"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either." ~ Elizabeth Zimmerman

10/30/15

The Purple Wig

Before Sierra even was shipped to me, I purchased a funky black and purple wig for her. I had to take pics of her wearing it. It was difficult cuz the wig didn't want to stay in place. I need a silicone wig cap, which I've ordered but it ain't here yet. Urg.



But before doing the pics, I decided to see if the skirts I've been making for Ellowyne will fit her. They do!



In addition, a sweater I made for Ellowyne that was a little loose fits Sierra perfect, so I have an outfit to go with the purple hair! Yay!



I think she looks great in purple, but I'm biased.


Purple is my favorite color. I think everything looks great in purple.



The bangs on this wig aren't trimmed quite right. I need to fix that.




No shoes or socks yet, but we're working on that little problem. The shoes I ordered have been shipped by Iplehouse. I found underwear, socks and tights to order on Alices Collections on Tuesday, which was recommended by someone in the Facebook Iplehouse group. I sure hope they fit.

Live long and prosper. \\//

10/29/15

Mens Mittens 15

I actually knit these on the trip.



Little Brick Checks Mens Mittens (for Knitwits #15)

Pattern: 
Little Brick Checks by me.
Size: Mens Large

Yarn: 
PlymouthEncore Worsted Solids and Heathers
Content: 75% Acrylic/25% Wool, worsted weight
Color: 1444 Dark Brown Heath

Needles: Circulars 
size 5.

Cast on: August 9, 2015
Completed: October 8, 2015



I love the color of this yarn. It's shades of brown and blue.



It goes perfect with the stitch pattern.



So, that's what's finished this week, so far. I have another pair of mittens I started in the car on the trip that I am hoping to finish before next weeks Knitwits meeting.

Live long and prosper. \\//

10/28/15

Layette Set #5

I got some knitting done on my trip. I didn't get to knit as much as I thought I would, but at least I got some done, mostly in the car as we were zipping down the freeway/highway. Anyway, I've finally finished this layette set.

The blanket.


Pattern: Double Crochet Edging

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Capri Blue

Yarn: Red Heart Supersaver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: 312 Black

Hooks: Size C and G

Started: September 28, 2015
Finished: September 30, 2015

I've done the foundation row with Black, a row of single crochet with Capri Blue, then a row of double crochet in the back loops with Black.



The cardigan.


Pattern: Super Natural Stripes by Fawn Pea

Size: 0-6 months
Made for: Knitwits

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Capri Blue

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: 341 Light Grey

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: 312 Black

Needles: Circular Size 5 and 7

Cast on: September 21, 2015
Completed: September 29, 2015



I really like this combination of colors.



The hat


Pattern: Magic Coffee Baby Hat by Tracey Kay

Size: 3-6 months
Made for: Knitwits

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Capri Blue

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: 312 Black

Needles: Circular Size 5 and 7

Cast on: October 20, 2015
Completed: October 27, 2015

With this hat, I did a garter stitch cuff with one row of contrasting color, then did the stockinette part solid, no stripes. I really like how it turned out.



Pattern: Seamless Garter Tassel Booties by Karen Strauss
Size:
 6 months
Made for:
 Knitwits

Yarn: Red Heart Classic
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: Capri Blue

Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver
Content: 100% Acrylic, Worsted Weight
Color: 312 Black

Needles: Circular Size 5

Cast on: September 29, 2015
Completed: October 28, 2015


I am loving this pattern. Again, I've modified itn. I did 2.5 inches of 1x1 rib, then a garter stitch cuff to match the sweater. I also knit in a row of eyelets so I could put in cord for laces.




I'm glad I got this set done in time to take it to the next Knitwits meeting. It will be the last meeting for finished projects before we distribute everything.


I have another finished project from the trip. I will blog about that later this week.

Live long and prosper. \\//

10/27/15

Sierra

I'm back! Actually, to be honest, I've been back over a week. Just haven't gotten around to the blogging until now. My trip was successful. I sold my property without a hitch. In fact, at the closing, after signing all the paperwork, I was handed a check, which I didn't expect because I'd been told it would be sent to me a week or so later. There is no Wells Fargo bank anywhere near Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, so we hid it in our pick up truck and carefully guarded it all the way home. I deposited it as soon as I could upon arriving home.

We hooked up our trailer to our new pickup truck and drove across the country. It took 4 full days to get to our destination, my sisters house in Dafter, MI. It was a long drive. Some things I observed:

-Raccoons and skunks in Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota are not smart. Lots of them get hit by cars. There was a dead skunk about every 5 miles. When we crossed over into Michigan, the amount decreases considerably. I'm inclined to think it's cuz the skunks are smarter there, but more than likely they are just more vigilant about picking up road kill in that state.

-The fall color was spectacular the whole way. I took lots of pics, but they are all on my phone. I need to transfer them to my laptop in order to share them here. I will try to get that done this week.

-Montana is overrun with casinos.

-They grow a lot of sunflowers in North Dakota. Saw miles and miles of them. They were done blooming and standing with their heads hanging. It looked like they were all sad. On the way home, I saw miles and miles of naked stems about a foot high in the fields. They'd been harvested.

-There are some really cool geologic formations in this country. We have a wide assortment of rocks, mountains, gullies, rivers, cliffs, and bumps.

-I live in an awesomely beautiful country.

We stayed at my sister Jodie's place while in Michigan. We had a wonderful visit with her and her husband. Jodie and I did a lot of doll talking, which I really enjoyed.

