Unfinished Business

You have watched me work on the Brioche Shawl Feathers shawl from this pattern by Anna Kyllenen ever since March 24th. This week I lost my game of yarn chicken.

I have 1g left of each color. It takes 2g to go across one row with one color. I have 3 rows to go of the dark color and 2 rows to go of the light. Then there's the bind off. You don't have to use a calculator to do the math required to realize that I don't have enough yarn. I'm trying to get more, but it will probably take several weeks to get it, as it comes from an indie dyer. I'm not worried about dye lots, because there's enough variation in the color across the shawl that it shouldn't be jarring. I think the cost of the shawl just doubled, however, unless they will sell me smaller amounts. Still, I can probably do something with the leftover yarn, such as make a hat to match. Or some socks.

I had to have something on the needles to work on during meetings and church, so I cast on a dress for Pippa. (Shhhhhh! It helps me pay attention better.) The Goetz Doll Lovers group on Ravelry is having a Formal Garden Party KAL (knit along) for any size doll. Actually, it's a "Join Along," because sewn or crocheted outfits are permitted. I'm using the Top Down Trio pattern by Jacqueline Gibb. I've used this pattern once before. It's designed for DK yarn and 3.25mm and 3.75mm needles for a larger doll, but I'm using fingering/4-ply yarn and 1.25mm and 1.5mm needles, so it will be proportioned the same but will be much smaller to fit Pippa.

I started out with one size larger needles, but after a few rows, I realized it was going to be too big, so I frogged it and went down a needle size. The fit is better now.

I don't usually get presents for Mothers' Day, but DH gave me this trio of socks with images of delightful animals and a small bag, which would be a great project bag for small projects or useful for packing small items (like socks) for travel. They are all from the World Wildlife Fund.

Our older son texted me Sunday morning to say I have something coming from him. It was supposed to come Saturday, but got delayed. I have no idea what it is, but I'm touched. I had greetings from all three of my children for Mothers' Day!

Rocky's stroller came on Tuesday. We put it together and tried it out the next day. DH wanted to see if it would go over rocks, so we had to off-road it. Rocky was a good sport. We used to have a car seat for him, and I think this was similar enough that he wasn't anxious. It went over the rocks OK, but I think Rocky enjoyed the ride more on the graded trail or going around the block on the sidewalk.

We take Rocky out of the stroller a couple of times each trip, so he can walk on his own for a bit knowing he isn't going to have to walk the whole way. I don't take him out if we're just going around the block without DH. Rocky seems to enjoy it the most when we're moving along quickly. He looks around and seems to be smiling.

We went to the dog park before the stroller came to make up for missing the activity on Dusty's birthday when it rained. Rocky enjoys walking around and checking out the other people and dogs, but when he's had enough, he goes to the gate. I'm hoping he'll feel comfortable enough in the stroller that he will lie down in it and relax when he's had enough activity.

The AeroGarden lettuce has turned into a tree. It's the variety. I pick a few leaves for each salad and add it to the lettuce from the store. It's great in sandwiches, too.

When DH said he had a lettuce tree, I thought he was producing another kind of "lettuce."

We will be having visitors! Our son and DIL who live a few hours away will be coming over Memorial Day weekend, as long as no one is sick. Both parents are fully vaccinated now, and the boys, who are too young to be vaccinated yet, have been back in school with protocols in place for some time with no illnesses. We haven't seen them for more than a year.

The end of August, our daughter will fly here for a visit. Our son-in-law is going to visit his parents in June, and she will stay home with the kids, who also aren't old enough to be vaccinated. He'll babysit the kids when she comes here. 

We may get both families for Christmas. I'm hoping so.

What's on my needles: The Brioche Shawl Feathers Shawl is in hibernation until I get more yarn. Pippa's dress from the Top Down Trio pattern is coming along.

What's on my sewing machine: Costumes for an upcoming photo shoot.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. I didn't get anything done on it this week..

What's in The Doll's Storybook: This week's story in The Doll's Storybook was Fasting and feeding. Pippa learns why Mariah hasn't been eating lunch with the other dolls and helps her put together a packet of food for someone in need.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor. Laugh-out-loud funny in places.

