Steek, Not Steak!

Autocorrect has finally learned that steek and steeking are acceptable words in the English language. Its most common word to substitute (as in "change it to") is steak, with steep a close second. However, this is a steek:

For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a cut in knitted fabric. It's used when you knit in the round with the intention to cut it in one or more places before making up the garment. It allows you to work always on the right side, a real advantage for working in two colors. Some stitches are added to each side of where the cut will go. With all but the stickiest, clingiest yarn, some form of stabilization is used. I prefer machine sewing just inside the steek. This can be done before or after cutting. The machine stitching keeps the knitted fabric from fraying. In this project, I knitted the two sleeves together in the round separated by steeks. Here you can see the two sleeves after the first steek was cut. I like to make two lines of stitching in one direction between the first and second vertical row of stitches and between the second and third. I cut the two pieces apart by cutting right down the middle, along the wider dark stripe. 

I do the same thing with the front.

I end up with three pieces for this doll sweater.

Then I trim by cutting along the row of stitches between the second and third vertical row when I sew the sleeve seams or when I add the front bands to the body. It leaves a very narrow but stable seam allowance. I do the same thing with the armholes (armscye is the technical term). For this project, I grafted the shoulders together first, but they can be bound off and sewn or connected using a 3-needle bind-off. For doll projects, I prefer grafting (using the Kitchener stitch) because there is less bulk.

I started this cardigan for Jolena last June. With the move, no access to my sewing machine and other projects, it got pushed aside. However, I finished it this week, so here is Jolena, maybe looking a little proud of her new Finnish cardigan.

I called this one Kisu Takki, which means "Kitty Jacket" in Finnish, because of the kitties. It's a free pattern, suitable for learning to make steeks in a project that is more than a sample and yet small enough not to frighten you to death when you have to cut it apart. As is typical for Scandinavian sweaters, the raw edges of the front steek is enclosed in a knitted band that is folded over on itself. I used a dark green for lining the hems, and the front and neck bands.

The free pattern is here. One person besides me has already made it, but she used the directions for my Stavanger Cardigan along with the new charts. (The Stavanger has red trim in place of the green, and sheep instead of kitties, with a geometric motif in place of the fish.)

Before finishing the Kisu Takki Cardigan, I finished up Alister's wardrobe. I was running short of time, so I altered Billy's PJs to fit. All that was needed was to shorten the sleeves. Now I have to make Billy some new ones.

Alister couldn't go to Zachary's home without some kind of bathing suit, so I pulled out more batik from my fabric stash. All he needs is a boogie board.

I had been concerned about Alister's leg, which bent at an odd angle, a common issue with Kidz n Cats dolls like Alister. While he was wearing his bathing suit, I thought I would try to fix it. I did a little research, which led me to believe I might be able to tighten up the joint with a simple procedure. Here he is before:

And here he is after.

All I needed to do was (please skip this paragraph if you're squeamish) pull his leg (and I'm not pulling yours!) until it was out of the socket but still attached by the elastic...um...ligaments, twist it 360º and let it go gently back into the socket.

Alister is on his way to his new home, and may already be there, as he was supposed to arrive today. Next Monday is Zachary's birthday, so it's in plenty of time. Alister wrote Zachary a letter describing his life in Houston before he came to live with me after Hurricane Harvey destroyed his home. He is no longer being produced, as Kidz n Cats has stopped production. I guess you could say he is a collector's item now, but he has been looking forward to going to live with Zachary. I'm sure he will have a good life there.

Friday's The Doll's Storybook was called A Good Turn. I enter into the story line by being sick in bed, although I remain offstage. (I'm not currently sick. This is a work of fiction.) Here's a photo from the story. See if you can guess what the dolls are up to.

If you only read one of my stories, this should probably be the one. People have been telling me it's the best one. I did have a lot of fun writing it and taking the photos. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it and share it with any youngsters in your family or circle of friends.

Saturday, the choir at Trinity sang for the memorial service for the wife of a choir member. It was a beautiful service. I had met her at church, but didn't really get to know her. She was three years younger than I am. She and her husband were on a cruise off the coast of Mexico (if I remember correctly) when she developed pneumonia. She was evacuated by helicopter to a hospital on the mainland, where she succumbed to the disease. Her immune system was compromised due to her second kidney transplant a few years ago. I assume she was on immunosuppressant drugs to keep her from rejecting the kidney. I have my issues, but I feel blessed that nothing that's wrong with me is life-threatening, at least as far as I know.

