Summer Doll Outfit

Now that Winter has taken a firm hold of the skies above this rainy, dark island, it is the perfect time to make a summer outfit for those dolls.

This pale blue crochet cotton has been giving me the eye ever since my mother salvaged it from the kerbside rubbish pickup in Australia. It is a lovely weight and colour and I am so delighted that I could take something that was being thrown away and enjoy the process of turning it into something new that will be enjoyed in turn.

First attempt = #fail

Since I didn't know how much was on the ball, I started with a doll hat. Pattern linked from my Ravelry notes. I do like these Elaine Phillips doll patterns, generously given away. The gauge was way off. I made the whole hat with the 2.5mm hook and it came out ridiculously small.
I didn't swatch, I just pulled it out and remade with my favourite size hook, the 4mm. It came out great.

The pattern has the crown continuing to increase as it moves down towards the hat band. This changes the shape into more of a bonnet, the brim re-enforces that effect. I liked the hat much better once I had added the ribbon, which pulled the whole thing in a little more. I left off the last row of the brim because I wanted to conserve yarn. This size frames the face nicely and a larger brim will get floppy quickly.

The Summer Top is made from the same yarn, in the same style, by the same pattern designer. It actually uses less yarn than the hat. Those dolls have big heads. Luckily they don't mind wearing a top that is a bit sheer, but this wouldn't transfer into a human garment without a lining, or a vest underneath.

I upsized my hook again and mistakenly increased too much over the first few rows. I used them up in the sleeve caps, which have 4 fan stitches each, instead of 3. Lucky I did, because the sleeves are a perfect fit, if not a little on the small side.

I added a few more repeats of the shell stitch down through the body, about two extra, to take the top to just below the doll's waist.

I liked the outfit so much, I bought some more crochet cotton (3 ply) to make more! I love this yarn! Every time I discover a new yarn, it becomes my new favourite. Then I buy loads of it so I can have matching colourways to make new things. I restrained myself with just a turquoise and a white this time. Reasoning that the second ball is required to reduce the cost of shipping for both. (£8 for one, £12 for two - should have got three!) When it arrived, I thought it was way to thin and almost sent it back. But when I compared it to the original baby blue, it was exactly the same.

The skirts are made up from some scraps of broderie anglaise that my mother in law had stashed. It was a long, skinny scrap, looking a lot like a table runner. I used 3 widths of it for the skirt and made French seams. I wanted a ribbon tie waistband, but that would be too fiddly for children, so elastic it was. I kept the length below the knee. I'm going to help Big Sis make one of these for her BFF.

Crochet Ballet Bun Net

I had a tiny scrap of cotton yarn and it was the perfect colour to match the light blue leotard that my girls wear to ballet. I decided to make a bun net.

I searched for a pattern that was extremely net-like. Most of the ones I found were lovely, but had far too high a yarn:hair ratio. They looked too much like tea cosies. Instead, I made up my own version using triple crochet with lots of chain stitches in between.

Here are my notes (terms are US crochet terms):

Row 1: Chain (Ch) 8, join to form ring.

Row 2: Ch 7, *Triple Crochet (Tr) into ring, Ch 3* 5 times, join with slip stitch (sl st) to 4^th Ch at beginning of row. This makes a "wheel" with 6 "spokes".

Row 3: Ch 7, *Triple Crochet (Tr) into row 2, Ch 3* 11 times, join with slip stitch (sl st) to 4^th Ch at beginning of row. One Tr into stitch below, one into Ch between. This doubles the size of the "wheel" and the number of "spokes".  (If a larger diameter net is needed, repeat this row, doubling the stitches again.)
Row 4: Ch 7, *Tr into top of each Tr from row 3, Ch 3 between* 11 times. Join. This turns the corner to start the sides of the net by keeping the number of "spokes" the same.
Row 5: Same as Row 4. To make the net deeper, this row can be repeated as many times as needed.
Row 6: Ch 4, *Double crochet into row 5, ch 1* Once into the top of each "spoke", once in between. Join. This creates an edge for threading the elastic and/or ribbon.
Finishing: Thread elastic and sew into a loop and/or thread ribbon and leave ends loose for ties.

Making this was very fast, but I don't love triple crochet. Maintaining the tension is hard and my stitches were quite loose and loopy. But it is a perfect way to use up those last few scraps of crochet cotton.

Festival of Faux Fur – Doll outfit

Well, the dolls are certainly ready for some cold weather. The elves have been crafting a flurry of faux fur accessories for them, and they will be ready and waiting under the tree on Christmas morning.

