I Found One

I found an entrelac baby bootie pattern that works for me. It's in here:

The book arrived yesterday from Amazon. I've already started the first one.

It looks a little weird at the moment, but I assure you, it will look like a bootie when I'm done.

While waiting for the book to arrive, I knit a doll skirt for the JID girls.

In real life, the purple is much darker and the sparkles are green. It will go nicely with the lavender mohair sweater I knit last year and still haven't done anything with it.

I also have finished the 17th character in my Mini Star Trek cross stitch project, the Gorn.

He's so darn cute! I made a change in this pattern. I made the gauntlets a little longer and the hands green instead of brown like the gauntlets, and I made the colors of his outfit closer to what they are in real life.

I only have 2 characters left. The next one will be KHAAAAANN! Heh heh.

Sweet hubby had 3 interviews this week, but no offers, yet. It's been almost 8 months now. It gets discouraging, but he keeps applying for jobs. We can't give up.

The flowering plum is loaded with flower buds. We are having a beautiful day today too. The temperature is a perfect 72 with sunshine and partly cloudy skies. I ate my lunch out on the deck and soaked up some much needed vitamin D. All the flowering trees are blooming in Coeur d'Alene already. We're about 2 weeks behind them. Kind of weird. We're only 17 miles away, but our climate is so different.

Well, that's the news for now.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Hats

Just a quick post so you know I'm still alive. I'm using my phone to post this.

I took a break from the entrelac project to knit doll hats. I have seven outfits made for the shop that need them. I've done five.

A sixth is almost done. I'm looking forward to getting them in the shop.

Saw my doctor today. I've been coughing a lot for several weeks now,  and I needed to do something about it. I asked what is causing the cough? He answered "Linda, that is the asthma".  Oh. Oops. The new asthma medication I started in January is not working. So now I'm taking Prednisone for a week and starting yet another new asthma medication. Ugh. I hope it works cuz I'm so tired of coughing.

Had a nice day weather-wise. Warm sunshine for a bit. I opened the back door and let the fresh air in for a couple hours.

We have snow storm warnings starting late tonight until late tomorrow night. What the...?

Live long and prosper. \\//

Finally In The Shop

I spent the weekend working on my Etsy shop, amongst other things. I finished up the following two outfits to fit Iplehouse JID dolls, photographed them, and entered them in the shop. I sure hope they sell.

Sierra is modeling them. I think she looks very elegant.

I plan to make some jewelry and hats to go with a few of the doll dresses I made last year (Or was it the year before?) and getting the dresses up on Etsy before the end of the month. Hopefully, I will start generating some sales. I kind of loathe knitting doll hats, but I feel the need to have them.

The weather warmed up over the weekend and today was glorious. I actually sat out on the deck and read a novel in the sunshine for awhile. It was so nice after the last 2 weeks of snow and cold. The sun was warm, and the air smelled nice. I think spring is finally coming. I was surrounded by piles of snow, but the sun was so warm it didn't matter. The snow is melting like crazy.

I gave the scarf to Jim yesterday and he loves it. I'm so glad. He probably won't get much use out of it now, but it'll be there for him next winter.

I finished the second sleeve of the entrelac cardigan. I need to block the pieces before I can continue with the knitting. I will try to get that done tomorrow morning before I go to Rathdrum Knitalong. Then I'll be all set for knitting the next step.

That's all for now. Live long and prosper. \\//

Luna In Red

I was digging around the pictures on my hard drive looking for something specific and ran across these. I had intended to blog them earlier this summer. Here's Luna, in red.

Unfortunately, I can't remember where I got the outfit.

Such a sweet face.

We got some snow the end of last week-about 8 inches total. Then it warmed up and rained for 2 days so a lot of it melted. Today it was dry and partly cloudy. I actually saw the sunshine. They're saying all next week will be in the 40's. I would like that. Maybe the last of the snow will go away. We still have a lot of it around.

Yesterday I helped my husband paint the new office we've been building in the loft of the garage. It's almost ready for him to move into. He did the second coat today. He's very excited about it. He also built a long desk to put in the office. He put a clear lacquer finish on it today. It's turned out really pretty. I should take a picture of it.

Live long and prosper. \\//

A Pink Outfit for Sierra

After much casting on, frogging, and starting over, I've finally finished this outfit for Sierra, and it fits properly.

I hope I kept proper notes so I can do it again. I've also knit this mint top.

I was hoping it would fit her, but it's way too tight, so I'm going to have to try again. It fits Ellowyne, though, so I'm not frogging it. The yarn for this little thing came from China.

I was looking on Ebay for lace or fingering weight affordable Angora yarn. I'm talking rabbit Angora. This one claimed to be that, but as it turns out, it's goat Angora, which technically is Mohair. I guess it lost something in translation. I wish I could find what I'm looking for. Oh well. I'll just have to manage with what I can get.

We've had fabulous weather the last few days. It's been sunny and even warm enough to sit out on the deck. I've been winterizing the yard. Friday I put all the deck furniture cushions away and stacked the furniture. I swept the leaves and pine needles off the deck. I've taken some occassions to just sit in the sun and enjoy too.

