Kewpie Doll - quick skirts

Bought a little Kewpie Doll for granddaughter for Christmas - mostly because she kinda looks like a Kewpie Doll herself :-) Then, because most of the fun of playing with dolls is in dressing them and changing their clothes ... I made some ultra quick tutu skirts for the doll. "Knicker elastic" and bits of lace, ribbon & fringing - and please excuse the fuzziness of some of these pics



That last one is quite the thing for a NYE party, don't you agree?

Twas the day before Christmas ...

We had an early Christmas with our grandchildren before we left Melbourne :-)
and I gave them the 1st installment of the Alphabet Project. Here it is hanging on the wall ... it works Yea!

Grandson likes the bat the best ... it is a Boo the Bat by Mochimochi, a perfect size for a little person and he loves the way the wings button up and unbutton for flying ...
Granddaughter likes the baby fish because it is "pinkie" and has "Big eyes - like moine!"

The pattern is Glubby Goldfish by Cheezombie on Etsy

She also loves the dragon a Norbetta and the pink Cockatoo - Oh - you've not seen this one.

I managed to get 3 cockatoos knitted up in time, see the previous post for the Sulphur Crested Cockie, here is a Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo - adapted from the same pattern by Barbara Lennon - the tail is a bit over-wide, cheek patches are embroidered on after -

















and a Major Mitchell Cockatoo - which gets granddaughter's vote because it is a "Pinkie"

Alphabet Soup

Promised in the last blog to show you the finished 'flags / pockets' for the 1st part of the Alphabet project.

With Christmas looming I've decided to give the grands A to G with the rest to follow once they are made (H will be a horse - My Kingdom for a Horse!) sorry I digress ...

Here is A - G hanging on the clothes line
And a close up on the letter B which has extra things sewn on ...

Now you may have noticed that in the top photo the letter C looks rather empty ... that is because when I took that photo I still hadn't finished a Cockatoo ! Finished the 1st one this morning - a Sulphur Crested Cocky :-)







Very happy with this cheeky looking Critter - think I've managed to get that slightly 'punk', rather over-confident, slightly Bob Hawke look that I love in the real birds.





Am planning to knit up a Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo & a Major Mitchell. The pattern is another of Barbara Lennon's in the Cleckheaton out of print booklet. Slight adaptations including making the feet and beak in knitting (instead of felt fabric).

pre Christmas Panic

As always my plans for masses of wonderful Christmas gifts have far exceeded my capacity to make them all.

Have been knitting up a flurry of snowflakes, living in Australia means that Christmas time is closely associated with snow ... NOT !!!
but they are pretty. Here is the 1st batch of snowflakes pinned out to dry :-)
Now I've talked a lot about the big Alphabet Project for my grandchildren - making (mostly knitted) toys for each letter of the alphabet and a pocket thing with the letters and names on ... This is such a mega project that I've decided to give the grandchildren just from A to G this Christmas ... with rest to follow later when I finally finish them.

I had already made an Ant for the letter A - but I simply couldn't resist making the totally traditional Apple as well ... and yes I am typing this on an Apple laptop (product placement warning folks!)

The pocket things are also quite time-consuming. Here are some progress pictures - they are A4 sized doubled felt "flags" with the letters appliqued on











Then pockets to hold the toys, made of cotton drill with the names of the toys painted on in screen-printing goop. Which has to be heat-set ... lots of ironing (oh don't we love ironing NOT!)


Photos of the finished "flags" next post

It's all about the Chair

Lillian has a new green chair - and here she is having a Christine Keeler moment :-)