First up, two winter hats. Released by Pleasant Company, the creator of American Girl, and still available deep within the bowels of Google, Samantha’s Pretty Clothes pattern collection includes a winter hat in the style of a tam / beret. I’ve had this white fur for years, buying it in a rash promise to make Santa hats for the children. It came out to trim the doll’sbaking aprons last year, but otherwise has sat around unused. I learned my lessons though and didn’t cut this with a rotary cutter – which slices through the fur pile in a horrible way. Instead, I drew the pattern on to the back with chalk and then snipped out - only the backing - with embroidery scissors. This keeps the fur intact and actually makes very little mess. I even had a remnant of white satin which my mother had bought the children as fun scraps. This went into the lining of the hats. I didn’t follow the pattern instructions exactly, I couldn’t figure out how to make a channel for the elastic without sewing through the fur pile so I sewed the elastic loop to the seam allowance and then turned and closed by hand.

The Samantha hat was a bit larger and shallower than I was imagining. I wanted more of a Russian style fur hat, so I improvised another one with a smaller diameter and a deeper crown (9cm). It came out a little large, but since the dolls aren’t doing any strenuous activity, I think I got away with it.

The cape is my favourite part of this whole outfit. It was ridiculously quick and easy. No seam finishing, no lining, no hem. Just cut it out, two side seams, front hem closed by hand, attach the ribbon to the neckline and cut the bottom hem evenly. I used the cape I made for Halloween as a template, but shortened the length to 20 cm. It would also be cute even shorter. I think I’d better make another one about 15cm long. I left it unlined because I didn’t want it slipping around on the dolls shoulders. They don’t need the warmth, or the comfort, of a lining. The ribbon makes the whole thing ultra-luxe. I was hunting in my ribbon stash for a black one, but then came across this white grosgrain with gold edging. It arrived last year as part of the gorgeous wrapping that Kirsten at Wrapsody did for us last Christmas.  Amazing!

Finally, the skirt: This pink babycord was a pair of toddler knickers matching a dress. My kids never wore knickers over their nappies. I trained them to be ladylike as young as possible, and not show their knickers. (Kidding! I just couldn’t be bothered peeling off even more layers with every nappy change.) But, for some reason, I kept the pants. After my successful refashion of a summer pair, I had these in mind for a winter pair, with white accent. This pair took some time because the elastic was sewn to the casing, not in a channel, so it meant lots, and lots, of unpicking. But it was worth it: the waistband went back into the skirt, one leg into the hat, and the other leg into a ballet bun. Once something is on my sewing table, I feel a compulsion to keep going until I have used up every last scrap. I added the white ribbon to hide the top of the fur trim, which doesn’t work well when turned over and is really ugly if left raw.

I tried to use another pattern from the clothing set, gaiters, but they just looked like yeti feet so I abandoned them. I might try cutting the pile shorter, because... furry boots!

I think the elves might be in trouble if they only supply one snowy outfit so I have one more week to make a vest, some boots and maybe a navy skirt. Probably another cape too. That is in addition to the summer outfits coming up and the school uniform that I think would be so much fun. Those elves better stop loafing on the sofa with their crochet every evening.

 

Knitted Infinity Cowl

I got this lovely skein of mohair from Granville Island in Vancouver. I wanted to wrap it around my neck just as it was and wear it like that. Instead, I did the closest possible thing that I could manage: an infinity cowl with a twist.

According to the label, the yarn is hand dyed by someone called Yoriko at the Granville Island Fibre Art Studio. Sadly, she wasn't there for me to buy from that day, but the studio is full of wonderful fibre arts, including some gorgeous felted wraps and scarves. It is mohair and wrapped up at about Fingering Weight. The colours range from navy, through dark blue, to turquoise and brown. It actually looks much more blue in real life than in the close up photos.

My strong preference for scarves and cowls that have no right or wrong side meant that if I didn't want to knit rib (no thanks!), it would have to be garter stitch or reverse stockinette. A quick Ravelry pattern browse led me to the pattern I've linked to from my notes. It has rows of stockinette and reverse stockinette which add texture and interest, especially important when working with a variegated yarn.

I didn't actually look at the pattern, I just referenced it for inspiration. I also didn't do any counting or calculations at all. I feel like such a rebel - a knitting rebel! I don't know how many stitches I cast on. I used the thumb method and just stopped when my needles felt full. I added a twist so that I could laugh in the face of all those times that I have joined in the round and discovered an accidental twist. Ha ha! I want a twist!

