It sort of starts with a sheep...

Dolores is a creation of Franklin Habit.  I have enjoyed his cartoons featuring her (and his other writings) for many years.  And then...this happened.  I was truly tickled!  My very own stuffie Dolores!  So, I got the kit.  Woohoo!

But then they started coming out with different outfits for Dolores... uh oh.  At first it was just one.  No big deal!

Darlings.  There are twenty-six numbered kits (I am currently eagerly awaiting the most recent release #26).  I have eleven and the original stuffie kit.  And the umbrella. And a couple of drawstring bags.  I still lament not being able to get the Hamptons holiday kit.

It's not just me.  She does have her own FaceBook page.

I finally put together a binder for the patterns:

The bags are filled with yarn.  And little roller skates.  And a mini rolling pin.  As well as Dolores' umbrella and glasses for her Suffragette outfit.  I have grand plans for staging her at various places in the house.

The only thing I have actually knit from the collection, I gave as a gift.  (I may have yarn stashed to make another.) 

My family rolls their eyes and snort almost in unison when I mention a new Dolores pattern, with loud variations on "What is the outfit this time?"  I then giggle slightly maniacally and show them (of course).

Does this slow me down? Of course not!  If I am smitten with the winter holiday outfit that comes out will I try and get my (slightly) obsessed hands on it? Yes!

One of my personal knitting goals is to try and knit one kit a month in 2021 (assuming more are not produced that make me hit Add to Cart in less than a blink of an eye), because even better than Dolores-in-potentia is Dolores modelling her glorious outfits for the neighbors in our front window. :-D

Goodness, is my sense of time skewed! (just like everyone else) Oh look! Yarn!

 I somehow managed to miss the fact that Thanksgiving is next week.  I remembered it was going to happen towards the end of November as usual...only to realize exactly how close that was about two days ago.

I've been diligently knitting bits for gifts(Daughter is helping), that will hopefully get shipped out in the next month.  There has been plotting for some indulgent projects after those bits for others are finished and I manage to cast on the sweater I have planned for Husband; the small fortress of works in progress gathering dust around me not withstanding.

After a bit of a rummage through the yarn hoarde I pulled two project bags.  One was the yarn for the Ash & Fire pullover,  Malabrigo Silky Merino in the Redwood Bark colorway.

It is a purple-toned red-brown that is kind of amazing.

The second bag was for Lillet, the yarn is Malabrigo Washted in the Selva Peruana colorway (a colorway I visited almost daily until I found the sweater pattern for it).

The colors just glow. (Why yes, I am a huge fan of Malabrigo!)

I also pulled out my Leeloo cowl to work on, only to realize I had over-compensated for my usual tight knitting gauge, ripped out what I had, and started the whole thing over on a size smaller needle (which is still four sizes larger than the pattern recommends).

The yarns are from Nerd Girl Yarns Hunger Games inspired colorways, Twirl for Me and Girl on Fire.  Sadly, Nerd Girl Yarns is not currently dyeing. 

The end is finally in sight for my Henwife shawl!  Only...it's huge.  Like, coat size.  I used worsted instead of DK and went up four or five needle sizes.  Two or three needle sizes would have been sufficient. Too late now. I've hit the lace border, I am not ripping out.  The plan is to full it a little (start the felting process), block it out, and then fold the wings into sleeves and sew them down.  Voila! (Sort of) instant cardigan!  It's been in progress for more than a year now. /sighs

I may have also indulged just a little bit.  The colors were just so lovely!  

The dyer is Dragon Hoard Yarn.  With a name like that, is is really surprising I love their stuff?  The colorways are Fire Vixen and Spirit of Fire.  

Spirit of Fire is planned to become the main color in a Winterthorn hat.  Fire Vixen will be the bright contrast in The Doctor Is In mitts.  I've also already planned out what to do with the leftovers from the Leeloo cowl, the Winterthorn hat, and The Doctor Is In Mitts.  A cowl with mitts looks pulled together.  Gloves or maybe mittens, in yarn from your colorwork hat?  Charming!  A lovely, simple hat to show off hand dyed yarn that I may or may not be planning to slap a plague doctor on?  Thematic!  

Then my brain reminds me that we still don't have a turkey or sides (or really anything) for next Thursday.  So, I start planning recipes instead.  Simple ones, maybe ask the others what they want to make.  Right now, (like everyone) we are all tired and enthusiasm is not bubbling.  Time moves oddly, some days last a year, but the month only started yesterday.  A week seems endless, till you start the next one all of a sudden.

So, homemade cranberry sauce and stuffing?  I'll make a list, that always helps.

May you be able to focus on what you need to and have lovely distractions to help you through the next bit of time, however long or short it seems.  

So.....how are you?

 Better than earlier this week I hope?  A little less stress this weekend?

I've been knitting on projects that require bits and pieces to be knit and then sewn together.  Progress always feels slow.

I did finish a pair of replacement hats for a friend.  Now I just need to get them posted out!

The pattern is the Invader Zim GIR knit hat.  I am really hoping I got them right.  Ten years is a long time between projects!

With snow predicted, I went stash diving and knit a pair of non-felted slippers.

They are not the most elegant looking project, but as the predicted snow showed up right on time, thick wool slippers are quite welcome!

I also designed a mati pillow.  I found one in crochet, but it didn't look like the ones I grew up with and my grandmother is fond of...and my crochet is not that great. Now I just need to test the pattern I wrote out.  The urge to make buckets of little ones and just hand them out to people is strong...but most people look at you funny when you hand them an eyeball and tell them it's for their protection.

With this as the landscape already:

I think I need to get back the the Nott cowls for the family and the knee high (at least), DK weight, boot socks I am cobbling together; bits and pieces and protective eyes may take a back seat for a bit.