dolly clothing for dopamine

in which our plucky heroine takes fun where she finds it...

Fragments of dopamine are what keep me going, when all the news is basically a dumpster fire. I love wardrobe planning, and textile arts in general, though I have no need to churn out garments for myself (I have a modest amount of Very Curated clothing; a benefit of sewing my own wardrobe is that there is one aspect of Acorn Cottage that is in no need at all of decluttering).

I can, though, indulge my love of planning and making, by the simple expedient of being creative with my tinyfolks. Right now, I am on week two of a 13 week online Wardrobe-Along challenge. I'm making a wardrobe for Opal, originally the corpse in a Viking Age burial diorama "A Grave Affair", who basically has no clothing other than what she can borrow from the others. Her new wardrobe is coordinated around the rayon batik fabric, so mostly shades of greenish blue and taupe, with a few accent colors like rust and deep blue.

Last night, though, I got the idea to also make a wardrobe for Almandine, who, with her fox head and tail, sometimes has difficulty fitting into the other tinyfolk clothing easily. That wardrobe will be based mostly on various greens and browns, with an accent of medium blue. In truth, I have created a two page grid of wardrobe planning mania, with my four tinyfolks names and favorite colors across the horizontal axis, and the list of 13 garments on the vertical axis. (I will, of course, just like with human wardrobe planning, work to include already extant garments into the mix.) I've not had this much fun with "dolly dress-up" since I was a girl!

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~ bluer than the sky ~

Not sure what this flower is, maybe larkspur? It is growing in one of several gardens that Marianna has planted in various places on her block, in yards that are neglected.

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Well that was an ooops! I put the tomato plant that needed a bigger pot into what I thought was a bigger planter pot... Instead, it was a black wastebasket that only looked like a planter, but didn't have any drainage holes! I was wondering why the plant was so droopy when I knew I had given it plenty of water!! I've taken steps to repot it into a proper home, and have my fingers crossed I didn't kill it entirely. Stay tuned...

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I desperately need to get up earlier in the morning every day and put in some yard tending time. There are branches that need pruned, and the apples still need thinning. Let's not talk about the string trimming that has not been completed in the corners of the back yard, and now everyplace I did trim has become overgrown again. Ugh!

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The white jersey long fingerless gloves I've made for bike riding in the sunshine have been working Really Well. They protect my forearms when I am wearing three-quarter length sleeves. I suspect my idea of a white jersey long sleeve shrug to protect my upper arms when I am wearing a short sleeve summer dress will work equally well, once I make such a thing. Probably modifying my regular knit turtleneck pattern would be the way to go. If I was really inspired, I could even add a bit of Alabama Chanin style embellishment...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak wall hook ebonised	books to LFL
6	Salish wooly dog print	towel clip ebonised	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	sheep print	x	x
10	5 tiny knit tops	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I've internalised that a very easy dinner is to cook something green, and some protein, and either some sweet potato or some rice noodles) and season with a small amount of crunchy nut butter, dark brown sugar, tamari, rice vinegar, and awesome sauce. Stir together and eat happily. It isn't fancy, but fills in some of the "I miss going out for Chinese (or Thai) food" places in my brain. If I have a bit more function, shifting the balance of seasonings, or adding in a few things, can create different and equally tasty options
2. I've managed to tame Mt Washmore, and am more than halfway through Mt Dishmore.
3. I have my bicycle, and I have enough strength and balance to continue to ride it. This is one of the things that keeps me sane.

Time of Isolation - Day 1450

perserverence furthers...

in which our plucky heroine is feeling somewhat better today...

A morning zoom call with my beloved sewing nomad pals was such a wonderful way to start the day. Our regular meetings are one of the good things that came out of the early years of the pandammit. I don't know if we would have begun to meet online like this otherwise, but our group has become one of the bright spots in my calendar.

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~ another knit top ~

Since all the other tinyfolk here got new knit tops, Almandine, who loves doing outdoor things like climbing trees and exploring the neighborhood, didn’t want to be left out… I made a different knit top, the “Placket Tee”. It has a bit more sleeve than the cap sleeve dress bodice (almost like a raglan flutter sleeve shape), a higher neckline, and is almost as easy to make! This top is knit from the same medium blue yarn as one of the skirts I made last week, so they can be worn together to look like a two piece dress.

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I found two new to me audio accompaniments for while I do chores: Mad About Miniatures is a podcast with a very enthusiastic host; the interface lets me slow down the pace to 0.75x, which makes the audio a bit more calm. I've only listened to two of the 41 episodes currently available, but so far the content and stories about different makers is enjoyable.  k3n clothtales is a YouTube channel, mentioned recently over at Now Sewing, The channel has many videos in the slow sewing vein, and a host that has a personable approach to hand stitching. I'm looking forward to exploring their content.

