A Little Bling Goes A Long Ways

Yesterday was a sunny, windy, and cool day. It was certainly nice to see the sunshine though. Today we are to see clouds and snow flurries. 

Lifestyle

We chose to go out for a drive yesterday. After we stopped and got the thread I needed, we went back a kilometer to the round about and headed towards the New Minas Basin. We drove along it saying we could be lost but as long as the Basin was on the left hand side of us we should be okay. It was a beautiful drive and we finally ended up in Hantsport. We drove down the old road, crossed the freeway, went through Falmouth and into Windsor. We never cease to love looking at the old homes in the area. 

We drive by this house every time we go to the library and I photographed it yesterday on our way home. We took the library route home. 

Sewing

While picking up thread and buttons at the Discount Fabric store, I happened to see a tiny sized Nova Scotia tartan in cotton. I will have to go back and get some for skirts for the dolls. 

Sewing happened in the morning and I was excited to get at it. An idea had been brewing since waking up. It was playtime using the rhinestone stash. I quickly sewed the shoulders together on Anna's t-shirt and began to play. I had a design in 5 minutes. 

I did a repeat design on Kate's t-shirt which I proceeded to finish. The pattern needs tweaking as it fits too large. 

I had to make 3/8" side seams, turn the back 1/2" and cut off 1/2" from the bottom. I made the sleeves straight across as I wanted to see how they would look prior to making long sleeves. 

I see a lot more rhinestones being used in the future. Maybe they will get used up as I have thousands of them. Most are clear so will have to figure out how to use them on the doll's clothes. 

Knitting

I finished up another Newsboy cap on 4mm needles and it is too big for Kate. 

I got the front to look good but the back is very slouchy. 

Anna loved it and wants it for a barn cap. All we have is a shed which is called a baby barn in the Maritimes. 

Maybe one day she will get a horse and keep it in there. 

I started another one in a soft fluffy yarn on 3.5 mm needles. 

I have enjoyed knitting for the dolls as I am stretching my learning. I am now using the mattress stitch when sewing up the hats. I do a gauge when I start a new project with new yarn and needles. 

Today

 I would love to finish Anna's t-shirt and cut out a third one ready to sew. I have to get more synthroid and do laundry. 

Until the next time.....................

A Mile of Top Stitching

The snow disappeared by late afternoon but the temperature seem to hover around 0C even though it got to 4C. We are to have a nice sunny day today and then will see more snow fall a couple more times by the end of the week. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday was a slow day for us. I did do some housework and called the cancer clinic in BC for the Spousal Unit. We still haven't been referred to the cancer clinic in Nova Scotia. We will continue on using BC's cancer clinic and may even book an appointment to see the oncologist in December. 
I cooked up a large pot of meat sauce in the afternoon and made a lasagna. There is enough sauce left over for spaghetti for us to have in the coming weeks. I would love to make several dishes ahead for us as we begin to explore the province. Pull out and heat up when we come home. 

Sewing

I spent the better part of a day sewing one pair of doll jeans. The top stitching was time consuming. I think I did a mile of it but it wasn't. The fabric is old stock from the fabric store I worked in. It has some stretch in it. I wish I had bought a meter of it rather than just .5 meter. 
When I made the slacks for the dolls, I used a jeans pattern and slimmed down the legs. I added the width back to the pattern for jeans. 
The jeans, like the slacks, have usable front pockets. I did two rows of top stitching on them 

I also top stitched in the fly. When I added the waistband, I did double top stitching on the bottom part after I hand stitched it in place. I didn't top stitch the top part as I like to use 1/2" which fills the waist band. I need to find a tiny button for the front. 

On the back, I drew a yoke line and double stitched it as all jeans have a back yoke. I put the pockets on which are double stitched down. The outside side seam is also double stitched as are the hems. 

In all, a good sew. I ran out of thread so can't sew the two other pairs that are cut out. I will change thread and sew up 2 to 3 t-shirts. 

