Best laid plans....

It always happens doesn't it?  Make plans, tell everyone, then WHAM.... stuff happens to derail everything.

Two months ago things were going really quite well, but just a few days after my last post I fell ill and it's taken me most of the time since then to get back to what passes for my normal these days. 

Everything ground to a halt and while I was poorly.  I didn't set foot in my lovely craft room for weeks and weeks.  Even then, I only went in to look around a sigh a lot, as I just didn't feel up to doing anything creative at all. The only thing I've been able to do is crochet, and even then, it hasn't been regularly or with any real enthusiasm, which isn't like me at all.

Thankfully, I'm now feeling much better, so I've graduated to gentle pottering... a bit of sorting though things here, re-organising things there.  Not 'making' exactly, but gradually working up to it.  

I revisited my collection of partly dressed wee toy dolls this morning which only need to be wigged, hatted and boxed.  Then I perused my barely begun little doll's house shop kit and decided I might just have a go at making some progress over the course of this week as the weather definitely won't be conducive to spending any time sorting out the garden.  

So, with spring hopefully just around the corner, I'm hoping that my joie de vivre will return and nearly normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. 

I mean...what could possibly go wrong?  🙄

Newsletter update....

The die is cast and I've just sent out a newsletter which I hope people will action.  I've spent ages again today going through the mailing list but I just can't get it down any further without randomly deleting people which I can't do as I want to ensure that anyone who still wants to receive newsletters can do so.   

So, I'll see what the response is and take it from there.  Thanks to those of you who have suggested workarounds... I've tried a few but no luck so far.  Mainly I don't want to move to a different email marketing platform and have to learn a new system all over again, especially when I know that probably 25% of subscribers on my current list never engage and lots of them don't even open the emails either.  So I'm taking the path of least resistance in the first instance to see what happens. 

For anyone reading this who's thinking "hang on a minute... I thought I was on Sandra's mailing list but I haven't received an email today" then several things may have happened.

• You've changed your email address
• Because I email so infrequently I've inadvertently slipped into your spam folder
• You previously unsubscribed and have forgotten (easy mistake to make... I do it myself!)
• You were never on my mailing list in the first place and because you come here regularly you get all my news and sales information here.

In any case, if you haven't received an email, and do want to go on my list, simply use the contact form on this blog to send me a secure message, including your full name and email address and I'll do the rest. 

Dolls House Shop Kit - Part 1

 

I've made a start on my little doll's house shop kit and this is my progress so far.  Not much to show for two x three hour sessions is it?  

For those of you who have thrown caution to the winds and bought your own kit, I hope my initial findings will prevent you making some of the mistakes I've already made, although they were all able to be remedied, thank goodness.

I decided to build the shop structure first, so that I can add contents as I go along.

So, remember I was waxing lyrical about how amazing the instructions look?  Well I take it ALL back.  Yes they look amazing but there is an almost complete lack of written text as everything is in the form of photos or diagrams.  While this might sound fine and dandy, I'm finding it difficult to understand some of the assembly details.

Also, despite there being a comprehensive parts list, it's almost impossible to find some parts, with separate elements for the same thing spread across several of the multitude of little bags.  As a result, a large proportion of the six hours I spent getting to this stage, involved long searches for specific parts.   I still haven't tracked down the door handle so I'm hoping it will turn up further along the line. 

That said,  when I finally found the relevant bits, and puzzled out what to do with them, the resulting shop front is coming along nicely.

Top tips so far.....

• Glue.  There are two types of paper elements but most have a satin finish.  I strongly suggest that if you're glueing those onto any wooden parts, that you use a solid glue stick, like Pritt Stick or similar.  I used PVA glue on some of the satin finish paper and it bubbled alarmingly when applied to the wood.  Of course it didn't bubble immediately, otherwise I'd have whipped them off straight away.  No, they went on completely flat so I then set them aside to dry while I worked on another section.  However after a few minutes, when I checked them again, I was horrified to see they were all wrinkled.   Now, I will say that they have gradually flattened, but not completely and there are still a few rippless, unlike the ones on which I used the solid glue stick, which are completely flat. 
• Make sure you understand the construction of each element before you start as they're not always obvious or inuitive.  As a veteran of literally hundreds of kits, I just jumped straight in, but several times I'd already applied glue to parts only to discover I'd glued the wrong edge, or didn't know what to do with them, or that I'd glued the wrong side to the wrong piece etc.   Luckily I discovered my mistakes in time to rectify them. So far I've found that the laser cut pieces are very accurate, and that if the instructions show one side shorter than the other, it's not a mistake and you can't just wing it.  I strongly recommend doing dry fits for every section before going anywhere near glue. 

If you're doing this kit, and have any questions so far, do feel free to contact me and I'll help if I can.  I'll also post further as I go along. 

Current status.... so far so good. 

 

IMPORTANT - Please read.

I do love a good list.  The more the merrier. 

Lists of lists?  Bring it on!

Literally loads of lists... hell yeah!!!

I have a frankly embarrassing undisclosed number of pristine notebooks and project planners in which to write lists but I always end up just grabbing a bit of scrap paper and scribbling them down, only to subsequently lose the scrappy paper and having to start again. 

There's also the small matter of adding completed tasks to lists after the fact purely for the satisfaction of putting a BIG TICK next to them.  Seriously though... doesn't everyone do that?

