New Yarns, New Clothes

My horoscope for Monday said, " A thing of real value is to be found right on your own doorstep."  And guess what arrived by post?  The yarns my Tulsa sister sent!  And talk about value?!?!?  She sent me two Knitpicks "Palette" yarns, Kidsilk Haze (aka Kidsilk Addiction), a Shepherd's sock wool, a Rowan wool and a wool-cotton, a hand-painted yarn by Dani, and ...  I'm hyperventilating just looking at the selection.

So, I did the only logical thing I could do under the circumstances.  I dove in, grabbed the Shepherd's sock yarn, and knit an ankle-length wrap skirt for Nikki.  I have a marvelous Habu fiber that is nylon and paper, and I wanted to make Nikki something up-to-date and funky out of it.  The Shepherd's wool was the perfect compliment for the Habu yarn, color-wise.  And I had never knit with Shepherd's fibers, so I wanted to try it.  I can definitely say that it is a wonderful fiber to work with and the subtle color shifts resulting from the  dying process are fabulous to behold.  Frankly, I'd never waste this fiber on socks, but then there aren't a lot of us who like using size 3 needles to make an adult-size sweater.  Anyway, here's the skirt.  I'll be adding a velcro tab as a closure on the band, and maybe another velcro tab to hold the top of the skirt closed.

I was on the road most of last week, and Nikki went with me so that I could make sure the garments I was knitting fit properly.  Fortunately, I was not in an automobile accident.  I don't think I'd want to try to explain to a South Carolina state trooper why I had a half-dressed fashion doll in my trunk.  But the trip went well, and during the evenings, I had a chance to make another skirt for Nikki.  This time, I used my sister's Knitpicks Palette yarn.  It's 100% Peruvian wool and it too was nice to work with, although I am not a big fan of hand wash, lay flat to dry clothing.   I changed my original drawstring skirt pattern a bit by putting in a keyhole opening in the back and using a tab band for a closure.  Here's a photo of the skirt's back view.   Once I get the velcro on the band, the opening should disappear when the doll is dressed.  Plus her hair goes down to her hips, so that should conceal any gaps in the closure.

When I arrived home last night, I decided I still didn't like the first sweater I made Nikki, so I did a wedge thingie along the back opening on both sides.  It looks really cute on her now and is officially reversible, front to back.  And the sweater goes great with the purple skirt.

As much as I like knitting, I was starting to feel like Nikki was getting cheated in this deal.  I mean, how many of us only wear woolen knits 24-7?  A blouse would be good.  So would a cloth skirt.  And maybe a cotton dress.  So this morning, I went off to my local quilt shop to see if the proprietor, Nancy, had any "fat quarters" that fit the color parameters of the challenge.  And of course, she did, so I had to break one of my rules about spending only $10 on each month's challenge.  I dropped $16.00 for 6 fabrics and 2 packs of beads.  I decided that I'd use black as an anchor color, and let the rusts and oranges in two of the other fabrics serve as accents.  Here are the latest supply acquisitions for the challenge.  I'm still trying to decide what I will make with these fabrics, except for a black blouse that will go with the moss green skirt and kimono.  As for the beads?  I'm not sure yet, but don't the turquoise beads go great with the magenta fabric?  I'll come up with something if I just let my mind wander a bit. 

I am having a huge amount of fun with this month's challenge.  Every time I think of the fibers, fabrics, and doll clothes I smile.  If the next 11 months are anything like January, I'll be in a perpetual state of bliss.  Thank you, Sharon, for choosing colors I'd never have selected.  The challenge is really reminding me how to play like a kid again.