I think her name is Honor.

Obviously I need practice in dealing with wigs, and in choosing a perspective that does not make it look like she has rag-rolled ringlets (say that, three times, fast!).



This post is primarily to show off Nekokoi’s mad skills when it comes to fitting. Here, with my current knitting in her exquisitely fashioned hands.



And just the hands.

Not even tempted.

I had just sufficient energy before bedtime last night, to take Jessica [still unnamed] out of her box and measure her torso for Nekokoi, who will make her a tunic from a handkerchief or bandanna, to cover her nakedness.

In responding to Nekokoi’s email this morning, I realized that I had not so much as glanced at SOOM’s current monthly doll. So I went over to their website, and the only things I liked were small bits of the costume which would be easy enough to replicate.

The current dolly projects are to find a permanent name for Blessing’s curvalicious sister and then to go stash diving for skirt fabric and yarn for a sweater. [Maybe that poison-green, unruly, allegedly-baby-alpaca laceweight? I might be able to tame it if I knit it up in stockinette on 000 needles.]

Jessica’s here!

She’s here, she’s safe, and I was up way too late last night. No pictures until I make a blouse for her.

I am (apparently) a dolly drama magnet!

I refreshed the tracking screen every hour or so, all day, and about 6:30 the screen changed: delivery failed.

So I got in the car and drove into Dallas. Went to the big Post Office to find out where an EMS package would have gone, and I know which Post Office to contact tomorrow. I have their hours and their phone number written down.

I also went to my office building. They let me into my suite, just in case somebody from my office had checked in and put the delivery notice on the front desk or my own desk or in my mailbox. Nada. The log at the security desk also showed no deliveries since Friday, whereas the updated status at the Post Office showed that somebody had allegedly left a notice.

So at this point I dont know if the nice folks in Korea mis-typed the shipping label, or what. Good news is, this is my order, in my name, so it should be easier for me to get to the bottom of the mystery.

And maybe she will just get calmly, quietly delivered to the office tomorrow?

She's out of customs...

...and she’s heading this way!

“13:45 27-Nov-2009 (Korea time)”
“Departure from inward office of exchange”

So, I’m thinking she won’t make it to Dallas today, but almost certainly on Monday, which will save me an extra trip.

Warming up my “obsessively refresh screen” finger. Looks like I’ll be busy today. ♥

EID Yur

Nekokoi and Rorek, I took a look at their website this morning, and she’s lovely. I want to see her in the normal skin. And when I look at Luna, in the white skin version with the evening makeup and her face in three-quarter profile, I think she looks a bit like your baby sister.

As of this writing, Jessica is still stuck in customs, reason “other”. I’m trying not to refresh that page more than once an hour. I’m also hoping that “other” means they were closed for Thanksgiving and will be back at work shortly.



Blessing curls up with a good book while waiting for her sister to get here from Chicago.

Jessica’s in Chicago!

I have the tracking page up and am refreshing it every couple of hours. She’s over the pond and at the airport. One more think to be thankful for, today!

Jessica has shipped!

She shipped today, with guaranteed shipping by Saturday the 28th, which means a trip into Dallas to pick up her box. I’m not waiting until Monday to bring her home!

This is all because I had Brother Sushi bring me the armoire, so I’ll have a place for her stuff and Blessing’s.

Blessing’s first photoshoot.

Posing primly outside the veterinarian’s office.



Perched on a pumpkin, with Dolly the Llama.



It’s National Hug a Llama Day!



Dolly wants to eat Blessing’s necklace.

Another one goes onto the wish list?

A little bigger than a PukiFee, I think, and smaller than Beyla. Is this not the dearest little face?

Nekokoi, I am just dumbfounded at the delicacy of Blessing’s faceup. I think you ought to advertise on DoA; I think you could be as busy as you’d want to be and have a fairly painless way to get the money for your Vesuvia. [But maybe you already are as busy as you want to be.] When I post Blessing’s box opening and/or photoshoot, you are getting major props.

Rorek, I got your text message last night. Thanks! I’m so glad that Blessing arrived before my Jessica.

I am bribing myself with dolly playtime as a reward for tidying the living room and cleaning up the kitchen.

Cuprit/Blessing -- the rest of the story

Nekokoi texted me yesterday, “Mystery Box is at PO. Wolfie’s picking it up today. I’ll let you know if it’s Cuprit this evening.”

“OK stuck in traffic. Going to temple from work tonight. Home very late. Love you!”

“Love you too. Possible box opening tomorrow? I’m in no rush anymore xD”

At which point I called her on the phone, and we talked for the next three miles or so.

I’ve done a simple post on the main blog. This one is for the pic-spam (round 1). More to follow after her face-up.



Here, from the shipping box, notations of attempted delivery dates and the date she was scheduled to be deported to Korea for a second time. [Details follow.]



Obligatory shot of the SOOM box. It’s a box. It’s pretty. It will go into the recycling bin once I get it home, if not before, but right now it’s holding her human calves and both sets of human feet. Plus her crazily immodest default costume; the only part of that I really like, is the cape. Thankfully, Nekokoi doesn’t expect me to keep any of it; she wanted it for one of her own characters.



Nekokoi holding the doll-in-pillow. I am going to ponder making a yoga-bag sort of thing, felted, in which to lug around the pillow when I go to doll meet-ups.



As modest a bubble-wrap mummy as we could manage, with her arms and one hoof part covering her girl bits.



Bald, blind, and naked except for the wings of doom. Her head cap is off because the magnet came out, and we were waiting for the glue to dry. The wings are totally gorgeous, with a PITA factor that is off the charts. It took two of us to wrangle the strings through her arm sockets before Nekokoi could tie on the wings. They would be perfect for a doll who is just going to sit behind glass in a display case, but not for one that is going to be keeping up with my eclectic life.



The sweater fits perfectly in front and all around the waist. The back waist length is too long, so it buckles into horizontal waves in the back; that might change somewhat if she were in sitting position. The necklace is just a skosh too long; it will probably be the perfect length for Jessica when she arrives. The waistband is a smidgen too tight. I will have to get creative in order to keep this skirt on. But considering I only had the default measurements from SOOM’s website and a few supplementary measurements from another DoA member, I am wonderfully pleased.



Her lovely face, eyes installed and the wig popped on. Wig-wrangling looks to be the new Olympic sport, chez Ravelled.

Here are the details of her almost-non-arrival [for the second time], a trifecta of goofs at SOOM, the USPS/EMS, and the management of Nekokoi’s apartment complex. Once more, SOOM shipped to the billing address; thankfully, the change of address that Nekokoi put in after the last debacle, was in the PO’s computer [even if the tracking number was recycled, and useless], so they knew where to forward the delivery notice.

When Wolfie picked up the box yesterday, an employee told him, “Oh, that box has been back there for days and days.” [See useless recycled tracking number, above.] She was scheduled to be sent back to Korea on the 23rd. Boggles. The. Mind.

The [alleged] managers where Nekokoi lives, are apparently never actually *in* the management office, and would seem to be the primary reason why delivery failed, twice.

But she’s here, and she’s safe. Nekokoi is going to try to get her faceup done tonight and/or tomorrow, because another wave of humidity is scheduled to roll through on Sunday. And I am very, very happy because the doll who was supposed to be my first BJD, actually is.

