Monday, February 9, 2026

Around the TV

Clue #4 for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along is bigger than the earlier ones, I think. I finished Clue #3 last Sunday and I'm not even halfway through this one. However, the project is too big to be able to spread out without having a longer circular needle.

Each clue comes out on Wednesday, so while I was waiting, I started the Melt the ICE Hat. I had a remnant of red worsted-weight yarn, left over from the iPhone tote I made for our vet's mother.



I finished it on Tuesday. I made the ribbing an inch shorter than the pattern said because I was afraid I was going to run out of yarn. I have a small head, anyway.



All this knitting has taken its toll. This often happens to me when I use small metal needles. I poked a hole in my finger. It didn't bleed, but I wanted to protect it from further damage. I had some nonadhesive bandage left over from a vet visit, so I wrapped the finger with a little of the bandage. (I wash my hands a lot, so regular bandaids don't stay put.


We walked almost every day. Charlie joined us when he could. There's a housing development being constructed in the woods we like to walk in, but there's still quite a bit of it untouched as yet, so we can let the dogs off for a bit when we walk there.


When I was walking the dogs without Charlie on Saturday, Dusty picked up a stick while we were still on the trail. He carried it for about half a mile. I told him he didn't need it, because we were going to the woods, where sticks abound. I told him he was "carrying coals to Newcastle," but he didn't get it.



The weekend was spent to a large part in front of the TV, with the Olympics, which brought back memories from the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, when we both worked as volunteers.

Then there was the Super Bowl. That kept us busy.




I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

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

What's on my needles: The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along shawl.

What's on my iPhone: Still The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, on theAudiobooksNow app. I'm about halfway through.

What's on my sewing machine: Now put away until I can start the quilt I have in my head.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa learns all the fun things you can do in the snow as early days continue to be the focus of The Doll's Storybook. Here's Pippa's First Snow.




What's my tip of the week: We often buy big bags of frozen vegetables and cheese from Costco. For ease in using them, I divide them up into 4-6 serving amounts or amounts needed for recipes, such as 1 C of mozzarella cheese for lasagna. They go into the freezer, organized in the big plastic boxes left over from greens.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

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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Monday, February 2, 2026

New Beginnings

Clue #3 is already finished. I won't be able to work on the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery KAL again until Clue #4 comes out on Wednesday. I was a little uncertain about the contrast color (pink) because it has bits of magenta in it, but I think the pattern is showing up nicely. It's a challenge, though, because sometimes I don't know which yarn is on my needle in the next stitch.


I need something else to work on, and a friend recommended the Melt the Ice Hat. The pattern is a fundraiser for immigrants' rights groups. 



In the 1940s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. Needle & Skein has raised $400K so far.

Speaking of fundraisers, the ALS Association gave me a badge for completing the 50-mile challenge. They say they raised $130K for the organization. The challenge event is over now, but you can still donate to the cause here. You never know when someone you know and love will be diagnosed with this debilitation and fatal condition.


We haven't stopped walking, though, just because the challenge is over. Saturday the pups and I walked along the trail and cut through what's left of the woods. Charlie is working on our taxes, so he didn't come, but he joined us again on Sunday, when we 

did the trail and then walked through the woods.


On Thursday I had my other cataract surgery. There is usually some fogginess for the first few days after surgery. The first eye cleared up quickly, but this one has taken longer. It's better each day, though, and my after-surgery check showed everything was in order. As with the other eye, they sent me home with a plastic shield over the eye. I have to put it on if I take a nap and again at night. I found this to be the only painful thing about the surgery: ripping the tape off my face. Ow!



Special drops are required after surgery, four times a day in the beginning, and then tapering off each week for four weeks. Under this sheet, used to keep track, I have another one for the left eye. I'm down to twice a day for that eye.



Johan is learning how to change the oil in a car. His other grandpa is a retired auto mechanic with all the equipment and expertise to do such things. He's a handy consultant to have in the family, as we have found out several times.



Another new beginning for us this week was the reading of David's play, "Hannah's Promise, or a Life Without Limits." The reading was announced in a couple of articles in advance of the reading, here and here.



I'm so glad David was able to finish the play before ALS sidelined him. I hope he'll be able to have it appear on stage soon with sets, costumes and props.

And happy Groundhog day! Will we have an early spring or six more weeks of winter?


I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

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

What's on my needles: The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along shawl, and now my Melting the ICE hat.

What's on my iPhone: Still The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, also on theAudiobooksNow app. No progress this week.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa lacks information about growing up in Baby Doll, this story from The Doll's Storybook.




What's my tip of the week: Here's a solution to a problem I've been having using cooking spray. My thumbs aren't very strong, and the can is slippery metal, so I was having to use two hands to spray, meaning I could only spray down into a pan or prop the pan up on something. Good old rubber shelf liner to the rescue! (I use a square of this to open jars and a much smaller one to help me change the cables on my interchangeable circular knitting needles. For this project, I cut a rectangle of the shelf liner just a little bigger than the circumference of the can, wrapped the can with it and fastened it with a rubber band from a produce purchase. Works great!


Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

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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Monday, January 26, 2026

Stitches and Steps

Between Clue #1 and Clue #2 in the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery KAL I had some time to make myself a new iPhone tote. The old one is still useable, so I'll keep it for camping, when it can take a beating. Instead of needle-felting the logo, I cut it out of white interfacing and sewed it on before adding the lining.



I used a dark blue batik fabric for the lining. That way, when the fulled wool starts to wear out, the lining showing through the worn places won't seem so obvious.


Now I'm back to work on the second clue. I have nine rows to go. 



While trying to think of something to cook we hadn't had for a while, I remembered the Impossible Pie recipe from Bisquick I used to adapt. I don't use Bisquick because of some of the ingredients, but I substitute regular flour, oil, salt and baking powder. I put some thinly sliced zucchini and mushrooms in it with some faux pepperoni. (See recipe under "Tip of the Week," below, if you're interested.


We had some bananas that were getting over ripe, so I made some waffles in our 60-year-old wedding present waffle iron. They were tasty, with the delicious maple syrup from our friend in Wisconsin.



I've been participating in the 50-Mile Challenge for the ALS Association. I kept a cumulative mileage in my calendar, recording the total each night.



On Saturday the walk we took out in the sunshine with the dogs got me to exactly 50 miles. I'll keep on keeping track for the rest of the month. I don't know how much people have donated through my efforts, because some people donated directly to ALS because they weren't on Facebook, but it was at least four hundred dollars. Many thanks to all who donated, regardless of where they did it!


The pups have been enjoying long naps during the time we've been walking almost every day.



I was afraid my two cataract surgeries this month and the usual January weather might make it difficult to participate in the challenge, but I only missed the day of surgery, and the weather, while cold, hasn't cost me more than two days' walks.

Because of his ALS, David can't play his guitar anymore. He had given his guitar to Zachary for Christmas, and now he's giving him lessons. He can't demonstrate, but Zachary is good at following verbal instructions.


Here's Peter helping Johan with his math homework, which is about volume. That's solid geometry!  (Or sometimes liquid geometry.)




I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

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

What's on my needles: The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along shawl.

What's on my iPhone: Still The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, also on theAudiobooksNow app.

What's on my sewing machine: Out for the new phone tote's lining. Now put away again.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Billy is taking a new photo of the dolls in this story, Photo Day.




What's my tip of the week: Here's the recipe for the "Impossible Pie" I made this week. To substitute for 1 C of Bisquick, just add 1 C unbleached all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 C vegetable oil or butter. I learned this from other expats when we were living in Indonesia and couldn't get Bisquick or other biscuit mixes.



Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

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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