What's in my wine glass: Montevina Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. One of our favorites.

What's my tip of the week: When we were training Rocky, we used a hand command as well as a voice command and always used them together. After he learned the command, we would use one or both, depending on what was easier, but he always knew what they meant. He started to lose his hearing before his vision as he got older, so it was especially useful. He still hears out of one ear, and I don't know how much he sees, but we don't really have to give him commands anymore. He can't see the ball if it's very far away and the light is bad, but he still likes to go after it. We're glad he's had a good life and hope we'll still have more time with him. If we get another puppy, we will do the same thing.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. 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.

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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Hooray for Lifelines!

Oops!

If you look where the stitch marker is, you will see where I added a quadruple increase where it shouldn't be. I guess this pattern hasn't yet become mindless. The white line below that is the lifeline. I discovered the mistake a little late, but was happy the lifeline was in place. It's faster to re-knit the rows I had to frog than to try to pick up the stitches across the row where the mistake is. Why not just drop down and repair, you ask? Every stitch that didn't belong means extra yarn where it doesn't belong. The only way to get rid of all the extra yarn would be to cut it and weave it in. That's a lot of work, too, and then it might not look as good. But that's what lifelines are for, right? I have reknit the frogged rows without the mistake, moved my lifeline to right above where the mistake had been (using thread this time because I found the cotton yarn a bit too thick), and moved on. The marker now indicates only the center stitch.

After cleaning up my workroom, I sewed some buttons onto Pippa's overalls. The little knots were cute, but very time-consuming to untie and retie with costume changes.

I did a little more "repair" work that had piled up and then got busy making the rest of the clothes for Lotta, Daphne's birthday doll, so I can send her off in style. Pajamas were a necessity, now that she has a nice coat, so I made those next. (The bear will be going with Lotta, too. Pippa still has the tan bear, her special friend.)

I decided Pippa needed some leggings. These are made from some very stretchy exercise-attire fabric I bought the same time as the flannel for the PJs. Once I had the leggings done, I made her a blouse out of some quilting fabric I had. It's the same fabric as Pippa's blouse, but a different colorway. Lotta will get the shoes, too, because they go so well with the leggings.

Pippa had two knitted turtlenecks, because I had to make a second one to test my pattern. I decided to send one with Lotta. I had some denim-look leggings fabric left from a previous project, so I made another pair of leggings for Lotta, this time ankle-length. Pippa will keep her pink trainers. Lotta's shoes are identical, but white.

The blouse looks cute with a pleated skirt, so I made Lotta one like Pippa's, this one in some quilter's cotton fabric in a pattern that looks like fine burlap. I thought the color was perfect to go with the blouse.

It's great to have such a wonderful fabric stash.

My sourdough starter needs to be fed weekly, and I refuse to throw out edible food, so I decided to use some to make pizza dough. One loaf's worth of dough is enough for two pizzas. This one went into the freezer after baking.

This is the one we're eating. (That's chopped fresh basil in the background.)

The AeroGarden is coming along nicely. We've been using the salad greens, but the tomatoes aren't ready yet, as you can see.

Here's another view. I think we will have a lot of little tomatoes, once they start ripening.

We went to the dog park twice this week, including a visit on Friday right before the pups went to the groomer. They slept pretty much all day Saturday, and here they are Sunday afternoon, still tired. 

We had sleet for about an hour during the afternoon.

There was some accumulation. It looks as if someone opened up a giant beanie baby.

This week's story was the 150th story in The Doll's Storybook. I'm trying to figure out what to put into the next physical book.

What's on my needles: The Brioche Shawl Feathers Shawl, continuing progress.

What's on my sewing machine: Sleep mask for Lotta.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: You and Me. Jolena gets Mariah's help with a homework assignment that's supposed to prepare her for an English test.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Cornwalls Are Gone by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois. Now listening to Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor.

What's in my wine glass: Sangiovese Negroamaro.

What's my tip of the week: Yukon Gold or Finnish potatoes can be used for any recipe that calls for russet potatoes, but for most purposes, you can get away with not peeling them before cooking. They usually require little or no scrubbing. Great time-saver!