Jessica’s “before shipping”!

Payments acknowledged by Iplehouse. I’ll check status when I get home tonight.

A modicum of dolly news

I worked on the dialogue for Cuprit’s box opening, whenever that occurs. Nekokoi, please check your inbox at DoA.

I also have a draft for Jessica’s box opening, but so far no ideas.

I looked for the Korean sister’s email address, but I have deleted it. Will have to look up her phone number and see if she would be willing/able to help us out.

Jessica is paid in full!

Squeee!

I took a look at Luna while I was on their website, and she is so pretty; however, she does not call to me the way that Jessica did. I actually kind of like the babydoll PJ’s.

Squeee!

[Still hoping that Cuprit will get here before Jessica does.]

Squeee!

No dolly progress.

No knitting or sewing for Cuprit or Jessica yesterday. No response on DoA to my request for measurements for Jessica. But I pay her off day after tomorrow, woohoo!

No news of the whereabouts of my allegedly re-shipped Cuprit.

Am hoping to have enough oomph at the end of the workday on Friday to head up to the mini-meet at Saxby’s before the singles’ dance in Lewisville. Assuming that I like who is DJing. I may just decide to stay home and knit, or sew.

Blush pink silk dupioni

It’s kind of a funny color. Not really pink, not really peach, not really beige. But it goes well with the tie skirt, the underskirt, and the belt. Behold:



I did a little search on DoA and discovered that a woman I had PM’d a couple of months ago about something else, also does clothing and costume commissions (PamSD). Beautiful work! I’ve PM’d her again, asking for measurements so that I can make a peasant-ish tunic to go with the skirt for the box opening and properly fit the shrug I am knitting around Jessica’s girl bits. If she’s willing to share them, then I can whip up the tunic and finish the skirt before Jessica arrives. And if not [quite understandable, and I wouldn’t be upset], then I will just delay the box opening until I can present her fully-dressed.

Sigh...still no word on my allegedly re-shipped Cuprit.

Back of doll sweater. Still no Cuprit.

I’ve begun working the sleeves and sides on this. Hardly any knitting time yesterday, because I was working on my contribution today’s speed mentoring activity at work.

Nekokoi was going to poke Soom last night to see what is up with my doll. Maybe she’s been sent back to Korea again? Maybe they only hallucinated that they have re-shipped her?

Still. No. Doll.

I vented over on DoA in the Cuprit Waiting Room. (Beware the wrath of a patient woman.)

Still no Cuprit, but knitting progress...

Though I can’t seem to manage a good picture of it. I am nearly done with the back of a shrug for Jessica, adapted from a pattern in Vogue Knitting Holiday 2009. Love this yarn. Love, love, love this yarn. And it’s something that Nekokoi would not be allergic to. Wishing I could just stay home and knit today, after catching up the laundry.

I should not laugh.

I just discovered that on DZ, you can order a hand giving the Universal Gesture. I’ll pass, but I like the one with the peace sign. Useful for making bunny-ears when I have my triplets.

I like Kay’s face, and Ani’s [not dreaming]. Ani also has the virtue of costing a little over half what the other BBs do. She might make a good triplet, if I can order her before they discontinue her sculpt.



Here we have the tweaked skirt, tulle underskirt, and beaded belt for Jessica. I think I will save a big post on the main blog for when she gets here and I do her box-opening. BTW, that lace is more of a taupe than an ecru.

And I think I might cobble together a camisole or bodice from ribbons to go under her sweater until I can make her a proper blouse. I already have one spool of ribbon that goes with the skirt. If I bead the heck out of it, I can probably re-sell it once it’s served its purpose. I’ve PM’d a woman on DoA for some additional measurements so I can make it fit reasonably well. Failing that, I can delay the box-opening pictures and make it when she arrives and have it fit perfectly.

Oh rats! I think I just heard thunder! I need to run out into the yard and do a resin-sealing dance.

About half done...

...with the tweaking of the tulle underskirt that goes with the tie skirt. I will probably finish that today after all the errands are done. Am really hoping to avoid another falling-down at JoAnn’s, but I need to find something suitable for a (modest) peasant blouse, because Jessica is going to be here before we know it, and I’m not sure that I’ll have time to knit her sweater in the next three weeks and not neglect my sister’s present or Secondborn’s.

Still, a nice problem to have. No images because I need to recharge the batteries. Good to know before Cuprit’s box opening!

Last night was a dolly night.

Worked a little on the blog drafts for when Cuprit arrives. Made a belt for Jessica. Cut out a ruffle for the dusty plum tulle underskirt and began to attach it. Tried to make the tracking number work. Spazzed, but only a little.

Another small falling-down at JoAnn’s

I think the taupe lace, which took my breath away when I first spotted it and was the impetus for last weekend’s jaunt, will go at or near the hem of the necktie skirt. It might be a little too heavy to sew directly to the tulle underskirt. [I had to buy it; it was on sale!]



It might get utilized in two or more pieces; I can visualize cutting the curved edge away from the lattice, using the lattice on a jacket or vest, and appliquéing the curved portion directly to the hem of the skirt between tie points. I fitted it by eye last weekend, and visually it would work.

The rest of this is just-because. The bits of passementerie at the top are for a belt. What looks like a caramel blur of lace is more a rich milk-chocolate shade. It will go somewhere, eventually.



And, we’re on shipping again for Cuprit, woohoo!

At the end of the [Cuprit] tunnel?

Could that be something other than the headlight of an oncoming train?

I have the Cuprit bag in the trunk, with her clothing. As I posted on DoA, I am cautiously optimistic. I will save the *squee*ing until we are opening her box.

Deep. Cleansing. Breath.

Third payment on Beyla is due to Nekokoi this weekend! And we have a stake activity on Friday night. If I drive in, I will run by your work on my way home; if I ride the train, I will bring it by your place early-ish on Saturday morning so that you can deposit it while your bank is open.

Rorek, I’ve connected with your friend J!

I messaged her on Facebook and told her how to find me on DoA. She seems very nice, and she’s definitely a gifted milliner. I’m so glad that you linked to her pictures! Once my budget recovers from Jessica and Beyla, I am going to want to commission a hat to go with the tie skirt and the retro sweater I’m still swatching.

Brief U2 moment: a wisp of melody in the back of my head, and the words And I still haven’t [knit] what I’m [swatching] for...

I need to make up my mind and knit something, because Iplehouse has confirmed that Jessica is ready to ship, and they now know when I will be making that last payment. She will be paid off in two and a half weeks, possibly here in three. And I want to put her in a sweater that is both modest and well-fitting.

I am hoping that Cuprit [finally!!!] arrives before Jessica, because we have had so much dolly drama, and I don’t want her arrival to be anticlimactic. She’s magnificent, and she deserves a royal welcome.

Clarification from Iplehouse :)

There has been a flurry of postings back and forth on their Q&A board, but today I received confirmation that (1) they cannot add the optional hands to the order per se, because that order is already done; (2) they have made the optional hands, so I am not to worry; and (3) Jessica will be shipped with her optional hands and the other goodies in my initial order. I have told them when I will make my final payment via PayPal.

God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world, and Pippa passes. [Thank you, Robert Browning!]

In other dolly news, I saw a photograph of hats by Rorek’s friend and messaged her on Facebook. She wrote back, and I gave her my contact information on DoA.