Knitting

The black turtleneck sweater is done. I love the turtleneck as it flops over so nicely and is soft rather than hard. 

Kate enjoyed modeling it for me. 

Black is a hard color to knit and photograph. 
I started another hat and had to rip back 4 rows when I discovered I hadn't done the increase row properly. It may get done today. 

Today

I need to do some housework, sew, and knit. I am not sure if we will be going out or not. It depends on how we feel this afternoon. 
Until the next time....................

What Makes it Snow

After a sunny start to yesterday, it ended with snow falling like crazy. There is about 2" or more on the ground this morning. I think I know the reason why we have snow. 

Lifestyle

The Spousal Unit has been busy cleaning up the garage. He has put the snowblower and snow shovels in the shed. 
Last weekend, we bought a BBQ and yesterday we started putting it together with the goal of carrying out 2 sections to the deck today. 
Now, you can see why it snowed.
The pain in my back is receding. I have done more stretching during the day to help with the pain and have kept up on the Advil. 

Sewing

Yesterday was a sewing day (except for the hour putting together the BBQ). I had a lot of fun sewing the peach leggings and t-shirt I had cut out. 

Kate's were sewn first and the pattern fits her perfectly. Anna sat and admired Kate's while I sewed the next two pairs.

One pair of leggings are for Anna and the other pair was requested for Laura. The is consensus that we make her a nice wardrobe to come home to. 

The girls felt like spring was arriving. 
Next up, I sewed Anna a t-shirt as I was trying out a free pattern. It fit like a dream. 

I may have to buy another pair of leggings to make more outfits from. The fabric sews and presses like a dream. 

There may be new sweaters in the making to go with this outfit. 
Left in the sewing tray is 2 white t-shirts and 3 pairs of peach colored denim jeans. A scrap of white fabric is ready to cut out a third t-shirt if necessary. 

Knitting

Thirteen rows and the black turtleneck will be knit. It was a hard knit yesterday as the house was dim when I was knitting. It went a bit better when night came and I had the lights on. Counting rows is awful. My eyes hate it. 
When the sweater is done, I want to knit more hats for the dolls. I need to knit 2 more grey newsboy caps and then see where I want to go from there. I need to look at patterns and yarn to see what I can make. 

Today

I have some housework to do, make a meat sauce, and sew on the doll's jeans. I am afraid I will run out of thread and will have to set them aside and sew on the white t-shirts. I do have the fleece out to make the blanket for Grandson. 
Until the next time..................

Turtleneck Sweater #3 Completed

Though yesterday was a lovely day weather wise, the wind was cool. Today is a bit cooler but another sunny day. 

Lifestyle

After turning the mattress end to end, I rested as my back was sore. Not so much from turning but tweaking it back onto the box spring. Our mattress is very heavy and, though I was careful, it still made my back sore. 
I got February's budget balanced. It is less detailed than I wanted but I will start that in March. From there I will redo our pie chart and keep it tweaked as we go through the months. We are aiming for reality in budgeting.
Elliott was a huge pain last night. He was in one of his moods. He knocked the yarn needle onto the floor and then the row counter onto my lap. He didn't stop at that as he proudly attacked one cushion on the sofa. What he didn't realize was -- I got after him, chased and hissed at him. He disappeared to the basement and was good after that. He wasn't hungry, he was in a naughty mood. 

Sewing

Though I did go down to the sewing room, I didn't do any sewing or clean up. It wasn't in the books. Today is suppose to be the day and I hope to set up and sew 3 pairs of leggings for the dolls. I have some documenting to do which is a necessity of life when sewing. 

Knitting

The first of Kate's sweaters is finished. She tried it on after she and Anna dug through the shoe bin. 

The boots were bought last year and the green in the sweater matches to perfection. I have green corduroy to make pants and jackets to wear with these boots. 
Anna chose the grey Ugg-look boots to wear with her outfit. 