I did about 5-10 rows of garter stitch as a border, then 4/5 rows of plain / purl alternates. I do admit to a moment of second thoughts and pulled it off the needles to rip out. Then I saw that it was larger than I feared, so I picked up all the loose stitches and carried on. I am sorry that the stockinette doesn't really show at all, the yarn looks lovely in the smooth side, but I kind of knew that would happen.

To end, I didn't really know how much yarn I had left, so I missed the garter stitch border at the top and just cast off. It doesn't seem to curl, which is unusual. I did run out of yarn about 40 stitches from the end, so I had to pull out all the cast off stitches (a total pain with mohair) and cast off lower down.

I can just wrap it twice around my neck so it is the perfect length. And, lo and behold, there are two twists in the join!

Wool Megan Dress

The Megan Dress from Tilly Walnes’ book, Love at First Stitch, was the reason I bought this book. (But my Mimi Blouse was my first make.) Its simple, classic lines made it a winner and I was keen to get started. My love for the pattern multiplied when I found this beautiful wool fabric at the Knitting and Stitching Show in March, and I knew the resulting dress would be a staple in my wardrobe.

The fabric was from M Rosenberg & Son and buying it was such a delight. They had a great selection of wools and suiting and I also picked up a meter of lovely a cashmere/wool blend. More on that later.

The warp threads are black and the weft is brown and turquoise blue. The overall effect is brown, but navy is a great accent for this, as is black. I ended up using black thread and a black zip. I also bought the polyester lining fabric from M Rosenberg, I love its Art-Deco/Victorian motif. It reminds me of Victorian china and crockery decorations, as well as ceiling roses.

I started the sewing with the lining but it was slippery as anything. The motifs helped me line it up straight, otherwise I would not have had a hope of getting it right. Thank goodness it was a lining. I sewed it with a walking foot, but it still puckered like crazy.

The main fabric has no right or wrong side, but it does have a slight nap. By adding a lining and omitting the facings, I only had five pattern pieces and my fabric was wide enough that I cut the dress from 1.25 meters.  I think I have enough left from my 2m to get a blazer, or at least a skirt.

Now for the pattern… Based on my sizing from the Mimi Blouse, I traced a Size 3.

I changed the skirt sizing by tapering to a size 2 to make the bottom more pegged. I thought the skirt shape on the photos was neither here nor there: not quite A line, but not pencil either. This is probably a deliberate decision to get a straight-ish shape with simpler sewing for beginners, it is easier to explain when there is no vent to cut or sew. I forgot about  adding one, but my skirt allows just enough movement. 

During tracing, I shortened the waist by moving the hip curve up. It is nice to have a chance to do this during the tracing of the pattern, instead of folding afterwards. I even remembered to lower the hem by a corresponding 1.5 inches. Finally, I added a small sway back adjustment by shaving 0.5cm from the centre back of the waist seam at both the bodice and skirt, for a total of 1cm.

I changed the construction order to set the sleeves in flat, then sewed up the whole underarm and side bodice in one seam. I find setting in the sleeve much easier on a flat armscye. Why would you manoeuver the sleeve into a small, circular opening if you don't have to? I'm asking seriously here - I would really like to know if I could be doing it better. Remembering the snug fit of the sleeves from the Mimi Blouse, I increased the underarm seams by 0.5cm, at the cuff, not the top. This is a more comfortable sleeve, especially given the fullness at the top. They are gathered, not eased into place. I was quite surprised by the amount of gathering in these sleeves and I had to press the seams towards the sleeves to avoid a very Edwardian shoulder line. I don’t mind the look, but it is something to bear in mind with this pattern.

I constructed the lining and the dress separately, leaving the centre back seam open, then joined the two at the neckline by machine, and understitched (my favourite secret weapon!) I then inserted the zip on the outer fabric only. Proper fitting can only take place once the zip is in. No amount of holding the dress together gives a true picture of what is really going on. Unfortunately for me, there were all kinds of fit issues going on. The sizing has come out very small. I don't know if I messed up by raising the waistline, but it was so high that I had to add a waistband. I didn't shorten the bodice at all but the seamline was right under my bust. Luckily, I had lots of fabric to spare and I really like the look of the waistband. I cut it from one single width of fabric. This blown-out picture shows the seam lines in the front.

