is about a middle-aged woman who takes in a family after she accidentally crashes into the car they have all been living in, and the mother is discovered, while being examined in the hospital, to have cancer. The novel explores the notion of being "good" and what it means to be selfish or selfless. It's an engaging story and well worth a read, though it didn't have the same impact for me as some of the other books (like The Cellist of Sarajevo) on the Evergreen list.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Update #1

2009-06-06T06:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday evening, I managed 5 hours of reading, which was actually more than I'd hoped for. The bad news is that I stayed up until 1am reading but woke up at 6am, as I do every morning, and couldn't back to sleep, so I'll have to see if I can focus today. I got halfway through Marina Endicott's Good to a Fault before opting for something lighter. I then finished Eye of the Crow by Shane Peacock.

Eye of the Crow tells the story of the 13-year-old Sherlock Holmes's first case and shows how his origins lead to his developing into Arthur Conan Doyle's famous character. Kate read this book as part of the Silver Birch program and recommended it to me. I've read all the original Sherlock Holmes books, seen many of the Basil Rathbone movies, loved the Jeremy Brett TV series and dragged my family through the Sherlock Holmes museum when we were in England a couple of years ago. I thought Peacock did a great job of developing an interesting plot, forming a faithful characterization of the young Sherlock Holmes, and recreating the atmosphere of 19th century London. Kate found some of the scenes rather scary but loved the novel, and I hope this will inspire her to read the real series when she's older. It looks like Peacock plans to develop this series further, as there is now a second book, Death in the Air, available.

48 Hour Book Challenge: Starting Line

2009-06-05T16:33:00.002-04:00

I'll be starting the 48 Hour Book Challenge at 5pm, Eastern Daylight Time. The goal is to read as many hours as I can before 5pm on Sunday! I'm starting with Marina Endicott's Good to a Fault and Shane Peacock's Eye of the Crow.

Cabled Baby Hat and Mittens Pattern

2009-05-28T18:53:00.004-04:00

Here is the pattern for a hat and mittens set I made for a friend's new baby. The mittens are thumbless. I ended up using approximately 150m of yarn.

Size: 6-12 months; hat stretches to a circumference of 38-40cm (15-16 in).

Yarn: 1 skein Wool Gatto by Lana Gatto (50g, 165m per skein) or other DK weight yarn.

Gauge: 24 stitches and 32 rows over 10cm (4in) square using larger needles. One cable pattern repeat (over 10 stitches) is approximately 2.5cm (1in) unstretched and 3cm (1.25 in) stretched.

Needles: 3 and 3.75mm (set of 4 double-pointed needles or 2 circular needles) or size to achieve gauge. 1 cable needle.

Abbreviations:
K: knit
P: purl
C4: Make cable over 4 stitches by holding first two stitches on cable needle at front. Knit two stitches from back and then knit the 2 stitches on the cable needle.
M1: Make one additional stitch by working into the previous row before next stitch.
Pat4: Follow the cable pattern for 4 stitches (either K4 or C4 depending on row).
K2tog: Knit 2 together.
SSK: Slip, slip, knit to decrease a stitch.

Instructions for Hat:

With smaller needles, cast on 96 stitches. Join in a round, making sure the row is not twisted and do 10 rounds of 2x2 rib (K2, P2 around).

Change to larger needles.
First round: (M1, K2, M1, P2, K2, P2) 12 times. (120 stitches)
Next 5 rounds: (K4, P2, K2, P2) 12 times.

Start cable pattern:
Round 1: (C4, P2, K2, P2) 12 times
Rounds 2 to 8: (K4, P2, K2, P2) 12 times.
Repeat rounds 1 to 8 until hat measures 14cm (5.5 in) from cast-on row.

Start decreasing for crown, keeping pattern until you start decreases on the 4-stitch cable.
First round: (Pat4, P2tog, K2, P2tog) 12 times. (96 stitches)
Next round: (Pat4, P1, K2, P1) 12 times.
Next round: (SSK, K2tog, P1, K2, P1) 12 times. (72 stitches)
Next round: (K2, P1, K2, P1) 12 times.
Next round: (K2tog, P1) to end of row. (48 stitches)
Next round: K2tog to end of row. (24 stitches)
Next round: K2tog to end of row. (12 stitches)

Draw yarn through all 12 remaining stitches and close tight. Secure yarn in a knot. Weave in ends.

Instructions for Thumbless Mittens (make 2 identical)

With smaller needles, cast on 28 stitches. Join in a round, making sure the row is not twisted. Starting with P2, do 12 rounds of 2x2 rib (P2, K2).

Change to larger needles.
First round: K4, P2, M1, K2, M1, P2, K4, K14. (30 stitches)
Next round: K4, P2, K4, P2, K4, K14.
Next round: K2, M1, K2, P2, K4, P2, K2, M1, K2, K2, M1, K10, M1, K2. (34 stitches)
Next 3 rounds: K5, P2, K4, P2, K5, K16.

Start cable pattern:
Round 1: K5, P2, C4, P2, K5, K16.
Rounds 2 to 8: K5, P2, K4, P2, K5, K16.
Repeat rounds 1 to 8 until mitten measures 7.5cm (3in) from cuff (not including ribbing).

Start shaping top of mitten, keeping pattern until you start decreases on the 4-stitch cable.
Next round: K1, SSK, K2, P2, Pat4, P2, K2, K2tog, K1, K1, SSK, K10, K2tog, K1. (30 stitches)
Next round: K4, P2, Pat4, P2, K4, K14.
Next round: K1, SSK, K1, P2, Pat4, P2, K1, K2tog, K1, K1, SSK, K8, K2tog, K1. (26 stitches)
Next round: K1, SSK, P2, SSK, K2tog, P2, K2tog, K1, K1, SSK, K6, K2tog, K1. (20 stitches)

Divide stitches so there are 10 stitches on each of two needles. Graft stitches together to close the top of the mitten. Weave in ends.