OK, this is the part where I do my impression of a responsible adult and finish getting ready for work.

Optional hands, revisited

I am still learning the ways of this new world. I posted to the Q&A at Iplehouse, asking them to add the optional hands to my order and bill me for the difference.

Wrong-o! They politely canceled my order, and I only found out on Wednesday. I am having log-in issues on their site. I can log in to post on the Q&A board, but not on the ordering page. It does not recognize my username, nor my password.

So I sent them the money on PayPal before going to bed last night, and I noted in the comment section that this was for the optional hands and not simply another payment on my initial order, and I included the order number and the parts number.

And then I went back to my original order [which I can access] and revised my shipping address slightly. This morning I also revised my Wednesday response to their cancellation and made a new post referencing the earlier string, since the original was buried on page 11. Both posts include my corrected shipping address. I want my Jessica here, not orbiting Pluto in tandem with my Cuprit!

I hope I have all the bases covered now. I also hope that I am in time to have them pour her optional hands in the same batch as the rest of her body, because I pay her off three weeks from today, so they might be working on her now.

*squee!* Was that a discreet-enough squee for a middle-aged woman?

Still swatching, with not much to show for it.

Ace of Cakes is wonderfully entertaining, but not conducive to producing miles and miles of knitting. I keep looking up and getting engrossed in cakely drama. Can this cake be saved? dunh dunh dunh...

I think the one where they used all the fake [model] cakes for target practice is my favorite one so far.

I’ll give Nekokoi my third payment on Beyla a week from tomorrow; Jessica will be paid off two weeks after that [and probably here to celebrate Thanksgiving]. Unless there is a big surprise with the utility bills, I should have most or all of the money saved for Arie by the end of the year. When I’m ready to order her, I’ll check with y’all to see if you or C. or Wotan want to do a group order with me. Arie and Beyla might be getting here around the same time next year. Four dolls. Boggles the mind.

And then I can start saving for Bonnie Hopezs and a Puki or twelve. [Those little chubby faces and elfie-ears and crazy wigs!]

One possibly Ugly Duckling, to go!

I’m willing to show it here, but not yet on the main blog. This, obviously, is the back. I love the color shifts. And the side panels look awkward, now that there are sleeves.



The front is a little more presentable. A little.



I’m wondering if I ripped the sleeves back and did a double-decrease, at least for a bit, rather than only decreasing the side panel to down to nothing, if the shaping would be more graceful. It would certainly be interesting, and I would be able to make the sleeves longer, because they would taper twice as fast. I have a puff of yarn a little bigger than a golf ball leftover.

‘Tis a puzzlement.

I cast on four stitches to knit a belt or sash, knitted about four rows, and frogged it. Then I tried I-cord, because I liked it so well on the teal sweater. But the teal sweater is made from smooth yarn, and Noro is notoriously bumpy. It just looked amateurish, so I frogged that as well.

Optional hands for Jessica!

They might be useful for pointing the finger at the triplets [when I have them, and they have gotten into mischief]. I saw the hands when I updated Iplehouse about my payment yesterday and have added them to my order.

Nekokoi, I looked on DoD’s website [not improved in the slightest, IMHO] for the default outfits featured in their event. Libra’s romper is cute, but for me it is not $45.00’s worth of adorable. I think I looked at all the default outfits, even the ones that are much too large to fit Arie, and none of them spoke to me. But thank you for the heads-up. I’m glad I looked.

I got the hem on the tie skirt about halfway redone yesterday. And I finished it after waking up far too early this morning. Picture on the main blog. Next logical step is to make the tulle underskirt, but I will save the cutting-out for after I have caught up on my sleep.

Third payment on Jessica.

[I love PayPal!] $605 out of $784; now to update Iplehouse and my signature on DoA. Jessica should be home around the end of November, if they continue to ship with such blinding speed.

And next payday little Ms. Beyla will also be 75% mine, though I don’t expect to see her before V-Day at the earliest.

I need to hurry up and finish the Noro sweater so I can start playing with the Hempathy.

Skirting the Issue

I finished the waistband casing for the skirt yesterday. On the drive home from work, as I was pondering how to clean-finish the upper edge of the hem facing, I remembered a product I once bought from Clotilde’s catalogue: Seams Great. It is a bias-cut sheer nylon tricot that is wonderful for putting a Hong Kong Finish on one’s seam allowance.

I went to Clotilde’s website, and apparently Dritz is no longer making Seams Great in multiple colors. I drove to JoAnn’s intending to buy half a yard or so of tricot and cut a mess of bias strips, but apparently they no longer carry nylon tricot. So I bought a package of Seams Great in white and the remaining spool of narrow (1/4”) double-faced satin ribbon in dusty plum.



I spent five or ten minutes meticulously taping together the pattern sections from the tie skirt into two larger sections. I will trace around them, later, onto a fresh sheet of paper for future reference. And I may very well shorten these pieces and use them to cut out the upper portion of the tulle underskirt.



In the meantime, I’ve sorted through snippets of silk leftover from cutting out the skirt, thrown away (!) the pieces too small to use, secured the remnants in two sandwich bags for short-term storage, and put the bags into the bin which holds miscellaneous sewing stuff in my studio.

In my studio. Where they belong. [I know!!!]

The inevitable tidying-up as a project winds down, has begun. I put away all embroidery floss but the one strand needed to stitch the casing closed once I’ve inserted the elastic. Also the snaps leftover from the plaid skirt for Cuprit. In doing so, I noticed a small clear box had one of those click-erasers in it. I noticed this because I had just put away another one in the living room.

So I opened up that box to get it out and discovered the sheath which is supposed to hold my Ginghers shears when they are not in use, and the chatelaine for my tiny scissors; it has needed a new jump ring for at least two years (done). And a t@mp°n, which I gleefully threw away because I will never, ever need another one. And a half-used package of hooks and eyes, which are now residing with the snaps.

The jewelry-making supplies are put away, although I did pull out the small strand of amber-colored glass leaves and put them with the buttonhole twist to serve as inspiration. And to spur me to search more diligently for my tatting shuttle.

I cut out the hem facings while the tub filled, and they [along with the Seams Great] are in my work bag, ready for me to head out the door. I think it’s going to be a terrific day.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s ribbon.

But if you ask her nicely, she just might give it to you. My friend the receptionist had a length of ribbon, maybe a yard long and knotted into a loop, over by the scanner. It was leftover from a baby shower and had been there for a week or two: the palest rose, sheer, about a quarter of an inch wide, with a miniature plastic pacifier dangling from it. I kept thinking how nicely that ribbon would go with the necktie skirt, and I kept forgetting to ask her if she had a use for it.

But yesterday afternoon, when I went up to cover her break, I asked. And I received. Sometimes it really is that easy.

What have we here?

That funny-looking shape is the first side panel on the Noro sweater, which may or may not end up as a kimono or haori jacket. I picked up stitches along the fuchsia side, cast on 20 for the underarm edge, picked up stitches down the plum side, and used a combination of decreases and short rows to work in toward the center of the panel and have the bottom edge narrower than the top. I used a three needle bind-off down what would be the side seam, and once this has been steam-blocked I think it will be pretty amazing. At this writing, I have the second panel cast on and am knitting it slowly, writing down the instructions as I go.

The black band of garter stitch which you see through the armscye and along one edge of the sweater, is the neckband.

