HighFiber: October 2021

Monday, October 25, 2021

More Things Done!

I finally found the right yarns for the colorwork sweater for Pippa, and it's done.

It's fairly quick, once you have the right yarn and colors. We (Pippa and I) had a fun time with the photo shoot.

The pattern is now available in my Ravelry store.

Our zucchinis needed to be harvested, so we did (harvest them). It was interesting to find out that our zucchinis were more like Acorn squash. We suspect a vagrant bee played a little easy and loose with a neighbor's garden. Anyway, It was too tough to peel or cut open, so I roasted them. They tasted like Acorn squash, even though they were shaped like zucchini, and the seeds were small and soft. They were good, but not what we expected.

We ordered some wheat bran online, and it arrived this week, so I made bran muffins. My friend Eevi had made some Marionberry jam and left some for me with her aunt who lives in Bend. It was yummy.

This week my beloved Red Sox won their last game of the season, and they aren't going to the World Series. It was a lot of fun watching the games, though.

The roof is almost done. Here's a look at the new shingles. It was raining as I was writing this, so I will have to post an update next week. The heat tape still needs to be reinstalled anyway.

Sunday (yesterday) we went to see a performance of the Central Oregon Symphony at the Bend High School Auditorium. Everyone was masked, and families sat 6' or further away from others. We heard Mozart's "Symphony No. 35," Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll" and J. Strauss' "Tritsch-Tratsch Polka." It was a lovely performance!

It's getting that time of year again. Here's Johan carving a pumpkin in and intricate dragon motif.

My copies of Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are on their way to me, but I'm unable to get a delivery date yet. UPS is apparently having some Covid-related delays. However, if you're in a hurry and you don't need an autographed copy, you can order from the Book Baby now. If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's. 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 our first book, Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, it would help if you left an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them. (There are no reviews yet on B&N.) I'm finding out that Emil is helping sell Mariah, as several people have asked to reserve both books for them. Right now, I still have plenty of my first book. Here's hoping I can say that about both books next week!

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

What's on my needles: Now that the colorwork sweater for Pippa is finished, I'm back to the Taina Shawlette, but it's close to finishing, too.

What's on my loom: Still the trailer rugs. A little progress this week.

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

What's in my hoop: Still the whole cloth quilt. A little progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: To Flap or not To Flap. Mandy explains why airplanes don't have to flap their wings to fly. Stories are written through November 26, but two still need the photos.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Wildwood by Colin Meloy on the Audible app.

What's in my wine glass: Masal 1945 Carménère 2018 from Chile. Very nice!

What's my tip of the week: Do you ever have trouble getting the soap plunger to come out so it will work? I have, and this week I finally decided to find out how to fix it. I found this, and it worked. DH says not to rinse the pipe, but instead use pliers and rinse them when you're done. Otherwise, it wastes too much soap. Good idea. Either way, it works.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is now available for preorder from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner. (Book Baby already has copies!)

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is also available. The three stories in the first book are Being Little, Besties, 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.

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, October 18, 2021

Fixing Mistakes

You may remember that I switched the yarn I was using for a recent project, not once, but twice. "Third time's the charm," as they say, and I'm happy with the new colorway. In fact, the basic knitting of the body is done.

I can't believe how many errors I've found in the written directions, and I'm fixing them, but I also had a mistake in the chart. I somehow didn't notice a square of four light stitches was missing. The square is here in the new version.

One of the nice things about steeks is, you don't have any ends to weave in when the yarn changes happen in a steek. This is the center front steek from the wrong side.

I trimmed off all the loose ends before sewing the steeks with the machine, so they wouldn't get caught in the stitching. I thought I would see how hard it was to machine-sew the steek before cutting, to see how hard it would be. It wasn't too difficult, but getting my work out from under the presser foot after the row of stitches was finished was difficult.

I decided to cut the sleeve steeks before sewing to make it easier.

I've picked up and knit the neck ribbing. Now I'm working on the button band. After that comes the buttonhole band and then on to the sleeves.

