Yarn Along

Joining up with Ginny today.



I'm working on some longies for the boys. Surprise, surprise - right?
B, the Elf, and I are all reading Howl's Moving Castle. I've read it before but thought it would be fun to read it with them. It's like a mini book club. Except that B has very little time to read with work and all.

Yesterday I finished reading Austenland by Shannon Hale. It was good, not great, but worth reading. I seem to still be thinking about it, so that's something. The sequel isn't available from my library yet, but I will be reading it once they let me know it's in.

Mostly I've been working on some pegs for the (very sad and empty) shop. Hopefully I'll get them up tonight, though baking oatmeal peanut butter cookies (with chocolate chips) may get in the way.

I finished spinning my blue roving. I seriously don't think I'm doing it "right" - and I think it's more user error and not my ghetto spindle. The blue was definitely easier to spin than the brownish roving. I think the brown was meant for felting, not spinning. The problem is (ha! *one of the problems is* would be more correct) that I really don't know anything about this stuff. I'm a much more hands-on learner. One local yarn shop is offering a drop spindle class - but it $25 (for an hour, I think) plus you have to buy *their* kit (which they decline to list the price of in their newsletter).

Blergh. Any of you spinners out there want to come and visit? I'll bake cookies! (:

Crafting on

Linking up with Nicole today.

This is what I've been up to:




Totoro is done. Ravelry notes here.


I think his leaf is a little too big, though.


I made myself a ghetto drop spindle (yes, that's a roll of ribbon. hush.) because I *really* want to learn to spin but have no money. The problem is that I need someone to show me what I'm supposed to be doing. I've watched a gazillion youtube videos already.


This is the "yarn" I tried to spin first. I didn't "set the twist" and it.. well. It sucks. But there it is.


And the never ending pegs. For those of you waiting on me for orders and swaps, there they are. Burned, mostly painted, but that's about it.

Weekending in doll land.

I had this idea. And I couldn't shake it. So I spent the entirety of Saturday after dinner making a doll. I finished her up on Sunday.



She's about 11 inches (not including her tail fins). I shamelessly borrowed a heart shaped barbie top pattern for her. Future dolls will have something else, I just don't know what yet.



Her hair is a golden linen (I think) and can be styled in many ways.



Her tail is a soft cotton/modal (beechwood) blend in a deep plum color.

She's still a prototype of sorts. There are some construction issues that I want to change when/if I make another one. But for a first attempt, I think she came out rather well. I'm hoping this little lady will be part of a giveaway soon. I'll keep you posted.

I also spent some time working on peg dolls for the shop, a swap, and a custom order. The Beast didn't nap as much as I'd like, so they aren't done yet (he and paints = splatters on the ceiling). Hopefully he'll nap today so that I can finish painting them. Then it'll be beeswax polishing and hat sewing. Whee!

Yarn Along

I'll be honest, I haven't been knitting. And most of the crochet I've done has been doll hair related. I have been working on this Totoro for the Beast's upcoming birthday, though. It's coming along slowly. I've finished reading Wildwood. It was good but I wasn't as blown away as I wanted to be. Now I'm reading Embrace the Night by Karen Chance. It's the third book in a series that I've read several times.

Crafting on in Doll-land.

I can't shake it. I think I love making these things.





This doll is based on Adirondack Patterns' Lillipals doll. The clothes are also made using the same pattern and tutorial. She's about 12 inches tall. Her hair is 100% wool yarn and is not meant to be taken down (it's a permanent hairstyle). Her skin is a cotton/poly blend - I couldn't afford the "good stuff" to learn on. She's filled with clean, carded wool. All in all, I'd say she cost me about $30 in supplies. Anyone interested in taking her home for the cost of supplies and shipping?



This doll was also made using the Lillipals pattern, as were her clothes. She has a green print dress with off-white "bloomers" and a wool felt (it's a blend, I think) coat. Her hair is super soft organic cotton. She's about 12 inches tall. Her skin is also a blend. My sister may be claiming her for a little girl's birthday present, but I don't know that she'll like this one. So if anyone falls in love with her, let me know! has claimed her, but I can always make another similar doll if anyone has fallen in love with her.



This is a doll in progress. She's being made using a mix of patterns and techniques I've picked up in the last month or so. Oh. The hands with fingers (this one and the brown-haired doll) - I picked up that idea from this tutorial. I don't think I like it - because I can't seem to do it "right." The hands looks all funky. But then, doing the fingers like toes makes them look like sausages. I may just give up on fingers altogether.