No sewing, to speak of, all weekend. But lots of happy knitting, both people-scale and doll scale.

New yarn, successfully resisted!

But noted for future reference. Elsebeth Lavolds Hempathy, a marled yarn where one strand is pale dusty rose and the other is pale caramel. It will knit up much like that brown and cream flecked sweater of mine, only more subtle. Vaguely tweedish. And it is just that much lighter than the lighter of the two ties which I cannibalized for the tie skirt. The name of the color is #23 Fauve [translation: tawny, but I always thought of tawny as more golden, and this is very rosy; I guess this is fauve in the sense that jade the fashion color bears no resemblance to jade the stone].

It looks like a light fingering weight, so it might be perfect for an Aran sweater or a gansey. The recommended gauge is 5.5 sts/inch, which puts it in sport yarn territory; I think I can force the gauge downward. It’s 41% cotton, 34% hemp, and 25% modal, so it may be no fun at all to knit. But I think I will pick up a ball or two next time I’m in the shop and cast on and see what happens.

I find it interesting in the box-opening photo shoots when people apologize for using flash. No capice. You know me; the great outdoors is lovely to behold but best beheld, behind plate glass windows, and with air conditioning.

Nothing worth photographing, quite yet.

Three out of fourteen seams embellished on the silk necktie skirt. Wishing I could just stay home from work today and play with needle and thread. Sometimes the need to eat and sleep and earn a living is such a hindrance to what I laughingly and lovingly call real life.

Tulle time!

From left to right: pale butter yellow, pale celadon, smoky plum, and a rich cocoa brown. The trim is for a jacket [or something] to go with the skirt. Even though it looks like a true pink with that aqua, it is a slightly dusty pink, and it is several tones lighter than the lighter silk in the necktie skirt. It’s as if the Trim Factory Fairy woke up one morning and said, “Oh goodness, there is a woman in Texas who will want to make a jacket for a BJD to go with a skirt she will whip up from two silk neckties. I must please her!”

Thank you, Trim Factory Fairy. Thank you.

The yellow thread and tulle are for a yellow tie with teddy bears on it, which will become a dress or skirt for Beyla.

I have hauled all of my DMC and Anchor floss out of the studio and onto the coffee table. Barring the unexpected, I will gleefully stitch away tonight. At this point I’m not sure if the tulle underskirt will be plum or brown; both look great against the skirt. I suppose I could make one of each?

The outfits.

This one is the first time I “got” the appeal of Lolita-style.

And I love, love, love this one. Modest, tasteful, and perfect for a shuffling stroll through the leaves. I know that I can reproduce the skirt and the underskirt. I wish I could buy just the turtleneck; I am intensely curious about that bit of lace at the neck, what type of lace it is, how it is attached, etc., and I want to get my hands on that vest. I might end up buying this outfit, studying it, and reselling it.

Didn’t want those boots until I saw them with this outfit.

Am thinking quite strongly of making a foofy underskirt for the tie skirt. Tulle, some of the sparkly organza from the bridalwear section, and massive quantities of childbirth words.

Not much dolly stuff yesterday

I was up to my ears in Relief Society, pretty much all day [but so worth it!].

I did take the ball of Kureyon sock yarn leftover from Rorek’s entrelac socks and work a swatch on 00 needles. Not sure at this point if I want to do a sweater for Jessica or one for Beyla. I am seeing a kimono-inspired jacket, worked from cuff to neck opening in the round, and grafted in the middle of the back to take advantage of the color shifts. Or I could work it flat, in one piece, with a row of scrap yarn at the center front and maybe steek the neck. Working in the round means no purling.

But first, I need to measure that swatch for gauge.

Mini-meet at Borders last night.

These are for you, Rorek. Momo hiding away behind Nicolai. And three other dolls whose names and owners I don’t remember.



A cute boy with a scarred nose that I thought was clever, and enchanting.



A little pink terror, trouncing the giant elf boy [love his ears!]. She had already thrown her glasses and her wig, more than once.



A very sweet PukiPuki.



Beyla is now half paid for. I handed over the cash at dinner last night. And once I got home, I took another squint at the new monthly doll after Nekokoi said he was a dragon. [With those horns, I’d thought he was a stag.] I’m right there with everybody else on the Photoshopping. Glamour is all very well and good, but I want to see what I’m buying. Or would be buying, if I were buying him, which I am not.

Friday Fabulousness

Camera? check!
Yarn and fabric to mail to Rorek? check!
Cuprit’s skirt and sweater, in case she shows up today? check!
Nicolai all measured and ready to go back to Nekokoi? check!
Lunch packed? check!
Umbrella furled and back into the Ubiquitous Red Bag?
More pieces cut out for the silk necktie skirt? check!
Pieces that I cut out yesterday but for one panicked minute couldn’t find? check!
Emergency knitting supplies? check!

Doll meet tonight! And I’ll hand over my second installment on Beyla to Nekokoi, woohoo!

Wanted: Cuprit

Current status of dolly drama is over on the main blog. Meanwhile, here is Nicolai, helping me transcribe a tape for one of my lawyers. [My friends who saw him, both at work and at Knit Night, thought he was adorable. I have smart friends!]



I am hoping to get him measured tonight. I neglected to take my toolkit in my knitting bag yesterday, so he was at work, and the tape measure was at home.

I might have found my third triplet over on Leekeworld last night. Rorek, thank you for those links. I saved the email for future reference.

Photos from the mini-meet on Friday (link to DOA)

More photos taken by me, on Nekokoi’s camera, hosted on her Photobucket account. Used with permission.



Love, love, love the little pink-haired fairy on the left.



Loving the Elfaba (sp?); also dyed by her owner. She was stunning.



Somebody big, holding somebody little.



A motley bunch if I ever saw one. With cupcakes, no less!



Some of these little characters will no doubt be back with us at Borders on Friday.

I keep seeing new dolls that I like.

One of the women in the local doll group ordered a Shiwoo on Friday night after the mini-meet. Maybe I will add one to my wish list for next year or the year after that. I love that elfin face! I also like those 4” tall PukiPuki’s. But I’m not sure it’s wise for me to spend that much money on a doll so easily buried under an avalanche of stuff.

I’ve begun work on another skirt. I used the centimeter graph paper which I downloaded a few weeks ago to draft the pattern, then traced 14 skirt panel pieces onto freezer paper and also drafted the hem facing. And then I disemboweled two silk neckties. I need to gently press the silk flat and fuse the freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric, to stabilize those long bias edges.

I plan on stitching the skirt together by hand and possibly stabilizing the seams with crazy-quilt embroidery. I bought the sewing silk on Thursday night and have all that embroidery floss neatly catalogued in my studio. I also have half a card of peach bias tape leftover from Firstborn’s wedding; it will do nicely for the channel to hold the elastic at the waist, and I even have some elastic in my stash! [I hope it is not too old to be useful.]

The yarn with which I began the baby socks for the Bittiest member of the tribe, is mostly blacks and browns and burgundies but has the same rose-tones as the neckties. I won’t have enough for a full sweater, but I can do a cropped vest or tabard, and I think I saw some silk duppioni at JoAnn’s that is the right shade of silver [and not too heavy] for a blouse.

Mini-meet tonight!

