Hi everyone,
It’s Friday again and that means another one of Anne’s Sweaters will be up for grabs to those who leave a comment or send me an email. This time to be registered for the drawing, you’ll have to tell me what is your favorite length of sleeve for the sweaters you wear. It’s pretty much a given that my favorite length is 3/4 length sleeves. I like them to come just past my elbow.
So just tell me what length you like your sweater sleeves and you can be entered into the drawing for this next sweater.
Today’s sweater is a pretty gray and rose-colored striped cardigan. It opens down the front and has a bit of silvery sparkle to it. I tried to show that shimmer in some of my pictures, but not sure you can see it. The yarn for this one is SUPER SOFT and I think it would be great matched up with a pair of gray corduroys and a white tee. Or maybe a rose blouse with a jeans skirt.
First I tried in on Ashlyn, a 14″ Wellie Wishers doll by American Girl.
It was too big for her and the sleeves covered her hands up…
Maybe you can see the sparkle in this picture…
I held it up to the Ruby Red Fashion Friends dolls, and it was much to roomy for them… even more so than for the Wellie Wishers.
Knowing I needed to bump the size doll up a bit, I tried it on 18″ American Girl, Molly and it fit pretty well.
It seemed more casual to leave it open… so again with a fun tee and maybe some jeans or corduroys, it would look cute.
I decided to try it on 15″ Mae because she’s in between Ashly and Molly… I personally like it best on Mae, but that’s just me…
Left unbuttoned and wearing a pretty white blouse and a rose colored jumper might be just the thing for Mae!
The sleeves are a bit long for her, but I think they look cute rolled up a little.
She raised up her arms so you could see how nice it is…
Here’s one more picture of Mae in the sweater…
So if you want to be in the drawing for THIS sweater, leave a comment about what length you like your sweater sleeves… If you don’t want to be in the drawing for this sweater… just mention that and I’ll not put your name in for this time.
Thank you, Anne for your beautiful sweaters and your generosity of sending them to use to see who can win one!
You can get you name in the drawing up until Midnight tonight (Illinois Central Time Zone) I’ll draw out a name and post the winner Saturday morning… and do my best to get the sweater to the Post Office.
Now this was from a long time ago, when I was showing you the blue glass bottles with flowers I put in my window. I mentioned telling the story about the paperweights on my windowsill too. These…
It’s too dark to put the bottles and the paperweights in the window right now because it’s dark outside. So I put them on my little island in my kitchen and took a few pictures.
The story isn’t any dramatic or exciting, but I mentioned it, so I’ll tell it to you.
Back when my hubby was a herdsman for the cattle at the University, one of the buildings was going to be torn down. I wondered what the inside of that house looked like, so he got permission to go in and we could look around and see if there was anything we’d like to have.
Cindy and Tom were here visiting at the time and it sort of sounded exciting. So, we drove over to it, and he unlocked the door. When we stepped inside, it was totally destroyed… windows had been broken and animals had gotten in (mainly raccoons) and they had “left their mark” if you know what I mean. It was awful…
We trudged from room to room and didn’t see much so it was kind of a letdown. We were hoping for a really fun adventure, but it was just a really smelly dirty house. There were a few things on the walls, a few kitchen items left on the counters, but not much…nothing we really wanted to “touch!” There was an upstairs, so we headed up there. It must have been a crafting room, because there were boxes with long glass rods; but many of them were broken. It was the only room in the whole house that had any semblance of order. We found a box of the paperweights and knew we wanted those. They must have been the practice pieces someone made but just didn’t want them when they left. They were good enough for me, so we took several of them.
So that was our adventure… not super fun but I’ve had these paperweights in my windows for over 25 years. They are pretty in my pictures, but really beautiful in person. Thank you to whoever made them! I’ve taken very good care of them! :o)
So that’s the paperweight story. My story doesn’t hold a candle to any of Joy’s capers… Maybe I should have embellished mine and told how a bat was loose in the house and chased one of us down the stairs, or we found someone sleeping upstairs in one of the closets, or maybe the flooring was badly damaged and one of us fell through to the basement and we had to run out to the truck to get some rope and haul that person out! But that’s not what happened… we just found some paperweights…that’s all! :o)
I’ll see you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
I am finally here! I missed yesterday since I was super busy taking down the last of my Christmas decorations, and I don’t have any RR clothes for my Susette doll, just other brands, so no idea anything about buttonholes or boots. I do know that they are pretty hard to dress those dolls, with their small buttons, snaps and all their various outfits, which is why I only have one. I like to change their clothes frequently versus just keeping them in what they come in, so prefer bigger dolls.