Film Club: Round 4

2009-05-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

For round 4 of our film club, Julia chose Clint Eastwood's The Changeling, with Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. The film featured an intriguing story, based on true events, about a woman whose son is abducted. A boy is returned to her, but despite the authorities' insistence that he is her son, she realizes he is an imposter. Coincidentally, we watched the film shortly before a real child abduction occurred in a nearby community and we recently learned of the sad and tragic conclusion to this situation. However, the film is more an exploration of political corruption and the struggles of women in the 1920's than a story of child abduction. Both Julia and I gave thumbs-up to this movie. It had a great story and excellent acting, and it recreated the 20's atmosphere beautifully. My only disappointment was that Colm Feore, one of my favourite actors, had such a minor role in it, but I'm consoled by the fact that I'll be seeing him as Macbeth at the Stratford Festival in a few weeks.

My choice for this round was Best in Show, directed by Christopher Guest and starring SCTV alumni Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. I'm grateful to my friend John for recommending this hilarious mockumentary about five dogs and their owners preparing to compete in a dog show. The whole family enjoyed this movie, even though it's probably deemed unsuitable for Kate. She didn't understand (I hope) most of the double-entendres, but she sure loved the cute dogs!

48 Hour Book Challenge

2009-05-20T21:24:00.002-04:00

I recently found out about this 48 Hour Book Challenge, and I'm seriously tempted to join in the fun. The idea is to read for as many hours as possible over a 48-hour period on the June 5-7 weekend. MotherReader, the blogger hosting the challenge, emphasizes the "guilt-free" aspect. The problem is that I have to get the rest of my family to buy into this, as laundry, cooking, cleaning, and chauffering will become very low-priority tasks for a couple of days. Actually, Kate wants to read along with me, and we've vowed to give up TV, computer games, Internet surfing and unnecessary social contact for the weekend. However, friends who are willing to BYOB (bring your own book) are welcome to come over and join us.

The timing is good, as I have a huge stack of books to get through. I'm currently reading from the Ontario Library Association's Evergreen list. From it, I've finished Gil Adamson's The Outlander, Steven Galloway's The Cellist of Sarajevo, Christopher Plummer's In Spite of Myself: a Memoir, and most recently, Andrew Pyper's The Killing Circle. (I'm still shivering from that one!) I'm also working through Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes, our region's "One Book, One Community" pick for the year. Then, there is a long list of recommendations from my kids, including the Twilight series that Julia loved and the Silver Birch fiction list that Kate enjoyed immensely this year. I'm going to need way more than 48 hours ....

A Busy Concert Season

2009-05-16T12:48:00.002-04:00

Kate has been a busy, busy violinist these past few weeks. First, the junior orchestra played their final concert of the season. They worked for months on the third movement of Vivaldi's Summer Concerto and they played it beautifully. They also joined the intermediate and senior orchestras to play a modern piece composed by David Wadley. A few days after that concert, Kate participated in the local Kiwanis Music Festival, in three violin competitions and a composition competition. She had practiced many hours for these competitions, and we were very proud that she played her pieces so well.

The following weekend, Kate's strings school had their annual spring concert. Kate played, with her group, a medley featuring pieces from "The Sound of Music". It was definitely a crowd pleaser and appreciated by Todd's parents, John and Marilyn, who joined us for the weekend. She also played selections from the Suzuki repertoire with the entire school. Even though I have to see this at every Suzuki event, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing a stage full of kids playing Twinkle variations together! There's Kate in the photo above, among all the violinists in their best black-and-white concert garb.

As if there wasn't enough craziness, Kate also had to attend dance rehearsals the week before the concert. I spent much of the weekend shuttling her between her two dance performances and the group violin rehearsal and concert. The whole family attended the dance recital too, and Kate performed beautifully in her "Pool of Tears" and "Card Guards" dances with the rest of her class. My friend Laura designed this lovely card guard costume in the photo above.

Now, Kate gets a few weeks' break before an upcoming violin exam. Julia had decided some time ago to abandon the arts scene and is no longer doing dance and piano recitals. However, she too has been busy, going to track-and-field meets every week or two with her school team. It's nearly impossible, though, to convince a teenager to pose for a photo for her parents, so you'll just have to imagine her racing in her school colours and spikes.

Film Club: Round 3

2009-04-09T20:30:00.003-04:00

For round 3 of our film club, I chose Breakfast at Tiffany's, an old favourite that Julia also wanted to see, especially after hearing that it was one of Blake Lively's favourite movies. I love Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, that sappy Moon River song, but most of all, I love Cat.

Julia chose Twilight, newly released on video. She'd read the entire series and had already seen seen the movie at the theatre with a friend, but she wanted to see it again and share the experience with me (or so I like to imagine). We watched it together with her former schoolmate who was visiting for the day. It's fun, romantic, escapist entertainment, especially if you like watching very pale, serious young people giving each other long meaningful stares (and glares) across the screen. As soon as we were done with the movie, it was Earth Hour, so we got to sit in the dark and contemplate vampires for a while, until some friends invited me for a walk to Starbucks.

Sunday Craft Update

2009-04-05T19:52:00.003-04:00

I've been trying to work on five knitting projects simultaneously, which means that I'm not making any significant progress on any of them. However, I did manage to finish a bunch of hats with the tons of yarn I had left over from Alysha's hat. Shown above is a nightcap that I made for Fei Min's daughter, Kirin. I haven't had time to write out the pattern yet, but that will appear on this blog eventually.

Film Club: Round 2

2009-04-01T19:02:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, we finished round 2 of our film club, but I've been rather negligent in updating the blog. Julia chose Gus Van Sant's Elephant, which follows several characters throughout the day of a school shooting and is partly based on the Columbine high-school massacre. Despite being somewhat repulsed by the theme, I loved the camera work and the use of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and Fur Elise. I was worried Julia would find it hard to go back to school after watching the movie, but this gave us a good opportunity to talk about such events and how truly rare they are. Sadly, a couple of days later, we heard about the school shooting in Winnenden, Germany.