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Double pointed 4/0 needles are the equivalent of 16ga wire, FWIW, with really sharp tips on both ends. I've had to be really really careful not to stab myself while knitting with them. I rather love the effect of such small knitting, but I really dislike the actual process. Obviously not everyone feels that way about really tiny knitting, as witness the amazing works of Althea Crome. Still, “chacun à son goût”!

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After my success with ebonising the bathrobe hook backing plate earlier, I decided that a similar treatment for the hand towel clamp was in order. It was a rather more challenging, both because of the complicated shapes of the towel clamp, whatever finish had been applied by the original maker was very resistant to being sanded off, and because I had to detach it from its backing plate before I could sand off the finish and apply the vinegar/iron solution. Perseverance brought success at last, and one more small step for a completed bathroom refurbishment is done.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak wall hook ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	towel clip ebonised	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	sheep print	x	x
10	5 tiny knit tops	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. an unused toothbrush travel case has turned out to be just the perfect thing to store my set of steel 4/0 double pointed knitting needles.
2. I finally have a bit of a clue about how to proceed with the kitchen undersink, which needs to have the back wall closed in in a way to continue to allow access to the plumbing. More sketching will ensue, but eventually I will make a start.
3. Strawberry-rhubarb sauce. Last years preserves make a nice topping for some yogurt. There are a few containers of both strawberries and rhubarb in the freezer, which will get turned into the next batch of preserves and end up in the pantry for future treats. It makes me happy when I put up food that is such a delight to eat. Over the years I have gradually figured out what needs made up every year, and what experiments don't.

Time of Isolation - Day 1449

escapism

in which our plucky heroine considers a media fast...

There are days when in the face of all the myriad devolutions, just getting out of bed feels like a challenge. This doesn't stop me purposefully noticing what human efforts are made to the contrary, and to do my small mite as a counterweight as well, but... if the pixel world wasn't the only way I also intersect with my friends, if it wasn't where what remains of my social activity takes place, I would turn it off entirely for a month.

I imagine that there exists one of those long complicated compound German words for "the despair of being aware of multiple disasters". Years ago we had a saying "time is what keeps everything from happening all at once". It feels like time is failing at that task nowadays. Despite my determinedly making an effort every day to notice the things to be grateful for, the arc of this timeline feels headed towards extinction. I am well aware that on almost all the various axes, the planet is beyond the tipping points, but sometimes I need to not have my nose rubbed in it. Our species opened Pandoras Box generations ago, and the gemstone of hope that remains feels worn to a ravelling...

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~ week 2 ~

The garment for week 2 is "a knitted sleeveless top". My first iteration, instead of the suggested pattern, was to use the top portion of the "Cap Sleeve Dress for Tiny Rag Dolls" pattern (created by fearless group leader Dawn). Knit up in fingering yarn on size 0 needles, it is so fast and easy that I couldn't stop until I had made three of them. For the pale blue one on the right, I didn't even use skeined yarn, but some hand-dyed scrap thrums leftover from a tablet weaving project. I don't mind weaving in the ends, as the color was perfect to coordinate with the rayon batik skirt.

As the suggested pattern (Modified Stickatil Barbie #275) is more complex and entirely much too large in scale and size for my tinyfolk, I am attempting to further adapt it. Rather than in fingering weight yarn as the pattern calls for, which would result in a rather too wide tunic or dress, I am using some of the laceweight yarn and the 4/0 needles leftover from when mending Sister Gigi's gloves. The pattern itself, even at that smaller gauge, is still too wide, so I'm attempting further modifications. Wish me luck; if the upper bodice still turns out too wide, perhaps it will fit Almadine (who has a wider upper torso due to her spun cotton sculptural fox head and shoulders)

So, I decided that my first attempt at the #275 would be my “official” entry for this weeks knit top. Even though I may someday still want to brave the 4/0 needles and try again for a better fitting version, this one turned out to be rather wearable, after a few additional post knitting modifications.

My modifications created an almost the right size garment, save that parts of it were still wider than was useful, but I could fold over the much too wide opening edges into a sort of knitted facing. After I blocked #275, and stitched down the "facings", it occurred to me that instead of my usual tiny snap closure I could use a small hook and eye, which would give the effect of a tiny version of the fancy Scandinavian pewter clasps sometimes used on knitwear. With the opening at the front, 275 makes a good vest; with the opening at the back, a slightly loose knitted top! I’m calling my modified variation a success.

