For the Love of Barbie

Oh yeah!  Deep down, I'm a kid at heart.  And this kid loves her new Barbie (FYI: she's Fashionista Therese).  I've been wanting one for a long, long time and my family finally gifted me one for Christmas. :)

One Happy Kid ;)

Therese out of the Box

And with a Barbie doll comes the responsibility of dressing her in the most smashing outfits.  Have you seen some of the doll clothes in the toy aisle?   I have two complaints: 

• A) The official Mattel Barbie outfits can be pricey
• B) Those very same outfits may not be pretty or stylish, especially the cheaper ones (the expensive ones tend to be pretty, but pricey--see A above).

What's a crafter to do?  Make her own Barbie clothes of course!  I dug out an old Patons Beehive doll book (the original I lost many moons ago, but I found a copy a few years ago for 25 cents).  I actually made some those outfits when I was a kid.

Patons Beehive Book No. 139

I also found a site with vintage Barbie patterns (not sure who the original publisher was, but the patterns can be accessed off the website for free OR downloaded for a fee in a digitally enhanced e-book).

And if someone is handy with a sewing machine, they should check out the Craftiness Is Not Optional blog (scroll down to the end of her tutorial page to find the Barbie stuff).  She's got picture tutorials for a ball gown, skirts and tees to fit Barbie and friends.

Of course a search on Ravelry proved rather fruitful too.  There are a few crochet and knit patterns.  In particular, I found a great site with hundreds upon hundreds of Barbie patterns--all for free!  And some of the designs are just cute.  Check out Sticka till Barbie where the site owner/designer has patterns in many languages, most of which use fingering weight (good way to use of leftover sock yarn).

Right now I'm attempting a little top with cap sleeves.  I should be done by this afternoon--I hope.

Burgundy Top in Progress

Meanwhile, my Barbie patiently poses while awaiting her new outfits (it's hard work being stylish).  ;)

Striking a Pose

Hope you're enjoying the after-glow of good holiday spirits. :)

The Lure of Novelty Yarn and Other Mysteries

An acquaintance was de-cluttering and decided to give me some "old" crochet and knitting booklets (maybe 10 years old?)  My first response was "sweet!".

A few came from Red Heart which contained some nice crochet patterns for tops and cardigans.  As my crochet skills improve, I may want to attempt them. Definitely keeping those patterns.

Nice Crochet Patterns

Unfortunately, the rest of the booklets--and that would be the majority of them--use novelty yarn.  Remember that furry, nubby stuff that was a pain-in-the-you-know-what to work with?  I know because I've tried to knit with the stuff and its no picnic (so hard to "read" one's stitches).  Still, I can see where a pillow or toy might be interesting in fun fur.

Furry Pillows and Throws

Furry Toys

But clothing in novelty yarn?  Hmmm, me thinks never ever!  Most of the patterns were for scarves, ponchos,  and furry cuffs and collars.  Amongst those was the odd sweater.

NO ONE should ever wear a hairy or furry sweater--unless the gorilla look is what you're after.  Still, some of the sweater shapes looked pleasing.  As I perused some of the patterns and their schematics, a thought percolated in my little brain.  Maybe I could use a smooth yarn to re-create the garment--minus the fur and texture of course.  As long as I could achieve gauge, it could be do-able (is that a proper word?).

Garments in Novelty Yarn

This is possible, right?

Now if I could just find some free time . . . .

One Day Slippers

Had to share 'cuz this project is a quick one.  This morning I finished a pair of slippers that I only started last night!

My littlest one desperately needed new slippers.  The old ones were a little holey in the soles.  And I've been delaying the start of another slipper project 'cuz I'm busily working on a big project for Bernat (which I want to finish ASAP).  Luckily I stumbled upon this pattern through Ravelry;  it's called Aunt Maggie's Slippers.  And I am amazed that I was able to finish the project sooo quickly!

I used Phentex yarn because its so durable.  Have you tried Phentex Craft and Slipper yarn?  That stuff is strong but a pain to knit with; it splits like crazy and even gets caught on rough skin!  So I paired it with a generic worsted acrylic (See the supper big ball of white stuff?  That's just over 2 pounds worth!). 

