erica knits

Patterned behavior

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Days of low light and long nights repeat. I'm looking forward to sunnier skies and taking comfort in the daily routine.

2012-01-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

A new knit hat for winter walks in the park (and commutes to work).

Ravelry Page.

Replies:
Elisalex: List making is my favorite thing! Perhaps I have too many... This is so me.
Julie: I will take you up on that offer, thanks!
Cara: Those are great ideas! Cash always makes me very aware and very afraid at how fast it goes...
Lexie, Little Boat: Having guests over is wonderful, and I don't do it enough! Thanks for the encouragement.
Mika: Florence is very reviving, isn't she? I listen to that song at the gym, although it makes me want to break out dancing on the treadmill.
Meagan :: Mo, Pie Please: I hope so, too!
Hila: You had the best list! I put so much pressure on myself, but fingers crossed it makes me accountable.

A new year.

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

(a lovely Coriander Girl bouquet from last year)

The first week of the new year always zips by. I'm in awe of how fast time passes these days. I hope it's not too late to chime in with my goals for the new year.

*Have guests over once a month. (At the very least it forces me to clean up, ha).
*Visit a museum or gallery at least once a month (this is why I wanted to move to a large cultural city in the first place!)
*Get down to business with my finances! Less credit, more savings. (I'm the kind of person who can only save if the money disappears from my account into a place that is very difficult to access.)
*Bake one new recipe a month, then give most of the results away. (after taste testing, of course.)
*Continue going to the gym with Jim, we've got a good routine going.
*Shoot more photos.
*Read one book a month.
*Shut off the computer one night a week.
*Be the first to call friends to get together.
*Release my first sweater pattern. Then release at least one more.
*Grow a balcony garden come spring.

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday and that your new year is well on its way to being a wonderful one.
My song for ringing in the new year.

Replies:

chibiwow, Jennifer, Yoel and Junaluska: Happy new year!

Wishing you...

2011-12-23T13:35:00.000-06:00

(We're having a green Christmas, but this photo was taken on the first snowfall in Manitoba in November.)

Wishing you a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!
Thank you for all your comments and support this year.
I'll be back in the new year!

Replies:
Julie: So lucky you made a trip there.
Michelle: I bet you could have! I can't wait to visit.
Jessica Kleoppel: Oh, I loved A Moveable Feast. To be in 1920s Paris.

George Whitman

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

George Whitman, the owner of Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris, died last week. I've long been a faraway fan of his bookstore and the ideals it encapsulates. Though I have yet to visit his store (now run by his daughter Sylvia Whitman), I have written about it here.

His obituary in the New York Times is beautiful and there's an interview with Sylvia, here, on CBC's As It Happens (part two).

Replies:
Jane Flanagan: It is one of my favorites! Shadow of a Doubt is worth a revisit, I think.

Julie: Just more ideas for when you're looking for something to watch :). There are many films I haven't seen, either. The Matrix is one example... Yay for vintage adult film signs.
Jessica Kleoppel: It sure is. Thank you for your recommendations, I haven't watched either! They're on my list.

Black and White

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

(as it turns out, Cinema L'Amour is a cinema of the adult variety...)

I picked up my roll of black and white film this week and it got me thinking about my favorite films in black and white. Since the winter season is the perfect time to curl up indoors on the couch to watch a movie, I thought I would share with you my all-time favorites (with links to their wikipedia pages).

Rebecca (based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, recommended to me by Jane)
The Third Man
Citizen Kane (Very controversial upon its release - I love to watch documentaries about this film.)
Psycho
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon (Boagie!)
Shadow of a Doubt (The star, Joseph Cotten is one of my favorite actors of all time. He also stars in The Third Man and Citizen Kane)

Finally, a perfect Christmas film:
It's a Wonderful Life (It was unsuccessful on its release for being too dark. Classic Jimmy Stewart. Watch here)

Replies:
Julie: You may borrow it anytime. :)

Evergreen

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Photographic print//Outfit//Skirt (Anthropologie - Sold out)//Pillow case//Polish//Scent

Hi! You may not remember me, it's been awhile! It's not that I forgot about this little blog, it's that I started my first full-time job. I'm absolutely thrilled to be working in my chosen field (librarianship). The time commitment has been quite an adjustment, especially with the shortened daylight. It makes taking blog photos a challenge, but one I'm up for. I have a roll of film on the go to share with you, a new knit and some newly painted walls in the apartment, too.

In the meantime, if you follow me on twitter, you may have read about my love for the green maxi-skirt above. I ended up grabbing it on sale this past weekend. Wearing it makes me feel so elegant. It got me thinking about the colour green - I always gravitate towards green in the winter, in the sea of white snow, evergreen. OLO Fôret is the perfect scent for winter, it embodies this exact image in my head.

Replies:
madder- erica - Laura - jen - Eliza - Julie - Amanda - Lexie, little boat: Thank you for your kind words.
Michelle: I hope you fulfill your goal to knit socks! You'll be hooked once you start.
Alison: I would love to design finished pieces to sell someday! Maybe once I get a knitting machine.
Monica: With practice, you totally will be knitting sweaters in no time.
elskan: It's so nice to hear from a Manitoba girl! I don't think the prairies ever leave you once you've grown to love them. Your comment touched me, thank you.

The Broadcast Sweater

2011-10-27T10:07:00.003-05:00

"I absolutely love fashion. I love doing new things and finding ways to swerve in a different direction. But one of the reasons why I try to use fabrics and cuts that don’t go out of fashion is because I like the idea of women buying the clothes and then… I don’t know what the word is… cherish sounds over-emotional for a relationship with a piece of clothing… but for a woman to feel proud, satisfied, comfortable and powerful in them, to wear them and get on with their lives."

— Phoebe Philo (a designer I greatly admire)

Designing a sweater pattern has been on my to-do list for a long time. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a fashion designer - my grade six yearbook says "Likely to be a fashion designer living in a loft in NYC". While it's not the career path I've chosen, knitting allows me to fulfill my designing dreams. It took awhile for my knitting skills to catch up with my ambition, but I'm getting there.

The Broadcast Sweater is named after a seeding technique where seeds are scattered by hand or machine over soil. In the same way seed stitch covers the sweater and cables grow connect the arms to the neck.

I have some wonderful test-knitters editing the pattern and hope to have it ready for release in December. I am very excited to see the results!

Ravelry Page

Replies:
Julie: You may indeed borrow it! I think I may have held a book or two of yours hostage, so we're even. ;) I think I definitely fit into the dessert-atarian category.
Siubhan: What a funny coincidence! You must pick up a copy. :)
Jessica: Thank you so much for the recommendation! I am going to need that series when Downton ends.
Alison: Glad to hear you, too, have a food you're not a fan of. ;) Cilantro does tend to overwhelm, doesn't it? Miss you!
Carol-ine: Haha, leave us picky eaters alone! Apple galette seems much easier to me to make than a whole pie, I hope you try it. :)
Nicola Lynde: Yay! Thank you.
Kate: I need all the advice I can get with Photoshop! Thank you so much for sharing that tip. I'm so sorry about your Montreal trip, a break-in certainly would make for bad memories.

Apple Galette

2011-10-20T12:55:00.002-05:00

I'm a picky eater. It's actually embarrassing for me to admit I'm picky and I try to hide it when eating out with friends. When faced with a new food item, I am usually gripped with irrational fear (irrational, because in the worst case scenario, I don't like it. The end) that passes in a moment or two.

Years ago, my friend Alison instituted a policy that required me to order a new dish every time we ate out together (she was frustrated with my constant order of chicken fingers and fries, and frankly, I should have been too). It was the best thing,and thanks to her I discovered so many new dishes I was previously afraid to try.

Since Alison and I have both moved away from home in opposite directions, I've had to make my own policy. It's a simple 'try everything once' rule.

Which leads me to an apple galette. As a child, there was something unappetizing to me about baked apples (crazy, I know). Up until Canadian Thanksgiving, I had never tried and liked an apple pie. But I was desperately determined to change this sad, sad fact. I started with Elephantine's brilliant recipe (and adorable video) and eventually concocted my own version, below.

As it turns out, my fears were unfounded, baked apples are delicious.
Replies:
Julie: thanks :).
Cara: Did you get your new computer? Photoshop is too much fun.
Michelle: I also hope you make it back there next summer!
Needles and Wool: I've heard La Belle Province is great, I'll give it a try!
Jacquelyn / lark + linen: thank you! It is such a lovely place, it's so lovely to visit.

