on vacation!

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this is north of Vancouver.

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and this is my bag so far. It’s my travel project. I am using circular needles and didn’t have any trouble getting on the airplane- no one even looked at security.
The bottom of the bag is 1X ribbing. I picked up stitches all along the edge and then knitted about 1 inch in garter stitch. I have been working in stockinette stitch after that. I am not knitting in a circle because of my overspun yarn. I am hoping that by sewing the bag up when it is finished, the diagonal slant of the seam will become a design element.
Doll related stuff that I’ve fallen upon in Vancouver- Button Button 422 West Cordova St Vancouver, BC V6B 4K2 Canada Phone: +1 604 687
0067. I bought 4 little shell buckles.
IKEA- we checked out IKEA, because believe it or not, we still don’t have one in Boston. They had fabric on sale for .99 a meter (Canadian)… I couldn’t resist!
The anthropology museum at University of British Columbia- They have some dolls in their collection including dolls by native peoples and dolls from Japan. Besides the dolls in the collection, they have an amazing collection of other artifacts.

old stash

I have been doing fiber work of one kind or another since I was a kid, and I started to amass yarn in college… a looong time ago (i.e. the ’70’s). Over the years I have gone through it at least once a year, transferring it from one container to another, sorting and sometimes actually using some of it, and anything that could remotely resemble doll hair is now at the top of the pile. Okay, so here is the point… Now when I go and look at my 4 large bins of yarn that I’ve been dragging around and storing at various locations… IT HAS ALL TURNED UGLY! Nothing is a color that I like anymore! Luckily some of it is white so I guess I could get out the dye pot, but for a person who never wears blue, that seems to be just about all I have. Hmmm, the dangers of stashing!

Thanks!

Wow! Thanks for the help on my knitting dilemma! Thanks especially to blogdogblog for sending aid!
I am still swatching. I am having a knit night tonight at my house- first time- and so I needed a project to work on.

so what am I doing wrong here?

I got this yarn for free. It is my favorite color so I couldn’t pass it up. It is a very course, over-spun wool- would be good for rugs, I suppose.. definitely not good for anything that touched skin. I don’t make rugs, and I need a knitting project so I am thinking about a felted bag. I knitted up a swatch-

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Then I felted it…

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hmmm- a distinct diagonal slant… any thoughts? Besides the design problem involved I really like how it looks and feels.
(Sorry about the terrible pictures- I am having problems with my camera these days)

flying cape

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I don’t make dolls that are posable, but I want to be able to display this doll with her arms up, showing her cape out-stretched. I am working on it…

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I sewed a casing that runs along the arms and across the shoulders, on the underside of the cape. I went to the hardware store and bought some dowels, some brass tubing, and brass rods. I quickly decided the dowels were too stiff looking. The brass rod and tubing is more fun to work with. The brass rod fits tightly into the brass tube. I cut a small piece of the tubing- about 1 1/2″- and pushed it into the casing to the shoulder point. I put a rod up the casing, one from each side. The rods can slip into and out of the tube, so that the cape will be held out or down. Now I need to figure out a way to keep the tube in place and make an attachment so that the doll’s hands hold the edge of the cape.

Golden baby

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I’ve got his arms and legs sewn on and am trying out this piece of Teddy bear mohair for his hair.

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I have these postcards that I got some time ago that I am using for costume thoughts. The original inspiration for this baby was late medieval paintings of Madonna and child, at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. Lots of gold, dark reds and olive greens.

names

When it comes time to name my dolls it can be obvious or difficult. I listen to books on tape while I work and I often name a doll after a character in the story. Here are some names I won’t be using! via Cup of Chicha

the new wig

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Here she is with her new ‘do. It kept getting shorter and shorter- I am definitely not going into hair-dressing as an on-the-side money maker. I like the messy look, but that is hard to keep. I am much happier with this new hair then with the tibetan skin wig.

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I am thinking about this braid down her back…

make-do

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hey Eleanor! Look at the silly thing I made out of the broken glass you saved- a pin cushion parfait with a cherry on top! Grandma’s stuff lives on.