Covered Up

The salad and garlic naan we had with our Slow Cooker Indian-Spiced Red Lentil Soup. I just thought it made a pretty picture.

The first sleeve of the Kultainen käki Cardigan is coming along, in spite of a busy week. One more increase, and then straight until it's long enough. I really like the feel of the yarn.

While I was at church yesterday and Charlie was "watching" the dogs, Sandy decided to take up knitting again. The yarn was a tangled mess when Daddy took it away, still indoors, having not made it out the dog door to the muddy backyard. Fortunately, the few stitches dropped from one needle on the sleeve were easily replaced, and the tangled mess was only attached to the body, right at the sleeve divide. It's so much easier to untangle if you can find one single end, so I broke the yarn at the sleeve divide and untangled it while rolling it into a ball.

I've since wound the ball into a center-pull ball, so I'm ready to go when I get back to the body again. He had already raided my purse earlier, removing my knitted cap, gloves and my wallet and taking them out to the backyard. I found them all spread out there in the yard, as if he were trying to figure out how to use what he had discovered. The wallet itself will need some repair. The credit cards and various ID documents were a bit dirty. I recovered everything, I think.

As promised, here's a photo of my progress on the placemats. One placemat almost finished. Just one inch more of the rags, than the edging/hem to do and finally some weaving to space the placemats apart. Since the weaving is turning out 14" wide, I've decided to make the placemats 20" long instead of the 18" planned. They will probably shrink when washed, anyway.

The design is made by the warp. I'm putting the rags (weft) in helter-skelter, as the mood and supplies dictate. Each placemat will be different.

I picked up some backing for Soren's quilt this week. It's a quirky quilt, but I think he will enjoy looking at all the fabrics in it, the way I did when I was a child with a quilt on my bed. I think the backing looks like a galaxy far away.

Another step in winterizing the RPod 171 was a challenge. We had to turn off two valves in the water heater before putting the antifreeze in. (You don't want the antifreeze to go into the water heater.) We knew where the water heater was: under the bed, right next to the fridge. Posts we had read indicated that we might have to lift the plywood bed platform to get to it, so we moved the mattress into the "dining room."

Then we had a look at the plywood section of the bed platform that covered up the water heater and that side of the pass-through storage. Charlie unscrewed the plywood and then we started working on trying to get the plywood up.

It probably would have come up easily, except that this one piece of decorative molding on the fridge cabinet was holding it down. 

We debated about whether we were going to have to cut a hole in the plywood or make a notch in the molding. I couldn't believe it would be that difficult, if we were supposed to get to where the water heater was and turn off or on the bypass valves twice a year. I decided to have a look at the area where the water heater was in the storage area. The arrow in the photo below points to the bay door. Right under the tip of the arrow is the vent for the water heater. (You can turn the power on and off there, but you can't reach the valves.)

I opened the bay door and peered in. I found a panel covering the water heater. There were screws in each corner, holding the panel onto a sort of a wood frame. Hmm....

Before we start sawing wood, I suggested, let's call the service department at the dealer, and Charlie agreed. (For him to ask directions, he really must not have wanted to start cutting up this expensive investment!) We soon had someone from Service on the phone. We put him on speaker, so we both could talk and listen. We explained what we wanted to do and what our problem was. The dealer sells lots of different makes and types of RV. Our RP 171 may have been the only one of that model they had in the past year. However, when I mentioned to the service person that this panel had screws in it, he suggested that we try that first, since it would be easy to take off.

While Charlie did that, I set to work making more tomato jam. I wrote the date on the top of these jars, because this was the second batch I would have in the fridge.

I was just wiping them off when Charlie came in and said that he had turned off the valves on the water heater and was ready to pour in the antifreeze. He said it was easy. (Easy if you know how to get into the water heater.)

We didn't get many walks in this week due to rain at all the wrong times, but Friday was a nice day, other than being cool, so we decided to go to Good Dog Off-leash Trail just after lunch. Dusty cried all the way there, because he had figured out where we were going and was excited. The crying got louder after we crossed the overpass over Hwy 97. Sandy just sat relaxed and looked out the window. When we got there and let the dogs off their leashes at the trail, they were both on the same page, though.

Dusty made sure to scatter his version of bread crumbs so we could find out way back.

We were able to walk quickly along the trail. Both dogs stayed fairly close to us, running up ahead and then making a loop back around us.

We took a picture of the map of the trail, although it's hard to read on your phone. Later we found a pdf version for next time.

Here's a screen shot of our hike from the Walk for a Dog app. We were hoping to come across the access to the river (that blue squiggle in the bottom right corner), but gave up when we thought we had been out long enough.

Next time, maybe we'll pack a picnic lunch and follow a planned trail. We've seen photos of the dogs playing at the water's edge, so we know we can get there. It was a lovely hike, though.

You've probably heard that we had an eclipse. Charlie got up early, because it was supposed to start about 8:45 AM and reach full magnitude about 9:13 AM. We took the dogs and went down to the end of the street, where we expected to have an unrestricted view of the eclipse. Charlie had his special glasses.

