Sunday, May 8, 2011

Stripes and Dollies

I'm a real stasher/hoarder of craft supplies, and I'm on a quest this year to make use of what I have rather than purchasing more. It's a real treasure trove, very exciting to brainstorm ways to make use of my materials.

Among my sub-stashes is an incredible collection of felt. I have inexpensive big-box craft-store felt (which, honestly, I don't like), as well as the wonderful saturated colors of real wool felt from the Purl Soho sewing store. I don't know how to use a sewing machine, but I do enjoy sewing by hand, and I'm completely self-taught and therefore not a pro by any means. But it's fun anyway.

So my latest de-stash felt project is this dolly, made for my daughter from a remarkably simple and clever pattern found on the Purl Bee website:





These were fun to make, and lovely to look at: the legs are even jointed with buttons at the hips so that she can sit!

Next up in my de-stash is the world's easiest blanket. Somehow I have managed to collect skeins of Vanna's Choice yarn in nearly every color! I had easily enough for two generous afghans, and have finished one already for my husband:



The pattern is absolute beginner crochet: chain as many stitches as you like, with even tension (not too tight, not too loose)--I did around 100 maybe--then two rows of each color in half double crochet, switch colors, another two rows of the next color in half-double-crochet...etc etc till you have the length you like! I did two rows of half-double-crochet edging all around the blanket, and it was done in a week.



It's warm, machine washable, colorful, and everyone likes to snuggle with it on the couch. I've already started a second, which will finish up my stash! Go Vanna!

5 comments:

  1. It was my dream to have a mommy-handmade doll when I was little but since my mom's not good at sewing so she didn't make any for me and my sis. Your daughter is a happy lucky girl:)
    I made some dolls for myself anyway. And I'd love to make a doll for my daughter, if I have any, in the future.lol!
    The blanket is beautiful!

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  2. Remarkable. I LOVE the doll (and the blanket too, of course).

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  3. what a sweet dolly!

    oh my! a beautiful afghan......but.....the weaving of all those ends! lol!

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  4. I agree, the afghan is lovely but I doubt I could handle weaving all those ends.....

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  5. Oh, I could never weave in all those ends!!! Can you imagine? I crochet them in as I go, and then at the end all I have to do is take five minutes to snip 'em all.

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