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The Introvert Song, by the Sugarcoated Sisters

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~ straight to the heart ~

The dobro, the singing, the arrangement and all the other musicians... this is one of the most stellar (in both senses of the word) cover versions of a beloved song I've ever heard.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak wall hook ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	sheep print	x	x
10	4 tiny knit tops	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. I love how the Yeti water bottle my SIL gave me a few years ago keeps water pleasantly cold overnight.
2. I am not currently sick
3. I might have some work coming soon.
4. I can generate tiny dopamine hits by making dolly clothing

Time of Isolation - Day 1448

project or process...

in which our plucky heroine can take a hint...

While I went riding out to the Tiny Gallery in St John's earlier, I also stopped at most of the little free libraries I saw, so I could measure their height (between 38 to 42 inches average). In one of them, much to my great surprise, I saw a few assorted oversize books about jewelry making and metalwork. Not the usual LFL content. I took several of them home with me for further perusal, and there was one, "Soldering Demystified" that is going to be added to the Acorn Cottage reference collection. I've only started to read it, but there's practical information in there I've never read about before. Perhaps it is time to return to the workbench...

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I've been doing some sketches for how to re-do the backing under the kitchen sink. My intent is, once all the sink repairs have been completed, to put in place a similar (removable) undersink to what is under the bathroom sink. Modified, of course, to fit the different space and configuration. I've been mulling this over for weeks now, and finally have a few ideas that may be possible. There will be rather a lot more sketching done before any plywood gets cut; ideas on paper are much less onerous to re-do.

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~ tinyprint Tuesday ~

getting there... this weeks tinyprint for the textile livestock series is a sheep (obviously). I'm right pleased with how my use of several different sizes of tiny drill bits create a texture that evokes "wooly". I still need to carve llama, and silkworm, and maybe yak and vicuña. Then it will be time to print my second miniature handprinted book...

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Being rather taken with the results of my bathrobe hook project, it occurred to me to attempt something similar with my handtowel holder, which is also oak. Not as amenable to the treatment, since it apparently has some sort of resistant finish. First I tried gently sanding it - nope. Then I tried wiping it down with denatured alcohol - nope. Much more vigorous sanding allowed the ebonising fluid to access the oak in patches. I'm going to continue attacking it bit by bit, as there is no visible way to tell if the surface has been sufficiently abraded. When completely ebonised, it will look rather wonderful, just getting there will take more time than hoped.

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I continue to play with the tiny doll wardrobe challenge, because a gal has to get her dopamine somewhere...; Tomorrow we find out what the garment for week two will be. So far, I've played around with a simple stitched skirt (modified from the pattern given) and added a simple knitted skirt as well. I'm probably always going a bit off plan, as the difference in size and favorite textile techniques require. Our plucky heroine basically doesn't crochet, and a fair number of the upcoming patterns will have me happier if I can substitute in either a knitted garment, or something completely different but more to the taste of my tinyfolk. These link to both the wardrobe plan for the 2024 Summer Mini Doll Wardrobe-Along challenge, and the "13 piece Whatever's Clean" wardrobe plan from The Vivienne Files, that the former plan is inspired by. I intend to dance somewhere in between, as the whim takes me, and the supplies I have on hand allow.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak wall hook ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. an excellent reference book on soldering showed up in a little free library on my bike ride Sunday evening
2. I can still see well enough when I take my glasses off to be able to do most of the sorts of close work I enjoy. (And if more is needed, I do have a big LED magnifying light)
3. Starting to learn about role playing games, in a very simple "dipping my toes into the water" way. With two of my faraway friends, who are also experienced gamers, we are going to be playing Golden Sky Stories. This is adding another online video connection time to my schedule, which gives me a something to look forward to. Four years is a long time to be in this spaceship. 

Time of Isolation - Day 1446

it's doggone cute

in which our plucky heroine has been thinking about creating a "little free art gallery" to put in my front yard next to the sidewalk. I think the one in St John's is the only one in NPDX, and it would be so much fun to have one right here!!...

I rode my bike to the post office this morning to send a large envelope with week one of the dolly clothing to Kestrel's dollies, and a letter for her. She has been wanting to receive mail, and I figure that letters from "auntie" Alison, and treats for her tinyfolk, will be a fun option for her this summer.

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~ little free whimsey ~

This just showed up on the next block, in front of a formerly vacant house that recently had folks move in...

