finishing up Sparrow and other stuff

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I have painted this wooden egg for Sparrow to carry

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in this nest/basket/purse thingy. I’ll see if I like it. The carrier is crocheted raffia on the outside and knitted furry yarn on the inside.
And I’m working on her doll stand- I sewed down some of the yarn onto green wool fabric. I love this green fabric- it was a $1 thrift shop, knit fabric jacket that I felted in the washing machine.

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And this is the latest side track… I got distracted thinking about cornrows, locks, braids and how to make them on a doll, so I needed a head to work on… I did the painting before we left on our trip. Today I finished up the wig cap so I can start adding hair. I am experimenting with black wool roving.

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Fall thinking

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I am trying to get back into working mode. Kids go back to school next week and I’ve got a long list of things to do. I am at a place with this bag that is really boring, so I’ll just have to watch the videos I got out of the library to finish it up. Last night it was Tampopo… about 4″ more done.

I am suppose to be sorting through stuff so that I can participate in a yard sale with our neighbor who is moving. Instead I seem to be aquiring stuff- must be the season. The neighbor has given me her buttons-

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I’ve sorted them into keepers and not, and fabric-

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also sorted into keep and wash… some great old wool felt and 60’s/70’s cotton print among other things.
And another friend gave me some sewing things that came from her mother’s belongings- old thread in muted colors and woolen fabric.

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I love being the ending place for peoples sewing related trash and treasures.

Home from vacation

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More doll and fabric resources in Vancouver- This is a photo of the area around 49th and Main St. where there is an Indian neighborhood with clothing and fabric stores. I needed a shopping buddy to really get the most out of it, but still had fun. If i’d been with someone else who was into it, I think I could have spent a whole day there! I found one other fabric store, recommended by the person at Button, Button- it’s called Dressew. By the time I got there, at the end of our visit, I’d had enough fabric shopping, but I stopped in for a peek and it look great. Maybe next time…

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

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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!

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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?

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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.