After this highly disturbing selection, I figured it was time for something light-hearted but not without substance. I chose Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility. Of course, the 6-hour BBC Pride and Prejudice series is far superior, but given the typical teenager's attention span, I thought it best to give her a gentler introduction to Jane Austen. With a cast that includes Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman, you can't go wrong. After the first half-hour, Julia admitted that she didn't quite "get it", though she was enjoying the film. I told her that was OK. A lot of adults don't get Jane Austen either. However, by the half-way point, she seemed engrossed (and was finally "getting it"), and even Kate and Todd (despite dismissing this as another "chick film") stayed to watch the film with us.

Julia Passes Her Solo Test

2009-03-27T17:45:00.003-04:00

For the past couple of months, Julia had been working on her solo program for the Skate Canada StarSkate Preliminary Freeskate test, and on Tuesday, she passed the test! She has now completed her Preliminary and Junior Bronze dance and skills tests, and both portions of the Preliminary Freeskate test. She is going to take some time off skating to concentrate on Track and Field for the Spring, before resuming later in the year. Congratulations, Julia. We're proud of you!

Happy 10th Birthday, Kate!

2009-03-23T19:22:00.004-04:00

Our little Kate turned ten today! She had a terrific day, receiving birthday greetings from friends, family and classmates. We all went to her favourite Viet-Thai restaurant for dinner. Happy birthday, Kate!

March Break in Montreal

2009-03-21T21:44:00.003-04:00

The kids had March Break last week, and we spent it in Montreal visiting family. Todd was eager to get a few more skiing opportunities before the season ended, and so we brought our skis along. Our first stop was at Beryl's and Rob's house, where we always get a warm welcome! The girls were happy to spend time with their cousins, Emma, Amanda and Olivia, who is reading her new Dora books with Julia and Kate in the photo above. We had a terrific day at Mont Avila. Rob took Todd and me skiing, while Beryl took all the girls snow tubing, and the evening ended with an excellent meal at a local gastro-pub.

We had an opportunity to ski again later in the week, at Bromont. Bromont's a great place to ski. It's a large resort, like Tremblant, but slightly less expensive and definitely less glitzy. There are enough challenging runs to satisfy Todd, and there is enough variety in the easy runs for me. Though the snow was rather slushy, both ski days were sunny and warm.

Being on vacation, I didn't keep up with news, and it was only after we returned that I heard about the death of Natasha Richardson at Tremblant. I was somewhat shaken by this, having done that same run a number of times. The Nansen run is a beginner run, but when I was on it in February, there were some very icy sections. However, we ski with helmets, and being the worrying type, I always insist on a trip to the doctor after a head injury. Our family seems to be prone to this, as we've had three (non-skiing) incidents in the past few years, with two requiring stitches. Maybe we should wear helmets all the time ....

We spent the second half of our March Break at my parents' house, where we had fabulous Chinese food. My mom cooked my favourites, including steamed lobster (also Julia's favourite), braised mushrooms, and stir-fried greens. We joined my cousins Teresa and Leo for dim sum, but unfortunately, their kids were in school, as Quebec students get March Break earlier in the month. We rounded out the week with the inevitable clothes-shopping trip, a walk through the McGill campus (a futile attempt to inspire Julia to pay more attention to her studies) and an afternoon at the Biodome, a nature museum housed in the velodrome originally built for the 1976 Olympic Games.

Film Club: Round 1

2009-03-13T21:54:00.002-04:00

For round 1 of our film club, Julia chose the recently released Passchendaele. Having studied the two world wars at school a number of times over the past few years, she wanted to see this dramatization, but I confess that I am not a fan of war movies. I don't need to watch lengthy bloody battlefield scenes to appreciate the miseries of war. All the same, it was interesting to see a war film made from a Canadian perspective, and I do like Paul Gross, who wrote, directed and acted in this film. Julia said she liked the movie, though she was saddened by the tragic ending.

My choice for the first round was Amadeus, a story about the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, which I'd first watched on the big screen as a teen. Despite having only a tenuous connection to reality, this is a terrific story, with superb acting and a wonderful soundtrack. (How can the soundtrack be anything but wonderful?) Having forgotten about the gruesome first scene, I let Kate join us for this movie. The girls were familiar with some of the music, as Mozart's Magic Fantasy was a car favourite in their younger days. They both enjoyed the movie, though they found the scenes of Salieri dressed as Mozart's father quite frightening. I am sorely tempted to ask Todd to don a black mask and cloak the next time either girl gives us trouble.

The Film Club

2009-03-08T17:03:00.003-04:00

One of the items on my "101 in 1001" list is, "Read a novel by a Governor-General award winner whose works I've not read before." I checked this off a couple of weeks ago after finishing David Gilmour's The Film Club. I'm stretching the definition of "novel" here, as the book is a memoir about a period in his life spent watching movies with his teenage son. Gilmour, who had worked as a film critic for the CBC, agreed to let his son drop out of high school on the condition that they watch three movies a week.

This was a wonderful read. Many critics pointed out that the novel was not really about the movies, and rather it was about the father-son relationship through the troubled teen years and how to connect with your kid during a period when communication is tough. Living with a teenager myself, I certainly appreciated those aspects of the work, but for me, it really was about the movies! I spent many hours of my own teenage years watching old films from the 30's through the 60's, and Todd and I had, for a number of years, spent our Saturday evenings with Elwy Yost. This man loved movies, and the enthusiasm was contagious. David Gilmour loves movies too, and one day, I'll try to go through his list. (Thanks to John for the link.)

Coincidentally, Julia has lately developed a great interest in films and has, on occasion, asked to see showings at our local repertory cinema. After I told her about The Film Club, I proposed we take turns choosing movies to watch together. The rule was that each person must sit through the other's choice, though we were allowed to express our honest opinion about the film afterwards. We're both a bit apprehensive about this venture. We used to enforce this rule with respect to music CDs on long car trips. As a result, the girls had to put up with a lot of 70's and 80's rock and classical music. Todd and I, in turn, listened to enough Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus to last a lifetime. We'll see how long our little "film club" lasts, but for now, I'm looking forward to seeing some movies that I might not have selected otherwise.

