JUST BECAUSE

 I love her  in this outfit.

MOTHERING SUNDAY

 

For those of us in the united kingdom it is Mothers day today . So I wish you all a happy mothers day.

This beautiful vase of flowers was given to me by my daughter Lindsey, it came with the lovely big glass jar vase ! 

and I have been completely spoilt by my three daughters, above are the gifts from my eldest two and waiting at my youngest's home is yet more flowers and chocolates ! I have to say that it's the first time I have ever received three boxes of chocolates ! 

Like most women , I have spent most, if not all of my adult life, being 'good' , you know not eating chocolate , giving up chocolate, avoiding chocolate.  Easter is another time that I was always avoiding chocolate , so Easter eggs were few and far between ! 

So getting three boxes of chocolates at one time , is unheard of in my life ! It's funny because just the other day when going to visit friends, I bought a box of Cadburys milk tray to take for them and thought at the time, that I could not remember the last time I had a box of chocolates and now nice it was receiving one and now here I am with three !!

But don't worry, it would be just me eating them, I always share, so I'll only be eating one box as there are two others living here to assist me !

So what's been happening this week ! Well old age as been happening ! I went for my check up at the dentist on Monday , expecting the dentist to be saying again about fitting a crown to one of my teeth. 

But I'm one of those people who have a bad gag reflex, so putting something in my mouth to make a mould is a nightmare ! However instead of a crown, the tooth needs to come out! Along with  another that already has a crown but that is now cracked below. I suffer ? from gum disease , so the bone below each of these teeth has reduced, so no way to save them.  So it's back to the dentist this week to have the first of them removed.

The weather has been almost like summer this week, so lots of garden work getting done, although it's never ending from now till winter. Paul's been out cutting things back and trying things in.

Today it's much cooler and that's how the rest of the week's going to be cooler.

On the doll front I sold another two dolls ! and did not buy any, so a result ! I'd love to say that the studio is now getting more room inside due to all the things moving on but it's not ! I still need to get in there and be ruthless ! But it's so hard... what I need is an extension on my studio ! yeah I know , It's not going to happen, so I need to get my act together ! 

Hopefully this Spring clean mojo will continue and I will get into there and get going, I probably need to take everything out and then just put back what I need to keep ! But that would really need to be a summertime job, as it would take a couple of days to do and would require warm nights when things could be left outside on the patio table safely.

I do, on occasion eye up Paul's workshop which is bigger than my studio , but is full to the brim with his unused tools and whatever else he's thrown inside ! Maybe come summer I will have to have a think about if I need to upgrade that building and move there......

On that note I will wish you all a happy healthy fun filled week ahead.

Dee

WHEN PERCY MET RUPERT

 

"I'm Percy and I hear we may be twins ? " Percy says " 

" I suppose it could be true, I'm Rupert " 

Percy ask a few questions " What's your favourite colour ? "  " Blue or Purple "

"What's your favourite album ? "   " Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake  , yours ? " Rupert asks back

"Queen "

"The queen ? I didn't know she had an album ? is it of her speeches ? " questions Rupert

" No Queen , the rock band ! who wants to live forever ! Radio Gaga ! Fat bottomed girls.. " 

" I beg your pardon ! Fat bottomed girls ? How rude ! !

Percy stops surprised " You are telling me you have never heard of Queen ? "

" I know of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second , of course ! " sniffs Rupert " But of a band called Queen no !"

" Oh boy have you got a surprise coming, lets go listen to a track or twelve !" Percy says excitedly.

" I will open your heart to another Queen, not just her Maj ! " 

Rupert's not so sure but is always open to learning new things, he asks Percy " So what are your hobbies ?

" Well I love making things, especially using wood and dad hand tools. I like nothing better than getting covered I wood dust and producing something beautiful but useful "

" Mm beautiful and useful sounds interesting but I'm not so sure about getting covered in dust ! "

" Oh you haven't lived until you have Queen blaring out loud with a power tool in your hand and dust motes filling the air ! " laughs Percy, slapping Rupert on the back  " come on lets go to Dad and my workshop and have some fun !" 

Rupert looking a little unsure walks with Percy down the garden while Percy starts singing " We are the champions my friend.... "

WHOSE THAT BOY?

 

Ah ! It's Robyn , what are you up to?

Just waiting for Erik and Ragnor.

So lads what's up ! Why you all meeting up ? 

Oh I see to have a photo taken for the boy week on the FB group ! Oh then you are off to play while the weathers so nice, sounds like a good plan.

I had my photo taken for the group the other day Erik tell me , here by the daffs !

Well no one took my photo earlier says Ragnor , so that's why I'm here 

We'd best have a close up then 

Are you finished ? the boys all ask at the same time ! I say yes, and with that they are off down the garden on an adventure with the sun shinning on them.

HATTIE

 Last week another France T outfit arrived but before anyone , especially Arabella , saw it, Hattie opened the parcel.