I wonder if Cuprit’s sweater and skirt would fit on the paper dress form I bought a few years ago and have still not embellished?

Actually, it’s not bad. Not worth digging out the camera for, but not bad. The torso length is all wrong, and the waist is too full for the waistband, but it’s nothing that a couple of well-placed straight pins couldn’t handle.

I made another trip to JoAnn’s after yesterday’s trip to the Post Office. Picked up the right shade of silk thread to make a tie skirt for Cuprit and/or Jessica. I have the pattern piece drafted; now it’s just a matter of taking the neckties apart and cutting the pieces out. I may trace the template onto freezer paper and press that to the wrong side of the silk. That would certainly make it easier to stitch the seams without stretching them.

Oh rats! I have the hiccups.

She’s in Arlington? At the Post Office?

Cuprit is lurking in the vicinity. She did not make it to Nekokoi’s office yesterday. Probably just as well; I woke up in the wee hours and was seriously short on sleep.

Plus, her skirt wasn’t finished. And I had some church responsibilities to attend to.

Now I’m closer to being ready. The duffel bag is packed. Larxene is back in her own clothing and swaddled within an inch of her life. The cannibalized T-shirt parts that I’m giving to Nekokoi are in there with her, as is her new necklace, and Dolly the Llama, and Cuprit’s sweater and necklace.

Skirt still isn’t finished. Looks like I will be sewing on my breaks at work today. And I think I will bag up and bring all of my watercolor pencils, just in case the weather cooperates for a faceup.

Cuprit’s Sweater? Finito!

There are pictures of Larxene looking as if she had snuck into her big sister’s closet to play dress-up, over on the other blog.

Nekokoi, thank you for tracking Cuprit’s shipping progress and updating me. When she’s here, I’ll take more pictures of the sweater [reminding myself to put Dolly the Llama into the duffel with Larxene and the sweater] and post a link on DoA.

Getting excited!

Shipping notice! Yeehawwww!

Here is my text exchange with Nekokoi yesterday, for your amusement.

Nekokoi: “Cuprit shipped this morning! ♥ I’ll send you the tracking info this afternoon when I get home from work.”
Me: “Woohoo!”
Nekokoi: “I know! Guaranteed delivery by September 17, though she could arrive a little sooner ♥”
Me: “Which means I could take her to Le Peep next Friday. Want to come with? Can we get her faceup and blushing done by then?”
Nekokoi: “Probably yeah ☺ it honestly depends on the weather. You can’t seal if it’s too humid.”
Me: *pouts*
Nekokoi: “☺ Ha ha. If the weather cooperates, we can have her done within an hour or so of the box opening. ♥”
Me: “OK, I’ll start praying. You look around for a demon teddy bear to sacrifice.”
Nekokoi: “☺ Did I tell you about the time we sacrificed that teddy bear?”
Me: “Yes, that’s why I said it. ☺”
Nekokoi: “Well, I didn’t know if it was clairvoyance ☺. It’s been a long morning already.”

Clairvoyance? I can’t even find my feet without my glasses on!

I bound off the neck on Cuprit’s sweater this morning. At this writing, I have picked up the stitches for the left front button band, using the bundle of yarn leftover from the long-tail cast-on at the peplum.

I added another tiny bead at the hem before I started picking up the stitches and will do the same on the other side; I thought it would look a little funny to have beads only delineating the purl parts of the godets and be asymmetrical with the knit parts on the very front of the sweater, where it would be most visible.

I have also threaded eight of the eighteen button-beads I will need, onto carrying thread. Naturally, I only had eight beads, because I had made those two necklaces. Which I am not going to take apart.

So it’s back to the bead store for me; I’ll do that on the way home from visiting the Bittiest member of the tribe and his family, after having lunch with BestFriend and before having dinner with one of the sisters I visit teach.

Pictures on today’s post on the other blog, when I get around to it.

So, those eyes that were discontinued?

Your eyes, or my eyes? Inquiring minds want to know! Sounds like we might be getting closer and closer to shipping.

Once I get the decreases graphed, I think there may be an excellent chance of completing the yoke on her sweater sometime this weekend. Especially once finish-itis sets in.

I love my job and I really, really don’t want to have to go into work today.

Photos are on the main blog, but...

A whole sleeve done on Cuprit’s sweater yesterday, and about an inch done this morning on the second sleeve, after I woke inexplicably just after 3:00. I am hoping that when I go to bed tonight, the second sleeve will be done, and I will be ready to start the raglan decreases.

Her skirt is still pin-basted and draped atop the back of the couch while I try to decide whether I want to clean off the table in my studio so I can set up my sewing machine to do the French seam, or stitch it by hand.

I am a little dismayed by the Marketplace rule changes on DoA. Six months before I can offer custom work! On the other hand, four and a half months from now I will have a better feel for just what it is that I might want to offer.

I had a little flash of possible insight, possible indigestion, this morning. It is possible to buy needlepoint canvas [silk, I think] for miniature projects. I can picture working the fronts of a waistcoat in petitpoint with silk floss at 20-25 stitches per inch. And old-fashioned needlepoint slippers for the bigger dolls.

Heading back to bed, I think. Though my tummy has started growling...

I’m liking this better.

Eyelets for a drawstring at the waist. Not sure at this point if it will be ribbon or I-cord. Then 12 rows of plain stockinette before switching to the next size larger needle to make it big enough to fit over Cuprit’s girlage without having to calculate where increase stitches would go. I geared back down once I passed the fullest part.

This went a whole lot faster than the first version. Though I did have one of those hrmmm moments and stopped to count the number of eyelets. [Odd = bad, even = good; guess what I came up with?] So I ripped back to the eyelet row, hauled out my new 2mm graph paper, and doodled until I came up with something symmetrical and even-numbered.

[Picture would go here, but Blogger is being wonky; you’ll just have to be patient.]

All that sock knitting is paying off, now that I’m knitting the sleeve. Magic Loop is a lovely, versatile technique, but it’s easy to get the tension wrong when switching from one half of the loop to the next, and end up with a visible “seam” on either side. Thus far [knock wood] I am getting a lovely, smooth tube.

My first meet-up + crafting progress

No, I did not remember to take pictures. I was too busy having fun! I met Lissmiss and her hubby and her doll, and I knitted. The venue was too noisy for consistently clear conversation.

Earlier in the day, I frogged about five rows on Cuprit’s sweater until I figured out where I was on my chart. I have since reclaimed that progress and added a few more rows beyond that. Before I went to bed last night, I took a few minutes and typed up the last several rows. I even used the “hide text” feature that I’ve learned at work so that my blocks of canned text for the increases would not show when I printed off a fresh page to take more notes.

Lissmiss told me there is an excellent tutorial on DoA on how to make a dress form for any size doll, using a plastic bag and either cellophane tape or masking tape.

I also found several links for metric graph paper online and will be printing off a page or two; I already have a link for knitter’s graph paper bookmarked so that eventually I will be able to graph out this sweater as well as have the written instructions. I am about halfway between the waist and the armscye and am keeping my focus on the shaping in back while guessing at the increases for the curves in front. I am learning so much on this piece!

I would like to reach the armscye today and cast on for the sleeves. I also need to start thinking about the neck shaping.

And I will probably pick up the clasps for the two necklaces while I am out and about today.

Guilt-free dolly knitting!