So yes, I do like lists.  I've been making rather a lot of them recently in relation to various projects... my new toy shop book nook kit, our granddaughter's bedroom makeover, workroom re-organisation (yes... AGAIN! *sigh* ) etc etc etc.

Also, despite being nominally retired, I have been making minis.... primarily for La Mignonette but also with a view to offering some of my little toy dolls and miniatures for sale in the spring.  I did have in mind to release a list in November but that was derailed by a series of unfortunate events so my mini-making was relegated to the back burner.  However, with spring now a not too distant goal, I'm minded to dust off my box of 'work in progress' and see where I'd got too.  

With a Spring Sale in mind I logged into MailChimp yesterday.  I use it to send newsletters and up till now it had been free to send emails to up to 500 subscribers, but as of next month the limit for the free service will be reduced to 250.  As I only send at most two newsletters a year there's no point in my upgrading to the paid service.  So I spent a while laboriously going through the contacts list, deleting obviously suspicious or invalid email addresses but I was still nowhere near getting down to 250.  

So, here's the thing.  I will be sending out a newsletter later this week.  If you're on my current mailing list, and receive it, and want to continue to receive newsletters, follow the instructions and I'll keep you on the list.  If I don't hear back I'll assume you no longer wish to be contacted and will remove you accordingly.  From my stats I know that less than half of newsletter recipients don't open the email so I'm confident that the mailing list will prune itself. 

If you're not already on the list, not to worry.  I will post sale information here and on my Sandra Morris Dolls Facebook page.  

If you have any questions, please contact me using the contact form thingy.  Please note that my towerhousedolls email is not longer in use.  You can also message me on FB, either using Messenger or WhatsApp.

Projects unfolding....

Scene: Sandra's workroom, which is still full of all the stuff from the rest of the house which had to be evacuated to host family over Christmas.  She is bent over her laptop, illuminated in the glow.  A small furry presence gradually materialises at her side.....

Me: *startled* Oh, hello SD.  Am I glad to see you.

SD: Oh murmm... whott hav yue dunn now? 

Me: *bristling* ME?!?  I haven't done anything!

SD: *patiently* Yue kno fule wel thatt ai amm onlie kolled when yure in trubble.  So hear ai amm.

Me: *puzzled* In trouble?  I'm always delighted to see you in your ethereal form but I am absolutely not in trouble.

SD: 

Me:

SD: *carefully* Okai... letts sai fore the saik of argewment thatt yore knot.   Whott ar yue doen?

Me: *distractedly* I'm doing lists.  To Do lists.  For stuff I have to do.  I'm planning a few projects and need to sort out a timescale.

SD: *encouragingly* Wel thatts gude.  Plannen, lissts.  Yue havent ' ovurkommitid' hav yue?

Me: *testily* Over committed?  Perish the thought. No, it's all under control. I'm just trying to dovetail it all as some bits are TOP SECRET.

SD: *conspiratorially* Topp Seekrit? (she winks with both eyes)

Me: *concerned* Are you OK SD.  Is there something wrong with your eyes?

SD: *dismissively* Aim fyne.  So whotts the seekrit? 

Me:*sighing* If I told you it wouldn't be a secret would it?

SD:*encouragingly* Mummm.... yue kan trusst me.  Aim non-korpawreal and kant breeth a wurd to a sole.

Me:*hesitantly* Ok then.  The secret is that I'm planning a complete makeover in M's bedroom but I only have a window of 10 days from the 28th January to get it all done, so I'm doing as much pre-planning as I can so that I can take a run at it.  Her room is very small but I have some quite ambitious plans so I need to order everything I'll need in the next week or so.  I've made a scale plan of the room so I can play around and see how things are going to fit.

SD:*nodding* Thatts gude.  Whotts yure theem?

Me:*thinking aloud* Well, I did her room here when she was just a baby... so it was Beatrix Potter themed.  But she's nearly 10 and it's all a bit too young for her now, so I'm aiming for a mashup of enchanted forest and Narnia.  A bit older but still magical.

SD:* impressed* sownds wundirfool.... aim shure sheel luv itt.  

Me: *uncertainly* I do hope so.  Although it's a small room I have a lot to do and I can only work in short bursts.  I just need to make sure that I get the planning done this week so I can order all the stuff I need.  

SD: *soothingly* Itt wil orl bee fyne.  Ai hav grate konfidens in yue... yore projeckts olwais turn owt amaizen. 

Me:*relieved* Thanks SD.... I was just having a bit of a wobble, but yes, I'm sure it will. 

SD: *stretching and yawning* Ecksillent.  Aill popp in agen jusst to sea how yure doen.

She gradually fades away, and Sandra returns to her laptop, her resolve renewed. 

... To Be Continued.....

Book nookery....

Following on from my book nook post yesterday I have an update. 

No of course I haven't started it yet... that's crazy talk! Anyone who's been following this blog for some time will be well aware that I can't start it until I've done some pre-planning, list making and the like.

However, when I revisited the online details I discovered that there is a veritable cornucopia of delights which show the completed contents in detail.  To be honest, I just looked at the picture on the box and thought "that's the very one for me" and clicked on the BUY button with no scruples at all. I've also had a more thorough look at the instructions booklet which also contains loads of photos.

So... here are some of which I was completely unaware until this morning.