There was absolutely no ease at all in the dress. To make it fit, I felt like I unpicked every single seam and dart and redid them with smaller seam allowances. Here is a list:

Side seams: 1cm seam allowance each sice = 2cm gained @ waist

Centre back seam: 1cm allowances through the waist, 0.5cm when I could manage it = 1.5cm gained @ waist

Back darts (bodice and skirt): reduce dart legs by 0.5cm = 2cm gained @ waist

Under bust dart tucks: unpicked legs, left tucks in place as pleats = +3cm gained @ bust

Front armscye seam: wanted to reduce the seam allowance to 1cm but I had already clipped the seam allowance.

Zip: angle sharply in at neckline to make dart.

Lining: removed all darts/pleats for maximum ease.

I could still do with taking a snick out of the shoulder seams at the neckline. It is a bit too baggy. When the dress was tight, this was very pronounced, but I am leaving all my understiching in place for now because the extra ease I added means the neckline has settled down somewhat. It is not perfect, but close enough. I also stitched the seam allowances of the lining and the bodice together at the front of the waist because the lining was still curling out of the neckline.

I know that in choosing not to make a toile I am choosing to make any alterations in the final fabric, but it was frustrating to have to make so many changes. It meant that I took a lot longer to finish than I should have. I put it aside for weeks at a time, and only came back to it in short bursts now and then. Unpicking dark thread from dark fabric on dark evenings probably had a lot to do with it too.

Finishing:

I was pleased that I decided to stablise the zip with stabilising tape, purchased for my grey dress. It meant fewer puckers, but there are still some at the bottom. The zip went in beautifully. Both times.

I hemmed the lining, at the sleeves and hem, by machine, then hemmed the sleeves by hand and catch stitched the sleeves to the main fabric sleeve. 

I used hemming lace to hem the bottom of dress, attached by machine, then hand stitched into place. 

I love this dress because I love the fabric. It is totally my signature style and I love that I have sewn stuff that I will wear to work. But the tight bodice is a problem. As to whether this pattern is a keeper, even in a size 4: the jury is still out.

Accounts:

Main fabric: £15

Lining fabric: £5

Pattern: £3.50

Zip: £0.50

Stabilising tape: £0.75

Hem lace: £0.57

Thread: stash
Total: £25.33

Icelandic Hot Water Bottle Cover

A perfect stash buster from my Icelandic yarn used for my pullover last winter. The nasty rubber of my hot water bottle, and the even nastier shade of pink, needed covering. This yarn is pretty scratchy to wear so something that touches only my feet is ideal.

I modified the pattern, All You Need, to incorporate the pattern from the Aefmaeli yoke. (Ravelry notes here) I used the small flowers at the top, with the red petals, and modified the black zig zags to go over fewer rows. Despite knitting with almost no tension in the yarn - I don't even hold the yarn - my floats are still very tight. It makes the pattern stretch out in an un-pretty way. You can see it quite clearly in the white sections.

I decided where to start the pattern by just putting the bottle in every now and then. I figured I wanted it to start when I was about half way up. I could have gone a little higher. I didn't want to break into a new ball of black so one quarter of the top zig zag border has no points. I was trying to use up the red - I can see more use for the black and white shades in any future projects.

I probably should have sized down a needle for the rib neck. It is quite loose and floppy. But the bottle fits in easily, and it is lovely and cosy to use.

Baby Knits

There's been a lot of knitting happening around here recently. Partly due to the Rugby World Cup, partly due to the darkening Autumn evenings and partly due to being unmotivated by my current sewing project. But Christmas is coming, so I'd better get on and finish the sewing so I can move on through my queue.

I am really pleased with how this baby cardigan turned out. It is the Sunnyside Baby Cardigan which comes in two versions and four sizes. I made the cable version which is more unisex and used the newborn size.

I have made this pattern before, where I made the lace version in a 3-6 month. This yarn is DK weight so I made the smallest size. I estimate it has come out at about a 6 month size. But, as Elizabeth Zimmerman puts it so beautifully, "knitting stretches and babies vary" so the finished size is not that big of a deal. The only variation I made was to continue the row of purl stitches beyond the cables and down the sides of the body.

I used exactly two full balls of yarn, Rowan Cashsoft DK, which is a discontinued yarn that I got on sale in 2011. I got it knowing it would be a good baby-gift-knitting yarn. The colour is a faint, eau de nil green, but in some lights looks quite creamy and almost oatmeal. The softness is lovely and Rowan does a good job of copying Debbie Bliss Cashmerino at a slightly lower price.

I got the bamboo buttons from The Button Lady, a tiny stall in Hampstead.

I finished in the nick of time - the intended recipient was born today!

