Print It!

The biggest event of this week was the arrival of the second proof copy of the new book, Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook. 

I was very happy with the new version, so I gave the go-ahead to publish. The publication date will be December 3, I think, but it will be available for preorder earlier, still in plenty of time for Christmas. I think I will receive my copies to sell before Halloween. Costs have gone up, so this book will be $1 more than Mariah. I really like the new cover, and the photos on the inside pages look much better.

The same day as my proof copy arrived, two big boxes were delivered. (They were on the same truck!)

What (or who) do you think might be inside? I had ordered a couple of dolls for the two grandsons who haven't received a doll for a while. This will give me time to add to their wardrobes in time for Christmas, which is expected to be at our house this year. They are Götz dolls that were made for Pottery Barn. I believe they are based on the Precious Day line made by the Götz company. On the left is Jackson, and on the right is Parker. (They will probably get new names when they join their human boys.)

They are on sale right now, so I saved some money. They have soft bodies. I'll be making them some clothes. Because they have sleeping eyes, they will need a periscope to look at the clouds or the stars that are directly overhead, but they will not need sleep masks.

In the meantime, I'm participating in a KAL (knit along) in one of the Ravelry doll groups and testing a new chart for this pattern I designed last year for Pippa. 

Here's the new chart (also posted last week):

I picked out some other yarn for it last week and actually started the project twice. The first time I discovered the yarn I had picked out was too thick. The second one I chose didn't have enough contrast. I started it a third time, and this time I think it's satisfactory, so I'm moving ahead. I'm at the armhole steek CO now.

Fortunately, I didn't have to rip out the ribbing, so it has been fairly quick to get back on track.

I made some pulla on Friday. I thought I was going to have some company this week, and I wanted to have something on hand just in case, but the visit is postponed, so we're enjoying the pulla.

Our daughter came home from dropping Daphne off at dance and found this in Daphne's room. So nice Rebekah doesn't have to be sitting around doing nothing while her human child is gone.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Taina Shawlette, but now also Pippa's Colorwork.

What's on my loom: Still the Trailer Rugs, only a little progress this week..

What's on my sewing machine: Still its cover.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth quilt, no progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: A Year of Pippa! Pippa looks back over her first year out of the box, which means most of her life.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Wildwood by Colin Meloy. Not much progress, but I'm really enjoying it.

What's in my wine glass: Red Diamond Mysterious, Red Blend 2016, from Washington State. Excellent.

What's my tip of the week: Think your yeast has lost its effectiveness? You probably know this, but you can test it by proofing it. Mix a little sugar in a cup of warm water. Add a teaspoon of yeast, stir until dissolved and then wait. (I measured the amount of water I would put in my recipe. I used 1 teaspoon of sugar. That way, I could use the proofed yeast in my recipe, just adding the extra yeast needed and subtracting the 1 teaspoon from the sugar needed.) If the yeast is still active, it will foam up.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from booksellers worldwide. If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment, and that's 50% of the price when you buy there. Other bookseller take a much bigger cut. 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.

Available soon: Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook. Watch this space.

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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