Gauge matters; playing with yarns and hooks

From the left, Jane Doll in fingering weight, sport weight, and worsted weight yarn

The first doll I made from Kelly DeSandro's pattern was Ebony Jane, in the center of the picture.  I crocheted her with sportweight yarn (Knit Picks Wool of the Andes sport) and a size 1 steel crochet hook.  For the second doll, Azure Jane on the right, I used worsted weight yarn (Patons Classic Wool) and a size C hook.  And finally, for Emma Jane, on the left, I used fingering weight yarn (Knit Picks Palette) and a size 1 steel crochet hook.  The dolls range in size from 8.5 inches, to 9.5 inches, to 11 inches tall.  

This is the versatility of gauge, and matching up the yarn and hook to create a firm fabric for making a doll.  This way you can satisfy yourself with a larger or a smaller doll, just by changing around the yarn and hook.

I created a wardrobe for Ebony Jane, but I wanted to be able to use the same patterns for the other two girls.   I made each of them the basic camisole and undies/pants, plus a cardigan sweater, to work out what hooks and yarns worked best for each doll.

Ebony Jane's Wardrobe includes information for making these garments to fit three different size dolls, depending on what yarn and hook you choose to use.

Happy Dollmaking!

New Day, New Doll Pattern

 I was surfing through Etsy yesterday, just looking at all the offerings for crochet patterns.  So much wonderful, wonderful creativity!  Anyway, I saw this doll pattern:  Jane Doll and, well, I just had to have her :-)  Look at those wonderfully shaped shoulders, and the sweet, slim body lines.

5-23-2023 Sadly, this Etsy seller is no longer available  

I made the doll as written, except to make the head separate from the torso and give her a move-able head with a neck stub (you can find how I do this in several posts on this blog).  The pattern is exceptionally well written, with lots of construction photo's and detailed information.  Particularly nice is the detail given to making her full and lovely head of hair.

Ebony Jane

My Ebony Jane is crocheted with sportweight wool yarn and a size 1 steel hook.  I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes sport in Chestnut, Blossom Heather, and Peapod.  Her hair is a combination of three yarns:  Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in Fairytale, Plymouth Yarns Alpaca Boucle and Classic Elite Yarn Pirouette, a lace weight mohair.  It took about 120  16 inch strands to cover her head.

Ebony Jane is 9 1/4 inches tall  before being wigged.  Her arm articulation is accomplished with twisted pipe cleaners.  I am looking forward to many enjoyable hours making her a wardrobe, and some sista's :-)

Marguerite Rose and her Rabbits

Marguerite Rose loves her rabbits!  She is a Lalylala mod based on Rita the Rabbit and my own Petite Paul.  I found her lovely rose embroidery on Pinterest, and the rabbit pattern on Ravelry:

Hops the Bunny Rabbit

Marguerite Rose is crocheted with Knit Picks Palette and Stroll fingering weight yarn and a size 1 steel hook.  Her rose motif is cross-stitch embroidered using the same yarns.  Her rabbits are also crocheted, holding one strand of Palette and one strand of Pirouette lace weight mohair together, with a size C crochet hook.

Miranda, the Owl Whisperer

Midnight on silent wings

Through snowy forests cold

Sudden fear the night owl brings

Hunting field and fold.

Whispering above the trees

Against the moon she flies,

Silent as the fading breeze

As twilight darkness dies.

Miranda is an owl whisperer, someone who can commune with these hunters of the night.  She is based on Lalylala's Paul the Toadstool pattern, modified to be smaller, and with a sweet owl motif cross-stitched to her torso (the cross stitch pattern is a free chart from from LucyKateCrafts)

Miranda's owl minions are Ariel, a Collared Scops owl; Basil, a Northern Saw-whet owl; and Cassandra, a Snowy owl.  I am happy to share the pattern for these three owls:

Miranda's Owls

When it is chilly in the woods, Miranda wears a knit cardigan sweater duplicate stitched with grape hyacinth flowers.  The sweet embroidery is a free chart available on Ravelry:  Hexipuff Spring Flowers, and the sweater pattern is another pattern I am happy to share with you:

Miranda's Knit Cardigan

And finally, no owl whisperer would be without her owl hat, which conveys special powers to understand owl-speak :-)

Miranda's Owl Hat

Miranda, her minions, and her clothing were all crochet or knit with Knit Picks Palette, a lovely wool fingering weight yarn.  Miranda, the owls, and the cap were crocheted using a size 1 steel hook (close to a B hook, or 2.25mm).  The cardigan sweater was knit, using both single point needles (for the body) and double point needles (for the sleeves) with  2.75mm knitting needles.