Here are some resources that I have found invaluable in making these dolls:
The Silver Penny's doll head tutorial (specifically for the nose)
Adirondack Patterns' Lillipals and Basic Waldorf patterns and tutorials
This hair tutorial
This doll tutorial (by the same person as the hair)
This baby tutorial - you can buy rights to sell this doll from her Etsy shop.
A doll tutorial by the same creator as above - though I don't think you can buy rights to this one
I've also used Toymaking with Children by Freya Jaffke

Now! This weekend I'm going to assess the finances and buy some "real" doll skin fabric. I think I'm ready. I hope I'm ready. I know that I won't be able to compete with the "pros" on Etsy. But.. I love making these - they keep me sane.

The Weekend

Saturday there was an awesome yarn "yard sale" at my favorite local yarn store. Check out my haul:


Yep. That's all Malabrigo. The Elf picked out the bright one.



This is by far my favorite buy of the day. This huge bag is filled with mini-hanks of naturally dyed yarn. Some even have the handwritten tags still on them - all dated in the 70's. I wasn't even alive then. I *adore* sifting through this stuff. It's amazing.

I won't tell you how little it all cost. You'd hate me.

Our strange life.

Some people crochet afghans. Or hats. Some people use wool felt to create sweet little gnomes. Or play food.

My middle son, the Imp, asked me to make him this:

Yes. My three (and a half) year old wanted a war axe. Whenever he wants something he comes to me. "Mom, please make me [insert request here]." It would never occur to him that I couldn't make whatever it is that he wants. And who am I to disappoint him?

She's done!

Again, the doll body, dress, and pants (that you can't really see) are based on the Lillipals pattern by Adirondack Patterns.

I'm so pleased that I didn't run out of yarn for the hair. I seriously thought that I wouldn't have enough. The antennae don't stand up all the time, but as it's a toy for a very young child I didn't want to put anything stiff in them. Now I'm off to email the woman who inspired it - I hope she likes it!

Crafting on

Last night we went out to run errands. We stopped at a local Panera for dinner. To be honest, we go there a lot. B orders Chinese for the oldest of us and the youngest get mac and cheese from Panera. This works for us because there are a bunch of shaded tables there. So. One of the women that works at Panera saw the Imp playing with a chick-in-an-egg that I crocheted a while ago. She gushed mightily about how her two year old would love one. So I've made her one. Because I'm crazy.



Right. Speaking of crazy. Here's a doll I'm working on for the neice of an acquantaince from Friday knitting.



She doesn't have hair yet. I'm combining the crochet cap yarn with another thinner, sort of heathered yarn.



Next up I'll either be giving her antennae or making a ladybug hat for her. What do you think?

She's made using Adirondack Patterns' Lillipals pattern for both the doll and the dress/pants. The cape is something I came up with after crocheting wings failed me.

Weekend doll making.

I meant to take pictures of the other doll I've been working on. But.. to be honest.. I can't seem to stop working on it long enough to take a picture. How do you doll makers do it? How do you manage to do anything else?





This doll is a conglomeration of many patterns and tutorials. I'd list them all.. but.. I'm lazy. When it's actually done, I'll try to link to all the things I used.



Ponyo is done! I'm pretty happy with her.

Right. I'm sure there were things I did over the weekend besides doll making. I just.. can't seem to recall them. I guess I'm a bit addicted.

What I've Been Up To.

Ponyo is coming along. I'm pleased with her hair, not so much with her face. Oh well. I hope the Beast will like her.



Of course.. she's not quite done, despite appearances.


(Ravelry notes here.)



Cat girl is done. Yes, her thumbs are big. So is her nose. She isn't perfect, who is?




She is, however, possibly looking for a new home. She has found a home with the owner of my very favorite local yarn store! I'm nowhere near experienced enough to sell these lovelies on Etsy (yet?) so I was thinking.. would any one out there be interested in buying my "as I learn" dolls for the cost of supplies plus shipping? I would, of course, keep the complete failures to myself. Anyway. It's an idea. I may give it a go.


(Ravelry notes here.)

Totoro is still in blob-form. I'm really starting to wonder if it'll ever look right. I suppose it's a good thing the Beast's birthday isn't until the end of April!

And this..


was my photography helper this morning. Mostly he munched on "circle cheese" and made me laugh so hard most of my pictures came out blurry.

Suffice to say, we're all feeling better. I'm extremely thankful that our colds rarely last more than a few days. I'll be doubly glad once all these little noses finish drying up, though!

Why we crank.

Okay. The bad mood? The sleepless nights? The cranky boys? The tempers and fights?



Yep. Everyone in the house is sick. Sore throats, runny (yet oddly stuffed up) noses, fevers, sunken eyes, fatigue.

But at least we still have Flogging Molly (yes, these albums are all that are getting me through my days).

Weekending and a Monday.

Scenes from the weekend:


Ran out of sheet-yarn. The boys love my rug (as do the cats - someone peed on it already).


Ponyo in progress for the Beast's birthday. Ravelry notes here.


Totoro in progress for the Beast's birthday. Ravelry notes here.