Montreal

2011-10-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

(photo text inspired by these, I'm teaching myself photoshop step by step)

Montreal was wonderful. We spent our time there eating the best food the city had to offer. This included the most melt-in-your-mouth roast beef, tarte au sucre, crepes (so many crepes from La Petite Marche) and delicious poutine from La Banquise recommended to me by Caroline ( she recommended it to us a year ago, but we finally made it this trip!).

Replies:
Christy: I do wish I had savored it, but I am looking forward to reading Swamplandia. Thank you for the recommendation!
Julie: It's on my list! :)
Lexie, Little Boat: ha! Your comment made me laugh! oh sixth grade, so fraught with drama. Good luck teacher!
caroline: You'll have to let me know what you think of it.
Julie: I agree! It's not an easy balance to nail.
Alaina: I didn't realize Swamplandia was her first novel! Interesting. I hope you let me know what you think of St. Lucy's Home for Girls...
Nomadic D.: Thanks for your nail polish inspiration!

Mulberry F/W '11

2011-09-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've fallen head over heels for the Mulberry fall campaign. There is a lot to love about it - the bird print dress, the shearling coat and giant scarves. However, even more so, I am in love with the hair and makeup! I haven't been able to get it out of my head since coming across the campaign. I've made a hair appointment to dye my hair the shade of the model's (it's not a big change, just slightly lighter than my own).

Finally, I hope to bring this picture to a makeup counter for help picking out the correct colors. I am not sure which counter would be the most helpful - does anyone have recommendations? I don't often experiment with new makeup, so I'm excited to give this a try.

Replies:

Julie: Thanks! I hope we can get together soon now that the worst of the pox is over.
Kelli Ann: It may look like a child's toy, but I absolutely love how portable and small the Diana Mini is. I am looking forward to your Croatia pictures!
Lexie, Little Boat: I can't believe I got the chicken pox, either! I had already had it as a child, even. Sigh. I've never tried the Kodak Instax, but I will throw in my two cents regarding the Diana Mini. When it works, it's amazing, but it is tricky. I had one roll that overlapped every shot! It's really small and portable and I do like the option of square and rectangular pictures.
Viva: I know how you feel! We shall arrange a coffee date shortly :).

Diana Mini Success!

2011-09-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

My apologies for my extended absence - last week started off rather busy, then I ended up with the chicken pox! Not recommended, to say the least.

Making up for it are my first successful Diana Mini photos! The majority of the roll is still out of focus, but I'm so happy I'm getting better at figuring out this adorable but tricky camera. I'm so smitten with the gorgeous blue tones from my lazy days at the cottage with J. I'm thinking of framing one or two for our 'soon-to-be-blue' bedroom. Soon-to-be, because we have yet to hang our navy curtains or pick from the samples of blue paint colors, but folks, it will happen.

However, I think I'll leave that for a day I'm not covered in calamine lotion...

Replies:

First of all, thank you so much for letting me know whether or not you see the fancy font. I'm glad to read that most of you do see it, and I will see about fixing it so that everyone can!

Carlene: Fall, with summer to follow doesn't sound bad, at all.
evencleveland: It was lovely. I hope you're having a wonderful week!
postpostscript: I keep telling the warm days to make way for cool breezes!
Lexie, Little Boat: Thank you! I hope the class you're teaching is lovely.
Jennifer: Autumn is going to be so good.
Julie: We're pretty biased about sweater weather ;).
Michele: oooh, pumpkin chai is my absolute favorite.
v.: thank you, I'm glad to hear it.
margaux: isn't Julie's blog great?

September

2011-09-02T15:40:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, it's just nice to sit on a dock and let time go by.

My cottage vacation was wonderful and I miss it already! The cottage is a few hours north of Toronto and I was delighted by the slight nip in the air signaling the arrival of fall. Jim and I swam in the lake every day, it was so cold it took the air right out of our lungs.

September marks the beginning of my very favorite season. Though I love many of the things summer has to offer, I am always anticipating the arrival of fall. As a knitter, I think the best part about the colder weather is the opportunity to layer on cozy knitted garments.

So, farewell to swimming in lakes, watermelon, summer breeze, ice cream cones and sweaty noses.

Bring on warm blankets, pumpkin pie, falling leaves, hot chocolate and flushed cheeks.

p.s. I've re-designed my blog a little and I've noticed that it doesn't work in all browsers. Does the header show up in a fancy script font or just in Arial font for you? I am curious to know.

Replies:

yoel: thanks!
Monica: Great minds indeed!

2011-08-26T07:30:00.001-05:00

I finally found the perfect nude nail polish for my skin tone.

The HIPPxRGB collaboration color F1.

I'm also really excited to try the brown shade, Mink, come fall.

I ordered both colors directly from the RGB website, their shipping was fast and free.

I'm off for the rest of August to visit a cottage in Northern Ontario, see you in September!

Cats.

2011-08-25T09:13:00.000-05:00

More Cat-con.

Replies:

iris: haha! We have a ways to go, yet. ;)

caroline: the jury is still out on whether or not we'll be runners, too. I also love yoga. Hiking sounds amazing!

Julie: I think it might be awhile before we experience the runner's high!

Alison: YAY! I hope we can head further west sometime soon. I really like the Saucony's, but J's shoes are definitely the cooler of the pair.

2011-08-23T19:10:00.000-05:00

Jim and I went running together for the first time this evening. One of our goals after the move was to be healthier - make more meals at home, exercise.

It wasn't easy, but we made our way through the park.

I hope it's a habit that sticks.

Replies:
Julie: It's so summery, but it will make an amazing fall soup, too. I'm looking forward to fall...

Roasting Pan

2011-08-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

Oh dear, I took a little too much of an August Break.

I missed our regular farmer's market, so I made a special trip to the Sorauren Farmer's Market. You see, this soup requires only the best tomatoes, garden fresh. Perfect summer tomatoes.

Replies:

Yoel:Yay! (If your list is anything like mine, it's pretty long!)
Yarn Hobbit: That makes me sooo happy to hear!
Christy: Thank you so much for the recommendation. It sounds really good. I love short story collections.

Flapper by Joshua Zeitz

2011-08-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

Julie lent me this book just after Christmas and told me I'd love it. I finally picked it up this week and she was right, it is excellent.

Replies:
The Ponycats: Thanks!
t a n y a: It took a couple of tries, but I got the hang of it. Hanging upside to do it is a little dizzying, though. ha!
Cara: I do not have that problem, but it would be perfect for that! I have the get-this-hair-off-of-my-neck problem. Owe you an email!
Julie: pretty easy, a little awkward hanging upside down.... ;)
stephanie renee: ya! can't wait to see photos!

Braided Top Knot

2011-08-17T10:21:00.000-05:00

A day-late upload of yesterday's braided top knot. I followed the Refinery 29 tutorial.

Replies:

Julie: I'm looking forward to the morning chill and crisp air.
The Ponycats: Thanks!

2011-08-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

It wasn't very warm out today - there's a hint of the upcoming fall in the air. Though fall is my favorite season, I'm always reluctant to let the summer go. In defiance, I chose lemonade over a warming cup of tea.

Replies:
Jen: I accidentally deleted all the photos of my delicious soup! :( But it's this recipe here: http://sproutedkitchen.com/?p=3186.
Cara: I hope I get to see those pictures in your new place, someday!
Julie: thanks! I was trying something new, glad to hear you liked it.
The Ponycats: Farmer fresh veggies are the best. The peas were delish! ;)

2011-08-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

My farmer's market haul. Jim made up the corn for dinner with pork chops and the tomato and onion are reserved for tomorrow's soup. The peas are my favorite summer snack.

Replies:

lemonade: Absolutely, you will hear from me soon!

2011-08-13T18:16:00.000-05:00

Nothing says summer like drinks on a patio.

Replies:

erica: I'm so glad to hear that you found another place! Let me know if you'll need help moving. Isn't grey the best?! Those Bilk wall stickers are really cool, they were new to me, thanks.

t a n y a: i love your letterpress color posts, i can see why you would like this one :). Gentle Rain sounds lovely, I think I'll probably choose colours based on the name!

Amanda: I was surprised how much taping the swatches up helped me to narrow down colours, the light in a room really makes a difference. I am really excited to paint a blue wall, it's new for me.

Picking colours.