Sunday Craft Update - February 22

2009-02-22T13:46:00.004-05:00

I've been knitting like crazy, to keep up with my yarn purchases. Elann is still having incredible sell-offs of discontinued Needful Yarns stock. In a moment of madness, I bought three bags of Santa Ana, in the colours shown above. When I made my Siesta Blanket, Kate loved the Santa Ana so much that she begged for an afghan of her own using this yarn. So I am working on one now, using the purple and blue Santa Ana along with a bagful of Takhi Durango (also purchased from an Elann close-out sale) and some Elann Peruvian Highland Bulky wool.

One of my co-workers took 3 skeins of each colour off my hands, but that still leaves an awful lot of Santa Ana .... I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it, but at 12 USD for a bag of 10 skeins, it was impossible to resist. I'm itching to buy more too, as there are still bags in many colours available at Elann. This yarn is a mixture of nylon and real wool, not the plasticky "fun fur" stuff that's usually available. I'm thinking this would be great for making soft stuffed animals. I'd like to make a wrap or cardigan out of this too, but the trick is, as one Raveler put it, "to find a pattern that doesn't make you look like a Muppet when you wear the finished garment."

Alysha's Flower Hat Pattern

2009-02-11T20:10:00.006-05:00

I made this hat for a four-year-old girl named Alysha, who is the neighbour of one of my close friends. Alysha was diagnosed with leukemia in November 2008 and needs a bone marrow transplant to be cured. Her situation has inspired Operation Alysha, which encourages people to donate blood products and to join the the Canadian Blood Services' national bone-marrow registry, One Match. Alysha is undergoing chemotherapy right now, and I thought she could use a new hat to keep her head warm until all her hair grows back.

I used an easy-to-wash acrylic yarn, Bernat Satin Solids, to make this hat, but any worsted-weight yarn would work. I hope you enjoy using this pattern. Comments are always welcome.

Materials

Bernat Satin Solids, 1 100 g (3.5 oz) skein each of Maitai 04732 (MC), Sunset 04605 (A) and Sapphire 04141 (B).
Note: a full skein is needed only for main colour (MC); small amounts of any worsted-weight yarn may be substituted for colours A and B. Approximately 110-140 m (120-150 yds) are needed in all.

4.0 mm crochet hook
3.75 mm and 4.5 mm double-pointed or circular knitting needles
Note: If using circular needles, you can use either a 40 cm (16 in) needle for the body of the hat or two circular needles simultaneously. For shaping the crown, you will need double-pointed needles or two circular needles.

Measurements

Final measurements of hat are 42, 45 and 48 cm (17, 18 and 19 in) around. Stretches to fit head sizes 48, 51 and 54 cm (19, 20 and 21 in). Corresponds roughly to Child's Small (2-4 years), Medium (5-7 years) and Large (8-10 years).

Gauge
For hat: 20 stitches and 26 rows over 10 cm (4 in) square in stockinette stitch, using 4.5 mm needles.
For crochet flower: width of completed flower is approximately 9 cm (3.5 in).

Abbreviations
K - knit
P - purl
K2tog - knit 2 together
M1 - make an additional stitch by working into the previous row
ch - chain
sl st - slip stitch
st(s) - stitch(es)
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
tr - treble crochet

Instructions for Hat

With MC and 3.75mm needles, cast on 76 [80, 84] sts and join in a round.
Next round: *K2, P2*. Repeat from * to * until end of round.
Repeat the last round until there are 8 [9, 10] rows or 3-3.5 cm (1.25-1.5 in) of ribbing.

Change to 4.5mm needles and start working in stockinette stitch.
Next round: *M1, K 9 [8, 7]*. Repeat from * to * 7 [9, 11] more times. K 4 [0, 0]. (84 [90, 96] sts)
Continuing in stockinette stitch, work 2 [3, 3] more rows in MC and then work stripe pattern as follows:
- 2 rows A
- 1 row MC
- 3 rows A
- 1 row MC
- 2 rows A
Change to MC and continue in stockinette stitch until piece measures 14 [15, 16] cm (5.5 [6, 6.5] in) from beginning.

Shape crown as follows:
Largest size only: *K2tog, K9, K2tog, K19*. Repeat from * to * 2 more times. (90 sts).
All sizes: *K2tog, K26 [8, 8]*. Repeat from * to * 2 [8, 8] more times. (81 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K7*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (72 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K6*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (63 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K5*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (54 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K4*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (45 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K3*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (36 sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K2*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (27sts)
Next round: *K2tog, K1*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (18 sts)
Next round: *K2tog*. Repeat from * to * 8 more times. (9 sts)
Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Weave tail through remaining stitches. Pull tight and secure, weaving in tail on wrong side of the hat.

Follow the instructions below for the crochet flower and sew onto hat.

Instructions for Crochet Flower

Work in rounds, starting with colour B.
Round 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook. (6 sts)
Round 2: 2 sc in each sc. (12 sts)
Round 3: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next sc.* Repeat from * to * 5 more times. (18 sts).
Sl st in first sc of round and fasten off.

With colour A, make slip knot on hook.
Next round: Starting with the first sc from previous round, 2 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc. *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in each of next 2 sc.* Repeat from * to * 4 more times. Sl st in first sc of round. (25 sts)
Next round: *Sl st in next sc. Skip next sc. 2 dc and 1 tr in next sc. 1 tr and 2 dc in next sc. Skip next sc. * Repeat from * to * 4 more times. (35 sts)
Sl st in first sl st of round and fasten off.

With colour MC, make slip knot on hook.
Next round: Starting with first dc of previous round, *sc in each of the 2 dc, 2 sc in each of the 2 tr, sc in each of the 2 dc, sl st in the sl st.* Repeat from * to * 4 more times. (45 sts).

With colour B, make slip knot on hook.
Next round: Starting with first sc of previous round, *sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc, 2 sc in each of the next 2 sc, sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc, skip next sl st.* Repeat from * to * 4 more times. (60 sts)
Sl st in first sc of round and fasten off.

