Time For a New Year

Hickory would like to get this one wound and set in time for the New Year celebration.



He figures what better way to ring in the new than honouring it with the old?

First in a Series

Hickory Dickory wants to do a photo series posing with as many clocks, watches, and other time pieces as I can find for him.



I'll start with the ones within my own household and then I guess we'll have to branch out, going on "road trips" as time and opportunity allows. 



This Bertmar, Westminster chime, mantel clock is a family heirloom. It once belonged to my husband's grandparents.

Hickory Dickory

Ooops. After a day of trying dresses on the little mousie ......



....HE indignantly informed me he was a BOY. 



.... and his name is Hickory Dickory. His occupation is monitoring the accuracy of clocks, watches, and other time pieces.

Mary Chris Mouse

A little mouse came to visit today....



.....and when the day was over she decided to stay.

Sleepy Heads

Peanut and Pumpkin were all set to watch Christmas specials on TV tonight, but they fell asleep in the middle of the first one!

I made a couple of these little robe, pyjama and slippers sets several months ago and just this evening finally got around to listing them on Etsy.

Through the Eyes of a Child

What a joy it is to spend one on one time with a grandchild.



A simple walk around the block becomes so much more when observed through the eyes of a two year old. Check out Kenzie's great ladybug find on the kids' blog.

Is It Time Yet?

I made the mistake of letting the girls try on their Christmas dresses. Now they are sitting around sighing and "waiting for Christmas". Apparently having pretty Christmas dresses to wear does not make time pass any quicker.



I had Peanut and Pumpkin's dresses ready a whole year ago. I had thought that they would be arriving before Christmas. Little did I know at the time that it would be late January before either of them showed up.

I have enjoyed these dolls SO much. Creating clothing for them, posing them, photographing them, and arranging the photos into "photo stories" has been so much fun.



A year ago I also had no idea that I would end up with 6 ball jointed dolls in less than a year. I now have the original two Littlefees, a Pukipuki, the Realpuki pair, and the recent addition, a Pukifee.



Looking through my stash I was lucky enough to find the remains of the fabric from the Littlefee dresses so Serenity got a dress that coordinates with the bigger girls'.

New Friend

Serenity went to Tessa's house for a visit and while she was there she met a new friend.



The cutie on the left, wearing the bonnet with ears, is Neelsie. She's a Fairyland Pukifee Bonnie that belongs to "nixipixie".

Adding Curl

Serenity would like her ponytails to have more curl so Pumpkin is doing what she can to make that happen.



Serenity looks hopeful anyway.

Adventurous Visitor

Tessa is visiting Serenity again this week. I had sent them out on the back deck for some fresh air when I heard them arguing.



It sounded like Serenity was trying to talk Tessa out of doing something. With a mother's instincts I knew that it was probably something that needed investigating.

Sure enough I found Tessa had climbed up onto the ledge to chase after a ladybug.



I caught her and lifted her down just before she reached the end of the railing!



Yes....erhem.....they are playing inside now, where I can keep an eye on them!

Trial and Error

A lot of trial and error, knitting, ripping and reknitting goes into developing even the simplest of patterns.



The basic numbers on this little pullover for Pukifee and Lati Yellow dolls seem to be okay, but the pattern will need some extra length added to the sleeves. I'll write that in before moving on to the next project. Before it's published I'll have to knit the pattern one more time to double check everything.



I also came up with a simple pattern for sewn Pukifee pants. This pattern also needs work. The legs are at least 1/4" too short, probably as much as 3/8". When working with a doll of this size a small difference is a BIG fitting problem.



For now Serenity will just call them "capris".

Giving Out the Treats

(One of the locals shows up.)..............."D' ye have a pref'rence me dear?"



"I'd like the biggest ya got!! ..... Thanks Mister!!!"



"Oh my, what a sweet little dear. Shall we give her an extra, Magoo my love?"

Trick or Treat!

Trick or Treat!

Smell my feet!

Give me something good to eat!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Jack, Her Lantern

Serenity's just dropping by to show you her Jack-o-lantern......



....and her new dress, of course!



It's my second knit through of the Ridged Lace Dress Pattern for Pukifee. Just making sure it is error free before I go on to designing the next item in the lineup.



I also sewed her little, brown tights.

Party Perfect Pukifee

I've had so much fun today finishing off this little outfit for my Pukifee, Serenity.



The pattern is my own design and will be included in the Pukifee knitting pattern package that I'm working on.



I also sewed her little matching tights. The sewing pattern for those is also my own creation. I "guesstimated" the shape and size and they turned out perfectly, FIRST try even! I was so surprised. If I had known it would go so well I would have attempted it sooner.



The tights, before pulling them up over her legs, were so teeny that they were about the width of linguine noodles!

Tessa's Visit

Serenity was happy to have her cousin, Tessa, over for a visit.



I made Tessa's outfit (minus the cute little boots) as her homecoming gift.



Tessa is a Fairyland Pukifee Zoe that lives with my daughter.

Handspun Pukifee Dress

Yesterday I made Serenity a simple little dress using laceweight handspun, merino/silk.



On 1.5mm needles (US 000) it wasn't exactly "quick", but it didn't take all day either.



She seems pretty pleased with it.

A New Line to Design

Red really isn't Serenity's best colour, but she's been great about posing in a new "One Button Cardi" that I'm in the process of designing for Pukifee and Lati Yellow sized dolls.



I still have a bit of tweaking to do to the pattern so maybe the next rendition will be in one of her better colours. She seems to favour colours that range from pink through mauve to soft blues.

Serenity Reborn

Serenity's new wig and eyes arrived today and what a difference!



Interesting how the right wig and eyes can make the faceup look so much better. The wig matches her eyebrows perfectly, the eye colour makes the most of the "shadow" on her lids, and even her lip colour looks pinker and more realistic.



Now THIS is the little toddler I was expecting to see when I opened her box that first day.

Desert Mesa Spinning Retreat

I spent a fun weekend in Cache Creek at the Desert Mesa Spinning Retreat. This is what the main room looked like before 54 spinners arrived and took over in an explosion of equipment, fibre, and friendship.



Although seating is casual and everyone sets up where they wish, many have their favourite spots that they gravitate to year after year.



Ms Muffet wasted no time claiming a spot by the window. While Mr Magoo never did any spinning he did did appear to be listening in on all the hilarious stories being told. I'm sure he would agree that busy hands do not idle the tongue.



When the spinners were not upstairs spinning, chatting, and laughing uproariously they were down in the dining hall eating, chatting and ..... well, yes .... laughing uproariously!



True to my usual style I only remembered to take a few pictures over the entire weekend, and those were before most people arrived. Once the event begins I am too wrapped up in the action to think about taking pictures.

Magoo In Cashmere

Teeny little super guy, Mr Magoo, dropping by to show off his new cashmere/merino/silk sweater.



His itty, bitty sweater barely fits on the tip of my thumb!