This is fun!
I have about 12" to go on the second rug. I expect to be able to show them off next week. (The bows tied in a few placed right at the edge of the rug help me keep track of how long the rug is. Each bow represents 10") I'm finding the Sugar 'n Cream yarn, usually used for dishcloths, etc., to be very easy to work with as warp. I had to go out to Joann's for some clear vinyl material for another project I had planned, and I picked up a couple more cones, but in black and sort of a turquoise. I think it will be fun to have the warp make stripes when I'm done with these two rugs and warp the loom again. I've found the batiks easy to work with, because the color goes through to the back. These are not quilting batiks, although I'm sure the same would be for those. These are traditional batiks with a pattern, like the one you can see that I'm currently working with. Fabric that's printed on one side and almost white on the back looks better if you fold it in half with the wrong side on the inside, even as it gets scrunched up when you beat it in. You don't have to bother doing that with the batiks. I have a lot of traditional batik fabric from our time in Indonesia left over from other sewing projects. This is a good use for it.
I'm still participating in a knit-along (KAL) on Ravelry. The "Sweetpeas" pattern from last week was part of that. This week I finished another pattern from the same designer. This one is Map Dot: Watonga. It's designed for the larger Happy Kidz, but I used my formula to find out what gauge I needed for Little Kidz dolls like Pippa, and it worked out. I divide the gauge in the pattern for Happy Kidz by .8 and that gives me the gauge I need for Little Kidz. Sometimes this means using thinner yarn, because I don't want the resulting fabric to come out stiff. I went down on needle size, too, of course. Fortunately, I've knit with this yarn before using the same gauge as I needed, so I could check and make sure what the needle size was.
The top buttons down the back.
I use my sourdough starter to make pizza dough. I made this to keep busy while Rocky was in surgery on Thursday. After I had the dough ready, I discovered I didn't have any pasta sauce, which is what I usually put on before the toppings. I did have some canned tomatoes, however, and it was easy to make some.
Speaking of Rocky, you may remember from last week that he had a bad encounter with the dog door that required emergency treatment. He is walking much better, but we didn't want to have that happen again. We decided to replace the flap with a clear plastic fringe to keep the bugs out. That was what took me to Joann's. I bought the kind of clear vinyl material often used for things like furniture slipcovers and table covers. You can buy it by the yard. It isn't very thick, but not flimsy, either. DH measured how big I needed to cut the piece and we figured out how wide the strips needed to be to go across the opening evenly. They are all attached where I cut the strips up to 1" from the top. Here's what Rocky sees going out.
Here's what it looks like coming in.
We got the idea from a relative in Finland who had something like this instead of a screen door. It works great to keep the bugs out.
Rocky's procedure went OK. He's still getting pain medication and antibiotics. He has a very complicated schedule for his regular medication and drops for his eye condition. We decided not to get a biopsy of the lump removed from his lip. The vet removed extra from the margins, just in case, but he didn't think it looked like something cancerous. In consulting with him, we also didn't think treatment with chemo at his age would be a good idea. The vet also removed a back molar, which had something wrong with the root that could have damaged the adjacent tooth and caused pain later on. The remaining pearly whites got a nice cleaning. We expect this will be his last cleaning. In fact, we thought the cleaning 18 months ago would be the last one. At the rate he's going, we could very well have him around for his 17th birthday. We should throw a party.
Another thing that's keeping me busy these days is working on my next book. This one will feature Emil. I made the cover last year when I had the program needed to make the cover for Mariah. I just swapped out the photo, changed the name and the background color and saved it.
Daphne has been helping me pick the stories to go in the book. They will be:
I'm doing some editing and changing out some of the photos to make them more appropriate for a book and for other reasons, such as to include Emil in them, to have the doll on a skateboard wear a helmet, because a photo was included in another story in the book or the previous book, or to improve photo quality. I'm hoping to have it ready to send off by early August.
Also on the grandchild front, here's Johan, off to day camp. (That prominent front tooth is no longer prominent. In fact it's missing. It's mate may also be missing by the time you read this.)
Have a good week!
Where's my blog: If you have been following my blog and want to continue following, I recommend you go here and sign up to follow.
What's on my needles: Another KAL item for Pippa.
What's on my loom: The second rug, almost done.
What's on my sewing machine: Leggings for Pippa and Happy Kidz.
What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.
What's in The Doll's Storybook: The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf. The dolls reenact the old Aesop's Fable with a couple of twists.
What's in The Doll's Storybook: The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf. The dolls reenact the old Aesop's Fable with a couple of twists.
One idea I have for a future book is three stories all based on classic tales, like this one.
What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Florence Grace by Tracy Reese on Audible. It was an engrossing tale. Now listening to The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg on the Chirp app. It's hilarious. Five residents of a nursing home decide to find a way to go to prison based on a documentary they watched that portrayed life in prison in an overly positive light. They steal some valuable paintings and then turn themselves in, but their adventures are a bit like the old Keystone Cops movies. Good fun!
What's in my wine glass: The Portuguese Red Blend by Casa Santos Lima. A nice wine in a very pretty label.
What's my tip of the week: I often wash plastic zippered bags to use again unless they have a leak or are just too messy to be able to clean up. After they drain for a bit, I need another place for them to finish drying. I have a little pitcher with skewers and straws in it. It's perfect for hanging the plastic bags once they're no longer dripping.
Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. The three stories in the book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. The stories (and links to them) are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.
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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