Alan Dart: Toy Designs

There must be thousands of knitted toy patterns available.  But the one designer of toy patterns who really stands out is Alan Dart. So I took a leap and started knitting up Baby Pearl just because she was so darned cute.

This is Mr. Dart's picture of Baby Pearl:

My first attempt at knitting up Baby Pearl went well until it came to her head.  I must have read the directions incorrectly because the top of her head was much too big.  After doing some scissor surgery, this is how she now looks.

 

Baby Pearl has five fingers on each hand and overalls that actually go over her body.  The overalls are not stuffed.

Her feet were knit in sock yarn, stuffed with fiberfill.

Since I knew that the doll's face was not knit correctly on the first attempt, I just had to knit it up again and correct that previous knitting mistake.  I used scrap white cotton yarn (Peaches and Cream).  But it was pure white, not a good color for a face.

So I dyed up the cotton pieces: ears, nose and face, in hot tea, letting it steep for a few minutes.  Then the pieces were allowed to dry on the clothes dryer, not in it.

The color was about right for an African American baby face, but she needed some hair.  What to do? Orange hair would not look right on this special baby.  So I plaited up some corn rows from black yarn and added beads at the end of each plait.

This second baby ended up looking adorable with her pink cheeks and button eyes.

Friend Natalie knitted an Alan Dart pattern called Batty (I think).  This is Natalie's Batty:



His feet in spats and his bib and cuffs accentuate his wing span.  Don't you love his ears?  What a great Halloween decoration.

If you are interested in making up a pattern from Mr. Dart, all of his patterns can be accessed here.

These nursery mice are some of my favorites:

Camera Returned: Pictures from Scrabble Tourney

Phew!  My camera was returned today via USPS and all is well.  I had left it in Las Vegas, but kindly tournament director Mark mailed it back to me, along with all my notes and picures.

First, may I introduce Miss Betsy Chai from Calgary, CA whom I played in the tournament last week.  Is she not a doll?  Please don't think I am being too friendly, Betsy, in saying that.  Eric, the man in her life, thinks so too!

 

Below is a picture of Olobatoke, Chief of Kabba, from Abuja in Nigeria.  His grandfather was the King of Kabba, elected by the families in his tribe.  Chief Toke, as he is called, plays the Collins dictionary.  Chief Toke, or Toke, is also the President of the Nigerian Scrabble Association and has served since 2009.

 

Talking with Toke was a treat, and he was patient with me as I tried to get all his family history down correctly.  He might also become King of Kabba if elected by his community of a dozen families.  As current Chief, he is a magistrate and settles disputes and gives advice, generally in charge of administrative and civil matters in his tribe.  The picture below is of Toke playing in the tournament.

Next, may I introduce Bassey Umoh.  He lives in the southern part of Nigeria in the state of Akwa Ibom.  He speaks not only English, but his native language is Efik/Ibibio.  Umoh has been the State chairman of the Scrabble Association in his area since 2012, and also plays in the Collins Division.

Umoh works as an auditor for his state government.  This is Umoh, and standing beside him is Sam Kantimathi who organized this tournament. Sam is from California.

 Umoh, on the left, mostly wore a business suit during the tournament days, but doesn't he look handsome in this blue?  I failed to ask him about this outfit, so I really do not know if this is what he might wear in his off-work hours.

 

We did some sight-seeing and I was amazed at the ceiling of the Belagio Hotel that was covered in colored glass that featured this work by artist Chihuli.  The picture does not do it justice.

 

 

Since it was the Chinese New Year, all the hotels were beautifully decorated in red with the Year of the Snake being emphasized.

 

 

 

And I just have to show you some women at the reception desk wearing those killer six inch heels.  Will they be able to walk when they are 50?

 

 

Sam put on a good tournament and was ably assisted by Director Mark Milan.  They do this for the love of the game.  Thanks, gentlemen!



A Pause in Lent

The Catholic Knight says...

use of pictures and statues (iconography) in churches has always been used as a way of telling a story visually. It's no different then when parents use picture books to explain things to small children. The icons (statues and pictures) serve to visually tell a story, and remind people of some Christian truth.

A previously published pen and ink drawing (icon) of the Beggar Christ and Vincent de Paul by Meltem Aktas caught my attention. A copy of her work is displayed in the meditation room at St. Mary’s Hospital Pavilion (oncology clinic) in Grand Junction, CO. It certainly gave me pause after studying this icon and reading the poem associated with the drawing.