2011-08-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited to pick paint colours with Jim for our apartment.
The blues are for one room and the greys are for another.
The grey walls are very inspired by Austin Gros' home as featured on Pennyweight. They will be a lot lighter than my old wall.

Replies:

Thank you all for your cat hair tips! I have both a comb and a rubber brush for them, as well as cat wipes. They seem to be pretty effective and I am looking forward to putting your tips into action!

K: They are very forgivable with their sweet faces. I did scold poor Cleo today, but then gave her lots of pets, oh boy.

Caroline: they are impossible to resist! I always take pictures of cats on the streets, too.

The Ponycats: The fluffy blanket idea is so smart! They would love that. I love that your Mom recommended the Danish Poet in the first place! haha, Moms are the best. (ps. I love huge comments!)

Julie: I can't wait to try your damp cloth technique!

Nap time.

2011-08-11T18:23:00.000-05:00

I spent a day with the cats before work. Cleo likes to sleep beside me.

Note: lingering moving boxes in the background.

*This series has been a little cat-con heavy, mea culpa. Living with pets is very new to me and I break out my camera whenever they do something adorable, which is most(all) of the time. (This made me laugh)

On that same note, fellow cat owners, what is your cat hair strategy?

Replies:

seasidelimbs: They are ChiaoGoo Bamboo Needles. They were a little tough to work with at first, but now they're a dream.

The Ponycats: Thanks :)

fraisedesbois: I'm looking forward to it, too!

Yarn Hobbit: Well, it's pretty tame, just a delicious glass of homemade lemonade.

Julie: hahaha! I love it! Hoppy will hate me.

jen/grainline: I can't wait to show you! Speaking of patterns, can't wait for yours, either.

Bibi: merci! moi aussi ;).

Knitting with Julie

2011-08-10T14:32:00.003-05:00

Julie and I got together last night for some knitting at Capital Espresso.
The pattern will debut here in September!

Replies:

Jennifer: He's a pretty sweet guy who loves cuddles. :)

Julie: Does he ever!

2011-08-09T20:03:00.000-05:00

What do you mean I'm not allowed on the table?
Usually I pick him up and put him back on the floor right away when I find him on the table, but he looked so cute and comfortable that I let him pose for the camera.

Replies:

Julie: Maybe I can pick one up for you some time!
Celine: mmm! me, too! They are hard to get.
The Pony Cats: thank you! Your blog is wonderful so far, I like your braided picks.
Michelle: thanks. :) Definitely put those croissants on your Toronto to-do list. I'm glad I'm not the only one with one of those lists.

Breakfast from Clafouti

2011-08-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

I've heard good things about Clafouti's Brown Sugar Cinnamon Croissant, but to get one, you have to get up early. I finally made it out of the house in time today. Let me tell you, it lives up to the hype.

Aug. 7/11

2011-08-07T13:22:00.003-05:00

The August Break 2011

Aug. 6/11

2011-08-06T17:44:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite cafes in Toronto, The Good Neighbour.

Replies:
Tanya: Thank you. This project has been challenging and fun.

Aug. 5/11

2011-08-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

I wish I had brought one of these home. Doesn't "sorbet swirl" sound heavenly?

Cleo

2011-08-04T18:27:00.001-05:00

Cleo, short for that Egyptian queen.

She also happens to be Hoppy's mama cat.

Replies:

Iris: I love Joy the Baker! Those cookies are definitely a must-make.

Louise, Raspberries in Winter and Rachel: You can't go wrong with Red Velvet! It's the cream cheese icing that's to die for.

erica: oh, I could take you on a cupcake tour of Toronto! (Terrible for waistlines, though!) These were from the Wedding Cake Shoppe at College and Ossington. I wonder which one on Queen w. you went by?

Red velvet

2011-08-03T19:17:00.000-05:00

Celebratory cupcake.

Day three of the The August Break 2011

Replies:

erica: AH!! I owe you an email. It's coming tomorrow. I hope you and your family are well.
Louise, Raspberries in Winter: pretty lucky :).
Cara: Oh no! You could of at least had a cat to cuddle! I hope the new place is lovely.
Jennifer: thanks :).
Julie: Doesn't he, though?! His little paw on the windowsill kills me.
Librarian-in-training: In the middle of the night I will hear a crash and I know it's Hoppy jumping in and out of a box. He is quite the helper.

Hoppy

2011-08-02T19:20:00.001-05:00

I moved in with Jim and got two cats as part of the deal. I think I did well.

Replies:

jen/grainline: The change is so nice and I just can't wait to be finished unpacking. Exploring my new neighborhood has been so fun!

Celine and Julie: I assure you, I don't wake up this early every day. The sunrise is just an upside to moving into a brand new condo without curtains. Waking up with the sun might get old fast, but the first one was so beautiful.

The August Break

2011-08-01T17:10:00.000-05:00

When I was reading Elle's blog, I noticed that she is participating in this great blogging project called The August Break 2011. The idea is you must post at least one photo every day for the month of August, but you get a break from writing. A month to document the summer, and time to spend it outside. This sounded to me like a great plan, not because I particularly need a break from blogging, but I do want time to refresh this space and bring new content. So, in fact, posting one photo a day will be more than I usually blog and I'm looking forward to it. This photo is of the beautiful sunrise I woke up to in our new apartment.

Replies:

Ayalah: Did you try out the hairstyle? I haven't yet, but I think I will this week.

knitxcore: thanks for the tip about pugly pixel!

Julie: I can't wait to start redecorating! Soon!

Rebecca: Isn't it? Major inspiration.

Friday Favorites

2011-07-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness, it's been an ice-cream-all-the-time kind of week. We're melting into the pavement here!

It's one week today until I move into my new apartment and I still have so much packing to do.
I kind of left it to the last moment because I hate living with my stuff in boxes.

1. This is the only kind of hairstyle that is remotely appealing right now. Hot weather just makes me want all my hair off of my face and neck.

2. Thinking of doing a major blog overhaul and redesign, or rather, significantly improve the design. These free font resources from Simple Song will really help! I'm feeling less than inspired with my current web digs.

3. A lovely Nantucket cottage. Moving has gotten me so excited to decorate a new place! I cannot wait to trade my Ikea furniture bit by bit for beautiful new pieces, paint new walls and build shelving!

Replies:

Michelle: I loved HP7, too!

Louise, Raspberries in Winter: I cried quite a bit during HP, did you?

Cara: Nice, great minds! I owe you an email soon.

knitxcore: yes! Non-food related inspiration :P. Kinfolk is so good, right?

Julie: home! Kinfolk is perfect!

Librarian-in-training: Valid point.

Friday Favorites

2011-07-15T16:01:00.001-05:00

Our trip to Manitoba was lovely. I spent five days away from the computer, visiting with family and friends and reading with Jim in my parents' backyard. A vacation was just what we needed, time to slow down and to pause our moving preparations. I guess in that way, vacations are always too short. Of course, I only pulled out my camera in time to snap photos from the airplane window. Oops.

1. Check out the shoe rack in this post (seven photos down). A great use of space don't you think? I don't nearly have enough shoes to fill them, but I really like the idea.

2. Donuts atop cupcakes is a little to decadent for me, but I would love to make those cute little donuts on their own. This blog has been getting a lot of well deserved attention as of late, the writing is really sweet. In my favorite post, Julie writes about the difficulty of icing a perfect cake (I find it so difficult, too!). I admire bloggers who give a window into a world where every attempt to try something new can be a learning experience.

3. Kinfolk is out! (I'm sure you knew that already, but just in case). It is even more magical that I hoped. There's a great quote by David Dunn on page 114, author of Try Giving Yourself Away, that I was immediately drawn to. When I Googled the title of his book, I found it for free (absolutely free!) on the Internet Archive, here.

4.It's a sad fact that I'm always looking at fall clothing in the middle of summer.

I'm looking so forward to the weekend, a trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario and going to see the final Harry Potter movie (so excited!). What are your plans?

Replies:
Julie: I hope you get a chance to watch Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, it's so good.
flower child vintage: I'm so ashamed I didn't take more photos!
Mickey: I just love your photos. :)
Claire M.: Isn't he? aw.

Friday Favorites

2011-07-08T07:00:00.043-05:00

This morning Jim and I are headed to the airport to take a trip to Manitoba. We'll be visiting my family, going to a wedding and taking in the beauty of the prairies. It's Jim's first time to Manitoba and I have been buzzing with anticipation all week long; I'm going to take him all around to the places I loved growing up. We'll be back with stories and photos late next week!

