Hodgepodge

We finally got the rail up between the kitchen eating area and the family room.

Some previous inhabitant had taken it out when the wood floor was laid down, and the rail was never put back. There's a drop from the eating area to the sunken family room, so it was dangerous.  We hired a handyman to do the work. He also installed a rail around the back deck, another place where there was an accident waiting to happen. It still needs painting. We were getting some rain, and he had to work it in while it was dry. So we have it covered up with a tarp. Of course, on Sunday, when I took this photo, it wasn't raining. It was quite nice.

You can see that Dusty is enjoying the sunshine and the warmer temperatures. I'm working to get Alister ready to go to his new home in early April. I started with a sweater for him using the same pattern as the one I did the previous week for Billy. It's the 42 Shawl Neck Sweater & Cap pattern by Jacqueline Gibb, only I haven't made the hat.

I made it the way I did Billy's, but with different yarn, and I made the collar all in one piece, using dpns to handle the curve, even though the collar is knit back and forth.

The pattern calls for working each side separately and then sewing the collar together at the back neck. The back is open from the neck down to allow doll's dresser (or valet?) to get the arms into the sleeves easily. Then it closes with buttons.

Saturday I made Alister a shirt. I plan to make some casual pants to go with the shirt, which is batik from Connecting Threads. (I don't know if they still have this fabric. It has been some time since I bought it. They do still carry batik fabrics, though.)

The shirt was a chore to make. The pattern pieces didn't fit together very well, and I ended up redrafting them. Here's the back.

Alister is a Kidz n Cats doll. They have recently stopped producing them, but some of them are still available new.

The pups had their monthly grooming appointment, followed by the usual post-grooming stupor. (Dusty is really getting silver.)

They are still soft and velvety. 
The weather has been cold and rainy, but we managed to get in a few walks. Here's the one we did on Saturday, just on the streets around our neighborhood to avoid getting the clean pups in the mud.

I made my "Spotted Angel" for supper Friday.

It's made with rown rice, black beans, onions, 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, yoghurt, silken tofu, cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, quick and easy. Just layer the rice, beans and vegetables in an oblong pan, sprinkle some cheese on top of that, then run the other ingredients in the blender and pour over everything. I added more cheese on top. Sometimes I use bread crumbs.

I had a doctor's appointment, a visit to the dentist and a haircut during the week, and those things cut into the play time, but I managed to get this week's story written and the photos taken.

What's on my needles: Still the Coastal Skies Shawl, finished a sweater for Alister.

What's on my sewing machine: Clothes for Alister.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt. I was hoping to work on it this week, but life got in the way. Now I need to finish getting Alister's clothes ready, so I can ship him off.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Need a Hobby? We have a variety to choose from.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Four Graces by D. E. Stevenson. Then listened to Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz. Now listening to the next in the series, City of Night. I may just go right through. I listened to the entire series a few years ago, but with big gaps between them. It's nice to keep the continuity, and it has been a while.

What's in my wine glass: Cherry Blossom Pinot Noir 2016. Very nice, and not at all like cherry juice.

What's my tip of the week: If you buy those English cucumbers that come shrink-wrapped in plastic, they will keep longer if you remove all the plastic before storing. I like to wrap the unused portion of cucumber in paper towel and place in a plastic bag. The plastic is hard to remove. I usually just cut through the plastic to get the size piece I want. If I'm chopping the cucumber for salad or raita (Indian dish made with yoghurt), I slice the piece lengthwise before chopping. The plastic is easy to remove then. Getting the plastic off the piece I plan to store is more difficult, but worth the effort.

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.

Little Projects

We returned from Beaverton on Monday, taking the alternate route, which goes through/by Eugene. We had a lovely view of Mt. Washington as we came over Santiam Pass.

We got lucky with the weather, as you can see from the photo taken at the pass, the place where we were most likely to encounter snow and ice. It was just wet.