On the back of this framed illustration is a poem written by Jennifer Gordon for the 10th anniversary of Colorado Vincentian Volunteers that explains Aktas' rationale for creating this piece of art:

In unfamiliar streets I wander laden
With a loaf so full
That surely there will be enough for all.
In the same streets we meet.
I see your clothes, Your eyes, and think, “Aha!
Here is one who needs me.”
With a smile I hope is warm
I offer you bread
Only to know that the piece you give me
Is exactly what I did not know I needed.

This is my rendition in watercolor (5"x7") of the original painting by Aktas.




This is framed and displayed in the living area of our home and is a reminder of my professional and volunteering affiliation with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (Kansas).

Please visit Floss who is hosting "A Pause in Lent" found here and read what others are thinking about this Lenten season as we take a pause in our lives for reflection.

Also linking to Spiritual Sundays

What I Left in Las Vegas

The Vegas Scrabble tournament was great fun!  We played 21 games in the main tournament (there were also two Early Bird and two Late Bird tournaments before and after the main event).  Of the 21 games, I won 12 and lost 9 and was not too disappointed in the outcome.  I think I went up a few rating points in the final standings, but they have not yet been posted.

Opponents I played were from all over the map in North America:

What I left in Las Vegas:

• my EXLIM camera with all the tournament pictures
• all the pictures from the various hotels with gorgeous decorations celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Snake
• money at the Black Jack tables
• discarded house slippers

I was glad to leave the slippers, not happy to leave the dollars.  What will be returned is the camera and pictures.  The camera was turned in after the last Scrabble game and the director of the tournament will graciously mail it back to me.  So stayed tuned for some graphics from Las Vegas!

Since I had driven to Las Vegas from Grand Junction, CO, the car was available to transport friends from the Riviera Casino and Hotel to various local restaurants.  The Riviera did NOT supply tasty food at any of their five restaurants, so that is why Lee, Glenda, Regenia and I went out for evening dinners.

And by the bye, Lee and Glenda both placed in the top three in severals tournaments.  Glenda won one of the early birds! She wisely did not spend her earnings at the casino.  Lee and Glenda and I have known one another for well over ten years, and Regenia is a new friend from Arlington, TX. We had fun together in our off-play hours, or at least I had fun with them!

Post Script:
The Riviera is one of the older hotels, and one that a person does not necessarily brag about staying there.  (In fact, you could say it was the crummiest hotel/casino on the strip.) The last day we were there, Regenia and I walked over to the new Wynn Hotel for a late lunch. We enjoyed our little outing and were ready to walk back to our "shabby" hotel but got lost in the vastness of the grounds.  Regenia asked a bellman which direction to take to find the way back.  He asked where we were staying, and both she and I were vague about our hotel, just saying we were headed north.  I thought it was kind of funny that neither of us wanted the bellman at the ritzy Wynn to know where we had laid our heads for five nights.  We were hotel snobs!  And the bellman could have cared less where we actually stayed; he was just trying to be helpful with his directions.

The Haps in the Household

What is happening in your world?  Mine, not so much.  Mainly the Mr. and I have been involved in taking care of our wounded pet.  Wounded neither by man nor beast, but by her own exhuberance and increasing age.

Libby Sweetpea, therapy dog and healer of the mind, had a torn ACL.  At six years of age, this is not too uncommon.  She took a flying leap off the back step, as usual, but that one leap ten days ago left her in pain with the liklihood of permanent disability if she did not have surgery to repair the tear.

So she underwent a tightrope procedure and spent one night at the animal hospital.  She probably did not miss us near as much as we missed her.  This was her little shaved leg a few days ago; she was recuperating on the lap of the Mr.

This is how Libby's dad remembers what to do for her and when to do it.  I thought it was cute that he wrote it all out.  She does not mind doing her range of motion exercises too much, and just whimpers a bit when it hurts.

Libby this morning:

I am feeling much better, thank you.

This is a pair of Faceted Rib Socks in progress:

linking to Tami at Works in Progress Wednesday

Tomorrow I am heading out to Las Vegas to play in a Scrabble tournament at the Riviera Casino and Hotel. There will be 56 competitors.  Can you find me in this listing?  Please wish me lotsa luck!

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Take at look at 313 five letter J words here that I will be studying today to prepare for the tournament.

Nancy Pearl: Book Lust Rediscoveries

Nancy Pearl is a writer, a literary critic, a personage of the literati.  She is a regular commentator on NPR (Morning Edition).

And I write about her now because she has brought attention to books which are real finds, but are older and perhaps out of print.  Pearl has made a listing of  these books and calls it "Book Lust Rediscoveries."

Amazon says

Book Lust Rediscoveries is a series devoted to reprinting some of the best (and now out of print) novels originally published between 1960-2000. Each book is personally selected by Nancy Pearl and includes an introduction by her, as well as discussion questions for book groups and a list of recommended further reading.