This is how our table (yes, where we eat) routinely looks.
.
.
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Monday. I'm in a terrible mood. I want to swear constantly and stomp around. I feel like an evil troll. So I'm scouring the house in an attempt to clean and blasting Flogging Molly on the speakers with the windows open. It may not be helping, but at least the house is looking better.

Yarn Along!

Joining Ginny at Small Things again this week.



Alrighty. I've been up to a mess of things. Aside from crafting away, I seem unable to focus on just one thing. I'm still working on my sheet-rug. I finally bought a crochet hook (size Q!) though I'm not sure it's really a help at all. I've learned to crochet a doll wig with "built in" loops - why in the world did I not know about this before? Short hair is so much easier this way! As for reading, I'm rereading Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer/Pythia series. I adore these books. They're a comfort to me - like coming home. Yes. I'm a strange person. Vampires, witches, weres, magic, demons, and crazy power struggles are a comfort. That and potato soup. Mmmmm.



I've also been knitting. Cat ears. Compliments of Emily's brilliant cat ears pattern. The ears on this doll are just pinned on. I've been searching for opinions. The smaller ear (on her right, your left) is a contrasting color (orange) and.. well.. smaller. The larger ear (her left, your right) is the same color as her hair and is meant to look anime-esque. What I gather is that the smaller is ideal for making her look like she's wearing a costume and the larger is better for a cat-person. Thoughts?

Crafting On - a day late.

Yarn Along to follow. I'm running seriously behind here. I was much too tired yesterday to ever get around to posting. So here I am, a day late. Happily the Beast went to bed by 11pm (and was up by 8am. ugh.) so I'm feeling a bit more rested.



Yesterday (and Monday, for that matter) was full of craft-fail. Cat ears were too small, too far forward, and looked funny in orange. Ran out of yarn for the back half of a doll shirt. Decided to try sewing clothes, realized I don't have any elastic. Made pants that were way too tight for said doll. Temporarily broke the sewing machine trying to sew some more diaper wipes (because how could I screw up squares, right?).

The day got moderately better after that. I've cut out and have (mostly) sewn clothes that I think will fit the doll. A trip to the store scored me some elastic (and thread, pipe cleaners, giant crochet hook, crayons). Today I will sew. I will not fail. I will not fail. I will not fail. (saying that three times, and in a public place at that, makes it true... right?)

A Busy Weekend

I've been battling a crippling headache all day. I finally relented and asked B for a neck rub - life has been better since then. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be headache-free. In the meantime, here's a glimpse of my weekend.



In the works are two (and an accidental half) Waldorf dolls. One is using the Lillipals pattern and the other is the basic Waldorf doll pattern - both by Adirondack Patterns. The morbid disembodied head was a goof up. I sized the patterns differently than the instructions call for (I don't have a printer so I trace it from my laptop screen). While making the head for the larger doll, I totally forgot and ended up with a head that was way too small. So now I have a head for my *next* doll.



My sheet-yarn ball from Friday's post is more than half used now. I don't have a crochet hook large enough so I've been using my fingers. It works, but my hand cramps after a while. In any event, I like the way my rug is looking. The holey pajama pants that I'm currently wearing are likely to join said rug after my next load of laundry.




Out of nowhere I've had a slew of Etsy orders. I'm so grateful for the people who want to own my creations. I've been feeling guilty, though. I'm a bit gnomed out. I'm having such a grand time making dolls and knitting for my friends and family. My Etsy shop is seriously lacking because of this. But I think I've decided to give myself permission to neglect the Etsy shop for a while. I'll still take custom orders (anything I've made, I can pretty much make again). The regular stocking, though, is going to take a break. An official break, at any rate.



I spent Saturday test knitting something completely adorable for Emily of Yarn Miracle. I'm not sure yet if I'm allowed to share pictures of my finished cuteness. I'll add a picture in once I hear from her. In any event - you should hightail it to her shop. It is packed full of squishy wonderfulness. I can personally attest that her patterns are extremely well written, easy to follow, and packed with helpful pictures.

Right. And now I'm off to crochet hair for the huge doll, put the Elf and Imp to bed, and watch B play Skyrim. Life is good.

Winner!

Michelle is the lucky winner of the Waldorf doll pattern and tutorial by Adirondack Patterns! Congratulations! (:

The last 24 hours

This is what I do when my kids are making me crazy.



I tear sheets into "yarn" and ghetto-block capelets. The following pictures are terrible. Okay, no. My husband took the photos and they are fine. It's the subject - the person in said photographs. I have this thing.. I don't like her very much. I never have. But I'm trying to get over that and accept her for who she is - tattered pajamas and all.




(The hand on the belly is not a hint. I am not pregnant. I do, however, have many holes in my shirt. Pale, pale skin is very noticable in holey black shirts.)



Don't forget the giveaway! You can still enter through tonight!