My version of the Fair Isle sweater

This is my version of the Fair Isle sweater in the cardigan, using KnitPicks "Palette", of which I purchsed 10+ balls in different colours for projects in this book. I have never done Fair Isle but it is my new lust and obsession (after my three month yarn diet)....so this was fun to work.

This is the inside. I have the second half of the front/back done and now all that is left is the sleeves and some blocking. I probably wouldn't block it normally but I want to see how it affects the fair isle stitches, if any.

I want to sew some clothes next but am not sure if I want to use the sewing machine for such small pieces or not....did anyone prefer one machine or hand sewing more?

Miz Tillie

When Toots was released from federal custody (because she couldn't provide ANY information about Planet Four), she was placed in the custody of Miz Tillie. When Miz Tillie signed up to do foster care, this wasn't quite what she had in mind. She is doing her best to explain our planet to Toots, but finds that she needs a little knitting time every day to unwind.

Miz Tillie is pictured with her fabulous mitered tote (she was the first to finish hers, after the pattern was published) and is wearing her Einstein coat, possibly the smallest one every made.

She has a tendency to lose her needles from time to time, but is otherwise a prolific AND proficient knitter. We sell her new needles from time to time, and her hairdresser rescues a few from her coiffure once a month.

Technical details:
Pattern for Tillie from "Knitted Babes"
Hair by La Gran Mohair
Mitered tote and Einstein jacket knitted from Bernat's "Impressions" yarn, tragically no longer in production

Has any one else???

Hiya, No I have not put up a picture of the babe I said in an earlier post was not turning out as I'd hoped. Have no fears, I've not given up on her yet, and all your great pics have helped a lot. I was just wondering, I recall when I first got her knitted thinking that she seemed bigger than I expected, did anyone else expect the babes to be smaller? She's actually a really good size...just wondering if I was the only one. It's nice to see that the blog keeps rolling along...Cheers, Susan

Tirablanks

Here is my first finished and completely outfitted babes! AKA: Tirablanks
I really love her big hair. I made up the dress and little scarf pattern and put it on my site. I made her panties (unseen here) out of the toe of a bootie sock I cut off. then I cut sm. dents for the legs with the hem of the toe I left out for the booty area to fill out. Just adjust for granny size or bikini size!

Erin Ray....=)

This is Erin Ray...for my daughter Zoe. I must say, though, that I have had a ton of fun knitting for her. While working on a bigger project right now (the PI shawl), this has been a welcome distraction.

Lessons I learned with this first one? Sew the eyes and lips on before I sew and stuff the doll body. The best tip I found was the person on the blog who said to knit the back of the head in the hair colour. Brilliant.

Problems? Well, I found the errata on the blog for the knitted dress but even still, I followed the pattern, and you notice, the stitches stretch tightly across her waist/trunk area. I am wondering if I overstuffed her or if others have had fitting issues with that pattern?

For more pictures of things I have made for her, and the evolution of Erin, please check out my blog -- because I didn't want to bore you all with the minutiae.

Princess Marioke Debut

This is my first babe. Well she has hair and a dress but the face eludes me yet. Her name was created by my four year old Stephen. Remarkably it is my boys who are more interested in her creation than my sixteen year old daughter. Her comment is "What is it this time Mom?" referring to my tendency to go off on a tangent every once in awile. Like the time I was determined to crochet snowflakes or make baby quilts for everyone who ever had a baby.
I love knitting and when I saw the book, I just had to try. It is that little girl in all of us I think that is intrigued by these wonderful creatures and the artist that longs to create them. Thank you for letting me be a part of this wonderful bond!

Claudia and Rose action dolls

I knitted these 2 babes over the holidays. They are the 'Claudia and Rose' action dolls. One is my co-worker Claudia (green dress), and the other is me (orange dress). The dolls commemorate our years of working together at a job that required us to be on the road visiting medical patients at their homes. Our backpack and bag are filled with miniature memorabilia of items we carried while traveling from home to home.

RE: Babes on Tour

I Work 1 or 2 days a week at Two Be Weavers in Salem, In. If anyone who lives nearby is planning to visit( in May), let me know. It would be fun to meet you.

Finished my first Babe!!

My mother bought me the Knitted Babes book for Christmas and I got started almost right away on making my first Babe whom I call Pumpkin.

Pumpkin is made out of Cashsoft DK extra fine merino yarn in an off-white color and knit in the round on dpns size 2. For her hair I used some wool yarn that I hand-spun. Her clothes are made up of leftover yarn from other knitting projects.

I just had a blast making her and watching her take shape. She is currently sitting in my kitchen until I decide where I want to display her. It took me a couple of days to name her. Even though my Husband just shakes his had and laughs at how excited I was about the Babes, he helped me come up with names and he was actually the one who came up with her name!

If someone would please tell me how to post a picture, I will post a picture of Pumpkin. This is my first KAL/blog and I have no idea how to attach a picture. Thanks!

Here's my most recently finished Babe #4. This one is for my college freshman daughter. I made it in the round on dpns and used worsted weight. It's in front of my dooney so you can get an idea of the size. The Pink Wrap Around Top is the one in the book. The hat, shoes and skirt are crocheted from my own designs.