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I found out where to take the steel defunct light fixture to be recycled, since it doesn't fit in the wheelie bin. Now all I need is to ask someone with a car to give me and it a ride, as none of the places are close enough to walk or bike. I miss when we had a small local neighborhood recycle center. It was on the site of a former gas station, and was torn down a number of years ago and has been a vacant corner lot surrounded by chain link fence ever since. Not as useful, and rather an eyesore. I'm sure it will eventually turn into a tall apartment building filling up all the square footage, with no setback and, alas, with no green spaces, or anything else nice for the neighborhood.

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~ jasmine season ~

This is the current season, and here and there the alleyways and entrance gardens are delightfully fragrant...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The tinyfolk formerly temporarily known as "Sage" has informed me in no uncertain terms that her name is actually "Opal". I stand corrected...
2. Some of my friends are eager and willing to help with my "little free art gallery" project idea, including my architect pal, who knows more than I do about structure and materials.
3. non-machineable... there is a special stamp for that. Less costly than package rate, but used for small but lumpy envelopes. I was right tickled to find that out, since I plan on mailing quite a few of these over the summer. Oooo maybe I need to make a Lumpy Space Princess stamp to decorate the envelopes?

Time of Isolation - Day 1446

double your pleasure

in which our plucky heroine wakes up before the alarm...

I've been meaning to get up early enough so I can ride the bus then walk to H-Mart; early = cooler temperatures. Today I woke up about as soon as the light started coming in through the east window, which meant I could also stop at Trader Joe's on the way and pick up some unsalted roasted almonds to add to breakfast museli.

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~ week 1 ~

Thursday was the beginning of the thirteen week 2024 Mini Doll "Wardrobe-A-Long", with a different garment suggested each week.  My intention is to make at least two of whatever the garment of the week is; when the challenge ends, send one of the two wardrobes off to Young Kestrel for her dollhouse dollies, who are relatives to my own tinyfolk. As is obvious, I finally added some stitched facial features to the "ghost girl", though she still needs a proper name. I've tried out several different names ("Chrysoprase"called "Chrys", or maybe "Euphorbia"), but at the last, it seems her name is "Opal"...

The first week our challenge garment is making a simple skirt... while the suggested instructions make a straight skirt from a slightly gathered tube of fabric, I can't do anything without elaborating it in one way or another. Opal is wearing a skirt made from a scrap of batik rayon, that also has functional patch pockets (cut squares from the selvedge edge so as to avoid having to make miniature pocket edge hems, fold under the other three edges and stitch to skirt). In addition, I realised afterwards that attaching the skirt piece to the waistband piece prior to turning the whole thing into a tube is eversomuch easier!

Nandina is wearing the simple blue handknit skirt that I started making prior to the beginning of the challenge, as a good possible option as well. I plan on a knitted cardigan of the same blue yarn for later in the challenge...

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Huzzah for getting my filling in the gaps shopping done. I never know quite what perishables I will find at H-Mart, so today I came home with a package of thin sliced pork roast perfect for stir fry, and just one skinny eggplant (most of the eggplant this time were sad). I know what tonight's dinner will be, and the rest of the meat will be portioned out and frozen. I'll also make up some faux cheescake from some of my formerly canned pear chunks, as a change from pineapple. Maybe season with some nutmeg, some almond extract, and a bit of vanila. Makes a good high protein breakfast in the heat.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	recycle bin
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	tiny batik skirt	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. waking up early before the heat
2. tzatziki with dinner yesterday, there were some of the wonderful tiny "persian" cucumbers at the market...
3. I'm being able to use up some of my smaller amounts of leftover yarn to make dolly knitwear.

Time of Isolation - Day 1444

a smattering of sushi

in which our plucky heroine remembers she meant to post this yesterday...

~ day 20 ~

Day 20 (the summer Solstice) - All good things eventually come to an end... I'll be sad that our swap is over, but ending with two coil built bowls and a smattering of sushi is a lovely thing indeed!

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Since 5am was too early to get up, I tuned over and went back to sleep... and fell back into the dreamlands. This time I hadn't yet reached the Scary Bridge, and instead left the highway that runs along the Big River, so we could break our trip in a small road adjacent town (for the purpose of stretching our legs and getting some food etc).

I wasn't lost perzactly, but ended up wandering by myself into a rusticated western emporium of small shops. (my sleeping brain does small shops filled with delight really well) There was a classroom of folks making miniature things, and a wonderful side alcove used clothing shop with vintage Hawaiian shirts, leather jackets and other garments similar, and a shop selling cabachons and mineral specimens.

However, nowhere in the entire building was I able to find my own traveling companions, so I went outside again, but it was an entirely different outdoors than the alleyway entrance, despite being the same doorway. There was a different plaza, and road construction obviously underway, with eroded dirt in the streets and some areas being rebuilt. I was wondering how to find my friends, and our vehicle, and if we would get to our destination before bedtime, or be better served by trying to find shelter in the town we were in...

