Masked Ball

A family friend picked up 82 masks from me on Tuesday. This is what she picked up.

She's a surgeon who works at the local hospital, so she could take them to work. I already had these cut out.

I've been continuing to make masks, which will get picked up when I have a sizable amount, enough to make it worth picking up. I'm using the pattern they provided. They provide the filter and the nose piece or wire. Here is the tutorial I wrote to go with their mask. A link to the original pattern is included in the tutorial, as well as a link to rotary-cutting instructions. One of the preferred fabrics is quilting fabric, of which I have a plentiful supply. I'm up to 115 total for the hospital.

Meanwhile, our total cases for the county is up to 70, as of Friday night when the last reporting period ended. Two more cases had to be hospitalized.

We've been enjoying our sprouts.

We're growing them from sprouting seeds I bought through iHerb.

I have been unable to get more whole wheat flour, which is what I use to make my bread. I'm now down to my last 5-lb. bag, so I have been experimenting with adding wheat bran and wheat germ (toasted) to unbleached white flour to make bread. This one was made with 1 cup of whole wheat to two cups of white flour with my additions. It turned out OK.

I used 3 lbs. of frozen tomatoes to make spiced tomato jam. The recipe made two pints.

The pups are getting shaggy. Rocky needed to go to the vet to get a shot, so I gave him a good brushing. Dusty was really dirty from chasing the ball on the trail, so I brushed him and then gave him a bath. I was regretting having given our old dog clippers to our groomer in Park City before we moved here. I hadn't used them since we lived in Indonesia in the '90s, so why keep them? Little did I know.

Social distancing at the vet's was easier than I expected. We called from the parking lot. The vet tech opened the door. We let go of the leash and Rocky trotted across the parking lot to the door. After being weighed, vaccinated and checked, Rocky was brought back to the door and released into the parking lot. He came right to the car and was ready to get back in. We never got within 12' of another human being, although Rocky did.

I was getting the dolls ready for the photo shoot for Friday's story, dressing, fixing hair and then standing the doll on my cutting surface as I went on to the next. After finishing the fifth doll, I turned around and saw this.

Of course, I had to look to see what they were all looking at. It was the bicycles on the top of my fabric cabinet. The dolls come to life in my stories. Sometimes they really seem like real little people to me.

I haven't done much knitting since starting on the masks, but I have a little progress on Charlie's Kep. (See below.)

In other news, spring has finally come to our place.

Actually, tulips are blooming elsewhere in the neighborhood, but our front yard doesn't get as much sun, due to a beautiful huge fir tree in our front yard. (We need to replace the bushes. They cover the windows in the spring and summer and can't be pruned back anymore.)

What's on my needles: Still Charlie's Kep.

What's on my sewing machine: More masks

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Beliefs and Facts. The dolls discuss how to tell the difference between a belief and a fact.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Right Behind You by Rachel Abbott, then The Man on the Mountaintop by Susan Trott and Smouldering Fire, another novel by D. E. Stevenson and then The Golden Orchard by Flora Ann. Now I'm listening to An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor, another of The Chronicles of St. Mary's series.

What's in my wine glass: Montevina Skyland Ridge Zinfandel 2016. Excellent!

What's my tip of the week: We're being encouraged to wear face masks these days, but experts have been saying it's more for the protection of those around you than for the wearer. This week NPR reported on a innovation that new research indicates may make home-sewn face masks "match or exceed the filtering capability of medical-grade surgical masks."

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.

Workshop!

The work table is full! 

Full of masks in various stages of construction, from washed, uncut fabric in the foreground, to cut-out pieces matched with the best thread from my collection, to pieces with the folds and folded-tape ties pressed and ready to be sewn, to finished masks. The count for the hospital is at 58 and growing. The tutorial for the pattern I'm using is here.

I gave our mail carrier one of these, along with a homemade filter and the metal nose piece from my BIL. I plan to give one to the young woman who brings my groceries out to the car.

Here are the masks that went into the bag ready to be picked up by a family friend who is a surgeon at the hospital.

