Category Archives: Everyday

Knitting on DPNs

I have tried and tried and tried to knit in the round on double pointed needles. Finally, I got IT! Yay, yay, yay! Does anyone else have trouble with this seemingly simple and elementary knitting skill?

Every time I would try, I’d have needles going every which way; I couldn’t make out what was what, it was a mess, but no more! Look!

Just in case someone else is having similar difficulties this is what worked for me, or should I say my DPN story. Ha ha!

Yesterday morning I purchased a Craftsy class called, New Directions in Lace Hats, by Kate Gagnon Osborne and Courtney Kelley. Courtney was showing a lesson on how to start a hat from the top down which meant using double pointed needles. I was following along with her method and realized that I had never tried casting onto one needle and then moving the stitches to four. This was really easy to do and she shows us how. This eliminated the click clackety mess of needles while casting on, and spreading out my stitches onto four needles instead of three gave more space around and made it easier for me. (The fifth needle is for knitting the stitches on.) I did need to go to You Tube and watch Very Pink’s video on Getting Started with DPNs to go from here, but these two videos together made it all work for me. Thank you so, so much Courtney and Staci!!!

Here are a few more things about this Craftsy class, just in case you are interested. It comes with three lace hat patterns which are quite pretty. I am not a hat person, but my dolls are. There are also a few more things that I think I can learn from this class. I need to go back to study (and practice) Courtney’s invisible cast on for starting hats from the top down. It looks like a great technique. If you crochet, it’s like the adjustable ring or loop. She also goes into how to increase and decrease within a lace pattern. I’ve always wondered about how that works while keeping the pattern flowing. In my opinion, this class was well worth the $14.99 (on sale!) I paid for it.

Now, I want to get back to knitting and finish my hat! BTW, who knows what this will be?

Do you have a DPN story?

Bye for now and thanks for reading!

I Am Ready to Be Creative Today!

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I straightened up a bit in my studio yesterday, and I do feel better, more relaxed. I like things to be put away in their place, but I am finding that a lot of creative people thrive with things left out in the open. It is so interesting to see how everyone is different, right?

Gretchen Rubin, an author who writes, makes video and podcasts (LOVE her podcast, BTW) about happiness and healthy habits often says, “Outer Order Contributes to Inner Calm”. This saying fits me, most definitely. I need to be calm and relaxed in order to be creative. When there is too much clutter I cannot think clearly or create.

It probably looks boring, but I will mess it up again soon, I promise.

My Bo Bergemann, BJD Bella told the naked Izzy to go get herself some clothes on and poor Lisbet went into her box waiting for her lips to be repainted (some day). In the meantime, she found a little Kelly doll dressed as a fairy for Halloween. I dressed Bella in her only other outfit, but she doesn’t remember it, so she thinks it is new.

My fabric is still towering, but not as much, and is in a neat stack. I left the Christmas pieces on the top of the pile since I will be using this next.

My embroidery floss is all put away in its correct color group and in numerical order, so I can find it quickly!

Kish’s Alisha and Tonner’s Lilah (Ann Estelle’s little sister) are dressed for fall. I kept teddy on the rocking chair, but put away the spring hats and gave him a few pumpkins.

Wonder how long things will stay this neat, a day, a week?

Do you thrive with clutter or neatness?

Thanks for reading along. Have a great Monday!

I Feel Like Alice…

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I walked into my sewing room this morning and I feel like Alice who just fell down the rabbit hole. I snapped some quick photos to show you what I mean. Only one photo makes sense, and that is Gina who is all posed and dressed, waiting for the weather to change so that she can have her picture taken outdoors in her new fall outfit, the last one.

Do these make any sense to you?

A wig set on the branch of a blown glass Christmas tree? Or how about wigs in a vintage fruit bowl? These wigs should all be in that plastic shoe box labeled “wigs”.

Amelia Thimble and Sugar posing like they are still wearing their pumpkin dresses? Don’t they know they are naked? Geez!

Fabric that is ready to fall over because it is twice as high as it should be? Going one way is Christmas, the other way is my new stuff, the other way is more new stuff, then the fabric that is supposed to be there? See, total confusion.

Leftover props are laying about: a stuffed bear wearing Amelia Thimble’s hat, another hat balancing on the edge of the rocking chair, Raggedy Ann who lost her sweater, floppy puppy needing to be put away.

Bella is still playing babysitter (in the same dress she’s been wearing for over a year) to whichever tiny one decides to sit in her lap. Right now it’s Izzy, who is naked, and Lisbet, whom I don’t know what to do with (she needs a lip repaint and I don’t know how). Well, I tried and my paint was too thick and dark; that’s another story.

Two different sweaters are being blocked, lace yarn remnants from the tiny pumpkin patch dresses, floss still not put away from those pumpkin patch dresses.

And,… here is the only thing that makes sense, Gina in her new fall outfit. Hopefully, the day will brighten up so I can get some photos taken of her.

In addition to taking photos today, I think that I had better do some straightening up, don’t you? Maybe I will have some “nice and neat” studio pictures to show you.