Then I woke up not in the dreamlands, in my own bedroom, and in this timeline...

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~ ready to use ~

The bathrobe hook is now in the correct location, looks very much as I had imagined, and works just as desired! It makes me very happy when such small improvements turn out well.

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not surprising (but not delightful), the next few days are likely in the 90's. Time to become crepuscular...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	oak ebonised	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	bathrobe hook	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. finally figuring out that I dream in color!
2. 5 flavor sauce works just as well atop pretty much anything, like I had some leftover stir fry, so added more bok choi and some potato cubes and voila... instant tasty dinner
3. The email that came after today's "independence days summer 2024 challenge" zoom was exactly right. Instead of leaving me feeling hopeless because I'm not doing "enough", it was all about being where you are and doing an incremental bit more, which is going to look very different for each person.

Time of Isolation - Day 1442

iron-ing

in which our plucky heroine does something hard and something fun...

I mostly hate making phone calls. Not as much if I am phoning a friend, though even then I always feel hesitant, not wanting to "be a bother". But having to call businesses with an inquiry or a request has never stopped being a "grit my teeth and do it"
There were two calls on my current task list today, and I made both of them before noon. Yay me!

I also started the task of decluttering my actual paper file cabinet, to move towards the goal of using the upper drawer as a "home" for important paperwork that tends to get misplaced. I do really well putting things away into their proper homes, IF they have homes. Since I made a "house key home" quite a few years ago, I no longer misplace the house keys, etc. The file cabinet upper drawer is full of random nifty hardcopy, but I pretty much never go there to use it, and it can be culled hard. (The bottom drawer is where I store my blank paper of various sorts, tracing paper, graph paper, art paper of different weights etc... that drawer is functioning well)

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~ paint it black ~
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after ebonising, and beforehand

So, remember yesterday when I mentioned using iron infused vinegar to ebonise tannin rich wood... well... instead of just waiting for the steel wool to react, I also took some rusty rebar and stuck the ends in the jar (outdoors of course) and let it sit overnight. In the meantime, I slathered the oak escutcheon with strong tea and let it dry in the sun, because why not?

After then applying the almost clear vinegar liquid, the color change was quite rapid though not instant. A second coat darkened the wood surface even more; the only light areas are inside the deeper pores of the surface (the original oak scrap had some sort of wood finish, and while I sanded the surface to remove it, the pores are rather deep) Had I been able to start with totally unfinished wood, it would all have become black! So, I call the experiment quite successful.

try-it-out Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine gets experimental...

There are a whole bunch of modest projects at various stages of their process, but nothing is completed today. And there are also some new ideas germinating...

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~ day 18 ~

two jars of jam: fig, and plum. Both ones that could have been made from the fruit that grows here at Acorn Cottage, which makes them extra appropriate!

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Remind me to not order a 2# package of (a dozen) nectarines online again... They were unripe, of course, so I put them in a paper sack (with an apple for the ethylene), and after about a week they were ripe enough to eat. A day after "about a week" some of them began to get moldy. They never keep well, being luscious but fragile, and when I buy them in shops, I only ever get one or at most two at a time.

What to do? When in doubt, get jammin'! Seemed the best option was to turn the fruit into preserves posthaste. I cut up the remaining nectarines and stirred them into a small amount of sugar, then put them in the fridge to macerate overnight. Today, I will add some lemon juice, and cook them down a bit, then put up in small jars for later on.

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~ oaken backplate~

I've been wanting a wall hook right next to the shower, so as to maximise comfort and ease. Hooks need anchored, and this one has the screw holes so close together as to preclude using wall anchors. Wall anchors are a necessity in the parts of the wallboard not directly backed with wall studs. So, as I have done in many other places and times, I thought: wood backing plate.

Then it occurred to me to make the backing plate decorative as well as functional, and I decided to cut the scrap of oak into a sort of escutcheon shape.

I've always wanted to try "ebonising" oak - turning it black using a stain created by soaking steel wool in vinegar, which can react with the tannins in the wood to change the color. It won't be done today, since it takes some time for the vinegar/steel wool preparation to be ready to use, but I am eager to see what happens! Stay tuned...

