Wee Wednesday: Merry Christmas!

After the sort-of-disastrous Christmas card photo shoot, we decided to use a great family we shot we got in early November:

I think it worked out! And at least I got the Christmas cards out on time. 

For those of you that don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoy the peace and quiet of a mid-week long weekend. And those that do, I hope you're having a blast. Here's a few moments from my Christmas so far:

Clockwise from top left: my parent's Christmas tree, my new reindeer pajamas (thanks Jen!), ice-coated branches form Toronto's recent ice storm, lovely red poinsettias (I adore poinsettias), the birthday card my husband gave me (December 23rd is my b-day) and some vintage ornament highlights from my parent's Christmas tree. 

I hope that whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you take a moment or two to appreciate the things around you that bring you joy. For example, one of my joys would be this little monkey here:

Happy Holidays everyone! 

Wee Wednesday: Christmas Card Photo Fail.

Recently, we decided to  attend a little Christmas lights festival, and take some photos. I was hoping we'd get a great family photo with all the pretty lights, and send it out as a Christmas card this year.

But then real life happened. It was that classic moment where I had a vision of us frolicking in the fairy-light-filled trees and getting amazing photos, all joy and family love. I said- 'we'll just get someone to snap a photo of us!'

I apparently live in an imaginary world where everyone knows how to use a DSLR. But I now know that isn't true at all- in fact, most people do not know how to use a DSLR. And those that do, well... Lila had other plans:

From left to right: Lila wants to run around and not be held for a photo; one of the people we asked to take a photo didn't tell us that her hat was covering her eyes, and then more of Lila trying to get away from me and run around... 

From left to right: I have no idea what she is looking at, but it certainly isn't the camera; we changed locations in hopes that might work, but all we have is this shot where Lila sees something else interesting, and possibly tasty-looking; more blurry shots of a wiggly toddler. 

She is just a busy little person on the go, and doesn't quite understand the whole 'smile for the camera' thing, so is often rather confused as to why we're standing still and what is going on. It's quite the change from the cooperation I had for last year's card.

This was the best of the bunch:


but Lila's got crazy toddler eyes. So Guy decided maybe he could fix it in Photoshop:

So. Much. Worse. We're going to have to go with a plan B, even though we're rapidly running out of time to get Christmas cards out! The holiday season just totally snuck up on me this year. 

Happy Halloween!

Our neighbours had a little kid Halloween party on the weekend, And Lila rocked her little leopard costume. It was really cold that day, so she has lots of layers underneath, but she had a great time. They had toys and decorations, and we all brought some kid-friendly fare (and some clever adults brought some grown up hot apple cider for the parents!). Lila picked up a shovel at the playground, and insisted on carrying it everywhere the rest of the afternoon. She seemed to genuinely enjoy her costume, except when we tried to put mittens on her. Because apparently leopards can carry green shovels, but they don't wear mittens.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Wee Wednesday: How Summer Flies

Ah, summer 2013. It was good times:

Most of these were at a friend's cottage. The frog in the photo is actually really tiny- less than one inch in length! And that final photo on the right, Lila is laughing and screeching with happiness. Although it's sort of hard to tell in the photo. 

These were taken either at/near our home or near my parent's home in Sudbury. Lila loves ribs, and the display counter at Tim Horton's! 

That's not our pug, that's a very sweet pug belonging to a neighbour. Mr. Pugsley and Lila are BFFs.  We also made the most of farmer's markets, the little zoo on Center Island, and every pool we could find. 

It feels like we made the most of summer, but that it's gone by all too quickly. We were able to get out a lot to parks and even a small zoo, and spent time at a friend's cottage, and as much time in the water as possible! Lila s getting bigger and more vocal all the time, she is less like a baby and more like a little toddler now. Lila had her second MRI a few weeks ago, and  we recently got some good news- the brain lesion has not grown at all, so they'll just continue to monitor it. If it stays this size or shrinks, it won't impact her at all, so this was the kind of news we really wanted to hear!

Wee Wednesday FO: Lila's Legwarmers

Just a bit of a health update on my wee one. Things seem to be going well, her nystagmus is improving, and she doesn't seem to be having any developmental issues so far, which is a huge relief. Somewhere in all the follow-up testing, a specialist did note that she has a heart murmur, but considering what was being discussed at the beginning, I nearly laughed with relief. I'll take a heart murmur over a lot of other things. We've still got lots of testing to go, but so far, so good (fingers crossed).

Recently off the needles: a pair of fabulously little legwarmers for Lila!

Ravelry project page is here. 