She immediately knew it was just the kind of outfit her darling Helena Bonham Carter would wear, so she claimed it and went off to change.

I asked her why she was so sure these paint splattered style dungarees and satin blouse was very HBC?

"Well Mum I thought you would have worked it out by now ! " Hattie sighed giving me a look ! 

" The wonderous Helena may look like she got dressed in the dark or rummaged through a child's dressing up box on occasion, but in fact her outfits are well constructed and thought out !"

" You could have fooled me " I muttered , receiving on of Hattie's stares 

" Like this outfit by Frances, the dungarees are made of organic fair trade cotton , therefore supporting a well deserving cause, while this one, of the two blouses, is made of beautiful pink shot satin allowing for that touch of luxury we all love "

For a moment mum was stunned to silence , then asked "  a touch of luxury we all love ? even you ? "

Hattie smiles a sweet smile  " One can still appreciate a fine piece of cloth while maintaining ones honesty " and having dropped that little sentence she was off down the garden in search of inspiration for her hats !

SUNNY SUNDAY SUMMARY

 Oh yes it's true, Spring has arrived and along with it the sun, although the wind does have a chilly nip today , but when that sun is shinning who cares !

I am not a down person but even I have noticed how the coming of spring is lifting my spirits and giving life a more positive spin.

Mind you it also shows up every speck of dirt or dust and all those jobs that were left over winter ! So a busy few weeks ahead catching and cleaning up.

More of the yarn I am selling will sell today, when their auctions finish, which is great and will clear the last of the large shopping bag they are waiting in. I also had a tidy round sorting out my knitting bags, finding more part balls of yarn, so put them away in the big box. I also found a pattern I can use for making Clara a sweater dress from several balls of different coloured yarn. 

I really should go through all my knitting patterns and books and sell or donate quite a few of them, only keeping the one's I know I will actually use. But I will save that for another time.

Now the weathers improving the garden of course is growing along with the weeds ! So time will need to also be spent outside.

It's boy week on the Sasha FB group , so Erik insisted that he should be first up, who am I to argue , at least he was willing unlike Toby who immediately ran off down the garden !

On the doll front another two dolls left, unexpectedly, a couple of dolls that had been sitting around, one for quite a while , for new homes. So that was nice. I also bought a couple of doll deckchairs and a doll suitcase, and one Frances Trickett outfit but apart from that I was good...

sort of.. I did buy some more 4ply wool but I am using it now and a non Sasha doll that is part birthday present from Paul. But apart from all that I was good.... sort of good?....Okay not my finest week ... lol

THE TWINS

 

Violet and Sapphire have been outside walking around the garden , checking and making lists of all the things that need doing now that spring has finally arrived.

They have just stopped to admire the bowl of daffodils and are about to head inside .

They stop and Violet says to Sapphire " Did you hear that yesterday was national Panda day ? "

Before Sapphire as a chance to reply...

"Did someone say Panda ? " stunned the girls find themselves surrounded by... Pandas!

Violet looks over at Sapphire " Do you know you have a Panda on your shoulder ? "

As Sapphire starts to turn her head to respond the panda on her shoulder loses its grip and 

falls onto the head of the panda below !

" Are you okay ? " Edward asks the Pink panda 

" F i n e   ju st win ded ! "

The little bear climbs down and sits on the biggest panda's lap.

Then just as they girls are about to ask them where they came from they vanish! 

" Did that just.. "

"Yes "

"Did you have a P "

" Yes "

" This place is so "

" Yes "

" I think we need a cup of    "

" Oh yes ! " and with that the girls go inside.

FIVE BECOME THREE

 No not dolls, since I have way more dolls than five and I cannot ever see myself with just three ! No yarn/wool boxes ! 

I did finally get round to listing some of my yarn overspill onto eBay because it had a fees offer, which spurred me on to look at what I could bundle up together ! 

Even better is by the time I got up this morning I had sold three bundles ( totaling 27 balls ) and have had a offer on another bundle of oddments ! 

So seeing there was now more room in the boxes I set about removing odd pieces of knitting that was still waiting to be finished on various stitch holders !

Amazingly this was what was sitting in one of the boxes ! Piece's of Sasha knitting. Many years ago when I first got into Sasha I started knitting sweater dresses with hats ( I was the first to do this ) and also crochet hats as well and was doing a good sale on Hattie's hats. Of course that meant others started doing the same and so I gave up after a while as I am not a fast knitter !

So these pieces must be a good eight or maybe more years old. There is actually one complete sweater dress that's just not been put together, result ! But as for the rest I have removed them from their stitch holders and thrown them away !  ( it must be an age thing as I would never have done this years ago , which is why they were still waiting around ! ) 

Then I sorted the yarn into two boxes, one very large box of double knit etc and one big box of 4ply and some of the fancier wool, which meant I was able to completely empty two plastic boxes !

I have to say I am feeling quite pleased at finally emptying two whole boxes and moving on a good few balls of yarn as that means it's even less I have to work my way through over the year.