I will be ordering another set of boots as Anna can wear them. I am going to try the sneakers on her again as they almost fit. I may have to stretch one pair a tiny bit. If so, I will order a couple of pairs of sneakers also. 
I have finished the body on the black sweater and started knitting the sleeves. Hopefully it will be ready to model on Monday. 

Today

It is sewing day and I plan on having fun. 
Until the next time................

A Dream to Reality

We went from a warm spring day wearing no coats to it cool and wearing coats yesterday. It is 0C this morning with a tiny skiff of snow. Today is to be warmer but not spring like. 

Lifestyle

 Yesterday was shopping in the Valley and I got what we needed from the stores we don't have here. It was a nice trip with Daughter-in-Law. 
I did mention that a goal without a plan is only a dream. Here I found the way a dream becomes reality. 

Love, love, love it. 

Budgeting

One of our goals this year was to do a budget. I wanted to make sure that we were spending wisely and that we had money left over at the end of each month. 
The first budget I looked at (family recommended) was an online only budget. You use to be able to buy the budget and do it on your computer. No longer available and not recommended by family. 
Yesterday Daughter-in-law showed me another budget plan which uses Excel. She sent me the link and when I opened it, it was from BC and recommended for Financial Literacy. My first thought was why didn't I know about this when I was a literacy coordinator. I would have used it and spread the word about it. 

Dream to Reality (Budget)

The Dream--having a budget.
The Goal -- this year (like January but better late than never). It has been written down under Explore 2018.
The Plan -- the steps were to find a good budget plan and use it monthly. Even if it will only be 11 months, we will have a good idea of what we are doing with our money. 
The Action -- do up the budget weekly to keep track of our spending. 
The Reality -- It was done and we do know how we spent our money in 2018. 

Sewing

I haven't spent time in the sewing room as I have been coping with a sore back while doing a lot of housework. The pain is very slowly subsiding and the housework is almost done. I hope to get back into the sewing room soon. 

Knitting

Kate's first sweater is done. It fits her and she will model it as soon as I put the buttons on and block it. 

My next goal is to work on blocking the knitting I am doing. 
I set up the black sweater and am trying something different. Lucy Neatby showed using progressively larger needles when knitting a turtleneck so it will roll down on its own.
I am enjoying knitting for the dolls. The projects are small and it is making me

• do swatches to get the correct gauge
• try different ideas I read or watch about
• push myself to learn something new

Though I love my dolls and their personalities, I enjoy learning all the time. On the plus side, these dolls will have amazing wardrobes. My goal is to knit a sweater for myself. I will probably knit a child's sweater first so I can learn the techniques prior to knitting one for myself. 

I am also teaching Daughter-in-Law how to knit socks. We cast on and got 3 rows knit last night. Logger's language prevailed as I find setting up the needles and getting the first three rows done the hardest. She did amazingly well using small needles and fine yarn. 

Today 

I need to work on our budget, clean more house, and shop. Bonus will be the sewing room but it remains to be seen. Everything depends on how much pain I have and how many times I have to rest. 

Exploring and Reorienting

Yesterday was warm with a high of 14C. The sun did shine some during the day and you could go outside without a coat on. This morning it was 0C at 6 a.m. with it getting cooler tonight. On Saturday, we should see 6C so any snow that falls on Friday will certainly be gone by Saturday night. 

Lifestyle

We decided to take a drive yesterday to reorient ourselves to places we had been in September. We hadn't done College road before so we took a drive down it hoping to hook up to another road that takes you to the ski hill. No such luck. We did see King's-Edgehill School though. It is the oldest private university predatory school in Canada. 

We didn't realize the school had been founded in 1788.

The majority of the buildings are built out of red brick. One of the driveways leads you back into the town of Windsor. 
We did head down the road to the ski hill and turned onto Dill Road (named after Dill's who have a large apple orchard, pumpkins, etc.) We drove down it for a bit and then headed home. 
It was weigh in at Weight Watcher's last night and I am down a total of 14.3 lbs. Feeling better has its ups and downs. One of the downs is hurting my back to the point it was so sore last night I cried. It is somewhat better today. Advil and heat are my best friends. Doing less lifting is in the books for a few more days. 

