Dolls and Weeds

I've managed to lose track of time again.

Is anyone else having this problem? Is it age? Am I really so over-the-hill that I'm rolling fast enough to make six weeks feel like one?

Apparently, yes.

Things do, however, get done. I finished off the Blackbird Shawl



It's really very pretty, and black as can be. I'm glad to be finished knitting with black, at least for now. I still have plans to work my way through all my black yarn, but have changed my mind about spending an entire year knitting with nothing but black. I've come up with a new series of projects that is sure to test my attention span.

I've decided that various dolls in the house require new togs. Thankfully, I don't have all that many dolls (at least, I don't think I do).

First up, and most naked of the bunch, was my Armand Marseille Dream Baby, a bisque head doll with blue glass sleep eyes made around the 1920's. This doll has a cloth body and composition hands. Elly finds him "creepy". I think he's very sweet, in fact, I think he looks quite a lot like Elly did as a baby.



I'd decided as soon as I saw him that he was a boy, and so (finally) made him a bonnet and gown from an old blue linen tablecloth that I'd thrifted a few years ago. I was careful to utilise the hardanger edges for the hem of bonnet, gown and sleeves. The bonnet is a shade on the small side, but he hasn't complained yet.

Isn't he sweet?

I also made linens for the old wicker pram I bought a while back, seen in this blog post.



I made a pillow, mattress and mattress cover from new materials, and made a blanket and pillowslip from two vintage heavy, beige linen hand towels, also thrifted a while back. I added a smattering of embellishment with brown and white polka dot ribbon and two cream coloured satin motifs.

Lucky doll!

That sweet face is still lacking a name though. I'd thought of calling him Armand, but that may be a tad unimaginative. Any suggestions? Perhaps an older name that isn't gender specific; Marion, Beverly,... maybe not... hmmm...Georgie?

I have plans to clothe other dolls through the summer, perhaps I'll show and tell them as I work my way through the naked/shabbily-dressed ones.

In other events, the deck is finally underway. This was suppose to be done last summer, but the good weather ran out before our contractor could squeeze us in, so it had to wait until now.



This year's weather hasn't been as co-operative as we would have liked, so it's not finished yet. All we really need now are two days with no rain.

Soon...

And what else is coming along fast and furious?

Well, it's all those dandelions on the front lawn.



I'm having a terrible time deciding what to do with them. I keep going to the shops and picking up the big bottle of weed killer , debating, deciding against chemicals, putting it down, coming home, and then regretting not buying the stuff as soon as I pull into the front drive. We even had one of those big lawn chemical companies come out and give us an estimate ($389, thank you very much). I find it easy to love dandelions when they're in their "golden flower head" stage (as in the photo), as opposed to the "straggly puff-ball" stage, which is how they're looking today.

Perhaps this fabric will change my mind...



It is pretty, yes?