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. 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.

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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More Brioche, Adventures in Publishing and Easter

The adventures with brioche knitting continue. Here's how it looked on Friday.

By Sunday, it looked like this.

 

It has been an adventure so far. I misread Row 52 and didn't discover it until I was ready for Row 80. I had to frog back and pick up the stitches from Row 49, to get them all back on the needle correctly. A lifeline wouldn't have helped, because I would have moved it to above that spot. However, it was a good lesson in the structure of the stitch, as was my next mistake. That came when I thought I had a mistake a couple of rows down from where I was knitting. I tried to fix it. It turned out not to be a mistake, but then I couldn't get the stitches back the way they were and had to tink back two rows. The rows are getting longer, so I need to be more careful. I put in a lifeline yesterday.

The cap I knitted for myself a year ago was too big. It came down over my eyes. I had been thinking of shrinking it, but it wasn't until a friend, who had the same problem with a cap, gave his the treatment. Encouraged by his success, I resolved to give it a try this past week. Here's what it looked like before.

And here is the result after washing in hot water with soap and rinsing in cold.

The shrinkage was a lot more vertically than horizontally, which was what I needed. It's still a bit big, but at least I can wear it now. It's much better. I wore it when we went to the dog park on Saturday.

It was a big week for The Doll's Storybook. I managed to do photo shoots for the three stories I had already written, so I'm scheduled through April 23rd.

I learned that as of April 2nd, the book had sold 135 copies worldwide and earned more than $200 for pediatric cancer treatment and research. That doesn't count the books I've sold from home. I found out also that the royalties from Book Baby's bookstore is much greater than from other book sellers. They charge about $5 for shipping, so if you don't get free shipping from other book sellers, it's better to buy from them. Barnes and Noble has it in stock online now, and they have free shipping for members, or you can pick it up in their stores.

Our local yarn shop has decided to stock the book. I gave the owner/manager three copies on consignment along with links to the patterns for the sweaters the dolls are shown wearing in the book. Her idea was to market it to customers to go along with doll clothes they would knit for a child's doll. Now I'm thinking of including a pattern in the next book.

I still have a box with about 50 copies at my house. When most of those are sold, I will put out another book. I'm already working on Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook.

We're starting to see the beginnings of some tomatoes in the AeroGarden. DH uses a small artist's paintbrush to pollinate the flowers. I don't know if this is needed, but we're getting tomatoes. This was Wednesday.

By Sunday, the tomatoes were more obvious and easier to see.

I worked on tidying my fiber studio a bit and managed to get through all the papers. There is still a lot to do, however. 

Here's Sunday's service on YouTube. Our piece is at about 1:01, but there is other lovely music as well:

For this week's cuteness, here are the Oregon grandsons. They are back to in-person learning now.

What's on my needles: Brioche Shawl Feathers.

What's on my sewing machine: Dust.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week. Very little.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Jolena lets Pippa watch her make bread in "Rising to the Occasion." 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The Black Madonna by Stella Riley. It's a very long book, but I have less than four hours to go.

What's in my wine glass: Sishaye Shiraz 2019 from South Africa. "Sishaye" is Zulu for "Splash." It's the result of a partnership between winemaker Pieter Carstens and Splash Wines.

What's my tip of the week: If you're using interchangeable needles, you can use the little holes in them for putting in a lifeline. I like to use dental floss. Just tie one end through the little hole in the needle you're knitting with. It will carry that end through to the other end. Then cut it off, leaving enough hanging from each end that you don't have to worry about the stitches slipping off, or you can thread each end through a button and tie it. The button will keep it in place. If you find a mistake you can't fix, you can remove your work from the needles, rip back to the lifeline and then pick up the stitches from the lifeline, leaving it in place as you work, just in case. You can either leave it in place until you've finished the project or remove it to reuse higher up, if you're sure everything is correct. It's good to have two, so you can leave one in place while you put in the other.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. 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.

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.

Careful Ventures

Quilters, I'm down to another corner.

