Moving Ahead

The past week is just a blur. Looking at my photos helped, however. I remember that I made a hat for Pippa to go with the pajamas, though.

I made the hat so I could have a knitted component to the pattern, which made it possible to put the pattern in my Ravelry store.

I had to delete the photos I took that showed how to sew the pajamas, because the file was too big to upload, but I'm hoping the written directions will be sufficient.

There isn't much in the way of patterns for this size doll. The Wellie Wishers, put out by American Girl, are a similar height, but they are slimmer and shorter by a bit. That isn't too bad with something loose and knitted, but the more fitted something is, and the more the fabric lacks stretchiness, the more important fit is.

Now I'm working on outfits for "Mr. Truly Me 74," a boy from American Girl, for Zachary for Christmas.

I'm starting with my Wonderland Turtle using sport-weight yarn. It's designed for the slimmer Götz Happy Kidz, but someone has used the pattern for this size doll, and she included her gauge on her project page, so I'm able to duplicate the gauge and, with luck, the fit.

I will be sewing some things, too. I think I probably have enough patterns to use. It will keep me busy.

The listing for my book on Amazon has the correct price now. It has also appeared on the UK site. It should soon be available for preorder internationally all over the world. You have to search for "Mariah" by Peggy Stuart or "Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook." If you specify "books" you might get it faster, but the link to the page for the US is here.

Everything beyond the costs of production will go to St. Jude. I have a fundraising page set up on their website to become active December 1st., so people will be able to go to that page to donate, if they like, and I think I will be able to include the links for purchasing the book there as well.

I was still making phone calls to get voters to go to the polls all through Tuesday. As you undoubtedly know, we had a long wait to get the results. We were pleased, and by Saturday morning we discovered we had no champagne to chill, so DH had to make a run to Costco. (It isn't as if we knew we might need some bubbly at some point!) We were ready for a chilled toast by the time the speeches were underway.

I was happy to have been part of getting out the vote in Georgia. It was certainly worth the time and effort, and I got to make some new virtual friends. Now they want me to start writing and calling Georgia again in a few days to make sure everyone votes in January for the runoff. Our Christmas plans have been greatly modified, so I should have the time. I've never lived in Georgia, but my parents came from the Deep South, so I feel comfortable with the culture.

What's on my needles: Wonderland Turtle for Mr. Truly Me, just finished the turtleneck collar.

What's on my sewing machine: Waiting for clothes for Mr. Truly Me.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. No progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In The Book, Pippa finds out a little of the history of the story blog and learns that she is part of something bigger than herself.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: I'm still just listening to music. I started a Dean Koontz novel (his new one), but I didn't get very far.

What's in my wine glass: Domaine Auzias Cité De Carcassonne Malbec. I like this one, but my first taste was after sparkling wine, so maybe...

What's my tip of the week: Lining pans and cookie sheets with parchment paper can save a lot of cleanup. Get the unbleached kind if you can.

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.