Weave in yarn ends on back of flower.

Julia's Cabled Headband Pattern

2009-01-30T17:25:00.011-05:00

Since headbands are about the only thing Julia will wear on her head unless it goes below -15 Celsius, I designed another one. Here is the pattern below.

Note: If any of you had printed this pattern off the first couple of days it was published, please reprint. I've corrected an error (4 cable repeats instead of 3).

Update (Jan. 13, 2011): Fellow knitter Olga (ignia on Ravelry) has created a very useful chart showing all the pattern stitches. You can find a link to it in this blog post.

Wide Cabled Headband

I made this headband with Elann Peruvian Uros Aran (wool/llama), but you can substitute any aran-weight yarn (one that gives 18 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches square using stockinette stitch). Approximately 50-60 metres were used. You can also use worsted weight yarn (20 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches square), in which case you should add 4 more rows of ribbing at each end.

Materials:
1 50g skein of Elann Uros Aran (83 metres / 91 yards)
1 pair 4.5mm knitting needles
1 cable needle

Measurements:
4.5 inches by 19 inches

Size:
One size, stretches to about 21 inches.

Gauge:
Each 12-row repeat of the cable pattern is approximately 1.8 inches in length.

Abbreviations:
C4: slip next two stitches onto a cable needle and move to front of work; knit next two stitches on left-hand needle and then knit two stitches from cable needle
T3R: slip next stitch to cable needle and move to back of work; knit next two stitches on left-hand needle and then purl the stitch from the cable needle
T3L: slip next two stitches to cable needle and move to front of work; purl next stitch on left-hand needle and then knit the two stitches from the cable needle
M1: make an additional stitch by working into the previous row between the current and next stitch
M1P: M1 purlwise
SSK: decrease one stitch with a slip, slip, knit
K2tog: knit two together
P2tog: purl two together

Cable Pattern (over 30 stitches)
Row 1 (RS): K2, P2, K4, P5, C4, P5, K4, P2, K2
Row 2: P2, K2, P4, K5, P4, K5, P4, K2, P2
Row 3: K2, P2, K4, P4, T3R, T3L, P4, K4, P2, K2
Row 4: P2, K2, P4, K4, P2, K2, P2, K4, P4, K2, P2
Row 5: K2, P2, C4, P3, T3R, P2, T3L, P3, C4, P2, K2
Row 6: P2, K2, P4, K3, P2, K4, P2, K3, P4, K2, P2
Row 7: K2, P2, K4, P3, K2, P4, K2, P3, K4, P2, K2
Row 8: P2, K2, P4, K3, P2, K4, P2, K3, P4, K2, P2
Row 9: K2, P2, K4, P3, T3L, P2, T3R, P3, K4, P2, K2
Row 10: P2, K2, P4, K4, P2, K2, P2, K4, P4, K2, P2
Row 11: K2, P2, C4, P4, T3L, T3R, P4, C4, P2, K2
Row 12: P2, K2, P4, K5, P4, K5, P4, K2, P2

Instructions:
Cast on 9 stitches.
Row 1: K1. *P1, K1*. Repeat from * to * until end.
Row 2: P1. *K1, P1*. Repeat from * to * until end.
Repeat last two rows 4 more times.

Next row (RS): K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, M1, P1, K1, P1, K1. (10 stitches)-
Next row: P1, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Next row: K1, P1, K1, P1, M1, K2, M1, P1, K1, P1, K1. (12 stitches)
Next row: P1, K1, P1, K1, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Next row: K1, M1, P1, K1, M1, P1, K4, P1, M1, K1, P1, M1, K1. (16 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P2, K1, P4, K1, P2, K1, P2.
Next row: K2, P1, M1, K2, M1, P1, K4, P1, M1, K2, M1, P1, K2. (20 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P2.
Next row: K2, P1, K4, M1P, P1, K4, P1, MIP, K4, P1, K2. (22 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P4, K2, P4, K2, P4, K1, P2.
Next row: K2, P1, M1P, K4, M1P, P2, K4, P2, M1P, K4, M1P, P1, K2. (26 stitches)
Next row: P2, K2, P4, K3, P4, K3, P4, K2, P2.
Next row: K2, P2, K4, M1P, P3, C4, P3, M1P, K4, P2, K2. (28 stitches)
Next row: P2, K2, P4, K4, P4, K4, P4, K2, P2.
Next row: K2, P2, K4, M1P, P3, T3R, T3L, P3, M1P, K4, P2, K2. (30 stitches)
Next row: P2, K2, P4, K4, P2, K2, P2, K4, P4, K2, P2.

Work rows 5 to 12 of cable pattern.
Work 4 repeats of cable pattern (48 rows).
Work rows 1 to 8 of cable pattern.

Next row (RS): K2, P2, K4, P2tog, P1, T3L, P2, T3R, P1, P2tog, K4, P2, K2. (28 stitches)
Next row: P2, K2, P4, K3, P2, K2, P2, K3, P4, K2, P2.
Next row: K2, P2, C4, P2tog, P1, T3L, T3R, P1, P2tog, C4, P2, K2. (26 stitches)
Next row: P2, K2, P4, K3, P4, K3, P4, K2, P2.
Next row: K2, P2tog, K4, P2tog, P1, C4, P1, P2tog, K4, P2tog, K2. (22 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P4, K2, P4, K2, P4, K1, P2.
Next row: K2, P1, K4, P2tog, K4, P2tog, K4, P1, K2. (20 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P4, K1, P2.
Next row: K2, P1, SSK, K2tog, P1, K4, P1, SSK, K2tog, P1, K2. (16 stitches)
Next row: P2, K1, P2, K1, P4, K1, P2, K1, P2.
Next row: K2tog, P1, K2tog, P1, K4, P1, K2tog, P1, K2tog. (12 stitches)
Next row: P1, K1, P1, K1, P4, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Next row: K1, P1, K1, P1, SSk, K2tog, P1, K1, P1, K1. (10 stitches)
Next row: P1, K1, P1, K1, P2, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Next row: K1, P1, K1, P1, K2tog, P1, K1, P1, K1. (9 stitches)
Next row: P1. *K1, P1*. Repeat from * to * until end.

