Crafty Sheep

For Kate: my two new books.

The first is Fröhliche Puppen selbst gemacht, by Freya Jaffke. Not yet available in English, but I am certain there will be a translation in the near future; most of Jaffke’s books have been translated into a number of languages. I must say though that I was a bit disappointed by this book. Nothing new in it for me, and I don’t much care for the tone in which it is written. Much too pedantic, in a I-know-how-you-should-be-raising-your-children way. Maybe that’s just me – I like the Waldorf way, but I’d like to make my own decisions, thank you very much. I’m not one for blindly sticking to one theory or way of life, and I definitely do not like people telling me “this is what you’ve got to do or your child will end up depraved”. I don’t think my children will be lesser persons if they’re not surrounded by Waldorf all the time. It’s all about balance, that’s what I think. Anyhow! I’ll get off my soap box now. It’s a decent book, it’s got all the basics, and it does a fine job of teaching you how to make different types of Waldorf dolls, from a simple knot doll to a knitted doll to a limbed doll, and that’s what really counts, right?

The second book is still on its way to me; I’m expecting it this week, and this is the one I’m really excited about: Sewing Dolls, by Karin Neuschütz (translated by Susan Beard). I’ve already got Neuschützes book Die Waldorfpuppe, and it’s my absolute favourite, so I’m very happy one of her books has finally been translated into English! I’ll most certainly be spamming you all with it a bit more once it gets here.

Edited to add:

To clear up any confusion – From what I wrote above, you may have concluded that Sewing Dolls is a translation of Die Waldorfpuppe! This is not the case; Sewing Dolls is a translation of a different (originally Swedish) book! My apologies for not being clear in the first place…

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I feel the urge to complete things. Sound familiar? I don’t even know anymore how many times I’ve told myself “you need to finish what you’ve got lying around here!”. And now, now that there are two books on their way to my home, two new dollmaking books, it’s a more persistent urge than ever before. Because new books means new patterns means new ideas… And never enough time! Especially now that Pieter’s abroad, in the US, for business. It’s easier than I thought it would be, just me and the kids; we’ve settled into a routine very quickly (which isn’t to say that they don’t drive me mad regularly, because good heavens, they do), but still… When it’s 8 o’clock at night and the last chatter has finally died down, that leaves me with just two measly hours in which I can craft uninterrupted. I really think I should call this weblog ‘Craft, Interrupted’ sometimes…

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There. it’s not *quite* autumn yet, but it’s close enough to justify changing my nature table, as far as I’m concerned!

Also, It’s my 35th birthday today, and I’m feeling positively ancient…

Now off to bake a cake!

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I finally managed to finish Lena’s dress! Quite a feat, what with all this BJD madness going on.

I have to say, I am rather pleased with the result. I added quite a few more increases than the original pattern called for, and for a while I was afraid that it wouldn’t work out, that the skirt would end up too wide. But with the ruffled edge added, I think it is just right! It’s what I had in my head, anyway. Don’t you love it when a plan comes together?

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I will now stop looking at BJDs. I WILL. Because I have found my favourite. It’s not a Puki after all; it’s the Lati Yellow Byurl. Or the Lami. Perhaps. (Note to self: perfect wigs here.) Much to my chagrine, the company that makes them is not taking any preorders right now, so I’ll have to wait at least another month before being able to order one, perhaps even longer. And THEN it’ll take between 8-12 weeks for it her to get here! Ugh! A well-deserved lesson in patience, one might say. Go ahead, say it. I dare you.

Anyhow, I’ll stop speaking in riddles now. But before I do, will you look at the sweet girl?! Goodness. (I’ll just whisper very softly that I’ve already ordered the wig, and you’ll pretend you haven’t heard, okay?)

And now, I’ll really go back to my knitting. Or something. I seem to remember there’s a book I need to have finished editing by Monday, and well… *cough* Byeee.

(Picture courtesy of Nessadear.)

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O no. Why me? Why now? I’ve got a new obsession. My eyes are almost rectangular, I’ve been browsing the web so much. I even dreamt about it last night. O… dear.

It’s not Waldorf, not even close – it’s plastic and Asian, and I cannot help myself. I have just discovered the world of BJD. That’s ball jointed dolls. And I am completely in love with the Puki Puki dolls, extremely tiny dolls made by a company called Fairyland.

There are so many Flickr groups dedicated to these lovelies, there’s a group on Ravelry, and I just cannot stop! I’ll be adding pictures later on.

For now, I think I need to get away from the computer, to go knit something, something Waldorf-y, as a counterweight to all the plastic cuteness. I feel like a split personality now.

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Look! She’s got a mouth! And now that it’s finally there, I cannot imagine her without one – it’s like it’s always been there. Silly how these things work… Anyway, I should be able to finish her dress pretty soon. Or as soon as I’ve figured out how to do magic loop for the last bit, because right now there are so many stitches on my double pointed needles that I’m afraid they’ll slip off… Pictures when it’s done, promise! Then booties, and some unmentionables, of course.

In other news: my kids and me played squirrel this afternoon. We may not live in the woods, but there are plenty of hazelnuts to be found in these parts regardless! Just behind our back garden, to be precise, next to a small playground. Why no one else was there, gathering nuts like we were, is beyond me. Come to think of it… They probably all thought *we* were a bit nuts and stayed far, far away…

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