- April 30, 2025
- 5 Comments
Every December I am compelled to make tiny people out of wooden peg doll blanks. Of all my compulsions, it's probably my nicest because it's a fun one! Last year I made elves and the year before that, angels. I already know what I'm going to make next year, but let's talk about this year, because this year I made a wee army of Santas. These little fellas would bring a smile to even the Grinch's face and while you may get a little glue on your fingers and some glitter on your cheeks (that will seem to never go away) they are super fun to make and will give you a few hours of creative fun. They are meant to be used as gift tie-ons or tree ornaments.
- December 02, 2022
- 12 Comments
Last night I watched the Andy Williams Christmas Special 1966 on YouTube. As a girl I would watch those shows religiously. The Andy Williams show itself my family loved, but the Christmas Special was always a highlight of the season. These days it's hard to watch many of the old variety shows; The Dean Martin Show, as much as we loved him, is next to impossible to watch now. It's terribly dated in many ways, even if the music, costumes and sets are retro and fabulous, the jokes and monologues are dreadful. Not so with Andy Williams. He employed his handsome, singing brothers to join him plus his parents, his wife (the annoying Claudine Longet, try to ignore her) and their adorable kids and the cousins. It was a pleasant, family show and is still watchable today, that is, ahem, if you are a certain age. The Osmond Brothers (before Donny and Marie) were regulars on the Andy Williams Show and I went to school with the two oldest boys, Allan and Wayne. Wayne was in a few of my classes and on Monday morning, the night after a TV show had aired, I remember he would quietly slink into class. He was tall and would bend low and keep his head down and melt into his seat, definitely not wanting his classmates to notice him. Middle schoolers are not know to be kind to someone perceived as different. He was friendly but shy and I think some girls might have made a fuss over him, I know teachers did, and that probably embarrassed him even more. They moved soon after they became famous, I think to Utah.
I made the tablecloth for my kid friendly Christmas table decades ago. It's so retro now, it makes me laugh. The choir girls were made earlier this December. They came about because I own many lace doilies made by my maternal grandmother who died before I was born. I've held on to these doilies for decades never knowing what to do with them until I got the idea that they should be dresses! Below is a quick tutorial if you also have doilies that need a purpose in life. If you do, bookmark this for next year.
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| Aren't they gorgeous? All crocheted by my grandmother! |
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| Paint the body parts but don't glue the head on quite yet. |
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| After painting on the faces I painted the heads with gloss paint. |
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| Glue pipe cleaners cut in half for arms, then dot a bit of glue on the top. Find the center of the doily, put it over the glue, add more glue and put on the head. |
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| They start to look adorable at this stage, but now you've got to poke the arms out of the lace. |
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| I added felt capes and hats. I fiddled with a pattern but both are pretty much triangles with rounded corners cut with a pinking shear. |
The last bit was to tie a bow around her neck and glue the music book to her pipe cleaner hands. I found my mini choir book on an adorable blog, but dang, I cannot find it now. I did however save it as a PDF. If you want it you can email me (email address is on the side bar of the website), or alternatively you can search for a free image of something similar and size it down. I printed these onto a lightweight card stock. I also decided her shoes needed to be black.
Links to supplies I used:
Happy holiday greetings to all, and if you celebrate Christmas, I wish you a merry one.
If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here. Some links may generate a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the blog.
- December 24, 2021
- 8 Comments
Last year I made peg doll angels, remember them? Because they were so much fun I knew I would be making more again this year. This time I was inspired to make elves and I confess I'm already dreaming about next year’s doll. Peg dolls are fun to make and give, and these elves made me smile every step of the way giving me a pleasant few hours in my craft room. They are nice for either gift embellishments or tree ornaments and of course, little ones like to play with them too. If you are inspired to make these, here’s the how-to:
Supplies:
glue
paint in brown, black, white, red
matching thread and fine needle
1/4" satin ribbon (optional) and candy cane baker's twine
2.5" wooden peg dolls (they are the "dad" doll)
You'll also need a few small paintbrushes, toothpicks or a small wooden skewer, and a fine tweezer is helpful.