Petite Paul, a Lalylala mini modification

I have fallen under the spell of Lydia Tresselt's, aka Lalylala's, patterns.  However, I like smaller dolls, so I took Paul the Toadstool and modified the pattern to create Petite Paul :-)  If you purchase Paul the Toadstool, you can easily make Petite Paul; the modification pattern is not a stand-alone.

Petite Paul Modifications

Petite Paul has the same sweet body shape, with a move-able head.

From this basic modification, I made Poppy, Paul's partner in mischief and best friend :-)

Poppy wears a removable pinafore, which is quite easy to make.  The bodice is worked side-to-side with fingering weight yarn and a size D crochet hook.  Chain 11, sc in the second chain from the hook and each chain across.  Work for 34 rows.   The bodice follows the same basic design as all of my crochet camisoles, so with this basic information, you can make your own for Petite Poppy.

For the skirt, I used a pattern from the Harmony Guide for Crochet.  You can use any pattern you like to make the skirt.  I crocheted some flowers to adorn the pinafore, and her simple hat, which is from on of the other Lalylala patterns.

Lydia's patterns are a wonderful platform for your own creativity.  I highly recommend them as they are well written, and have given me hours and hours of enjoyable crochet :-)

More Wild Things

Little foxes eyes so bright,

Little foxes prowl the night,

Little foxes softly creep

On silent feet.

Little foxes in the cold,

Little foxes brave and bold,

Little foxes run from man

Fast as you can!

Squinty Fox pattern by Genuine Mudpie5-23-2023 Sadly no longer available

Adelaide and Little Alice

I know the Lalylala patterns by Lydia Tresselt have been around for a while, but in the last week they have completely captivated me.  Adelaide, from Lalylala's Kira pattern, is my first doll.   The pattern is extremely well written, and the doll has such an endearing quality.

I crocheted Adelaide and little Alice from Knit Picks Palette yarn with a size 1 steel hook (close to a B hook, 2.25mm).  Adelaide is 10 inches tall, and Alice is 2 1/2 inches.  I gave Adelaide some soft brown braids with worsted mohair yarn, and had fun with colors; the perfect antidote for grey winter days!

Adelaide also has a move-able head; something that is easy to do with any crochet doll that has the head made separately from the torso.  Any doll can be done this way.  Below is a quickie picture tutorial of the process:

Just modify the torso to create a neck stub, and when stuffing the head leave a cavity for this neck stub to fit up into.  It is as simple as that, and creates a charming movement to the doll, and preserves the nice round shape of the head.

I think Adelaide needs some friends!

Wild Things

In Northern forests cold and clear

Beneath a midnight sun

There is an ancient magic near;

A race of spellbound twilight deer,

A whisper on the mind.

In human form and fair of face

They shed their deerskin self

And beckon with a fairy grace,

To follow to a primal place,

And loose your human form.

Aurora Fawn and Balin

Aurora Fawn is from my Simply Ami pattern, with borrowed antlers and ears from the pattern Rudy-the-Reindeer by Tales of Twisted Fibers.  Her companion Balin is from the pattern Sherman the Deer by Snugglme Stitches.  Both of these delightful patterns are free :-)

Aurora's dress is knit from my Knits for tiny Ami's pattern, with a simple Fair Isle tree motif.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and last minute gifts

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a New Year filled with Joy!

It is the 23rd of December, and I've just finished my last minutes gifts;  I wasn't going to do this, but I found this charming pattern for a little fox, and just had to make three of them as stocking stuffers for my nephews :-)

5-23-2023: The pattern for the foxes is no longer available .  The pattern is quick, simple, and very well written.  I made three of them last night!  I plan to add a little beaded lanyard to the top so the boys can clip them to a zipper pull or backpack.  They stand about 2 3/4 inches tall from the base to the tip of their ears.

And, as a Christmas gift, I have a pattern for a small wardrobe of tiny knit outfits for small (5 1/2 inch) dolls.  I used my tiny Simply Ami dolls for models; they are a little over 5 inches when worked with fingering weight yarn and a size 1 steel hook.  These knits should also fit Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls, and BJD's in the 12 to 16 cm size range.

Tiny Knits for Tiny Ami's

The outfits are knit with fingering weight yarn and size 0 (2.00mm) double point needles.  The pattern includes pull over sweaters, pants, pinafore dress and rompers.  The elf hat the girls are wearing is from my Pocket Spirit Christmas Hat pattern (found on the left sidebar of this blog) worked in fingering weight yarn and a size 1 steel crochet hook.

However you celebrate the holiday season, I hope it is filled with love of family, and childlike joy!