Dolly progress (but it's invisible).

I got notification today that the elastic to re-string E-An is in transit and should arrive at my office tomorrow.

Looking forward to knitting, knitting, knitting tomorrow. (Specifically, on Avery's sweater.) I'm hoping to stay at the Dallas knit night until the shop owners toss us out.

I also got word that the wigs I mailed back have been credited to my account. It's nice knowing that I could theoretically buy a $50 pair of boots for someone and not fall off my chair from sticker shock because the majority of that sum is waiting patiently for me to come spend it.

Hoping to have progress pictures for you tomorrow.

The boring* part of the sweater body is done.

Middlest reminds me that, considering how much length was added to this while I was in the ER with one or the other of my kids, five and three-eighths inches of stockinette on 4-0 needs does not necessarily qualify as boring.

The scrap of red thread at the top center marks where the V-neck will begin. The two red loops run through the underarm stitches.

What's next? Digging the sleeve in progress out of my large knitting bag, picking up any stitches that have jumped ship over the past several weeks, and catching it up with its mate. Not happening tonight. Maybe not happening tomorrow.

So this is one of the weekend's goals accomplished. I'm going to celebrate with some sort of snack and probably go to bed.

Two more rows on the sweater.

And a few more items added to my Bloglovin list, regarding dolls. Specifically, I discovered BJDCollectasy.

I downloaded the pattern to make a bow, quiver, and arrows. And created a Word document with the link for the directions.

Evening meds have kicked in. I'm going to bed.

Parody

I finally remembered the one that popped into my head on Monday after the box with three wigs arrived:

I've got wigs, they're multiplyin'
and I'm losing control
with the options they're supplyin'
It's electrifyin!
.
The two that didn't fit are already shipped back to Mint on Card.

With Middlest walking me through it, I just reordered elastic to restring my E-An. Middlest will do the actual restringing.

I'm going to see if I can stay awake long enough to finish the row on Avery's sweater that I began this morning. The odds aren't good. (And the knitter is decidedly odd.)

We have a name for her. And I'm definitely in trouble.

As you know, I've been dithering over what to rename my new Adela. She's doll #15, and I've used most of the good "virtue" names already. I was brainstorming with Middlest and Fourthborn last night.

She's bubbly and a little feisty, so Serenity is out, except as an exercise in irony. I'm saving Mercy for an SD, so that's out as well. When I went to bed last night, I was thinking maybe Allegria, as "allegresse" is French for elation, but that wasn't quite it, either.

This morning I was pondering about the power of music for a talk I'm giving in church on Sunday. And I looked at her and said, "Harmony???" Success at last!

Also, I'm adopting Fourthborn's DOT E-An, but whether she becomes Mercy (which is what I thought last night) or Justice remains to be seen. Part of last night's discussion with my kids was about the fact that Nemesis or Justice is frequently female and typically shown as being blind. They also reminded me that Artemis was the female hunter, and Apollo was the male artist.

I spent a few minutes on the Iplehouse website, drooling over some of the EID men, who I know are way too heavy for me to wrangle, and on Middlest's recommendation looking at the SID young men, who are about a pound lighter on average. Middlest was amazed that I was even thinking about getting a male doll. Frankly, I was a little amazed myself. Steadfast is the lonely little onion in a petunia patch. With the addition of E-An, who is only barely strung together on the dining room table, Steadfast is now outnumbered 15 to 1.

Back to the blindness thing. Since I see Justice as a sort of Robin Hood figure, only without the stealing (because hello, virtue) a blind protector with a crossbow on his/her back is kind of a scary proposition. So I'm thinking either extremely near-sighted and needing glasses, or maybe with a patch over one eye?

Crossbow accident? I wonder how effective a one-eyed crossbow hunter would be.

All these years of collecting dolls, and I haven't gotten into the elaborate stories or relationships that a lot of the local collectors create. Middlest and Fourthborn have created entire worlds where their dolls live. I've just bought dolls and knitted for them and occasionally blown the dust off their wigs. I've kind of thought of Blessing as a very proper librarian, and Celeste as a mischief maker. Grace is Steadfast's baby sister. Probably. And Chutzpah may be their cousin.

Buying the alchemist's bookcase and adding to my collection of small books and buying the harp have begun to open up a different sort of creativity to me.

And now if you will kindly excuse me, I'm going to go browsing for E-An's partner in crime virtue.

I think I'm in trouble.

I still haven't settled on a new name for no-longer-bald Adela.

