HighFiber: Mystery KAL

Showing posts with label Mystery KAL. Show all posts

Monday, January 16, 2023

Racked Up

The pot rack is up!

You may remember that we thought Josh could take out the pot light and use his little periscope to look around in the ceiling. It turned out that the pot light is in a box, so that didn’t work. However, a stud finder worked well, as long as you don’t press it too hard against the ceiling. About an hour and $25 later, the rack was up.

I got out my copper pots and pans, which I haven't been able to use because I had no place to keep them in the kitchen. They needed some cleaning, because the copper had tarnished while they had been stored. A mix of white vinegar and salt, combined with a little elbow grease, did the trick.

As you can see from the first photo, I’ve added a few things. We ran out of hooks, but when I get more, I’ll be able to add a few more items to the rack.

You may remember the renovations going on in the bathroom over the summer. Just to refresh your memory, here’s how it was. First the existing shower, which was smaller than it looks, because there was a seat in the molded enclosure taking up half of the floor space. (It’s behind the towel.)

We also had taken the doors off the closets on each side of the soaking tub because they opened into the closets. We had Josh install them so they open out.

This is what it looks like now.

Of course, we needed a shower. What we didn’t need was this huge soaking tub.

This is what we did. We’re happy with our new shower. It even has controls that allow us to adjust the temperature easily.

Besides his and hers closets on each side of the new shower also have a linen closet in the hall. What we needed was a cedar closet for all our knitted items. We had been carrying around some cedar boards left over from a closet in our house in Dana Point, California, which we moved into back in 1987. We didn’t have enough to finish this project, so we bought more. Then shelves went in to hold plastic bins for our woolens. Charlie did all the work himself.

I have more plastic bins coming this week for the rest of our woolens, which are still in big plastic zipper bags in my closet.

I finished the first clue for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery KAL on Wednesday.

Here’s what I had by Saturday night. The second clue changed to the other color. I’m about halfway through the second clue.

I received one more 1942 birthday gift from our daughter this week, a coffee mug. It’s covered with important things to know about 1942. (The Battle of Stalingrad isn’t mentioned.)

I’m still doing this on my iPad. Here’s an update on my laptop, however. I learned on

Friday that it had been repaired and was ready to ship back. When I checked on Saturday, it had been shipped. When it arrives at Best Buy, I’ll go pick it up., which will probably be this week. I managed to get Friday's story done on the iPad. It’s getting easier to manipulate the photos and enlarge them. To enlarge a photo in Blogger using an iPad, you have to pull the text box up close to the top so the bottom of the photo barely shows and then tap the photo, then pick the size. It might take several tries. It’s still much easier on the laptop. One thing that’s easier on the iPad is typing. I may continue to type the stories and my blog on the iPad and then put the photos in using the laptop. I should have it back before I have to do another story. 😅

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Classic Tales Retold: 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 any of our books, including Emil and Mariah, 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 the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery KAL, the Talvinen cardigan and the EmPower People Kerchief (hibernating, of course).

What's on my loom: I still plan to make some placemats. Right now, it’s shielding our Christmas tree (in its box) so we don’t trip over it.

What's on my sewing machine: Still ready for back of T-shirt quilt. 🙄 (One advantage of having to use the iPad is the access to emojis.)

What's in my hoop: Whole Cloth quilt, still no progress, but it’s calling me. I may try to get it done after I finish the Mystery KAL.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Holly and Sam Get New Wheels," Emil gets a letter from his friend Holly and finds out that Sam is in the choir at school. She got to ride in the big school bus with her classmates to a concert. The dolls are excited to hear all about it.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to listening to Das Vermächtnis der Drachenreiter (Eragon 1) by Christopher Paolini. I’m about halfway through the story.

What's in my wine glass: El Accorde Merlot 2019 from San Juan, Argentina. Nice.

What's my tip of the week: Tarnished copper and brass can be cleaned without using regular tarnish remover. Wet a sponge with white vinegar, sprinkle on some regular salt and start rubbing. Add more vinegar and salt as needed. Finish with a nice bath in hot soapy water.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes.

Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. The stories are Little Green Greatcoat, The Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook and Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are also still available from booksellers. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories in Emil are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The three stories in Mariah 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, January 17, 2022

Problem Solving

The Mystery KAL is coming along. Here's all I can show you, because I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone.

I'm about halfway through Clue #2. The new clue comes out on Wednesday.

I had to go and get more yarn to finish Dolly's turtleneck. The yarn I used didn't have enough in 50g. I'll find something to do with the leftover yarn, though.