Billy went along for fittings, and I finished his new sweater during the trip home.

Here it is after blocking.

It's made to go over the doll's head. Usually doll sweaters open completely down the back. This style of sweater has a large opening at the neck, so the back neck can be closed. The back still has an opening below the neck to facilitate getting the arms into the sleeves, though. This works well.

The pattern is Jacqueline Gibb's 42 Shawl Neck Sweater and Cap. I knit it as-written, except that I went down a needle size to get a slimmer fit, worked the sleeves in the round rather than flat and worked 8 extra rounds for the sleeves. It's still big in the back, having been designed originally for American Girl dolls, who clearly haven't heard about Paleo or Keto...or even portion size. At any rate, I have found that fronts of patterns for American Girl dolls often fit fairly well, but the backs of pants, shirts and sweaters are too big.
I got 5.5 sts and 8 rows/rounds to 1" using 3mm needles. (The pattern gauge is 6 sts/in and 7 rows/in using 3.25 needles.) I plan to make this sweater again. When I do, I would like to take some of the excess bulk out of the back and make the collar all in one piece. The pattern is well-written, though, and is designed to be knit flat, a benefit for people intimidated by knitting in the round. (I'm not intimidated by knitting in the round, just by sewing up seams!)

I went on from there to make a cardigan for Mandy, who hasn't had anything new knitted for her for nearly a year unless she knitted it herself, which means she hasn't had anything new knitted for her. (Mandy is my knitter, but her knitting is just imaginary, so she needs some help.) This pattern was the Lavernia by Deb Denair. Again, I went down a needle size to get a slimmer fit.

This one was also a bit big in the back, but the ribbon sash brings it in, so the fit isn't too bad.

I worked the pattern as-written except for knitting the sleeves in-the-round and grafting the shoulders and collar instead of seaming them. I didn't add anything to the length of the sleeves, as I could see that they would still cover the elbow joint. I also didn't add to the waist length, so the waist falls above the natural waistline (if a vinyl body can be said to have a natural waistline), which I find flattering. The only thing I would do differently on this pattern is NOT to use the same yarn. It's Retrosaria João. The yarn is a lovely color that reminds me of a variety of lichen, and I like the varying thickness, but it broke easily and even came apart in my hands when I came to places in the yarn that were not sufficiently spun for the thinness of the yarn. This scrap that came off will give you an idea. You can see right through the yarn.

Finishing the cardigan required a lot of weaving in of loose ends where I had to join the yarn because of breakage. I think the project will stay together, though, because the knitting is tight enough, and it has been thoroughly blocked. The pattern was a delight to work with. I was warned of errata on the designer's project page, which I wrote in on my pattern.

Alister will be going to live with Zachary next month, so I'm trying to get him outfitted. I tried Billy's PJs on him. They seem to fit OK except for the sleeves, which are too long. That was not what I expected, because Alister's shoulders are bigger than Billy's, and I thought the extra length would be taken up by the shoulders. I can use the same pattern, though.

Alister, a Kidz n Cats doll, came with some very nice clothes, including hiking boots, and a jacket and hat, so he mostly just needs a sweater, spare pants and an extra shirt or two, along with a change of shoes. He also has a stuffed toy cat. He's fully jointed, making posing difficult for small children, but Zachary is old enough now that he should have no problem. This particular Alister is a survivor of Hurricane Harvey. I've been fostering him while waiting for his new dad to get a little older. Kidz n Cats dolls are no longer being produced, and Alister may be sold out worldwide.

We had some excitement Wednesday morning. The dogs alerted us to some unusual activity out in front of our house. Apparently a neighbor slipped on the ice and injured his ankle. Bend Fire and Rescue came to the...um...rescue. 

Ice is a problem, because we've had warmer days lately, so the snow melts, but then it gets cold at night, so the water freezes. The spot where he fell is right where the sidewalk slopes down to the driveway. We had trimmed that fir tree to the left in the photo, because its branches were blocking the sidewalk. We have now treated this area with snow-melt salt. We're hoping that it will keep the sidewalk free from ice.

