Dressing Up

I've been putting my EverSewn Sparrow 15 through its paces on the doll clothes. I made Billy a dress shirt this week.

Here's the back.

I used my Checkered Shirt Pattern and just made the sleeves short. Then I made Billy a sleeveless cardigan (sweater vest) to wear with it.

And here's the back.

It's knit from the bottom up. The right front border continues over the shoulder and around the back and connects by grafting to the left front. You just pick up stitches along the back neck. I've published the pattern as Dapper Doll in my Ravelry Store, and it includes the shirt pattern. (They don't allow sewing patterns normally, but if it is part of a set that includes something knitted, crocheted or woven, you can do it.)


I spent some time this week working on the last clue for the Mystery Knit Along for the Rose City Yarn Crawl. I'm not done yet, but I'm getting close. I will show it off when I can.


We've had snow. Between snowstorms, we've had some sunshine and a few hours of pleasant weather. During some of these nice midday times, we have hit the dog part near us. Rocky and Dusty have really enjoyed those visits. It makes me happy to see Rocky running around like a younger dog.

We live in an interesting neighborhood. I think I have mentioned that there is an airstrip for small planes at the end of our street. We don't have a lot of planes taking off or landing, but it's still in use. Recently a lady who didn't know about the airstrip saw a plane go down to land and thought the plane had crashed. She called 911. I think that was what prompted our local TV channel to post this segment, which aired Wednesday. I thought it was interesting.

I also had these events this week:
1) Visit from someone from the people who are replacing some of our windows. A young man came to measure and see if we needed to take shades down.
2) The dogs went to the groomer.
3) I had a haircut.
4) I saw the podiatrist about my foot. (He thinks it will continue to get better if I wear my orthotics all the time except in the shower and in bed.)
5) I had choir practice.

For some cuteness, I thought you would get a kick out of our youngest grandchild, Johan, who was getting ready to go to school. The sharing topic for the day was the letter U, so he put underwear on a ukulele. Cute. Billy reminds me a lot of Johan.

Commercial plug: If you want to support the Girl Scouts but don't want the cookies, you can buy them from my Brownie granddaughter Daphne here and have them donated to the Ronald McDonald House.

What's on my needles: Still the Mystery Knit Along for the Rose City Yarn Crawl, but getting close to done.

What's on my sewing machine: Just finished a dress shirt for Billy. He needs a jacket, but I need to get some fabric for it.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt. I hope to get back to it after the yarn crawl.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Choosing and Chosen. Billy finds his calling.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Winter and Rough Weather by D. E. Stevenson. (Another title for this novel is Shoulder the Sky.) Now listening to Andrew McCabe's The Threat. Very interesting to listen to. I think these former members of the FBI are good writers because they have to write up everything that happens to them in the line of duty. In detail. They also make good narrators for their own works, perhaps for the same reason.

What's in my wine glass: Sierra Trails Old Vine Zinfandel 2017. Lovely.

What's my tip of the week: If you ever make a small pot of tea in a small teapot using a tea bag, you have probably had the tag on the tea bag end up inside the teapot when you pour in the hot water. You can buy tea bags that don't have tags. You can pull the tags off. Or you can do what I do: wrap the tag around the handle of the teapot and tuck it under the string. No need to tie it. The tag will hold onto the string.

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.

Repairs and Registrations

One of the planned chores I had set for myself this past week was to repair this hole in my favorite afghan.

I crocheted it several years ago with Knit Picks City Tweed DK using Shaina Scott's Busy Bee Throw pattern. I wasn't sure I had any of this yarn left, but I went stash diving and came up with a single but unopened ball of yarn, and it was the right color: Enchanted. It was fairly easy to make a new hexagon to replace the damaged one. What wasn't so easy was to pick out the pieces of the damaged hexagon and the black (Obsidian) yarn I had used to edge each hexagon and sew them together. I didn't have any more of that in my stash, so I was forced to salvage and reuse the yarn from the afghan. Here it is after the repair. The new hexagon looks a little less fuzzy than the old ones around it, but time will take care of that.

How did this damage occur? It had to do with a dog and a toy in the lap of someone sitting on the couch under the comfy afghan.

I worked on the Mystery Knit Along shawl project for the Rose City Yarn Crawl. I finished Clue #4, and #5 is due later today. I can't show it yet, as some people want to be surprised about what it looks like, and they may not be as far along. DDIL and I are both making this project, and we will wear them when we participate in the Yarn Crawl next month.

It's fun to be sewing again. I've been working on some clothes for Billy and will start on a wardrobe for Alister to go with him when he goes to live with Zachary in April. I plan to try Billy's clothes on Alister to see if I can use any of the same patterns the way they are or if they need alterations. I started out by making a pair of jeans using the Liberty Jane Boot Cut Jeans pattern from Pixie Faire. It's designed for American Girl (and Boy) dolls, which are a bit larger around than Götz Happy Kidz or Classic Kidz, but I've figured out that only the pants back pattern needs alteration, and I have a pattern piece I substitute when I use this pattern. The only other changes are a shorter waistband and elastic.

