Tunics too!

I made a little tunic Chloe. It came out cute and I decided to leave off the sleeves. I was afraid it wouldn’t fit her at first. However, after I blocked it (my first time blocking anything!), it fit her just fine.

I think, when I make this pattern for Heidi’s spirit, I won’t make the top so long. I think that part of the pattern can be cut in half and it will work much better.

Two is better than one…

I broke down and made a second little spirit and named her Fiona. I used them as inspiration for my August NaNo. Fiona and Chloe are characters in the novel. They were such fun to make! I decided to use the little sundress for Fiona. I’ll use the little pants and make a tunic for Chloe.

Heidi’s little spirit is all done now as well. It looks completely adorable! She had a little trouble with the hair, but the end result was sweet. I’m not sure if she’ll be making any outfits for it though. I think I need to find that little doll dress for it to wear, until after Christmas, anyway.

Rockin’ Flare Pants

I decided to make a pair of little pants for my spirit, so that I could try out the pattern. They came out very cute, but I had to alter the pattern quite a bit, since it was written for the larger spirits, rather than the pocket spirits that Heidi and I have made. It gave me some idea for how to alter it better for Heidi’s spirit, so it was a good learning experience.

The top is a bit too full. I think I could have – and will for Heidi’s spirit – started with fewer chain stitches. I had to leave several rounds out of the legs, so that they would fit her.

Yarn Bowl? What’s that?

I’ve been getting back into knitting and crocheting more and more in the last year. I’m now on two websites (Crochetville and Ravelry) that are communities for people in the yarn crafts. One thing I’ve heard about a lot on Ravelry was something called a yarn bowl.

It was easy, from what I was reading, to get an idea what it was like: a bowl that you put balls of yarn in, so that they didn’t wander around when you worked the yarn. However, I always wondered: how do they keep the yarn in the bowl? I’ve tried it with normal bowls and, if the bowl is shallow enough, they bounce right out. If the bowl is deep, it tips the bowl over or drags the yarn.

Today, I finally decided to look them up on Google. OMG! I’ve seen them before, in Michael’s or Joann’s or some craft store. At the time, I had no idea what they were. They’re usually ceramic (so that they’re nice and heavy), deep (to cup the yarn properly) bowls. Here’s the thing: they have slots down the side that curl around (most are sort of J-shaped, some curl around more). The yarn goes into that slot, effectively pinning the ball in place and keeping the yarn from dragging over the side of the bowl.

Now that I’ve seen them, now that I know what they are: I want a yarn bowl! I want a yarn bowl so much that I almost want to buy one right now – like order it today, while I’m at work. I won’t though. I’ll wait until I’m at Michael’s or Joann’s and see if I can pick one up then. Otherwise, I’ll put it on my Christmas list and force my parents to search high and low for something they’ve never heard of before. For now, I’ll just use my little backpacks to tuck my yarn into.

Recycling is good!

This morning, Heidi found “Tiger Lily”, which was actually a doll scarf that our aunt made for me when we were kids. Way back when, we each had one. Heidi had long since stopped using hers as a doll scarf. Instead, she rolled it up and used it as a little tiger toy. (We had amazing imaginations when we were little). That scarf-turned-tiger was lost, so I let her have mine.

Well, Heidi has since remade Tiger Lily as an amigarumi and, she says, this is how she’d always pictured the little tiger anyway. So, when she found the balled up scarf, I reclaimed it. I was saddened, when I unfolded it, to see the threads all pulled and out of shape. I decided to put my weak knitting skills to use and reknit the scarf. I’m really happy with it, but I need to find the right yarn to make the tassels for it. I also need to decide what doll will get it. It’s too wide for my small dolls and too short for Jake!