The corners are much more interesting. However, the cross-hatching is easy to do and makes a nice background for the feathers.

I discovered I have a superpower! I can bring on spring. All I had to do was finish my mittens.

I used the Mummers pattern from Saltwater Mittens by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott. The yarn is Harrisville Highland Worsted in Aubergine and Silver Mist.

On Wednesday I CO the Brioche Shawl Feathers shawl. It's very complicated, so I will need something mindless to work on when I'm out and about (which is seldom these days) and I have enough dishcloths. The CO was strange, but there is a YouTube video that shows it, and it was helpful. There seem to be videos for just about every step, which is a welcome aberration. I'm ready to start the brioche section.

I needed 50" US2/2.75mm circular needles for this shawl, but the longest I had in that size were 42". I could have made do, but I wanted to be able to spread the stitches out, so after I had my bone-density scan on Wednesday I stopped at Fancywork Yarn Shop to see if I could pick up some. They had interchangeable needles (the kind where you can take the tips off and use them on a different size cable) in that size. I didn't know they came with tips that small. While I was there, we got to talking about my book, and the owner/manager asked for several copies to sell in her shop, even though they aren't about knitting, so I'll be going back on Tuesday to drop them off.

This week brought a friend to town, so we had our first nonfamily guests since the pandemic started. Carol and Jeff, in town to ski at Mt. Bachelor with Jeff's grandkids, came to lunch before flying home. They've each had their first dose of the vaccine, and we're fully vaccinated for more than a month, so it was relatively safe.

I gave Carol a copy of my book for her granddaughter, Stella. She asked me to sign it.

Carol and her husband were our last guests in January of the Pandemic Year, when they came for tea and DBIL Jim was here, too. We got a similar selfie this time. No Jim, but the knobs are on the kitchen cabinets now.

Carol's son Colby had a competition early the next morning, our time at 3:00 AM-something. I didn't get up to watch, but Carol sent me a text and said he got the gold!

This was the FIS World Cup Freestyle competition, and his event was Slopestyle.

If you have no idea what this is, here's a video of his winning run.

Colby inspired my character Jolena, who is on the US Doll Ski Team and tries to do some of the same tricks Colby does, but with the help of a little fishing line. I had hoped to get photos of her in her ski gear, flying through the air this past winter, but we didn't get enough snow down here, and I was reluctant to go up to the ski area to look for a tree in the open I could use. Next year.

I used some of my money from the government to buy some extra orthotics, so I don't have to switch them when I change shoes to go out. One of these pairs is for indoors and one is for outdoors. The Nikes on the right are water- and sand-resistant. (The orthotics maker bought one of my books!)

Saturday was a lovely day. It was almost warmer outdoors than in for the first time this year. (I did this by finishing my mittens, remember?) I sat out on the front deck and listened to the last two chapters of the book we're using for the Adult Forum on Sunday.

The lettuce in DH's AeroGarden is taking over. I will have to pick a couple of leaves each day to add to our regular lettuce for salad. The tomato plants are covered with blossoms!

We sang, virtually, on sunday. If you want to watch and listen, go to 1:06 on the video of the service (unless you want to watch the whole service, which is OK, too).

I went in to record my part for Easter Sunday on Saturday. If you watch the Palm Sunday piece or the Easter piece, you can tell by the background which people recorded at home and which ones went in to the church to record. We had 15-minute time slots for recording. We wore masks until it was time to sing. We never touched anything anyone else touched, and the director stood a long way back from the singer.

We live in challenging times.

What's on my needles: Brioche Shawl Feathers. Just starting the brioche.

What's on my sewing machine: Thoughts and ideas. My turtleneck shirts are wearing out right above the cuff. I'm thinking about taking the cuffs off and turning up a hem. They would be 3/4-length sleeves then. (They're almost that now, because my arms are too long for my shoulders and chest, but the shirts would still be useable. Sweaters will keep me warm. First I need to clean the workroom!

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. We're getting there.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Ripples." Charlotte tells everyone about how she discovered that one simple thing she did to help a friend started a chain reaction that ended up helping another friend and herself.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Love Is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry. It was an amazing book and puts a lot of things in perspective for me. A little more progress made in The Black Madonna by Stella Reilly.