The snow is starting to melt at the dog park. Nice weather brought out the crowds. You can see Rocky in the foreground in front of the lady with the grey sweater on. (He's also wearing a sweater.) Dusty is at the far right, playing with a scottie dog. 

I will have to go back today, because the dogs get groomed at lunchtime, and they are happier if they have had some playtime first. I usually try to keep them clean for a few days after grooming anyway.

I made naan in the bread machine to have with some Indian dal stew. This was the first time we had used the griddle that fits over an oval burner in the middle of our stovetop.

It worked out very well. The Irish soda bread I made yesterday was a greater challenge. I had to use baking powder instead of soda, and the recipe I used didn't have enough liquid. 


What's on my needles: Finished Billy's sweater, then made one for Mandy. Still working on the Coastal Skies Shawl with a few more rows done. I hope to finish the Kisu Takki cardigan this week.

What's on my sewing machine: Clothes for Alister, repairs to family clothes.

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

What's in The Doll's Storybook: What Dreams May Come. Billy has a nightmare and seeks answers from Veronika.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Music in the Hills by D. E. Stevenson. It's the third in the Drumberley series. If you want to read the series in order, start with Vittoria Cottage, then Winter and Rough Weather. I read them out of order, but I had read them before, and the surprise is not so much about what but about how anyway. Now listening to her The Four Graces. Stevenson's novels are like visiting mid-20th-Century England and/or Scotland and staying with colorful, natural characters for a nice visit with lots of tea and toast.

What's in my wine glass: Farmhouse Red Blend from David Hill Winery in Forest Grove, Oregon.

What's my tip of the week: Most bread machine manufacturers recommend not leaving water in the pan too long for cleaning and not immersing it for long. It wears out the silicone seal. I've found that letting it dry out completely makes it easy to just wipe the remnants of dough out, and you can scrape any dried dough off the shaft with your fingernail. However, if you do ruin the seal, causing the pan to leak, it can be replaced like this.

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.

Yarn and Puppets

This was the week of the Rose City Yarn Crawl. (This is Starlight Knitting Society.)

We were worried about the weather for a week before we left Bend, even on the day we left, because it was snowing off and on, and more snow was forecast. However, the snow stopped about lunchtime, and the roads were reported to be clear, so we left about 2:00 PM. We did encounter snow at the passes (there are two), but it only slowed us down a bit.

Daughter-in-law Alexa and I made the project shawl. (The crawl shawl?) This was mine. The photo was taken at Northwest Wools in Portland.

Alexa had her photo taken, too. She used a different BO, one without the picot points.

Thursday, we visited eight (!) yarn shops, starting with Blizzard Yarn and Fiber in Vancouver, Washington and ending up at For Yarn's Sake, where I took this photo of a partial mannequin wearing the knitted shawl project. There was a crocheted version for the crocheters.

We only had two shops to visit on Friday, but we had another event planned for 12:45, so we visited the one in the morning and went to the last one, The Knotty Lamb Yarn Shop in Forest Grove, where they took this photo of us with our completed passports.

I'm trying not to spend too much money, but bought a few things to support the yarn shops. Here's most of my haul. (That drawing under all the yarn is a map of Northwest Wools, which was handy, because the shop was crowded, making it hard to find what you're looking for.)

These items didn't make it into the above photo, so I had to take another one. I also bought a size 40 3.75mm needle at Blizzard, because the cable to the interchangeable needles I was using for the shawl I was knitting as we drove came out of the metal connector.

We found these wonderful buttons at The Knotty Lamb. We each needed two buttons for a project, so we split this card of four.

The Event we had on Friday was a visit to Laika, where our son works as a computer special effects technician. They gave me a name tag.

