Knitting and a bit o' retro!

Well, I'm going to have to call this finished!

I finished the little Shakti baby hat to match the Shakti baby sweater. I loved that neckline finish so much that I wanted to use it for the hat. I used the same lace leaf motif, only I added a half repeat of the lace to add a bit of symetry to it. I thought it would be fun to do more of a 'beret-style' and for the top, ended with an I-cord, shaping it into what I thought was a bit of an enlongated leaf, which I tacked down.




After consulting with Nartian as to whether I should pull it out and wrap the I-cord end inward to make the leaf center a bit 'chubbier' (and perhaps more leaf-shaped), I proceeded to attempt this. Unfortunately, I did such a good job sewing and shaping the leaf, that I couldn't undo it! DRAT! So instead, I tried to pull it tighter, forming a pudgier middle, and left it sticking out (sort of...)


And the latest Rockin' Sock Club kit came today!

The pattern, Cleopatra, by Yarnissima, a designer I learned of through (who else?) Nartian and whose patterns I admire...

The color is Incredible Shrinking Violet! When I think of "Shrinking Violet", it brings back memories of an old 70's doll with a pull string talking device. "I'm called Shrinking Violet..."

Ok, my memories are from the 70's, but apparently Shrinking Violet was a 60's doll by Mattel:
"RARE 1963 MATTEL WORKING
SHRINKIN VIOLETTE TALKING DOLL
She is one sought after by many RARE TO FIND MATTEL DOLL FROM THE 60'S
She is adorable and in working condition. Shrinkin Violette does talk ! She says things like "I have butterflies in my tummy", "I wish people wouldn't look at me", "I'm called Shrinking Violet", "I'm just afraid of everything", "People are all so big". Her mouth and right eye do move when she talks. She does have stitching around her neck, and at the crotch area. She is in played with loved condition . Shrinkin Violet is one tough doll to find in working condition or at all, only made for one year by Mattel in 1963."

The only pic I could find of her on the internet is at the same site where I got the above:
http://www.a2zdolls.com/mattel.html

You have to scroll past the cluster of witches and past the ballerina babies-two past Tippee Toes (which, btw, I happen to have had one of those-horse and all!)

I found this background on the doll to be interesting, too...What I never knew about this strange, pull string doll we had for ages. I'm sure my mom must have gotten her second-hand at a White Elephant sale, but as I see the picture of Shrinking Violet again and read over all her phrases, I realize that I had forgotten the many phrases she would repeat-and that I had memorized back then! I can recall her purple cotton dress with the lace on the sleeves...memories! Am I really that old?! (And, BTW, the Shrinking Violette doll is older than me, just for the record!)

I was unaware of DC comic's superhero that Tina refers to in her Dyer's notes, but upon Googling Shrinking Violet, I was interested to learn: "She decided to put aside her plans to become a psychotherapist or a detective to become a member of the Legion." Interesting...was our Depraved Dyer aware of Shrinking Violets prior plans of becoming a psychotherapist? Could this be the draw to the superhero by our former-therapist Depraved Dyer?...?