The weather has warmed up. The snow in the yard is almost gone. Friends in Park City have been posting photos of recent snow with huge walls along the streets in our old neighborhood, Summit Park. I'm so glad to be here. We have been walking just about every day. On Saturday, we decided to hit the Larkspur trail for part of our walk, which brought the total "mileage" to just over a mile. There were some muddy patches, but it was pleasant.

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring weather, or if some readers are in the Southern Hemisphere, the fall weather. Happy April Fool's Day!


What's on my needles: Fiesta Fun, a dress for Vroni using the pattern I got for free for participating in the KAL for Jacknitss' patterns, Designs by Jacqueline Gibb. I'm planning on making the dress version. Just cast on, so nothing much to show yet. I'm using Knit Picks Telemark in "Caution." (The yarn is long discontinued, but some of my stash has been around for a while.)

What's on my sewing machine: Clothes for Billy. He will be needing new PJs, and I want to make him some Cargo pants similar to the ones I made for Alister, or perhaps Capri-length.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt. I managed to get a little quilting done this week, but not much.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: A Good Turn, where I enter into the story, offstage.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Frankenstein: City of Night, Book Two by Dean Koontz, then Frankenstein: Dead and Alive, Book Three. Now listening to Frankenstein: Lost Souls, Book Four. I expect to finish up the series this week. I enjoy Dean Koontz. His books are full of suspense and horror, but also humor, and his writing is very poetic. This series has a little more humor than usual.

What's in my wine glass: Révélation Cabernet-Merlot Pays D'Oc de Badet, Clément & Cie, Elevé dans nos chais ("Raised in our cellars"), 2017. Very nice. From France, in case you couldn't figure that out. 

What's my tip of the week: A while back I mentioned that when I remove the kitchen trash bag, I put four bags in the bottom, folded one at a time, before lining the trash can again, a technique I learned from motel stays. I recently came across this quick way to line the trash can with the new bag, and I've been using it. Maybe you will want to give it a try. So easy a kid can do it. Or maybe a doll?

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.

Hodgepodge

We finally got the rail up between the kitchen eating area and the family room.

Some previous inhabitant had taken it out when the wood floor was laid down, and the rail was never put back. There's a drop from the eating area to the sunken family room, so it was dangerous.  We hired a handyman to do the work. He also installed a rail around the back deck, another place where there was an accident waiting to happen. It still needs painting. We were getting some rain, and he had to work it in while it was dry. So we have it covered up with a tarp. Of course, on Sunday, when I took this photo, it wasn't raining. It was quite nice.

You can see that Dusty is enjoying the sunshine and the warmer temperatures. I'm working to get Alister ready to go to his new home in early April. I started with a sweater for him using the same pattern as the one I did the previous week for Billy. It's the 42 Shawl Neck Sweater & Cap pattern by Jacqueline Gibb, only I haven't made the hat.

I made it the way I did Billy's, but with different yarn, and I made the collar all in one piece, using dpns to handle the curve, even though the collar is knit back and forth.

The pattern calls for working each side separately and then sewing the collar together at the back neck. The back is open from the neck down to allow doll's dresser (or valet?) to get the arms into the sleeves easily. Then it closes with buttons.

Saturday I made Alister a shirt. I plan to make some casual pants to go with the shirt, which is batik from Connecting Threads. (I don't know if they still have this fabric. It has been some time since I bought it. They do still carry batik fabrics, though.)

The shirt was a chore to make. The pattern pieces didn't fit together very well, and I ended up redrafting them. Here's the back.

Alister is a Kidz n Cats doll. They have recently stopped producing them, but some of them are still available new.

The pups had their monthly grooming appointment, followed by the usual post-grooming stupor. (Dusty is really getting silver.)

They are still soft and velvety. 
The weather has been cold and rainy, but we managed to get in a few walks. Here's the one we did on Saturday, just on the streets around our neighborhood to avoid getting the clean pups in the mud.

I made my "Spotted Angel" for supper Friday.

It's made with rown rice, black beans, onions, 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, yoghurt, silken tofu, cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, quick and easy. Just layer the rice, beans and vegetables in an oblong pan, sprinkle some cheese on top of that, then run the other ingredients in the blender and pour over everything. I added more cheese on top. Sometimes I use bread crumbs.

I had a doctor's appointment, a visit to the dentist and a haircut during the week, and those things cut into the play time, but I managed to get this week's story written and the photos taken.

What's on my needles: Still the Coastal Skies Shawl, finished a sweater for Alister.

What's on my sewing machine: Clothes for Alister.