Laika, if you don't know, is a film studio in Hillsboro, Oregon. The films they have produced are are Coraline, Paranorman, Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings and Missing Link. The process they use is stop motion, but they use computer special effects for things that can't be depicted by stop motion, such as water, steam and fire. This video and this one will give you an idea of what they do, if you're interested. Missing Link will come out in theaters April  12th. Here's the trailer.

They collected our cellphones in the lobby, although our son (their employee) was allowed to take this photo of us as we sat on this sofa from Coraline.

We had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, so I can't say much about what we saw on the tour, but I can tell you a couple of things, like the puppet for Mr. Link from Missing Link is the most complicated puppet ever built anywhere, and that it takes 24 still shots for one second of film. I can't wait to see Missing Link. We will go on April 12th.
Because of my hobby writing and illustrating stories for children using photos of dolls, I found the process of dressing, repairing and posing the dolls very interesting, as was the discussion of scale for fabrics, and lighting for photos. After the tour of the studio with other people (friends and family of employees) we went to see where Peter works, which was across the parking lot. Here we are in the lobby.

His "office" is a huge warehouse divided into cubicles with lots of computers. It was just after lunch, so some of the people who work in that department weren't there. The huge room had a lot of empty computers, because they are currently between films. They keep a small permanent staff and hire additional staff members when they need them. Peter is part of the permanent staff.

On Saturday we went to David Hill Winery in Forest Grove for some wine tasting with Alexa's parents. Here's what we were tasting:

We substituted their Gewürztraminer for the Muscat Port, but sampled it with the white wines. It was lovely. We had a nice time chatting while we sampled, and I got some knitting done.

We signed up for their wine membership. The kids are members, so they can pick up wine for us when they get theirs. Then they can either bring it to us or we can get it when we visit.

We returned home to relieve the babysitter and had a nice dinner of paella. (Prep went quickly, with so many sous chefs!)

The pups were worn out from playtime with Louis at the school and the walk there and back.

I got a lot of work done on the Coastal Skies Shawl I started a year ago before I got busy with the move. It's amazing how much knitting you can do when you're driving if someone else is behind the wheel. Here's a photo, but I have a lot more done since I took this photo.

Before we left for the trip, I finished a jumper dress for Lotte. The Pattern is 40 Top Down Trio by Jacqueline Gibb. Here's my project page for the dress. the bodice came out a bit big, so when I make this project again, I'll go down a needle size. The fit is better with Lotte wearing a turtleneck sweater underneath.

After I finished the dress, I started another sweater for Billy. I'm using another of Jacqueline Gibb's patterns, the 42 Shawl Neck Sweater. I brought this project (and Billy for fittings) on our trip to Beaverton. I went down a needle size, so I thought the sleeves might not be long enough.

The yarn is Knit Picks City Tweed DK in "Chipmunk." I have the body and the collar done now, so it's on to the sleeves.

I wonder if our house in Bend is still undamaged after all the snow. We are returning home today.

What's on my needles: Shawl-collar sweater for Billy.

What's on my sewing machine: Waiting for my return.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt. I hope to get back to it this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Soft, Warm and Fun to Make, about how yarn is made.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Listened to Holding by Graham Norton, then listened to The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell and then The Desirable Duchess by M. C. Beaton. Now listening to Music in the Hills by D. E. Stevenson.

What's in my wine glass: David Hill Estate Pinot Noir, which the winery had on tap. You buy the bottle, which has a nice stopper. Then you can bring it back to get refilled, like a growler. This is a very nice wine. I don't know if it's widely available.

What's my tip of the week: Coconut cream makes a good substitute for dairy cream in most recipes.

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.

"Snowpocalypse" Is Relative

We received a lot of snow this past week.

Much of the snow came on Monday, although we had a little snow every day. Supposedly, this was the most snow in any 24-hour period since 1917, so more than 100 years.

Park City, where we used to live, got about the same degree of magnitude more than usual as well. We left there to get away from the constant snow, so as bad as it is here, it would have been much worse there, and we got out just in time.