Firstborn’s socks are done. I need something quick, with fat yarn, as a palate cleanser; then I’ll be ready to finish Cuprit’s sweater. So I am frogging a scarf that I began some time ago from a yarn that is more appropriate for a pair of boot socks, and I’ll make a pair to wear while sitting on the couch this winter with my knitting or my sewing and my dolls.

I have my map printed for tonight’s mini-meet in Farmers Branch. Thank you, Nekokoi, for giving me permission to take Larxene.

I had an interesting email exchange with my insurance agent a few days ago. I can insure my dolls on a special policy where we agree upon the value [as provided by the invoices], and there is a small annual premium with no deductible. So if the house were hit by a tornado or other covered cause of loss and my dolls were destroyed, I would get a check for what I paid for them, separately from the settlement on my renter’s insurance policy, which would cover the value of the rest of my possessions.

The cost? The minimum policy would cover $2400 worth of dolls and cost about what one pair of shoes for them costs. Let me know if you are interested, and I will put you in touch with my insurance agent. Rorek, I can also look up an agent who would be local to you.

Nekokoi, I will need the original bill of lading when Cuprit arrives. I will scan it at the office and use Acrobat to strike out the portions that do not apply to the parts I am keeping, and then I can give it back to you for your own records.

Not much in the way of dolly news.

Wotan got his Jessica. Rorek sent me the link to the box opening.

I will probably finish Firstborn’s sock sometime today, then it’s back to work on Cuprit’s sweater with a clear conscience.

Must find and acquire some metric graph paper.

Maybe I will get the slopers done on Larxene tonight?

Hip yoke pleats are done.

As stated on the other blog, I have decided upon a French seam and have pinned the seam accordingly. I haven’t decided if I will stitch it by hand or by machine; I think it would press out flatter if I machine-stitched it, but hand-sewn seams are softer and more flexible.

And I haven’t decided how I will finish it off at the waist, if I will attach the pleated section to a hip yoke or ease-stitch it to a ribbon waistband. A machine-stitched seam means I could chop it off however long it needs to be when I hem the skirt. Meanwhile, it looks pretty nifty draped across the back of the couch while I make up my mind.

I did take five or ten minutes yesterday and reorganize my threads, breaking them down by fiber content.

And I still haven’t edited my hard copy of the last three rows on Cuprit’s sweater. I think that will be one of the next projects. I just need a few minutes when I’m well-rested and undistracted. Maybe tonight after work, or maybe during my lunch hour.

Interesting debate over on DoA about the Dutch? Belgian? artist who is or will be exhibiting in France and who is apparently a big-time plagiarist.

Eine kleine dolly progress

Behold: one necklace, awaiting its clasp, which I made for Nekokoi’s Larxene. Below it are two also-rans, mostly because I was curious. The beads are back in their container, waiting for the next experiment.



Here is the necklace on Larxene, to give you a sense of scale. I used Fibonacci numbers for the small beads between the large ones: 5, 8, 13, and 21; I don’t think I went as high as 34 on hers. I did, once or twice, on Cuprit’s.



Below Larxene’s is a larger necklace which I made for Cuprit. Wotan gave me a guesstimate as to how long it should be. I’ll know in a few weeks how good he and I are at guessing.



I also measured Larxene everywhere I have measurements for my Cuprit, and a couple more places I didn’t think to ask. Should be relatively easy now to make slopers for skirts and blouses, but that is a project for another day.

Honey-do List

I am starting to have a bad case of finish-itis on Firstborn’s sock, so no dolly knitting [again] yesterday.

I am hoping to add my hand-written notes on the last three rows I worked on Cuprit’s sweater to the pattern page. I need to get that straightened out before I can proceed. I would also like to find some graph paper marked out in centimeters or millimeters, for sweater design. [Azel Art Supply?] And a fresh packet of quarter-inch graph paper, which will be far easier to find, for drafting blouses and skirts. Then I can sit down with Larxene and learn a thing or three.

I also want to finish pleating the plaid skirt. I’m not at all antsy about stitching the back seam or hemming it, but I love watching the little boxes line up obediently at the top.

This will not be news to some of you :)

Nekokoi set up the layaway on our hoofies yesterday. Beyla, Bygg, and Beyla [sounds like a Transylvanian law firm] will be here in a few months. And the cool thing is, if I make something to fit her Glati, it should fit my Beyla.

I am still rummaging around in drawers and boxes, looking for tatting shuttles and organizing my studio [if only incrementally] as I go. This morning I took all my spools of Gütermann thread out of the uppermost “sewing stuff” drawer in one of my rolling cabinets and arranged them by color family on a thread rack. I found a couple more spools of silk thread, woohoo! Eventually I probably ought to have one thread rack for cotton thread, one for polyester, one for silk, and one for novelty threads. But for now I don’t have enough thread to justify that. And I should probably buy a second serger thread organizer box. That would keep things corralled and dust-free.

It would also help to have one small container just for sewing machine bobbins; I have more bobbins than space in the box which came with my Bernina. And another container for elastic, one for hooks and eyes and snaps, and one for miscellaneous small tools.

I found two more spools of ribbon and put them on the dowel. Puttering sessions like this really get my day off to a good start!

One of these days, one of these days, I will be able to set up the serger and get some lessons from Nekokoi, and then look out Loretta!

Larxene Pays a Visit

Yes, please, I would love to visit with the other dolls! I’m less interested in sewing for boy dolls, though I will be happy (eventually) to sew for Kyu’s guys, if he likes. I have so much more experience navigating around female architecture.

I parked at Richland Hills yesterday and went into JoAnn’s. They have quarter-inch check gingham. I bought half a yard of red and another half-yard of yellow for draping purposes. I think it will be awhile before I need to buy more fabric. I also bought another packet of small buttons and a spool of Gütermann silk thread in a darker shade of turquoise/teal than the one I had.



I poured the beads into a tiny French canning jar which one of my friends gave me. You will notice that I did not buy the lovely petite eccentrically-drilled aqua glass beads which I also found at JoAnn’s, because they were $14+ for the string, and I think we have sufficiently established that it does not say stupid on my forehead.

Here is a progress shot of the hip yoke on Cuprit’s skirt.



Maybe I will string a few beads after the home teachers visit tonight.

Yesterday was productive!

I sold four pieces of English china for a reasonable price, six DVD’s, and a CD; I was able to give Nekokoi the deposit for my Beyla.

I put three more rows on Cuprit’s sweater. I am keeping track of the rows as I work them, so I have a pattern worth selling when I am finished. I may choose not to sell it, but I want it to be that good.

Larxene [Nekokoi’s DoT (Shall?)] is visiting for a week or so. Three reasons: (1) so I can figure out how big to make necklaces for a doll this size; (2) so I can draft pattern slopers for her body; and (3) so I can get used to playing with dolls. It’s been awhile! Right now she is sitting on the couch, looking bored, and the couch is a mess again; ergo, no pictures. But I will see if I can scare up some gingham on the way home from work tonight for pattern draping purposes, and I will also look for my tatting shuttles.

Let the fun begin!

Clothing Progress, No Photos

I stitched down more than half the pleats for Cuprit’s skirt while watching listening to Enchanted last night. I also updated the spreadsheet I’m keeping on her measurements.

