Monday, May 25, 2026

Alterations

Here's where the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä is at this point. I finished the pockets and am starting the sleeves, using two circular needles. This project is going to need some serious blocking before adding the button/buttonhole bands down the front.


You may remember from last week that I had started the pocket. I made two pocket ribbing borders, and had put them to the side until I was ready. When I finished the body down to the point where I wanted the pockets to start, I worked the row at the top of the pockets by taking the affected stitches off as I came to them (10 stitches in from the beginning and end of the row) and putting them on waste yarn, then continuing on with the row. On the way back, I picked up the live stitches on the border sections when I came to the missing stitches. Then I continued knitting as if the pockets were irrelevant. Here's what it looked like.


This week I continued knitting until I was ready to add the ribbing to the border. I put all the stitches on the smaller circular needle for the ribbing and went back to the pockets. I picked up the stitches held on the waste yarn and knitted a pocket lining, for as many rows as I had knit to get to the bottom (31 rows, in this case). Now I had live stitches on my ribbing needle and live stitches at the bottom of the pocket lining. I put a stitch marker at the place where each side of the pocket should end up in the ribbing. As I was working the first row of ribbing, I knit the pocket lining stitches together with the body stitches at the appropriate places. After binding off the ribbing, it was time to finish the pockets. I sewed down the pocket ribbing on the outside. I wanted the stitches holding the two sides of the pocket lining to line up, so I used my waste yarn to make a line of basting stitches all the way down on each side, making sure I stayed inside one vertical row of stitches. Then I sewed the pocket edges to the body, picking up the inside of the body right where the basting stitches indicated.


Here's how it looked before I picked up the sleeve stitches. (I managed to get a little rainbow on the left pocket, caused by sun shining though the window. A good omen?) The center front edges are curling, as might be expected, with all that uninterrupted stockinette stitch, but I'm hoping that blocking and adding the button/buttonhole bands will take care of that.


My manuscript has gone to my science editor (Charlie, and man of many talents) and he's already found a couple of missing quotation marks. That was caused by breaking up a quote to fit the page breaks and photos that needed moving. That's why Charlie gets the big bucks, after all.

We're leaving Tuesday to go camping at LaPine with Jim. He's planning now to come on Wednesday, because a storm is expected Tuesday afternoon/evening, and he will have to get over the mountains to reach the campground from his place in Florence. I cleaned the trailer yesterday, because this will be our first trip of the year. I made the bed and have started carrying things there to put away. Charlie filled up the Silverado with gas. It cost $99. (We probably won't be going very far for camping this year.) We hooked up the RPod to the pickup, which is always a difficult job, because we don't have any backup camera in the pickup. Fortunately, LaPine, where we will go first, and Suttle Lake, for the last couple of nights, are nice places to camp and not very far away.

I made the Arizona Pumpkin Soup, with a couple of changes. First of all, the recipe makes a lot of soup, and I had told my in-house grocery shopping servant (also Charlie) to get canned pumpkin. He bought one 15-oz can, or roughly half what the recipe calls for. So I just cut all the ingredients in half. Then, I like cooking in the morning, not late afternoon and evening, so I used my slow-cooker. I just sautéed what had to be sautéed and put everything into the slow-cooker. It turned out great! 



It's from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. I've had this cookbook and several others of hers for years. They're all full of Post-Its, dog-eared by time.



I served it with some of my whole-wheat sourdough bread. To make sure we had enough protein, I made a silken-tofu carob pudding for dessert.



I've been watching that planet in the sky in the evenings. Monday night at 9:20 I went out to look and found the moon smiling at the planet. (Jupiter? I'm still not sure.) It's hard to get a good photo, with the porch light and the neighbors' lights on. Added to this problem is the problem of taking a longer exposure while holding the phone still, but this will give you an idea. 


The planet is now higher in the sky, and the moon has moved on, having perhaps other places to visit.

Sunday Trinity celebrated Pentecost with a worship service on the lawn that surrounds the Deschutes Historical Museum, which is housed in a building that used to be an elementary school.


We were supposed wear red, if we could. I wore a red blouse, red socks, a red shawlette and my resistance hat. Julie, who gave me a ride, forgot to wear red, so I gave her my shawlette. Several women came up to me after the service and said they have the same had and should have worn them. One lady said at a recent small weekday protest of about 50 people she counted 15 of these hats.



For this week's cuteness, here's our grandcat Mango. He looks as if he might not fit through the pet door, but he does. Most of that bulk is hair.



We're still doing our weekly Zoom meetings with the family every Sunday, unless something else is going on or we're camping. Next week's Zoom call AND next week's blog post may be an issue, if we don't have internet and/or cell phone service. Don't worry about us if this blog doesn't appear on time.

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: Still working on the Summer Sorrel top and the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz on the BookPlayer app, gettin close to the end.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away until the next project.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Three of the dolls (Billy, Mariah and Emil) have differing opinions on where they think our water for drinking and washing comes from. It turns out, they are all right...partly. This week's story from The Doll's Storybook is All About Water.