1. I'm looking forward to eating from the barbecue. This corn sounds delicious.

2. Mickey's photos are killing it lately. I'll be wearing my hair like this to the wedding.

3. A steamy summer movie. If you haven't watched it, you must.

4. Stay eager.

5. Other People's Houses is so lovely. I bet it was even more amazing in person!

Replies:
knitxcore: haha! I love food quite a bit and am happy to pass on a good recipe. I hope you make the baked shells soon, you will not regret it!
-Alaina: I always want the finished product! process fatigue. :P
Julie: ooh, fireworks fingers. I like that idea.
Michelle: I hope you give the recipe a try, it's so good and easy to make.

Sky Confetti

2011-07-05T16:08:00.003-05:00

Jim and I spent Canada Day in Guelph with friends.

The fireworks were lovely, don't they look like pieces of confetti?

This recipe for stuffed shells is so good.

I love this pretty street style shot from Winnipeg. (I'm flying there on Friday!)

29 Ways to Stay Creative.Currently, my problem is that I can't knit fast enough!

Replies:

Caitlin: I think I'm the most excited for our balcony! We're on the 12th floor, so we should be safe from squirrels. ;)

Roberta Jane: I forgot to put that information in the post! Thanks for reminding me.

Lauren: thanks!

Anabela/Fieldguided: I forgot about it for months, but I walked past the Sephora on Bloor last week and remembered to pick it up. I'm wearing the "original" nude+gold combo today.

knitxcore: haha! Soup is my favorite, too!

tanya: awesome! I love it, highly recommended.

erin jane / atlantic treefox: me, too!

julie: I can't wait to move in and have guests over!

Relief

2011-06-30T21:53:00.002-05:00

I feel like I can finally take a deep breath for the first time in awhile; we found an apartment. We signed the lease yesterday. I'm so happy, it's in a great location for us and has a giant wrap around balcony I plan to fill with plants! Plants such as the strawberry one below. I don't know how successful I will be with this little one, if I get one strawberry it will be cause for celebration!

p.s. Happy Canada Day!

EDIT// Roberta Jane reminded me to talk about my nail polish and ring! My ring is by Gabriela Artigas and was purchased at Robber. Both nail polishes are Sephora by OPI the grey base is "Metro Chic" and the glitter is "Only Gold for Me" topcoat. I've been obsessed with that topcoat since Nomadic D. used it here.

P.s. I'm so happy you loved the soup delivery!
It's $10 for one litre of soup in a cute jar delivered to the door.
follow @afoodgypsy on twitter if you're in Toronto and want some delicious soup.

Friday Favorites.

2011-06-17T15:13:00.001-05:00

Reporting back re:soup delivery service. The asparagus and leek soup this week was delicious!
Next week is gazpacho with garlic scapes. More info on twitter @afoodgypsy

1. I love this croissant recipe and process. I think a lot of cook books forget to give directions and descriptions of the process, but it is often so vital to great results.

2.There's a Smithsonian app that helps users identify tree species by taking a picture of its leaves. Leafsnap. Useful on neighborhood strolls.
3. That's a Vamoose lemon chrysoprase bracelet on my wrist. It's so dainty and sweet.
4. Best idea ever. And a puppy.
5. One of my favorite apartments. Look at all that light!

Have a great weekend!

Magazines

2011-06-17T13:32:00.006-05:00

Remedy Quarterly and Anthology are two new (to me) magazines I'm really enjoying. I ordered Remedy Quarterly Issue 4 from their website and picked up a copy of Anthology magazine from the Drake General Store, here in Toronto. They are both wonderful publications that I encourage you to get your hands on. Issue 5 of Remedy Quarterly is out now, but I'll have to wait until the Canada Post strike is over to order a copy.

Trust me to pick out the article about dessert.

Baked Alaska would be perfect for a summer gathering.

I loved Stephanie's article on the need for Happy Hour. Hear hear!

The third issue of Anthology is the Party issue, watch the cute promo video here. I was struck by the interior of Emily Henson's 700 square foot home. I mean, look at that red chair with the gorgeous blanket draped over it.

Always my favorite, there is a cute feature on Herriott Grace with a buttermilk cake recipe I have to try.

Again, with the dessert

Replies:

Lemon Macarons:

Jane: I knew you would appreciate the lemon. I must get to Nadege to try her Canele, it sounds divine.

kenzie: thanks! and thank you for your early encouragement of my macaron attempts.

Julie: Glad you liked the streaky bits :). lemon IS the best summer flavor.

tanya: thanks!

jen: thanks. happy to know another fellow lemon lover!

Michelle: indeed!

knitxcore: I'm sure you could make macaron, too! I've had many baking failures to balance out this success ;).

andrea: bah! you could make macaron no problem. you are a cooking genius!

Friday Favorites:

knitxcore: I'm really excited for it!

erica: the soup was great!:)

Julie: ooh, I checked out that lily of the valley necklace, gorgeous!

evencleveland: I went on a mission to retrieve the fox hunt skirt, but alas it was sold. I hope it went to a loving home! Paul Simon is an interesting choice of swimming soundtrack. :)

Friday Favorites

2011-06-10T16:00:00.035-05:00

1. I laughed so hard at Stephanie's description of swimming like a crocodile. I was a competitive swimmer when I younger, so her need to creatively pass the time while completing monotonous laps really resonated with me. I used to sing songs and talk under water to myself, I wonder if anyone heard me? This could also explain why my speed-swimming career did not go too far...

2. Kate's post "On folding your hands" made me stop to think. When I first met my boyfriend, he said my internet browsing style was too fast for him. I constantly tab links without stopping to read them. Instead, I shall have to practice folding my hands.

3.I'm really interested in reading Kinfolk Magazine when it launches in July. Nate Williams of HEARBLACK is the managing editor so it's guaranteed to be good.

4. This gorgeous "baking a cake" video.

5.I'm really looking forward stopping by The Arthur's new storefront on College Street here in Toronto. Their online shop is here.
6. I just found out about @afoodgypsy's Wednesday soup deliveries from Coriander Girl. I signed up for next week's asparagus and leek!
7. Navy. Shoes.Gold.
8. You have no idea how badly I want this fox hunt skirt.

Have a great weekend!

Lemon Macarons

2011-06-10T07:00:00.042-05:00

Thank you so much to those of you who commented on my last post regarding your favorite bits of my little blog. I was extremely touched by your kindness and interest. Between all of you, the bits you enjoyed added up to nearly every kind of post I've written. A reminder that if I share what I love, you just might love it, too.

These lemon macarons were a small triumph. Once again, I used a recipe from Cannelle et Vanille, I really trust her. The recipe is actually for vanilla bean macarons, and here's the small triumph bit, but I was able to modified it ever so slightly to make lemon macarons.

Modifications:

I skipped the egg white powder, because I didn't have any.
No vanilla sugar, I used regular sugar instead.
I added 2 tsp. lemon zest and yellow food coloring (which didn't mix completely, hence the orange streaks).
After piping out all the macaron shells, I banged the cookie sheet on the counter a few times to make sure the air bubbles came to the surface. To me, this is the most important step in macaron baking.
The filling is Swiss meringue buttercream with approximately 1/3 of a cup lemon curd.

These took a good day in the kitchen and were so worth it.

Lemon-y goodness!

Replies

suzy smalls: oh, I'm reading a great book right now. The recommendation will be up as soon as I finish it. :) Also, I've got some new knitting patterns I'm working away on.

evencleveland: that means so much to me, thank you.

knitxcore: they are ranunculus!

katrina: I hope you got your copy of the Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I just finished the third, lovely!

Julie: thanks for loving everything :).

Andie Portillo: thanks, more favorites this afternoon! :)

Angelica: reading a good one right now! I will let you know all about it.

Cara: waiting for that photo ;)

Michelle: aw, thank you!

Becky: I'm not the only one! thanks :)

Jane Flanagan: Always, you write the best posts!

Friday

2011-05-27T15:14:00.001-05:00

I'm itching for something new, but my ideas are still forming in my head. I would love to make this place a little more professional, more consistent. While these ideas are banging around in my head, I thought I'd ask you for help. In your opinion, what is(are) the best feature(s) of this blog? Of course, you're welcome to give constructive criticism!

In the meantime, I've been totally wrapped up in the world of Flavia de Luce (I have to run out and buy the third book, A Red Herring Without Mustard, this weekend). Other reviews pending completion of the Flavia series.