I do also like three-quarter sleeves the best. Since I am tall, it is hard to find sleeves that go to my wrist anyway, and most of them look like three-quarter sleeves without being three-quarters! I’m sure your Rebecca has the same problem! Since I already have several sweaters from Anne, I want others to have the chance to own one, so don’t have my name in the drawing. I really like the sweater on Molly, kept open and it does look cute on Mae too!
Wow, those paperweights are gorgeous! I often wonder how they get those intricate designs inside the glass ball? You are so lucky to have stumbled upon them and they have a wonderful home now with you on your windowsill!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!💕
No need to enter me in the drawing, but I will answer your question anyway: I like long sleeves on my sweaters. I get chilled so easily, so anything I can wear that will help, I do!
Today’s sweater has lots of mix and match possibilities! I can see it over a pretty rose dress, for instance.
I have replied to several of the comments on yesterday’s blog, if you wish to go and look at them.
From yesterday’s post, when I received my Singer for HS graduation in 1967, from my grandmother and parents, it didn’t come with classes. But, it was pretty easy to figure out as my mother had one. I know that one could not have sewn on a button successfully, but it made great buttonholes. My current machine I know can do buttons, but I’ll probably never figure it out.
Can’t wait to see your twinsie bag this year. It will be so useful. 🙂
Those paperweights are really pretty!
I prefer 3/4 length sleeved sweaters. I have short arms (along with the rest of me), so if I get a long sleeved sweater, the sleeves will be past my hands and I will fold up or push up to around 3/4 length. If I get a 3/4 length sleeved sweater, it will be to my wrists, and I will again push it up to 3/4 length. I don’t know why, but I just don’t like things on my lower arms. Except maybe jewelry… 🙂
Happy Friday everyone! I hope all of you are feeling good for the week-end.
Jeanne, your story is exciting! Those glass paperweights are pretty amazing and quite beautiful. Treading through old decrepit buildings would be criminal these days, because of rules and lawyers, but I am glad you made it in and out unscathed and treasures for memories. Really, thank goodness no clandestine maneuvers necessary.
My hubbs has many paperweights from his “US government job” He was a procurement lawyer for defense Dept. Yeah, exciting. His “awards” were paperweights that were engraved with his name and some project…. usually clear colored, never ever fancy.
They do weigh a lot. I do not think they are really worth displaying on any window sill. 🥹😆 I worked at an RN for an orthopedic surgical practice for many years and never got paperweights (thank goodness)… cash bonuses were better!
Sweaters, I love them. Long sleeves!! and I have long spindly arms so I like long sleeves.
I have a jacket I used to wear at the ice rink and the sleeves are so long I roll them up once at the ends. Okay, the jacket is big….
This sweater is a cutie. I have two AG dollies. One is Felicity and the other is a number something, medium blond brown-ish hair with bangs and brown eyes… I think. She is named Christina. Both of them are very happy and wearing summer clothes upstairs because it is kind of too warm up there all the time! They are in the front room playing with stuffed animals, and my kitty Princess likes to bring her toys too.
This stripey sweater… Oh my goodness, Anne, you are a masterful knittress 🥰😁🧶
The color would go great with blue jeans, corduroys or perhaps a nice skirt!
Would it fit easily over a long or short sleeve shirt with a collar?
Ugh, I do not want to, but today I will go and help clean up the old house.
I think I have one room left to muddle through my sewing treasures, fabrics…
and perhaps a few piles in the other spaces in the old house. Then hubbs and I need to start sorting. My oldest daughter, Christina, can not make it up from Richmond (three hours) to take some things home… lack of sleep/youngest daughter antics
so, I need to really start making a space for her possible “wants”
Not a fun chore. I have XM radio and always play Symphony Hall or Classical POPs on my phone which sits nicely in my back pocket.
I hope all of you can absorb some sunshine today and this week-end. If not, we know how to make our own!
No sweater drawing for me; tho the sweater is so dear and I have a 15 inch doll, Terri Lee. My wish for her this year would be to get her a new wig🥰
I love that story about your abandoned property reconnoiter! And think its interesting a box of glass rods a n d handmade paper weights were in there… so far away from the place where the glass making classes and activities happen now – in, I think its Pulliam Hall! Those paperweights you found are lovely!
I’ll have to say that the two M’s steal the show today on sweater modeling. Anne’s lovely sweater is perfect for either of them. It’s so cute. I’m sure that all of the girls that size out there will be waiting patiently to see if they are the winner.