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well dang, the Heather Ross print fabric I bought online is not quite identical to the fabric of my horses blouse. The pattern motifs are the same, but the substrate is more like quilting cotton while the original fabric is more like cotton lawn. And the background color is, of course, a different "dye lot" so the blue is not a pale blue but more of a light blue. Now I'm not really sure how best to incorporate it to lengthen the sleeves... On the advice of my pal Leslie, it is going to be sent to Coventry; I've folded it up and hung it on the crossbar of the hanger with the blouse, while I wait for inspiration...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes-
1. I remembered reading somewhere about soaking rice noodles in boiling water to soften them, so I gave it a try. While they were a bit more al dente than my preference, it really helped, and was more economical than cooking them all the way on the stovetop.
2. another beautiful day today, perfect for bike riding and taking walks, and fortunately I have the ability to intersperse my day with some physical activity...
3. getting closer to the whole set of Textile Livestock prints. This week the creature is "sheep" (a classic).

Time of Isolation - Day 1440

banana for scale

in which our plucky heroine accidentally sleeps in...

probably because I foolishly stayed up extra late last night watching the film adaptation of "Catherine, called Birdy". I found it to be nowhere near as nuanced as the book, and couldn't figure out who the intended target demographic was. Apparently not I, said the little red hen...

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~ day 17 ~

over the course of the month, I've been acquiring quite the collection of fruit salad ingredients... Alas, there are only a few more days left in our countdown to the summer solstice swap. It has been so much fun opening a tiny treat every morning!

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Yesterday I had what may be a brilliant idea, to use the top of the hallway bookshelf for one or more room boxes for my tinyfolk. It could be a new and different neighborhood than Tansu Terrace. Of course, I would need to both find other storage for what is there now (gosh I really need one more bookshelf!) and would need to first build some room boxes.

Though, it just occurs to me that they could be made from laminated cardboard... hmmm... I have a robust assortment of corrugated cardboard sheets saved from the last 4 years; laminating and building from cardboard is much more accessible than woodworking (for me), this could be a combination of decluttering and creativity

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I've three more blocks left to carve for my Textile Livestock series - llama, sheep, and silkworm. I think sheep will be next up, as I've an idea to use a drill bit for carving the texture of the wool. I will need to mount the lino on the wooden block first, for safety sake, to make it easier to hold.

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~ red rubber ball ~

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After finding out I can put metal in my recycle wheelie bin (if "100% metal with a maximum size of 30 inches by 8 inches and weighing no more than 30 pounds.") I figured out how to disassemble the dead box fan. The housing went to recycling land, and the plastic grill and dead motor in the trash.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	dead box fan
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	Salish wooly dog print	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes-
1. quick set epoxy, which makes some creative projects much simpler...
2. being able to recycle at least some things just by putting them in the wheelie bin, and having enough hand tools to take apart the dead box fan
3. 5 flavor eggplant... so yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1439

slightly social Sunday

in which our plucky heroine spends half the day online, and also makes a tasty lunch...

Sunday is zoom day, but also time to make sure that meals happen between online meetings. I needed to use up the two eggplant bought last week, and remembered "5 flavor eggplant" that I made back in 2020... that recipe needs to come back into more frequent rotation, as it is wonderfully simple and tasty. The limiting factor is getting the right sort of eggplant. (It also freezes really well, so must needs remember that and put some by when possible.) This made a great lunch, along with some rice noodles and shrimp.

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~ day 16 ~

This just tickles my fancy, as I had a different mushroom portrait earlier in the swap on day 8. Who of my tinyfolk is fascinated by mycology?

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Given up on the box fan renewal project, since direct wiring did nothing to resurrect function. Whatever is wrong with it is beyond my ability to suss out, so sadly it has become a bin-it instead of a fix-it ...

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"5 Flavor Eggplant"
(savory, salty, sweet, sour, spicy)

about 2# long skinny eggplant 

1 tablespoon salt 

1½ tablespoon tamari 

1 tablespoon vinegar 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoon oil 

+ hotness as desired

put the salt in a big bowl, add several cups of water, and then clean and cut up eggplants, tossing the bits into the bowl of salt water - I cut them first the long ways into quarters or sixths, then cut the long pieces into chunks. I try for about ¾" cubes more or less by volume, because big pieces take a long time to cook through, and undercooked eggplant is nasty.

when all the eggplant is in the bowl of salty water, it sits there for a half hour... I occasionally stir it or push the chunks around to make sure they all get drenched... you want to have enough water that they are all floating.

Meanwhile, combine the tamari, the vinegar, the sugar, and the cornstarch. Drain and dry the eggplant bits. (my current innovation is to use my salad spinner after pouring off as much of the water as I can)

In a big frying pan, heat up the oil, then fry the eggplant until it is FULLY COOKED and slightly browned. (Trust me, you want it cooked till it is SOFT, not al dente) Pour the sauce mixture over the eggplant (give the sauce mixture a good stirring up just before you pour it), and cook til thick, which will take only a few moments, because cornstarch...

