Dolled Up

Back before Christmas Mr Click asked me for some suggestions for presents I might like. I sent him an email with a list of Jean Greenhowe's entire back catalogue of booklets that I didn't have. At the bottom of the list was something along the lines of ****Jean Greenhowe Knitted Toys - Hardback book**** and a note about how much I wanted it.

Of course he came through for me and it was there, right at the top of my stocking. I kind of knew that I was getting it because he'd mentioned a hardback knitting book but it was still a great surprise and all Christmas morning I kept pulling it out and leafing through the pages like it was some sort of picture book.

When I realised that I needed to find a project which used straight needles, the Knitted Toys book was the first one I went to. Mr Click had suggested at Christmas that I should do the 'Twin dressing-up dolls' as my first project because I could do the dolls and their basic outfit and then go back to do more in between other projects. As I had all the colours needed in an easily accessible place, that was what I started with.


I'm starting with the girl doll and this is how she was looking by mid-afternoon yesterday. I'd sewn on the neckband of her top before I realised that I'd not taken a photo of her, so that's why she's not got any sleeves, sock tops or leg tops in this photo.

You can see below her arm what she is supposed to look like when she's finished. I'm adapting her slightly as the pattern calls for her eyes to be cut out of brown felt and glued on, whereas I prefer to embroider them. I'm also giving her brown hair because neither of the yellows I have look suitably hair-like.

Considering how fiddly she is (she's comprised of eight separate parts for the main doll including a front head, back head, front body and back body) she's knitting up quite quickly. And although I spent a good chunk of Saturday and yesterday morning sewing her together, it's not actually that bad (except for the fact that I kept stabbing myself with pins, including a deep hit to my thumb where the pin went so deep I had to pull it out, ouch!). It's giving me plenty of mattress stitch practice which I have to say is the method of sewing I use almost exclusively now. I wouldn't say I'm the neatest, but it's looking a lot tidier than it used to.

Hopefully by this time next week I'll have a finished outfit for her and maybe I'll even get a start on her brother.