It Took A Doll

It's taken this doll to make me want to photograph knitting again. She, along with her sisters and many other mementos, had been in offsite storage for over three years. Little did I know that, packed along with them, was a host of the wee beasts that lived in the carpet of my old place. A small area rug appears to have been the host of the eggs. The beetles had been reproducing in the dark of one storage bin all that time - happily munching away at my belongings.  I discovered this last month, as I unpacked the last box from our recent move. 

How sad and bizarre it felt to throw away a lifetime's worth of paper and cloth things. Teddy bears, letters, The Daughter's childhood art - all tossed along with the bin itself. The dolls were in a different box, so were saved but their clothes were ruined.

Right now the dolls are wrapped in fabric togas awaiting a new knit wardrobe. This is the first completed garment. It's knit from a bright Koigu I've kept for ages but had no idea what to do with. It suits this project perfectly so I'm glad I held on to it. I've had the flu and knitting this little dress has helped me pass the time at home. Now I'm off to find the next pattern.

Distractions Part II

Sometimes I just need to get my creative juices flowing by playing with my dolls. Here they are trying on some summer outfits. 

Seventies Nightie Chic

I've gotten into the habit of, when a loved piece of clothing finally wears beyond repair, clipping a swatch of the fabric to keep. So, when my favourite cotton nightshirt completely fell apart this summer I cut a square of the blue paisley from the hem for future use. I knew I wanted it to be a paper doll dress.

Examining the swatch last weekend, I was reminded of those patchwork skirts and vests the older girls wore when I was a child in the 70's. Have you seen them? They were fashioned from shades of denim and various red and blue handkerchiefs? Add gold hoop earrings and sandals. I thought those girls were so pretty.

This is my little craft homage to the style. Instead of handkerchiefs and denim, we have wrapping paper, magazine clipping, and nightie scrap. Ephemera made on a gloomy afternoon.

It's A Barbie Wedding!

Working at The Frolic this year meant I had no time to shop at all. This is a good thing for my wallet but it also meant I could not spend my traditional half hour looking through all the donated second hand pamphlets they sell for charity. There is always at least one good find and lots of entertainment in the search. Having a total of about 4 free minutes this year meant I had to grab what was close and on top so I chose this doll pattern booklet on impulse. Now that I have it at home, I kind of love it. Check out those bridesmaid dresses! There are even instructions for making that doggie.

My favourite part is the actual dolls. This is the Barbie I remember from the seventies with the round face and those open, lightly made up eyes. I think she is so much prettier than the harsh looking ones sold today.

Affections For Me Are Misplaced

"The rose is obsolete

but each petal ends in

an edge..."     

William Carlos Williams

Spring and All, 1923

I fashioned a paper doll dress

from the paper roses

that wrapped my Valentine carnations.

I've always liked renderings of roses 

better than roses themselves.

The carnations and daisies in the bouquet

were white and red and adorned

with a tinsel plastic heart,

                                       that heart on a stick.

The roses are pink; combine

into a lovely confection.

It hangs on my wall 

and dresses my doll.

A pretty paper fantasy made

with hands, sugar, tears, glue,

                                       silly but mine,

has lasted. Will last   

                                       longer

than the flowers it wrapped,

the romance that brought it here.   

Barbie Gets Trashed

I took my doll out for her photo shoot in her newly knitted ensemble (details of which are on my Ravelry page). One of the stops on my walk was the wine store. I just couldn't resist a a quick photo of the girl gone wild. This is sedate however. You should see what she got up to in the vodka section.

Hello Dolly

OK, it's no secret that I like dolls but I may have gone too far this time.  Even the normally tolerant Daughter asked,
"Why did you buy those?", when she spotted them on the credenza.
Well I just couldn't help it!  They crack me up. I was at the CNE and there was a whole booth wall of these key chain sized girls on display, all with various dress and hair styles. This was my favourite version so I got one in each colour she came in.  They make me laugh every time I look at them and, at $2.00 each, I'd say that's a pretty good deal.

There is also some knitting related doll news.  I  used up a scrap of Tanis Blue Label the other evening to knit this tube dress from the Sticka Till Barbie website.  It took the length of a DVD to make from start to finish.  Very cute.

Mad Men Anyone?

  Is it just me or is this curvy dress reminiscent of of Marilyn circa How To Marry A Millionaire?


This was the predicted quick satisfaction. I cast on the little bit of leftover Regia from the latest sock project and then just continued with some generic blue from the stash. The longest process is the finishing - crocheting the edges, weaving in all those tiny ends and sewing the teeny tiny snaps to the placket.
Love the cinched waist line and hip celebrating decreases on the skirt.  I just wish I had some cute shoes to complete the look.  

The Face, The Hair, The Clothes!

Because I don't have enough projects on the needles, I cast the centre piece on today. Nothing like vintage fashion doll wear for that quick and easy feeling of success.  I've made this before and it's extremely satisfying.  My own clothes may be a fright but, darn it!, the Barbies will look smashing.

"My Barbies Are Better Dressed Than I Am."

That's what the Daughter said when she opened her new collector doll on Christmas morning.  I had knit up the little red jacket from another of my old McCall's magazines, modifying a stodgy cardigan into a long flowing silk jacket. It was attached to the box with a pretty red ribbon. Shortly after breakfast, the new doll was outside the box (a great accomplishment as anyone who has ever opened one of those packages knows), wearing her new jacket and on the shelf beside last year's girl.   A photo shoot ensued.

Holiday Outfits

Thanks to Lily, Ruby, Leah and me, the girls are ready in time for their Christmas parties.

