Blythe and Strawberry Shortcake

Clair (my Blythe doll) looks a bit peevish, as though she was a big sister made to dress like a little sister; well, guess what?

In this case, the Blythe sweater was made first, then modified for Strawberry Shortcake.

The sweaters have back snap closures. Strawberry's sweater has minimal shaping, but I gave quite a bit of waist and neckline shaping to Blythe's sweater. The yarn is a "bamboo from rayon" blended with wool and nylon... maybe it's a bamboo yarn, and maybe it isn't, but it's lovely to work with, and soft with a sheen.

The skirts are rayon; elastic waist with pink tulle underskirts attached; rickrack trim at the hem.

I'm not going to post the sweater pattern as I am not totally satisfied... it needs a bit of rework which I will save for another day.

Room with a view; a FS Lookout in the Pacific Northwest.

Elevation: 4300 ft.

13 miles east of the Pacific Ocean; overlooking the Pistol River watershed, and the Gardner Ranch, which was settled in 1885 by my great grandmother Rebecca and her husband Ben. They had two children; Harley and Ina..

Ina was my grandmother; she was married to Jeff Forkner and had 4 children with him. They built a house on her 1/2 of the ranch; purchasing lumber from the mill on Carpenterville Road.

Later, she was married to Keith Dunning, and had 3 children with him. It was he who talked her into selling her 1/2 of the Gardner Ranch and moving south to the land of opportunity: was it Fortuna, CA? In any case, he left her there with the three chiildren and the 4 older children. I heard it said that the older boys ran him off.

Back in my own childhood, my parents would spend a couple of weeks each summer at the ranch, with all us 6 children in tow. They helped with shearing the sheep; we children played.... there was a very steep slope where we used to climp up to the top with pieces of cardboard and sliding down... someone invariably got hurt, but we loved it! Memories, memories.

We began going to SnowCamp LO in 1995; it was no longer "manned" or "staffed", but had been turned into a vaacation rental by the FS. It became one of our "go to" spots.

Later when the 2003 Biscuit Fire ran amuck, and burned the structure, we were among the group that volunteered to rebuild the structure. Since that time, Frankster and I have volunteered to "open and close" the lookout each season.

We couldn't have asked for better weather! Sunny, warm and no wind! Yay!

Often we are there when the winds are 40 mph, gusting to 80 mph. It made the job of putting up the shutters so much easier not to worry that one would be blown out of your hands and over the mountain! Our good friends, Stephen and Cris, were there to help us, so the job went quickly and smoothly!

Can't wait till opening next season!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake wearing her original pants with the hat I recently knit for the Tanya doll; seems they both have 6" heads!

The little sweater is my newest pattern; much modified from my Blythe sweater pattern to fit Strawberry.

I made the first one to slip on over the hips, but doesn't work for her. I added a back opening and will add only one top snap. It would close completely, but I like the bit of flare.

Once I was happy with the pattern, I tested it out on about 10 different yarns! Why, you may ask? Well, they're so tiny and a bit like popcorn... make one, and you want to do another!

After I get all the yarn ends woven in and the snaps attached I will begin listing them on my etsy. It will be interesting to see how much interest there is in Strawberry!

:D

Strawberry Shortcake

I rescued a 2002 Strawberry Shortcake doll from the abyss of my granddaughter's room; she cleaned up nicely, so will be drafting patterns for her soon!

Tanya's Knitted Cloche

Tanya is the newest addition to my growing collection of dolls. She is from the Signature Collection from Barbara Lee. Measuring 8" high, she has a 6" head circumference.

This hat fits "What's Her Face" and will likely fit some of the other dolls with slightly bigger heads than Barbie.

My other hat patterns were either too small (Skipper, Licca, Momoko, etc) or too big (Blythe, Pullip, American Girl, etc).

So, this sweet little porcelain doll gets her own hat pattern.
Needles: size 1 DP
Yarn: sock weight yarn, shown: German Regia self-striping yarn, and turquoise Wildfoote from Brown Sheep Co. Both knit up at approximately 9 st per inch.