Having bought the kit purely on the premise of the frontage, with its festoons of wisteria and pretty flower boxes,  I love that the sides are also home to windows, postbox, signs etc.  In this view you can see the tiny fairy lights strung across the ceiling beams and there's even a working light on the front.  Love the little ares of moss and lichen on the outside too. 

But the wonderment doesn't stop there... there's lots going on INSIDE the front, with lights in the bay and some lovely little window displays.  The shop door and windows on the left even open although I'm not looking forward to those tiny hinges. 

I also didn't realise that were was an area partitioned off from the shop with a chair and desk which is a little workshop, with pots of paint, brushes and assorted toymaking parphernalia.  There's even a wee cup of tea on the desk!  Brilliant!!  

In the shop there are literally hundreds of pieces, including several doll's houses for doll's houses... my absolute favourite.  I'd assumed that they would be printed facades but no.... several of them have FULLY FURNISHED rooms!!!  Plus of course there's a tiny toy theatre and if I can shoehorn it in I'll add my own little Punch & Judy theatre too.   As you may be able to tell, I am completely blown away by the detail, from what was a complete impulse buy  and for which I didn't have particularly high hopes in terms of quality and detail. 

That's Little Red Riding Hood's cottage at the front, plus there's a Three Bears General Store,  Town Teahouse, Fairy Market and LOADS more.  Not to mention all the toys, books and dolls house furniture and accessories, plus rolls of wallpaper and boxes of kits.  I'm going to keep a tally of all the individual pieces but it must run into the hundreds.

It's definitely a long term project.  I though I might be able to do it in a few weeks but now that I know the scope of it I realise it will take several months.  However it's all broken down into easily manageable chunks for each millimetre of shop space, so as long as I stick to the instructions and work methodically, I'm sure it will be fine.  I'm also already thinking of how I can improve on it and upgrade it.

Now... far be it from me to put temptation in the way of any of you, but I've had emails from a few people asking where I bought it so here you go.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Fairy Tale Shop

It's shipped from the US and it did take several weeks to arrive here in the UK, but of course the Christmas post will have slowed delivery.  I was a bit worried that I'd fall foul of import duty but amazingly I wasn't charged.  Also, if you are tempted, visit the link and you should get a pop-up code for a 15% discount.  I wasn't even charged for shipping, which may have been a glitch as I thought it would amount to $20+ 

So, if any of you fancy it, do let me know and we can have a communal group effort... what could possibly go wrong? 

Update.... just found a wee video too. 

Fairy Tale Shop Video

Oh look...A Book Nook!

I realise that I'm probably more than a little fashionably late to the 'book nook' party but I've been eyeing one for a while, following extensive research (otherwise known as faffing around on Pinterest)

Most of them are a tad basic, but I found one which looked better than the run-of-the-mill and as 'tis the gifting season, I succumbed to some self-gifting and ordered one.   With impeccable timing it arrived yesterday and I have to say I'm really rather impressed with this specific kit.

It even comes with a natty little tool kit and absolutely loads of bits and pieces, including fabrics and lace, lighting, kits for plants and landscaping, kits for shop fittings and furniture and absolutely loads of little toys and accessories.  

The fully colour illustrated instruction booklet runs to 26 pages (gulp!) but it all looks really clear and well explained.  Needless to say I shall be upcycling and upgrading as I go along, and adding lots of my own games and toys, as well as a few wee dolls.   It's billed as the Once Upon A Time Fairytale Dollhouse Shop which is right up my street so I'm really looking forward to making a start, although I'm going to take my time and enjoy the process, especially when it comes to the upcycling and amending. 

I'm minded to return to the original roots of this blog and post my progress, which also provides an element of accountability.  

So that's one mini project on the table already....  

New Year, same old....

 So.

Here we are at the end of 2025 and I've only managed a paltry 8 blog posts this year... 9 if you count this one.   In my defence, this year has been a complete doozy and my already wavering resilience has been worn paper thin.

Yes, there have been highs.... some lovely holidays, including a wonderful Scandinavian cruise in August, but they have been outweighed by the many lows, scattered throughout the year but gradually increasing in scope and intensity.  It's one thing dealing with bad stuff in the middle of summer, when it's warm and sunny and daylight lingers till late.  Quite another in the dark days of winter when daylight is at a premium and the cold seeps into your bones and takes up residence.

However, we're now on the cusp of a New Year and although I'm cautiously optimistic, I can't help but feel a healthy dose of scepticism.

After all, we've been here before.

I normally start January buoyed at the prospect of projects new and reams of ideas.  I'm aiming to maintain that tradition and am spending time today making some lists.... of stuff I'd like to do, things I need to complete, and projects I'd like to undertake.  Not all of them will see the light of day but I really need some positivity to take into the new year, and the hope that some of the sparkle of the holiday season will persist though the coming winter months. 

After all.... what could possibly go wrong?

Down the rabbit hole....

Story of my life.... start one thing, remember another thing.  While looking for the other thing, discover a different, more interesting thing, which requires more things.  Repeat ad infinitum.

So.  With a renewed enthusiasm for my languishing miniature projects I set up my desk this morning to continue dressing some little dolls for La Mignonette.  Making umpteen sets of silk underwear and socks is very boring, compared to the delights of the actual costumes, so I tend to do them in batches. 