I took advantage of the snow to write a story for The Doll's Storybook dealing with too much snow and with disappointment. Strangely enough, the title is "Snow." I had already written one, but thought it would be better for next week. Here's a preview:

With next week's story written, I'm free to enjoy the Rose City Yarn Crawl later this week. I blocked my new shawl, which I'm calling The Peanut Butter Cups Shaw. It's the Mystery Knit Along project for this year's Crawl. (The pattern is available for $7.50, and there is one for crochet, as well.) I used my 12 1/2" quilting square ruler to help me line up the blocking wires, so my 90º angle would be 90º.

Here's what it looks like after blocking.

We are supposed to wear our shawls as we visit all the yarn stores in the Portland area. I plan to do that, if we can get to Portland. We have one mountain pass we have to conquer to get there, and more snow is predicted.

We also plan to visit Laika while we're there. It isn't open to the public, but our son works there, so we count as family. It will be fun to have a tour. If they allow photos, I'll take some for next week's blog.
Because Daddy works at Laika, the two west-coast grandsons went to see The Missing Link on Saturday. It comes out in April, but Laika employees and their families get a sneak peek.

The Götz Doll Lovers group on Ravelry is having a knit along for the month of March. Jacknitss, one of the designers, had a special sale of her patterns to celebrate her birthday. I picked up three patterns. I don't know if I'll get them all done this month, as there are other things going on this month, too. This is the one I'm starting with. There are three options for the skirt, and the one I'm doing is a tiny cable design. It's the one on the far right.

These projects are quick, and I'm getting close.

While I was busy with snow, a dentist's appointment and knitting projects, there was a hearing in DC. I watched when I could, but when I had to leave my iPad to do things, Dusty was on duty. I told him to bark if there was something I shouldn't miss. I heard some occasional growls, but no barking, and he wagged his tail a few times. Based on the news coverage, I think I got to see all the highlights. I was knitting, so I didn't mind that his head was in the way.

It's always interesting to see our government at work or trying to work.

We ended the week with snow and woke up Sunday morning to hoarfrost.

It's beautiful, but very cold and damp. It happens when the moisture that has settled on vegetation and other things freezes.

It took two of us working for 15 minutes with two ice scrapers to get the car windows clear Sunday morning. It sure is pretty, though. It doesn't show up as much on the Juniper trees in our backyard because they are currently loaded with snow, but the other evergreens (pines, firs) really collected it.

I think Punxsutawney Phil lied about an early spring.

Daphne is selling Girl Scout Cookies. If you want to support the organization, you can buy and donate the cookies to the Ronald McDonald House. Her link to cookie sales is here.


What's on my needles: Finished blocking the Mystery Knit Along shawl for the Rose City Yarn Crawl. Now working on some outfits for my cast members.

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

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: Snow.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Then listened to Holding: A Novel by Graham Norton and narrated by the author. It was an Audible Deal of the Day. It was good. Now listening to The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, who wrote How To Train Your Dragon.

What's in my wine glass: Muchas Manos Merlot-Syrah-Tempranillo from La Mancha. Possibly one of my favorites.

What's my tip of the week: You can "install" buttons when you knit if you have already picked them out by knitting them in. Here's my description on how to do it from a project where the buttonhole and button bands were knitted as part of the project, with three sts in garter st at each end: "Buttons are knitted-in this way (like adding beads): On the same row as the buttonhole, work to garter st border (last 3 sts), K1, pull a loop of the working yarn through button from back to front and then again from front to back. Place the loop on the left-hand needle, being careful not to leave a YO across the right-hand needle and keeping the button in the front of the work. Knit the loop together with the next st. (I found I sometimes needed to pull on the working yarn to tighten at this point.) End with K1. There were still 3 sts of garter st border. Work back across row as usual. One point: If you ever need to change the buttons for any reason, you will have to break the old ones to get them off."

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.