dottyspots

Knitted Waldorf Doll

I finished my first entirely Knitted Waldorf Doll (well, ok, he does need some clothes, I'm working on that).

 

He is predominantly knitted in Riihivilla Aarni (a naturally-dyed Finnish rare-breed yarn) from Ecoknits and his hair is from Spectraspun.

Doll socks and stockings pattern

Is now online here: http://ninnynoodlenoo.com/content.php?content_id=1021 (Articles section of Ninny Noodle Noo). I hope it's helpful :)

Time flies...

Such a flurry of activity!  It's almost 10 days into the New Year (so nearly Ted's birthday) and it seems to have gone by so fast! There's been quite a lot of things like this:

 

And finishing off things like this (R, my 14yr old son, made the cake):

 

And I started this (must be mad):

The playmat is 1x1.2m.  I'm chain-stitching the water (as you can see), with embroidered then needle-felted pebbles in the stream (with scrap bits of Noro left from the hobby horse which I'm *still* to get a decent pic of to post).  Once I've finished the base colour of water I will chainstitch or embroider a variegated (blue/green/purple) yarn on top for some added 'movement'.

I plan to crochet the lane (coloured in beeswax crayon as a guide for the time being) and will then knit various fields, latch-hooking verges and bits around the pond for a bit of height (I can't face latch-hooking 'grass' into an entire field).

I'm also knitting a cardi for Rosie (Nin's doll) in matching yarn to the stockings I've recently made for her and am *still* crocheting the blue and purple knitted dress for Nin (which is likely to be a long top at this point).  I've also got the hem to add to the stripy dressing gown I've been making for Nin, but had to wash it (due to a cat wee incident, of which I will probably post more later - had one of those awful, but comical, days yesterday *sigh*)

I'm still here!

Been a bit busy, y'know how it is :D

We've had a lovely quiet festive season with quite a lot of biscuits and some marzipan dipped in chocolate (made by the children - yes they were covered head to toe in chocolate, I couldn't take photos as I was too ;) ).

Here are a couple of bits and pieces I've made, although I still need to take a picture of the hobby horse, coat and hat and scarf set.  I'm not a confident photographer and I just couldn't get half decent photos of them this morning. I have, however, finished Ted's doll's cardigan, some dungarees (couldn't get a decent close photo of them) and socks to match the cardigan.  For Nin's doll I finished a pair of stockings:

 

Aside from that it's been brisk cold walks with the dog (and some extra teens, I seem to collect them in this house...)

 

The last photo is where we do most of our blackberry picking in the autumn, it looks so cold and bare now.  The camera ran out of batteries at this point (which was a shame as we went to the playground and Erk took off his hat and put it on the ground next to the swing and the dog grabbed it and made off with Erk in hot pursuit, much to everyone's amusement - the dog was really, really pleased with himself).  Oh and guess what?  Ted did the whole walk with NO NAPPY!  Yes, my little boy is now wearing pants in the day :)

Anyway, hopefully I'll get some photos of the hobby horse and other bits and pieces I've made soon (I'd also like to also get them posted up on Ravelry).

More knitting, crochet and brrrrr

Along with the felted hobby horse and dollshouse cowboy I'm working on, I'm plodding along with a knitted and crocheted dress for Nin.

It's going very slowly because there's just so much of it to *do*!  At this rate it may stay as a long knitted top.  I still need to add a band and tie at the back as it's made loose to easily go over Nin's head.  I'll be adding some sort of purple picot edge to the sleeves, hem and also edging for the band.

A pic of poorly Ted (although he's much better now).  Poor little mite curled up on the living room floor on a small cot mattress.  He was really so ill!

I've also finished a cardi for Nin's doll and am now working on a cabled version for Ted's doll. In addition I've just finished crocheting a cover for an old plastic head band which I'm now going to embroider with a vine, leaves and some flowers. So much to do, so little time if I want to get them finished as presents.

 

We also had a trip to Sandall Beat Woods for the HEDG (Home Education Doncaster Group) meet yesterday.  I met a couple of families from Sheffield at the bus station to show them the way, which was a nice addition to our small group.

 

Again I took the camera, but shortly after arriving it began to rain, then hail, sleet and finally snow, so we all retreated inside the Visitor's Centre for warmth, shelter and ashared meal of home-made cheese scones, jam sandwiches, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, carrot sticks, raspberries, bananas and satsumas, washed down with either water, herbal tea or traditional lemonade). No chance of a circle time in the slight chaos of a change of routine and the craft activities I brought (saws and a drill for the older ones to cut up fallen branches to either make buttons or for later whittling) and weaving on twigs (gods-eyes) went by the wayside as the weather wasn't conducive to collecting what was needed.

Basic bendy body tutorial added

I know I'm really, really late on this - sorry!  But the basic bendy body frame for the knitted dolls is now in the articles (under Knitted Bendy Dollshouse Doll).  They're basic instructions (like Wee Felt Folk, without the finesse of wrapping), so if you're still stuck, do let me know and I'll try and answer any questions.  The dolls aren't difficult to make, just a tad fiddly when sewing into the 'skin' (but hey, if my chunky fingers can do it, chances are yours can too!)

 

Some recent knitting

I have been knitting, honest!  Here are a couple of pics (I've also finished some mittens and felted a horse's head, but I'll get to that later).

 

Martinmas and a surprise birthday present

I'm getting a bit wobbly at how fast time seems to be passing, less than 6 weeks to Yule/Christmas and I'm working away at getting various things made for then.