Next row: K1. *P1, K1* to end.
Next row: P1. *K1, P1* to end.
Repeat last two row 4 more times.

Cast off. Sew ends of headband together and weave in yarn ends.

Happy Birthday, Julia!

2009-01-29T08:12:00.005-05:00

Julia turns 14 years old today! She dashed off to school today before I had a chance to get a new photo, so here she is, a month ago, at Hong Kong Disneyland. It's definitely not shorts weather here today. We're going to celebrate with birthday cake tonight and a meal at her favourite Viet-Thai restaurant on the weekend. Happy Birthday, Julia! We all love you and wish you a great year to come!

Sunday Craft Update -- January 25

2009-01-25T20:51:00.003-05:00

Here's the first Sunday Craft Update of the new year. I bought way too much yarn in December, and now I'm trying to use it up. I made more headbands/earwarmers for Julia, including a bright pink one with matching mittens. I haven't been able to pin her down long enough to get a photo of her wearing both the headband and mittens, though. I also finished this elephant for Julia from Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli. Now I have to turn to some projects for Kate, who has requested a long cardigan, an afghan and more amigurumi animals. Maybe one day, I'll have time to knit for myself again.

Hong Kong Disneyland

2009-01-24T11:35:00.015-05:00

Here, finally, is the last post about our vacation that I had intended to write the first week of January. It took me a week to get over the jet lag and another two weeks to get over the cold that each of us in the family succumbed to in succession. No more excuses ... here is what happened at Hong Kong Disneyland.

We went to Hong Kong Disneyland by subway, which is the most sensible way to get anywhere in Hong Kong. Kate got pretty excited when she saw the mouse-ear windows on the train that connects the theme park to the rest of the city. We were happy to see that the park wasn't crowded when we arrived. The cool and damp weather seemed to discourage the locals and other tourists, but to us, it was quite pleasant. Many of those willing to brave the 15 degrees Celsius temperatures were sporting hats, mittens and even parkas. Yes, parkas -- those big puffy things we put on when it goes below zero degrees and there's at least a few centimetres of snow on the ground. Really, how can you look cool shooting down the villains on the Buzz Lightyear ride wearing a parka? Julia stayed in shorts the whole day, even though I'd packed long pants for her in our backpack. Can you spot the Canadian girl in the crowd?

Hong Kong Disneyland is much smaller than the Florida's Disneyworld, but it was just the right amount of entertainment for us to fill up the day. Julia felt a bit queasy after her first ride on Space Mountain but recovered sufficiently to go back on a few more times. The rest of us stuck to the tamer rides. Of course, we had to do the "It's a Small World" ride. I love the displays in that ride and could have gone through several more times; instead, I had to be satisfied with hearing Kate sign the song over and over the next three days. The Winnie-the-Pooh ride was also a must-do for us. This time, we didn't get stuck in the psychedelic Heffalumps and Woozles section like we did in Florida several years ago.

Oliver wanted to meet all the characters, so Joe and Jill went off on their own for a while. Our kids opted for rides, but Kate did want to visit Mickey's Christmas House, where she got to have her photo taken with the man himself. She was also thrilled to find in Mickey's house a framed picture that matched a Walt Disney cross-stitch picture made by Jill and hanging in Oliver's room.

The final photos below aren't from Disneyland but I wanted to include a few from our visit to Ocean Park on New Year's Day. Ocean Park is a huge marine-themed amusement park set high up on a hill. The weather was wonderful and we had a fun day with Joe, Jill, Martin and Oliver before having to say a sad farewell to them the next day. We had a wonderful two weeks with them and hope we see them all again before too long.

Hong Kong

2009-01-04T06:37:00.006-05:00

We spent the last few days of our vacation in Hong Kong, with Jill, Joe, Oliver and Martin. We're back home in Canada now, but I'm just getting to updating the blog now. The days in Hong Kong were busy, busy, busy (as Hong Kong is) so the computer remained untouched for most of that time.

We stayed in the Mong Kok district, which supposedly has the highest population density in the world. Jammed into a subway car with barely enough room to stand, I believed it. We splurged and stayed at a very nice hotel. This bit of extravagence was made possible by the fact that we had free accommodation (thanks to Joe and Jill) and incredibly low food costs in Singapore, and also because Todd booked us the itinerary-from-hell to save us $1000 CDN per ticket on our flights. Miraculously, despite the so-called "snowmaggedon", we completed our flights with no significant delays, no misplaced luggage, and only a low-to-moderate amount of whining from the kids about the long travel days.

The hotel had two great things going for it. It had a large, beautiful, heated outdoor pool in which you can listen to piped-in classical music when underwater. It also included a magnificent breakfast buffet. Kate and I both love breakfast, and getting an East/West breakfast is certainly the best of both worlds: congee, smoked salmon, oatmeal, dim sum dumplings, .... yum! Kate's big thrill was sneaking chocolate croissants when I wasn't looking. The hotel had a very comfortable bar/lounge with an intriguing offer: an all-you-can-drink buffet (beer, house wine, common mixed drinks, juice, tea) for the equivalent of $20 CDN over a three-hour period. The host assured me that, if I would consume a minimum of four beverages, I'd most definitely get my money's worth. I was tempted, mainly because free snacks (spring rolls, satay skewers and dumplings -- no boring Western bar snacks here!) accompanied the drinks, but I declined, as I can't possibly consume four drinks in one sitting and still be responsible for the children. Despite this great $20 deal, the bar wasn't packed; there's probably a very good reason why such buffets don't exist in Canada.

In Hong Kong, we spent a very fun three days touring, covering Hong Kong Disney, the Hong Kong History Museum, Stanley Market, and Ocean Park. More on this in the next blog posts.

