Drowning in Dollies

Blessing is sitting patiently and elegantly on top of the dresser in her skirt and sweater. She has a book, so she’s not bored.

Celeste is reclining languidly on the couch, waiting for her sweater. The sleeves are done, and just about exactly what I had had in mind. The body, however, is a puzzlement. I cast on the right number of stitches; that’s not the problem. The problem, ladies and gentlemen, is pooling. I’m not crazy about it in my socks. I’m even less happy with it when it pops up in doll clothing. So at the moment I am doing some glorified swatching. I have the proper number of stitches on my needles and have worked half an inch or so of exceedingly boring [both visually and knittingly] stockinette above the garter stitch hem. Now I am going to try some slipstitch patterns to break up the colors and see if I like that any better. Another option would be to knit alternate rows from opposite ends of the ball of yarn, which could eliminate the pooling entirely or magnify it exceedingly.

And then there is the new doll, Faith (my SOOM Beyla), who arrived at Fourthborn’s office yesterday without fanfare, drama, or indeed any warning whatsoever. I stayed up till almost midnight, making and remaking a skirt for her, so she was not entirely naked when I went to bed, but the gathering at the waist is too bulky and needs tweaking. I just cannibalized my favorite yellow T-shirt, which is almost exactly the right shade of yellow to pick up the pale yellow thread in the plaid. I think the next project will either be one of those T-shirt dresses that were so popular when the girls were little (where you attach a deep ruffle to a T-shirt to turn it into a dress), or a knit shirt and a jumper.

Dinner tonight with Brother Sushi, and I’m looking forward to that. But now it’s time to bundle up and go scrape off the windshield. I am not walking from the station to the bus stop and then from the bus stop to the office this morning. It’s 16°F (-9°C) out there, and it does not say stupid on my forehead! (Boy, is it nice to have options.)