Losing my cousin...

 We've had an off and on kind of relationship, we both had very busy lives for a long time, me raising kids then working full time and her having a full social life while working full time. We lived together off and on growing up, and we kind of shared parents, since I got along better with her mom, and she got along better with mine! 

After she retired, we talked more often, and then I retired too, but COVID hit. We got together occasionally, but mostly phone conversations. She came to see me Thanksgiving 2023 but refused 2024. I didn't think much about it, but it might have been a clue if I had been looking for one.

A friend of hers called me and said she didn't think my cousin was telling me the truth about how she was doing. She was right. She could hardly stand. So we worked on convincing her to go to the doctor. But she kept refusing. I understand, I'm not great about going either. She finally decided to go.

She got diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in February. That's how my husband and I celebrated Valentine's Day this year, in a hospital waiting room for 12 hours! She was there for a few days, but it was clear she wasn't going to be able to go home. A few days later, she was transferred to a care home, where she stayed until she died in early April. 

Sad because she's gone, glad she's not in pain. Sad because I can't call her, or be with her, or sit by her bed, or sing to her, or any of the things I've been doing with her the past 2 months. 

But she left me her computer, so I'm back on the blog. 

That's life, sad, sad, glad, sad, glad. They exist together. 

Then there's the cat (the black one. She lost her sister last year). She is still terrified and hiding. Yesterday and today she didn't run as fast, or hade as deeply. We may come to some kind of a truce at worst and become friends at best. Time will tell. The bad part is how scared she is without her sister or her mama. The good part is her name is Boots, same as the last Tuxedo we had. I won't call her the wrong name...

Only 90 today!!!

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon with a friend. It was so nice just sitting visiting with someone. Especially her. She lives 8 or so hours away so don't see her often. She's here caring for her mom, and I have a lot of experience and sympathy for THAT.... as has been documented in this blog. 

Today I got a package from Debbie in Nevada City, she sews doll clothes and other stuff on Etsy. The shop is Grizzly Creek, if anyone is actually reading this and wants to check it out. Here's the latest thing I got... kind of a bland photo I guess but the dress is cute. 

I've also gotten tiny clothes from her, for 4 to 5 or 6 inch dolls. She also makes other things, check out her shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/GrizzlyCreek?ref=yr_purchases

Hope the link works. 

It was nice not to be so hot today, but tonight it's smoky, haven't heard why.

Bland picture, bland post. At the moment, trying to get back in the habit of posting. I'll try to be more interesting. And catch up on what I haven't posted about crafty-wise.

Musings on 107 degree days

Thursday....to figure out where stuff goes. Some goes places I can't reach because of what is piled up in there, some go other places, and some I have no idea.

I have read several things about how to not procrastinate, and why it is hard to make decisions, but there doesn't seem to be a magic thing that I could do (which is what I would like) that will solve everything. Going through stuff triggers everything. Trauma stuff. How can I possibly toss stuff from my kids' stuff... But they don't want it. It's only my own feelings that stop me. I am not rejecting anyone when I let go of the stuff. But sometimes it feels like it. 

More to be added.

Today is Friday. So far, it's "only" 104 but it's only 3:30 pm. Today I was trying to print an A4 pattern on US letter size paper. So far so good. We will see when I actually make the pattern. It's a Barbie dress and a Barbie asymmetrical  romper, it has only one shoulder. Both patterns are from Jhoana Dolls. They are in Spanish, which isn't really an issue, the videos have no words anyway. But the patterns are on cm graph paper, and are supposed to print out A4 size. So a bit of a challenge there. Also printed out a crocheted finger puppet by @paradise_amigurumi. 

I really like Jhoana Dolls' patterns. They are simple, well fitting, and elegant. I know enough Spanish to kind of get by, and the videos don't have words, just a demonstration. I think it will be fine. I did ask a question before I figured it out by myself, we will see if someone answers.