At this point, I usually add some awesome sauce (spicy chili jam) but you could add a dash of tabasco, or sriacha, or whatever you prefer. The original recipe called for adding jalapeno peppers at the beginning, but that was WAY TOO HOT for me. YMMV, and the spicy aspect is entirely optional for that matter.

Truly, this recipe is almost faster to cook than to read, most of the effort is in cutting up the eggplants, and in waiting while they soak in the salty water. I had always in the past done the sprinkle the eggplant with salt, let it drain, rinse it off thing, which is a whole lot of faffing about. I had never heard of soaking them in lightly salted water, but it works really well!!

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The plaid flannel slip project is completed, after reconfiguring the skirt to have many more gores (salvaged from the midsection and replaced with stripey batik) The hemline is super twirly, so will provide plenty of room for bicycle riding; it took almost nine yards of bias tape to bind the bottom edge. While the result is somewhat alarmingly patchwork-y, most of it will remain hidden beneath my everyday garments, with only the flouncy bottom edge visible. I do like the overall effect of multiple sizes and shapes of gores and godets, so may use that in the future on some dress...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	2 tiny knit skirts	plaid flannel slip	-
5	tiny knit cardigan	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. Currently the supply chains more or less work, and I have food and things needed on hand or mostly available.
2. The scent of summer jasmine, on my early morning walk today, I turned down an alleyway just following my nose, and there it was...
3. Iceberg lettuce... while a lot of folks like to bash it as flavorless, to me it was not only the every day supper salad green of my childhood, but it is also a sweet, mild, and crunchy treat on frequent occasions nowadays.

Time of Isolation - Day 1438

recursion

in which our plucky heroine catches up... I'd keep meaning to post here, and remember only when on the way to bedtime...

~ the solstice swap rolls on... ~

Day 12 - This is a wee polymer succulent with a blue sparkly flowerpot to go with it, sure to be a good houseplant on Tansu Terrace...

Day 13 - more tasty looking polymer fruit, in a second millefiori bowl...

Day 14 - this hand-painted picture of a Very Sleepy Bunny...

Day 15 -  a vegetable delivery: cucumbers and tomatoes, with some lemon slices, and a cutting board! I expect either salad, or maybe some tabouli on the menu!

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Earlier this week, I made another trip to the Little Free Art Gallery, where I exchanged a tiny artwork for a mystery packet. Which turned out to be an assortment of scraps of hand decorated papers. Which will be perfect for turning into collage artwork to bring back to the Little Free Art Gallery!

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I had a good rummage yesterday in the resource center, for suitable leftover bits of fabric and yarn. Started out with the box of neutral gradient mini skeins used originally to mend Sisters good knit gloves, then found a scrap of Liberty in a sort of grey geometric. I’ve some two tone blue chambray, which will make good “denim”, and an indigo pinstripe, some mostly neutral rayon batik, and a vintage handkerchief with multicolor polka dots. Also some grey/white dotted cotton, and a piece of grey-ish wool felt suitable for a pinafore.

I’m thinking these will be good colors for the Ghostie Girl (who really needs a real name) as her only current clothing are her grave goods. (She was part of a different online Halloween challenge "A Grave Affair" a few years ago and represented the burial site of a wealthy Viking Age woman) I think I will give her proper embroidered eyes and mouth too, rather than just the barest suggestion of features that were appropriate to her former state of being…

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I'm still on the attempt to repair the dead box fan, that being preferable to just binning it. However, I have been totally unsuccesful at locating a replacement switch. So, after much rummaging on the internets, I read about a different thing I could try, but it of course lacked actual instructions. Some guy, instead of a switch, simply wired their fan to be always on, so it turns on/off by plugging it into the wall...

Looking at the multiple wires in and out of the fan etc, can I simply connect the neutral wire from the plug to the neutral wire to the fan, and the hot wire from the plug to one of the three L-M-H wires to the fan? Is there any reason why this would be dangerous? My brain says this should work, in the same way that wiring a ceiling fixture works.

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	knit flouncy skirt	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. spider catchers (a clear plastic tumbler and a postcard), kept handy in the kitchen and the bathroom, so when an arachnid makes a surprise appearance, I can, after my necessary yelp and jump, catch it and dump it outside. This is preferable to my former squish it immediately response. I will never not be arachnophobic, but I can alter my behavior
2. paper tape - the sort used for bandaging. I react really badly to mosquito bites (or other bug bites) and have found that putting a layer or two of paper tape over them tones down the itch factor and keeps me from scratching right through my skin while I am sleeping. It still takes at least two weeks for the itch to go away, but the paper tape is breathable and stays in place all that time. I suspect it would look really odd, were anyone to see it, with little white squares of tape scattered hither and thither, but it is much better than before I discovered this.
3. today is raining and cool, not great for bike riding, but I may head out for a walk around the neighborhood later
4. My friends Mischa and Stef are going to teach me about gaming (RPG), an activity that I have never tried, but one that a large proportion of my friends enjoy.
5. There was a bunny in the driveway, eating the clover that sprouts in the cracks.

