It has been another busy week.
We were waiting for Spring to put in the pad for our trailer and the driveway to it. Monday, workers arrived with some heavy equipment to dig through the sod and make an almost-level foundation. (It had to have some slope in it for drainage.)
On Tuesday, they came back to put down the asphalt. It was very stinky, like roadwork.
It had to be left for a week to "cure." Here's what our new extra driveway looks like.
Meanwhile, I had all of the clothes finished for Marie, Daphne's new doll, except a heavy jacket or a coat. I didn't think I had any appropriate fabric in a suitable color, so I decided Marie should get a very heavy knitted jacket, and that would do until Christmas. I put Mandy to work on it.
The pattern is Jacqueline Gibb's 61 Comfy Cardigan Set, although it wasn't going to be a set, because I already had a hat I wanted to send. I worked it according to the directions, except that I worked the sleeves in the round, reducing the stitch count by two, because I was eliminating the underarm seam. Having the sleeves already "sewn up" complicates the knitting after the sleeves are joined to the body, but I took care of that by putting all of the front stitches (sleeve fronts and body fronts) on one circular needle and all of the back stitches (sleeve backs and body back) on another, connecting the stitches on the sleeves and body that would have been bound off by using a 3-needle bind-off. After I reached a point where the stitches could be worked comfortably on one needle, I eliminated the second circular. (Can you tell I don't like sewing up my knitting?)
Mandy did her share. Here she is knitting the button/buttonhole/collar band.
Jolena was our model, because she is almost Marie's twin, with the same face, and hair and eye color. Mandy helped Jolena try it on in front of the mirror in our hall tree.
Then Jolena changed into a dress that would be going to Marie and posed with the cardigan over it.
Here are the clothes that are on their way to Marie. (That little blob on the pajama pants is a rubber ducky.) I mailed the package off on Friday.
I also ordered two bicycles for use in this week's story. Here's Lotte with the one I ordered from Target.
The other one is a used American Girl Doll bicycle. It had some damage, but I think I can make it work for my purposes. Two dolls can go for rides together, with helmets for safety, of course.
Last Friday's story in The Doll's Storybook is called "Gossip." Not too surprisingly, it's about what can happen when dolls pass along stories they have heard but not verified.
Wednesday, May 1st, was Dusty's birthday. He has friends at the dog park, so we decided to share the celebration with them. I made a cake (recipe in the Tip of the Week) and took it to the dog park to share. We tried to light the candles, but it was too breezy.
I took along a list of ingredients, in case one of Dusty's friends had allergies. The cake was a hit with the dogs at the dog park.
On Saturday the weather was warm and sunny, so we decided to make our (almost) daily walk a little longer than usual and went to Pilot Butte. The view from the top is amazing.
What's on my needles: Back to the Coastal Skies Shawl for a bit.
We were waiting for Spring to put in the pad for our trailer and the driveway to it. Monday, workers arrived with some heavy equipment to dig through the sod and make an almost-level foundation. (It had to have some slope in it for drainage.)
On Tuesday, they came back to put down the asphalt. It was very stinky, like roadwork.
It had to be left for a week to "cure." Here's what our new extra driveway looks like.
Meanwhile, I had all of the clothes finished for Marie, Daphne's new doll, except a heavy jacket or a coat. I didn't think I had any appropriate fabric in a suitable color, so I decided Marie should get a very heavy knitted jacket, and that would do until Christmas. I put Mandy to work on it.
The pattern is Jacqueline Gibb's 61 Comfy Cardigan Set, although it wasn't going to be a set, because I already had a hat I wanted to send. I worked it according to the directions, except that I worked the sleeves in the round, reducing the stitch count by two, because I was eliminating the underarm seam. Having the sleeves already "sewn up" complicates the knitting after the sleeves are joined to the body, but I took care of that by putting all of the front stitches (sleeve fronts and body fronts) on one circular needle and all of the back stitches (sleeve backs and body back) on another, connecting the stitches on the sleeves and body that would have been bound off by using a 3-needle bind-off. After I reached a point where the stitches could be worked comfortably on one needle, I eliminated the second circular. (Can you tell I don't like sewing up my knitting?)
Mandy did her share. Here she is knitting the button/buttonhole/collar band.
Jolena was our model, because she is almost Marie's twin, with the same face, and hair and eye color. Mandy helped Jolena try it on in front of the mirror in our hall tree.
Then Jolena changed into a dress that would be going to Marie and posed with the cardigan over it.
Here are the clothes that are on their way to Marie. (That little blob on the pajama pants is a rubber ducky.) I mailed the package off on Friday.
I also ordered two bicycles for use in this week's story. Here's Lotte with the one I ordered from Target.
The other one is a used American Girl Doll bicycle. It had some damage, but I think I can make it work for my purposes. Two dolls can go for rides together, with helmets for safety, of course.
Last Friday's story in The Doll's Storybook is called "Gossip." Not too surprisingly, it's about what can happen when dolls pass along stories they have heard but not verified.
Wednesday, May 1st, was Dusty's birthday. He has friends at the dog park, so we decided to share the celebration with them. I made a cake (recipe in the Tip of the Week) and took it to the dog park to share. We tried to light the candles, but it was too breezy.
I took along a list of ingredients, in case one of Dusty's friends had allergies. The cake was a hit with the dogs at the dog park.
On Saturday the weather was warm and sunny, so we decided to make our (almost) daily walk a little longer than usual and went to Pilot Butte. The view from the top is amazing.
What's on my needles: Back to the Coastal Skies Shawl for a bit.
What's on my sewing machine: Sitting idle for now.
What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, with quite a bit of progress made. The inner border is quilted. Just the outer border to go.
What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Gossip." Someone is telling tales about Veronika. Why? How do you handle it?
What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Gossip." Someone is telling tales about Veronika. Why? How do you handle it?
What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to Marion Chesney's The Love Match, now listening to The Lost Heiress: Ladies of the Manor, by Roseanna M. White.
What's in my wine glass: Montevina Skyland Ridge Barbera, 2016 vintage. One of our staple wines.
What's my tip of the week: Doggy Birthday Cake (no sugar, no added salt and no chemicals).
Ingredients:
Cake—
1 1/2 C Whole milk
2 Eggs
1/4 C Unsalted butter, melted
2 C Unbleached flour
2 teaspoons Non-aluminum baking powder
Mix milk, eggs and melted butter in a medium-size bowl. Mix flour and baking powder in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to liquid and stir until mixed.
Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool.
Frosting—
4 oz Cream cheese
1/2 C Unsalted creamy peanut butter
1/4 C Unsalted butter, melted
Combine all ingredients until creamy.
Slice cake horizontally into two layers. spread frosting over one layer. Top with other layer and finish frosting top and sides.
Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.
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