During a lull in knicker construction I thought I'd just have a look in my drawer of undressed dolls to see if I had a pair which would work as a Cinderella and Prince Charming and at the back of said drawer I came across these....

Back in the mists of time I made some of these dolls with holes in their hands and feet with the notion of making string puppets and marionettes.  I didn't make many because they were a bally nightmare... so many of the limbs cracked while putting tiny holes through the leather hard porcelain, or pinged off during soft cleaning, but these made it through the tortuous process.

Of course, after they'd been fired, china painted and strung, I put them in this tray in a drawer and promptly forgot all about them.  

Rediscovering them this morning I thought I'd make up a few to hang in La Mignonette then promptly remembered why they'd been languishing in a drawer for decades.  The control bar mechanism is fiendishly difficult to make in miniature.  

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Sandra, don't talk rubbish.  It's literally two bits of wood in a cross shape, with strings hanging off.  But hear me out.  It may LOOK simple, but it most definitely is not.  

First off.... the wood must be in scale with the doll.  Too thick and it would look ridiculous.  And making tiny holes for the 'strings' in thin, narrow wood is fraught with difficulty, similar to that of making tiny holes in the hands and feet of the porcelain dolls.

Then there's the string.  I have very fine thread which I use for sewing delicate silk costumes but it's too fine for the holes in the puppet's limbs.  Nylon jewellery thread might work but it doesn't 'flow' in very short lengths. I'll have to experiment and see what works.

If I can think through a solution for all of that, I also need to fashion a hook to hang the puppet up.

I can vaguely remember grappling with all the challenges when I first made the puppet dolls, and consigning them to the back of the drawer as I couldn't come up with something perfectly to scale which worked effectively.

See, this is what happens to me. All. The. Time.

So, once again, I've put the puppets aside.  Not back in the drawer where they'll likely languish for another 10 years... but ON MY DESK in my line of vision where they will taunt me with my ineffectual faffing over working out the control bar until I finally crack a workable solution.

Watch this space....

And just like that.....

 ....WHAM!

After four major heatwaves, and barely any rain to speak of for months, September has called an abrupt halt to summer and torrential rain is currently throwing itself at my craft room windows.  In normal times there is usually a gradual segue from summer to autumn, with a mix of warm, sunny days, interspersed with cooler, misty ones.  Here in the UK we don't tend to get the same spectrum of leaf colour seen in the likes of New England, or Canada and there's even less chance of any autumnal blaze this year, as we've had high winds ripping still green leaves from the trees.

Still.... autumn isn't all bad.  Yes, so it's damp and mushy.  No crisp piles of crunchy leaves to jump through here.  They're quickly soaked and form thick, slippery layers reminiscent of a soggy millefeuille pastry.  Yes, the days are shortening and dark evenings are just around the corner.  Yes, it feels like aeons till spring...

BUT.  It is traditionally the time of year when projects which have languished over the summer months are unearthed, dusted off and reviewed with a critical eye.  Long time readers will be well acquainted with my modus operandii of starting new projects with great enthusiasm, which normally lasts till the next project grabs my attention.   

This chart accurately represents my technique...

In my craft room I am never any further than a few feet away from an unfinished project. Every drawer, cupboard,  shelf and storage box contains at least one...sometimes many. 

When I retired, I threw myself into all the crafts I'd never really had time for before...dressmaking, jewellery making, crochet.  Liberation from the relative tyranny of having to constantly come up with new ideas for miniatures felt simultaneously intoxicating and emancipating and I embraced my new found freedom with zeal.

Fast forward 17 months and I'm overhauling my project list.  I have many unfinished miniature projects, not least my lovely French doll shop, to which I added a third storey two years ago.  I can go for months without opening it up and looking inside but I know there are lots of odds and ends to finish off, not least populating the ground floor shop with a minimum of 20 little dolls.  I have a box of little undressed dolls, all in their underwear, patiently awaiting costuming and wigging.  Back in the summer I even made a batch of pleated silk ribbons with a view to making a start.  Of course that hasn't happened and the silk ribbons are currently sitting accusingly in a box right behind my chair.  So in view of the extremely inclement weather, I'm sorting through my ideas boards on Pinterest and selecting costumes I'd like to recreate in micro miniature.  I'm going to set myself a target of dressing two little dolls a week, which is eminently achievable... you heard it here first. 🤣

I'm also dusting off my La Mignonette notebook, where I'd written down lists of 'Stuff Still To Do' which runs to several pages. 

My wet and windy weekend in prospect is looking up already.....

HOTH....

For all the non-crocheters out there (seriously though, what are you even doing with your life?)  HOTH is short for Hot Off The Hook.

Behold... it's finally finished!

I feel that this should be accompanied by some sort of fanfare... in the absence of trumpets a kazoo would suffice.

I finished the final stitch in the border late last night and did a few victory laps round the lounge by way of celebration.

This time last year, I barely knew one end of a hook from the other, and had never crocheted anything, other than a few very wonky chains as a teenager then promptly gave it up as a bad job.

Is it riddled with mistakes? Absolutely! Are all the stitch counts correct? No way! Was there constant wailing and gnashing of teeth? You betcha!

However, to the untrained eye I think it looks pretty damn good, even if I say so myself. I've just sat gazing at it, remembering all the times I couldn't count to eight. The bamboozlement of those beetles. The frustration of those fans. All of which drove me demented at first.