But I'm working out the storyline for two other dolls, neither of whom I own. Possibly brother and sister, possibly fraternal twins. The boy is Justice. The girl is Mercy. Justice is not an avenger; he is an extremely skilled defender of the weak and helpless. Mercy is a healer, and she shares the apothecary stuff with Blessing. Blessing would be the research librarian. Mercy would be patching up broken wings and broken hearts.

Justice could be a girl. Wonder Woman comes to mind. And Fourthborn has a naked SD girl in my studio, waiting to be re-homed. And that would save me lots of research on SD boys that are as gorgeous as Iplehouse men but don't weigh almost six pounds.

I need to go to bed. Now. While visions of trebuchets dance in my head.

Be-wigged, but still nameless

The box from Mint on Card arrived at work today, as did the small packet from FiniRibbon. I tried on the "strawberry blonde" wig, and it was nowhere near as ruddy as I'd hoped, plus the fiber was nearly as shiny as sequins. Did nothing for my little bald girl, and I hope to send it back for credit tomorrow. The (real) mohair wig was cute, and a bit too small, so it will go back as well.

This, however, is perfection. It fits her head. It suits her coloring. It doesn't overpower the pink dress she is wearing. And those adorable ears peek out nicely on either side.

This is what it looks like in the back. I will need to get a silicone wig cap, but Middlest says that Luts wigs tend not to transfer color onto the resin as much as other brands. So I'll save that for my next order.

I was hoping to get a more accurate read on the color in this shot, but it's still too yellow, and her face is all washed out.

It's 11:00p.m. I'm so done.

Avery's sweater continues

I got a lot of knitting in while at church today. I did not have quite enough hands to hold the tape still and take the picture, but the boring/plain part of the sweater body now measures 4.75" in length. Only five-eighths of an inch remains before I reach the armscye.

I've decided to make this a "pullover" rather than a V-neck cardigan. I'll still use the V-neck calculations; I'll just be splitting the colorwork yoke into separate halves and (most likely) working the neck ribbing as garter stitch to match the bands up the back. And possibly uttering childbirth words as I deal with multiple dangling ends of the yarn.

More places to go; more things to see

That list on the right is getting longer, due in part to the sources I added today from the 48-page PDF that is Raouken's "BJD Corset for MiniFee," which I downloaded recently. Sources for fine silk douppioni, silk ribbon, cotton lace, silk floss, etc.

I'm not ready to tackle that project yet, but I wanted to have the sources linked to my blog for when I am.

I messaged the artisan who made Blessing's breakfast in bed tray, to see if I could get reduced shipping on a combined order. Middlest and Fourthborn have both counseled that it's best to get the props when they speak to me, and worry about the doll who needs them later.

Especially since neither Blessing nor Celeste seems like the type to carry a crossbow or a bota bag.

And then I took a six and a half hour nap. When I woke up, the artisan had responded, and I've placed the order. In a couple of weeks, I will have a crossbow, quiver with arrows, and water-skin/bota bag in search of a hunter or a defender-of-the-weak. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

I just made the mistake of wandering over to FairyLand's shop. The FairyLine Sircca full option package is stunning. Thankfully, I have no room for her. But I love the sword, the shield, the detailing on her centaur hooves, the wings. Basically, everything except the cut of her blouse under the corset.

I do not care for the Arong pukiFee. Poor little one looks as if it has indigestion from being surrounded by all of those sweets.

More stuff arriving soon!

Got notification that the ribbons I ordered from FiniRibbon on Etsy (lovely shop, lovely people) should arrive at the office tomorrow. When I will be home. Good news is, the Saturday mail is held for us, and one of our admins picks it up on Monday morning.

I got frustrated when the second wig I'd picked out for Adela from Monique turned out to no longer be in stock in the color I wanted, and the other possibilities they offered would not work for her. They will still be my first choice when I need to buy a wig, because their wigs are inexpensive but not cheap, and their customer service is excellent.

I stewed for half an hour or so then jumped on Mint on Card's website and found three maybes and ordered one of each. This order has also shipped, and I look forward to bringing them home one day next week and trying each in turn on Adela.

Night, y'all.

Breakfast is served!

I've been holding off on posting this until I gave the artisan feedback on Etsy, which I did tonight. This is Blessing's breakfast tray, which is impeccably crafted throughout.

If you want to see more of this artisan's work, click on the link to OneThyrd. Everything she makes is SD scale.

Those roses in the bud vase? Paper! But don't they look like something right out of the garden?

I'm pretty sure that Blessing is going to want a lace or cloth mat for the tray, and a nice napkin.