Did I say I cleaned the hot tub? Twice a year I empty it, clean the filter, scrub out the inside to shining, and then refill it. Well, I don't know what happened but it leaks like a sieve now. We thought the pump was the source of the leak. Some things had come loose and water was coming out of it. Doug fixed it, but the darn tub is still leaking. I'm so tired of this thing breaking down and needing repairs. Ugh.

The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day. Winter is coming soon. The weather guru's are saying snow next weekend. I better get out there and enjoy the sun while I can.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Today - Birds

The Parkarosa Bird Buffet is pretty busy lately. Mostly I have Chickadees, a Nuthatch, Pine Siskins, and various finches. However, there are some new birds hanging around lately I thought I'd share.

This year I hung a Hummingbird feeder in the buffet tree. It's getting customers.

I'm pretty sure this is a Calliope hummingbird. Haven't been able to see it's chest yet but we only get two types at my house and this definitely isn't a Rufous. The Rufous is brown.

A Black Headed Grosbeak showed up about 2 weeks ago.

The poor fellow seems to be alone. I've yet to see a mate.

He eats a lot too.

This last customer I call Birdus Squirrelus.

We've always had grey squirrels around here, but this is the first time any have bothered my feeders. He shows up while the front sprinklers are on which is why he's soaking wet. He spends a few minutes eating, then leaves. So I don't think I'm going to worry about it, unless he starts bringing friends. If that happens, I will be having a long talk with my cats.

Asa has new clothes. My sister, Jodie, made this dress to fit her.

She has some more she's made available for purchase on her web site, Jodie's Creations. If you have an Iplehouse JID girl, give her site a visit. Jodie's Creations

I've been working on Asa's kimono when I can. I have the body

and sleeves done.

I just have to put them together. It's going to fit Asa perfectly.

This is going to be my last post for awhile. We're heading out for Rhode Island to visit our daughter and son-in-law for a few days. I'll resume posting when I get back.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Adventures In Doll Kimonos

Had a very nice weekend. It was beautiful on Saturday. We'd had a couple days of rain so all the pine pollen was washed away. I was able to open the doors and windows and let the breeze go through the house.

Earlier last week 2 kimono patterns I'd ordered for dolls arrived, so I decided to get started on making a kimono for Asa. The patterns were difficult to understand without knowing something about kimonos, like how they're worn, why they were worn, etc. So I spent the morning googling kimonos. I learned quite a bit. The Japanese culture is so full of ritual. It fascinates me. Anyway, I could understand the patterns much better. I decided to make the kimono from a pattern designed for Ellowyne Wilde I bought from the Etsy shop DGRequim because it was the easiest looking.

Asa is just a bit bigger than Ellowyne, but kimonos usually fit loose. I took careful measurements and it looked like it was going to fit Asa.

There are actually 2 kimonos worn together. An under kimono with narrower sleeves is worn that is usually white, though any solid color can be used. The thing about this particular pattern is that she's designed it so it looks like there's an under kimono, but there isn't. However, the option to make one is in the pattern. I opted to make one. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. However, it's just a tad too small for Asa. It fits Ellowyne perfectly.

The second pattern I have is a little larger than the first one, so I am going to try it out. It's from Doll Pattern Bazaar on Etsy. The first pattern above actually has some waist shaping in it, which is not put in a regular kimono. This pattern here doesn't have it. It should fit Asa fine width-wise. I just need to add some length to the body. I hope to work on this next weekend.

I am currently working with cotton fabric on this project. I want to know what I'm doing before I get into something fancier. In the meantime, I found a very reasonably priced piece of embroidered silk on Ebay that I've bought for the fancier kimono, when I'm ready.

While I was sewing for my dolls, my husband was working on the hot tub. If you'll remember, it developed a serious leak last fall. He thought he'd work on it during the winter, but that didn't happen. He finally started working on it a few weeks ago, mostly cuz I was whining about it. (Heh heh). He's been working on it for several weekends rebuilding the inner workings, as well as the skirting around it. He wanted to finish it and get it out of his hair (as he put it) this last weekend. It's been a big project. He got it done and set it up back where it belongs beside the deck. On Monday I cleaned it out thoroughly because it had pollen, dust, dead bugs, sand, and all manner of icky stuff in it. Then I filled it with clean water. I couldn't get it to turn on though. So I had to wait until Sweet Hubby was home from work. He said the pump needed to be primed. He did that for me and got everything working.

On Tuesday morning I finally got to sit in the hot tub for a good soak again. My back is so happy.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Random Newsy Stuff

Spring is here. Yay! My flowering Cherry is in bloom. It has 4 small bunches of flowers on it.

Not as good as last year, but I'm not complaining. At least it's blooming.

My daffodils are in full form too. These ones were planted the year we moved here. We had a huge bulb garden. Unfortunately, the deer thought it was their personal smorgasbord. The only thing they didn't eat was these daffs. We planted grass and turned the bed into part of the lawn. The daffs survived and are 25 years old now. I admire their persistence.

This past week I've been working on a baby cardigan for the next layette set.