Then the weird sorcery of Row 12, which, quite frankly, knocked all the other rows into a cocked hat for its sheer audacity and ambition.

Then came my battle with dodecahedron shaped triangles, and boomerang shaped corners.

It didn't end there... when all the elements were completed, I opted to join it diagonally. I don't know what I was thinking. It was like assembling a three-dimensional geometric puzzle, upside down and back to front.

Six months of my life, and if I'd employed a swear jar from the get go I'd have enough in it to retire to the Bahamas.

Anyway.....I'm going to take a few days to recover my equilibrium then start on a new crochet project. And THIS TIME I'm going to sort out a swear jar from the very start.

Sandra's Spring Collection....

My long-trailed Mignonette Doll Presentation Box Kit is now available!  Full details and photos can be found in this PDF file, along with several other goodies.

View the full PDF file HERE

Hooked on crochet....

I’m now on the home stretch on my second ever crochet project,  a Janie Crow Persian Tiles blanket in the wonderfully colourful Easter Jewels colourway.  I’ve finished all the octagons (YES OCTAGONS!) and the squares and have just a few of the triangles to go, before I can sew it together and add the border. 

I laid it out on the floor to see what it looks like so far....

Hmmm….OK, so maybe not totally on the home straight but at least I’ve finished the octagons and they only took 6 months and aged me 10 years.   Also maybe jumping straight from a simple granny square blanket to an objectively batshit crazily complicated pattern wasn’t such a bright idea. However, I’ve stuck at it and the end is finally in sight.  At this point in my crochet career, I feel I can legitimately share my experience on the subject, so here goes…..

YouTube tutorials are the way to go.  Most creators produce tutorials to accompany their patterns and these are invaluable, especially to novice crocheters.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve rewatched tricky sections from my current project until it makes sense.  Eventually I can manage with just the pattern and I find that my grasp of new stitches is much improved.

Hooks - When I first learnt to crochet I bought a set of generic hooks from Amazon.  The handles felt sort of tacky and really hurt my hand after a while.  The head constantly split the yarn.  But the worst thing… the very worst thing was the yarn squeak, screech and shudder.  I constantly washed my hands and cleaned the shaft of the hook, to no avail.  The squeaks continued.  However, following extensive research,  I spent an unconscionable amount of money on a single Clover Amour hook.   You know that thing in films, when the heroine prevails and the clouds part to reveal a sunlit sky and choirs of angels sing Hallelujah?  It was just like that.  Soooooo smooth, no squeaking, no split yarn, no hand strain.   OK, so they cost the equivalent of the GNP of an emergent nation but in my unbiased view they’re 100% worth it.

Terminology - For any craft or skill, the novice must learn the language. I was already fluent in knitting and naively assumed that crochet would be in the same linguistic family…. like French and Italian.  How wrong was I?  It was more like the difference between binary code and Azerbaijani.  It doesn’t help that there are two versions… UK and US.  Two countries divided by a common language.  I have to say I much prefer UK notation, which makes more sense.  This means that if I’m using a pattern written in US I have to painstakingly convert it into UK.  Luckily though, I’ve discovered Crochet Translate, which is very similar to Google Translate but much better.

HA!  Only joking. No such wonder exists, although for the life of me I can’t imagine why.    However, for those of us who are linguistically challenged, there is a nifty alternative.  The crochet chart, which is a series of lines, dashes and squiggles, which makes even less sense than the written word.  I honestly have no clue about these.

Moving swiftly on….

Counting. Apparently this is vital in crochet.  Crochet stitches are sneaky little buggers and very easy to loose track of.  You can go ‘old school’ and use a notepad and pencil, or high-ish tech and use a nifty wee ring counter which slips over your finger. Of course you have to remember to press the button after each stitch or row, which is often the downfall of novice crocheters. *cough*

However, whichever method you use,  when you're halfway through a lengthy count I can guarantee that someone will talk to you, maybe ask you if you've put the bin down, or where's the TV remote. despite being warned to stfu please be quiet from the get go. In this case I would plead justifiable homicide.

Yarn.  Thus far I’ve only used Stylecraft Special DK, which is readily available in all corners of the globe in a veritable cornucopia of colours.  120 all told!  If you ask me that’s way too many colours but what do I know. Other yarns are available, both synthetic and natural from cheap and cheerful to eye-wateringly expensive.  If you keep goats, sheep, alpacas or angoras you will have access to many different types.

If you have yarn, it follows that you will need storage.  This is a whole sub-section of crochetingness and Pinterest is awash with all manner of stylish, innovative storage solutions, from the common or garden organza bag, through vacuum seal bags, to bespoke wall-to-wall cubbies.  My thought is that the really committed crocheter should have access to a multi-dimensional portal, similar to a Black Hole, which could hold your entire stash.  This is clearly the holy grail of yarn storage and I shall never be persuaded otherwise.

WIP.  I was wholly ignorant of this until a fellow hooker enlightened me.  It stands for WorkS  In Progress.  Notice, WORKS…. PLURAL.  Apparently, no hooker worth her salt ever has just one project on the go.  What are you even thinking?!  Starting a solitary piece and seeing it all the way through to the end without repetition, hesitation or deviation?!?  That’s just downright crazy stuff. 

I’m an outlier here, because I prefer to work on one project at time.  There are several reasons for this.