And I'm trying to figure out what kind of virtue would be comfortable carrying a crossbow. Because she makes one. And we wants it, precious.

A spot (tee-hee) of washing-up.

I bought the pink and white full-set that Celeste wears from Fourthborn. She pointed out at the time that there was a small discoloration on the petticoat. I have cheerfully ignored it for something like seven years.

Same story with the pink and white full-set that Adela-to-be-renamed is wearing. I think that it's been in a shoebox in my studio since roughly the time that I bought Honor from Fourthborn.

Since I took the whole day off after appointments for Middlest and me this morning, I got a little ambitious and whipped up an Oxyclean slurry in my largest mixing bowl, dropped in Celeste's big fluffy petticoat (on the left) and Adela's bloomers (middle) and shift (on the right) into it, then lay down for a nap.

When I got up from the nap, I ran a small load in the washer, with Adela's things safely trapped inside a lingerie bag. I'm pleased to report that the mysterious stains are all gone. I have a really cool pressing wand that my sister gave me for subduing the seams on quilt blocks, and it will make short work of tidying up all of those ruffles without melting the crinolines underneath.

(Sometime between now and seven years from now.)

Vignette-ier

I wasn't expecting this until tomorrow, when I'm off work. It's every bit as lovely in real life as it was on her Etsy page. Will link to her shop once I've given her feedback.

Nope. Cute wig, and it fits well. I like how it frames her face, but it hides her ears, and it's not the right color for her. I'm keeping it, because I think it may suit the next doll I plan to buy.

She looks much happier having hair, even if it's not the right cut or color. Patience, little one.

Vignette

I moved a few things around. The alchemist's bookcase is now on top of a dresser in my room. I filled all of the bottom shelf and parts of the next two with books I've purchased over the past several years, including those I bought during recent raids of forays into Half Price Books. There wasn't room in the bookcase for everything which came with it, so I grabbed the red cabinet that used to hang above the commode in the master loo and has been waiting quietly in a corner of my room for a little over a year for me to decide how best to re-purpose it. I put most of the filled jars inside it.

The red stool is a plant stand that had been Celeste's perch for several years, until she claimed the harp. She is borrowing Blessing's chair until I can find or make a proper chair for her. The framed picture is a fortune from when I was serving as Relief Society president in Fort Worth. It reads "You have executive ability." (It never fails to make me giggle.) I rediscovered it in the cabinet in the guest loo when I was looking for something else. The two ceramic squirrels were made by my Aunt Sadie, and I inherited them when she passed in 1985. And as you can see, the new globe looks much better atop the stool than it did on that cheap table from Daiso.

What about all the other books that came with the alchemist's bookcase? They are in a small box that I bought at Daiso and will be the start of a library for my MSDs or possibly my YoSDs.No picture at this time.

And here you have Blessing, blissed-out in her own little corner of the world.

I think she's thinking about knitting. I know I am.

She didn't want the harp, so I gave her the world.

She's only pretending to ignore it. I spent a little time Googling and found a bunch of free vintage travel posters, which I've saved to Word and will may eventually print out.

It's not as out of scale as it looks in this picture. To my way of thinking a globe should be about a cubit in diameter (elbow to fingertip), and this one is a little smaller than a Blessing-cubit. I just didn't want to squat or kneel in order to be at eye level with her. And I have to find her a better table. This one is something that followed me home from Daiso a few months ago. It's been hiding behind a silk ficus and the tinies in the living room since them.

I was browsing the site where I bought the alchemist's bookcase, and she now has new stuff. All of which I want. Standing desk. Writing desk. Or this other writing desk.

And a MacKenzie-Childs inspired chair and bed are starting to assemble themselves in my mind. That would be a whole lot of painting. I wish I had pictures of the folk art beds I painted for my kids when we moved to Arlington. That was a deeply joyful experience in an excruciatingly stressful time. My hands are 24 years older. I don't know if I could repeat it at doll scale.

Confirmation that my Etsy order has shipped.

It's coming from Austin, so it should be here early next week. This is the breakfast-in-bed tray for my big dolls, neither of whom has a bed. (Yet.)

I spent a little time browsing Etsy this evening, and the same artisan who made my alchemist's bookcase has now come up with a standing desk suitable for a budding alchemist. And a writing desk. And I'm spending $100 a week on physical therapy. Aughhh!

Voicemail from the wig company yesterday.