Now it’s time to make these little fellas. Let dry between each step. For easier clean up, work assembly line style if making more than one.
--First, paint on hair with brown paint. I left the faces unpainted except for the eyes and mouth.
--Next, with a skewer or the end of a small paintbrush, dot on white paint for eyes.
--Just off-set of the white eye paint and using picture below as a guide, dot on black paint for eyes. I wanted my elves to have a rascally Elf on the Shelf vibe.
--With a fine brush and red paint, make a teensy smile.
--Paint body with glue and sprinkle with fine glitter.
--Make felt hat pattern: Cut a 3" circle from paper and fold into fourths. The 1/4 circle is your hat pattern.
--Make felt hat: Using pattern, cut felt adding a scant 1/8" to each straight side for seam. Cut a 2" piece of baker's twine for top loop and glue to underside of hat tip. With tiny stitches, hand stitch the hat together, securing baker's twine loop with stitches.
--Place a line of glue to inside of hat rim and place on head.
--Optional: embellish hat with tiny leaf, holly berry, snowflake, bow, etc.
--Wrap twine or ribbon around neck for a scarf.`
Tie to a gift or hang on your tree and smile! I'll hand these out as I see my friends, plus I'll take a walk around the block and set them on our neighbor's front porches.
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| Peg Doll Angels link |
I just found more comments in my junk file and while trying to retrieve them, I deleted quite a few and now can't find them anywhere. If you have written to me and would like a reply and I did not reply, please forgive me and give me one more chance and resubmit your comment.
If you'd like to make a comment, please click here or scroll down. I reply to each comment and that response will appear directly below your comment. If you would like a personal reply, please know that I use the Blogger platform and they do not give me your contact information when you comment. If you would like a personal reply you can contact me using the contact form on the right side at the very end of my website. If you would like to receive Knitionary posts by email, please subscribe here.
Some links may generate a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the blog.
- December 14, 2021
- 3 Comments
When I saw this knitted doll clothes collection, it completely took my breath away. I love to knit for dolls and am always on the lookout for new patterns, but never had I seen anything so beautifully crafted, so beautifully curated and so beautifully photographed and produced. I'm so pleased to be able to share this darling dolly's wardrobe pattern collection with you, along with a discount when you purchase.
Knitting for dolls has always been a passion of mine. It brings back cozy memories of my much loved dolls, many of which I still own, and quietly creating hats, blankets, and dresses out of yarn and fabric, all at the side of Aunt June, my mother's dear friend and my patient teacher. I hope you have a little one to share your love of creating with--and won't you both have so much fun? If she is very young, you may want to start her on a doll's blanket or a tiny picnic rug while you knit the wardrobe. Passing along your love of knitting may well be the best gift of all. All the doll's patterns have matching children's sized patterns as well, (and some have adult sizes too!) so your little girl and her dolly can dress alike, something that is very popular here in the United States. The patterns are designed to fit the popular 18" doll such as an American Girl Doll or similar.
This collection is all you need to create an entire wardrobe. I see not only play clothes and school clothes, but princess gowns and winter coats, pajamas and bathrobes, and school uniforms too. All this comes from the creative mind of Mette Wendelboe Okkels, the talented young Danish woman behind PetiteKnits. The patterns are well-written and are easy to execute for an ambitious beginner. Mette has graciously offered my readers a 30% discount with the code, knitionary.
Here is the direct link to the pattern collection
To purchase, click on the "buy it now" button. A new window will appear.
Type in the coupon code: knitionary, then click the "apply now" button.
The 30% discount will be activated and you can complete your purchase.
This discount is good until May 13, 11:59 PM, PST.
Mette has been a favorite designer of mine since I discovered her a year or so ago. I've knit several of her patterns and I am a huge fan. I love that she can twist a classic look and make it modern. I'm sure if Katherine Hepburn and Grace Kelly were alive today (knitters, both), they would be knitting Mette's designs. See all of PetiteKnit's beautiful patterns for men, women, children, and dolls, here. Be prepared to fall hard in love.
And now I leave you with the most gorgeous pictures of a dear little dolly and her lovingly knit clothes.
I'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to make a comment, please click here.
- May 05, 2018
- 3 Comments