Time of Isolation - Day 1437

partially tinyprint Tuesday

in which our plucky heroine has a more balanced day...

A good mix of social time, creative time, and productive time.

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~ artist proofs ~

I've been working on this print for the textile animal series, and thought it would be good to document some of the steps... Always starting with a little (⅞" sq) pencil drawing that gets transferred to the lino, then carved with various gouges. The first attempt obviously needed some serious attention: the border was so narrow it clogged, the eyes were two different sizes, and the "fuzzy" effect didn't really show well... The second attempt fixed the border, improved the size of the eyes and the contour of the curled tail, and made obvious where the fur outline still needs work. In addition, the dog needs eye "highlights", and a shorter interior contour of the front leg. So, not yet finished, but getting closer...

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Tonight's dinner: stir fried up the thin sliced pork shoulder, with onions, the last of the asparagus, and a bunch of bok choi. Rehydrated some shitaki, and sliced those up really thin. Seasoned it all with tamari, ginger, garlic, a bit of dark brown sugar, and some oyster sauce. Served over rice noodles, and garnished with some cilantro and a sprinkle of toasted sesame oil. Eat it up yum! Actually put enough of the stir fried pork aside for two additional meals, (I cook that separately from the veg and combine at the end) and put about half of the rest aside for another meal)

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~ day 11 ~

It must be my lucky day, the miniature swap was this framed painting of a four leaf clover!

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This essay is very much worth reading, good food for thought, and a different perspective...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. a really delicious dinner tonight... I used some of the groceries acquired yesterday, and some from my delivery today. So I am triply grateful: for food acquired, food delivered, and for my years of cooking that let me make tasty food improv style...
2. not sure why I first stuck the expansion rod over the kitchen sink years ago, or what inspired my adding the wire shower curtain rings, but is sure has proven a super useful way to hang things to drip dry over the sink, mostly small utensils like peelers etc, but I also wedge paintbrushes into the chainmail scrubber that hangs there so they can dry bristles down
3. A cooler day, and partially overcast. Much more to my liking...

Time of Isolation - Day 1433

Monday music and other miscellany

in which our plucky heroine does a tiny happy dance...

Today I wanted to go to Mr Plywood, which takes about an hour and a half each way on the bus. I was hoping to get some molding to cut up to mount my tinyprint lino pieces to make them easier to handle... (At the hardware store here the small selection has nothing of suitable size.)

Well, there are reasons why I love that store! When I asked about if I could purchase a 2' section off a somewhat damaged 8' piece I found in the rack, the clerk took one look at it and said that piece "was no good at all, needed to be sent back to the mill", and suggested that he cut me a suitable length from a better one! I had no idea it was possible to just get a few feet of moulding, and had even brought my own folding saw to break down a long piece into sizes I could carry home on the bus, figuring I would need to buy a lifetime supply (I use 1" pieces for lino mounting handles..)

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~ Day 10 ~

Today is day 10 of the solstice swap, and we are halfway to the day itself! I unwrapped this charming millefiori fruit bowl, with apple slices, orange segments and an apricot...

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While on the way home from Mr Plywood, I did a bit of grocery shopping and scouting. The international market did have 3L tins of olive oil, but the price was no less than online, being between 50 to 60+ USD each... I did stop at H Mart as well, and brought home two asian eggplant, some wide-ish rice noodles, and a bit of thin sliced pork. Can you say tasty stir fry?

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Today (June 10) is International Heraldry Day! These are my SCA arms: Azure, a horse courant reguardant between three acorns slipped and leaved argent...

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June SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	musk ox print	horses blouse edge	yard waste bin
2	green linen Jedi tunic	kitchen light fixture	recycle bin
3	Nandina floral dress	Luxo plug	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The short phone charger cords work wonderfully... I suspect that the convenience of the longer cords also adds resistance so that things charge more slowly. Plus short cords force me to put the phone down more often.
2. TIL that Mr Plywood will cut molding to a smaller size and sell me only what I need! Whoot!!
3. I can walk, and ride my bike, and even almost still skip. There is life in the old dame yet...

Time of Isolation - Day 1432