WINTER IN SEPTEMBER?

A dark and dreary morning here in the town 'hood

Firewood stacked at the back door -- check
Wood laid in the wood stove -- check
Switch day to winter pajamas for Mike -- check (and not a moment too soon)
Winter bedding in place -- check
Winter outerwear available -- check

Old Man Winter is coming down from Canada, and we're watching to see what he'll do when he gets here. He could arrive as early as this morning. Mike took his bike ride early in order to beat the rain. I wished for my mittens when I walked Bess. 

It's a good thing that I'm changing the bed today so that Mike can put his summer pajamas in the laundry and get out warmer tops and bottoms.

Fall colors appearing

Ken and Mike have been bird-hunting, participating in the Washington "old man's" pheasant season which follows the youth hunts. Fish and Game plants birds for young hunters and then allows the "old men" to hunt those planted areas in the following week. He came back with a scrawny pheasant or two. The plants aren't like the wild birds.

I have an assembly line of t-shirts for dolls in my sewing room. I began by embroidering the fronts, wasting half a day before I figured out that the bobbin was in backwards. Now I'm stitching the shirts together. Then I'll make skirts and pants -- and maybe more shirts. 

I've been distracted lately by Facebook groups begging me to use a certain designer's patterns. I finally realized that such participation interferes with my own "creative" leading. I have my own ideas for Hazel as well as meeting her desires, and that's enough for now. I don't hear from Elizabeth any more. I suspect she's resting under a bed somewhere. (Hazel is younger than Elizabeth.)

 

Almost modest

Another young friend has 11 1/2-inch fashion dolls (like Barbie), which naturally set me to thinking about making Barbie clothes, perhaps crocheted. I've enjoyed the search for patterns (as if I don't already have a bunch). I admit it -- I'm affirmed through the search and download process. I'm also good at collecting and categorizing. I was reminded that occasionally patterns were available in the old McCall's Needlework magazines. "Hey! I have those magazines," I said to myself, so I spent a delightful morning researching magazines for crocheted doll clothes. Knitting patterns were more plentiful than crochet "back in the day," but I found about four volumes with patterns for crocheted Barbie clothes, which are now on file in my notebook. KW