I shall leave you with a list of things that I'm inspired by at the moment.

1. When I was little I really wanted to have glasses and braces, I thought it was the epitome of cool. Later, I did get those braces (twice)... not so cool, mostly painful. But, I still really want glasses. Are fake ones weird? ...they might be too weird.

2. Jenny's new collection for Wikstenmade. Arrow scarf, anyone? Wow.

3. Collected magazine. Hands down my favorite online magazine. I love the clean white layout. I also wished it came in print.

4. Another great online magazine (via Ill Seen, Ill Said), Pure Green Living Magazine. Coriander Girl is featured with a how-to for making posies!

5. Despite my recent disasters in the kitchen which include soggy banana bread, flavorless gazpacho and runny lemon tarts, I would love to make Soy Seasoned Tofu via Bap Story.

Blossoms.

2011-05-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

This week is off to a great start. I've read on park benches in the sunlight, eaten rose and vanilla macarons, visited the cherry blossoms and now I'm making lemon meringue tarts. I thought I'd take a page out of Kate Miss's book and share with you some videos of the cherry blossoms. What a perfect spring day.

Extended Absences and Chocolate Macarons.

2011-05-06T08:30:00.000-05:00

I didn't mean to be away for so long, really. It just happened. At first, I was overwhelmed with course work during the last few weeks of my master's degree (which I can now proudly announce that I will be graduating with a Master of Information degree in June!). Then, I was overwhelmed by the aftermath of completing my master's and transitioning into the job hunt (still going!). Then, (would you believe there's another then?!) I felt an enormous amount of self-induced pressure to come back to blogging with something really impressive. All that pressure led me to create a list of things I would like to learn how to make or do this summer (in addition to job hunting!). One of the first items of business was to make French macarons from scratch. So here you have it! My chocolate macarons made from Cannelle et Vanille's super awesome recipe. So, while I'm not the first or last to successfully make macarons at home, (and owe a lot to those lovely bloggers who wrote extensively re: how to avoid macaron failure) I'm just really glad to be blogging again. I missed it so!

And, because they were really pretty, here's a picture of the ranunculus that I managed to kill in during my time away from the blog (moment of silence here). As it turns out, my apartment's near desert-like conditions (okay okay, it could be my black thumb) kill anything but hardy ivy and succulents. :(

Never too busy for pie.

2011-03-29T12:33:00.000-06:00

There is less than two weeks left of my master's program. I can hardly believe it, but there's not much time to think during the race to the finish.

J and I did have time over the weekend to make this really delicious Butterscotch Bourbon Cream pie from The Kitchen Sink Recipes. Since I ought to race back to working on my final presentations, I will assure you that this recipe is fantastic and leave you to drool over the thought of bourbon laced pudding pie.

*Ps. I may have spilled a little extra bourbon into the whip cream. ;)

Time flies (TGIF!)

2011-03-11T08:00:00.012-06:00

EDIT// I just woke up to the horrible news from Japan, reading updates from the Guardian live blog and donating to the Red Cross.

I really thought I would have this post written on Wednesday, but alas, I've been distracted. Where did this week go?! At least I can count another paper done. Only four left till I have a master's degree!

Thank you so much for the nude polish recommendations, I am going to try out as many as I can get my hands on. The first color, and the easiest to find was Amanda's recommendation for American Apparel's Summer Peach. It's not exactly the nude I was looking for, but it's such a great light peach shade. I love the large amount of colors available from American Apparel's polish collection, but I find they can be streaky and definitely require two coats. The polish dries quickly which is perfect for impatient me. Have you tried them? What do you think?

I have to mention my latest OLO fragrance acquisition. Dafne was a birthday gift from Anabela and is the perfect scent for spring!

This week I found time to try out Joy the Baker's recipe for Whole Wheat Chocolate Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies (phew! What a mouthful!) and they are so delicious. I ran out of brown sugar, so I used organic cane sugar with a tbsp of molasses. They addition of whole wheat flour makes me feel like I can eat ten at once! (okay, I did) I can't wait to try her Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread (cue mouth-watering)!

Happy Weekend!

Replies >>

evencleveland- I love peaks of sun. This week we had a few.

katrina- thanks! it's American Apparel nail lacquer in Rose Bowl. Thanks for the polish recommendation!

Amanda- I was wear American Apparel in that post, as you can see I took your advice on Summer Peach, thanks!

Danielle- Sula sounds awesome, I'm trying to track it down in Toronto. thanks!

Julie- pretty clothes are tempting me, too!

Kate- I am compiling a dangerously large J.Crew order, I'm adding Milky Way to it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Michelle- I have to go to David's now! Your ballet flats sound awesome.

Jane- I just switched to rubber boots, one step closer. I also have to check out that flower market, more flowers required!

naomemandeflores- thanks for the recommendation!

Artisticpixie- I am trying to track down Zoya's in Toronto, thanks for the recommendation!

yoel- I wasn't sure it would work, but so far they're growing great. I've been really careful to not water them too much. The clear glass jar helps because I can see if the water is pooling at the bottom. I will certainly post pictures when they bloom!

Lexie, Little Boat- i need more colorful sweaters to phase into! perfect reason to buy more ;). winter accessories abandonment is too funny!

hila- i would love to trade! it's a deal!

How to Survive The Last Bit of Winter

2011-03-02T15:39:00.004-06:00

Winter fatigue has hit with full force.
These are a few things that are helping to remind me that spring is just around the corner.

1. Planting bluebell bulbs. A couple weeks ago I trekked around the city looking for a place that sold bulbs. With a friend, I finally found a little garden shop in Leslieville with two nice cats that was willing to sell me some bluebell bulbs. They've grown so well in their vintage planters! The bottom photo is from a week ago, they were just little! I love watching them grow.

2. Music. The new Fleet Foxes single. Adele's 21.

3. The search for the perfect opaque nude nail polish. I went into four shops yesterday looking for the colour of my dreams, to no avail. The most hopeful was when I found RGB Camel, but it was sold out! Any tips?

4. Dreaming of the Dace Dandelion Dress.

What is keeping you going until Spring?

24.

2011-02-22T12:12:00.003-06:00

One year for every hour in a day.
That's how I old I am as of yesterday.

This is the year of the unknown.
I finish school in two months and then I'll be looking for work.
I have no idea what will happen between now and 25.

I'm glad I started the year celebrating over brunch with friends
and a delicious cake made by Julie.

Flu Season

2011-02-17T09:35:00.002-06:00

I've finally succumbed to the seasonal flu. I'm treating it with lots of spinach, banana and orange juice smoothies and rest. It's a good thing I have a cozy couch and a wonderful Atlantic Treefox poster to keep me company.

My Alfred Hitchcock education continues, so far I've watched:
Rear Window (My tentative favorite.)
Vertigo
The Birds
Psycho
The Man Who Knew Too Much
The Trouble with Harry
Shadow of a Doubt
North by Northwest

Favorites for Friday

2011-02-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

1. Laura Lombardi Scale Necklace - I purchased this on New Year's Eve at Robber. I lusted after it for so long and NYE seemed the perfect excuse to buy a new piece of jewelery. I've worn it at least three times a week since. Laura's new collection looks amazing, too.

2. Apartamento Issue 6 - I love viewing stranger's living spaces, especially in Apartamento. They feature apartments that with all their imperfections, I could imagine calling home, .

3. Uppercase 8 - The letterpress issue! I love that this magazine is often full of my favorite bloggers, Tanya of Snap+Tumble and Tara of Seven Spoons to name a couple in this issue.

4. OLO Valens - I have jumped on the OLO Fragrance bandwagon, introduced to me by Anabela of Fieldguided. And what a great bandwagon it is! I first fell in love with Forêt; but since it was not available at Robber, I gave the other scents a try. It was a toss up between Dafne and Valens (I'll be back for Dafne in the spring). Valens is the perfect warm and spicy scent for winter. Erin at Robber mentioned that Valens is supposed to be reminiscent of Old Spice, but I assure you, it smells much better than this guy.

5. Peach Washi Tape - My very first roll of Japanese tape. Its colour reminds me of spring.

6. Ivy - There is nothing better than the sight of green ivy in the middle of winter.

My favorite wall.

2011-02-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

When I mentioned being Dala Horse crazy and Melinda Josie in the same post, I was alluding to two new paintings now hanging in my apartment.