The biggest job while there was cleaning up the property for the seller. My dad was your typical junk collector. We cleaned out his cabin, a small storage shed, and the garage. The garage was the biggest job. He had bags and boxes and drawers full of empty bottles, cans, and bags. There was rolls of old carpet up in the rafters of his garage, stacks of 5 gallon plastic buckets all over, and just pure garbage everywhere. We hauled 10 truck loads of junk to the dump, at $35 a load. It was hard work, and extra hard for me because I was having so much pain in my left knee. I did a lot of exactly what I wasn't supposed to be doing with that knee. T'was not fun. I was glad to get the job done.

We got home Saturday night, the 17th. We ended up coming home a day early cuz, well, we were done and had nothing to do. My sister had company show up the day before we left anyway, so we thought we'd skedaddle early. The drive home was equally smooth. The color wasn't quite as nice though. It was amazing how much things changed during that week we were at my sisters. Lots of leaves were gone.

Since arriving home I have been taking care of my knee and it's finally starting to show signs of healing. YAY! It's amazing what a little tender loving care can do.

Speaking of doll talking, I seem to have forgotten to blog that I ordered a new doll at the end of September. I can't believe I missed that. I ordered an Iplehouse ball jointed doll from the basic JID line named Sierra. I ordered the A faceup, peach gold skin tone, mobility thighs, and the Large chest (for those who know what that means). This is my first ball jointed doll (BJD) and she is also my first resin doll. Iplehouse dolls come from Seoul Korea. I wasn't sure how long it would take her to get here. I was told anywhere from 1 to 3 months. I got lucky. It was only 1. She arrived yesterday.

This is Sierra.



I'm so pleased with her. She's a wonderful doll.



 She's very different from my Ellowynes. First of all, she's way more pose-able.



She has an elastic cord running through her that attaches all the parts together and it makes her joints super flexible. She's also a little larger than Ellowyne, about an inch taller, and larger in the hips and bust. Her head is smaller though because she has more realistic proportions. She is also quite a bit heavier, which surprised me. I attribute that to her being made of resin instead of vinyl.



She has such a pretty face. They did a beautiful job on the face paint.



 She comes naked and bald, so I ordered an outfit and wig from Iplehouse too. This is what she is wearing in the pic on the Iplehouse web site. I love the outfit so much I had to have it.



I hate the boots though. They are too big. I didn't get them from Iplehouse. I got them from an Ebay seller. The boots I wanted were out of stock at the time I ordered Sierra (now they aren't even on the Iplehouse site) so I got these hoping they'd fit her. They fit in the leg, but the foot is about half an inch too long. They make her look like she has clodhopper feet. I ordered some shoes and different boots from Iplehouse this morning. I will have to do some research to find out who sells clothes and accessories that fit this doll. I need basics like underwear, stockings, and tights as well as clothes and shoes.



I do have another wig for her but haven't taken pics of it yet. I need a silicone wig cap for it, which I've ordered.

All in all, I love this doll and I'm very glad I bought her.

Live long and prosper. \\//

10/4/15

On Vacation

Be back in a couple weeks.






Live long and prosper. \\//

10/3/15

Just Too Darned Busy

No pics today. Just whine and ramble. Lately I don't have time for blogging. I've been too busy with 'stuff'. I'm carving out some time today though.

Last Saturday I drove down to Rockford to do knitting demonstrations at the S.E. Spokane County Fair. It was a disaster. I showed up on time, but no one else did. I was stood up. The fair folk in the office didn't even know what I was talking about. I waited around for half an hour, then headed back to my car. Needless to say, I got a bit angry. Then, to top it all off, I had to walk quite a bit cuz I had to park over a mile away from the fairgrounds up on a hill, on the side of a road, out in the middle of some fields. This fair has no parking and ALL roads into the town were blocked off. I'd forgotten to take my cane, and I was loaded down with the things I'd need. The walk seriously aggravated my poor left knee so badly I found myself unable to walk back to my car. I got about a third there and the pain was so bad I felt like I was going to vomit. Thankfully, a couple elderly ladies offered to help me and drove me to my car.

When I got home I called the gal who had talked me into doing this and she was as upset as me and most apologetic. She couldn't get into town either and she absolutely can not walk far (her legs are worse than mine). She tried calling people at the fair for assistance but no one was answering their phones.She tried calling me but there is no cell service in Rockford. So we both ended up going home in disgust.

I'm not sure what is going on with my knee. I tried to get in to see my doctor but he had no openings until next week. I won't be here next week. I will be in Michigan. Ice packs and what not seem to be helping. I've bought a knee brace and it is helping too. I think perhaps some swelling has gone down enough that the real injury is showing itself. I suspect a damaged, sprained, or torn medial collateral ligament has reared it's ugly self. The pain is unbelievably intense.

I also need to address the fact that my doctor is getting way too busy when I get back. What is with that?

The buyers of my property seem to be extremely motivated now that we've agreed on purchase terms. Yesterday I got a nice pile of emailed forms to read through, print out, sign, scan, and email back to my lawyer. Hopefully, I did it right. If not, I can take care of it in person next week.

Today is Parktoberfest. I am making macaroni and cheese from scratch. I also need to finish packing the trailer. Argh! Not enough time!

Tomorrow we are setting out on our trip to northern Michigan. I will not be blogging until we return.

Through all of this I am still knitting. It's keeping me sane. I'm taking my knitting with me on the trip.



Live long and prosper. \\//