Eating in Singapore

2008-12-28T06:16:00.006-05:00

My original title for this blog was "Dining in Singapore", but "dining" seems too lofty a term for our eating experiences. Yesterday, Joe and Jill took us to a hawker centre, an outdoor complex filled with stalls selling a large variety of Asian foods. We especially loved the refreshing fruit shakes and all the types of seafood that one can get freshly grilled. There was even abalone for those willing to pay the price for it. We got to sample chili squid, satay chicken and beef, Asian fried rice and a big succulent prawn smothered in garlic, shown above. However, the best dish, in my mind, was the wonderfully gooey oyster omelet in the photo below. Strangely, the only other person in our party willing to share it with me was my brother Joe.

We loved the Asian food courts in Singapore. These food courts can be found at most tourist attractions and in practically every mall (and there are many malls here). It is easy to get a complete meal for the equivalent of $3 or $4 Canadian dollars, and one can choose from Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Japanese and Korean cuisines.

At the food courts, you can finish off your meal with a delicious low-fat fruit dessert. I was impressed by the fact that you can buy a variety of fresh fruit by the piece, but what really stunned me was finding out that I can get the following for only $2 (or $1.70 CDN) :

Black grass jelly over crushed ice doused with syrup and topped with longan fruit. Dessert just doesn't get better than this!!

We had other terrific dining experiences, too many to describe fully here, but these included:

Chili crab and black-pepper crab at the famous Long Beach Seafood Restaurant.
A very good Chinese lunch at a little back-street restaurant that Jill wandered into, after our yarn-shopping expedition in Chinatown.
A hearty Indian meal in Little India, eaten on a big banana leaf.
Excellent home-cooking by Joe and Jill's live-in nanny, Basil.
And finally, the requisite over-priced but tasty Singapore Sling at Raffles Hotel.

A Very Green Christmas

2008-12-26T21:03:00.000-05:00

It looks like Santa Claus did indeed make his way from the North Pole all the way to Singapore after all! Oliver was happy to see that Santa ate the cookie and drank the milk he left out, and he was thrilled with all the toys Santa left for him. Martin was mostly excited about unwrapping all the pretty boxes. It's great to spend Christmas with family, even if we're 15000km from home!

We really did have a green Christmas here, as we'd decided to spend the afternoon at the Singapore Botanic Gardens building up an appetite for the big turkey dinner. Julia had finally recovered from the jet lag enough to want to go for a run, and the rest of us admired the gardens, including the incredible National Orchid Garden, at a somewhat slower pace.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful ...

2008-12-24T07:20:00.008-05:00

After two days of good weather, we had a tremendous downpour that started in the wee hours and lasted through the morning. When it rains here, it really pours! That didn't stop the kids from having a good time outside. Actually, it was quite refreshing walking around the patio, with shoes and umbrellas as optional accessories.

It is strange but rather fun to celebrate Christmas in this tropical country, knowing that our family and friends back home are being subjected to yet another snowstorm and enjoying a very white Christmas. So how do Singaporeans celebrate Christmas? I've noticed that they, like us Northern folk, enjoy putting up bright and colourful decorations. The mall entrances feature huge Christmas trees heavily laden with ornaments, and windows of homes are decorated with Christmas lights and snowflake (yes, snowflake) cutouts.

Then, there are the enthusiastic ice-skaters at the mall. I suppose the skates are rented, as I wouldn't expect these to be in every Singaporean's closet. I loved watching the skaters. The kids seemed to be truly having fun, not beating each other with sticks on the ice like they do in Canada.

And then there are the truly bizarre interpretations of the Yuletide celebration:

First Days in Singapore

2008-12-24T04:30:00.005-05:00

It's great being here with Joe and Jill, and the girls are happy to have time to spend with their cousins Martin and Oliver. Joe and Jill have the Christmas tree and decorations up and are planning the traditional turkey dinner, even if there's no sign of snow here. We're all excited about Santa Claus's arrival tonight, though we're not sure whether he'll be in his heavy red coat or just T-shirt and shorts.

The weather was terrific the first couple of days. Well, truthfully, it was very hot and extremely humid according to our Canadian standards, but we're told that it was milder and more pleasant than usual. In any case, it did not rain, and it was always possible to escape to an air-conditioned area or cool off in the pool.

Given the good weather, we decided to spend our first day at the Singapore Zoo, where we saw many interesting sights. Those included animals unfamiliar to us, like the proboscis monkey below, and old friends in different circumstances, like the polar bear munching on a watermelon. The following night, we returned to the Singapore Zoo's "Night Safari", where we took an hour-long tram ride and got a close-up look at the nocturnal animals subtly lit up with an eerie glow.

On our second day, we took the subway into the downtown area. To our eyes, the subway was much like the other parts of Singapore that we'd seen so far: clean, well laid out, efficient, and existing to support the national obsession with shopping. We spent the morning at the Asian Civilization Museum which has a very good collection of artifacts from the countries surrounding Singapore. We then stopped at a pub at the picturesque Boat Quay for a leisurely lunch, and we finished the afternoon with some last-minute Christmas shopping. It's not difficult to find a mall in this city!

Outrunning Snowmageddon

2008-12-21T16:43:00.003-05:00

We are now in warm and sunny Singapore! We left home Thursday evening, just hours before the big snow event was scheduled to start, and made our way to Buffalo, where we stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport. Worried about our one-hour connection time in Toronto, Todd had our Buffalo-Chicago flight moved to an earlier time. Despite having to stumble out of bed at 5am, we were glad we arranged the earlier flight, as we took off just as the storm was getting really bad in Buffalo.

We got to Chicago an hour late but still had plenty of time before our connection, which by some miracle, was still scheduled to leave on time. All around us, other flights were being delayed or cancelled. We had a nice, leisurely walk from one terminal to the other through Chicago O'Hare's awesome walkway, complete with music and light show. That almost made up for the hour sitting on the runway once we got on the plane. Finally, we took off, and 15 very tedious hours later, we staggered off the plane in Hong Kong.