What's in my wine glass: Tucana Cabernet Sauvignon Pinotage 2019 from South Africa. Excellent, IMO.

What's my tip of the week: The ends of a loaf of bread often get left behind and shoved to the back of the fridge. I try to take them out before they get moldy and grind them up in my little food processor. Then I freeze the crumbs. They are good in faux meatloaf, mixed with texturized vegetable protein crumbles (but you could use ground beef or turkey, if you eat meat) or used as a topping for casseroles.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. 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.

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.

Warm Hands, Hot Tea and Clean Dishes

The tea cozy is done. This one seems to keep the tea hotter than the old one. Maybe it's the deep ribs.

I altered the pattern a bit, because my teapot is smaller, really a one-person teapot. Here is the Ravelry project page with information on my minor modifications.

Before casting on for the mittens, I really needed to make myself a new nylon scrubbie. Here's a link to the free pattern. You use a size K crochet hook and six 1 3/4" strips of nylon net tied together.

It was time for some more kimchi. I started this before last week's blog post and it was ready o Wednesday. My head of cabbage (I used regular green cabbage) was a bit small, so I sliced up a zucchini and added that with a very large carrot and the usual green onion. You can add other kinds of vegetables, too. I've added sweet pepper when I've had it (bell pepper or the little sweet peppers).

My sourdough is still going strong. I make a new loaf at least once a week for sandwiches.

DH started his new Aerogarden going a few weeks back. We have been harvesting leaves from the one lettuce plant, and the little tomatoes already have flowers on them.

Tuesday I cast on the first Mummers Mitten. I finished it on Friday. Here's the back showing the pattern.

Here is the palm of the hand. This "pattern" is called Salt and Pepper.

I got the pattern from this book, Salt Water Mittens by Christine LeGrow and Shirley A. Scott. 

The Ravelry pattern page is here. I'm at the top of the pattern on the second mitten. There's just a few rows of salt and pepper and then the shaping for the top of the fingers, and then the thumb to go.

Friday I dropped off some shoes and the molds of my feet at the place that makes my orthotics. I had been saving money to get a pair for my outdoor shoes, so I wouldn't have to keep changing the orthotics from one pair of shoes to another when we go for walks and come home. My Covid money came in handy, so I was able to do it right away. There's quite a bit left over to go into the publishing expense pot for the next book.

Speaking of the book, I stopped in at our local Barnes & Noble store here in Bend after dropping off my shoes at the orthotics lab. I had noticed that my book was finally available at B&N online, but not for pick up in the local store, so I took them a preview copy. I got to speak to one of the managers. She looked at the book and then looked it up on her system, found it, and said she would order copies. B&N has been taken over by a company that wants to turn the shops into something more like a local bookstore, and they are looking for local authors to promote.

What's on my needles: The second "Mummers" mitten.

What's on my sewing machine: Cobwebs.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week. When it gets late before bedtime 

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Special Glasses. Pippa wonders why Mandy only wears her glasses when she's reading or doing close work, and Emil never seems to take his glasses off. He explains his disability and his special gift to her. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still The Black Madonna by Stella Reilly, more progress made, and Love Is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry, Chapters 9 and 10. My church's Adult Forum is discussing it, two chapters at a time. In Chapter 10, reference was made to the Project for Deeper Understanding, which was started by Charles Robinson, the priest at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Park City, which was my church and my priest when we lived there. We attended some of the sessions when we lived there, each covering a different topic. The idea is, if someone has a different opinion from you, you ask them to explain what in their life led them to that opinion, instead of just saying they're wrong.

What's in my wine glass: Purple Moon Shiraz 2018. I liked it a lot.

What's my tip of the week: Live basil plants will live longer if the roots are kept wet. We keep ours in a dish that's slightly larger than the base of the pot and more than 2" deep. When I see that the water is mostly gone, I refill it. The plant is happier with bright daylight and some sun. It doesn't do well if it gets cold.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers. Royalties go to support pediatric cancer research and treatment. 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.

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.