We made some jam jar lanterns for Martinmas (made at a friend's house):

Nin is still enjoying lighting a candle in the evening and just watching it flickering away in her lantern.  She's continuing to copy Erk's geometry with her own attempts ("Look Mum, I'm doing geometry too!)

Nin also had a surprise package through.  My mother has been in Egypt with my brother and hadn't had time to send a present through to Nin, so when she got back, she sent this:

A Moulin Roty Handcraft Set. It's beautiful, I'd rather like one for myself! It also came with some needles and a sampler pattern for cross-stitch (which doubtless she will also try sometime soon). She's been busy trying to crochet and loves to pull out HER yarn and stroke it (clearly a yarnie in the making). She is making (with quite a bit of help) crocheted squares for a doll's blanket.

Some fudge, a dog and playing in the woods

It's been a busy week and naturally I have some pics, although less than I might've done as my camera ran out of batteries whilst we were in the woods.

Erk has gone off on an outwards bounds trip in the Peak District with a group of home-educated teens and R. is back from boarding school for half term (having turned 14 in the interim). We had a bash at making some fudge:

Whilst we do quite a bit of baking here, I'm not a natural-born cook, it's something I have to work on. 

Erk and his friend B have recently discovered caramel hot chocolate (courtesy of one of the cafes in town - I was rather surprised to hear that at 12 they choose to visit a cafe, but I'm rather pleased that they choose to do that than some of the other possible choices for refreshment in town, but it does seem rather sophisticated in comparison to myself at the same age).

They wanted to make caramel, but I wasn't so sure, so we ended up making fudge. Erm, the first lot was burnt beyond repair and there aren't any photos as we rushed to salvage the pan. We did successfully make fudge on the second attempt, but they ate it before I could take a photo ;)

We've been to Sandall Beat Woods, twice.  Home-educators in Doncaster seem to be a rather disparate bunch.  According to the local authority HE advisor there are some 200 children being home-educated in and around Doncaster (although I think they include children being tutored by the LA at home and Roma and Traveller families in this number). I've no idea where they all are, I've come across a small fraction of that number.

Still, a few of us have finally got together and organised a regular meet-up in Sandall Beat for some chat, a play, crafts, singing and a shared picnic.  Unfortunately my camera ran out of batteries after a couple of photos, but a good time was had by all!

A pic before other families turned up (we arrived first).

Ted having a climb.

It really is a fantastic location for a home-ed meet up, lots of space, fresh air, places to explore (yesterday a group of children were busy building with stacked branches whilst parents had a discussion with the park ranger, who told us that the pile of branches were always moving from tree to tree as various groups of children leant them up against trees to make shelters). 

We've been organising a monthly meeting led by the park ranger for the older children (7+) to start in March (they're pretty booked up until then).  For more information please visit the relevant entry on the South Yorkshire Home Education Communication (SYHEC) site.

I'm going to be running a circle time there which I'm really looking forward to doing again, lots of reading through my books and getting ideas for dancing songs to do, plus memorising of more verses and stories.

Erk has been busy doing a project on the Vikings.  Whilst I have a passing interest in the Vikings (obligatory perhaps for someone with Scandinavian heritage) I never realised that the Vikings also moved East to trade, I've been learning so much whilst working on this with Erk.

Whilst playing with the Brio trains Nin asked, "Why don't the magnets like each other?" and of course she's been busy painting (this time some beads for making more jewellery, although where we're going to keep all of her creations I'm not too sure, perhaps I should make a chest like Elfie and Me, however I have a feeling mine wouldn't look as beautiful.)

Aside from that I finished Ted's mittens (I will take a pic eventually), started some mittens for Nin and frogged them twice. The beautiful Natural Dye Studio yarn she picked to have them made in just wasn't looking 'right' as mittens.  So I cast-on again to make her a floppy, lacy beret a la "Spin Me Right Round" by Solveig Engevold (Ravelry is such a wonderful resource - if you're a knitter or crocheter and haven't joined up yet, DO, you won't regret it!  I'm dottyspots so do seek me out and add me as a friend.  OK, maybe you will regret joining, but only because it'll eat away at your knitting time as you browse through all the lovely creations on there...)  The yarn is looking beautiful as a beret, if I hadn't've been so busy I would've finished it by now (a really simple knit).

I haven't finished Nin's dress as a little while ago I carefully rolled it up before going off to bed and when I picked it up again the next day the crochet hook had disappeared.  I can't find it anywhere and it looks like I need to order another one.

I've also taken a couple of daft dog photos:

Every so often he heaved a very heavy sigh...

I've known Irish Setters, so was fairly prepared for owning a Setter (Monty is a Tricolour English Setter), but didn't realise just how much Setters are lacking in the brain cells department (I don't know about last in the queue when the brains were being doled out, Monty wasn't even in it!)  Still, despite his abundant dippiness, he really is the most lovely, cuddly dog (even if he is still convinced that he's a tiny puppy that will fit on my lap *sigh*)

So, hopefully I will remember to get some more batteries for my camera, but in the meantime I know I can enjoy looking at other lovely blogs :)

Knit One, Save One

Save The Children have started a campaign called Knit One, Save One asking people to knit caps for newborns (crocheters can get in on the act too). For more information (and to download your action pack) visit: http://www.savethechildren.org/programs/health/child-survival/survive-to-5/