Cast on 54 stitches; join, be sure stitches are not twisted. (18-18-18)
Knit stockinette stitch for 1.75"( about 20 rows). then:

Decrease for Crown:

Rnd 1: "K4, K2 tog" across to 45 st. (15-15-15)
Rnd 2: Knit around
Rnd 3: "K3, K2 tog" across to 36 st. (12-12-12)
Rnd 4: Knit around (note: this is final round of knit only)
Rnd 5: "K2, K2 tog" across to 27 st. (9-9-9)
Rnd 6: "K1, K2 tog" across to 18 st. (6-6-6)
Rnd 7: "K2 tog" across to 9 st. (3-3-3)
Rnd 8: "K2 tog, K1" across to 6 st. (2-2-2)
Rnd 9: "K2 tog" across to 3 st. (1-1-1)

ICORD Topknot:
Knit the final three stitches onto one needle. Knit ICORD for 18 rows (54 st, if counting). End. Thread yarn thru a tapestry needle and weave into the center of the cord then trim; tie topknot. Weave in tail remaining at the beginning of the cap.


And, this is Tanya... she has glass eyes and real lashes. I don't show a full body photo... when I found her in an antique shop she was dressed in her original outfit which is bulky and cumbersome... Later, after making a new outfit for her she will appear again.

Note: Pattern is copyrighted and available for personal use only.

Dammit Doll

Started out to design a rag doll to wear some of the doll clothing and knits that I make....

this one won't do it, but she's kindof fun anyway!

She's destined to be a "Dammit Doll".... to be kept handy for when you feel the urge to whack someone, but your better sense tells you "NO!"

She is made from decorator weight cotton, her ankles are perfectly sized for grabbing, and her body is firmly stuffed for good whacking on the car steering wheel, the tv, sewing machine, or computer; maybe the phone that rings during the 6 pm news.... Yell "Dammit, dammit, dammit" as you give the offending item a couple of good whacks. +_+

She has no face yet and hasn't been closed up at the top of her head, but she is soooo expressive with those long unstuffed arms! With arms crossed I am tempted to give her face raised eyebrows; then I shifted the arms and she looks like the morning after the night before..... :D

On the other hand.... perhaps she should be a "Mood Doll"..... to keep at your desk to forewarn the unsuspecting that today is NOT the day to mess with you!

Textured Fall Head Wrap or Scarflette

I found this fuzzy textured yarn... it has been the rage for several years for those long skinny scarves; you know the ones! Anyway, I was inspired by the fall colors of the yarn... I added a strand of a German Crazy Zauberball self striping wool sock yarn to it for extra color.. Look closely and you will see a bit of blue in it! I also had in mind adding a natural fiber to the poly/acrylic stuff to give it (an me) integrity.... :D

The design is straightforward to knit; simply cast on three stitches, then add one stitch at each end on every row as in "K1, M1, K,... rib knit to the other side ending with P,K, M1, K1... yes, I increased on every row. Keep going until you are done, then stop! Mine ended up being about 8" x 20" excluding the braids.

Bind off loosely; add braided ties. The size is perfect for a head wrap or tied loosely at the neck for a pop of color over a jacket or sweater.

The uneven number of stitches resulted in an edge of knit 3.. with K1,P1 rib knit throughout. I had in mind to knit until the scarflette was wide enough to tie around the neck but changed my mind when nearing the end of the skein.

I liked the idea of the pop of color in the braided ties.

For the ties I wrapped yarn from hand over elbow and back again for 36 strands; cut; divide shaded yarns equally for each side. Slip the strands through the end of the scarflette and with ends even, begin braiding. You can be obsessive compulsive and count out even numbers of colors for the three strands or let them come as the fall... I fall into the obsessive compulsive route, so there ya are!

Happy knitting!

Clair with the new snowman. Waldorf inspired knitted doll. Knit from wool blend sock yarns; wool batting inside, wool embroidered facial features; felted wool fabric scarf..... sorry, plastic button! Firmly attached, but makes it not suitable for babies and small children. Better used as a doll for your larger dolls, or as an ornament.

