An heirloom gift

I received this beautiful painted box from a Flickr friend, Pinke` (aka dog.happy.art on Flickr) in a talent trade.  Look at how perfectly she has captured these three girls on the lid of the box.

The box is for Violet (the middle girl), and her namesake flowers are painted all around the box.

And she fits the box perfectly!

And this is Jennifer, who went to live with Pinke`.  I think we are all happy :-)

Knitted dolls by Fiona McDonald

Fiona McDonald's knit dolls are one of the two reasons I wanted to learn to knit!  A year ago, I posted about Fiona's book 'Babes in the Wool,'  (see the post here).   I fell in love with her dolls, especially the way she does the faces.  Now I have finally made one of her designs, from the book 'Knitted Fairies.'

And, even though I used the wrong yarn (sportweight instead of worsted), he turned out pretty cute.  I left off the wings, so he is actually an Elf, but he's happy that way :-)

Fiona has three book on knitted dolls, each filled with ideas for dolls that will make your head spin.  The knitting is simple, and the results are amazing.

She also has a blog; check it out!

And finally, I am fortunate to own one of Fiona's original dolls, crafted by herself.  This doll is even more gorgeous in person.

Crochet for Victoria DiPietro's Portrait Doll

For the last week or so I have been working on crochet accessories for Victoria DiPietro's Portrait doll.  This lovely doll is just a shade under 19 inches tall, made of cloth (craft velour) with a paper clay head.  In a previous post I discussed making wigs for this doll from crochet caps and mohair yarn.

Above you see the camisole and pantaloons for Katy Jo, crocheted in size 3 crochet cotton (like a light sportweight yarn) and a size C crochet hook.  The lovely gored skirt was made by Victoria, and the camisole makes a sweet summer top to go with it.

To date I have completed three detachable collars, as shown above.  Each could be made with or without the standup neckline.  The collars use size 10 crochet cotton and a size 6 steel hook.

A pair of very simple, lacy tube socks, crocheted of DMC size 8 perle cotton and a size 6 crochet hook; and the camisole and pantaloons mentioned above.   An apron/pinafore to wear over her pretty dresses will complete her crochet trousseau. 

The plan is for this doll, with her cloth and crochet trousseau, to be available as a pattern, possibly in the late spring of this year.   She would be a lovely addition to any cloth dollmaker's repertoire.  I will keep you posted :-)

Virginia, a knit Waldorf style doll

Please meet Virginia; a knit Waldorf style doll created as a commission.  She was so much fun to make, and create a little wardrobe for.  I learned a simple drop stitch knit pattern for her nightgown, played with a textured stitch for her cardigan sweater, and even tried a very simple lace pattern for the edge of her dress.

I have the pattern for her nightgown, bedjacket, and and shoes to share with you:

Here is the Nightgown Pattern

Here is the Bed Jacket Pattern.

And here is the Shoe Pattern.

You can also find these patterns on the left sidebar under 'Knit Waldorf Style Doll Patterns.' 

I encourage you, if you enjoy knitting these, to try the patterns with different knitting stitches, or even a simple lace pattern.  Two good books that I've checked out of the library for interesting, and simple, stitches are "Knitting Stitches Visual Encyclopedia,' and 'The Very Easy Guide to Lace Knitting.'

I hope you enjoy these patterns, and have a much fun as I have been having in learning a new needlework skill.

Portrait Dolls by Victoria DiPietro

 Katheryn Josephine in her many wigs

I have an exciting project in the works!  I've been asked by doll artist Victoria Di Pietro  to collaborate with her on a doll design CD to be offered this coming Spring.  Victoria designs and creates some of the loveliest dolls in cloth and paper clay that I have ever seen.  And her costuming skills are equally impressive. 

Katheryn Josephine, above, is a working model of the Portrait Doll that Victoria envisions.  My contributions to the endeavor are the crocheted wig designs that Katy Jo is modeling, and some easy crochet garments yet to be created.

Anita Marie, with a wig of Tibetan lamb

This is Anita Marie, sister to Katy Jo, also created by Victoria.  Victoria also crafted her wonderful wig, from Tibetan lamb.  All of the wigs are removable, thanks to a crochet cap as the base.  Simple double sided tape secures the wig to the head.

You can see, in both of these wonderful dolls, Victoria's amazing costuming skills.   Clothing patterns by Victoria, and crochet patterns by moi.

 Anita Marie and Katheryn Josephine, beautifully crafted by Victoria DiPietro

This doll is created in craft velour, with the head sculpted in paper clay.   This is a beautiful doll from within and without.  A Portrait Doll, to create in the image that you envision.

I hope this has piqued you interest in this unique doll.  Stay tuned for further developments :-)

Three new girls

In between wrapping Christmas gifts I've been working on three new knit girls :-)   My knitting gauge is still not quite as it should be; the first two girls turned out a bit smaller than I intended.  Violet and Jennifer ended up  eight and a half inches tall.  But I love small dolls, so they will fit right in.  Their big sister Virginia is a few rows larger, which made her nine and a half inches tall. 

They all have lots of lovely mohair hair, and they were so fun to make. 

Now to get them dressed!

A simple knit sweater for Riley

Here is a very simple knit sweater to fit Riley, Tulah or Zsu Zse.  It is just rectangles, with no shaping.  The shoulder seams are sewn, then the sleeve stitches are picked up and knitted into the side of the sweater.  Sew up the sleeve and side seams, and it is done!  All you need to know are the knit and purl stitches.

This is a resizing of the knit sweater I designed for my knit Waldorf doll.

The pattern is here and on the left sidebar under Krochet for Kish.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Blessings, 2011

Many are our blessings.  These are mine.

Remember your blessings this Holy Day season.

Creative Black Friday

Welcome Creative Black Friday!  To celebrate a new tradition, here is a simple knit doll, about nine to ten inches tall, and her simple knit wardrobe.   With some very easy needle sculpting, she looks very much like a small Waldorf doll.  Here are the patterns:

Knit doll pattern

Knit Undies

Simple Knit Dress

Simple Knit Sweater

Simple Knit Pullover Sweater

Simple Knit Pants

There is also a picture tutorial to help you make the doll,  here at Knit Doll Tutorial.   All of these patterns and the tutorial can also be found on the left sidebar of the blog, under Knit Waldorf Style Doll Patterns.

These are the first knitting instructions I've put together, so if you have problems with understanding them, let me know and we'll figure out what it is I'm trying to convey :-)

What a pleasant way to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving; a gentle alternative to waiting in line for the latest toy or gizmo, that most likely will be forgotten in the crush of so many gifts.  I can't help but think that a single gift, made with love and given with joy, trumps store bought any day :-)  And think of the pleasure you will have in the making and creating.

 I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving, and enjoy the coming Holy Day season.  You should enjoy every gift you give :-)