The shirt is entirely my own pattern. I usually cut the pocket, collar and cuffs on the bias, but I only had a fat quarter of homespun for the shirt for Billy. I was able to fit all the pieces on and have enough room on the fold by folding the fat quarter lengthwise. The back yoke and cuffs have to be cut out twice, but they fit. There wasn't much fabric left over, though.

My pattern for the shirt is in this blog post.

Then I made Billy a baseball cap, using the Lee & Pearl Classic Ball Cap pattern.

Here it is from the back.

Here's the finished outfit. (He's wearing the shirt over his T-shirt, because it's cold, even indoors.)

I think Billy is happy with his new outfit.

I'm planning to make Billy a dressy outfit, too, with a short-sleeved dress shirt and sweater vest. I CO for the sweater vest on Saturday, and the shirt is cut out and started.

We have been getting more snow, and quite a bit came down on Thursday. We decided that not too many people would be driving around in the middle of the day, so we took our two vehicles to the Department of Motor Vehicles to register them.

In spite of the weather, we managed to get out to walk with the pups. Dusty needs the workout more than Rocky does, but it's good for both of them. Here they are after a nice walk, enjoying the couch. I (keep a quilt on the couch to protect it. I have two that are the right size, and I switch them out when one needs washing.)

Rocky is passed out after our walk, and Dusty is watching the street. They go to the groomer today!

What's on my needles: Still the Mystery Knit Along for the Rose City Yarn Crawl next month. I finished Clue #4 Friday night. The next clue is due today. Also working on a sweater vest for Billy.

What's on my sewing machine: More clothes for Billy.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt; no progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Meeting the Elephant," where the dolls wonder about why we have different religions.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, a.k.a. J. K. Rowling. I liked it, although it was difficult to keep up with all the facts uncovered by the detective. The ending was a surprise, but it made sense. Then listened to The Shark by Mary Burton. The story was good, but I have a problem with explicit sex scenes in audiobooks. I bought it because it was a Daily Deal from Audible, so it didn't cost much. Now listening to Winter and Rough Weather by D. E. Stevenson, one of my favorite authors.

What's in my wine glass: Motto Gung Ho Red Blend 2015. Not bad!

What's my tip of the week: My tip this week is a recipe.  When we have bananas that are getting overripe, I often make us smoothies for breakfast. Sometimes, though, I throw 2 bananas into the blender with 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 cup milk, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup rolled oats and 1/4 cup oat bran. I blend it until it's smooth and bake in my 54-year-old waffle iron. (It can also be used to make pancakes, but for that, the oil can be omitted or reduced.)

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.

Progress!

The loom still isn't put together, but I now have a table for my fiber studio.

We have a drafting table I had planned to use, but we haven't found all the parts yet, so this will have to do for now. I think the drafting table will allow for more storage underneath, as this folding table has leg hinges that limit the space underneath. At least I can sew again. I'm still missing some patterns, but I have electronic versions of them all in iBooks on my iPad. I'm just starting on a shirt and jeans for Billy.

He did get a knitted shirt this week. It's based on the Everyday Play doll dress. 

The neck is a little different, starting with a collar, then increasing to the number of stitches the Everyday Play dress has to start. The sleeves are 4 rows/rounds longer, the placket is in front and then the body is worked straight down before ending with the ribbing.

You may notice Billy's hair is a little different. He has had hair in his eyes, so I decided to try to see if bangs/fringe would work for him. The hair in the back stuck out, too. The problem is that the roots are angled straight out from the scalp. Before cutting anything more, I wet the front and the back, then put on his knitted cap, leaving it on until the hair was almost dry. Then I let it finish drying without the hat. This seemed to work, so I went to work with the scissors, first on the front and then, when that worked well, on the back. I trimmed the front to just above the eyes, then layered it a bit. 

Then I had a go with the back. I could probably cut off more in back, but I decided to leave it this way for now.

I think Billy looks more like a boy than ever now. I had already done the photo shoot for one more story with Billy before his latest haircut, but other than that, he will look like this from now on. Friday's story shows Billy already with his new haircut. I moved the stories around because I needed to spread out the more serious topics and cover something fun, like the physics of why balls bounce and eggs don't.

His photo was used for the Gotz dolls friends and boutique group's cover photo on Facebook on Friday. They change it every day, so they're always looking for nice pictures. The admin said she thought this face was better as a boy, and I agree, which was why I picked him to be my boy.

Now he needs more clothes, so I plan to work on that this week.

It snowed most of the day on Saturday. Eventually, we ended up with about 6" and a few more overnight, so I had to clear the snow off the car and scrape the windshield to go to church on Sunday. 

It was nothing like what I'm used to, though. It was funny to find out at church that a few people couldn't get there because of the snow. We were supposed to have a sermon by a guest preacher, but she couldn't get there. People were talking about events that were cancelled because of the snow. I found this funny, although I'm sure they know what they're doing. People in Bend are not used to even this much snow, so things almost grind to a halt. It was nice driving on roads that were almost empty.

Here's what my backyard looked like by early afternoon on Sunday.

It will melt pretty fast now.

