life of seven

Sigrid, an Icelandic Doll

Please meet Sigrid. Oh, you guys. This was probably the funnest doll making project I have ever undertaken. The gem of the idea of Sigrid came to me about a year ago, when I knit with Lettlopi, which is made from Icelandic sheep's wool, for the first time. This yarn is used to knit traditional Icelandic sweaters, which are generally yoked sweaters, with stranded color work. This yarn is absolutely ideal for stranded knitting, since it is quite "sticky", and the strands hold together well. On top of that, the colors are absolutely hazy and beautiful and blend like a rainbow. This is fairly thick yarn, and Icelandic sweaters are known for being very warm. 

When knitting with this yarn, my thoughts turned to doll making, and I wanted to make a doll who I thought must live in Iceland, in a house with a sod roof, with goats grazing on the top of the roof, in a beautiful valley beside the sea. Of course she would have a beautiful, warm sweater knit with traditional Lettlopi.

Well, Sigrid. I have seen dolls with joints at the knees and elbows. Furthermore, I have been experimenting a great deal with making some of my dolls double skinned. It is quite the challenge, indeed, but makes the limbs so much smoother, and more sturdy. Well, a few weeks ago, I spent the entire day sewing, and at the end of it, I had made a doll leg. The most beautiful doll leg I had ever made. I sewed the first leg with a joint at the knee. I loved the way it bended and moved. Then, all of a sudden, it occurred to me- place a second layer of skin fabric over the top! I immediately realized how lovely it looked- covered the joint seams perfectly, kept the leg from bending to the point of looking hyper-extended (we don't want that!), and gave a beautiful knee that I made rosy colored with blush. I showed that leg to everyone. I was so proud of it. I've never made a doll leg so...so...leg-like.

I followed the same technique with the arms, giving her both wrists and elbows. The joints can be bent and moved as much as desired, but because of the underlying skin fabric and seams, they will stay as sturdy as they are now.

Now on to her head. I have heard of doll makers including armature. I am not ready yet to use it throughout the entire body (that day may come), but I adore the idea of making the head and neck bend. To me, those poses are what give the doll the most like. Looking up at you, body. Looking down, shyly. Gazing out the window. Reading a book. Nestling down onto her elbows. I love this so much that I think it will be a pretty consistent thing with my bigger, more detailed dolls.

As for Sigrid's face- You guys, it is a little intimidating to create a doll head that is significantly different from what you have done for years. Not only did I do some very significant face sharing, but those eyes- I wanted to try a totally new eye shape that made her look like she was squinting happily at me. I sewed different eyes and eyeshapes...4 times. Finally I found an eye that I loved.

To add to the pose-ability, I weighted her feet and body. The extra weight helps her hold her poses better. And the posing...is there anything this doll cannot do? I could play with her all day long. Really. Actually, I think I have done that. She looks good in every outfit, in every pose. Every hair style- her hair is commercial mohair weft. This is so much sturdier than alpaca. It can be braided, and brushed, and ponytailed, and bun-ned, and I've heard, even curled (this is not something I have ever tried, though, so I cannot recommend it personally).

Yes, all her knitwear is made with that wonderful yarn, Lettlopi. I made the yoke sweater based on traditional designs...but when I got halfway through the body, on a whim, I decided to give the sweater lined pockets. who want cold hands??? I'm so glad I added this extra (nontraditional) touch. Her hat is cabled, and her shoes are crocheted, and they button.

For warmer days (yes, Iceland has those!), she has a sunny yellow sundress and navy pants, and a Liberty fabric (always Liberty, always...) shirt, as well as a cute little head/neckscarf, sewn in the same fabric. Each piece coordinates wonderfully, and she actually has a significant number of outfit choices.

Sigrid ended up being around 21" tall. She is recommended for an older child, but for anyone who loves pretending with American Girl Dolls or similar, I can promise you will absolutely adore Sigrid.

I put so many hours of love into this doll. I can't charge by the hour for this girl. But it was a beautiful learning process the entire way. I am pricing her at $550 + shipping, and I truly hope she can find a wonderful home. Please contact me if interested, and she will very soon be listed on Etsy as well.

Okay, thanks for reading Sigrid's story!

Happy Fall

Hello! Happy fall! Happy, happy, fall; it is so easy to be a in a great old at this time of year. So cozy. School starting- kids nestled down with their books, new ones starting for the first time, baking every single day, if not multiple times a day, boots and flannels, and knitting. Of course, the last one is a joke- I don't have to wait for fall to begin knitting. I never stop. It is true, though that new inspiration hits in the fall.

We made apple fritters last week. They were so delicious that they may be worth the work. Of course they were worth the work as a one time thing. Just not sure if I will do it again, haha! 

I  tried, once again, homemade mac and cheese, as well. Now, I love homemade mac, but I never can seem to get it right. Any favorite recipes I should try? This one was....just okay.

I have also made a number of (undocumented) apple pies in the last several weeks. The best crust, I've learned, is made with all butter and ice water- no egg. Also, be sure to add enough salt. The best apples to use, I've found, is golden delicious.

It goes without saying these days that I have also been making dolls. This sweet one has been so tolerant of the multiple times per day I walk by and pose, and admire, her. My love Icelandic yoke sweater knitting has, of course, translated into doll clothing as well. She seems almost human in her lifelike poses. Apparently she loves to read, too...

One day soon, I will try to take a picture of my children, instead of just dolls. But they move so fast. And the dolls stay where I put them.

New Year Doll

I knew we couldn't get too far into the new year without some new crafting. This is a Wee Wonderfuls doll pattern that Grace and I made together (she's almost finished). There are a few things I would do differently next time around but this was sure a fun project to do with my craft-loving girl. I see more incarnations of this doll being made in the near future.

Worth the wait?

 

Lest you think that I've forgotten about Clementine's Ravi Junior, never fear, it is still getting worked on: one sleeve to go. Why is that second sleeve always such a chanllenge? Currently, I have three sweaters that need only one sleeve left. The issue is that once you have knit that far, in your mind the sweater is actually done, because it is semi-wearable with one sleeve. There is nothing new in the knitting of that second sleeve, so therefore mentally it is diffcult to work up the stamina to finish. Finish I will! There, I've said it, so now you can hold me to it.

The doll head you saw yesterday, of which I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of making, was just the sort of satisfying project I needed. I took hours needle felting that head, laying the skin fabric over it, readjusting, trying again, etc. I broke an entire package of felting needles and now I'm down to just one. It takes a while to get the feel of exactly how much pressure to use: or do you guys also regularly break needles when felting?

Now that I'm satisfied with it, I just like looking at that head with no eyes. Haven't begun the doll body, or dreamed up an outfit for the doll to wear. And I say "the doll": because I haven't even decided if it's a boy or girl yet. Don't know what hair I'm going to use. Weird as it sounds, I'm going to keep looking at it for a few days till I know just what it's going to be. I would say, "Until it tells me what it wants to be" but that gets a little too touchy-feely for my tastes, haha. But there is something about letting an idea simmer for a bit. It's always a marvel for me to discover over time ideas that I didn't know were there upon the waiting. And since my time is quite limited these days, wait I must. Hopefully it'll be well worth the wait since I have no say in the matter! Same goes for the sweater: worth your wait, Clementine.

It's been a while

 

Why, hello there...