Red Venus

I've been touting the Venus de Merino pattern lately--what with its Turkish cast on encouraging me to great toe up sock heights!

I told you I finished her--and then E snatched her right out of my hand and both girl and doll disappeared into the girl's room.  I wanted to show N the doll, to get his feeling about it.  He does wonders for my creativity.

Anyway--the pictures could have turned out better--but they didn't.

So here she is, the front and back view.

I need to work on my shaping for her breasts next time--and I need to pay more attention--her head is done in reverse stockinette stitch rather than the stockinette it should be in--I blame Henry Fitzroy (Blood Ties) since that's what I was watching...oh no...I wasn't...I have to blame the Wolverine and his brother...I was watching Liev Schreiber and Hugh Jackman when I finished her head ...well...at least now I feel better having realised that...

Here's the best pics I could manage...

Doll Discussion

I finished creating an Oak Spirit doll last night. When I went to bed, I thought I would get up this morning and add some sewing to her cloak. Not embroidery per se, just random stitches.

When I woke up this morning, I went to her and spoke to her. Which is what I do. I had to ask her if she needed or wanted anything else.
No. She doesn't. She's very happy.

She's wearing a traveling cloak. All my dolls seem to be Journey dolls.

Originally, Oak Spirit was just a stick, a stick with an agenda, since I kept dragging that particular stick all over the house with me, whenever I planned to have anything doll oriented around. There she was. She sat on my personal altar I don't know how long, just a stick, not really saying much at all.

I cleared and cleaned and re-consecrated my altar this week. There she was. A stick. She spoke up then. She asked for something then. The next day I wrapped her with this funky wool novelty (no other name for it) yarn I have a clump of sitting here on my computer desk, staring at me. I wrapped her body and tied it on.

The next day, I pulled a polymer clay face from the tin I keep the ready to paint ones in. The face sat here on top my computer, nowhere near the stick. I painted the face that night and let it dry.

The next afternoon, face and stick met, with the aid of some gorilla glue. Never shall they part again.

She sat here, for two days. It seemed to me she was done, nearly naked little thing that she was. Last night, I took the remnants of my favorite birthday yarn and wrapped it around the upper branches, more like a crown than hair.

She sat for a few hours more, humming softly to herself. It was rather lovely.

Then, when I determined I would get some housework done before bed, she spoke up. She asked for wool. I have that pile of sweaters waiting to be turned into a blanket, so I went digging. Found a lovely piece of felted grey wool, with roses.

I ended up using some to wrap around her body, to provide bulk under the cloak. Then I put on the cloak. Wrapped some more of the funky yarn around that. Cut the fringe into the bottom of the cloak.

I set her aside, planning to sew the edge of the cloak along the side edge or whatever the next day, and I went to bed. I did see then that she was ready to travel. I noticed. I did not ponder it, however. I simply accepted it as a matter of course. I was tired. I needed to sleep.

This morning, I took a look at her and I knew: she was done.

She's ready for her Journey.

I wonder where she's going to go.
I wonder where she's planning to take me.

Dolls.

I always worry about using glue on them for some reason, even though I use such tiny amounts.

Someone once made a negative comment to me about a person who used glue in a certain sacred project--and that malice haunts me when I create my dolls. I need some other materials for my dolls, I know. I would be happier with various mosses.
My oak stick comes from a tree that was blown down by a storm. My boyfriend helped clear away the debris and he brought me some of the smaller branches. He's good that way. I hadn't even asked him.

I need more things of this nature. I know I do.

I think my current dolls are trying very hard to tell me something. These ones are not for sale. At least, not yet anyway. I am not confident enough in my skills, nor do I feel as if I have found that certain Space from which these dolls come for other people.

I will have to spend more time talking w Oak Spirit especially. I wonder what she will have to say.

I will post pictures of her soon...as soon as I am willing to sit down and work with my camera. I need to photograph a bunch of stuff from my Wreck This Journal 'project'. It is no longer a journal--it's barely a stack of papers held together with a rubber band at this point....

Until next time...

Elizabeth

I told you about the e-course I am taking from Artella?
"Making Change With Your Muse" is the name of the course.

As with all things, I have to wait for my Muse to really whack me into action. So many things have to do with timing.

Today is the day when I finally pulled everything together and finished my doll.

I started with the clay forms.



Chose one as the right one for this project.


Found a face for her.

Attached her face. Waited a few days for the glue to settle and cure.




Today, I pulled up pieces from an old destroyed quilt and a cashmere sweater accidentally felted.








Her name is Elizabeth. It says so right by her head.
There is a layer of pink felted cashmere as an underskirt. Then two layers of ratty old quilt as her dress. Tied with a piece of caron simply soft yarn. The number of knots to tie the yarn are significant-at least to me.
I cannot tell you for sure, but I think the pink felted cashmere around her head is more of a wimple. An, yes, it does seem to be blowing in the wind, doesn't it. :-)
No wings for this angel. But that doesn't mean she can't fly.
:-)

Faces

Isn't it hard to believe they came from the same mold?

These are the faces for Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
The faces have been glued to the bodies--although I must find a better adhesive for this part.

I am still pondering over the rest of the form. Bodies are done. Faces are good. So much more to do. In this case, less is not more. It's empty.

Journey To The Doll

I want a doll of my own.

