Meet Elle

So named to force me to stop calling her "It" (I've never really been a fan of dolls). I have owned this book almost since it came out, and the yarn to make myself (or my niece) a couple has been in the stash almost as long. After finishing and dropping off the Crocus Tank (Kathy has posted a much better picture of it on WEBS' blog -- scroll toward the bottom of the post) and sending off my niece's birthday package (which, shockingly, included nothing hand made) I took up needles and yarn to make Elle.


Pattern: Knitted Babe from Claire Garland's Knitted Babes
Yarn: Babe: RYC Cashsoft 4-ply #439; Hair: Berroco Pure Merino #8532; Bathing Suit: Regia Stretch Crazy Color #115
Other Materials: Felt and embroidery floss for the facial features; one old washcloth "bog-jacketed" (PDF file) to make the bathrobe
Needles: Two of a set of old 8" aluminum DPs in size 2 (the kind you find when cleaning out your grandmother's crafting supplies) -- they were blue if that matters
Mods: None this time, though the next Babe (yes, I've got yarn in the stash for at least three more) will be knit in the round 'cuz sewing seams on those teeny pieces was NO FUN. I suppose it was designed in pieces to allow you to place the facial features before construction, but I waited until I'd assembled and stuffed her to do the face so I could more accurately judge the proportion of the features to the head.

I was captivated by this book when it first came out (and remember, as I mentioned, I don't like dolls). The dolls are are cute and clever and the patterns provided create a great wardrobe (yes, there will be more clothing forthcoming for Elle -- there are always more bits of sock yarn around here).

While I had the sewing machine out to make the bathrobe, I also whipped up this:
I am hoping that it will hold my books open for me so I can knit and read at the same time. It's just some fabric left over from a stole I made M for her installation here, sewn into a tube and filled with popcorn (in its pre-popped form).

Next up: Smooch in Rowan All Seasons Cotton #221 -- another sample for the store. IF, that is, I can figure out the first row. By my calculations, if you

K3, *cast off 3 sts (one st on right needle), K2, rep from * to end

(ignoring the fact that I can't for the life of me figger out what "one st on right needle" means) you wind up with a few more than 2/5 of the number of stitches you started with. Right? Well, the pattern has me winding up with just over half the number of stitches I started with. I'm thinking the cast off 3 should actually be cast off 2. I looked for errata and found none, so I'm off to try my best.