What's my tip of the week: Have trouble opening a jar or bottle? I use a piece of rubberized shelf paper as a jar/bottle opener, but if that doesn't work, here's a trick I learned when I was a child: Run hot water over the sides of the cap or lid, especially in that crevice at the bottom of the cap or lid and where the glass can be seen. This often does the trick, because of two things. It heats up the cap, causing it to expand slightly and if it's being held tight by some dried residue of whatever is contained in the jar or bottle, the hot water sometimes dissolves that residue. Try it!

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.

Book #7 is in the works.

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, May 18, 2026

Projects and Performances

Knitting update: The Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä is coming along. This is the cardigan for which I bought yarn at Fitting Knit Shop in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, when we were visiting Karen. I bought two skeins, just as a souvenir, when we were there in December, although I didn't know what I was going to do with it. I liked the yarn, and after I got home, I found the pattern. I called them and asked them if they could get me more of the same dye lot. They were willing to ship it to me, but I had other things I could work on and was going to be there again in April, so I arranged to stop in and pick it up. Peter and I stopped there while we were out running errands on our first day there.


I'm now beginning the pockets. The pattern doesn't have them, but I like pockets in cardigans. I made the top ribbing for the pockets and when I got to the point where I wanted them to be, I worked across the stitches at the top of the pocket, put those stitches on a waste yarn, put the pocket ribbing onto the needle, worked across to the other pocket, repeated that and then worked to the end. When I get to the bottom ribbing, I'll pick up the stitches on one of the holders and knit down to where the ribbing starts, combine the live stitches and repeat with the other side. Then I'll make the bottom ribbing.



We are having an election this week, tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19. Some of the items on the ballot are candidates running in primary elections (one Senate seat, one House seat), and some are candidates for local positions. We had one ballot measure to vote for and a bunch of judges, who were all unopposed. I love that we get our ballots in the mail ahead of time, and we can study the information provided by candidates and people in favor of the ballot measures in the relaxed atmosphere of my own home, discuss anything we're unsure about, give it some thought and then fill out our ballots. We took our ballots to the drop box nearest to us when we were done.



While we were filling out our ballots this past Tuesday, we had dinner. We had lasagne, a tossed salad and some of Trader Joe's Fougasse Olive Bread. What's in my wine glass? That's a Madroña Vineyards 2023 Grenache. Delightful!


This reminds me, I need to check and see if my ballot was received.

Dusty and Sandy were groomed a little over a week ago, but that doesn't stop them from rolling in the dirt. I think something must have died at this spot. They instinctively roll in something smelly (to them) to hide their own scent. I've read that they did this in the wild so they could sneak up on their prey without being detected. That squeaky toy in front of Dusty won't even expect an attack, when Dusty is getting through rolling in the dirt.


I asked Charlie to get some regular tofu––the kind that comes refrigerated––awhile back, and he came home with a big Costco package with four blocks of tofu in it. I told him that I hoped he liked tofu. Fortunately, tofu freezes well and freezing even improves in texture. I squeezed the moisture out of one of the packages of tofu, marinated it in a mixture of soy sauce, oil and garlic, then cooked it in the air fryer. It was great with stir-fried vegetables and brown rice.


I still think it's Jupiter that we see in the evening. This photo was about 15 minutes earlier in the evening from last week's photo, but I think the position has changed anyway, because planets are always on the move.


Saturday we went to the last concert of the season by Central Oregon Symphony.


Here's a look at the program. The music was familiar to me, and  "The Dance of the Hours" was familiar to many in the audience. They either knew it from Disney's "Fantasia" or from watching the many cartoons we used to watch in the movie theater before the feature.



I took my knitting and got a few rows done before the concert started and during intermission. However, I discovered that I had apparently stopped in the middle of a row, put my knitting down while attending to something, and then started back across the row in the wrong direction. I haven't done that in years. I can't believe I made that mistake. I had to tink (knit backwards) for about three rows to get to where my mistake was. Then I got to have all that fun again. (Ha-ha!)


I didn't look at the manuscript of the new book this week. I really like to take a break from my own writing to give it some time to seem like something new to me. I find that it's easier to edit if it seems like someone else wrote it.

Speaking of writing, Johan wrote this poem for school. I thought it was interesting. He's going to be 12 in July, and I think he already has the 12-year-old thing nailed down.



I was able to get some photos from the Wisconsin grands' dance competition. Daphne and Zachary are both on the far left in this shot.


Have a good week!


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: Still working on the Summer Sorrel top and the Women's Cardigan by Lea Petäjä.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to The Friend of the Family by Dean Koontz on the BookPlayer app. It has been a pleasant story, up until things start to go wrong. That's where I am now, but there are only a couple of hours to go, and I'm sure it will resolve somehow. Koontz's novels always do.

What's on my sewing machine: Put away until the next project.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Billy and Charlotte come back from walking their dogs. They had to go out early, because it's supposed to rain. They know we need rain, but they don't understand why, if the earth is mostly covered with water. Mandy explains by using a laboratory exercise.


What's my tip of the week: Wrapping cucumber in a paper towel keeps the outside from getting slimy. I change the towel if it gets too damp.

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.

Book #7 is in the works.

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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