The too pink doll is knit based on the pattern in the book of Pocket Pals discussed in a recent post. The snowman is my own pattern. ..... significantly smaller at 2.75" rather than 4.5"; and I gave it some shaping.

The original doll can wear hats I knit for Skipper, Momoko, Licca, Jenny, Barbie, and What's Her Face. Way too big for the snowman, so I wrote a new pattern for the smaller version.

Mini knitting is such a treat!

OK... it's tedious and tiny, and my eyes get buggy after awhile, but I keep coming back for more! I found this great little book of designs by Val Love...it's called Pocket Pals. She's taken an old favorite knitted doll and updated it... at least, I think that's what she did as knitted dolls have been around f-o-r-ever!
But they are so darned cute!

I knitted one with my morning coffee... didn't like that the pattern is written for straight needles, and I am in the process of rewriting it for myself for use with DP needles.

I hate sewing up, and will use circular or DP needles whenever possible. I am actually not going to finish this first one because I need some skin toned yarn to replace to too pink yarn I used, so will post a photo later of a completed one.
In the meantime, Happy Knitting!

Now, THIS is a good fit! But in needed something to set them off, so I knitted up a pretty straightforward shrug. I so love this yarn! The shrug can be worn either way, depending upon which colors you want to have at the shoulders, which show mostly at the front of the doll.

These are the mini stockings that I spoke of earlier. I actually began making them early in July.. but most of the yarn is self-striping that I have, and really isn't suited to "pairs" of socks for dolls. These will likely end up as tree ornaments... again.. they're addictive! The pattern was purchased; but adapted to suit my knitting. I didn't like the ribbed top as shown on the green stocking. Why? Because it is so small it is difficult to open it up; I envision them on a miniature tree with mini candy canes... so, modified the top for a purled top; subsequent stockings are a bit different, with two rows of purls separated by two rows of knit stitches.

Note: The stockings are shown on What's Her Face; she has much bigger feet than Blythe or the other 1/6 scale dolls, so I modified the pattern again to fit Blythe.
Did I say I knitted mini stockings while on the PCT? ... my brain must have fried in the sun.... The yarn I took with me was a skein of self-striping sock yarn, and I made these little Topknot Hats. They are sized for Skipper, which means they will fit most 1/6 scale dolls, such as Barbie, Licca, Momoko, Jenny, and What's Her Face. They will definitely NOT fit Blythe! I have another pattern for her.
The hats are like popcorn... addicting! You must keep knitting to see how the next one will shape up!

So... advancing in age as we are... we figured that there would be no better time to hike a bit of the Pacific Crest Trail.... it won't be easier next year, after all!!
Gathering up the newest equipment was the fun part! Lots of new lightweight things to get... I treated myself to the newest lightweight thermarest sleeping pad, coming in at 14 oz..... good thing! My pack weighed over 40 lbs, even after ditching some stuff the night before heading out. However, I must confess that some of the ditched items found their way back into my pack before we left. :D
We chose the section of the PCT nearest as we were shuttled back and forth.... beginning at Grouse Gap, about 10 miles east of Mt Ashland, and hiking to Wrangle Gap... about 10 miles or so. Didn't seem like so much, but it took us all day! When we thought we should be almost there we realized we had to go around Red Mtn... more uphill!! But the campsite at Wrangle Gap was great! So great, in fact, that we decided to stay put for 4 days; then hiked back out the way we came. Next year: lighter packs, and another section. At this rate, we will be hiking for 170 years to finish the 1700 mile PCT!!
While camping I knitted until I ran out of yarn.. I had taken only one ball of sock yarn, and knitted up some mini stockings with it. (It was worth its weight in the pack, believe me!)
:D

The hat Clair is wearing is made with a green/gold/tan sock yarn that self-stripes. My pattern is shaped for a nice rolled brim for wearing as a Beret, but in this photo she wears it pulled to the back to cover her hair. The first few hats I made with this new pattern didn't have the topknot... but I added one to a hat for a test and like it so much that it is now standard! Easily done over 6 stitches on dp needles.