Back in November, Melinda posted about a series of paintings commissioned by Mjölk Scandinavian design shop (pronounced MI-YELK! reads their website) in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood. I picked up the phone and called J right away telling him we had to go see them, ASAP! I even called ahead and we visited them before John and Juli could hang them! After collectively ooohing-and-aahhing over Melinda's beautiful work, J asked me to point out a few of my favorites. Then he kicked me out of the store.

At the party John and Juli held to celebrate the store's one-year anniversary, J revealed that not one, but two of the paintings were mine for Christmas!
Meet Dalahäst Marinblå and Dalahäst Sticka!

It means so much to me to own artwork from an artist I admire for her talent, kindness and everyday creativity.

Dala Horses

2011-02-02T12:31:00.003-06:00

I've gotten a little obsessed with Dala Horses.

I owe this obsession and the discovery of this mitten pattern to Melinda Josie. When Melinda posted this picture on her flickr stream months ago, I hounded her to see where the pattern was from. She was kind enough to share and she posted about her finished mittens here, on her blog.

Not only is Melinda a talented knitter, she paints incredibly beautiful paintings.

You can read a little story about the Swedish Dala Horse tradition here or here. (The stories are very different, so I included both.)

Thanks to J who took all the photos of me and the mittens.
I couldn't help but show off all the pretty details of the pattern:

Dala and Hest spelled out on the inside of the thumb.

Lacy cuffs.

Peak top.

Technical Difficulties

2011-01-31T09:31:00.004-06:00

Film photography has it's benefits; I love the graininess, soft light and the unknown. However, sometimes it can take ages to finish up a roll. I've just dropped off January's film at the developers and I cannot wait to show you what I've been up to!

In the meantime:
"There's no going back now" (via evencleveland)

12 cakes

J and I have started a new tradition, every Friday night we watch one of Alfred Hitchcock's films, so far I've fallen in love with Psycho and The Birds. Hitchcock created the most glamorous damsels-in-distress, modern ladies of horror could learn a thing or two.

Mayan Ruins

2011-01-11T12:13:00.003-06:00

Last post about Mexico, then it's all about Toronto and the winter weather that has swooped down on the city, I promise!

During my undergrad, I took a number of courses on the history of Mexico and Latin America. It was an incredible experience to walk through the archaeological site at Tulum to see the Pre-Columbian Mayan city. I've never seen such a beautiful place.

The trip to Mexico was my first warm weather vacation, I hope I can visit Mexico again someday. Especially Mexico City! Bre of Scout & Catalogue spent a year living in Mexico, her time there is documented beautifully in her blog archives.

Happy New Year

2011-01-06T10:10:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!
I hope you have big hopes for 2011 like I do. My visual checklist is on Pinterest.
This is the year I graduate, hoorah!

My family and I traded the snow for Christmas holidays in Mexico.
I relaxed on the beach, saw the Mayan ruins at Tulum and snorkeled in Ya kul Lagoon and Akumal Beach. I saw a number of Clown fish, Parrot fish and Stingrays! My first trip to a tropical beach was amazing, I cannot wait to go back. A visit to Mexico was the perfect end to 2010.

I feel rested and ready to take on 2011.

Knitbits and The Good Neighbour

2010-12-17T14:10:00.002-06:00

I was so thrilled to wake up this morning to see my Triangle Loop pattern featured in the Berroco KnitBits e-newsletter. It is feature along with some amazing patterns I want to knit up soon.
Thank you Cirilia Rose!

I love finding nice and cozy coffee shops.
The Good Neighbour in the Junction/High Park area is one of the best. The pain au chocolat was so good, I don't even think I offered J one bite. He was much kinder and offered me a taste of his scone and danish. Delicious!

I spotted a Smythe for HBC coat out the window and had to take a picture.
Lucky girl!

Red

2010-12-15T10:40:00.000-06:00

Of all the colors to get me in the mood for Christmas, red is it. Here are some photos of red I've collected over the past month or so.

I'm happy to say that I have completed my Christmas shopping. I made a real commitment to buy either local or handmade with the exception of a few special requests. However, when I saw this funny cat with a bow tie, I couldn't resist picking up two for this guy. Won't he look dapper?

I've also become completely addicted to Pinterest, mine is here. I have six invites to Pinterest to give away, if you would like one just comment with your email and I will send one your way.

Finally, this gorgeous calendar, from Sophie of Sunken Treasure, came to me in the mail last night (so quick!). It is stunning in person. I can't wait to hang it in the new year! I also bought the Dreamcats calendar from Fieldguided Shop. I don't think you can have too many calendars, especially when they are beautiful items of art.

Coriander Girl - Fieldguided Shop Local Gift Guide

2010-12-12T13:49:00.003-06:00

It's been a long time, I know!
With the exception of one essay, my semester is over. I've spent the weekend relaxing and cleaning my messy apartment. It's amazing how much mess accumulated while I was busy doing schoolwork.

It's tough to know where to start again after a long break.
I'll start with my contribution to Anabela's of Fieldguided's Shop Local Gift Guides. I can be found talking about the wonderful shop Coriander Girl in the second guide, no. 10.
The first two photos are of the shop and the second two are some of the amazing arrangements that Alison, the wonderful shop owner, has made up for me.

Hope December is finding you well.
I'll be back sooner than later.
;)

Sunday Market

2010-11-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

My favorite thing to do on a Sunday is to take a stroll down to the Antique Market.
I arm myself with $20.
No more,
no less.

To see what treasures turn up.

Two weeks ago now, when the leaves were still on the ground, I spotted a ship.

Colorful blankets.

And a village tea set (on top of the white shelf).
I just came home with a pocket full of little trinkets for Christmas presents, but I am sure kicking myself for not asking how much that tea set was!

Good Things.

2010-11-11T09:59:00.002-06:00

My weeks have been long and hard lately.
So I thought I would take the time to point out some good things.

1. Murphy the dog. J and I met him in the park.
2. Ideas to put my new pom pom maker to good use.
3. A blog about an inside garden, Belle fleur de lis.
4. Nice emails.
5. A beautiful painting.
6. A little monster caught by Vic.
7. More triangles!
8. Gorgeous leaves.
9. Sample sales.
10. Cups of tea.
11. A moment of silence and a poem.
A reminder to be grateful for what I have.

Falling in Love with Fall. (oh so punny)

2010-11-01T07:00:00.001-06:00

Some beautiful leaves in High Park.
Fall is nearing its end, I woke up to the first light snow of winter on Sunday morning, so I'm taking full advantage of it. I crunch leaves whenever I get the opportunity. On my way to work on Sunday, a couple was getting photos taken in the park; they would toss up handfuls of leaves then kiss. So much laughter, it was sweet.

On Saturday night, I had friends over for a dessert party in honor of Halloween. I was so busy baking and hosting that I forgot to take pictures. However, if you can picture it, I made homemade marshmallows from Martha's recipe in the shape of bones, chocolate whoopee pies with peanut butter filling, a cake from Nikole and Shanna's Wee Wedding Cakes recipe, pumpkin pie with a jack o'lantern face, and chocolate cupcakes. My friend Kylie bought over coffee cookies and shortbread cookies in the shape of severed fingers and Julie brought over mini quiches, of which I ate roughly 20. It was a great night, many thanks to all who came!

How I still ended up with pumpkin pie for breakfast is a delightful mystery.
(Oh, it's getting to be a bad habit.)

I just couldn't resist writing with the leaves I collected.
The first time I tried, a breeze blew the leaves away before I could snap a picture. The second time they stayed in place long enough for another gentlemen with a camera to stop and get in a few shots.

Fall baking!

2010-10-21T17:57:00.005-05:00

I wish I could slow down and enjoy the fall season a little more. The leaves are changing and dropping so quickly, but my weekly allotment of free-time is shrinking in proportion to the assignments that are piling up.

Nonetheless, I'm still taking some time to relax and bake my favorite fall treats.
I finally put my new Herriott Grace feather cookie cutter to good use making gingerbread cookies. I wait all year to break out the gingerbread (it doesn't really feel right to me in the spring or summer), it's my favorite kind of cookie!

This is one of the pumpkin pies I ate for breakfast.

Lastly, this is my favorite hot chocolate in the city.
It's from La Merceria, all they do is steam milk and break off a piece of Lindt chocolate and melt it in. So simple and perfect with some of their delicious alfajores.