Pattern: Lila's Legwarmers

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Pink Label Laceweight in 'Moonmist'

Needles: 3 & 4 mm dpns (US 2.5 & 6)

Mods: Used laceweight yarn held double, and added an extra half repeat for a little extra length.

Ah, chubby baby legs. They are so awesome. 

Knitting with laceweight held double feels a bit like pulling off a magic trick- it knits up at the dimension of fingering weight, but feels lighter and airier.  And hey, it was a great way to use  up the rest of the skein from this project.

The pattern was great- it was my first time knitting lateral braid before, and the designer has a link for a great tutorial right in the pattern, so it turned out to be easy-peasy.  The pattern is designed for younger babies (I'd say 3-10 months works great), so to make a slightly larger size for my 14 month old,  I went up a needle size and added an extra half repeat of the chart.

The shirt I'm wearing is from Zara. 

And she likes wearing them! I can tell because if she doesn't like wearing something, she attempts to yank it off somehow. I'd love to put cutesy headbands on her, but she pulls them off every time.

Wee Wednesday FO: Creamsicle Tee

I like orange on babies, especially my baby. I think she can rock citrus colours way better than I can:

Lila's awesome leggings were picked up over the winter at a City of Craft fair of the handmade in Toronto, and can be found here.

 Pattern: Marguerite

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering in 'Orange Blossom'

Needles: 2.75 and 4 mm (US 2 and 6)

I love this little tee pattern, particularly how the lace is used to create little puff sleeves. Some of the construction is a little unusual, such as the beginning of the round is in the middle of the knit, not on the side where a 'seam' would be. It's not the end of the world, but it means that you need to pay very close attention to how you weave in that end because of the high visibility location. There are a few things about it that I would change, if I knit this again- you use a larger needle for the lace and a smaller needle for the stockinette, which to me seemed odd. I'd use the larger needle for the stockinette as well, I think it would make for a better fit over chubby baby tummies. I also wish that I made this a bit longer, so I'm considering ripping back to the lace and redoing the stockinette in a larger needle and for another inch or so longer.

Also, in the 12 month size the pattern doesn’t totally line up the same on the front and back… and I ripped it back several times before I realized that it wasn’t going to match up, and just kept going. But overall, the tee is a very quick knit, and I love the style of it.   Ravelled here.

Wee Wednesday: Anouk Dress, Take Two

Waaaaay back when Lila was 3.5 months, she rocked her Anouk dress for the first time. Now at one year old, Lila can still wear her Anouk dress, but more as a tunic than a full-on dress:

I really like that about knitted dresses for babies. They often outgrow the length much faster than the circumference, but add some leggings and - presto!- it's a cute tunic. Can't beat that. This dress is particularly good for that, since the wide, apron-like shaping of the top gives a lit of wiggle room on fit.

And oh, look- she's rocking her sparkly chuck taylors! These were the birthday shoes we didn't quite manage to get photos of at the time. We put them on her a lot, and she gets compliments on her fab shoes wherever she goes.

So. Much. Drool. Also- Chair pushing is the most fun ever.

Over at the Jordana Paige blog, there was a recent post with interviews on craft bloggers who are moms, and how they make time for it all. I was one of the moms featured! Check it out here. 

Wee Wednesday: The First Birthday Party

We held Lila's first birthday party with family up north in Sudbury this past weekend. It was a learning experience, most notably by the fact that we took so few photos, it was a total photography fail.

I don't know what happened. It's like we forgot cameras existed, or that we'd want to take certain shots. So the hard-to-source, non-disney character kitty-themed birthday party napkins, plates, and decorations? undocumented. Lila's awesome pink sparkly chuck taylors? Not a photo to be found.  A single family photo of the three of us? Nope. A photo of the wonderful brunch spread, complete with hash browns, sausages,  bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes, maple syrup, fruit and mimosas? Not a shot.

 Which is interesting to think about- it seems it's a hallmark of the times that if you did something awesome and didn't photograph it to death, it feels like a loss. In reality, there are probably only five photos of my first birthday (and judging from those grainy, late 70s photos, I was not having a good time), and yet it is still clear I was wearing a frothy meringue of a pink dress, a party hat, and a look of pure misery.

