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.

“I’ll get you, my pretties ...”

“... and your little blog, too!”

So I’ve had this picture in my mind of Arie sitting confusedly, or maybe indignantly, in a latte cup. And now I have another image of her standing partway in my white teapot, maybe with Libra and Pisce shoving her in like the Dormouse in Alice in Wonderland or trying to help her climb out. Which of the above, would depend entirely upon their little personalities, and that I won’t know until and unless they come home with me.

I don’t know why I think resin triplets are going to be any easier to deal with, personality-wise, than human ones. I think there will be the same likelihood of squabbles over socks, unless I assign a color for all their stuff as I did with my own girls’ socks when they were younger.

And I think one of them is supposed to be named Tempestt, like the actress Tempestt Bledsoe from “The Cosby Show”.

That would be a no. They might be teasing, but it seems they want to be Faith, Hope, and Charity. I wonder if I can make them miniature missionary nametags?

One thing I’m pretty sure of: Not one of them will take her babysitting money and buy a pair of hoochie-mama shorts.

Well, at least I’m consistent.

I go over to my kids’ houses to see the grandkids. At Nekokoi’s house, the grandkids are resin. Her Nicolai is precious, and just the right size and weight for my hands.

While I was there I unzipped the carrier that holds the not-my- Glot, the one that Jared is getting that he really, really doesn’t want, right? My heart melted.

I came home and posted a bit on DoA, including a PM to Nekokoi about the druid I am coveting.

I am trying to figure out how to finagle a down-payment on Jessica before the end of the month.

I need to go sit down with my knitting and just chill awhile. When I finish embroidering the flowers on my sweater and finish this ball of yarn on the gift scarf I am knitting, then I will only have three [I think] projects on the needles and could start swatching something doll-sized with a perfectly clear conscience. Or so I tell myself.

Note: I drafted the above when I first got home last night. I stayed up till 12:30 finishing the sweater. It’s posted on the main blog. I am down to four projects on the needles, and I’ll see how close I can get to finishing the next one today.

I would love to reproduce Autumn Asters in laceweight yarn on itty-bitty needles.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s dolls.

Nekokoi and Rorek both have their Glati’s. Somebody other than me has first right of refusal on Nekokoi’s Glot.

*pout*

On the other hand, look what flew into my cart when I was buying buttons for my sweater:



18mm wingspan. 12mm bodies. Seriously sparkly! [And if I remember correctly, the last ones they had.] I’m thinking that with the shank filed off and the proper findings, these would make glorious brooches for a Kinsale cloak. I used to own that pattern when my girls were little.

So, $52 for shipping a doll is not bad. $80 is normal. Gaack! What have you girls gotten me into? Do you have any idea how much cashmere that would buy?

Not only no...

So I thought I would treat myself to Arie. Basic doll, no outfit, cute little wig, and I was fine until they factored in the shipping. Twenty percent of the cost of the doll, to ship her here from Korea? I don’t think so!* I will keep that money in savings, and the next time one of my girls is ready to order from DOD, I’ll jump in and split the shipping.

I should probably also buy stock in the company that makes packing peanuts.

*In relating this to Trainman, he said that is actually about right for overnight shipping to/from overseas. He’s a broker; they do that sort of thing all the time.

It took me over a year to get used to the idea of spending $20+ for a skein of sock yarn. I suppose I will adjust to this in time, but still...