As for me, I can tell you that I really no longer wear sweaters or actually have any. Not like when I was in junior high and had matching sweater and pleated skirt sets. 🙂 I’ve found that wool is not my friend and the synthetics are too icy. So, in the cold weather, I wear a long sleeved cotton tee with a fleece jacket on top. No more itchies. Works for me. As to the sleeve lengths, I do not own anything that is 3/4, only full length to keep me warm or short sleeved tees in the summer. I might still have a couple of heavy non wool sweaters that I used to wear skiing, but they are probably buried in the back of the closet. I’ll have to look. I have a double closet rack, so right now the top is all short sleeved tees and the bottom, long sleeved. Varying colors, but mostly darks right now and nothing that isn’t a solid color. Those tees with prints or patterns which tend to make one look larger and older, in my opinion, are long gone. 🙂 So much for my closet. Today is dark purple tee day. 🙂
We had a big surprise this morning. As I opened the slider door to feed Callie Cat, we found that she had left us a gift. A good sized well chewed rat on our outdoor rug. Good kitty, but the mess is well, ugly. We think that it came from the neighbors house as she has had the rat exclusion people there recently and the next house is being flipped and torn up a lot which probably disturbed them. Not the morning that I was looking forward to at all.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone and thank you Jeanne for sharing my pics yesterday. 🙂
And of course, I forgot to mention that those paperweights are beautiful. Love the rich colors. And what a fun story to tell about how they were procured. Now, I’m wondering, did Jeanne and everyone go down into the basement or up into the attic to look around? That would have been really spooky. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, I am thinking of your story from the point of view of the paperweights.
For a very long time, the little paperweights sat abandoned. The house in which they grew up and loved no longer sheltered any humans. The house became sad. The paperweights became lonely. Then the paperweights heard sounds and thought that maybe there were new people who had come to take care of them.
But alas no. The sounds were made by mischievous intruders who only wanted to play in the house and harm it. There were also the animals who lived in the house for a while, left their marks, and moved on.
Then one day, one glorious day, the paperweights heard voices. Could this be new humans who wanted the house and them? The paperweights, well, waited and hoped.
Soon they heard the humans climbing the stairs and coming to the room in which they lived. They looked at the humans and the humans looked at them. A human, a lady with a sweet voice, picked up one of them. She said something to the others. The paperweights didn’t understand because they had not yet learned to interpret human talk.
The lady picked up the other paperweights and wrapped them all in a little cloth and put them in a bag. The paperweights were a little scared but they could sense that the lady was nice.
The paperweights stayed in the bag for a while and then the lady took them out, washed them off, and set them on a windowsill in the sun. They didn’t know where they were but they knew that they were in a kitchen. It was a pretty kitchen.
Everyday the lady would touch them or look at them. They knew that they had found a new home with humans who loved them. This made the paperweights very happy. The End.
Oh, I absolutely love the paperweight story. Thanks so much for writing it and sharing it with us, Dorothy, in PA and the World. 🙂
Dear Joy, thank you for your nice words. These “things” just come to me.
I love your caper stories. I am looking forward to the next one (smile).
What a sweet story, .Dorothy! You certainly are one that has a wonderful imagination, which means you are not a boring person! I always felt that people with such imaginations are always the most well adjusted people there are!
Dear Linda, thank you for liking my story. Like I always say, I can’t sew, I can’t cook, I can’t craft, and I can’t garden. Thank goodness I can write (laugh).
I love when I find a kindred soul who finds humanity in inanimate objects. I probably would have named the paperweights. How else would I know how to address them. I’ve been known to apologize to mannequins when I bumped into one at the store. I love your story.
Dear Barbara, I name things myself. All of my dolls have names but sometimes I forget their names and the dolls just roll their eyes. I tell them that eye rolling is rude but it doesn’t seem to help (laugh).
I am glad you like my story. It just popped into my head and I had to get it down quickly before it went away.
I LOVE this story from you, Dorothy! Only you could have created such a fun story about lonely paperweights waiting to be rescued! Makes me kind of feel like a hero!
Thanks so much!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, well you know that you are a hero to us Sofa Sisters.
And I do think that you were meant to have the paperweights. You truly appreciate them and see their beauty.
Have a nice MLK weekend!
Love your story Dear Dorothy. You are gifted for sure.
I had a thought… perhaps the paper weights were evil alien eggs left behind to populate the Earth but then again Jeanne might not like the way that story ends. ; )
I love Dorothy’s story. I can never quite believe that things are just things. If we accept them, they are ours to take care of forever. (My stainless flatware was my high school graduation present, and our 50th reunion is several years in the past.) I’m glad the paperweights have a good home.
And Joy Lynne has a real Teri Lee doll. I always wanted one, mostly so I could collect the outfits. Perhaps if I’d had one as a 10 year old, I wouldn’t have needed my AGs and all their clothes. I’ll love seeing a picture of hers in her new wig, when and if that’s possible.
As for sweaters, I like full length sleeves that I push up to 3/4 length. However, one of Anne’s sweaters is on its way to me, so trying for another would hardly be fair, though in my opinion, that sweater looks best on Molly.