This morning I transcribed my scribbled notes for her sweater into more permanent form. I’m almost done with the increases on the back and am probably getting close to the armscye. Now I just need to figure out where the extra increases need to go, in front. I’m taking copies of both charts with me.

I’m also driving into work today. I may ask for PT this afternoon; yesterday was grueling, and I would like to take the English china into the antique mall to see if they’re interested in buying it. The owner/buyer leaves at 3:00.

I got a response from the online china replacement shop, asking a clarifying question; I will probably get another one today while I’m at work. Selling these four pieces would be the fastest and easiest way to scrounge up doll money for my share of the group order.

Edited to add: I checked my inbox. They made an offer: $5.00 for a piece which they will sell for $100.00. And they’re not buying most of the pieces that I want to sell. Does it say stupid on my forehead? I respectfully declined their offer. So it looks like (1) the antique mall is next or (2) eBay if that offer is equally unappealing.

Group orders and splits and jargon, oh my!

So much to learn. It’s nice, if a little weird, to be learning from my kids instead of teaching you something I know. This is a whole new world for me, and you both speak the language fluently.

Nekokoi, would any of the girls like to come visit at my house for a week or so, one at a time? It occurs to me that that would be an easy way for me to get the extra measurements I need to make pattern slopers, to figure out how long to make necklaces, etc. I can measure, enter it on an Excel spreadsheet, measure some more, think about it for a couple of days, make other measurements, etc. I would send each of them home with a new necklace in the green/blue color family.

And I quite understand if the answer is “No, thank you.”

I rummaged about in my studio for awhile yesterday, but the pleating tool did not surface. I did, however, find my thread stash and my pressing hams and seam rolls. All of which are too large to be of much use in pressing seams on doll clothes.

I stitched down a few pleats on the skirt. Not enough to merit hauling out the camera. All in all, a balanced and restful day.

Splitsville

In a moment of pure insanity, I asked Nekokoi if I could go in on a split with her for my Beyla; she is getting both mini’s. I will probably regret not getting Bygg, sometime after it’s too late to order, but he doesn’t speak to me the way that his sister does.

There’s no sense getting a doll just to be getting a doll. I think she’s supposed to be Arie’s sister and partner- in-crime, but at this point I have no idea if she is Faith, Hope, or Charity.

Faith, trampling the evil sparks of doubt under her tiny hooves?

We won’t be sending in our order for another couple of weeks; I have time.

Right?

SOOM’d

So SOOM’d. It’s probably a very good thing that I do not have a firstborn male child to sell.

I looked at the DOD site, which is viewable again in English on my computer. Looks like both of you are right. I could see nothing that hinted of layaway. Probably just as well.

Nekokoi, if I can figure out how to get at least half of the cost of Beyla through selling stuff, in the next week or so, do you want to do a split and you get the costumes, which don’t do much for me? But I do want to see those fur wings: intriguing!

Not helpful at all, Rorek!

Of course I went over to the Soom site and saw the teaser photos of the unicorn babies. Much cuter than Heliot’s face, and of course I would love to have the little girl and maybe even the little boy [do not fall over in shock, y’all].

Just flat not in the budget. Maybe I can pick up one or both on the secondhand market next year. I have bumped up my automatic withdrawals into savings so as to accumulate doll money a little at a time without throwing my finances into utter chaos. Paying off the layaway on Jessica is the first order of business. And then I will probably get Arie, either buying her outright or putting her and Libra on layaway together.

Just not crazy about Pisce’s face, though I am beginning to see the beauty in some tender-eyed dolls. And I am starting to recognize a few of the face sculpts in people’s box-opening posts.

More Cuprits winging their way home.

But alas, not mine, not yet. Much knitting progress yesterday and the day before, some on her sweater and beaucoups on Firstborn’s sock.

We are planning to blush my Cuprit’s ears, right?

I have full marketplace access on DoA.

Impatiently waiting to see Soom’s next monthly doll.

Need. More. Sleep.

Nekokoi wasn’t kidding!

The individual Cuprits, as shipped, are always prettier than the default photos on the website. Even with the default faceups. I am loving those ears!

There were a couple of box openings on DoA yesterday; one of them linked to a Flickr page showing the interchangeability of legs and feet among Cuprit, Amber, and I think Sard or Heliot. [I never can keep all those boys straight.] I got a better feel for the shaping of her hips. I think I will make her skirt long and softly pleated, though I reserve the right to stitch down the tops of the pleats emphatically, once I get her here and can tweak the fit. I bought enough fabric that I can make a real hip yoke and suspend the pleats from that, if I choose, but I may save that for Jessica’s skirt.

I need to rummage through my sewing supplies ~ first, I need to find the rest of my sewing supplies ~ because I think I have one of those funny pronged tools made for hand-pleating fabric. I don’t think I am going to do anything as formal as kilt pleating, where you keep the setts in mind. I think I am just going to make small pleats and press the top 2” or so of them crisply and baste or sew them within an inch of their lives, and then finish that edge neatly with a ribbon waistband or something. Gathered skirts are bulky, pleated skirts less so.

When I was watching Enchanted the other day, I thought to myself, “I would love to replicate Giselle’s foofy dress from the opening scenes” [but of course raise the neckline a bit].

Heading off to measure the waist on Cuprit’s sweater to see if I’ve done enough decreases.

A smidgen more progress on the sweater

Nothing worth breaking out the camera for. I am experimenting with the waist shaping. For now, I’ve geared down to 0000 DP’s and 2x2 ribbing, with modifications at center back and center fronts. I need to do several more rows to see if the ribbing will draw the waistline in, or if I need to tink back and knit in some darts.

I am envisioning some creative shaping, as most of the fullness will need to come out of the back so as not to skew the fit around the hips. It would probably help to baste some silk sewing thread up the sides to show where the side seam should be on the bottom and where the center of the armscye will be.

I plan to knit this sweater back and forth up to the armscyes, then put the body on pause while I knit the sleeves in the round and graft them on. I am thinking raglan sleeves and a modest V-neck, but I may change my mind about the sleeve shaping.

It is something of a pain to switch from a 000 circular needle to three 0000’s holding the body stitches. I don’t think anybody makes 0000 circs.

Kurr will get me the additional measurements which I need, in a few days.

Treasure Trove!

I had a little falling-down at JoAnn’s yesterday. Half a yard of teal, hunter and cream plaid, 100% cotton but a hand like tissue-weight wool. And when I was heading to the checkout counter, I saw a bolt I had missed: another plaid vaguely reminiscent of the Black Watch tartan. Back to the cutting table I went.



Shown here with two bolts of ribbon, a package of doll buttons, and scissors which look like they will be the right size for photo shoots with Cuprit and Jessica. [But no partridge in a pear tree. I'd just have to pluck one and prune the other, anyway.]

Here is the peplum with the lighter plaid. As I had hoped, made for each other.



I can picture a necklace or blouse that picks up the accent colors. There is some excellent silk dupioni waiting back at the shop for my next paycheck. Mr. Rogers wants to know, can you say ballgown?

No dolly knitting yesterday.

I have to try to keep my human kids happy, as well. Marked progress on Firstborn’s sock. If I get to the heel gusset, I will allow myself to do the waist shaping on Cuprit’s sweater.

I seem to have organized a doll meet. Borders at Hulen and I-30, Friday, September 25th, 7:00pm. If Cuprit is not here ~ and I am not holding my breath ~ then Nekokoi has graciously agreed to loan me one of her girls for the occasion.