High Fashion - Miniaturized

You may recall my love of this late sixties silhouette?  Well...

As I've said before, if it's truly gorgeous, it stays gorgeous.  The passing of forty years makes not a whit of difference.  This pattern is from a 1967 McCall's Needlework & Crafts.  I have several issues and love them because the doll clothes patterns are faithful miniatures of the fashion of the day and that fashion was simply, stunning.  I would wear this jacket.  Well, maybe not in August, but you get the idea.
Sometimes i wonder about my sanity when making thing like this. Especially at times like Friday night when I was struggling to set in the teeny tiny sleeves.  Then, once it's done, it's worth it.  Making pretty little things just gives me a dose of happy.  Who cares that my downstairs neighbour looked at me sideways during this morning's photo shoot on the lawn?

In My World Hedgehogs Are Purple

Pattern: Smith by Ysolda

Purple, only because these two colours were the most appropriately sized scrap balls in the stash.

I finally buckled down last night and finished this. Unfortunately, the knitting gods blessed me with inspiration at about 11:30 pm so I was up until after one. No matter. One must follow one's Muse.

It's remarkable how finishing a project does wonders for the mood. I've been feeling like crap for days and this little toy has managed to lighten that somewhat. I'll take it.

See that cute little pointy nose? The last ten rows or so were executed on DPN's! Yes, me, the DPN hater and despiser was forced over to the dark side by the pointiness of Smith's nose. I'm pleased that I managed the cursed things so well and that the end result is sufficiently cute.

Well, Excuse Me

It happened again this morning. I'm sitting on the aisle seat on the streetcar, minding my business, when I get someone's bag hard upside my head.
"Sorry", she says.
Meanwhile, she is continuing on down the aisle, making no effort to move her bag to a less dangerous position, and hasn't actually looked at me.
Definitely not sorry. Why did you even bother to say it?

Here's the other one. It's sadly even more common.
"Excuse me".
One hears it all over Toronto these days. I hear it in the grocery aisle as I try to reach something while my arms are full. Suddenly someone's cart rear ends me.
"Excuse me".
On the bus, standing in the overcrowded hell of rush hour, someone barrels past saying it while he's pushing me out of the way.
At the TTC turnstile, I have been shoved face first into the glass by back pack toting commuters who can't wait for me to pay my fare and just have to jam that stupid ticket in the box and jump in front of me in line. But it's somehow OK because they say the two magic words?

Look it up in the dictionary.
Excuse - to disregard an offense or fault, to try to minimize blame.
Saying "Excuse me" is supposed to mean you're asking for forgiveness from the person whom you have just offended. No one here is acknowledging fault or asking pardon. When they say "Sorry", they really mean "Move. Get out of my way. I'm in a bigger hurry and my needs are more important than yours."
You are not being polite or well bred or whatever it is you tell yourself you are. Using a couple of words incorrectly does not make you any less of an A-hole.

My creepy looking new paper doll fiendishly agrees with me.

Barbie Never Wore Natural Fibre

I picked up this natty little flyer at a second hand store yesterday - because everyone needs to knit Barbie size intarsia pullovers. O the agony.

In other news....Remember the UN Year of International Fibre? Well, they have an AMAZING NEW WEBSITE!! It is truly informative and not at all dull, as one might expect from the UN. There are also some fabulous photos of fibre farming, animals, and production. Go there. Go There Now!

Thanks For the New Clothes!

Hey, Secret Pal! I thought you might like to see what some of that great craft paper was used for.
The Daughter made the eminently practical, yet fashionable jacket on the left. Perfect for the office or a stylish lunch.
I, on the other hand, made flashy, impractical wide leg dancing pants out of the red flowered paper. The coordinating gold crop top? Well, I am old enough to remember the disco craze!

Home Today

I have an armchair next to the dining room window and I drink my coffee there every morning. Today, this was the view. I never lose sight of the fact that I live in a beautiful neighbourhood and if I rent this view rather than owning it, who cares? Watching the seasons change through my window has been a daily joy.

My new Secret Pal expressed curiosity about my paper dolls. Here is their current wardrobe as they hang on the living room wall. From left to right, The Daughter made the first and second dresses. I made the third and fourth. We change them about once a week. It's renewable art! Yes, I know it's odd but I don't care.

Does It Come in My Size?

I'm really, really, proud of this one. I wanted to use up the bit of leftover Fleece Artist sock yarn in a way that would highlight its beauty and glow. I started off with a pattern from an old leaflet but, frankly, by the time I was done, I had altered the original so drastically that it feels like my design. I had to rip back the bodice three times to get the shape and size exactly to my vision.

Is it weird that a grown woman does this?

A Paper Diversion

Well, the knitting is all the same. The ugly socks are almost done and the purple tunic rollls along in stocking stitch.

In the meantime, I made this little dress from paper I bought in the gift shop at the Textile Museum. The crispness of the texture just screamed sharp pleats to me. I'm thinking Jackie O., mid-height pumps, supper party. Your skirt swings when you walk and the belt buckle glitters in the low light. You are efficient, yet sexy, and your legs look great. Get it?

Making these little outfits for paper dolls has been such a great source of play for me. As adults, we so often forget the joy of playing for its own sake. Also, since I can't sew, this is the closest I'll ever get to creating this kind of dress.

Speaking of the Textile Museum, if you've not yet seen the installation The Blues, get thee down there. It's quite remarkable in scope. The show closes April 6.

What To Do With All Those Little Foil Chocolate Egg Wrappers

Fashions created by The Daughter