Sewing

I cut out 3 pairs of peach colored jeans for the dolls. I have to stop cutting as I am running out of pins. 

From right to left -- peach jeans, white t-shirts, peach t-shirt above the white ones, and peach leggings. I will clear off the table and start cutting Grandson's tie blanket. 

Knitting

While cutting out fabric, I watched a Lucy Neatby DVD on knitting. I would stop and watch the parts that interested me. Some of it was refresher and others were new. She talked about gauge in further detail. Her example on changing needle size was a fabulous example of thinking outside the box and I am going to try it on the next turtleneck sweater for the dolls. I will start with 5 mm needles for 7 rows, 4 mm needles for 3 rows and 3.25 needles for 4 rows. I am hoping the turtle neck part will turn over on its own like hers did. 
I did start a turtleneck sweater the night before I had watched the knitting DVD. I knit down to the where the sleeves are ready to go on waste yarn and tried it on. 

A good fit. 

I have since put the sleeves on waste yarn and am now knitting the body. The sleeves will be done when the body is finished. I love this pattern as it well written and easy to knit up. 
I will be rotating between knitting hats and sweaters for the dolls for the next couple of weeks. Then I will be knitting another pair of socks for Grandson. 

Today

I am starting to clean the family room. The dust bunnies are accumulating. We will be going to the library and to Grandson's 11th birthday party. I hope to sew on the doll jeans after I clean off the cutting table. 
Until the next time.......................

A Knitting Kind of a Day

Yesterday, there was fog and when it left, the day was dismal and grey. Later in the afternoon, the skies opened up and it rained. Was raining at 9 p.m. Today is suppose to be better. Less rain, some sunshine and warm. 

Lifestyle

Yesterday I started to do housework but the hand held vacuum needed to be charged. First I did the bathroom which has a large soaker tub. I dusted it as we don't use it. I don't think it has ever been used. Too much water and power to fill that sucker. Then, I started on the stairs. I vacuum the treads, dust the treads and wash them. Got two stairs done and the vacuum cleaner ran out of juice. Will finish that today. 
We did get side tracked for a while. The Spousal Unit brought in the light bulb changer and we put LED lights in the ceiling fan in the cathedral entrance. It has brightened up our house considerably. Then I darted outside and changed all the outside bulbs. We are down to 9 bulbs to change in the basement. Now, I want to change out all the pot lights and add at least 6 more in the dining/living area. 
The Spousal Unit spend quite a bit of time outside. I helped him put the ladder under the deck and he did a bunch more after I went in to clean. He came in at noon hot and tired. He did more after lunch but he didn't over do it. He is getting his strength back. 

Sewing

I did nothing sewing related in the sewing room yesterday. I am hoping to cut out jeans today for the dolls. I need to have a some sewing projects ahead while I make the tie blanket. I want to both as the tie blanket has no sewing; just cutting and tying. 

Knitting

The second newsboy hat was knit, sewn together, and tried on yesterday. 

It fits Anna quite well. I want to add a button to it and am waffling if I want to put a snowflake button on it or just a plain button on. If I go plain, it will be buttons I love -- two shades of grey. 

Kate also tried on the cap and we decided to knit hers on one size larger needles. Her head is a bit bigger. 

I have some ideas of using up some sock wool after I knit the girls sweaters. It is variegated grey and could be scarves to go with the hats. 

After Kate's cap is knit, I will have to knit one more for the girl I'll be adopting in the next 6 weeks. 
I cast on Kate's sweater and am increasing for the arms. Once that is done, I will do a fitting on her so I know how long the body has to be. I am doing the one to match this sweater Anna got. 

And a necklace will have to be made. 
Today
I need to do more housework, cut out the doll's jeans and knit on the sweater. I will be out tonight as it is weight in night. 
Until the next time.....................