Don't know if it was the pattern, the pairing of the two yarns or the larger needles, but this project was easy-peasy.  What a great pick-me-up!

Happy knitting!

Making Merry, Good Cheer and All That

Yeah, Christmas cheer has come to my house at long last!  In dribs and drabs, the decorations have come out of hiding during the week.  Right now I'm listening to Nick at Nite's Classic Cartoon Christmas whilst I type on the laptop.  Earlier I went shopping for a few little items.  Wrapped a few presents (even finished some knits but I'll post those later).  Some of those gifts are heading to the post office on Monday.  Later I'm off to a staff Christmas party.  And apparently there's a winter mess--at the very least snow--heading our way sometime 'round midnight.  Tis the season after all.

Christmas is generally my favorite holiday.  Why so long to get into the seasonal spirit?  Why so lackadaisical this year?  Then it hit me: no snow.  I need snow to get into the season.  Usually we already have a sprinkling of the white stuff by now, but almost nothing thus far. 

Last year I was also making lots of ornaments.  I think that helped me get into the spirit.  The  little balls were a free pattern at Canadian Living website.  The pattern originally came from the book Handknit Holidays.

And the cutest mini-stockings.  I loved making them!  These were also a free pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits (who incidently makes the cutest toys!  You gotta check out her website).

And I even started a few items that never got finished.  I found the patterns in my MIL's old Canadian Living magazines circa 1980's (I guess the magazine used to put out an issue devoted solely to Christmas crafts and gifts).

I even finished knitting most of the pieces for the snowman and the reindeer too, but I just never got around to seaming and assembling.  Everything has been languishing in a ziploc bag.  Maybe when I'm off for the holidays . . . three more weeks! :)

Sometimes . . .

Sometimes you can find knitterly items in the least likeliest places.  Everyday I walk to work.  It's a good half hour trek to and from, but the exercise is good for my heart (even if it hasn't done much for my waistline).  Walking along Main Street I go past shops that pique my curiosity. 

Take the used book store.  Sadly I'm not much of reader, but I popped in today, just the same, in search of craft and garden books.  I only had a few dollars on hand, but I scored a few old Patons books:

Both books are from 1984 and 1981 (Eeek!  The horrible 80s with too much eye makeup, towering hair-dos and hideous shoulder pads.  Ask me how I know).  Still, Nordic-style sweaters knit in the round never really go out of style.  And both books include children's sizes.  For a little over a dollar, how could I miss?

Then I stopped into a little shop selling Nova Scotian crafts and giftware.  There was a nice mix of neat items: hand-crafted pottery, paintings, matted photos, woodwork, goat's milk soaps and creams, homemade jams, sauces and syrups.  Then I spied two things that caught my attention: first there were handknits a-plenty and second there was handpainted yarn (I'm sure I gasped a little, but the clerk was busily knitting a scarf and didn't notice).  Now there wasn't much selection, but I was intrigued.  All the skeins came from Fibrepalooza.  This is big for me 'cuz there is no proper LYS in my town; nor is there one in the next town; in fact, I'd have to drive all the way to Halifax . . . . Sadly I could not make a purchase, but I'm gonna put the word out so Santa's elves can make me very happy Christmas morning (and I know at least one of Santa's elves reads this blog).

To tame my yarny urges, I walked over to the local V&S Department store to purchase some sock yarn.  Sadly no colours "jumped" at me.  However, I did spy a few pattern books for 99 cents!  How cool is that?

Two of those books include crochet patterns for the home.  Long ago, I could crochet: there are three afghans and at least one dainty doily in existance as proof of my skills (although where all those things are now, I cannot say).  I'd love to make a mat for the kitchen 'cuz the one I have now is lookin' very sad and dingy.

And just for good measure, I even picked up a few of those free pattern leaflets.  You can never have too many free patterns (there's a red binder and several file folders at home bursting with free  patterns--and yes, they are all organized too). 

Hope your weekend is shaping up to be a good one :)