I got an idea to make it look like a lettermans jacket. It requires knitting in Intarsia if I want to knit from the top down and have no seams to sew. Haven't done Intarsia since I had my shop. I'm happy with how it's going so far.

I had intended to do a Caturday post yesterday, but my plans were altered. So I'll post the pics of my kitties now instead.

Chenille is hangin' in her window bed. She loves this silly thing and spends a lot of her time in it. It's just her size. The boys are too big to fit in it.

Here she is atop the cat tree. I actually took this before we moved the tree to the dining room. Just never got around to posting it. She loves posing for the camera.

I got Merino on the cat tree a couple days ago. He has his "I'm a ferocious panther" expression.

That changed when I started giving him chin scritches.

I could not get Cashmere to sit for a photo. I had to wait until he was asleep. When the boys did this, I had to grab the camera. They don't sleep together very often. There isn't quite enough room for both of them on this chair.

Some news I haven't shared yet. I was texting with my sister earlier last week, talking doll talk as usual. I brought up the subject of an Iplehouse JID doll I've been wanting. I've been saving the money I make teaching knitting classes for this doll. I went to the Iplehouse site to get the link so she could see it, and we ended up both talking each other into ordering new dolls. They were on sale. A good sale at that! Price was knocked down $150. I've ordered JID Asa. She'll have the same face-up as in this photo, and I've ordered that beautiful black wig for her as well. I could not get the red outfit. Not to fear, though. She's the same size as Sierra, so she'll fit in clothes I already have.It's no longer available I guess. She will be here in a few weeks. I'm excited.

We were discussing how hard it is to find clothes to fit these dolls. It's the biggest complaint about them. We're going to see if we can fill that need a bit and make clothes to sell.

Speaking of doll clothes. I've already been working on some dresses to fit the JID girls to sell in my Etsy store. The knitting is done. One is pink.

The other is light yellow with blue fur yoke.

Not very good pics (I took them with the phone while texting sis), but you get the idea. I'm making jewelry this weekend to go with them. Then it's official photo time.

It's a beautiful day out today. I think I'll go get some sunshine.

Live long and prosper. \\//

Ruby - Light Peach by Liz Frost

Two Saturdays ago a box from Australia arrived at our house.

I opened the box and unwrapped the contents.

It was my new doll, Light Peach Ruby from Liz Frost! YAY! I installed the grey eyes that came with her, and put a red wig on her head. Oh my goodness! She's gorgeous! Look at that sweet little face.

I had a new outfit waiting for her that I got from JackisCreations on Etsy. It's perfect for Ruby.

I love the little knit sweater and crocheted hat.

I ordered another outfit for her from FantasyFrocksDesigns, also on Etsy. It arrived today. So here are a bunch of pics I took with Ruby wearing it.

I really love this doll.

She's posing on my piano.

The light wasn't very good because it's winter now and our days have been depressingly dark lately, but my camera managed to do a decent job.

So glad I ordered her.

Live long and prosper. \\//

My Prize!

The prize I won for the photo contest arrived. Yay! It's a little pink Chanel suit. It's so cute!

I love the black trim and the vintage buttons. It also came with a cute little choker necklace and a book called The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby. It's a novel about the pink suit that Jackie Kennedy was wearing on the day her husband, President Kennedy, was assassinated. It sounds intriguing, and I've just finished a novel so I need  something new to read.

We are getting rained on this week. 3 big storms are supposed to be passing through and really dumping on us. Yesterday was the first storm. It dumped 1.5 inches of rain on us, according to our rain gauge. That is a lot of rain! Today it's been very windy. Rain will be here sometime tonight for the second wave.

The county inspector came by today to inspect the garage/shop. It did not pass. She found 4 things to complain about. They were valid complaints, though one is going to be a real pain to deal with. All the insulation is installed, and it's covered by a moisture barrier. Consequently, she couldn't see the roof purlins, She needs to see them, how they're attached to the trusses. She said pictures would work, so I showed her some I'd taken when they were building it, but she said that wasn't good enough. Not sure how this problem is going to be solved.

Tomorrow is puppy day. SQUEE!

Live long and prosper. \\//

Third Place

Well, the doll photography contest is over so now I can tell you about it. I won 3rd place, which is not bad. I have to admit the 1st place winner was pretty darn good.

The theme of the contest was Favorite Television Show. Well, Star Trek! What else? First, though, I needed costumes for my dolls, which you'll remember, I knitted.

Here's the pic I entered.

Here's my poem:

To boldly go, brave explorers they be.
Aboard the Enterprise NCC-1701 B.
Strange places and species they get to see.

Some aliens are dangerous and others friendly.
Spread out all over the galaxy.
Their captain, so wise and handsome is he.
With all that excitement, how can it be?
Miss Ellowyne still has her (yawn) ennui.

No one said I'm a good poet. My story was they're waiting for Scotty to beam them up after a successful mission welcoming the planet Dragonia into the Federation of Planets. They're making friends with two of the natives while they wait.

Hey. I got third place. The prize was my choice of an outfit donated by group members. I chose a Pink suit with black trim that comes with a book entitled The Pink Suit. It should be here soon.

Live long and prosper. \\//