Lesson Learned

The weather here is fighting to either be winter or spring. We see it -8C at 6 a.m. to +4C at the same time 24 hours later. It snows 2" and then its gone in a day with a dose of rain just after the snow has melted. So, I think -- winter or spring??

Lifestyle

With the weather craziness, it is hard to know if we should be using our shovels or thinking about getting the gardening tools out. The Spousal Unit has been sorting and putting away items in the shed (aka the Baby Barn) on the sunny days. It is nice to see him out and about doing things as the garage is slowly getting organized also. On top of that, he has a compressor and a BBQ to assemble. 
I have spent some quality time with the duster, broom and mop. It was time to do a bit of deeper cleaning. What amazes me is the lack of dirty dust in this house and the amount of white dust bunnies there are. The living/dining room and kitchen are done. The bedrooms need a touch up and the bath cleaned before I tackle the stairs and basement. A couple of days should have it ship shape. 

Sewing

I am busy cutting out fabric for the dolls as I want a clean table to lay out and make the tie blanket for Grandson. From the peach colored leggings, I cut out 3 pairs of leggings and a t-shirt. From scraps of white knit, I cut out 2 t-shirts and have to cut out 1 more. The colored denim and cotton prints are laundered waiting to be ironed and have jeans and tops cut out of them. Then I can sew for a couple of weeks between cutting and tying the blanket.

Knitting

I have been focusing on getting Grandson's socks finished as his birthday is Thursday. I have to graft the toe and we can say completed. I have knit so steady that I ache all over from sitting on the hard couch and being tense. 
I am also knitting dishcloths. The first one is done and put away. It is a denim blue in a very easy pattern. The second one is turquoise and the pattern is harder. Tense up to get a stitch over 2 others on every other row. But the results are beautiful. 

There are 10 patterns in the book and my goal is to knit each one of them. I gift the products. 
I also decided to knit a hat for the dolls and it is an easy knit. It is to fit over their entire head to keep their ears warm. Here is what happens when you knit tight and use the wrong size needles. 

A Newsboy hat becomes a beret. I thought I had picked up the right sized needles but I didn't. The back of the hat is really cute. 

From this I learned to knit gauge swatches and to sort my needles and put them into labeled bags. So, last night I did a fast swatch the Cat Bordhi way with Lucy Neatby thrown in for good measure. I cast on with 4 mm needles and knit for a while, measured the gauge, purled a row, went down a needle size, knit more rows, measured, down a needle size until I am happy with knowing two things. 

• My tension using worsted wool is not far off from the norm. 
• This cap will be knit on one size larger needles. If it doesn't fit Anna, it will fit Kate. 

I will be knitting swatches before each project as a part of my projects. Lesson learned. 

Today

The socks need to be finished and ready for Thursday. More house cleaning needs to be done and I hope to get into the sewing room to cut out more fabric. The doll's hat will be knit starting this morning. 

Until the next time.................

Miniature Infinity Scarf

After a couple of lovely sunny warm days, yesterday got progressively darker and it rained. Not a lot of rain but rain. We had a bit of snow overnight and it is gone this morning. It is cool at -8C or 17F this morning and it is suppose to be cool all day. One nice thing -- it is suppose to be sunny. 

Lifestyle

I had to get gas for the car as the low fuel sign was on. We are getting over 600 km on a tank of gas. We love our Niro. Once I got gas, I had a few things to do around town and then at home I did the laundry. 
The Spousal Unit has been busy putting away his tools in the garage and taking items up to the shed. He has been very happy while doing everything. Plus, he is getting his muscles toned up. 

Sewing

I spent some time in the sewing room. I hauled out all the doll's fabric and put together some ideas for the dolls. The first one goes with this mood board. 

The colors are not the same but the idea is; soft colors. 

