Tansy Mae's Wardrobe

Tansy Mae wants to share her wardrobe patterns with you :-)  One for  simple knit capri pants, that can be made into trousers, bloomers, or shorts.  The other is a collection of simple top-down knits to make a smock top, T-shirt, and a lacey nightgown.

Except for a bit of a back opening on straight needles, all of these are knit in the
round on size 4 dpn's.  For some reason, using fingering weight to sport-weight yarn, my gauge was 6 stitches to the inch.  These are simple, loose fitting items, so a slight variation in gauge will probably not be a problem. 

These knits are sized for a 10 to 12 inch Waldorf doll.

Waldorf capri pants

Waldorf Tshirt/smock/nightgown

Enjoy the day!

Tansy Mae

Tansy Mae is another Waldorf doll with a knit body, knit in the round on dpn's.  Her T-shirt and tunic are knit from the same basic pattern, from the neck down.  This pattern is easily adaptable for shirts, dresses, tunics, and nightgowns.  Currently I'm working on a nightgown with eyelets in the skirt.  When I get all the instructions written up, the pattern will be freely available here. 

I like the idea of working top down and seamlessly.  Thanks to Ravelry for introducing me to this technique :-)

I used fingering weight yarn for the T-shirt, and sport for the tunic and capri's.  For some reason, both worked up to the same gauge with size 4 dpn's, about six sts to the inch.

Weir Craft's Waldorf Doll Kit

 Weir Craft Doll Kit cover image

Since starting to make Waldorf dolls with knitted bodies, I've been wanting to try this kit, which is offered by Weir Crafts.  They sell all kinds of Waldorf dollmaking supplies, plus lovely wool felts, roving, and batting.

So, I bought the kit and made up a doll!

The kit has everything you need to make a 12" to 13" doll; Alice Blue turned out to be about 13" tall.  If you have never made a Waldorf doll before, and like to knit, this is a great place to start.  All the supplies needed to make a simplified Waldorf head are included in the kit, and I really liked the way it turned out.

The yarn for the body is a dk/sportweight yarn.  I little thinner than I like to use, but it knitted up very nice and soft; it is a lovely quality wool yarn.  I would also have liked a bit more mohair yarn for hair;  I added some from my stash to give her a fuller head of hair.

I put together a picture tutorial of making this doll, which is available on my flickr photoshare site:  Weir Kit Waldorf Doll Tutorial.

If you are interested in this kit, here is a direct link to it:  Waldorf Doll Knit Kit
The kit is customizable for doll skin color, hair color, and body yarn color.

Happy Dollmaking!

New dolls for the New Year

Above is Mimosa Jade, the latest Cottage Flower doll.  She has a classically made Waldorf head and a knit body; the pattern for which is freely available on this blog.  Her jacket in Asian inspired and keeps her warm in the high mountains where she lives with her family.  They are nomads and herdsmen, and share the lonely mountain tops with ice and eagles.

Here is the pattern for her jacket and boots:

Asian inspired jacket

Just in time for Valentine's Day is Ruby Valentine in her heart-strewn dress!  She is also a Cottage Flower Waldorf doll, and the pattern for her dress and cardigan are here:

Valentine's Dress and Sweater

Both of these outfits are worked seamlessly from the top down, using a combination of straight and double point needles.  The yarns are worsted weight wool: Patons Classic Wool and Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.

Keep warm, and enjoy your New Year!

Gifts of Love

Christmas this year included some very special gifts, from our nephews and one of my Aunts.  Top left are candle holders made by our oldest nephew; they are Ball Mason jars with colored tissue paper decopaged to the outside.  Inside were the most delicious cookies, baked by my brother, the Master Cookie Chef!  Top left is an embroidered stitchery depiciting myself, Larry, and one of our cats, created by our middle nephew.  Lower right is a birdhouse, made by our youngest nephew, and lower left is a lovely glass ornament with my Mother's picture, given by my Aunt.

Ivy Rose and Ginger Kate are flanking the favorite gift I ever received as a child...this sweet stuffed tiger.  I was eight or nine, I think, when I found him in my stocking on Christmas morning.   And nestled between them is the 2014 White House Ornament, a tradition my Mom and Dad began several years ago.  Our Christmas tree is now heavy with them.

Ginger Kate has joined my sweet family of knit Waldorf dolls.  We want to share her rompers pattern with you!

Ginger Kate's Rompers

I am going to call these dolls Cottage Flowers, as that is what they make me think of.  Knitting a doll, and thinking of flowers, in the middle of Winter is a happy pasttime.  I hope all of you are having a happy day :-)

A Merry Christmas to All!

Here is hoping that all of you have a blessed Christmas day, shared with those you love, and filled with wonder and joy.

My final project for 2014 is a sweet Waldorf doll with a knit body.  Ivy Rose is about 12 inches tall, with a classic Waldorf head secured to a body knit in worsted weight yarn on double point needles.  No seaming!!

The pattern for Ivy Rose and her pinafore is here.  The instructions include a link to a picture tutorial for making the head that I put together several years ago:

Head tutorial

and a tutorial for making hair:

Hair tutorial

Both of these tutorials are also available here on the blog, along the left hand side.

Ivy Rose and I wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Cassidy and Noah

I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving, and that your Christmas preparations are more joy than work :-)  I came down with a bug a few days after Thanksgiving, and it is only now beginning to loosen its grip on my health.   And of course, I ended up sharing it with my husband :-(  Thankfully, both of us are on the mend.

Something better to share is Cassidy, a doll I worked on, slowly, once I started feeling better.  She is based on Deena Thomson-Menards Lottie doll pattern, which is freely available on Ravelry.  Those wonderful hands are from a tutorial available on her Ravelry group We Make Dolls.   I modified the feet so they would feet those darling baby booties that Cassidy is wearing, which is also a free pattern on Ravelry: sneaker booties on Ravelry.

Alternate foot for Lottie

Romper Pattern for Lottie

Cassidy's puppy, Noah, is from a crochet pattern offered here a few years ago.  You can find it by scrolling down the left sidebar.  Look for the picture of the kitties and 'Links to my Animal Patterns'  :-)

Happy Holy Day season to all of you!!  Stay well.

Goodbye, sweet Charlie

Sweet companion in our lives from September 9, 2001 to November 20, 2014.  How hard it is to say goodbye.

Dolls and their clothes :-)

I've been working on two dolls from Deena Thomson-Menards Lottie pattern, one for a Knit Along, and the other while waiting for the next pattern in the Knit Along to be revealed :-) 

Rachael Bleu is a slightly smaller version of Deena's doll, about 19 inches tall.  She's close to American Girl size, which is a nice size to knit for.  I made her a blue tunic sweater from a free pattern on Ravely, which you can find here.

I also worked up a raglan sleeve pattern and a jumper dress for Rachael, both very simple knits:

Little Lottie Raglan Sweater

Little Lottie Jumper Dress

Hope your hooks and needles are humming with Christmas gifts :-)