The roof is being replaced right now. The last replacement was just a layer of shingles over the old shingles (definitely a mistake). Supplies arrived on Thursday.

On Saturday, some men came and removed the most of the old shingles (both layers) and the tarpaper underneath. This photo shows the roof the way it is as of yesterday. Shingles gone (both layers), old tarpaper gone and new underlayment mostly down. You can see the heat tape has had to be picked up and put aside. It will be reinstalled over the new shingles.

Rocky had his grooming appointments on Thursday and Friday. It's working out better splitting it up between two sessions. I've been getting up early to take him out, because he wakes up early and wanders around, looking for the dog door, which we have closed at night. A few times he has gone out in the middle of the night and then couldn't find his way back because he couldn't see at all in the dark, so DH has been waking him up to go out on a leash late at night, and I've been getting up at 6:00 AM to find out if he's awake yet. We suspect he wakes up because he gets cold, so we have put a portable radiator in the living room near his bed. We're hoping this will work better for him...and us. He slept late for two nights, and then I had to get up at 6:00 AM anyway and get ready to go to church. I think it woke him up, either with the lights on or because I was walking around.

The new book is in production and should be in my hands before Halloween. We already have 12 copies preordered. (From me, directly. Booksellers won't have them for preorder for a while.) I'm hoping for more reviews on Amazon and other outlets. How many first books can boast of being rated five stars? Of course, that's because there have only been two reviews, and they both had nice things to say. Anyone who disliked the book or had criticisms must have been too kind-hearted to say anything negative.

I also spent some time this week working ahead in the stories. I'm up to November 19th. I just have to finish the writing and the photos, and it will be ready to schedule.

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 and the Fair Isle sweater for Pippa.

What's on my loom: Still the trailer rugs. No progress this week.

What's on my sewing machine: Steeks!

What's in my hoop: No progress this week on the Whole Cloth Quilt.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Taking Off. Jolena, Billy and Emil ride bicycles to the bend at the end of the landing strip at the little airport that brings small planes flying over our street. Something is about to happen, and they want to watch.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Wildwood by Colin Meloy on the Audible app. The writing is magnificent. Not G rated (violence).

What's in my wine glass: Can Tillo de Olleria Dry Red 2020. Excellent for a young wine.

What's my tip of the week: Planning for Trick or Treaters? Oregon Health Authority has a visual with suggestions for making it safer for everyone.

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.

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Monday, October 11, 2021

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.

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

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Monday, October 4, 2021

A Chronicle of Needles

There was lots going on this week. With the October colorwork KAL coming up, I decided to rework the pattern for Pippa's Fair Isle sweater, ready to start October 1st, when I got so far as picking the yarn to use. I still need to pick out the needles.

It took me two evenings to rework the chart, but it's done, and I'm pleased with it. I may find sone mistakes as I'm knitting, but I don't see any right now.

I managed to get a little more quilting in. I'm close to filling in the cross-hatching in one section. I have five needles threaded, but four of them are "offstage."

Monday was taken up with trying to find an appointment for our Pfizer booster shots. We would have been eligible to receive it in August, if they had been available, because August 18th it had been six months since our second dose. I started by wanting to get some questions asked. How long did I have to wait after my flu and pneumonia shots? Is the booster the same formula as the original doses? I decided I needed to ask a pharmacist those questions, so I called a pharmacy I have done business with. After being on hold for 45 minutes and hung up on, I tried another one. Another 45 minutes, only this time I hung up. I decided to try making the appointment online, thinking maybe my questions would be answered by going through the process. I tried the website of one of the pharmacies near me. The website said they were making appointments for Covid-19 shots, "Click Here." That took me through a process during which I had to give my personal information so they could determine if I was eligible and provide me with information I already knew. After about four screens of filling in information, I was told there were no appointments available. I tried several other pharmacies with the same result or with the ability to make an appointment later in October, the earliest being October 21st. Unhappy with that, I reached for my phone to call the Health Department. I got a cheerful person who recommended calling the nurses at the Covid-19 Hotline. She gave me the number. That number was answered by live person who was ready to answer my questions. You can get all three vaccines administered the same day, she said, so no need to wait. The Pfizer booster is the same vaccine as the first two doses, so any place that has the Pfizer vaccine can give me a booster. Then I complained to her that I had tried to get an appointment and was unable to get anything sooner than October 21st, so she recommended either calling Urgent Care, where she said they HAVE TO pick up and answer the phone and where they can administer the vaccine or there would be a pop-up clinic on Wednesday at the downtown library, which is practically next door to my church from 1:00 until 5:00 PM. DH and I had a chat and decided the pop-up clinic would be the best bet. The nurse recommended getting there at least a half an hour before the clinic started.