You know you are hooked on Blythe when you begin buying accessories and toys for your doll..... I found this adorable little Felted Teddy Bear in a Frog suit on ETSY.... see other treats in her shop: http://www.madebylaura.etsy.com/


The colors inspired the use of the green dotted fabric for the new dress. I was going for a Lolita style... with lace, ruffles and satin lacing in the front and back. Shown here with the green thigh high stockings I make with stretchy lace at the tops.

Here you can see the patterning on the top of the beret, also the color blocking of the sweater. I found a perfect fabric for the leggings in my stash; I would have preferred a bit of lycra in it; but cotton jersey is good too! I listed the pieces separately on etsy; and have already sent a pair of the leggings out to a customer. I will make more of them!


I found this interesting yarn that is self-striping in shades of lavender... I love how it worked up! The hat is actually a beret with the classic roll at the brim, however shown here pulled down to frame Blythe's face... the better to show the yarn's patterning.
After making the hat, I moved on to a sweater... it ended up more of a "color block" sweater with different colors showing up on each piece. I will post another photo showing the whole outfit momentarily.

A little dolling for a customer in Texas... the Lolita Dress was designed and made to fit her Momoko doll, which is somewhat smaller than Barbie. The dress is adjustible via lacing at the back and also at the front waist with ties. There is an underskirt for extra fullness; and the accessory pieces were too fun to make! I added a bit of bling to several of the pieces.
Now... I need to adjust my pattern to fit Blythe!

Custom dress made for Blythe. Clair poses with the dress prior to shipping standing in front of a stack of fat quarters on my cutting table. Judicious layout of the pattern on the fabric resulted in a little sunflower at the neck. The customer wanted sunflower fabric, but not "heavy with sunflowers".

Busy, busy, busy!

I got a note from flickr admin insisting that I delete all references to my etsy shop... it took me an hour! Not all photos had references, but you have to review each one which takes a bit of time!
The good news is: I will likely be posting more photos here! Yay!

Inspired by the combination of the pink and blue in this little outfit I made recently, I dug around in my stash until I found a yarn that I "knew I had" and made a little beret.

It's a curiosity to me that I get here so seldom! Those who know me know that I love to talk about what I am doing.. I am a notorious interupter.. not that what I have to say at any given time is more important that whoever is talking; it's just that if I don't get it out quickly it may go away! :D

But I am here now with a new knitted beret I made for Blythe. The yarn is vintage, and a French cotton.. slubby and multicolored; a sportweight. It was a great yarn to work with! The hat is available at http://www.ssmartraggs.etsy.com.

I am seriously considering writing up my patterns.. (yes! I actually do take notes while knitting something on the fly!)

:D

Newest Knitting Project

Commissioned by the Juilliard School in NYC; this hat is one of four; each different, but all hats that might have been worn in the 1950's. They are for a production of an opera set in the 1950's.

The blue hat is made from a wonderful 70%wool/30%silk yarn that the school provided. I believe it is a Cascade yarn; bulky.

I made this one with a fair isle pattern; it has a 10-stitch repeat, and is 13 rows with a 5-row pattern above it; separated by a red/blue border of one row.
The yarn has a soft drapiness that called for more of a tassel than a pompom, so that's what I did. I think it was about 80 wraps over a 4" cardboard... tied, and another tight wrap and tie before trimming the bottom edge.
The pattern is one that I made up as I went along; starting on size 10.5 US circular needles for the garter stitch edge, then moving onto size 11 US circular needles for the body. I began decreasing after the fair isle pattern was finished; it didn't interfere with the pattern, but I nearly ran out of the blue yarn!! They picked great colors for this hat; I love how this particular shade of blue really makes the red "pop"!!

I said I would post a photo of the baby pod with the cap... boy! Did it take me a long time!! The pod and cap was sold at the local Holiday Craft Fair. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but customers kept coming over to check it out! The customer who purchased it came back 3 or 4 times before purchasing it. She r-e-a-l-l-y wanted it!
:D