But here are the shots we did get, either on our camera, or a family member's camera, or a cell phone snap (subtext: quality will vary!):

I have two uncles with birthdays around the same time as Lila's, and in my family we tend to batch our birthday celebrations. Although according to Lila's face, she's not happy about sharing the limelight. I made Lila a delicious banana cake (recipe here), to look like her favourite toy, a little plush hand puppet kitty (which you can see in the bottom left photo, actually). Lila is normally a great eater, but she just picked at her brunch spread. That is, until the cake came out:

That top left photo is probably my favourite of all her cake eating shots. She ate two pieces!  Although there are so many good shots that we didn't get, here are a couple of Lila playing with some of the decorations. You can see a little of the kitty-theme in them:

Wee Wednesday: Sunnyside Cardi

I want to send big, bloggy hugs to everyone who commented on my last Wee Wednesday blog post. Blogger doesn't let me see the email addresses of everyone who comments (it often shows me just your first name and then a 'noreplycomment' email address, so I can't respond back), but I can't tell you what it meant to read all your words of support, and how many were commenting for the first time to send me those words. Thank you, SO much. I could feel the support you were sending, from all of you, all over the world. And it made me feel like everything was going to be okay. We won't know more until the summer, but I will keep you posted.

Here's my little cutie in a new FO:




Pattern: Sunnyside

Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Purple Label Cashmere in 'Gold'

Notes: I went for the garter edges and the lace cable (the pattern has a choice between picot edges and a solid rope cable detail). Ravelled here.

I love this cardigan so much that even though she hadn't quite grown into the size yet (I made the 12-18 month size) I still put her in it all the time. I even brought this cardigan with us when we went to England and Paris, and she wore it a lot. And you'd think I'd have a million great photos of her in it, but mostly she is busy doing things and obscuring the details, like this typical shot:

Asda had babies AND crackers on sale, can you believe it?!

Or often she was moving so fast she was literally a blur. But here are the top four shots of Lila in her new Sunnyside (other than the awesome grocery store checkout photo above):

 She really likes it, and she finds the buttons pretty fascinating. I found them on Ebay, way back when I was still pregnant!

Wee Wednesday- Struggling

 The Botanical Knits e-book giveaway winner is..... Charlotte!! Congrats, Charlotte!! I find it pretty neat that  knitter from Paris, France won, since I was there so recently. Oh random number generator, you are funny.

 Lila eating an orange with her Grannie. She always has this sort of 'don't take my food, okay?' look on her face when she's eating.

I feel like I'm having a bit of a difficult slog lately. Feeling a little burnt out, more than a little run down. And I have hesitated to 'go public' on the blog, but we're all friends, right? Let's say that you came over to my place, and we're sitting in the living room having some tea or coffee. After we got a bit caught up, I'd curl my hands around my mug, and I'd tell you what's really on my mind.....

Before we went away on our trip, Lila was diagnosed as having a brain lesion, which I guess is only a partial diagnosis- they still have to figure out what sort of brain lesion it is, but I'm not aware of any 'good' brain lesions. It started out when she was about 5 months old and I noticed that she had a twitchy eye. I mentioned it to our GP, who referred us to a specialist, who referred us to a paediatric ophthalmology clinic, who referred us for an MRI.... which revealed a small brain lesion in the area of her brain that is likely causing the eye twitching. We have since been referred to the neurosurgery department of Sick Kids hospital here in Toronto. As Lila is still meeting all her development milestones, the doctors are adopting a 'wait and see' approach, which makes sense. She will have another MRI in 6 months, and they'll monitor it. Which is good news, really. Better than a lot of the alternatives.

I've got a few weeks left on my maternity leave (I have a full time day job, fellow knitters often seem surprised to know that), and then we'll be adjusting to Lila going to daycare that has a great baby care division. I think she's going to love it, she is always really happy when we go to playgroups and she has other babies to interact with.

And for some really good news- today is our wedding anniversary. Guy and I were married four years ago today.

 In Paris, last month.

Happy anniversary, Guy! It's so incredible to see what an amazing dad you are, it makes me fall in love with you all over again. Any challenges thrown our way are nothing compare to what we have. I'm the luckiest woman ever.

Wee Wednesday: Booties and a Trip to the Cottage

We recently spent a long weekend up at the cottage, for the first time since Lila was born. I think it's safe to say she had a good time, as did we:

As it's normally an 8 hour drive, we flew this time, which, while obviously more expensive, was only an hour each way and was good practice for our trip to England at the end of this month (did I mention we're going to England? Because we're going England. And hey, while we're there, might as well pop over to Paris for a couple days....). The only thing I've noticed while reviewing these photos is that we were obviously too busy juggling the baby while on the plane to take any in-flight photos- next time, for sure.

Pattern: Converse Baby Booties

Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style and Michell & CIA Luxury Collection Alpaca Peru

Needles: Can't even remember. Why didn't I fill that in on Ravelry?