The skirt was a challenge. I had a hard time getting all the pleats to be identical and still have it come out right to fit the yoke. It's very easy normally. The instructions are here. I cut the skirt width-of-fabric and the yoke at 13" for Dolly, otherwise the same as for the Happy Kidz. I ended up trimming the WOF a bit to get the pleats to turn out right. She's ready to join Gabi and the Glitter Girls Serinia at the LYS. I plan to take her on Tuesday.

I've done some cooking this week, but this was the only thing I got a photo of: my banana-oatmeal waffles, made with my GE waffle maker from 1965.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
• 2 medium bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 C milk
• 1 T Oil
• 1 C rolled oats
• 1/4 C oat bran
• 1 T all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt

Directions
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Bake in waffle iron.

With Omicron in our area now, there has been a huge uptick in new Covid-19 cases, so the choir isn't singing in person. I miss it, but our new cases are running 700-900 a day, more than six times what our running average has been. I'm staying out of stores as much as possible, because most people aren't wearing their masks. It's the law, but businesses aren't enforcing it.

Friday night I made about 10 Mexican TV dinners to use up the big batch of Spanish rice I made up.

Tuesday we went for a long walk. Rocky walked about half of it. He rode in the stroller the rest of the time.

Dusty had his teeth cleaned on Wednesday.

Thursday I gave myself a haircut. It was very successful, because I had less hair when I got done. That's my measure of quality 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.

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

What's on my needles: The Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit Along, Clue #2.

What's on my loom: Still the trailer rugs.

What's on my sewing machine: The cover was off all day on Saturday while I made the skirt for Dolly (above). I hope to get working on the T-shirt quilt this week.

What's in my hoop: Still the whole-cloth quilt.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In "Earning a Living," Gabi goes off to promote our books in the local yarn shop.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Listening to Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin on the Audible app.

What's in my wine glass: Luìs Vieira IG Lisboa Montaria Aragonez Alicante Bouschet 2018. A change of pace, and nice.

What's my tip of the week: I tend to lose track when I'm counting stitches, so I leave a marker every 20 stitches. Then if I lose track, I only have to count up to 20. (You do have to be able to count by 20s, though, to find out how many stitches you end up with, or at least multiply 20 by how many markers you had to use and then add how many are left after the last marker.)

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.

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.

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Monday, February 15, 2021

Brioche?

Brioche!

No, not the kind you can eat. This kind:

Here's what it looks like from the other side:

That's the next thing I have to do in the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery KAL, and I've never done it before. Here's what I have so far, before starting Clue #4, which is the brioche section.

I finished the hearts just in time for Valentine's Day!

I found a couple of videos for help with the brioche stitch. This one is more involved, but it shows you what it's supposed to look like in "real life."

I found this one a better place to start, however. It's the one I used to make my practice swatch.

After making my swatch, I think I'm ready to have a go.

I finished Pippa's outfit on Tuesday. I used 2.25mm needles. I think 2.5 might have worked a little better. The fit is OK, but it appeared a bit looser on the model used in the pattern. I may try this outfit again in different colors.

What's on my needles: Rose City Yarn Crawl "Meditations," just starting Clue #4. Brioche!

What's on my sewing machine: Waiting.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little bit more progress this week. It's good to work on in the evening when I'm usually tired and sometimes not able to concentrate very well. (My second glass of wine could have something to do with that.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: "Valentines!" The store is out of valentines, so the boys decide to try to make their own. They get hung up on a poem, and need help from Mariah.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished A Castaway in Cornwall by Julie Klassen. Now I'm listening to Love Is the Way by Bishop Michael Curry and Sara Grace.

What's in my wine glass: Mildiani Saperavi 2018 from Georgia. (The country, not the state.)

What's my tip of the week: If you have a leftover Good Seasons bottle with the lid, you can make an easy balsamic salad dressing. I fill the bottle to the "V" line with balsamic vinegar, but instead of adding water, I use red or white wine vinegar to fill to the "W" line. Then I add some seasonings: granulated or minced garlic, a half teaspoon of tarragon, basil or oregano and a half teaspoon of salt. You can throw in a pinch of pepper if you like or dried chopped onion. Then fill to the "O" line with olive oil.

Where's my book: Mariah: Stories from the Doll's Storybook is available from Amazon worldwide. Also available from BookBaby 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.

Photo of brioche: Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Monday, February 1, 2021

A Shot in the Fairgrounds

We took a ride to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds this week. That gave me some knitting time in the car. This is my project for the Rose City Yarn Crawl Mystery Knit-Along.

I thought I would spend some time sitting (or standing) around, waiting, so I took my knitting with me when we entered the exposition hall. No knitting happened, though, until the ride home.