Estelle Pullover

2010-10-06T14:43:00.003-05:00

(photo by G. Crawford at The Knit Cafe)

In case you ever doubted it, modeling is a tough job. Not that I really have experience with that kind of career, but this past weekend my friend Julie and her talented husband (known to the internet as G) were kind enough to let me try out the job. They agreed to take photos of my newly completed scarf and sweater while we were out celebrating Nuit Blanche, an all-night, free event featuring art installations all around downtown Toronto.

If it looks like I stuck with one pose, it's true.
It really was hard work, I swear.

This is my finished Estelle Pullover.
Ravelry link here.

(photo by G. Crawford at The Knit Cafe)

Days off.

2010-09-28T10:35:00.007-05:00

The coming of fall means back-to-school and less free time. It makes those days free of school and work even more precious. I like to explore the city during these days, discovering new places and popping into some old favorites.

A trip to Coriander Girl never fails to inspire. On the left at the back of the bouquet is a red kangaroo paw, a flower I had never heard of before my visit to Alison's lovely shop.

Sweet Bliss Bakery has the current high distinction of baking my favorite cupcakes in the city. Their cupcakes are moist, topped with a thick layer of frosting, packed into a box with a doily and tied with string. My box contained carrot and red velvet with cream cheese icing, double chocolate and vanilla. Delicious!

I tried to get a good shot of the Hunter green polish, but it looks pretty dark in this photo.

Triangle Loop - Free Knitting Pattern

2010-09-22T07:00:00.007-05:00

This started as an experiment.
An ode to my pal Caitlyn who passed on her love of triangles to me.

I didn't really know what it was going to be when I started knitting. I think that's the most exciting part of the creative process. It starts with inspiration and what follows is trial and error. It was too wide to be a scarf and too narrow to be a sweater, but the pattern was so fun I just kept on knitting.

I thought maybe you would like one, too.
Download the pattern here.

I think I will make a few more, it is so cuddly and warm.
Perfect for the windy fall days to come.

UPDATE// Now available for Free Download on Ravelry.

Triangle Loop by erica-knits is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at erica-knits.blogspot.com.

Fall Essentials.

2010-09-12T17:04:00.011-05:00

There have been a number of "Fall Essentials" posts around the blogosphere (what a funny word!), but I hope you don't mind my two cents, too. In all honesty, "essentials" posts are some of my favorites. I like the idea of little coherent collections of items that represent a mood, season or person as if it was that simple to encapsulate.

1. A nice leather bag. Preferably one with character; soft brown and nicely worn in. I really like the structured bags that are en vogue this season. I found this one at the Antique Market from a sweet lady for $8. She's one of my favorite vendors; she's kind and her prices are fair.

2. My For Me, For You by Kate Miss necklace. I used to swear by black, navy and grey in the colder seasons, but this year I'm embracing color: rust, purple, olive and forest green for starters.

3. American Apparel nail polish in Hunter. My bi-monthly treat is still a $13 manicure at the salon down the street. I'm never afraid to be crazy with color on my nails, though the mint green I sported while visiting home this summer certainly perplexed my Dad. I believe his exact words were "Really? Mint green? Really?" while shaking his head in disbelief.

4. Knitting. While it may turn some heads in the middle of summer, knitting in the fall is perfect. I've got two sweaters on the go at the moment, this is one of them: Estelle pullover.

5. A pretty dress that is casual or fancy. Toronto is currently in the midst of film festival madness so the girl in the fitting room next to me was none other than Amanda Crew of Charlie St. Cloud fame. So there you have it, my brush with celebrity.

6. A perfect plaid button-down shirt. A Steven Alan Reverse Seam in peach/grey to be exact. I have been coveting one of these forever!

7. Pumpkin anything. Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie and these cupcakes look fantastic.

What are yours?

P.s. The Hearblack Etsy Shop has a couple of heart wreaths in stock.

A Day at the Beach

2010-09-08T17:20:00.003-05:00

There's already a chill in the air and school starts next week, but before fall woos us with it's changing leaves and cozy sweaters I'd like to remember a day at the beach. I like to stand at the edge and let the water glide towards my toes.

The Beaches are located in Toronto, but a long streetcar ride from my place. Though it took nearly a whole year to get back to the Pie Shack, located in the Beaches, I finally made it! J and I played Cribbage, one of their many board games, and devoured our pie. (Actually, one slice amounted to 1/4 of a pie so I managed to eat only have a slice). It was a perfect end to a day in the sun.

Many more photos of from the day on flickr.

Farewell Summer, you were lovely.

Madeleines

2010-08-30T13:24:00.005-05:00

These delicious little Madeleines were so fun to make. I'm such a sucker for pretty little baked goods. I bought all my madeleine baking supplies at a lovely cooking and baking ware shop called Les Touilleurs in Montreal. (Though the pans can be found at most baking goods stores). They recommended their recipe, which I'm pretty sure is fool-proof (okay, but it is in French).

Also, how pretty are these Zara fall collections?

They were just as fun to photograph as they were to eat.

Grey walls.

2010-08-24T10:11:00.003-05:00

One of my summer goals was to paint my bedroom walls. In the end, my Dad did all the painting when my family came to visit earlier this summer. I picked out a medium shade of grey, I think it may have been called "moonshadow". I love the warmth that it brings to my room which gets a lot of light from my south-facing windows. On the wall is my favorite driftwood heart from HearBlack and a collection of butterfly specimens I picked up at the Antique Market.

I've learned that a coat of paint (or three, right Dad?) can make a rented space feel like my very own. My little garden looks great with it's new background of grey.

Lemonade, Ice Cream and a trip update.

2010-08-12T10:04:00.005-05:00

Ice Cream from The Big Chill, Toronto

Blueberry Mint Lemonade.

Above is the syrup I needed to make delicious blueberry mint lemonade from the recipe above. No matter what the recipe says, more syrup is always better. In fact, it's a little bland with only the amount dictated in the recipe.

So two weekends ago (wow! time flies!) I went to the gorgeous city of Chicago for Lollapalooza with a friend. We met up in the city, I flew from Toronto and she drove from Winnipeg to catch the train from Fargo. It was such a great weekend, but oh my! festivals are exhausting. I nearly didn't make it to day two. We even caught some aftershows with the Freelance Whales, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Gogol Bordello (fun!). I wanted to share an adorable Freelance Whales song with you, it's called Ghosting. I've had it on repeat since my return. I'm a little heartbroken though; my lovely boyfriend gave me a Diana Mini right before I left (after I raved about the photos Anabela took at the beach!) and I messed up the winding/loading so all my photos overlapped each other four or five times. I may try to salvage a few, but its looking pretty bad at the moment. So suffice to say, even though I don't have any photos to show you, I recommend a visit to the Windy City. Five days were just not enough!

Montreal on film.

2010-08-04T10:17:00.012-05:00

The famous Schwartz's smoked meat sandwich.

Our waiter.

There are not enough words to express how much I love Montreal. If you're planning a trip to Montreal, let me warn you, a long-weekend is not enough time. I love this city and I could have spent weeks exploring, but alas I will just have to return. Caroline recommended some awesome must-sees in Montreal such as Unicorn Boutique and Schwartz's. Thanks Caroline! This trip I really started to understand my AE-1; focusing is still an issue, but I'm getting there!

I've begun a new habit of visiting the St. Lawrence Antique Market every Sunday morning. Sometimes there are a number of amazing items that I wish I could take home (and some that I do!) and other times there's nothing that catches my eye. Two weeks ago, I had to pass up a gorgeous coffee table and some vintage Coach scarves. I've already extensively mourned the loss of the coffee table and these Liberty scarf tutorials are just putting salt in the wound.

Anabela just posted a lovely home tour of Caitlyn's apartment, it's so cosy looking. I love her red chairs!

Summer skies

2010-07-27T10:00:00.012-05:00

A series of hot and humid days make for cloudy blue skies.

Tall ships in the harbour and a spider by Louise Bourgeois in front of the National Gallery of Canada.

Summer has become so busy. When will there be time to relax?

In the meantime, I've got Slow Show by the National on repeat. There's a lot of snow in that video which is unpleasant to think about, but the song is rather romantic. I'm getting quite excited for my trip to Lollapalooza next weekend. I can't wait to see The National live!

I'm also excited to have this Sarah McNeil print on its way to me. Have I mentioned that I love foxes? I also found a tiny brass fox at the antique market Sunday morning. It brings my total fox count to 4 prints, one photograph, one ring and one afformentioned tiny brass fox. Wow, I guess that's quite a lot of foxes for one tiny apartment.

