Tag Archives: #spoolknitteddolls

Day 43 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- I just fixed the face of a Well Well Well Doll

Day 43 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- I just fixed the face of a Well Well Well Doll

I was not happy with the original face of this Well Well Well Doll –

I like the big oval, but the first version of the face felt lost in it.

I did quite a few drawings to find one that felt right for the doll and settled on this one.

Now, I am content with this version of the doll because the features of the face stand out from the background embellishments and the expression reads clearly.

When you’re making a doll, it’s a really good idea to audition lots of different elements.

Sometimes, it can take time to figure out precisely what isn’t working.

Ask yourself a lot of questions- Is the shape a problem? Is the placement of the features an issue? What does the expression communicate and are you okay with that? Are the colors right? Is there enough contrast or not enough? Is something missing that needs to be added? Is there something that is extraneous and needs to be removed? Feel free to change what doesn’t make your heart sing.

Need help with drawing faces? I made a video to help with that:

The pattern for the Well Well Well Dolls is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4473549156/pdf-pattern-for-spool-knitted-well-well

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Day 26 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Hope Punk

A couple of days ago, I experienced wonderful synchronicities of messages of HOPE appearing like little green shoots bravely unfurling through grotty old snow. Brad Montague, artist, writer and hope-meister extraordinaire (follow him on The Enthusiast and @bradmontague) wrote a wonderful post on his Substack page that introduced me to Alexandra Rowland’s statement: The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk,” which felt like an explosion of delight and yes-ness. (Thank you!!!)

And, the other wonderful uplifting thing was my brilliant niece, @josephinecrone  being interviewed by Anita Vandenbeld for her podcast: New episode of Democracy in Conversation.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EtrWeqXAso&t=10s . Josephine is a powerful advocate for the power of hope to change lives. She has survived Stage 4 Lymphoma and is in remission. She is adamant that hope drives action forward and that cynical behaviour is deadly. She gives me so much hope…. and I am so gratefu!

For me, living with chronic illness and a bunch of other challenges, means that hope is an absolute life line and is essential to my very being. That’s why I focus on invoking hope and beauty and sweetness in my work as an artist and a designer.

I had such an ‘aha’ about ‘Hope Punk’… that’s what I am aiming at with my whole spool knitting project and that, oh yes! Is what my Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls are absolutely ALL about.

Please stay hopeful! We need our Hope to light up the darkness!

The pattern for the Spool Knitted Well Well Well Dolls is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4473549156/pdf-pattern-for-spool-knitted-well-well

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Day 24 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls

Day 24 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls

I designed the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls as a wish that everyone, everywhere, would feel well, and that our precious planet would feel well, and that anyone who makes these dolls will feel well, and happy, and safe and hopeful and live in peace, and equanimity.

As I made them, I asked myself: What does JOY look like today? What does peace and safety look like today? What does this doll want me to know? How can this doll feel like hope or sweetness today?

I invite the doll makers to play with drawing their own unique, one of a kind faces for their Well Well Well dolls and have made a video tutorial to help them do this.

I hope that these joyful, playful, happy dolls will bring all good things to the people who make them, and if the Well Well Well dolls are meant as a gift that they will bring love, light, laughter and hope to those who receive them.

The pattern includes links to 3 video tutorials for how to make your own larger spool knitters as well as videos on how to spool knit in the round, and how to spool knit flat panels as well as spool knitting 2 peg/nail cords.

The pattern has complete step by step instructions for making the Well Well Well Spool Knitted Dolls with yarn and with fabric strips too.

The pattern is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/4473549156/pdf-pattern-for-spool-knitted-well-well

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Day 23 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- A video tutorial for making a tiny upcycled sketchbook and easy ways of drawing simple faces in it

Day 23 of #100daysofspoolknittersandlittlelooms- A video tutorial for making a tiny upcycled sketchbook and easy ways of drawing simple faces in it

I made a video tutorial that shows how to make an upcycled tiny sketch book and then how to draw simple faces in it as an ongoing daily practice.

That’s because I am going to be releasing a new pattern tomorrow for wonderful spool knitted dolls and I want people to be able to draw unique, one of a kind faces for their dolls.

I have found that using tiny upcycled sketchbooks to practice drawing faces is a lot like practising a musical instrument.

Daily drawing is the way to build creative stepping stones.

A little bit at a time, all the time.

Large gorgeous sketchbooks with expensive paper can be really hard to work with, but tiny ones that fit in a pocket and are humble paper make for carefree drawing.

And that’s what you want for these new dolls.

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