What was I doing at the Fairgrounds, you might ask? I would have been asking the same question a week ago. That was when I found out that the vaccine the governor was expecting turned out not to exist. The new plan was to start vaccinating people over 80 around February 8th, and sometime after that, people over 75. We were thinking maybe the middle of February for our first dose.

Then Tuesday, I received an email saying that people over 75 and essential workers (including teachers) could make appointments for the first dose at the clinic run by St. Charles Health System, the organization that runs our local hospital. We clicked on the link and discovered we could get the first dose of the vaccine as early as late Wednesday. We didn't want to have to drive all the way home from the Fairgrounds after dark, so we picked mid-day on Thursday.

When Thursday rolled around, we donned all our winter gear (except for the snowshoes) and took an umbrella, just for good measure, because we expected we would be spending some time outdoors. As we arrived at the parking lot, a greeter asked us if we needed handicapped parking and/or a ride to the building in a golf cart. We're both in good shape, so we said we could walk, which we did. People in the ticket booths checked that we actually had appointments. They gave us each a clipboard with a sanitized pen and a form to fill out. Other volunteers directed us to the entrance of the building.

They had ropes to keep people moving along, just like at the airport, with separation dots and tables interspersed along the way so people could have a place to fill out the paperwork without getting too close to others. They had boxes for us to leave our pens when we were done. Volunteers were available to help with the paperwork if needed.

Next they checked our paperwork, entered the information in a computer and assigned us to a "chair" for the actual vaccinations. They had a big screen with the number of vaccinations they had given so far. It said, "8,594." I don't know how long the time period was for that.

Someone was keeping track of the empty chairs and directed us to a person who had just finished giving a shot. DH got his vaccine first, while I took photos.

I took this selfie when I received my vaccine.

Because we were good while we were being vaccinated, we each received a a sticker. No candy, though, for obvious reasons.

We were told that it was the Pfizer vaccine. I didn't care which vaccine I received. I was just so happy to get it!

More volunteers steered us to a place where we could make the appointment for the second dose in three weeks.

We had to sit in a big waiting room for 15 minutes to make sure we were OK before leaving. I could have gotten my knitting out, but I checked my emails instead and posted my photos to Facebook.

We had a place to take a selfie on the way out.

We saw a lot of members of the National Guard helping with checking people in and making appointments for the second dose.

As far as I know, Oregon is still just vaccinating essential workers (including teachers). I can only guess that the distribution somehow provided more vaccine to the St. Charles system than they could give if they just restricted it to those people already eligible. It has been very organized, so I'm pretty sure it isn't something like the situation where some Oregon health workers were stuck in a snowstorm after a semi jack-knifed and offered vaccine to other stranded motorists because they realized the vaccine would expire before they could get to their destination. Or even like the event the other night in Seattle, when a freezer broke down, sending workers scurrying to find people to vaccinate before the vaccine would spoil. Like in the Chinese curse, we live in interesting times!

We've been walking almost every day, sometimes along the trail, but when it's muddy, just around the neighborhood on the sidewalks.

Just when I was pondering whether I would dare go to the Rose City Yarn Crawl now that my immunity should be pretty close to complete about the middle of that event, I received an email from the organizers. The Rose City Yarn Crawl is now going to be virtual. That means a) I can participate for sure, and b) I don't have to make a decision about whether to travel to Portland.

What's on my needles: The Mystery KAL, and ready to CO for a project for the Love in the Sugar Grove JAL (knit and crochet) in the Goetz Doll group on Ravelry. (Not as racy as it sounds.) I should be able to start it soon, because I expect to have some time between the Mystery KAL Clue #2 and Clue #3, which will come out on Wednesday.

What's on my sewing machine: Sitting idle right now.

What's in my hoop: Still the whole-cloth quilt. A lot more progress this week. I like working on it in the evening in front of the fire. I have a good light over my chair, and it's good for my body to alternate between knitting and quilting.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Pippa's First Snow! Pippa learns that not everything that comes down from the sky is rain. This story was somewhat time-intensive, because of getting the dolls dressed in all the winter clothes and then having them doing things in the snow.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann a nonfiction book. Very interesting, especially after having lived in Oklahoma for several years.

What's in my wine glass: Akiyoshi 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Clarksburg, California. Nice.

What's my tip of the week: When I'm hand-quilting cross-hatching, I don't quilt straight across the quilt. If the quilt is stretched, the thread can break or the knots pop out from inside the quilt. Instead, I quilt in a zig-zag pattern, which will stretch without putting a lot of stress on the thread. I often use 3-4 needles, so I can work my way across the area without moving the hoop or unthreading and threading one needle.