The bottom piece is for leggings the prints are for tops and a dress and the two solid pieces are for jeans. I was excited when I saw these pieces in the stash and remember buying them at deep discounted prices. The buttons are butterflies and were deeply discounted and there is one for each doll. 
I also found a tiny rayon plaid when going through the fabric and inside of it was a half meter of Cluny lace. I found this tutorial to make a doll's infinity scarf. What I did and would do differently:

• Cut the fabric longer -- 28-30" 
• I put the first piece of lace 16" from one end and sewed it down. 
• Second piece of lace was added after I sewed the two ends together. 
• I hand sewed the seam together at the end. 
• Seam was pressed to the middle of the back rather than at the edge. 

I had fun doing this quick and easy project on a rainy afternoon. Plus there is enough of the plaid left over to make Anna a skirt. 

Knitting

I knit 10 rows on sock #1 and put it aside to try on Grandson. I also knit on sock #2 and hope to have it at the same stage as sock #1 by the end of the weekend. I am looking forward to having them done as I have been knitting on them for 3 weeks now.

 

Next up on the needles will be Kate's sweaters and then more socks for Grandson. 

The first pair will be green with yellow ribbing at the top and the heels and toes done in yellow. The second pair will be reverse. This yarn is delightful to knit with. 

Today

We need to get groceries and then I will get the cutting table ready to make Grandson a no sew fleece blanket. That will be 3 meters out of the stash. 

Preparing For The Next Projects

We had a couple of really sunny days with yesterday being warm with a high of about 10C. Today is starting out sunny but will become cloudy with snow flurries this evening. 

Lifestyle

With the sunshine, we decided to make the second shelving unit for the baby barn (aka shed). Some hammering, some swearing and a lot of holding your tongue got it done. I hauled it up to the shed, we got the wooden shelves on it and we were happy. Until I looked at the first shelving unit and two of the metal pieces were in the wrong place. They got fixed and some items were put on the shelves. 
The Spousal Unit did spend more time sorting items in the shed and found a couple of things for the table saw (in a box marked canning jars). 

Sewing

The UFO is ready to be put together so I can attach the ghosts to the last square. I will bag it up until I can get the plastic rings and then complete it.
I didn't sew yesterday but I did think about the next main project. I have a three ideas floating around in my head. 

• No sew fleece blanket for Grandson. 
• Reusable grocery bag for library books.
• Purse from Lazy Girls for myself.

For the doll project, I am thinking of these mood boards. I'm trying to choose colors I can't wear to expand my work with color. 

Leggings in peach with a longer top in one of the other colors if they are in the stash. 

The second board is deeper and richer. 

I do have a piece of fabric with these colors in it. We wait and see until I get into the doll's stash. I know I am going to cut out 3 pairs of leggings to sew when I have time or need a quick project to work on. 

Knitting

Was down to the library to pick up two of Lucy Neatby's videos on knitting. I worked so I could get them up on the TV and after what seemed like forever I did it. (And the Wii is working for Grandson). I touched the magic button. Now to find the remote so I can watch the two DVD's. I may ask for Lucy's material for birthday and Christmas gifts. 

I knit 20 rows on Grandson's socks and will try to knit another 20 rows today. If I meet my goal of knitting 20 rows a day, I may have them finished for his birthday next Saturday. 

Today

I need to find the remote for the DVD player, go to Fibre Op at the library and get the sewing room ready for the next projects. This may or may not include digging in the doll's fabric stash. 

UFO Time

It was cool and windy yesterday but the sun shone all day. Today is cloudy but it is suppose to warm up and the sun should be seen during the day. 

Lifestyle

With the sun shining, the Spousal Unit thought he could brave the outside. The wind was super cool and he came back inside in a hurry. That deterred the dolls from going out and playing with their windmill. 

They played with it inside instead. Maybe on a warmer day they can get outside to play with it. 
I did some housework in the morning and mid afternoon we took Grandson his valentine's card and cookies. 
I set up the gaming laptop yesterday to charge as my PC is not cooperating. I am going to have to move everything over to the gaming one. I also have to install my embroidery software. 
Just before Christmas I was to the Apple store and asked about an attachment so I could download pictures from a camera. They didn't have a clue what I was talking about. I was looking for something in the office box and found said attachment and was thrilled it was what I wanted. I had bought it for the iPad and it has the piece for the computer. 