Claire sends us her love and tips on hairstyling

There's been so many questions floating around this KAL about hairstyling our Babes, so I decided to take them to the author and ask for her advice. (You can write her from her retail web site www.dotpebbles.com). She was kind enough to submit these tidbits for me to share with our members:

There are two methods I adopt for the creation of the hair:
Choose one to suit the doll you’ve made, the yarn you are using or whichever you find easier.

Method 1. This is to create a ‘hairpiece’ which is placed on the head after you’ve made it in one piece, then sewn down to the top of the head – it works particularly well with thicker yarns e.g. Rowan’s Cotton Rope, Rowan Polar yarn, Manos Del Uruguay Cotton Stria or Cottage Knits Cotton Chenille.
. Cut lengths of yarn to the desired finished hair length.
. Take one strand, this will be the foundation of the ‘hair piece’, and thread it through a knitter’s sewing needle. Then, with this foundation strand, thread through the middle, halfway along (for a centre parting) or a little to one side (for a side parting) of each subsequent length of yarn in-turn.
. When the hair is sewn up as one, (don’t bunch the lengths together, space them out along the foundation piece), place on the head and sew in place using sewing thread or matching yarn, catching in the foundation piece with the knitted stitches that run at the top and down the back of the head. You will also need to catch in a couple of the strands at the side of the head to hold the hairpiece in place.
You could also place the hairpiece with the foundation strand lying across the seam that runs along the top of the head, secure the beginning and the end of the foundation strand at the position where the ears would be, then cut a fringe at the front.

Method 2. With this method you actually sew in each piece as a hair follicle to the top of the head – sort of ‘fringing’ method. Its works well with fine yarns like mohair as described:
. Using a mohair yarn such as Rowan’s Kid Silk Haze – there are some fabulous colours in this range (also Kid Silk Night). Cut approx. 6 lengths of the yarn at a time to DOUBLE the final desired hair length.
. Bend all six strands in half then thread the fold (12 strands thick) through a knitter’s needle.
. Thread the needle through at the top seam of the head, and then as the needle emerges, pass it through the loop. Pull the loop down to the top of the head then release the needle. Do this all along what will be the hairline – from ear to ear.
. Work another row once or twice or more across the back of the head (depending on how much hair coverage is desired).
If adopting this method with other (no fine) yarns use only one strand doubled.
I have also braided three strands of yarn at a time, using double the final hair length for each plait, then sewn the braids together through the centre half as Method 1.
P.S. See example of this and the mohair method in my new knitted dolls book ‘Dream Toys’ Published Sept 06!

Prudence's Babes

Prudence Hawthorne of Inner Child Toys and Blue Heron Arts asked me to post this entry on her behalf. She writes: "I am so new at digital photography AND blogs and all, it took me weeks to get this off to you! I am now completing my fourth Knitted Babe, and here are my first two, ready now to greet the world. A couple of additions I made and recommend: a beanbag as filling for a Babe's bottom half body and an oval base for her bottom body, both of which help her sit securely wherever you set her. The Babes have brought great pleasure to my days and I am grateful to Claire Garland -- and also to all of you who have shared your enthusiasm with the rest of us! --prudencehawthorne at yahoo dot com

Finished Babe #3 over Christmas vacation. I used the A line dress pattern on the Rowan member site but made it on dpns and added a garter stitch border. The crocheted hat pattern is posted on my blog.

Toots, Holiday style

Toots begged for a peppermint dress for Christmas. She also got peppermint earrings and a peppermint. She wanted a peppermint coat and muff, but her dresser had to finish knitted presents for several other folks instead.

It was snowing the day she headed to the knitting shop, so she stole Barbie's boots.

Knitted Babes

Pattern for Toot's Peppermint Sheath Dress:

The dress is knit flat, on the bias, and then seamed together.

Needles: Size 10 (10" long single pointed)

Yarn: Party, 87 yards per ball. 1 ball red, 1 ball white

Stitch pattern - stockinette on the bias:

Row 1: Purl

Row 2: K1, Kf&b (knit front and back of same stitch), K46, K2tog, K1.

These two rows are the stitch pattern for the whole dress.

With red Party, cast on 51 stitches (I used invisible cast-on, but other methods could work).

Work 4 rows red.

*Work 2 rows white, 2 rows red, 2 rows white, 6 rows red.*

Repeat between * one more time.

Work 2 rows white, 2 rows red, 2 rows white and ONE FINAL ROW of red.

EITHER work Kitchener stitch through first and last rows (preferred method)

OR

Bind off last row of stitches and then seam them to the cast-on edge.

Toots's arms were pulled through stitches in the dress - no actual armholes were made. For the turtleneck, an extra piece of Party ribbon was threaded through the knitting and tied.

Hello!

I'm Kirsten and I have only just begun the madness that is a Knitted Babe. She will be for my beautiful niece and her name is Lily Belle. She is being made with Rowan Calmer in a light skin-tone-ish color on my size 3 Pony Pearls. I think she will have blondish hair, as I am modeling her after Niecey who is indeed blonde.

Thanks for the invite to join the blog! Photos coming as soon as I at least finish up her backside!
:o)

Knitted Babes

Knitted Babes
Meet Starry Night. She is a glamorous world-traveler who always keeps her bags packed and ready for the next trip. She was knit with worsted weight on size 3 needles, which seemed to work just fine. I did have troubles with the hair and next time plan to knit the back of her head in the same color as the hair.