It was pretty cloudy, so we didn't really expect to see much of anything, but periodically the clouds would shift, and you could use the special glasses to see what was happening. Later, as it got closer to the full magnitude, the clouds were thin enough that you could see the eclipse with the naked eye. I tried to take photos of it, but the camera couldn't capture what we saw.

We had a nice visit with the neighbors who live in the house on the corner.

Sunday, besides church and Sandy's misadventures, Charlie and the dogs went to a meet-up group outing at Pine Nursery Off-leash area at 3:00 PM. I had an appointment to get my next Covid booster. I dropped them off and drove to the pharmacy, where I had an appointment. I was a half hour early. They told me they were running about an hour behind schedule. I was supposed to pick up my family at 4:00 PM. As it turned out, I got my shot at 3:30, the time for my appointment. I don't know what the delay was all about. There was only one other person getting a shot. (Update: They didn't fill in my shot record. They send you a link to an app called "Clear." You have to input all your previous doses. It keeps it on file in case you need it, but there's no way to print off a copy, as far as I could tell. I ended up filling in the information on my own vaccination card. You need the brand name and the Lot number. I wasted a lot of time trying to download a copy of the proof of vaccination to print it. Didn't happen.)

I got back to the park to pick up Charlie and the pups a little after 4:00. From there, we went to 10 Barrels Brewing for beer and some food. I ordered a beer called "Call of Nature." I almost didn't order it because of the name. It was good, and it didn't live up to its name.

Our next-door neighbors arrived with their two dogs, who found a nice place to wait.

Dusty and Sandy waited under the table.

One more thing: Someone who bought a copy of "Our Favorite Verses" has a friend who works at St. Jude in Memphis. She took the book to show her friend, since the royalties go to St. Jude. She shared this photo of the book and her doll Katharina with St. Jude in the background.

It's so nice to see my little books go out into the world.

This book arrives at booksellers on Wednesday of this 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 or Spoutible if you need information.

If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems 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 or Classic Tales Retold, 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 Kultainen käki Cardigan.

What's on my loom: Some progress on the placemats.

What's on my sewing machine: Johan's quilt.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Forgiven, Pauly learns something about how to deal with anger. This is an all-new story in #TheDollsStorybook.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Die Unendliche Geschichte by Michael Ende. Not much time to listen this week, for some reason.

What's in my wine glass: Shannon Ranch Big Horn Red Blend 2020. Very nice.

What's my tip of the week: Most of the time, I'm just cooking for two, but we often buy packages of frozen food designed for six or eight people. If you take out enough for only two it may leave a space of nothing but air when you put the package back in the freezer. It may cause the rest of the package to stick together making it difficult to remove only enough for two the next time. I've learned that if I divide up the package into two-person amounts when it first comes into the house, it's easier to deal with.

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

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook is available from the BookBabyBookshop and other booksellers worldwide. Poems included are Valentine's Day, Keeping Pets, Back to School, Victor the Vulture, The Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook 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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Ever More Blessed

Ever More Blessed

Carter has gone to stay with my contact person from Habitat for Humanity, but I still had more to do.

I had this lightweight fabric left over from making a dustruffle for my bed a few years ago, and they were perfect for Carter, since he's getting an orange long-sleeved T-shirt.

Then I received all these goodies in the mail for Carter and the Habitat girl. 

There were boots, dress shoes, a white T-shirt and snowshoes for Carter, and two pairs of tights, some sneakers and boots for the girl. Carter can't go snowshoeing in his overalls, slacks or shorts, so I made him some snow pants from the same felt as his jacket.

In the meantime, Therapy Animals of Utah has asked me to dress a doll for them. Someone bought the doll and a trunk, and brought them to the picnic the organization had on Saturday.

I need to make PJs and a warm jacket for Zoey, but otherwise, I think I probably have enough for her among what I've already made..

My yarn had dried, and I was able to get a photo of the skein. The fiber was from Woodland Woolworks Merino Combed Top Multicolor Mojave Heather. I Navajo-plied it. I ended up with 168 yds of 11 WPI (wraps per inch) and no waste from the 4 oz.

This was for Tour de Fleece this year, but life got in the way in the form of camping with grandkids and the Habitat for Humanity’s silent auction projects.

You may remember (if you read last week's blog post) that I'm helping one of my online friends start up a pattern company for making clothes for Götz dolls. I'm one of five people testing her patterns and the tutorials that go with them. I'm also editing and proofreading the tutorials for her. She just wants to get a couple more patterns ready before she opens for business. You can read about what she's doing and see some of the test projects (hers and those by the team of test-seamstresses) here. I'll post more information when she's ready to go public.

Anyway, here's my rendition of her wrap dress, modeled by Vroni.

It was tricky, because the fabric is almost a striped pattern, and I had to line up the stripes of tulips. It was easier on the back, because I put the center fold right down the middle of the tulips.

The next pattern will be the leggings. I'm not used to working with knit fabrics, so this will be a challenge, but I've seen the prototype, and I'm excited.

Meanwhile, I finished the "Gracie" for Mandy in Palette "Cyan" to go with the rather loose-fitting sleeveless dress I made her.

While I was taking the photo, Vroni popped in to ask Mandy what she was looking at.