I had three medical appointments this week, getting caught up on things put off because of the move. The only other big thing I worked on this week was the Rose City Yarn Crawl's Mystery Knit Along. We get Clue #4 today and the final clue next Monday. I'm not supposed to show photos of my progress on social media on the off chance someone who doesn't want to know what the final project will look like will see it. You will get to see it when it's allowed, however. 

What's on my needles: Finished the third clue in the Mystery Knit Along for The Rose City Yarn Crawl, which takes place in March. While waiting for the next clue (due today). Earlier in the week, I used the Everyday Play dress pattern as a jumping-off place for a shirt for Billy. The pattern, Everyday Play Shirt, is available for free from my Ravelry store. 

What's on my Sparrow 15: A shirt and jeans for Billy.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, no progress again this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Bounce or Splat, Billy and Jolena have a short physics lesson.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, aka J. K. Rowling. Nothing like Harry Potter, but a very entertaining read.

What's in my wine glass: Placer Andaluz Tempranillo-Syrah, no vintage.

What's my tip of the week: Shelf-stable silken tofu, like Mori-Nu, is a good replacement for cream in creamed soups. Blend with some of the soup to add protein and reduce the fat. 

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.

Visitors

We had a visit from Thursday night through Sunday lunchtime from our younger son and his family. You may remember that our DDIL2 has a good friend who lives here in Bend. It was the friend's DH who helped us hang my "Sistine Chapel" on the wall over the stairs. The friend also visited DBIL in the hospital when he had his surgery (she's a surgeon) and was the one who stapled Johan's scalp back together. (Johan is the one in the middle in the photo.) The friend and her family came for dinner Friday and brought food, so it was a potluck. The little girl in the photo is their daughter. She looked up when she came into the kitchen and was excited to see the dolls from The Doll's Storybook hanging out on top of the kitchen cabinets. I brought Jolena down from her perch to visit. "I've only seen her on my mom's phone," she said. She has been reluctant to read, although she is able to, but she likes the stories. I pulled out my copy of Veronika's Birthday (the book I made as an iPhoto project last year for our grandchildren's birthdays), wrote an inscription in it and gave it to her.

She was very excited. She behaved as if she were meeting a movie star (Jolena) in person. That was fun for me, too. Jolena was wearing the latest Everyday Play dress I finished this past week.

I used a self-striping sock yarn (KnitPicks Felici) and went down a needle size to make this slimmer version of the dress, which will fit an American Girl or other 18" doll in the original version. With the tighter gauge, I needed 18 extra rows/rounds in the skirt to make it long enough. It has a placket in the back with three buttons, and it can be worn with the buttons in the front as an option.

When Clue #2 for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along became available, I started that. DDIL2 is making the same shawl. We will wear them when we participate in the Yarn Crawl in March. I can't post a photo yet, in case someone who is participating might be reading this blog post and wants to be surprised by the pattern, much the same way someone might have been recording the Super Bowl game because they were unable to watch live, but they didn't want to know the outcome. I'm awaiting Clue #3 today.

Earlier on Friday, we walked to Ponderosa Park, where the two dog parks are, along with a nice playground and some skateboard ramps for older kids. The men stayed with the dogs in the dog park for big dogs, because our Louis (the granddog) is too big for the little-dog park. There were several dogs there, including a puppy that we are sure will someday be as big as a horse.

The dog's size didn't bother Dusty, as you can see in this photo. Rocky and Louis (seen behind Rocky) weren't too worried, either.

The boys (the human ones) went to the playground. This fun slide has bumps, which Johan thought was pretty fun.

The weather was nice for a few days. The Wisconsin grandkids weren't so lucky, but maybe they didn't mind so much, because they had a few days off from school to play in the snow. 

They were hoping to shovel the driveway, but when this photo was taken, I think they were trying to locate it. The temperatures got down to at least -24ºF and classes were cancelled for the schools and the university.

I managed to make it back to choir practice on Wednesday and got to sing on Sunday morning. My voice is back to normal (for me), and it's good to be singing again.

I ended the week cheering on the New England Patriots to their Super Bowl win, while my California-native DH and his brother watched their LA Rams lose. What a great game, though, well played by both teams.

What's on my needles: Finished the second clue in the Mystery Knit Along for The Rose City Yarn Crawl, which takes place in March. I also finished the second Everyday Play dress, this time for Jolena. I was hoping for a better fit for Happy Kidz dolls by going down a needle size and then making the skirt longer, and was pleased with the result.  

What's on my Sparrow 15: Still waiting, but a shirt for Billy is planned.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt, no progress again this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Veronika's Birthday, where Veronika finds a new way to celebrate her birthday. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen. Now listening to The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka J. K. Rowling), and liking it so far.

What's in my wine glass: I have heard that people have missed my wine selections. I couldn't appreciate wine when I was sick, and I'm just getting my taste for wine back. Right now I have a glass of Motto Backbone Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, which I'm finding very nice.

What's my tip of the week: Cotton shirts and blouses will need less ironing or none at all if they go from the washer into the dryer for only 15-20 minutes and are then taken out and hung up still slightly damp.

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.