Courtesy of Joyce, a Crochet Hitty pattern for you!

Hitty image courtesy of Joyce

For everyone who has ever wanted a Hitty doll of their own, but could not wrap their mind around carving one, my friend Joyce has created a crochet version of this beloved travel doll.

Joyce was inspired by the Knit-Along on the Hitty's Knitty's yahoo group, but her prefered medium for doll creation is crochet, so she took on the challenge of creating Hitty with hooks, instead of needles.

Hitty image courtesy of Joyce

As you can see, Hitty Joy is just under 6 1/2 inches tall, crocheted with fingering weight yarn (Knit Picks Palette) and a size 1 and 2 steel hooks (2.25mm to 2.75mm).

 Images courtesy of Joyce

She has a simply embroidered face, and a move-able head.  This is a great way to add more personality to your doll.

The limbs are stuffed with pipe cleaners, and the body and head with fiberfill or wool batting.

Hitty images courtesy of Joyce

And best of all, a wig cap for her hair!  You can make a traditional Hitty style wig, or come up with your very own concoction.  Joyce includes a pattern for making this ringlet style wig, or you can find a more traditional wig pattern for your Hitty here:

Clothespeg Hitty Wig

And a drumroll please for:

Hitty: a crochet doll

Thank you, Joyce, for sharing your doll and your considerable talent with us!

2/25/2017 Please Note!  The pattern for crochet Hitty has been updated to correct a couple of minor errors.  If you downloaded the pattern yesterday, please download the new one!
                                  

 

Maiden Voyage

Nearly 30 years ago, Larry and I bought a pop-up camper; a Coleman Columbia eight foot tent trailer.  We loved it, and it lead eventually to a 27 foot travel trailer, and Larry and I selling our home, leaving our jobs, and traveling the southwest for six months.  This was our Great Walkabout Experience :-)

We came back to our home town, returned to work, bought a home, and didn't camp again, until this weekend.

A month ago, we bought a Flagstaff pop-up campter; ten foot box, and a few more amenities than our original Coleman.  A frig, a furnace, a bit more space, but still a pretty simple tent trailer, and we went to Brown County State park.

This is February in the Midwest.  It was 65F with beautiful clear skies on Sunday; a spectacular sunset Sunday night, and fog so thick you couldn't see any other campers on Monday morning :-)  What I couldn't record with a camera was the soul-startling night sky with more stars than I've seen in my adult life, or the intense silence.  So deep, so long missed living in a city.

The views through the park pull you out of yourself.  A winding roadway on Monday morning with no cars.  Green beginning to spring out of the soil, and ranks of hills and valleys unblemished.

Larry and I have been dreaming and talking and planning for this for three years, and now we've finally done it.  We are rediscovering what we enjoyed so much 30 years ago.

For St. Valentine's Day

Valentina!

Born on St Valentine's day; Valentina is adapted from the Minnow's pattern.  Longer arms and legs, and DK weight yarn instead of size10 crochet cotton.

I used Knit Picks CotLin (70%cotton/30%linen)  which I had purchased for a knit doll a couple of years ago.  I didn't like the way it slid off my knitting needles, but it was just fine to crochet with.

Valentina has an internal armature much like the floss-wrapped dolls of Salley Mavor.  I used 6mm pipe cleaner, and loosely wrapped them with fingering weight yarn.  The larger body cavity and head are stuffed with wool batting.  This worked great, as I wrapped the legs with black yarn, and the arms with white...no stuffing showing through the stitches :-)

Now for some clothes!

Now she has a cropped tank top :-)

The Little Smokies

Even on a cold, grey, winter day, there is loveliness to be found in nature. 

We took a walk through one of our state parks, sometimes called the Little Smokies (although in no way related to the Appalachian's).  Food for the soul.

Miranda enjoying the view!