1.      I’ve graduated to a more difficult pattern and it’s as much as I can do to remember what to do from one section to the next, let alone one whole pattern to the next!

2.     I’m the Queen of Procrastination and if I had three or more projects on the go I would never complete any of them. 

3.     It’s not a cheap hobby, and having to buy multiple yarn packs in quick succession would bankrupt me.

BUT…. I think I’ve found the reason why hookers have multiple projects on the go at any one  time. Hear me out…..

Ends.  I have very strong opinions on these.  Ok, so here’s the thing.  I sew in each and every end as I go along.  WHOA!  More crazy stuff?  My first crochet project was a granny square blanket, made up from 100 squares, plus a border.  Each square had 6 different colours.  Let’s do the maths.  That’s 12 ends per square, 1,200 ends in total.  That’s a very lot of ends.  As far I can tell, many crocheters can’t be arsed bothered with sewing in ends as they go along, so they end up having to do 1200 when all the squares are finished.  So, the do the sensible thing and quietly put them all aside then start on the next thing.

AM I RIGHT THOUGH?

Because I slavishly followed the instructions for my first blanket, I adhered to the designer’s exhortations to ALWAYS SEW IN YOUR ENDS AS YOU GO.  As a result, it’s now ingrained in me.  I actually find it strangely calming and  cathartic.  Loose ends offend me and I sew them in at every colour change.  It literally takes a few seconds and results in such neat work as I go along.  I realise I’m probably an outlier here too but I’ll never understand why anyone would want to tackle hundreds of them all at the same time.  Who’s the crazy one?

Accessories.  Wahoo!!!  This is where we can ALL  go completely batshit crazy.  Here was me thinking a hook, yarn, darning needle, notebook and pencil were sufficient.  Pah, pish and tush.   We need tension rings, stitch counters, blocking boards, blocking tiles, blocking combs, mini steamers, travel totes, yarn swatch pegs, clips, project planners, pattern folders…. plus an unlimited source of funds.  If you live with a significant other of the miserly persuasion you also need a diploma in creative accounting.

Tension.  I’m not talking here about the kind which permeates the room whenever you mention the word ‘crochet’.  Nor am I referring to the sort which is created by addressing a particularly difficult pattern, which causes a vice-like grip, clawed hands and clenched teeth.

Whole screeds have been written about crochet tension and from what I can gather it’s pretty much impossible to produce absolutely consistent tension throughout a project.  Apparently it can be influenced by factors as random as the way you sit, or your mood.  For example if you feel stressed you’re more likely to crochet tightly, which makes your stitches smaller.  By that measure my octagons should be microscopic! In my complete novice days, I purchased a tension ring, in the vain hope that it would miraculously sort my tension woes.  Spoiler…. It didn’t.  However, I’ve found a fairly failsafe way to do so.

Wine.  Ok, so it doesn’t necessarily improve your crochet tension, but frankly my dears, you won’t give a damn.

Spring is sprung....?

It's felt positively springlike this week.  The sun is shining from a clear blue sky, the birds are singing, buds are beginning to burst on the trees and it's almost warm.

Of course, even mentioning the s-word will banjaxx the whole thing and we'll be back in sub-zero arctic conditions by the end of the weekend, but for today at least, I'm allowing myself to believe that our seemingly endless winter is on its way out.   And with just over three weeks to go till the clocks spring forward and deliver a whole extra hour of useful daylight in the evenings, my thoughts are turning to our outside spaces, and transforming them into a garden of delights.

This requires quite the leap of imagination as our patio areas are currently far from delightful. During the winter months, our north-east facing garden doesn't get much in the way of full sunlight, and the patios get none.  As a result, a creeping green algal miasma colonises everything, from the flagstones to the patio furniture.  We keep things covered as much as possible, but even so, come spring, EVERYTHING needs to be washed down.

Now. I like jetwashing as much as the next woman. The thrill of watching a powerful jet of water scour away the winter ming and bring each surface back to life. But it's bloody hard work and I can only manage it in very short bursts. This, though, is fine, because we have a so-called drainage gully around the edge of the main patio and in defiance of its function, it resolutely refuses to drain. So after 10 about minutes, it fills to the brim and all jetwashing operations have to be suspended till it eventually drains... ever... so... slowly, into the soakaway.

Last year, after the marathon jetwashing of the patio, I sprayed it with Patio Magic, a solution which acts as a disinfectant to kill algae, moss, and lichen growth on outdoor surfaces. 
I must admit, that despite my scepticism, it does work, as is evidenced by the steps which lead from the patios up to the top of the garden, but they at least do get sunlight in the winter. 

I didn't do much to the outside last summer and as a result, this year there's a lot to do.  I need to replace the scenic shower curtain, which gives the illusion of having an outlook over a scenic harbour.  I need to replace the curtain over the woodstore, which is now many years old and looks very shabby.  All of the 'Gin Garden' area furniture needs a thorough clean and a bit of a revamp... maybe new throws and cushions.  The floral garlands for both the dining gazebo and seating gazebo need to be replaced too.  