TTC Knitalong

2010-07-19T12:45:00.008-05:00

A couple of Saturdays ago (July 10th to be exact), I joined Julie and many others on the 2010 TTC Knitalong. We tackled the East Blue route that took us to The Naked Sheep, The Purple Purl, Americo and Romni Wools. It was so nice to visit the two Queen East shops The Naked Sheep and the Purple Purl. I don't often get a chance to get out to them and they are so lovely and friendly! Since almost all of the shops were offering a special discount for Knitalong participants I went a little wild with my purchases. (Okay, a lot wild...) Thankfully, I have projects lined up for everything!

The whole haul:

9 balls of Mission Falls 136 Merino Superwash in Curry

4 skeins of Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Paris Night

2 skeins Malabrigo Lace in Polar Morn

1 skein Americo Andean Highland Wool

1 skein Romni Wools

Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2010 (won at The Purple Purl)

Classic Elite Yarns Saturday Afternoon pattern booklet

Mirasol Accessories Collection pattern book

The Mission Falls Merino Superwash is going to be the Basket Stitch Cardigan from CEY Saturday Afternoon pattern booklet. This one is well on its way and I'm quite in love with the color.

The scarf on the right is the Night Jar Scarf from the Mirasol Accessories book. I saw a finished version at The Purple Purl I couldn't resist the pattern, it was perfect for the pile of Sulka I had lying around (from another project I frogged).

The navy Malabrigo will be the Ariosa Back-Lace Cardigan and the Malabrigo lace will become the Geodesic.

In addition, I brought a project along to knit that ending up with me winning the Fierce! knitting catagory. I guess it was pretty crazy to carry around a color work project done in alpaca-merino on a very hot summer day! I can't wait to tell you more about that project, look for a new free pattern in the fall.

Summer Reads #3: All My Friends Are Superheros

2010-07-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

This book is short and wonderful.

Tom is unique; all his friends have superpowers, but not him. He also has a big problem, his new wife, The Perfectionist, cannot see, hear or smell him thanks to a curse put on her on their wedding day. Poor Tom is desperate to make The Perfectionist see him before she moves across the country, thinking he left her.

All My Friends are Superheros is such a touching little love story. You'll finish it in an hour, but it will be the best hour ever spent reading. Not to mention, it's really funny.

Well, I'm off to Montreal for a wedding this weekend. I can't wait to explore!

Hope you have a great summer weekend whereever you are.

Scenes from my trip to Manitoba

2010-07-14T12:36:00.003-05:00

Cupcakes from the Cupcake Corner in Winnipeg's Osbourne Village.

I recommend their chocolate with peanut butter icing, yum!

A groomsmen's and his lovely fiance's feet at our friends' wedding.

New airplants for my apartment.

A window cat.

An old barnhouse.

Iceberg sculpture in Assiniboine Park, Winnipeg.

The bride's dress.

More icebergs.

Taking care of my Summer Goals one-by-one.

#7 Mini road-trips to Winnipeg and a trip to Montreal this weekend.

Summer Reads #2: The Imperfectionists

2010-07-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

I bought this book for its cover.

The Imperfectionists is a series of short stories narrated by employees an international newspaper in Rome that is struggling to stay relevant and profitable in the era of the internet. Interspersed between the stories is a chronological history of the origins of this particular international newspaper. Just like the title suggests, the characters are flawed. The struggle of the characters parallels that of the newspaper, both seem unable to move forward.

I often have a hard time with imperfect characters. I want them to change, but that's not the case with this group of imperfectionists. Each characters fears resists change until one event forces them all to move on. I found some of the stories infuriating while others were endearing. It is a quick read full of drama for hot summer nights.

In other news, I cannot get enough of watermelon tea from David's Tea. It is delicious both hot and iced. I think I'm going to whip it up into watermelon iced tea lemonade this weekend.

I also wouldn't mind making this Tomato Tart when it's cool enough to turn on my oven again.

Pizza

2010-07-07T09:50:00.006-05:00

This is the kind of pizza you can find on the prairies. It's crust is big; crunchy on the outside and soft underneath the toppings. The cheese is on thick, mozzarella, the kind that comes in large white blocks. The toppings on this particular pizza were spinach, feta and tomatoes just on one half (mine).

I have yet to find a pizza like this in Toronto. Here, the pizza is thin crust, cooked in a brick oven with sparse cheese and toppings. Don't get me wrong, I love this kind of pizza. It was impossible to find on the prairies and I'm so spoiled to have access to it all the time. Nonetheless, I can't help but dream of the pizzas I grew up with.

So where can I find this pizza in the city?! Help!

What is your favorite kind of pizza?

Summer Reads #1: Cool Water

2010-06-30T07:40:00.011-05:00

Summer vacations are the perfect time to get in a little reading. I've read on the plane flying across provinces, in the car on day trips and on a blanket outside catching some sun. In my experience the best books I've read are the ones recommended to me by friends. One of my summer goals was to come up with a weekly feature, so each week for the rest of the summer I will recommend a new book.

After months of unentertaining choices, I got a hold of some good ones. Julie insisted I read Cool Water by Dianne Warren earlier this spring and I finally got around to it in May. It is one of those books with mulitple characters with their own overlapping story lines. The characters are all bound together by the place they live, a small rural Saskatchewan farming town that's been hit by hard times. The theme of the novel concerns the daily occurences, frustrations, and charms of small town living. Each story comes to its own conclusion happy or sad, but the overall effect is bittersweet. I found the characters to be extremely well developed and grounded in reality. My pet peeve is when characters personality changes dramatically at the end of a book, but the characters in Cool Water stay true. Though the setting is rural Canada, this is not just a rural Canadian book, it's a book about people struggling to communicate with one another.

And just because tomorrow is Canada Day, here is a little different version of the national anthem:

WARNING it's a little goofy.

Oh Canada - Classified.

Taking my time

2010-06-23T20:31:00.003-05:00

Still on summer vacation and I can't wait to share my photos with you. I'm dropping my film off tomorrow for developing! There's been road trips with lots of good food and other adventures!

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of a door with a fox, like this one.
Collecting tillandsia (air plants) and looking forward to making summer fruit pies!

Jewellery

2010-06-14T21:57:00.004-05:00

I have fallen for this gorgeous necklace by Aesa, the Ascensions Necklace. It's out of my reach, but I can't stop looking at it. I think it would dress up every outfit and be a great conversation piece.

In the meantime, this tutorial on making this adorable braided necklace is perfect! I can't wait to get back to the city to pick up all the right supplies.

(click on the photos for their source.)

erica knits

Patterned behavior

A new year.

Wishing you...

George Whitman

Black and White

Recommended Read: An Object of Beauty

Evergreen

The Broadcast Sweater

Recommended Read: The Little Stranger

Apple Galette

Montreal

Recommended Read: St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

Mulberry F/W '11

Diana Mini Success!

September

Cats.

Roasting Pan

Flapper by Joshua Zeitz

Braided Top Knot

Picking colours.

Nap time.

Knitting with Julie

Breakfast from Clafouti

Aug. 7/11

Aug. 6/11

Aug. 5/11

Cleo

Red velvet

Hoppy

The August Break

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites

Sky Confetti

Relief

Friday Favorites.

Magazines

Friday Favorites

Lemon Macarons

Friday

Recommended Reads: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Blossoms.

Extended Absences and Chocolate Macarons.

Never too busy for pie.

Time flies (TGIF!)

How to Survive The Last Bit of Winter

24.

Recommended Reads: Martin Beck Mysteries

Flu Season

Favorites for Friday

My favorite wall.

Dala Horses

Technical Difficulties

Mayan Ruins

Happy New Year

Recommended Reads: Winter's Tales by Isak Dinesen

Knitbits and The Good Neighbour

Red

Coriander Girl - Fieldguided Shop Local Gift Guide

Sunday Market

Recommended Reads: Light Boxes

Good Things.

Falling in Love with Fall. (oh so punny)

Recommended Reads: The Haunted Hotel

Recommended Read: Great House

Fall baking!

Recommended Read: The History of Love

Recommended Reads: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Estelle Pullover

Recommended Reads: Time Was Soft There

Days off.

Recommended Reads: Gods Behaving Badly

Triangle Loop - Free Knitting Pattern

Recommended Reads: The Help

Fall Essentials.

Recommended Reads: Grayson

A Day at the Beach

Recommended Reads: The Millenium Series

Madeleines