Sewing

I am working on UFO's at the moment. I want them off the cutting table so I can start new projects with a clean table. 
I started this wall hanging in early October and the house sold. It got bagged up and packed. It has been talking to me since I found it when unpacking. 

I have the three squares taped together and will attach them with plastic rings. 

I am considering fixing the binding on the top of the bottom square. It isn't quite straight across hence the edges won't meet. 
Hanging from the bottom will be these three ghosts. 

I have orange ribbon and lime green beads for them. I have to cut around the ghosts and let them soak in warm water so the stabilizer will dissolve. 
While waiting for the ghosts to stitch out, I ripped a broken zipper out of Daughter-in-law's pants and have started to put the new zipper in. 

The zipper is stitched first to a piece underneath and then topped stitched to the pants. I would like to finish these projects by the end of the week so I can start new projects on Monday. 

Knitting

I got 10 rows knit on Grandson's sock. I am hoping that they fit him well and this will be his pattern for the next year or two. Only adjustment should be to make them longer. I do like the color of the wool (shades of denim blue) but I do not like the wool for socks. It is just "wool and nylon". Not expensive as these socks were a muslin. I love cashmere, silk, merino, yak blends. They are so soft and the stitches knit up nicer. I have a couple of skeins of the cheaper wool left and will knit it up for the dolls. 
I have 2 skeins of the favorite yarn for 2 pairs of socks for Grandson. I will knit another pair after I do some doll knitting. 

Today

We are going shopping in New Minas. The Spousal Unit needs a new watch and I need a few things to finish up the UFO's. We need to see about new door knobs, plug-ins, and a BBQ. We can't wait to BBQ a steak. When we get home, I would like to work on either the pants or the wall hanging. 
Until the next time....................

Two Pairs of Doll Slacks

The weather outside's frightful. Here it has been wet and our friends in BC have had it cold and snowy. Will spring every arrive? Some days we wonder. 

Lifestyle

We are starting to feel that we need spring so we can be outside of the house doing things. The Spousal Unit has been outside seeing what needs to be done, what needs to be unpacked and put away. We've talked about gardening and the list goes on. We really need spring. And sunshine. 

Sewing

I spent two afternoons in the sewing room sewing slacks for the dolls. I chose a light weight wool that ravels a lot. I had to handle it with care. The pattern is a jeans pattern from Pixie Faire. Peggy Stuart used the same pattern and modified it for Gotz dolls. I used a picture she sent to me to modify the crotch on the pattern I was using for Anna, my Gotz doll. Also the legs of the jeans were tapered. I used 3/8" seams on Anna's pants except for the inside leg seams and they were 1/4". The results were great. 

Anna was excited to get on her black sweater and rhinestone necklace. 

When the slacks were made for Kate, the legs were made narrower and the seams were 1/4" as per the pattern. I am going to add 1/4" to the center front seam as it sits a bit low on her front waist. 

Kate is still waiting for her sweaters. They are next on the list. But, the girls were happy to have their picture taken together. 

The fabrics for their Easter dresses were taken out to be admired. 

Their outfits will use these fabrics but they can't be exactly the same. The outfits will be different styles. I am looking forward to making them in March. 

Knitting

I am doing the gusset on Grandson's second sock. It should be done today and then I can merrily knit the feet on both socks. Nearing the end of these socks. 
I am reading Cool Knitters Finish in Style by Lucy Neatby. I am going to have to order myself a copy as it is an awesome book. I have requested her DVD's through the library. 
I also got the yarn swift. I will take a bit of time and try it out this week. I do have lots of skeins to wind into balls. 

Today

Housework, laundry and knitting are on the list for today. It has to be done. 
Until the next time......................