I have a box of cotton which I used to use to make Hattie's Hats with, still trying to decide if I should go through that, even though I have not made a hat in a few years.... I could reduce it a bit....

It's also made me determined to get all the household fabric out over the coming months and measure and photograph it all ready to add the next time eBay have a fees offer on. Now if I could sell all that on, that would be a result !

It must be Spring ! all this clearing out happening !

SUNDAY TWO

 Well the weather is brightening slowly , we are getting the odd warmer spell although it doesn't last long before the cold comes back.

The Spring bulbs are flowering and making us believe it will soon be much warmer .

We have not been up to much, just the usual household and life things. Although Paul was asked by my sister if he could make a couple of dinosaur book ends for her baby grandson.

Lindsey drew the pattern for him , then he cut them out and put them together.

the dinosaurs are different on each one but the trees match.

At the moment they are drying from their second undercoat of paint. So I will add a photo later of them as they are meant to be. We'll be sending them on to my sister for her to finish painting them in nice bright colours next week.

I have finished one of Adam's jackets and it just needs some buttons. Just hope it will fit him as I knitted a smaller size but if it's on the same size it can always go to my great nephew Henry, who the bookends are for as he is only about six months old.

On the doll front, I have sold another couple of dolls , which is good and I will be sorting out some of the wool today into bundles to get onto my sales page and also eBay while they are having a low fee weekend. 

Because my mind is so fixed on getting stuff sorted and either sold or moved on, I have not really got back into my Sasha story mind set. But hopefully as the weather warms up, I'll get back my Mo jo and things will start appearing.

Have a great healthy happy week ahead

Dee

NB I have managed to sort out some yarn which is now listed on sales page and also on eBay for those who may be interested.

READY FOR OUR CLOSE UP

 

Thought I would share this close up of all the Sasha's and Gregor's in their yellow and blue as they are so rarely all together ! 

IN SEARCH OF SOME YARN !

 Well if you have been following my ramblings , you will know I have a box of yarn I'm trying to work through by the end of April ? 

I have been knitting  most nights and this week a jacket for Adam, with another on the go. But a friend asked about having a sweater made for one of her Roche dolls, because the doll had come in the winter outfit but she loved the summer one. She had made the doll the culottes but wanted a similar styled sweater.

I said I'd give it a go if she liked. So she sent me some yarn to knit it with, although she didn't like the yellow she'd got'

So did I search all my boxes? No I searched the one in the living room and not finding a suitable match ordered one. 

Well the yarn she had sent arrived and having finished Adam's first jacket, I was able to play around with knitting a  trial piece. Well the next day, today, I messaged my friend and asked if she really wanted it in the smooth mohair wool she had sent or did she actually want the sweater to have the same texture of the one in the photo ?  I'm pleased to say she said yes .

This meant I had to go and search properly through all my wool boxes. Mmm this also meant I again saw just how much wool/yarn I have ! Along with a couple of boxes of household fabric !

Paul helped me carry this BIG box indoors.

Look at all those glorious colours !

I removed yarns from the box into various piles of fancy yarn, double knit and 4 ply , I even found some 2ply ! well that needs to go as I'll never knit that up .. way too small !

piles of colour

the fancy yarns

Hand dyed yarn.

I did find some yarn suitable for the sweater but alas not enough shades of blue and the necessary pale yellow. So of course a look online and an order placed ! Yes I know more yarn to have to use up ! 

However talking to my friend and saying I need to sell off some of all this beauty, she had a good idea she had used before. Which was to put nice piece of fabric with a complimentary ball of wool and sell them as a set. Well since I also have loads of doll dress fabric, I am going to make up some sets to sell on and also some yarn bundles.

But not until the end of the month, as I have knitting to do !!

STILL SEARCHING FOR THAT YELLOW AND BLUE

So next up 

 Jenny and Sapphire struggled to find a nice match in the yellows and blues but did manage in the end.

Percy and Zak ( who was already wearing all blue ) managed to find a spot of yellow.

Valentine and Rupert agreed to change , although Valentine was sure that there was a splash of red on the flag of the Ukraine , until he was shown a photo, so said he'd wear the clothes for  the photo but then would need some red to lift it !!!

Prince Seb had to make do with a pair of yellow socks and a piece of yellow ribbon for a bow and Ginny has another piece of the ribbon in her hair and a yellow and white rabbit.

Finally it was Hattie's turn, she'd kept hold of the cloak she was wearing then added some blue and yellow elsewhere in her outfit.

So all the dolls apart from Lucas and Elton Ron found yellow and blue in some form or another !

Hattie called Robin and Percy over for a photo.

Hattie realised she'd not be able to get all her brothers and sisters on the small table, so moved over to the big outside table.

They slowly started to gather together.

still gathering

squeezing in

squeezing

squeezing

Squeezing

All together say cheese !

They all cheer to have achieved a good family photo for one !