I am getting to know Rorek’s best friend’s brother on DoA. It is refreshing to read PM’s which are properly punctuated and not littered with IMisms. [I read Jane Austen and like it. Sue me.]

I bought the Fall issue of Vogue Knitting last night, as much to look for things I could adapt to doll-scale, as for anything for me. I found something in one of the advertisements that I think will do very well for a birthday gift for my sister, and might serve as a sword for Tinies: a multimetal darning needle, very smooth and a work of art. Remind me to put up a link later.

I’m off to get some breakfast and knit awhile.

Cuprit's Peplum is Done!

It took me over half an hour to work that top row, decreasing here, adding a bead there.



Click to embiggen. I measured across the top after having worked this row but before working the next, stabilizing, row: approximately 25cm. 193 stitches condensed to 91. Ribbing at the waist will remove another 7cm or so, or I could knit in darts. I’m setting this aside for a bit to work on something human-scale, and to ask Kurr for more measurements.

It will be ever so much easier to design for Cuprit, once she is here.

I subscribed to more threads on DoA

In particular, the Iplehouse thread and the Saving Up thread. Wow, I am amazed at how quickly Iplehouse ships once the order is paid. *rummaging around in pockets for loose change*

See the main blog for what-all happened yesterday; i.e., not much. I will probably get to the second decrease row on the peplum today. [I also need to put some mileage on the other knitting project.]

Nekokoi, I sent you a PM about a possible doll meet next month. Maybe post a thumbs-up/thumbs-down over on the forum?

It’s 12:19am; I am officially going to bed.

I may have gotten distracted...

In theory I am working on Firstborn’s socks. [I did work on them on the train ride in, so I’m not entirely slacking.] In reality I am working on this.



I completed the first decrease row on the peplum while at Knit Night. 193 stitches down to 159 in one swell foop. Yes, I am taking notes. This may end up as a commercial pattern someday.

As is often the case, my gauge on the actual item is different from my gauge swatch, due in part to the fact that I worked the swatch on cheapie aluminum DP’s and am knitting the sweater on my trusty Addi 000 circ. I had been afraid that I would need to gear down to my 0000 DP’s when I got to this point [which is why they went with me to Sunday night’s party], but I just did a quick visual comparison of this gauge with the portion above the bell on my swatch. Virtually indistinguishable.

I love how just these first paired decreases are are already starting to make the ribbing bell and swirl. I think this part of the sweater is going to look fabulous flowing down over Cuprit’s slim hips. And I suspect that even were the sweater large enough to fit, it would be overkill on Jessica, whose curves are 1950’s-era lush.

That’s it for today. I need to go block the lace scarf for my friend Jenifer so I can put in Friday’s mail.

Yes, those are itty-bitty beads.

Mill Hill size 8°, colorway 18831 [the peacock beads I used for MS3 (Mystery Stole 3)]. They will look even more impressive once the peplum starts to pleat up.

Lots of neat new pictures from NocturneOfSilence’s box opening. I actually like Cuprit’s default face-up, now that I can see it. But I prefer a more natural look, and between us we can do that. I love, love, love her ears. And I am again reassured about the color of her ice hooves.

I *thought* I put my Jessica on layaway last night. I forgot to put “layaway” in the comment box. I did not give them my credit card information, because I was spazzing at the total, and I replied to their confirmation email and on their website. Last night I ordered her with the default faceup, the sienna wig, and a pair of shoes that Rorek pointed out to me, which I just could not resist [EID Woman 02]. These are the 1940’s-inspired ones that look like buff patent leather, lower left corner of the page.

What have you ladies gotten me into? I had to do a little therapeutic knitting before I could sleep.

I woke up ahead of my alarm this morning, to two emails from Iplehouse. They canceled my order because I hadn’t gone through PayPal. So I resubmitted and added the black sandals [EID Woman 05 Black] and have ordered the money to be transferred to my PayPal account. Next time I will transfer the money ahead of time and then make a payment.

But at least my credit card won’t get hit for the entire amount.

Cuprit’s Peplum Sweater Begins

One hundred ninety-three stitches, cast onto a 32 inch 00 needle and knitted using a 32 inch 000 needle.



The needle is not quite full, and the next row [which will go onto 0000’s] will have to wait until I get my HiyaHiya’s back.

Tweaking the Blog

I couldn’t figure out why my blog description wasn’t showing up. So I went into Layout and realized that it was the same color as the background. Oye. *smacks forehead*

I have exchanged several PM’s with Kurr. She will be measuring her Cuprit for me. And she said the hooves are a lovely sky-blue. I can do sky-blue, LOL. I just was afraid they would be verging-on-cobalt, at which point you would probably have had to do an intervention.

Rorek, I did and do mean teal. I like teal, and aqua, and turquoise. And sky-blue. I also like some grey-blues. But powder blue [the color of two walls in my bedroom in Irving] and other true blues still set my teeth on edge. Freud would have a field day inside my head...

I am probably only going to do occasional mentions of doll stuff on the main blog, I think for the most part when I finish something for one doll or another, the way I do for any other knitting project. I will probably be fairly restrained over there. OK, relatively restrained, this is me we are talking about. And I will probably save most of the squeee-ing for over here.

This is not all to be interpreted as a request for you to tone it down in your comments over there; fire away! I know both of you have multiple journals which you edit accordingly. I will be doing the same.

I will probably not make it generally known how many BJD’s I plan to acquire in the course of the next year. Let them wonder, LOL! As long as I pay my bills and continue to chew my way out of debt and keep my priorities and actions in line with my values, then at 57 I think I have earned the right to be who I am.

I’m just delighted that you’ve figured out a place where our interests and talents all meet and we can play nicely together.

I think I’m going to tweak my layout some more. After Cuprit arrives, I’ll ask our virtual scrapbooker to make me a new banner.

Stuff I thought about at work yesterday, between projects.

When I checked on DoA last night, there were two Cuprit arrivals and three additional shipping notices. I don’t expect to see mine until late September or early October, but one can always hope.

After seeing the photos from Kurr’s box-opening Thursday night on DoA, and noting the lovely dark aqua of Cuprit’s ice hooves, I am thinking that she will probably look best in teals, turquoises, purples, greens, and some shades of brown. Probably not the reds and purples we [OK, I] originally had in mind. I think the wonderfully bright wig that Fourthborn picked out is probably still a “go”, but if not we can see if Jessica likes it.

I certainly like it. If my head were that size, I would wear it, but maybe not in Texas, in August…

I am thinking a plum to burgundy or cranberry manicure and pedicure for Cuprit, although she might do well with a coppery coral. And that might be another good option for her wardrobe. A lot will depend upon her skin color. Never did I dream that at 57, I would be playing “Color Me Beautiful” with dolls.

I wonder how she would look with a light dusting of freckles? Or a teal-ish wig for when she’s feeling glamorous? [Does anybody make one? Soom, DOD, and Iplehouse do not; aqua yes, teal no.] An ethnically-inspired necklace of real turquoise and silver beads; oh, how I would love to see her with the squash blossom necklace that I cannot afford for myself.

And I think my 100% silk laceweight Clapotis is in danger of being frogged. I keep envisioning it as a tunic for Cuprit.