Category Archives: Work in Progress

Math & Knitting

Yesterday morning was spent getting a knitting pattern together, so that Talyssa can have her very own fuzzy mohair sweater. I wanted to use a larger needle size since Talyssa is a bigger doll, and I didn’t want to be knitting her sweater for days and days and days on end. My mohair/silk yarn is lace weight and it is already quite “airy” for the smaller dolls, so I thought that holding two strands of yarn together to make a heavier yarn would work great on larger needles.

I started figuring things out by knitting a swatch with the same needle size that I use for Talyssa’s basic wool sweater and then evaluated it. The fabric was a bit dense and stiff, I thought. I knit another swatch on a size larger needles and thought it looked just right, nice and “airy”.

The next step was to start with Talyssa’s basic wool sweater pattern and adjust the stitch counts and rows using the new gauge. After some division, multiplication and number rounding, I had a pattern to start with.

I love doing this kind of math work! Who knows why! I would think that it would make me want to pull my hair out, but for some reason I find it mentally invigorating.

Now to knit. And, I did, all afternoon and evening on Tuesday, and hoping and hoping that it would come out perfect. At “bedtime” on Tuesday I only had 12 more rows to go, and it is all body knitting, easy! The sleeves got finished on Tuesday night, they seemed to take forever, turning my work constantly, it seemed. Talyssa has long arms.

I finished up Talyssa’s sweater before Wednesday afternoon started. I did a quick try on before blocking and it will fit her! Yay! Now I will get started on her dress. I took a photo of Talyssa’s sweater next to one for the Little Darlings to see the size difference. Yes, they are quite different in size, but what I thought was even more interesting was the difference in lot colors of the yarn. Talyssa’s was knit with a couple of skeins that I just received and the Little Darling’s was knit with yarn that I received earlier in the year.

2015 is going fast! My daily Mary Engelbreit calendar pages are almost gone!

Oh, I just heard it’s National Chocolate Day. Have you had some today? It’s my sweet of choice–I have some dark chocolate daily.

Bye for now and thanks for reading!

Tiny Work Going On and More

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I’ve been working on winter white Christmas sets for Pupipuki Sugar and Amelia Thimble. I thought that a white on white combination would be something different.

Last night (so I could get right to work this morning without procrastinating) I did a few quick drawings of little motifs for embroidery. It worked, and I got right down to business early this morning.

Even though I use my “patterns” from the last time when I start knitting or crocheting a new piece the results can vary. In this case Sugar’s dress seemed a tad short. Some tiny lace tights solved the “too much bare leg” problem. These are super tiny, but cute on her chubby li’l legs.

Sugar’s arm around Amelia Thimble’s back keeps her steady while I manage to catch a photo of them in their brand new Christmas sets. They have become great friends!

I just started another knitting/crocheting notebook, it’s the top book. Everything I have knit or crocheted within the last 4+ years is written in these books! In addition to writing out “patterns” I also document the date, doll made for, needle size, type/color of yarn, embroidery colors/strands. These notes make it easy to go back and remake something or remake something with changes that I want to incorporate in the new piece.

My sweet chihuahua LOVES sleeping in sunbeams. He looked so peaceful that I had to take a photo of him.

Hope you have a GREAT week! Bye for now!

What I’m Working on Today

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Hello and, depending on where you live, good morning or good evening!

I took a photo of my desk this morning and wanted to show you the progress on Patsy’s Christmas outfit. I think that this is the last I can make out of this simple red/green pin dot. I made two dresses for the Little Darlings out of this 1/2 yard piece of fabric last year and didn’t think there was enough for another dress, but Patsy is small, so there was just enough width and length to cut out her skirt. Here is a link to Gina’s ensemble from last year. (Both dresses for Gina were the same.)

I made a quick little drawing of how I want to embroider Patsy’s sweater. I’ll also need to run to the store for red ribbon; the shade I have is too blue, and I’d like to use organza. I’m not sure yet what kind of beads I’ll use for the sweater buttons, maybe pearls. The tiny green buttons are for the dress. I’m thinking a bow or headband for her hair, but I will see.

That’s all for now my dear readers.

Thank you sooo much for all of your comments; I love them!!!