Blue and White Smocked Dress, shown on Pure Neemo S doll

The making of the perfect dress for Blythe, Pure Neemo S..... note the little crocheted lace bit at the neckline.... Love that detail!!!
:)

I found this wonderful vintage blue/white striped fabric... it's been sitting around in my sewing room awhile waiting for the perfect project. This is it!


I got out my vintage Pleating machine, and tested pleating on a scrap...

:
Then found my old English Smocking Instructions that I used way back in the 1980's for teaching Smocking classes:

And, because I love doll dresses with hand knit tops, I tracked down a pattern for a circular yoke, which I will not show here because I modified it so drastically!! But the top was knit from the top down, with sleeves being put on stitch holders, then later picked up and knit in the round... Perfect for how I like to knit!

Pleats gathered, and surface embroidery completed.... this will be the skirt for the dress.

The bodice is knitted flat, the sleeves knitted in the round... I added yo,K2tog buttonholes in the back... Did I mention that I hate, hate, hate sewing on snaps, and detest velcro?? I will use both when absolutely necessary.... but it isn't necessary here!

Oh, what the hay! This is the pattern that I started with.... and can be found on etsy. 

The doll body is Pure Neemo S..... which means that the dress will fit my new Ppinkydoll, Miko.... also, Blythe.

Taaa-Daaa! 

Blythe, Soom imda 2.2, RealPuki Dresses

Still sewing for Blythe, but sewing for ball jointed dolls is more challenging for me in that they come in all shapes and sizes, just like us! This means that while dresses may appear to be "alike", often there are adjustments to the sizing and the stitches in order to get the perfect fit for each doll. In the case of these dresses, however, Blythe and Soom imda 2.2 can wear the same size. Blythe is shown wearing a matching Wrap on her head. I designed this as a shawl/headwrap. When worn on the shoulders it hugs the body due to the short row shaping.

Sewing the dress for realpuki meant that a hat must be added. Most realpukis dislike wigs, but love their hats!

Handknit bodice with button closure in the back. Skirt is attached to the bodice. I love the double ruffle with the "scooped" gather in front! The underskirt is made with subtle print chiffon and is trimmed with antique lace dating to approximately 1900. These can be seen in more detail in my etsy shop:
www.ssmartraggs.etsy.com

 Knitting for tiny ball jointed dolls is like eating popcorn! These little dresses, rompers and hats each takes less than 25 yards of sock weight yarn and about 45 minutes to knit.  My Romper pattern is an adaptation of a Strawberry Shortcake romper designed by Polly... RealPuki would swim in a SSC outfit!! The dress is a further adaptation. The hat is my own design.
Polly's pattern can be found on Ravelry, or on her website.

 RealPuki Soso from Fairyland.... a day at the beach.. she quickly got rid of her dress, but kept on her hat rather than risk sunburn on her bald head!

Happy Spring! Dress and Romper pinwheel!

 I have already listed some of these in my etsy shop... love the surprise of orange that shows up in this ball of yarn!

PukiPuki.... Cupid
This tiny bjd reminds me of my sister; you knew she was in a high level of concentration because her tongue was sticking out!

New doll in the house.. she's SoSo tiny!! (BJD from Fairyland.)

I found a romper pattern on Ravelry by Polly that nearly works for her. Thank you Polly! Several trials and changes later I am Lovin' it!!
The primary change was to knit circular rather than flat; I hate seaming in knitting, and I disliked the bulk created by the seams in this tiny garment. Also, I want to use the pattern for a bit of fair isle, which is easier for me knitting in the round.

I use the loop over the thumb method of adding stitches rather than the "Knit in the front and back (Kfb) because I think it causes less distortion of the knitting.

The original pattern uses sock yarn and (US size 0) 2.00 mm needles; the first try was too stiff for my liking, so I went to larger (US size 1) for the body. I'm working with Ty-DY Socks, by Knit One, Crochet too. It is 436 yards/100 grams. It has a softer feel and finer hand than most of the other sock yarns I started with. Reminder to self: Go to LYS to get another ball in another color range!

Note: I had posted my changes to Polly's pattern, but looking back at it made it confusing, even to me! So I have removed the changes and will later post my complete version of the romper pattern, rather than just the changes.

You can find Polly's pattern for sale on Ravelry.  Happy Knitting!

My dear friend Cricket from the great state of Georgia sent me the link to this interesting crocheted scarf by fiberflux (see her blog).... She calls it the "Pavement Infinity Scarf".

I haven't picked up a crochet hook in years but this looked interesting, so I gave it a go. The design is intended for a bulky weight Thick and Thin by Lion Brand and a size 9mm/N hook.

Having neither on hand, I opted to test the pattern using a worsted weight ragg wool and a size 7mm/K hook.

Once the Foundation Row is set up the pattern is a simple repeat of Row 1 for 60 inches or until your yarn holds out, or until you decide to quit! Leave enough of a tail to whip stitch the two ends together... this is the step that makes it the circular Infinity scarf. 

The pattern is intended to have a smooth edge at the sides, which is accomplished by the dc in the last space (ch 3 turning space). If you like the scalloped edge simply ignore that bit, and after the last V in the row, chain 3, turn (or turn, chain 3 if you prefer) and begin the next row. The scallops lay flat without curling and gives the scarf a nice finished edge.

Knitting for little dolls may be tedious, but I love the instant (almost) gratification! I saw this yarn in a semi-local big box store and liked the colors... I was surprised as I grew up wearing knitted garments my mom made from the local dime store variety of yarn and swore never to use it myself!! Tacky acrylics; bleh! This yarn is 70% superwash wool/30% nylon, which should wear well if made up into a pair of socks!

Seeing this sock yarn made me pick up a skein to see how it worked up. A bit thicker than most sock yarns that I use, and a bit coarser. But I DO love the color shading! The sweater is an all-over mock cable with stockinette sleeves, reverse stockinette yoke, and 2x2 rib collar. The design is technically a work in progress, as it is slightly smaller than I wanted it to be... sigh.....

But the doll is happy in the coat of many colors!