Girls Lace Panel Cardigan

I got this scummy yarn for Christmas last year. My mother-in-law thought I could turn it into party shrugs for the two girls. She was right, but big sis has a very small selection of clothes and was desperately in need of a smart cardigan, so I used up two of the three skeins on a proper cardigan for her.

I didn't find anything I particularly liked in Ravelry, so I had a look in the few pattern books and magazines that I have. I notice that the quantity of patterns for children's knitwear is boundless for newborns, plentiful for toddlers and adequate for small children, but that as they get older, it peters out significantly. There is going to be quite a knitwear wardrobe gap from age 8/9 until she can fit adult sizes.

What I did find was one that made me very happy. I was given this lovely magazine, Fabulous Knits, for Christmas the year before, and while there are many beautiful things in it, I hadn't got around to using it. I checked the sizes carefully and decided to take a chance with this Sirdar pattern. It took a bit of convincing that: no, the bonnet is not automatically knitted with the cardigan; and ok, you don't have to have the collar.  I think is kind of sweet, and would have looked lovely. But I agreed to leave it off and do a crew neck instead. I do like it when she gets involved in the design choices.

The sizing only went up to age 6-7, but she is quite petite so I took a chance. She also has a younger sister that I could pass it on to if it really didn't work. It only just fits her. It is a great fit now, but probably won't last another season. The body is perfect but the underarm cuts in a bit. If I could figure out how to do just a few extra increases in the raglan sleeves, it would be ideal. 

The raglan sleeves are knitted separately and then seamed on to the main part of the cardigan, which is knitted as one piece. I honestly don't know why they don't have you join and then do the raglan decreases all in one. These are the perfect style of sleeves to knit with no seaming and no knitwear pattern designer should imagine doing anything else! That is probably my only beef with this pattern. It worked up really nicely, even if I couldn't commit the lace pattern to memory, and had to check the instructions every single time! The crew neck is just picked up and a few rows of garter stitch. Since it is a baby cardigan, the shaping at the waist is flared, which suits a chubby baby, but not so much a growing child. It also rolls a bit, even after blocking. A deeper, ribbed waistband might be more suitable, but less delicate. 

The buttons are salvaged from an old shirt of my husbands. I think it might even be the one that got subjected to the pink dye two years ago. (Here's how it looks now.) It keeps on giving and I used all 10 buttons from it. They look lovely and natural against the cream tones of the yarn.

My Ravelry notes cover yarn, pattern, needles and time. My self-imposed reduced knitting time means it took me three months to knit this.

Apparently, one has to pose for blog photos, and here is how to do it. I wonder where she learned that?

Trick or Treat!

Doll Ghost Costume

OK, I admit, this almost doesn't count as making, but make it I did, so here it goes.

I had this piece of white polycotton which I tried out as a lining in my Black & White Skirt. It is not slippery enough to stop it riding up when I wear tights, so I took it out and threw it over the doll's head.

Not really! I took a while, deciding how the doll should wear it. The best solution was to fold the fabric along the short edge and sew two side seams half way up, leaving the half nearest the fold open for armholes. My lining piece had darts in it, and I left the hem in place too. I pinked the new hem and any other raw edges. The selvedge is the raw edge at the back.

Since dolls don't actually have to see, I could totally cheat and draw the face on with tailor's chalk!

Jack O Lanterns 2015

Doll Bat Cape and Hood

I had enough fabric left from the child size Bat Cape and Hat to make a matching set for her American Girl Doll. 

This was actually a pretty fun project. Which, for me, means easy and fast. Even drafting a pattern, I got it done in just an hour or two, and I used up almost every last scrap of leftover fabric.

The dolls extensive wardrobe includes a hoodie so I used that to draw a paper pattern of a hood. I made it longer and added seam allowances. I didn't bother to make the darts that the child pattern has, nor did I try to shape the face into a widow's peak. I completely guessed at the ears size and placement and was very lucky. Ribbon from the gift wrap bag meant I didn't have to make bias binding for the ties. Not fun when you are working with polycotton.

I also drafted the pattern for the cape by using the shoulder curve of the same hoodie and extending it down to the hem. I noticed how well fitted the child's cape is to their shoulders, and how much it improves the look and the fit of the cape, so I followed the same style lines. Sewed the seams together, selvedges for the front, pinked the hems, ribbon ties. Bam! Done!

Cost:
Leftover fabric: £0.00
Self drafted pattern: £0.00
Salvaged ribbon: £0.00
Stash thread: £0.00
Free.