I still hadn't recovered from yesterday's nasty eye-drops, so decided to tackle something super easy - edging a baby blanket. I found this adorable duckie fleece on a trip through the US once - at a Walmart I think - and knowing my daughter wanted to eventually have a baby or two, bought some for whenever that day would arrive. Well, she's due to have a little boy in February, so what could be more appropriate - a nice soft blue blanket covered in cheerful yellow duckies!

It's been a rough week, but I've finished Bonnie's outfit, so now whenever she comes home, she'll have something nice to wear. I had wanted something a little different, a dress with a nice white collar. After studying the lovely new black and white IH BID outfits, I noticed that the collar on one of the dresses was one piece in the front, so I drew up a pattern for a pointed collar that could be sewn in one pice, but inserted in such a way that it looked like it was two separate pieces. That was so much easier than trying to match up two separate collar pieces! I also went with my initial idea of having stretchy sleeves. The sweater has so many threads on the inside that would catch on a doll's finger, but with a dress with a stretchy sleeve I can pull it down over the doll's hands and cover all those little fingers. Then it's easy to pull on the sweater over top.

Just got back from my annual eye specialist appointment, and the news was good - my macular degeneration hasn't gotten any worse this past year.  Yay!!  However, with my pupils dilated from the eye drops, I can't see well enough to do much of anything right now.

I'm almost finished the Christmas Tutorials, and wish I could share photos, but I really shouldn't. Hope and Layla look so cute in their holiday outfits, like they are all ready to decorate the tree, or do some holiday baking. I need to take some holiday photos of them, but it's still a bit early for the Christmas decorations. However, I really do need to take photos, so maybe we better just start decorating the house - or I have to create a festive back drop. Which is less work?

I'm working on embellishing the pinafore for one of my Christmas Tutorials. I went through all my old cross-stitch pattern books looking for something suitable, and finally settled on a simple red snowflake design, to compliment the golden snowflake prints on the red dress. 

I'm using some 14 count "waste canvas" to work the design on the plain white cotton. Once the cross-stitch is finished, I have to pull out all the threads of the waste canvas.

It's turning out to be one of those "odds and ends weeks", with all kinds of small projects needing to be addressed. There's no interesting Special Days for awhile, so I'm focusing on sewing. I crocheted the band on the Fair Isle sweater - it went better than I was worried it would. Now I have to steam it and sew on the buttons. I think I'm going to crochet a hat in matching colours, as I really don't want to tackle a knit hat in the same pattern as the sweater. I've chosen a nice purple print for a jumper to go under it. Now to decide on a top. It needs to be white to better go with Bonnie's light skin. It also needs long sleeves to fit better under the sweater sleeves. But I'm not sure about the collar yet. Personally I'd like a small lace-edged collar, but I'm afraid it might end up being too bulky. I'll have to think on that some more. I do all my designing and figuring out of how to do things in my head, so when I eventually start, it's all been figured out already. I don't like wasting my time having to redo stuff, or making test samples, if I don't have to.

It's another "Button Day", and I'm almost finished Bonnie's sweater, so I asked Elin and Byuri if they'd like to sort my buttons and choose a nice colour to go with the sweater.

I've finished the actual knitting, and now I have to make the front edging and buttonholes. I'm not looking forward to that at all, as the yarn is so very fine, and the right front edge of the sweater is a mess of coloured threads. I also need to choose a nice fabric to make into a jumper or dress to go with the sweater. 

Not much else doll-related is getting done this weekend. With it being so unseasonably warm, I took advantage of the opportunity yesterday to transplant some houseplants. It's always less messy to do it outside. And today Jan and I scrubbed all the dirty pots that have been piling up all summer, as well as all the decorative garden urns. I like to start off each spring with nice clean pots, so we do it every fall when it's not too cold yet.

Now that my garden plants have all frozen and been removed, my garden is suitable for dolly photos again, so a whole bunch decided to take advantage of the nice weather today to get some fresh air and take a little hike for "Take A Hike Day".

Nami, who went prepared with hiking boots and a walking stick, led the way...

Tomorrow is actually "Take A Hike Day", but it's supposed to be bad weather - strong winds, heavy rain and thunderstorms - perfect weather for the annual Toronto Santa Claus Parade! 

Today is "National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day", the day to check out all those expiry dates and throw out anything that smells. This time it's Byuri's turn, and she always puts on her tiara in silent protest - like she's Cinderella - whenever she feels she's being forced to do chores she feels no little kid should have to do.  "Better be careful on that slippery floor Dear!"

My knitting is coming along nicely, but the commissions are at a temporary standstill. I have two free pattern tutorials due soon, so I thought I'd better address them so they are ready. The way time flies these days, December will be here in no time at all!

*By the way, Byuri's tiara is a real metal and rhinestone tiara I picked up at Len's Mills store a few weeks ago. In fact I bought two. The prices were great, and they fit almost everyone.

Today is yet another Teddy Bear Day - "National American Teddy Bear Day". Well, I can't just take a similar shot to the last Teddy Bear Day, so this time I photographed Layla with my own old teddy bear. He was the only stuffed animal I had as a child, except for a big, hard, pink poodle I received when I was around six.

And because I just KNOW I'm going to get asked if I have any old photos of me and my bear, I went and looked, and actually found one, taken just before I turned two, posing with my Opa.

This week's Iplekids Colour Challenge colour is Silver. I thought, "Oh great!, None of my dolls have anything in silver!" Who would ever choose silver as a colour for a group where most members just have little girl dolls? But JIDs count too, and I remembered my Kyle has silver chain-mail and a silver sword. Of course, that's not nearly enough for a silver theme. So I gathered my whole stash of swords, some silver fabric, and a little silver goblin, and then set Kyle to polishing all the swords....in the kitchen with the afternoon sun bouncing off the table....

Then I realized that when "Black" comes up I'll have to use Kyle with his black leather again, so took a new "Silver" this morning - this time in my living room with the morning light streaming in the big bay window, and the sun bouncing off my sewing machine.

So now I need to choose one. Even though they are both very similar, they each say something completely different. The top one seems more like a scene out of a fantasy story with the focus on the sword - is Kyle polishing it for the Goblin, or is it a magical gift, presented to help him overcome some unknown foe? In the second photo Kyle looks more like someone working in the armoury, sighing at the sight of the huge pile of swords needing polishing.

I've been wanting to make a sweater for Bonnie for when she comes home, but every yarn I had just wasn't right. I wanted to do something more colourful, then remembered the spools of fine yarn I'd bought at Value Village some time ago. I'm not sure what the yarn was originally for - maybe needle-punch - but it is very fine and comes in all kinds of bright colours (wish I'd bought more!) I knit a test swatch and it seemed to be the right gauge, but when I found a Fair Isle pattern I liked, and started the first sleeve, it came out a bit too narrow, so I had to unravel it all and start over with more stitches. Here's the first sleeve.....I'm really liking it so far.

I've cut out all the dagged strips for the Summer Goddess outfits, and have sewn on the flower petals, and embellished the good side with glitter. Now I have to put glitter on the back to cover my stitching. Next thing is to decide which doll is going to be the model - Hope or Layla - and start drafting the dress patterns.

Today is "Take a Model Train to Work Day", but my girls are too young to have real jobs, 
so they decided to take the train to the Pizza Parlour.....

After all, today is also "National Pizza with the Works except Anchovies Day"