But the main job is dismantling, cleaning, then replacing the corrugated plastic roof on the wooden gazebo.  It was done almost 3 years ago, and inevitably, water has seeped between the sheets overlaps and gone all green and slimey.  We tried skooshing it with the jet washer wand last year, to no avail.   I had a few people in last month to give us quotes to replace it with flat, twinwall panels, but despite it being tiny....only 2.4metres square, the quotes were eye-wateringly expensive.  So we've moved to Plan B.  We're going to take the existing sheets off, clean them thoroughly, then replace them, adding a special tape to cover the joins which should hopefully stop any water ingress between the sheets.  

However, we will need to replace all the fixings. I have no idea what they're called so I've been having a high old time on Google trying to find some. Probably some sort of reciprocating flange widget. I'm determined NOT to have to physically take one into Screwfix and ask, in order to avoid the eye-rolling mansplaining and sniggering which may ensue.

All of the above, is going to take the best part of a month, and that's if the weather cooperates, as in our joint decrepit states we can only manage to work in short bursts then take lengthy rests to recuperate. We might do it in staggered shifts to spread the pain.

So hopefully by Easter, we should once again have a fully functioning outside area in which to dine, relax, and enjoy the great outdoors. In which case I will have a full, ceremonial re-opening of our Gin Garden, with a ribbon to cut and everything!

Mignonette Presentation Box Kit update....

Yes.  Yes I know.  My end of February deadline for completing the presentation box kits has come and gone.  As deadlines are wont to do.  When I retired last year I pledged to myself that deadlines would be a thing of the past.  Yet here we are.

In my defence, I did say in my last post, and I quote:

 "With luck and a following wind I'm hoping that I'll get it all done by the end of February, but don't hold me to that. "

Anyway, no, they're not ready yet, although progress has been made.  The main problem is I keep having ideas for more contents.  And although they are generally very good ideas, I have to go through the process of designing the 'idea', then refining the 'idea', then producing a sub-kit for that specific 'idea'.  At some point I'm going to have to call a halt on the ideas.

I'd say I'm probably three quarters of the way through, then I have to tackle the instructions, which will have to be supplied as a PDF file otherwise I'll be printing out gazillions of sheets.

So, watch this space.  

 

Here's something you don't see every day.....

 

Not only don't you see it every day, you're lucky to see it once in a blue moon!  

To recap, last November I wrote about my plans for a new kit... a rather lovely Mignonette Doll Presentation Box  which I intended to release early in the New Year.  Well it is now the new year and moving inexorably slowly towards the end of January (which as you all know has eleventy seven days) and still no sign of these fabled kits.

In my defence, we have been living in a maelstrom of chaos over the past few months, including cancer with all its many ramifications,  then my falling badly mid December and injuring my foot and hip, which laid me up for several weeks, and then Christmas, which didn't turn out quite as planned.  

All of which meant that the fun stuff was put on hold for the duration.  Thankfully, things have calmed down a tad so last week I was able to get into my craft room and have a proper tidy up with a view to revisiting progress on my presentation box.  I sometimes forget that there's a table in the room, as it's normally covered in multiple layers of stuff, and I have to carry out an archaeological dig to locate it.

Yesterday it took several hours to clear its surface, followed by a thorough clean to remove all traces of glue, paint etc.  When it was finally restored to a gleaming, pristine state, I stood tranfixed by it's sheer emptyness.  

Today it will once again be covered, although this time, with all the assorted components which go into making and filling my presentation box.  I'd forgotten just how much prep I'd already done.... from knife-pleated silk ribbons, to squares of lovely flower-sprigged silk for the doll's costume.  Tiny clothes hangers for her costumes.  A selection of fabrics and trimmings for her assorted hats.  And a selection of personal accessories and toys.  

Still a fair bit to do... designing her costumes, preparing materials for her hair, making up kits for the accessories etc.  With luck and a following wind I'm hoping that I'll get it all done by the end of February, but don't hold me to that.  

Better go and get on then!  That table isn't going to clutter itself. 😉

A Pantomime in 3 Acts....

The sorry dearth of posts this past month is due to a lot of stuff going on... pretty much none of it good. 

The latest comedy of errors involved me falling straight down from standing on the sofa, trying to put up some Christmas decorations.   PP was out at a diabetic course and I was home alone and aiming to totally Christmasfy the house.  I'd been doing quite well too, until I took it into my daft head to stand on the sofa.  I don't remember exactly what happened, except I'd turned to get down for some sellotape and the next thing I knew I was literally screaming in agony on the floor, from searing pain in my foot.  After what seemed like an age, I managed to calm down, then crawled through into the study to retrieve my phone and haul myself up onto my office chair on wheels.  Knowing that I wouldn't be able to drive, as I was 100% sure I'd broken my right foot, I arranged for PP's sister to pick her up from her class, swallowed some heavy duty painkillers and waited it out till she got home.

That was 10 days ago and to cut a long story short, I'm now still wearing a huge Frankenstein's monster boot waiting for what turned out to be a badly sprained foot to heal. 

Anyhoo, that sorry tale is not the point of this post.  Back in the autumn, while still delerious from the after effects of Covid, I took it into my daft head (this seems to be a recurring theme) to re-decorate our sitting room, which was last done 11 years ago. 

Over several weeks, we wallpapered and panelled one wall, and painted the other three.  I painstakingly hacked the beach pebbles off the fireplace over the course of a  whole month, and replaced the pebbles with little white tiles.  It's lain, ungrouted, since mid-November, but with Christmas just around the corner, and house guests arriving on Christmas Eve, I decided this morning that I was just going to get on and grout the bugger.