Dear Marilyn, thank you for your kind words about my story.
I echo you, I still have the flatware that my mother bought for me when I got my first apartment. When I got my third apartment, a few years later, my grandmother gave me her Fiesta china. I use it every day and cherish it.
I was a bit worried about that sweater but it does work on Molly, just. It was meant for a Wellie Wisher doll but the yarn was a bit thicker than recommended.
I never see 3/4 sleeves here, if I did I would buy them. I have very short arms and short legs so trousers and sweaters are always a problem. Mostly I turn the sleeves up like Mae.
I saw the doctor on Thursday (it is Saturday here) and my last three blood tests have shown low sodium so he has told me to cut down my drinking (not alcohol lol) so I can only have two coffees, three teas and 4 glasses of water every 24 hours. Not too bad, thirst wise, at the moment since the weather is quite cold for summer but if we get the hot weather back it might be a problem. If it isn’t sorted after three weeks I will have to have more tests. I’ve never worried about salt, always had what I wanted because I have almost always had low BP so never thought it would be low salt I had to worry about. Interestingly, it is the tea and water I miss most, rather than the coffee.
Have a lovely day everyone
I never thought of low sodium being a problem. I do watch my intake of salt and I don’t drink a lot during the day. What are the symptoms?
Jeanne, we got home from our trip this afternoon and we both are flat out from getting every thing put away. I am now going to lie down in the recliner and not move until an early bed time. I will read all y’all’s great words over the weekend.
I do like my sweaters arms full length even if I have to roll them over. I would love Anne’s sweater for my Mae.
Have a lovely weekend.
Love the story of the paperweights. And they are beautiful.
I like my sweaters to have long sleeves. I like to fold them up like Mae’s if they’re too long. Usually I only wear sweaters here in Texas when it’s really cold and I like my wrists covered.
Hi Jeanne… Happy Friday everyone!
Early this morning thinking I’d catch up on my reading I opened up your blog. I totally misread the title of Blondes and buttonholes… I guess my brain didn’t register the O and N in word button. I soon realized my mistake but as I read along each time I saw the word buttonholes I giggled. What can I say morning brain fog makes me silly!
Jeanne you certainly are brave. There is absolutely no way I’d walk into a building bound for the wrecking ball. Never mind the creatures and creepy crawlies that might be at home. Just thinking about it makes my little heart beat a bit faster. I do think the paper weights are very pretty : )
What a fun and thoughtful give away! Anne you are such a talented lady and so sweet to share your lovely handmade sweaters with the sofa sisters. As I’d love a sweater for my chubby My Meadow girls I’ll share with you that I prefer long sleeves myself. As a lady of a certain age, I would rather wear longer sleeves that cover up jiggly flabby arms because scaring people isn’t nice!
I wanted to thank my sofa sisters that chimed in on the fence issue. I don’t know the neighbors. They have three children who came over and visited Mom and Dad every so often. I have seen the adult neighbors, but they don’t seem overly friendly and have never waved or said hello as I came and went several days a week over the past six years. I think I’ll have the lawyer that is handling the survey issues send them a letter. Honestly, I don’t care but Joy you are correct the issue needs to be rectified prior to selling the house. There is another issue with the property. All the houses on Whitehaven Rd were surveyed with the survey starting point being the edge of the road. However, Mom and Dads survey starting point was the middle of the road. Making the property 50 feet shorter than all the surrounding properties. We have questions about that. Why was this the only property surveyed from this point? Also because dad thought his property was as deep as his neighbors, he had his shed placed which now turns out to be not his land. Fun stuff! I’m sure it will all work out…hopefully!
Charlotte, I’m so glad you got your classes you wanted at the sewing expo. I’m excited to see this years “twinsie challenge” project.
You’ll have to take lots of photos for us. I agree with you… a house needs to be clean! If Mom and Dad were selling their home, they would make sure it was sparkling. I’ve decided to paint the walls and put in new carpeting before it goes up for sale. I think those are two things that will make it appealing to buyers. The kitchen appliances are only six years old and as I cooked for them the oven still looks brand new.
After bringing home bags and bags of mom and dads things because I couldn’t stand the thought of strangers taking their treasures home I have come to the realization that I have way too much stuff! There isn’t enough room for everything, so I’m putting it in clear storage totes and have promised hubby after the estate is settled and the house has sold, I’d start downsizing. Finger crossed I’ll be up to the task when that day comes.
Have a great weekend everyone
hugs
Ingrid
I like my sweaters to just cover my wrists. If the sleeves are longer I’ll cuff them so they just cover my wrists, but I prefer not to have to cuff them. The rose and gray sweater Anne so graciously gifted is lovely and my Molly would love to wear it.