Back to the sewing/craft room. Need prayer, LOL

Glitter Girl and Barbie

Two dolls jumped into my hands yesterday. One, a Barbie from 2015 and a newer glitter girl. Barbie has this impossibly long hair, black on one side, rainbow on the other. She has cute lavender shoes and sunglasses. She is called "Totally Hair Barbie". The Glitter girl is Dayna, in her original clothes except no shoes.

I think the only way to stop collecting dolls is to not go to thrift stores. 

And I need to give some away. Get sewing, girl. 

yarn planning

It feels, somehow, that I am at the end of my LEARNING where knitting and crocheting are concerned. I don't really want to bother with complicated patterns, and I must admit that I am a forever novice yarn person. That's ok. Mostly, I've made afghans, hats, scarves, tons of wash cloths and such. I've been seeing patterns for little coin purses and such that don't look super complex, I am more proficient at crochet than knitting. I have more confidence when I crochet and have made items "by ear" meaning, just hold it up and start crocheting and adding stitches where I want to. Doll dresses mainly. Lately, I've wanted to do only little projects instead of afghans. I only knit one sweater in my life, and my mom finished it because I got frustrated. I took a class on pattern drafting, and made some small sweaters for dolls, but there was a LOT in that class. It was called Needle Arts, and included needlepoint, knit and crochet, and crewel embroidery. I loved trying out all the different skills, but mainly focused on crochet. I'm left handed, so that has complicated learning for me. I end up crocheting left handed and knitting right handed.

I do have a set of looms that I have made MANY hats. I enjoy the repetitiveness and the fact that I don't have to think much. 

Right now I have all projects that I started finished. I did abandon one, since I couldn't tell where the  pattern was, it was really nubby yarn and so I frogged it. I am thinking about doing socks out of some lovely variegated stuff like the first socks I did. 

Then I'm down to scrappy things, odds and ends, odd skeins that don't match with much. I'm thinking that I will pull out the doll sweater patterns and get going. They are pretty small and quick and something I can finish, and no new stitches to learn or anything. And I love that the dolls have sweaters, too. Feeds two addictions, yarn and dolls.

It does feel good to be all caught up with yarnish projects. Now to use up the stash. No new yarn, there's still a couple bags. Lorna gave me a BIG bag of all sorts of stuff, acrylic. I have enjoyed making little things with it. My favorite was the Shawlette with some sparkly white yarn. 

It does seem that life is winding down. I'm not old, but I really do not want to keep collecting yarn and fabric and paper, but use up what I have already so I don't leave so much junk for my kids to have to sort through. 

But I'm not dead yet, at least today.

clouds...

Sometimes all I have is enough energy to admire the clouds, so there you are.

Still Collecting Dolls after all these years...

I watched Encanto, and then found Mirabel at the thrift store, and then I found Luisa. But she had no shoes. I have shoes of many dolls, but the only thing that fit was some too big blue tennis shoes that looked really odd with her dress.  While waiting for my sewing machine part, I decided to try making her shoes. I was inspired by Chelly at chellywood.com who has made shoes. I however didn't use any of her patterns, because there weren't any Luisa's size. 

So I traced around her feet and cut it out of light card stock and glued it to felt and cut it out. It was hard to cut because I was lazy and didn't go get my good shears. But I got it, and then glued felt to the other side of the card stock and cut it out, one left foot and one right foot. 

I then made a loop of felt to go across the top of her foot, and hand stitched it together. They looked really plain so I embroidered with a teensy blanket stitch and a little flower. 

Things I would do differently: 

DON'T be lazy, go get and use good shears. 

I used rather thick felt, it might be easier with lighter felt. 

Make a pattern for the cross piece, and embroider it before assembly. 

Put the loop between the layers of felt. I don't think the card stock was necessary.

Have black elastic thread on hand so I could make a strap to go around the back.

Not bad for the first try. When I get the elastic I will add the strap to these. I will make another pair, maybe red like her original shoes.