Crafty Sheep

I move between two addictions (and no, we’re not getting into my Grey’s Anatomy & Private Practice addiction here! ). On one side, there’s my dollmaking, on the other, my bunnies. They’re forever battling it out. Currently, the bunnies are on the winning hand. I’ve got a custom order for two small bunnies, one of them similar to Hugo here, but with embroidered eyes and dark ears, and needles are sticking every which way! I have recently started making the bunnies on double pointed needles, so I won’t have as much finishing to do in the end. Better, much better!

I’m also looking into new yarn for my white bunnies, as those seem to be the most popular, and I ran out of the yarn I used to knit them from. What do you know, of course it’s a discontinued yarn! I have high hopes though I’ll be able to find a replacement from Textere Yarns, a UK company. They’ve got the best collection of pure dyeable yarn I have ever seen! So many different textures… quite unbelievable. I’m quite into UK yarns anyhow – the yarn for my smaller bunnies comes from New Lanark, an historic yarn mill based in Scotland.

I know it’s not very practical, ordering more yarn a few months before moving into our new house, but I just couldn’t stop myself.

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I’m currently working on a lot of things at the same time. Still test-knitting my doll’s underwear, as you can see here:

You, being the astute readers that you are, may also notice that I’m in the process of unravelling my first ever provisional cast on! O! I’ll let you know the outcome…

Then there’s Mima, my latest doll, who has a name, but still needs an awful lot of work, because I’m not quite happy with the way her face has turned out

(although once she’s all decked out in her still to be knitted finery, she may turn out be okay anyhow, as that’s how it goes with these dolls):

Furtermore, I’m knitting a pair of bunny overalls, because that’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time (there’s a lot of that lately isn’t there!), and I’m completely in love with the yarn:

(Which is Katia 100% Merino, in case you were wondering.)

And to top it all off, I’m knitting a bunny in the round for the first time ever, because a new year means new skills to be mastered! Hence my battle with DPNs. In case you were wondering: no, it’s not the first time I’ve been using DPNs, but it’s the start of many more projects using them with ease, or so I hope! Anyway, here’s bunny-to-be:

The yarn I’m using was a gift from a friend; her grandmother spun it. It’s pure sheep wool, rough but ever so lovely – it even still smells of sheep! I love it. And the best thing is: I’ve got  lots more!

And that’s not the end of the suspense, by the way, as we’re going to put up our house for sale this week and most probably will be bidding on one as well. Eek! You think that would perhaps explain the frantic knitting and crafting that’s going on here?

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So. Still no conclusive results in my quest for very thin yet strong hair yarn. But then, quests are supposed to take forever, right? Consequently, here I am, still on my horse, rambling through forests and countryside, ever looking, ever searching, stopping only to eat and rest.

I may have found a new lead! I just recently rediscovered Andie Luijk’s natural dyeing site.

Renaissance Dyeing is a small family concern dedicated to naturally dyed embroidery thread. Our main product is a range of over 110 naturally dyed shades of fine crewel wool. Since 2001 this unique venture has been run by Andie Luijk. The dye-house and winding machinery are now housed in a converted barn in an ancient hilltop village in the foothills of the Pyrénées in France. In this traditional textile area amid wild dye plants and newly cultivated woad fields, Andie and her Dutch husband Adriaan have settled, enabling Andie to indulge her life long passion for hand dyed embroidery thread, dye plants, natural vegetable dyeing and colour!

Through my Waldorf dolls group on Ravelry, Andie has kindly offered to send me some sample yarn. I’m so excited!! Her yarn is exquisite; the colours are so, so beautiful.

You can find her website here: Renaissance Dyeing
(Picture taken from Andie’s Flickr photostream)

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Just so you won’t think I’m doing nothing but making dolls (which is almost true, because my toe is hurting bad (I’ll spare you the details) and I can’t really move around all that much. I even had to buy some Birki’s just to protect my poor toe from being stepped on by four year olds ), I bookmarked myself a little dyeing tutorial. I bought a good heap of undyed yarn a few weeks ago, so plenty of opportunity to experiment! Once I get home, because at the moment I’m enjoying the good weather at my parents’ place. And making dolls* a lot.

Anyhow: Kathryn Ivy’s tutorial for dyeing yarn with Easter egg dye

* my Japanese doll is almost finished. I would show you the pictures to prove it, but I can’t get this rambling old laptop to accept my memory stick… I can give you her (that would be the doll’s, not the laptop’s…) name though: Keiko.

P.S. Something occurred to me just now – when I get home  again, maybe there’ll be a few goodies waiting for me? Fabric, buttons, art, perhaps? O, the suspense!

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Dyed, washed and dried! My first ever home dyed yarn. I’m so pleased with it! I’m already saving onion skins for my next batch.

More pictures can be found on my Flickr account.

I’ve now got to make a doll so I can actually use the yarn for hair!

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Look at me, I’m dyeing! My first ever dyeing experiment – I love it! The final result is a very beautiful soft orange colour, just what I had in mind for my doll’s hair. All I’ve got to do now is find *more* yarn. Just happened to see some on Ebay, right Stefanie? (No answer yet from the seller about strength of the yarn, but I think I’ll buy it anyway.)

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Yay! Making lots of progress on my baby doll! But guess what: I forgot the nose. AGAIN! *hits head against the wall*

Urgh. I really, really should make a checklist. Because now that I’m no longer breastfeeding Nynke (*sniff*), I simply cannot use the hormones excuse anymore… Nope, plain stupidity, this.

Well, on the bright side: at least this doll can be cuddled and played with properly, without having to be afraid of dirty or *gasp* torn noses. That’s something I suppose.

Doll’s hair yarn search is going well! I’ve had so many brilliant suggestions! Thanks Stefanie and all others! I’ll continue my research, and when I’ve found the perfect yarn, I’ll be sure to let you all know here.

P.S. Just so you won’t be worried: yes, I’m still making bunnies, too. I’ve got one almost finished, heh.

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I’m on a never ending quest for hair yarn. It should be very thin, preferably organically produced, readily available and not too expensive. Sigh. What am I getting myself into? I’ve been looking around a bit – 100 % merino lace yarn could be what I’m looking for (but it’s relatively expensive), or an organically produced thin cotton yarn perhaps. It’s just so difficult to make a choice purely on what’s available online! There are no local yarn stores left where I live – just the one, and they don’t carry anything I could use. So… any suggestions?

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You know what I would love to be able to do? Dye naturally. To me, that seems like the ultimate in craftiness. I’d love to grow my own plants and dye my own wool. In a perfect world, I’d be spinning my own yarn as well of course. Okay, and if it were to be even more perfect, I’d have my own sheep. But we’ve got to be realistic here… So dyeing it is. I’m going to have to find a good book on the matter. Hurray, another new hobby! *shakes head*

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