If you are looking for a new read, Nancy Pearl might direct you to a treasure you have overlooked.

I first found her through the book The Last Night at the Ritz in an Amazon review capturing the essence of the story here:

Readers of Joanna Trollope or Anne Tyler may enjoy this intelligent, captivating, and not entirely trustworthy (unnamed) narrator. She invites three close friends to lunch with her at the Ritz Hotel, in Boston, for her birthday. Two of them are a long married couple she has known since college days. The third was once her lover. The lunch quickly takes an unexpected turn.

Check out her Book Lust Shop here.  She even has an action figure if you are a girl fan for Pearl.  And you can see and hear her on the Seattle cable channel 21 found here.

I am currently reading The Cowboy and the Cossack, another Pearl Book Lust Rediscovery.

So many books, so little time.

(Camilo Mori)

Linking up with Pamela at OurShelteringTree.

Leg Warmers to Crochet or Knit

Now that it is winter, maybe you need some leg warmers. Aren't these the cutest?

(photo courtesy of vanillabeanknits) on Flickr.

Here are crochet directions from the webpage: Legwear:

...leg warmers will be most appreciated in the dead of winter when temperatures plummet and winds wail, but be sure to have them crocheted and ready to wear.

Directions are given for size 9-11. You will need two 4 ounce, skeins of 4 ply yarn and sizes I and K crochet hooks.

Gauge: 3 hdc equal 1 inch

Starting at lower edge with smaller hook, ch 30, join with sl st to form ring, ch 2, do not turn.
Row 1: Sc in each ch, join with sl st in top of ch-2, ch 2, do not turn.
Rows 2 through 8: Repeat Row 1.
Row 9: With larger hook, ch 2, hdc in each sc across, join with sl st in top of ch-, ch 2, turn.
Repeat Row 9 to length desired, after last sl st, fasten off

And here is how you would knit these legwarmers: Measure your leg at the thickest part and determine your gauge according to the size yarn you are using. Two skeins of yarn should be adequate for two legwarmers.  Of course, larger needles will make the project go faster.  Marissa Huber on Flickr used Noro yarn.  Any self striping yarn would work well.

I didn't really use a pattern, I just used a little math and knit a 1 x 1 rib. I kept knitting until they were long enough to stretch up to my thighs if cold weather required. (Courtesy of VanillabeanKnits) 

Another Birthday

It is my personal (ah hem) opinion that anyone over 11 years should not "celebrate" birthdays with a party. Of course, there are exceptions.  A woman of a certain age can, however, enjoy good wishes sent by others.

And boy-oh-boy, did I love the cards and phone calls checking in.  Thank you friends and family, for the sweet remembrances.  Here are a couple of cards to bring out your smiles in this last week of January.

 (cause we cool chicks gotta stick together)

And one from my friend Sharon that said "I think of you...and give thanks"  Ephesians 1:16.  And one from SIL with a little buck toothed dog on it, just like our Libby Sweetpea!

Some pretty silk scarves my daughter sent me:

And a beautiful bouquet of flowers from SIL and brother:

Don't you love it when somebody makes you something?

A pin cushion with heart pins!! The poppy is felted and the leaves and poppies applied with hand stitching.  So sweet, thank you Natalie.

The Mr. cooked up some snow crab for dinner.  It was yummy. And so another year was added to the lifeline. Grateful.

"There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” ~ Ralph H. Blum

In Process

Linking to Tami (WIP) and to Our Sheltering Tree because in process today are...

• A Hospice visit with Libby to see a patient in a rehab hospital (Therapy Dogs International)
• Two Knitting Projects

• finishing up painting interior walls
• whipping up these delicious apple treats, from a Mennonite Girls recipe found here, along with their photograph
• sending off a book for a tweeners' birthday

Please leave your blog address and I will be sure to visit you to see what you are up to today!

Painting

It's been quiet here on the blog these past few days. Because it has been a record breaking cold spell. It is now -2 degrees F at 6 AM.

And because I've been knitting and reading and playing Scrabble online getting ready for a Scrabble tournament in Las Vegas next month.  

But mostly because the bathroom and entryways needed painting. That leaves little time for introspection.

So, I took up the cause and got busy with paint.  Here is the bordello red powder room that needed a face lift:

Using Behr's Indulgent Mocha with primer, it now looks lighter.

and a bit brighter

But wait.  There's more. 

This entry it is not yet finished.  It screamed for camera documentation. The door is going to be a bear to paint.

How many aspirin have disappeared during this exercise?  Quite a few.