As if I don't actually have several anyway--from the ones I've made myself, to gifts, to ones I've bought myself.

I have this entire agenda this year for knitting and crocheting toys—for everyone else. Other than my amigurumi Alice in Wonderland doll—which I have not yet re-commenced as of this date. Although I keep looking at the yarn I have sitting here, the chosen for her flesh.

I have no real desire to fill my own room with toys I create for myself.

In fact, I have found about about this group and I think it is a wonderful thing. Can you see leaving such things at hospitals and nursing homes? Won’t that just be tremendous? Even leaving them in the offices for public assistance and WIC? Those children would be so – happy.

But—I want a doll. I gave my oldest dd my own gerber baby doll which I got for Christmas the year before my first brother was bourn. That poor doll has been through so much these past decades. But E is thrilled with her—as I always was too.

I have the necessary Waldorf doll making books—and all sorts of cloth doll making books—and several knitted doll books—and even a bunch of free patterns—sewn, knitted, crocheted.

Whenever I am bored lately I do searches on ebay and etsy and in other places for dolls—and doll making kits—and all sorts of doll-related things.

I keep looking and looking, researching, learning, thinking, pondering.

Some of the dolls I see are just so horribly ugly—I am so sorry. And then others show such a lack of – I don’t know, talent, experience, whatever. They are the whole I mean well but didn’t quite get it genre.

I found a gorgeous mermaid doll, with a removable tail, which I thought was so cunning and so cool. But it was the materials list that made me stop and think—again.  Who makes a doll out of silk? Would you give such a doll to a child? Not one of my children.  BUT if I made a doll for myself—what would I use to make it—if I had no limitations (because let’s face it, buying a small amount of something to make a doll is a lot easier and less expensive than buying a whole bunch of something to complete say a shawl or a shrug or something).
It’s the difference in gas between filling up your car—and filling up your motorcycle. For your car, unleaded is fine. For your bike—you get premium. Period. Though premium costs more, filling the bike tank is so much less than filling up your car tank –and the mileage is so much better with a bike, usually—that you don’t really focus on how much per gallon you paid—you think of how far you’re going to go on that one tank.

It’s like my doll idea here—it seems so much more reasonable to spend $50 in materials—hand-spun alpacas and silks and so on (I’ve been looking—alot)—but there will be plenty left-over from the stash to make any number of other small things—but that doll will be irreplaceable, beautiful, unique and forever special.

I haven’t bought any yarn yet (if you keep up w this blog then you know that's not true now--this post was written a couple days ago and just now pulled from one computer and put up on the blog)—I keep thinking, and planning, and pondering. But it is still there. I keep thinking what doll pattern I have on-hand—or close enough to on-hand—to make it worth my while. I keep going back and forth and just can’t seem to decide—so by my indecision I have decided to wait.

I have several dolls that I am supposed to make for various people this year. I was planning to crochet something for the ex for his birthday—the monk—but as I contemplate it right now I find myself unwilling to go out of my way like that. The monk doll is quite easy—but as I keep looking at the lotus—I find myself unwilling to do something like that for the ex—simply because he is so unappreciative of absolutely everything I do to try to be nice to him.

Let’s avoid the why be nice to him tirade—he is utterly –utterly. It has nothing to do with him personally—I didn’t like him much when we were a couple—why would I bother with him now that I have more than enough proof about his lying, manipulative back-stabbing ways (it’s called fear—he’s afraid of conflict of any sort and prefers to be underhanded about things in order to avoid—everything)—so why would I want to rekindle anything with someone like that? Not to mention—as a boyfriend—he was horrid—I am fine w cheap—and he is extremely cheap—what I cannot abide by was the complete lack—of everything—emotional connection, compassion, show of affection—and the complete inability on his part to even come close to being able to do anything for me in bed (which brings us back to the whole—don’t worry about paying attention in anatomy class—take a human sexuality class—even a communications class would help—if actually applied).

All I want is for us to be able to act like adults in order to do what is best for our children. Instead I get the if I don’t walk his line I am completely invisible line. He just pretends I don’t exist—which is frustrating via email—but is absolutely infuriating when it’s done to my face. I put up w enough of that from my family.

That is the only reason I try to be nice to him—because you have to suck up t the man and flatter him in order for him to even look at you sideways—or at least I do. Not to mention---one of these days the kids will see that I am doing all this work to keep things going and nice—and the ex is being a complete butt. One of these days these kids are so going to turn on that man—and I lack the capacity for sympathy for him anymore.

Anyway—my doll. I will make my Alice doll. I will make another doll for myself as well. And I will order that expensive beautiful yarn and I will make my own doll—all for myself—special and unique.

I am so sure there are so many other reasons behind my wanting a doll. But I won’t get into that here or now.

More to come on this as well.

Another Made In December

Elannah
A modified version of 'commedia del'arte' by Kathy Mccart Snyder.
Available for free on knitscene.com.

What is so funny about this is I printed out the pattern sometime in 2006. As I was unpacking, it is one of those of the many hundreds of printed out patterns I have in stacks. I have never really looked at this particular pattern since I printed it out. For some bizarre unknown reason, rather than work on holiday knitting, on December 7, 2008, I picked up this pattern and I made it.
Her name is pronounced ay-lah-nah.
And I love her. :-)