Big boot and all! 

And so I lay our scene.....

Scene 1

Sandra starts laying out dust sheets and newspapers around the fireplace.  This takes some time as she is wearing a huge boot and can only move slowly, taking care not to fall over yet again.

PP: (Perfectionist Partner... for it is she) * enquiringly*  Sandra.  What ARE you doing?

Me: *flatly* I'm going to grout the fireplace.  It should only take an hour.

PP: * flabberghastedly* WHAT?  That's ridiculous!  Leave it till after Christmas.  Honestly, nobody will notice.

Me: * determinedly* I will notice.  It's been like that for weeks now and I just want it done.

PP: *resignedly* Oh well, if you're sure.  

Scene 2

In the kitchen, Sandra stands by the sink, surrounded by kitchen untensils.  She is bashing something in a bucket, muttering all the while.

PP: *carefully* What are you doing? 

Me: *frenziedly* It's got lumps in it.  The sodding grout.  It's lumpy.  And it's too thin.

PP: *quietly* Okaaaayyyy.  

She peers in the bucket.

PP: *enquiringly* Is that my potato masher? 

Me: *defiantly* Yes.  Yes it is.  I need to get the lumps out.  Is it a problem?

Sandra returns to forcefully wielding the masher in the bucket of slop.

PP: *calmingly* No. Not at all.  It's not my favourite masher.

PP quietly retires... gently closing the door.

Scene 3 

Sandra is kneeling awkwardly on the floor, her big boot messing with her balance.  She's covered in grout from fingertips to elbows and is using a grout float to spread the still lumpy slurry over the tiles.

PP: *cheerily*  How's it going?  It looks amazing!

Me: *witheringly* No it bloody doesn't look amazing.  It looks a %#!*ing mess!  It's still too thin AND lumpy and I've put more powder in and strained it through the sieve and....

PP: *interrupting* The sieve.  The kitchen sieve?

Me: *glaringly: Yes the sodding kitchen sieve!!!

She turns to look forlornly at the fireplace, as the lumpy sludgy liquid oozes out from between the tiles and forms a gloopy puddle on the hearth.

PP: *gettting ready to make a run for it* Is now a good time to tell you all the bits you've missed? 

The curtain falls on bedlam...

Best laid plans #2

At exactly this time, for the past two years, I've been elbow deep in Advent Box kits, frantically rushing to complete 25 different themed kits.

In 2022 the theme was Fairy Tales, in 2023 it was Circus & Animals.  I thoroughly enjoyed the development stages, designing and creating all the little toy and doll kits then working out how to best make them as kits. Actually making up each of the 500 individual kits was somewhat less enjoyable, but seeing each boxful gradually coming together was incredibly satisfying.

Both times it all went right to the wire... because they were Advent kits, they all had to be delivered well in time for December 1st, so they had to be posted out mid-November.  Earlier for international orders.

On December 1st last year, as I lay hyperventilating in a darkened room, I vowed, never, ever again. And I have been as good as my word.  The past few months have been difficult to say the least.  In September we both had Covid, the effects of which are still being felt.  I've undergone a series of infusions to treat my Crohn's Disease, which have also had significant side effects.  Now PP has another health hurdle to overcome, which may well knock all the rest into a cocked hat.

However, while recovering from Covid, back in late September, I picked up one of my many languishing miniature projects, with a view to actually completing it.  The project in question is a Mignonette Doll Presentation Box, in the style of those wondrous creations from the late 19th century.....

An example of an original 19th century presentation box

They were filled with elaborate costumes, hats and accessories

These boxes are something of an obsession for me and over the decades I've made many, in all shapes, sizes and themes.  Fifteen years ago I even produced a complete home workship kit, which was a major mission in itself.

However, the one I'm currently working on is particularly lovely.  It is currently being filled with many miniature delights including a tiny dressed doll named Belle, with a selection of costumes and accessories.

While sorting through all the materials and components, newly discovered in boxes in my Tardis-like workroom, it occurred to me that I probably had enough of everything to make up just 10 kits.... and the idea was conceived. 

 Last month I posted this on my Sandra Morris Dolls FB page....

As is the way of these things, I have been somewhat overtaken by recent events, and have decided to postpone release of the kits till the New Year, to enliven the damp, dank, dark days of January and February.  

I have still to finish my own box, and I want to actually enjoy the process, rather than having to rush to complete it in the next two weeks.  There are many more things I want to add to it, over and above what I've already made.  So, despite the delay, I'm confident that the project will exceed expectations.

I've also been dressing some lovely little toy dolls for La Mignonette, my French doll shop, which underwent some major renovations last year and is in desperate need of a re-stock.  I may make some extra dolls, which will also be offered for sale alongside the presentation box kit.   

When the presentation box kits are ready, I will post the all details here and also send out a newsletter.  If you received details of my Advent Boxes in previous years, then you are already on my mailing list.  If you're not sure if you are, and want to receive notification of these kits, just message me with your email address (via the Contact Form on the right) and I'll check, then add you if you're not already there.

Anyway, this afternoon I'm working on designing the little kits for all of Belle's hats, to accompany her different costumes.  The sun is currently streaming into my workroom and over the weekend I tidied it up (yet again) so that it's an inviting space in which to create.

Best go and get on then..... 😊