A Knit in Memory of KnitPurlGurl

Podcaster, knitter, blogger, designer, wife and mother of two young children, Karrie Steinmetz died suddenly at the age of 38 in December, 2012. She called herself the Knit Purl Gurl.  I was her "follower" along with over 1200 others on Google.

Karrie was a talented young woman full of energy and ideas.  She was always willing to share and teach others as shown through her blog found here.  Her last post was about podcasting and giving tips to others who might be interested in creating their own podcast (Karrie's podcasts are archived here.)  And Karrie's knit pattern designs can be found here.

She was a real encourager.

Karrie started giving patterns away in what she called Random Acts of Patterns.  In October, she wrote:

I’ve declared that Tuesdays are for Random Acts of Patterns (or RAP). It’s the fibery equivalent to Random Acts of Kindness! Most of us have either randomly given or received patterns, so this is not my invention. However, I’d like to make it a movement and get more people involved! So on any random Tuesday that you feel inclined to and/or can afford to, consider randomly selecting a fellow Raveler and gifting him/her a pattern off of his/her queue. :) THEN - Come back here and tell us! I get so inspired by people who participate in RAK, or in this case, RAP, that I’d love to hear all about your generosity in this fab community! :) Of course, you don’t have to wait for a Tuesday. You can participate in a RAP at any time, but I thought Tuesdays could use a little jazzing up!  ALSO - if you’ve been the recipient of a RAP, please share too! We all need a little sunshine in our day!

One of her shawl designs was given to me in a RAP after her death.  And I sent it on to keep the RAP going.

This is "Crosswords at the Coffeeshop," a pattern she designed saying that

When I’m not knitting at the coffee shop, I’m working crossword puzzles. This is the perfect mashup of rugged and lacey. Intended to wear at the coffee shop, the shawlette is just perfect to keep the draft from the door from giving you a chill, while the shawl is a perfect wrap. It’s knit in an aran weight to provide that snuggly warmth. Inspired by crosswords, there are elements of boxes in the lace and even the short rows create squared tiers. Throw on a pair of fingerless mitts and enjoy a latte!

And for Finished Objects Friday and Fiber Arts Friday, here is my (Karrie's pattern) Crossword shawl.

Warm.  Thinking of Karrie and her family.

All pattern purchase proceeds go to her family.

Poppies and IA Challenge

Poppies are a favorite flower.

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Ivon Hitchens (British artist, 1893-1979) Flowers

According to this source the poppy means that...

The red petals stand for the vast outpouring of blood; the yellow and black center, the mud and desolation of all battlefields. The green of the stem is symbolic of the forests, meadows and fields where generations of Americans have perished to make this land free. The stem represents the courage and determination of our fallen warriors. The assembled product, a flower, is a symbol of resurrection, which is sure to follow.

In the book The Language of Flowers, poppy means consolation.

Darling earrings  source

A favorite blog read is BJWS; this paragraph is taken from her post found here about poppies.

In the World War I battlefields of Belgium, poppies grew wild amid the ravaged landscape. How could such a delicate flower grow bright and  wild surrounded by death and destruction? The overturned soils of battlefield enabled the poppy seeds to be covered, allowing them to thrive and to serve as a reminder of the bloodshed during that and future wars. The use of poppies as a remembrance for those who served in war was inspired by the poem "In Flanders Fields" written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae of the WWI Canadian forces in 1915.

poppies on silk by McCarroll

Elsbeth Müller-Kaempff (German artist, 1869–1940) 

Poppies have been painted, photographed and written about since time immemorial.  Show us a picture or write about poppies and link back to Inspiration Avenue (IA). I will comment on every entry and will surely  enjoy each of your posts.  Here is a linky picture to use in your post if you would like to copy it.

Today is Epiphany

In Christianity, Epiphany refers to the moment that a person believes that Jesus is the son of God. To symbolize this, Western Christian churches generally celebrate Epiphany with the arrival of the three kings at the birthplace of Jesus 12 days after Christmas, or January 6 on the current calendar.

January 6 is also our wedding anniversary, another memorable personal event. This video was made three years ago by my husband for our 20th anniversary. It bears repeating.

Happy Anniversary, Gene.

January 2013

Welcome, 2013

Thank you to all the readers of this blog for the time you take to check in with the thoughts and images I have shared here in the past five years of blogging.  Thank you for the comments you have left and for the friendships that have been sparked through the sharing of ideas.  You are all a wonderful group of creative and talented internet friends.  And for you lurkers out there on the innerwebs, thank you, also for reading and visiting.

Pictures from Marjolein Bastin

May you all have a happy and prosperous 2013.  From St. Francis:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Good Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.