doll

This weekend we helped to celebrate our friend’s 7th birthday!
We made her a doll as a gift. I employed Johnny’s help. He was the master stuffer; the parts I stuffed he re-stuffed to look better. There is an art to stuffing. After trial and error we discovered that a size 19 Daisy knitting needle was the best tool for getting to the bottoms of the arms and legs. The needle nose pliers helped in extracting stuffing that had gotten packed too tightly.
Felix tentatively named her Marcia but the naming is entirely up to the recipient.
I dug through my swatch stash and found an exact replica in doll size of my Knitty skirt. And, the best part is that the knitty skirt belongs to our friend’s mom.



Her blouse is made from two swatches I knit for the lace dress in Greetings from Knit Café. I crocheted them together with some bright pink mohair. Her necklace is a string of sequins and her hair is Donegal tweed.

happenings

Meet Bobbi and Mimi my beatnik dolls from Boho Baby Knits. We had a great time last weekend at the Knit Cafe book signing. It was cool to see all the knits from the book out of storage and in the world. And it’s always fun to meet knitters and hang out in a yarn shop, especially one as beautiful as the Knit Café.
In other happening news:
The new Knitty is up and I'm so happy that they reviewed my book!

projects

Usually, after I finish a deadline I feel tired. This time was no different. I have things I really need to work on but instead I took this week to start three new projects. Does anyone else ever feel actual fear when they think about what they're SUPPOSED to be doing? When anxiety strikes, I get knitting!
What better way to relax than slip into the imaginings that come with making a child's toy? I couldn't resist knitting the unicorn from Dream Toys by Claire Garland. We have a little friend who I think will LOVE it. I'm thinking ahead here for Christmas presents.


From one of my favorite sock books Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, I cast on for the Fancy Silk Sock. These too will be a gift, but for an October birthday. I'm working with Trekking pro natura yarn; really like the color a lot (#1605), but the yarn doesn't feel soft I hope it's not too itchy for my friend. Maybe it will soften up after a wash.


And finally, I started to design a lace shawl in a triangle shape. The yarn feels like a wool rayon blend. It's from a large cone I bought years ago and I can't remember what it is. I'm excited about this one; I just love knitting lace so much. My first knitting love is lace.