Wednesday, we drove into town, parked and found ourselves in line behind five other people about 45 minutes before they were scheduled to open. Some workers were already putting up pylons for the line, and just after we arrived, a couple of ladies came out with clipboards and forms to fill out. They came back with bottles of water. We chatted with the other people in line as we waited. The young man in front of us was getting his first dose. Several people behind us were getting either their second dose or the booster. Everyone was masked, and we were standing outdoors, so we weren't worried. The sun was shining. It was a pleasant temperature and there was a slight breeze. By the time the clinic opened, people had lined up clear to the end of the block, and maybe around the block out of view.

When they let the two of us in (together) they took our names and gave us each a $50 gift card. (Yes, they actually PAID us to get the vaccine.) Then they took us to the next vaccination station, where we each got our shots.

We had to wait the required 15 minutes after getting the shot, during which time I signed in with V-Safe and reported that I had received my booster. When we came out, this was the line.

Just as with our first two doses, we both had soreness at the injection site the next day. The soreness is gone now. No other symptoms, other than relief to have it done. I saw that statewide, only 131 booster or third shots had been given the day we got ours. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, after all the hoops I had to jump through.

No needles involved here: We managed to get in five walks during the week. The stroller has helped, even though Rocky doesn't usually spend the entire walk in it. He often walks half of the time, either all at one stretch or for a little while and then back in the stroller (rinse and repeat). He walks pretty well where the light is good and the trail is flat, sloped upwards or downwards, but if the trail is sloped sideways, it's difficult for him.

Somehow I managed to get the stories written through October. I still need to do the photos for two of them.

Sunday was the Annual Blessing of the Animals. Trinity Episcopal Church in Bend usually allows us to bring our pets into the church (perhaps not cows, horses, sheep, etc.) for blessings, but the pandemic makes that unsafe. Last year was virtual only. We sent in photos and someone put them together into a slide show. The pets were blessed by long distance. This year, we did that again, but we had a separate, outdoor blessing after church at one of the local parks. We took Rocky's stroller, so we could move quickly without having to carry him.

Dusty had fun playing with other dogs while we were waiting for the festivities to start. The park is off-leash.

For some cuteness, here are Zachary and Daphne, already excited about flying to Oregon for Christmas. Zachary is reading a book about airplane trips to Daphne, and she is making pretend airline tickets for their trip. The reservations are made. (I can't wait!)

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, and now the new colorwork sweater for Pippa.

What's on my loom: Still the Trailer Rugs.

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

What's in my hoop: The whole-cloth quilt, some progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Finding Treasure, based on a true story. Charlotte finds a $20 bill on the floor at the grocery story. What does she do with it?

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Listening to Wildwood by Ellis Carson on the Audible app. LAIKA's next film will be based on this book.

What's in my wine glass: Cape Red from Western Cape Vineyards, 2020 (South African). Good choice!

What's my tip of the week: To make Huevos Rancheros I needed to line an oven-proof bowl with foil for each serving. I put one bowl face-down on the counter, put the foil over the bottom and then pressed a second, identical bowl on top. That way I have a foil liner that fits exactly. You can also do this to line a pan when you plan to freeze the contents after cooking. (This only works if you have two containers the exact same size, of course.)

Where's my book: The second proof copy of Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is on its way to me. I should have it by Thursday.

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.

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