What's in my hoop: Still the Spring Flowers quilt. I was hoping to work on it this week, but life got in the way. Now I need to finish getting Alister's clothes ready, so I can ship him off.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Need a Hobby? We have a variety to choose from.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Four Graces by D. E. Stevenson. Then listened to Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz. Now listening to the next in the series, City of Night. I may just go right through. I listened to the entire series a few years ago, but with big gaps between them. It's nice to keep the continuity, and it has been a while.

What's in my wine glass: Cherry Blossom Pinot Noir 2016. Very nice, and not at all like cherry juice.

What's my tip of the week: If you buy those English cucumbers that come shrink-wrapped in plastic, they will keep longer if you remove all the plastic before storing. I like to wrap the unused portion of cucumber in paper towel and place in a plastic bag. The plastic is hard to remove. I usually just cut through the plastic to get the size piece I want. If I'm chopping the cucumber for salad or raita (Indian dish made with yoghurt), I slice the piece lengthwise before chopping. The plastic is easy to remove then. Getting the plastic off the piece I plan to store is more difficult, but worth the effort.

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.

Dolls Have Taken Over My Life!

I did get away from the dolls for a little while this week, but not before Vroni unplugged my computer.

Or maybe she was trying to keep the plug from falling into the dog dish, on the floor to her right.

Common Treads met at Karan's. She and Margareth were working on blocks from "Moose's Misadventures," a class from Davidene's. 

Georgette had just started a needlepoint project. I'll try to get a photo when she has more done.

My better half has been trying to take advantage of the few remaining days of autumn to get the outdoor repairs done, primarily painting and staining the decks, so he isn't able to go for walks or hikes with the dogs, so I have been taking them alone. Saturday was a beautiful day, and fairly warm (60-ish), so we went to Toll Canyon. 

We only went as far as the watering hole, because I was afraid to venture further into the forest alone with the dogs, because of the likelihood of encountering moose or other wild animals. It's difficult to grab two off-leash dogs quickly when you're alone, and Rocky doesn't hear as well as he used to, so I didn't want to take a chance. It's a nice hike, though, even staying on the road. You might encounter a bicycle or two, but no cars, so it's safe for the dogs to run. Dusty needs a lot of exercise at his age, so it's good for him to be able to run free.

I finished the iPhone pouch for my niece.

You can't tell from the photo of the finished pouch, but it's lined with batik. I gave her the choice of three fabrics for lining. She chose the one in the middle.

I'm making progress on the Tyrolean coat for Vroni, using the Kitty Cat 3 pattern, which is a hooded cape in two lengths, as a jumping-off place for the coat. The coat pattern is Jacknits Town and Country Coat but without the collar. I plan to make the hat from the pattern, as well, because I think it can be made to look like a Tyrolean hat. Just the sleeves to go. Here's how it looked yesterday.

The dolls did manage to rope me into doing some sewing for them. Now that I have a pajama pattern that fits the Götz Happy Kidz/Classic Kidz dolls, I've made one for Mandy.

The first pair of PJs fit Dolly, so now they can all be cozy.

A couple of weeks ago, I cut out Capri-length leggings for Dolly and some full-length leggings for Vroni. I finally was able to get them sewn up. I'm trying to get done with the stretch fabric, so I can put my Kenmore zig-zag machine away, although I'm finding it useful for finishing off the seams items made from woven fabrics, too. I still had the batiks out for my niece to choose for lining, and picked one of the ones left over to make a top for Dolly.

The pattern is the slender version of the Tennis Dress from Joan Hinds' Best Doll Clothes Book, but with the short sleeves from Simplicity 1484. 

Then I used the same pattern, but altered the chest measurement and armholes to come up with this top for Vroni, with my puffed sleeve pattern for the sleeves.

Finally, I made a longer version for Mandy, for a dress to go with the hot pink leggings I made awhile back. This one has long sleeves.

I was ready for a nice pot of tea, when I found them plotting what they would convince me to make for them next.

I wonder if I need to open a college fund for each of them.

What's on my needles: Still Vroni's Tyrolean Coat.

What's on my Featherweight: Um…guess.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Kill Me Again, by Rachel Abbott. I’m about halfway through Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Gato Negro Malbec, very nice.

What's my tip of the week: I have a neat little acrylic board with sandpaper next to an open area. The sandpaper section is great for drawing on fabric, for appliqué, etc. 

The open area and the back are great for applying glue to buttons, Velcro or fabric. The glue will wash out, and you can sew through it when you're using your machine. If the needle gets gunked up with glue after a while, you can either remove it to wash it off with water or clean it in place with a little rubbing alcohol. The acrylic board can be cleaned the same way, but I try not to get the sandpaper wet.

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 were harmed during the production of this blog post.