I have a pink version of the Gracie Cardigan on the needles to go with the wrap dress.

Vintage stitchers met on Thursday at my house. Barbara had finished this quilt top. It's an interesting arrangement of half-square triangles.

Brenda had finished this quilt.

Julie had pieced this Winding Ways quilt top. She used a special ruler, but she said piecing the same pattern from die-cut pieces was faster.

Diane is working again on this appliqué project she started years ago when she first started quilting.

I was (still) hand-quilting my "Sistine Chapel" quilt, the Delectable Pathways.

Also along the lines of quilting, several people knew I was working on doll clothes for Habitat for Humanity and offered to make quilt blocks. I suggested houses, any colors, and pieced, appliquéd or embroidered. The blocks need to be 12" finished, or 12.5" unfinished. I pieced mine on Saturday.

I stopped by on Sunday to visit my friend Joanie, and Marilyn, who visited her the day before, had left her block with her. Here it is:

It's machine-appliquéd and embroidered. It remids me of something from a Dr. Suess book. (I wonder why that tree is floating over the earth.)

Monday, as you probably know, was the big eclipse day. We were not in the path of the totality, and we didn't travel to be somewhere where we could see the full effect, but it was noticible even here in the mountains of northern Utah. The eclipse reached its greatest effect at 93% about 11:33 AM. This was my kitchen a little after that time.

You may notice that the clock on my baking oven reads, "11:39." That was when it seemed the darkest to me, and when I took the photo. The light-activated nightlights we have all over the house all went on, too. It was still light outside, but strangely dim for having a cloudless sky. The wildlife hid, including our squirrels and birds. The dogs followed me around as I went outdoors to view the eclipse with my special glasses and indoors to do other things. (As exciting as the eclipse is, the action isn't very fast.) The first hummingbird appeared about 30 minutes after the darkest point, and then things went back to normal.

Our Wisconsin grandkids used cereal  and cracker boxes to view the eclipse.

You use a pinhole to let in the sunlight, and when you look at the inside of the box, you see the shadow of the moon crossing the light shining through the pinhole to the box wall.

The eclipse provided an opportunity for NASA to have some fun. They have a Twitter account for the Sun (@NASASun) and one for the Moon (@NASAMoon). The two accounts follow each other, of course. On Monday, the NASA Moon account blocked* the NASA Sun & Space account, took a screen shot, and posted this:

Then at the appropriate time, the Moon account unblocked NASA Sun & Space, and posted this.

*Note: On Twitter, you can block an account you find offensive or bothersome.

Your tax dollars at work. Some people on Ravelry worked the eclipse into some of their projects, such as this one, and this.

We recorded the coverage (from CBS) and enjoyed watching the totality in Madras, Oregon, The Grand Teton National Park, and Carbondale, Illinois, where 14,000 people watched from a stadium as the clouds parted just in time for the maximum totality there. I feel fortunate to live in a time when we know how and when such things happen and can experience them in different ways with people from many different places.

Hurricane Harvey (bless his soggy heart) landed in Texas over the weekend and wreaked (wrought?) havoc on some good friends living in the Houston area, especially my dear friend Cheryl. She and her husband were rescued Sunday morning by Houston constables and taken with their dog Fraidy to a local motel. There's a good chance they have lost everything, except each other and their pup. Prayers for them and for others affected by the storm would be welcome.

I'm feeling blessed to live in an area where all the water runs off or sinks in.

What's on my needles: The Gracie Cardigan in “Cotton Candy” for Vroni.

What's on my Featherweight: Now clothes for the Therapy Animals of Utah doll, more test-sewing for Lilli & Fleur Couture.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

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

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor, one of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s novel, then listened to Lady Fortescue Steps Out, another short novel by M.C. Beaton, always adventure and romance with a touch of humor. Now listening to Why Shoot a Butler, a mystery by Georgette Heyer. On the Kindle app, finally finished Undeniable by Laura Stapleton. It was an interesting premise, but I felt as if it was translated by Google Translate from another language. It seemed to go on and on, and then the ending was abrupt, as if the author ran out of pages and had to bring it to an end.

What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake Malbec. Another budget wine that's drinkable.

What's my tip of the week: When sewing small pieces of fabric together, whether piecing a quilt or making doll clothes, try to line up pieces in an order that allows you to avoid taking the pieces just sewn out of the sewing machine before sewing the next. All machines sew better if the threads at the start of the seam aren’t hanging loose. They can tangle in the machine and make a bird’s nest. To avoid this, you have to use one hand to hold the threads tight, when you could use that hand to guide your fabric better. Then when you’re done with the seam, you have to pull out a lot of thread on the other end to cut it loose. With many starts and stops, you can run out of bobbin thread quickly. I’ll often sew together a section of one block, followed by a section of another block, even though I have more to do on the first block. Or with doll clothes, I’ll sew a seam in the bodice and then a seam for the skirt or pants, so I don’t have to pull out the thread and cut. If that isn’t practical, I use a small piece of fabric left over from cutting out my project as a parking place. As I finish the seam, I continue for a few stitches and then sew onto the parking place. Then when I’m ready for the next seam, I sew a few stitches and then start the seam.

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.