Notes: I actually knitted these booties when I was still pregnant, but they were turning out huge an I figured I'd have lots of time to finish them... then promptly forgot where I put them. I recently found them again, I realized that they would fit Lila now. Just needed to be seamed, and crochet chain some shoelaces. The problem? Shoelaces and an 8 month old. I basically just put knitted baby toys on her feet. She loves them, but it's really hard to keep them on her feet. And those busy baby feet meant that it was really hard to take a photo that didn't result in blurry booties. The pattern- it was easy to follow, and the booties are super cute. I wish I had made these in a brighter colour, though. The beige is tough to match with her wardrobe, which features lots of bright colours (like the Sunnyside baby sweater she's wearing). I love these, though. If I could keep her from pulling them off, they would be perfection.

This photo cracks me up.

Wee Wednesday: Merry Christmas

The above image was our Christmas card this year, although we underestimated how many we would send out, and totally ran out. Note to self for next year! I hope that everyone is having a bit of a break, and enjoying the holiday season. I'm celebrating by sticking antlers on baby's head. She is remarkably tolerant.

Wee Wednesday: New Booties and the Christmas Market

I started a Facebook page for Knitted Bliss last week. It's pretty brand-spanking new, but there will be sneak peeks and extras in between blog posts. Maybe there's even a sneak peek up there right now....
 

Swedish Market 

Distillery district lights

We've been attending some Christmas-y events around Toronto lately, namely the Swedish Christmas Market and the Distillery District Christmas Market. I have a thing for Christmas markets, it seems. I love the decorations and little stalls selling mulled wine, ornaments, and gifts. There is music and a chill in the air, and it's totally okay to drink your body weight in hot chocolate. What's not to love, really!

I also cranked out a new pair of Lila's booties over the weekend, this time in a lovely Jewel tone to match her bonnet. Ravelry project page is here.



I can't believe Lila is almost eight months old, time is going by so quickly! I'm so crazy in love with her, she's so smiley and happy, and every day I feel an immense sense of gratitude. How did I get so lucky? There we were, walking around the markets and taking photos, I was watching Guy and Lila and I thought,  that's my family. The man I love, and our precious baby. And they are all kinds of awesome.

Wee Wednesday: Bear Booties

 Do you remember the bear hoodie? Here it is, now with a baby inside:

I put Lila in it all the time, it's so adorable on her. And my dears, I need to tell you about these booties, because they are the most perfect little booties EVER. They stay on. They are warm. They look cute. They are super quick to make. Did I mention they stay on? They are perfection!

Pattern: Baby's Booties

Yarn: Queensland Collection Kathmandu Aran

Mods: Did not roll them down, seamed with them kept up to be more like boots.

I love these booties so much, I'm planning on knitting them in some other colours, to match some of her other outfits. I just love them. Now that it's cold here, I put Lila in them almost every day! Plus there is something about a knitted sweater and matching booties, it just looks so adorable.

Wee Wednesday: Lila's Twitter

As Lila is a thoroughly modern baby of the times, she now has her own twitter. Check it out!

Some recent photos:

Fresh from the bath. Hooded towels are the best. 

All giggles.

Playing with her kiddie-safe night light. Update: From Ikea, she has both the red and the blue. 

My two favourite people, one of them with a pouty face. She's just about outgrown that sleeper, which is a shame- it's my favourite!

Wee Wednesday: Lila's Legwarmers, Modelled

This is easily one of the best photographs I've ever taken. The light, the moment- it's perfect.

 My awesome dinosaur sheets- rawr!!

I had Lila on my bed, because in the afternoon, the light from the bedroom windows is really lovely. I wanted to get some photos of Lila in her awesome green legwarmers. Sarah knit and designed these, and I adore them. Legwarmers might seem silly to some, but she likes wearing them, and they can be scrunched over her feet yet still have her toes free for when she is on her tummy and practicing pushing- bare toes give good grip!

Wee Wednesday: Lila at 3.5 Months

Lila is about 3.5 months now, and we've recently had an explosion of new developments: She can now roll over by herself, cry real tears, and seems to be teething (which is really early, but not unheard of). It means she's a very busy baby, and still not big on sleeping and napping! But the cuteness makes up for it all. Here she is, fresh from the tub:


Here is Lila wearing her spring baby dress and booties, although they are still a bit big, even though I was aiming for the 3 months size:

As you can see from the bottom left photo, she's pretty fascinated with this whole booties business. She likes to grasp things.

And that is Lila playing with her favourite toy, which has made tummy time a breeze. I'd love to post a link to it, but I can't find it online anywhere- it's by Early Years, and when you tap on the head of the animals, they play a little tune. Now I wish I had kept the box so I could look it up by name!

Wee Wednesday: Almost 3 Months

It's amazing that in 3 short months, Lila has gone from new born:

 

to this:

And she's so funny...
At least I think so. That series of shots in the comic were all taken sequentially, I didn't change the order at all. She loves that bear!