AGD Kirsten's Winter Woolies.

"Oh where and oh where has my Kirsten doll gone,

Oh where and of where can she be?

With her eyes so blue and her hair so blonde,

Oh where and oh where is she?"

 In 2014 I had started to try and make a cardi for my Kirsten doll similar to the retired wool set American Girl dolls had made years before. I had read that the original ones they sold were actually hand knit! (makes me wonder how much the knitters were paid to produce those!)

A Ravelry friend Beth sent me some detailed photos of the original set she had. I set to work counting sts and rows and tried to produce a similar effect. I made the body of the cardi but then the whole thing was set aside when my first Grandchild was born. 

Fast forward a few years and I had totally forgotten about the whole thing until I looked through some unfinished projects for a Ravelry Kal! 

The day after I was putting some things away in my craft room and there was the cardi! No yarn with it but from my project page I found what the black yarn was and then managed to find some white. 

So back to the knitting! Sleeves and button band were easy to make and a morning spent sewing together the pieces and weaving in yarn ends finished it.

I picked up sts from fronts and neck and worked a simple rib button band.

I didn't have pewter buttons so used some little wood ones.

Then I started on the hat. I found it easier to make a simple chart. 

Co 84 sts.

 3 rows 1x1 rib. 

1 row purl.
3x3 white/black blocks. 4 blocks high.
Knit 7 rows stockinette.

Then I followed my chart decreasing the sections on the right side after I finished the boy and girl patterns. (7)

I knitted this flat but would knit in the round if I made another one.

A simple pompom completed the effect.

Mittens: 21sts. Five rows 1x1 rows. Purl one row. As diagram.

I knit these in two flat pieces and sewed them. The cord is a simple crochet chain 15 inches long. 

Kirsten is very happy to have her new Winter Woolies!

Diy Doll Clothes Hangers

I have been busy making some doll clothes hangers. It is expensive for me to buy them online here so diy it is! 

I saw various images online which used craft sticks with hot glue. I decided to use some white vinylic craft glue instead, it is slower drying but gives a good result. 

 For each hanger you need:
3 craft sticks. (I used some  6.7"-17cms long (tongue depressor size).
1 cup hook ( I used a 1" size. The screw part was almost 1/2" long) 
white craft glue.

Something to cut the sticks with. Sharp scissors will do, I used a small saw.
Sandpaper.
Acrylic paint.

Mark the center of the stick. Cut away a small amount the size of the screw. 

Glue the two pieces to one stick. Place the cupscrew in the middle and glue. Put the top stick in place and leave to dry. I used pegs to hold the "sandwich" together. 

When it is dry lightly sandpaper the hanger and then paint. I used two coats of paint. Add a decoration if liked. 

I am busy now making a clothes caddy to hold the clothes and accessories. You can see it in the photo. It still needs finishing and painting but already works! 

More about that next time!

What do you think of these? Like them? 

What's up?

Well life has been busy here but due to fires my internet access has been very limited. The poles are slowly being replaced and power restored.

I have been doing a fair bit of sewing recently. A dress for DGD and her doll, a shirt for DH which is almost finished.

I also tried making some sandals. Very pleased with my first attempt. Of course Julie needed a bag to match so I made one. I will be adding that design to my blog soon so keep a look out if you want to try sewing one!

On my birthday we went up into the mountains. Although (typically) the day was cloudy we had fun setting up a tent and sleeping bags for the dolls. Dgd enjoyed herself playing with them. Well worth the time spent sewing to see her expression! 

My older DD and Sil bought me a doll! Hannah loves horse riding, a Gotz doll. As I do have a horse for her, I can foresee lots of fun playing with DGD. She has just started a little riding. 

"We" now have a brown hair, a blonde hair and a red hair doll! The blonde Hannah ballerina belongs to my DGD. 

I have also done some knitting. A new pattern is on ravelry. Kaya and Kanani were playing at "Pocahontas".

You can find it for sale in my Ravelry store.

So that's all for now. Will be back soon with the instructions on how to make the doll bag.

DIY doll tambourine tutorial

American Girl Folk Costume Tambourine.

     I have started making a folk dance costume for my doll and have already finished the skirt. Obviously  as usual I got side-tracked!  I started thinking about when my DD used to sing and dance in the local Folk group. They had people who played instruments obviously and she had a tambourine! (I added it to the photo so you can see what I was trying to achieve!)
      Off I went to see if I could find a small one to buy...nothing. The only one I did find doesn't ship to Italy. Ok, so lets find instructions to make my own...again nothing! I couldn't find anything in my search. Is it possible no one else has decided to make one?
So I got my thinking cap on and asked my DH for suggestions as well. This is the prototype of what we have come up with! All the things we used were already in the house. Some could be substituted by better alternatives. I could have done with having my DB here as well to help. Unfortunately he lives many miles away. He is far better than me at this sort of crafting!

"Ingredients!"
Wood border for finishing off shelf edges. (DH used it a while ago for a cabinet he made. It sticks on  with heat, we used an old flat iron)
A ruler and pencil to mark where to cut the holes.
A small container to use as a form for the tambourine.
Some thin wire. A wire cutter.
The metal holders from 10 tealight candles. These are thin aluminium and can be easily cut with scissors. Bottle taps would have been a better alternative but I had none available.
A strong needle to make holes in the discs.
A punch to make holes in a belt. I used this to make it easier to cut slits in the wood border.
A sharp knife.
A stapler. White glue. Sticky tape.
Some narrow ribbon for decoration.

I think that is all.
First  I took the border and wrapped it around the small container. I overlapped the ends a little and cut it. Then I cut another piece the same length.
I used a ruler to mark the center and draw 5 spaces for the "metal" discs. With the belt punch we punched small holes along the line and then with the knife straightened the holes.
I cut 10 small circles from the tealight holders. With a needle I punched a hole in the center, 2 at a time so I was sure they matched.  I cut a short piece of wire, narrower than the wood border, and pushed it through the center of the two discs. I used some sticky tape to hold them in place on the inner piece, before placing the outer layer over. I used a staple to close the circle.
With the hot iron we sealed the two pieces of wood together.It would have been probably easier to just glue them in place!
One last hole near the join to tie the ribbons to.
DH used some wood stain on one of them, the other we left as it was.
Now I just need to get knitting and finish her costume!
Here are photos I took. Any suggestions for improvements are very welcome!

Fairly realistic looking?