"Please call us. There's a problem with your card." And I thought, oh fine. I'm over-limit and they've declined the card. Which didn't make sense, because I thought I'd used my other card. After five or six calls since getting the voicemail, I finally got through to a human at the company. Somehow, I don't know if it was me or an internet glitch, they had the wrong number down for my card. So of course it wouldn't go through. We got that straightened out, and Adela's wig should be here in the next few days.

Count your many stitches; name them one by one.

(With apologies to Hymn 241.) When I was knitting in Sunday School, I noticed that something wasn't quite right. There was a space where no space should be. When I came to see more clearly (I am having such fun with hymn texts in this post) I found a dropped stitch. With five rows piled on its head. So I spent the rest of Sunday School and most of Relief Society unRavelling and making sure that the stitches were all pointed in the right direction.

I'm going to let the yarn relax for a day or two before picking up where I've left off. Avery's waited almost two years for this sweater. Two days won't make much difference.

I resemble that remark.

"And this is because you like weird stuff," said Firstborn as she handed me this cup and saucer that she found at an estate sale. The saucer is a little larger than a quarter, but not as quite big as a half dollar. She also found something for one of Middlest's dolls, but that's Middlest's show and tell, not mine.

Weird stuff, indeed. Harrumph!

I've done exactly one row on Avery's sweater thus far today, and that's probably where it will end until Sunday School and Relief Society tomorrow.

Free pattern (not mine) on Craftsy

I'd been resisting the siren call of Craftsy. No more. One of my friends posted a link to a free pattern, which I've downloaded. It's for a corset to fit MiniFee, and it's not for beginners. But since I've been sewing for nearly 60 years, I had better not be one of those! The designer used to make these for sale on Etsy and is moving on to other things. I have no idea when I'll get around to making one, but I'm pretty sure that Adela (yet to be renamed) will want one.

I've checked the Monique website multiple times this week, and the wig that I ordered last Saturday still shows as "picking". I have to laugh at myself and my impatience. Ten years ago I had barely heard of BJDs, and this year I've gone from acquiring them to knowing something about them and wanting to set up little rooms or tableaux to display them properly.

My order from the Austin shop has not shipped, but the artisan has excellent feedback on Etsy, so I'm not worried about that, either. Just antsy.

I'm going to wash my hands thoroughly and knit a little. Hoping for an early night of it.

A little more progress on Avery's sweater.

Six more rows, which brings us to three and seven-eighths inches in length. It needs to be five and three-eighths inches long when I add the sleeves, if I want the raglan decreases to turn out right. And I do.

That's an inch and a half. So somewhere around twenty-four more rows. At which point I can get back to work on the sleeves, which are stalled because I can't decide if I want to bring in more colors or recycle the ones that I've used.

Night, y'all.

Counting to ten. (OK, not quite.)

I've been counting rows for a few days, trying to determine exactly how many rows it takes to equal an inch in length. My best guess was 20, but the eight rows I've added recently add up to almost exactly half an inch. I am just under two inches from where the sleeves will join on.

I keep checking the wig order that I placed in the wee hours of Saturday morning. It still says "pending" on the condensed page and "picking" on the order form. I'm wondering if it really takes three days to find a wig in the warehouse, or if they are short-handed, or if there were 10,000 Maniacs insomniacs placing orders when I did.

Expected shipping date on the breakfast-in-bed tray is Friday. She'll contact me when it's ready to ship, and it's only coming from Austin, not California like the wig order.

I am knackered from this morning's physical therapy session. Time for me to go do the two exercises that I'm supposed to do twice a day, and then it's lights out for Ms. Ravelled.

A little more progress on Avery's sweater, and an incredible offer.

My friend T is a skilled costumer. Tonight at our knitting group he asked if I would be interested in having him make a Cavalier gown for one of my larger dolls. I came home, googled the queen he had mentioned, and found an image of the dress he had in mind. It's gorgeous, and Celeste would be lovely in it.

There's just one problem: the bodice is insufficiently modest by my standards. Yes, it's the style of the times; however, for the most part my dolls are dressed in clothing that could be worn in good conscience by a temple-worthy Latter-day Saint. I don't look at my doll friends as grist for proselyting, but I want to maintain consistent standards for the dolls and me, so that if one of my friends expresses curiosity about the church, there is no dissonance between how I dress and how the dolls dress.

I fear that we have an irresistible force / immovable object situation regarding the gown. I strongly suspect that T's standards will not allow him to alter the bodice, while mine will not allow my doll to expose her shoulders and most of her bosom.

Here is a link to the gown.

I added maybe a quarter of an inch to the length of Avery's sweater body. Seriously anticlimactic, compared to that gown.