My back was bothering me, mostly from standing at the ironing board ironing the folded-tape ties, so I called The Quilt Basket (formerly BJ's Quilt Basket), my local quilt shop, on Tuesday to see if they had one of these bias tape makers. They are open for business, but you can't go inside. I ordered over the phone, then drove over there and called them from the parking lot. I left my door open and stood back. Someone came out, tossed it into the car, waved, and I was on my way home. I bought a yard of fabric, too, just to support the shop, which I'm sure is having difficulty right now. They ship free for orders over $80. They have kits for the masks I'm making for $10, which will make 10 masks, so that's only $1 each mask. They also have free kits donated by people who don't sew or have enough money to share. (I didn't need a kit.)

The bias tape maker I bought is designed for fusible bias tape, but it works fine, and they knew exactly which size I needed. It has really saved my back!

When I'm too tired to stay on my feet anymore, I can knit. I finished the "Bend in the Road" hat (Roadside Beanie by Oliver Henry and Sandra Manson). I blocked it on a Tupperware head lettuce bowl. (Those black things are supposed to be fishing boats.)

I think it's a pretty design.

Here it is, all blocked and ready to wear, just in time for summer.

Then I started the "Charlie's Kep" (Katie's Kep by Wilma Malcolmson, which is free right now). It comes in these colorways. Charlie picked the last one in this photo, but it's Colorway #2 in the pattern.

Here are the actual colors in the kit from For Yarn's Sake in Beaverton (online store open). They will ship to anywhere in Oregon for free. I assume they will ship elsewhere, too, but with appropriate shipping costs.

The ribbing is done. On to the pattern!

In other news, I started another batch of kimchi and our first batch of sprouts in many years. 

My sprouting jar is a one-quart canning jar fitted with a screen in the lid. I bought these seeds from iHerb.

Here's a look at the seeds as they start to sprout.

At harvest, the two tablespoons of seeds yield a quart of fresh sprouts for salads or
sandwiches.

Sunday's church service was still celebrating Easter.

(Photos seem to be disappearing from my regular blog posts and the posts in The Doll's Storybook. I'm not sure why this is happening. They are not linked to another site, but loaded directly into the blog.)

What's on my needles: Charlie's Kep (Katie's Kep), 

What's on my sewing machine: More masks.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Unmasked! A Retelling of an Old Story. A very real fairy tale.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Spring Magic by D. E. Stevenson, then listened to A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, a new author for me, introduced through an Audible Daily Deal. Now listening to Rachel Abbott's Right Behind You.

What's in my wine glass: Martha Clara Vineyards' 2014 Malbec "Oregon Road" from The North Fork of Long Island. Excellent.

What's my tip of the week: If you have a mask that has a pocket for a filter, you can use a coffee filter, according to this article in The New York Times. Other things can be used as a filter, but some are dangerous to breathe through unless you have a layer of fabric between your nose and the filter. Coffee filters are safe, just fold them to fit

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.

This Is Our New Life

I finished the masks for family members, and they have gone to their new homes. Our granddaughter's birthday doll arrived in Wisconsin on Saturday. About Wednesday I began making them for the hospital.

Fortunately, the hospital has enough for right now, but we aren't scheduled to reach our peak until the 26th, so they will be needing them soon. I do a lot of the cutting first. That way, I don't have to keep looking at the measurements but have them in my head. 

Then I chain-piece the steps I can, like doing all the hems at once. (I can do this if I have a lot of masks that can use the same color thread.

Then I cut out more, and change the thread as needed.

The tutorial I made for myself and others is here.

I communicated by text with our DIL's friend, who is a surgeon at our local hospital. She will pick up the masks on her way to work. When they have enough there, I'll continue to make them for the local police.

I finished the knitting on my Bend in the Road Beanie. Just the ends to weave in and then blocking. I'm planning to make one for DH, only using a different pattern.

I had another story out on Friday, but I also added this to The Doll's Storybook's Facebook page. Emil was wondering if the birds that hatch from these eggs were going to be pretty colors like the eggs.

