Sweater Weather!

I love this time of year.  It's not quite fall, but the weather is cooling down enough to dress in layers and not always be at the bottom one.

The dolls are modeling two new offerings currently on eBay.  Lately I've been favoring the Wilde Imagination dolls, especially Amber.  But this time Prudence got in on the fun, too.

One is a green cardigan sweater I've had nearly done for quite a while.  Sewing snaps and buttons on is not my favorite task, but I finally got them on.  I like how clingy this one is.  It was really meant to be a sweater with a back closure, but I messed up the neckline a little, and it just looks so much better as a cardigan instead.

With the dark wig and her dark eyes, Amber loooks so good in this dark green.  The yarn is from Stricken Smitten, a fingering weight yarn I believe was called Glow Worm.  It's sadly sold out (her yarns sell out fast!), but I believe I have enough to make another doll sweater down the road.  :D

The second is a stripey sweater that I started recently, for Prudence.  Lots of fun stripes, and a nice big neckline.  Even sleeveless, it looks like it would be pretty cozy.

This is another reclaimed/recycled yarn project.  There is a lot of Penelope's Fine Yarns, plus the silver is from Keystone Art and Craft.  All luscious and a joy to knit with.

I've already cast on for a new sweater, but I'm still not sure where I'm headed with it.  I was thinking of trying something with a ruffled hem, but as with my other doll knits, I'll see where it ends up.  :D

Tiny, Doll Sized Socks!

Even dolls need a pair of luxury socks.  This first attempt turned out to be green reclaimed cashmere socks.

These were knit on size 0 US needles, with a laceweight yarn once again provided by Penelope's Fine Yarns.  It's a nice shade of green, more blue undertones than yellow.  They are simple socks with ribbing at the top, but they aren't tube socks.  Oh no, these have a tiny little heel!

The socks are knit from the toe up, so I can gauge how long I want to make each one before I will run out of yarn.  I have a lot of little skeins that are perfect for doll items, so I envision a lot more socks in the near future.  The pattern being easy to memorize makes this a great project for tv watching, or to have in my purse if I suspect I'm going to be waiting around for anything for any reason.

This pair of socks is up on eBay.  Hopefully this will be another item I can make to help offset the cost of living in general, and doll collecting specifically.  :D

Now I need to get to work and try to ignore the indignant glances I keep getting from Ellowyne and Sydney.  They got a taste of cashmere socks, and now they want their own.  They've already pointed out that it would be impractical for me to knit myself a pair, and that they have been modelling for free, so, you know, some kind of compensation is in order.  Soon.  :D

Tailor Fit Dress For Wilde Imagination Amber/Ellowyne

I had a pretty blue and white print cotton fabric that was just calling out to become a summery dress for one of my dolls. My Essential Amber graciously and patiently helped me draft a pattern, and sat through a few hours of fittings until it was just right.

Amber didn't realize she doesn't get to keep this dress, as it is now listed on eBay.  I'm sure she wants to tell me what she thinks about that, but is remaining silent in hopes of getting a new dress of her own soon.  :D

The auction listing is here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300762145176&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

The dress also turned out to fit well on Tonner's new Judy doll with the starlet body.  I was surprised by this, only because I expected the hips on Amber to be narrower than the hips on the starlet body.  But both fit along the bustline well, and draped on the hips the right way.

I had to keep adding snaps to the front bodice to prevent "wardrobe malfunctions", but in the end it just enhanced the fit.  I also gathered up the shoulder straps to enhance the bodice, especially the low scooping back.

I have to admit I'm proud of this dress, mostly because I did it without any pattern at all.  It also didn't take as long as I thought it would, so somewhere along the line I've started to get a better feel at doll dressmaking.  I will definitely be custom making more dresses for my various dolls in the near future!

Just don't tell the "models" that they probably won't get to keep their dresses, either... :D

Update on 2012-08-26 11:40 by Fashionable Figures

This little dress did sell on eBay, happily for more than my starting price.  I was asked about a pattern for it by the seller, and have heard interest expressed elsewhere for one. 

This is a dress I definitely want to make again, so next time I will make sure to write myself notes and take photos along the way.  I may not be able to make a draftable/sellable pattern because of the amount of tailoring on the doll I employ, but I can at least share my steps in the process (plus record them for my own records!).

Stay tuned!

Cashmere Hoodie Makes For Happy Dolls

I've busied myself with knitting up doll sized sweaters this last week during every spare moment.  I found a couple of great free patterns that only took a bit of tweaking to fit Tonner 16" dolls, including my lovely Tonner Club Jane repaint by PepStar, and my Amber doll from the Ellowyne Wilde collection.

I am thrilled with the results and can't easily pull myself away from my knitting needles to go to work or do any of the necessary chores of life and living. Especially since I'm using the luscious recycled cashmere yarns from Penelope's Fine Yarns!  This particular hoodie is made from her Curry reclaimed yarn, with a touch of a mink brown at the cuffs and lower hem.

The pattern for the hoodie is found here at Undermost Salamander's site. It is extremely well written and easy to follow.  I tweaked the fit on the sleeves just a bit, adding four stitches at the armhole caston, but otherwise the pattern intended for a slim fit BJD like a Miniefee, in laceweight it fit Tonner's 16" doll just about perfectly!

As I went on to my next project, I found it less complicated than I expected to knit up a sweater with a custom and tailored fit, so I will definitely be making a lot more knit wear for dolls. It's a lot less daunting than knitting a full sized sweater for myself!

And the dolls stay happy.  Happy dolls are important. Unhappy dolls are unnerving, even to concerned friends and family who don't hear what I hear...

It Doesn't Take Much

Just a few yards of cashmere laceweight, courtesy of Penelope's Fine Yarns, and my Nu Mood Sydney has a sweet little top to wear over her bodysuit.

Anyone else getting a bit of an 80's vibe here? Maybe if I'd made the collar a little bit taller? Oh no, now I have Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" stuck in my head!

No matter. Sydney seems pleased, and if my dolls are happy, all is well, even with overwhelming 80's flashbacks!