Todd, because of his frequent flying habits, was offered a business-class upgrade for the Hong Kong to Singapore trip. The airline very generously offered upgrades to his family members (i.e. Julia and Kate) but refused to offer one for me as I had a different last name. It really wasn't a big deal to me (I just wanted to sleep through the flight at this point) but Todd, being a persistent kind of guy, eventually persuaded the airline to give all of us upgrades. I was pleased in the end that my kids did not get to experience business class travel for the first time before I did, at age 41! Todd and I had an excellent meal, washed down with lots of wine. The kids, having eaten sufficiently earlier, declined the entree but happily accepted the rich chocolate dessert.

So finally, after 24 hours of travel, we arrived in Singapore at midnight local time and were enthusiastically greeted by my brother Joe. We've been here a couple of days and are having a wonderful time so far with Joe, Jill, Oliver and Martin. I'll be posting lots of photos soon.

One-Hour Earwarmer Pattern

2008-12-16T21:53:00.001-05:00

This earwarmer was inspired by one I saw on the Urban Outfitters Web site. I made a few adjustments to make it less fussy for my kid who generally refuses to wear a hat unless there's a windchill warning. At first, Julia thought the one we saw on-line looked silly but then warmed up to the idea of wearing one. After trying on my first attempt, she declared it was OK but she wasn't crazy about the colour. So I asked her what colour she would like. Her reply: "Maybe a white one ... or pink. Red is nice too. Actually, Mom, can you make me a whole bunch in lots of different colours?" Sure, sweetie, I'll get right on it.

Anyhow, here is the pattern to make your own. I used a chunky yarn for the one in the photo, but I used two strands of Aran-weight yarn for another. It ended up a bit wider, and I worked fewer rows. The pattern is easily adjusted to various yarn weights. I called this a "one-hour" pattern. To be totally truthful, it took me a bit over an hour, but I was watching a good episode of Battlestar Galactica while knitting it.

Measurements:
Width at widest part: 3.75 inches
Circumference: 20 inches; stretches to 22 inches.
Note: circumference can be easily adjusted.

Materials:
1 85g skein Patons Shetland Chunky or other chunky-weight yarn (approx. 50-60m needed)
6mm knitting needles

Gauge:
16 stitches over 4 inches using stockinette stitch

Abbreviations:
M1: make 1 by knitting into the previous row between current and next stitch
M1P: make 1 by purling into the previous row between current and next stitch
K2tog: knit 2 together
P2tog: purl 2 together
SSK: decrease one stitch with a slip, slip, knit
Patt: continue in pattern by knitting all knit stitches and purling all purl stitches

Instructions:
Cast on 5 stitches.
Row 1: K all stitches.
Row 2: P all stitches.
Rows 3 and 4: Patt.

Increase to full width:
Row 1: K1, M1P, K3, M1P, K1. (7 stitches)
Row 2: P1, K1, P3, K1, P1.
Row 3: K1, P1, K1, M1P, K1, M1P, K1, P1, K1. (9 stitches)
Row 4: P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Rows 5 and 6: Patt.
Row 7: K1, P1, M1, K1, P1, M1, K1, P1, M1, K1, P1, K1. (12 stitches)
Row 8: P1, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P1.
Rows 9 and 10: Patt.
Row 11: K1, M1, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, M1, K1. (14 stitches)
Row 12: P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2.
Rows 13 and 14: Patt.
Row 15: K2, P1, K2, M1P, P1, K2, P1, M1P, K2, P1, K2. (16 stitches)
Row 16: P2, K1, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K1, P2.
Rows 17 and 18: Patt.
Row 19: K2, P1, M1P, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, M1P, P1, K2. (18 stitches)
Row 20: P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2.
Rows 21 and 22: Patt.
Row 23: K2, P2, K2, P2, M1, K2, M1, P2, K2, P2, K2. (20 stitches)
Row 24: P2, K2, P2, K2, P4, K2, P2, K2, P2.
Rows 25 and 26: Patt.
Row 27: K2, P2, M1, K2, P2, K4, P2, K2, M1, P2, K2. (22 stitches) Place marker.
Row 28: P2, K2, P3, K2, P4, K2, P3, K2, P2.

Knit central portion:
Patt until length from cast-on edge is 10 inches or half the desired circumference.
(Final circumference should be about 2 inches less than head measurement from nape to forehead and back to nape.) You are now at the half-way point and will reverse shaping for the remainder of the earwarmer.
Count the number of rows completed from marker, including the row that the marker is on, and continue in the pattern for this many rows.

Decrease to end:
Row 1: K2, P2, SSK, K1, P2, K4, P2, K1, K2tog, P2, K2. (20 stitches)
Row 2: P2, K2, P2, K2, P4, K2, P2, K2, P2.
Rows 3 and 4: Patt.
Row 5: K2, P2, K2, P2, SSK, K2tog, P2, K2, P2, K2. (18 stitches)
Row 6: P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2.
Rows 7 and 8: Patt.
Row 9: K2, P2tog, K2, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2tog, K2. (16 stitches)
Row 10: P2, K1, P2, K2, P2, K2, P2, K1, P2.
Rows 11 and 12: Patt.
Row 13: K2, P1, K2, P2tog, K2, P2tog, K2, P1, K2 (14 stitches)
Row 14: P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2.
Rows 15 and 16: Patt.
Row 17: K2tog, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K2tog. (12 stitches)
Row 18: P1, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P2, K1, P1.
Rows 19 and 20: Patt.
Row 21: K1, P1, K2tog, P1, K2tog, P1, K2tog, P1, K1. (9 stitches)
Row 22: P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1.
Rows 23 and 24: Patt.
Row 25: K1, P1, SSK, K1, K2tog, P1, K1. (7 stitches)
Row 26: P1, K1, P3, K1, P1.
Row 27: SSK, K3, K2tog. (5 stitches)
Row 28: Purl all stitches.

Knit 4 more rows, knitting all knit stitches and purling all purl stitches.
Cast off and sew ends together.