Friday morning I went to Fred Meyer (Kroger Co.) to pick up my grocery order. I filled up the tank with gas while I was there. I had my mask on but the attendant didn't have one. He took the card from me, rather than keeping his distance. When I got the card back, I sprayed it with alcohol and wiped it off before putting it away. Fortunately, it's unlikely that he's carrying the virus, as none of our county's cases originated in Bend. This is good practice, even if the risk is low.

Getting the groceries went better. I parked in one of the Click List stalls, called the store to let them know I was there, then opened the back of the car. The woman brought the bags and put them into the back while I stood 6' away. Then I closed the door. I cleaned everything when I got home, including everything I touched on the car.

Holy Week services were entirely online. I found them just as satisfying as in-person services. (Yes, those are bunny ears on our priest. He always greets the children first.) We were able to greet each other and make comments during the service without disturbing anyone. There were only six people in the church, and they had the service choreographed so they didn't come within six feet of each other.

Maybe the sense that we're going through the experience of having to remain isolated and sharing it with all humankind has added more than what not being there in person takes away, if that makes sense. The Easter service was inspiring. The sermon related the experience of the disciples and friends of Jesus with what we're going through together. (It was available on YouTube and on Facebook. The link is to YouTube.)

The family had its weekly Zoom party after church. Our niece and our adult granddaughter joined us this week for the first time. It was good hearing what everyone was up to and to know that they are all well and coping with their situations. Our older son, his daughter (our oldest grandchild) and our niece's husband are all still working in essential jobs, so they are having to take precautions to protect themselves.

We try to walk every couple of days. We see other people out, but we keep our distance. Each entrance to the Larkspur Trail has a sign telling people what the new rules are for using the trail. Most people seem to be cooperating.

Everyone stay safe. We will get through this if we work together.

What's on my needles: The Bend in the Road (The Roadside Beanie) is technically off the needles, but I need to weave in the ends. This one didn't have a steek, so I can't hope to hide the ends with a facing or anything.

What's on my sewing machine: Masks, masks, masks!

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Another week with no progress.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Making Do. The car has broken down, and each doll has to figure out what to give Mandy for her birthday without going out to shop.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Bridge to Belle Island by Julie Klassen and now listening to Spring Magic by D. E. Stevenson, one of my favorite authors.

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon, a staple in our wine cellar.

What's my tip of the week: To make ties for these masks, I save a little time and trouble by inserting pins a few inches apart into my ironing-board cover, putting the pins through the fabric cover once and then again about the distance apart I want the tie to be with the edges folded over, in this case 3/4". I insert the fabric under first one pin and then the other. Then I put the iron down on the space between the pins and leave it down as I pull the tie through, guiding the edges of the fabric so they are about equal in size. (Please excuse the discolored cover.)

I need to fold it over again, so without removing the tie from under the pins, I fold it over and then put the iron back in place. I use a spray bottle with water if needed, but if you have water in your iron you wouldn't need to.

Bonus tip: If you have a spare spray bottle or can get one, you can put rubbing alcohol in it and use that with paper towels as a substitute for disinfecting wipes, which are hard to find right now. I had a couple of spray cleaner bottles, neither of which was full, so I consolidated the cleaner into one bottle, washed the other and put my alcohol in it. I labeled it, so I knew which bottle to use for disinfecting.

This is our new life for a while.

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.

Boy Makeover Haircut With Rooted Hair

Here's how Billy got his second haircut:

I washed the hair, then, while it was still wet, I separated the bottom row of roots and hair from the rows above it. Then I trimmed the bottom row to about 1/2". It will stick out, but we will deal with that later.

Then I did the same thing with the sides.

The next rows were cut by combing small VERTICAL sections of  hair away from the head and trimming them:

Here you can see the back is done:

I continued around both sides and the front:

Here's how it looked in back:

Here it is in front:

Then I put a wide elastic band around the head while the hair was still wet:

I pulled the rubber band down under his nose, so it wouldn't mash his eyelashes.

Here he is with the hair dry.

Here's a view from the side....

....and the back:

I found it helps to use a glue stick around the edges of the back and sides. I did this when the hair was dry, then put the rubber band on again. This will need to be redone if the hair is washed again, because glue stick washes out.

If you aren't happy with it when it's done and you can't fix it, you can always shave it off and get a wig.