I posted the first installment of this project on March 4th. Finally, after almost two weeks, I’m back on track. Unfortunately, my whole family came down with a nasty virus, and we’ve ALL been sick, including me! I sincerely hope that is in the past, and I can move on with this project! When the body is finished, the next step is to give the doll hair. A kind of wig cap is crochet, creating “rows” by only using the back or front loop of the rows.
Crochet You
I’ve had this book on my shelves for a while now. I finally felt like I could handle the patterns, so for the last week, I’ve been crocheting the basic doll. I used I Love This Yarn (from Hobby Lobby) in the “Fuzzy Slippers” color. I use this color a lot to make doll bodies. I don’t mind that it’s varigate shades from white to peach, and I think it makes an interesting doll body.
It has taken a lot of persuasion to get Maize to appear… she is extremely shy! Maize, partner to Trout, is a Corn Singer. She plants, waters, and cares for the tribe’s corn crop. She sings to the stalks so they grow tall and strong. She sings to keep away pests. She sings so the corn provides a bountiful harvest for the tribe. Maize takes her coloring from the dried ears of native corn.
This is Trout. He is one of the tribal hunters. He specializes in fish tickling and various aquatic foods. Fish tickling is a skill that requires immense patience, and careful movements. His coloring is designed to camouflage him so he can glide through the streams, rivers and lakes to find his prey. This Impkin has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*. His head fin is actually two Fin Ears* stitched together, back to back and then sewn to the head.
This is my current Impkin. He’s in a partially completed state because I didn’t get anything done last week. Instead, I’ve been riding the Vertigo Merry-go-round, which is a lot of no fun. However, I am pushing through, slowly, to what is normal for my life. So far, this Impkin has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*. I loved this yarn as soon as I saw it in Hobby Lobby.
This is a Sky Singer. Sky Singers are the keepers of the day. They watch the skies for signs, to pass on to the Earth Keepers and the Plant Growers. I often see many mythical creature impkins posted in Megan’s Crafty Intentions Facebook group. However, most of them are elven, forest, or magical beings from more northern European ideology. I wanted to take this mythological concept in another, more tribal direction.
I’m so happy to introduce you to Ellowyn Hortensia Elephanta, a Prima Ballerina. If you know her well, you may call her by her nickname, Ellie. She has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*, along with Large, Round Ears*, and a lovely curved Snoot*. She also has a small, thin improvised tail with a few hairs at the end. Since she is constantly dancing, you will usually find her dressed in her favorite Tutu* and wearing a Wide Crown* with golden touches.
Meet Pinkie Pony! She’s a very outgoing MLP** Impkin Cosplayer. She loves to dress up and appear at various Comicons across the U.S.! Pinkie has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*, along with Pony Ears*, and a Unicorn Horn*. She also has a lovely, rainbow colored, Long Curly Mane*, of which she is very proud! This little impkin demanded a “party dress”. I didn’t have the heart to say no, so after several attempts, I came up with this lovely blue dress.
This is Toby Faraday. He’s an old, curmogenly type who’s currently trying to figure out where he put his glasses. They’re probably sitting on his desk, in his study, but he can’t find them… because he’s not wearing them! This impkin has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*, which is my personal favorite. He also has a Panel Belly*, Cat Ears* and a Cat Tail*. Toby is often seen with one of his collection of scarves because he’s always too cold.
This is Charles. Actually, his full name is Charlemagne Puppington III, but he doesn’t like to tell anyone that, preferring everyone to just call him “Charlie”! Charlie is an Entomologist and an upstanding member of the Royal Canine Entomological Society. He spends all of his time outdoors hunting down new and interesting species, and often testing them for their culinary adaptability… by eating them! So far, only a few of his subjects have bitten him back, but he has suffered through a few trips to the doctor for bad reactions.
Who’s your favorite fashionista? I’m sure Brie Blanc knows all about them and has some strong opinions about their clothing choices! Often, Impkins tell you want they want to be, and what accessories they wish to have while they are being made. That was certainly the case with this one! She wanted an outfit that was high design and was hot pink trimmed with green, and I had no idea how to make it.
While she’s a bit out of season, today I’m introducing Pumpkin Spice. She’s a fall kind of gal, venturing out to collect her latte from Starbucks, and gathering up cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla spices and flavorings which she stores in her every-present Sachel*. This was the third Impkin that I made. She has Type 2 Arms* with the Standing Body Type 2*. Like every proper pumkin, she wears her Pumpkin Stem Cap* atop her head.
Please say “Hello” to Cherry, a Wood Nymph Impkin. Cherry is most often seen in the Spring and early Summer playing and gathering herbs and flowers in meadow openings, and beside small brooks, in between the trees. This was actually designed by my 13-year old! She sketched out everything she wanted and then gave me the drawing. She did a great job, incuding detailed information. I let her pick out all the yarn colors and went to work.
I’d like you to meet Elvis, an Impkin Dragon. Elvis is a musician, and loves to DJ for the other Impkins! I started this character with Arms, Type 2* and Standing Body, Type 2*. My intention was to create a dinosaur, because that was what that skein of yarn was crying out to be. I did add the Dinosaur/Dragon Tail* before this little one woke up and his personality emerged.
Periwinkle is my second impkin. We’re not going to talk about the first one. It was a “learning experience”, LOL! I wasn’t exactly sure how she would turn out, given that I chose the yarn for her body and her hat before I had a clear image. I just knew I wanted to use those yarns. I chose the Arms, Type 2* and Standing Body, Type 2* for her, picked up my hook and began.
Today, I wanted to introduce you to the Crochet Impkins book by Megan Lapp , owner of Crafty Intentions! . Megan is a gifted pattern designer who specializes in unique, fantasy-based crochet designs. Her patterns are very well written, clear, and easy to follow. While she suggests that you have a good grasp of basic crochet stitches, and be at about an intermediate level, she actually has patterns that suit every skill level from beginner to advanced.
It’s finished! I can’t believe that I’ve finished my first Crochet Along project! It’s been a lot of work, and I had to fit it in with all the crazy stuff we have to do during the Christmas holidays. I did make a couple of mistakes. However, the more I did, I feel like I made fewer mistakes and got better at keeping my tension under control. I love the end results, and I’ll probably make more clothes for this doll over time.
The mittens, which match the scarf in color, went quickly. They were so easy to do that I added a twisted stitch border to finish off the edge. Now for the boots! #weebeeappreciationsociety #weebee #weebeedoll #crochetmakealong
The week before Christmas is always so busy! It seems like I’ve just gotten up and it’s already time to sleep. I had only a little time to myself. However, by working a few minutes here and a few there, I managed to finsh the scarf for the MCAL. I chose the deep red color as a contrast to all the blue and white in this set so far.
I finished the hat from the 4th set of patterns! This hat uses Front Post Double Crochet, Bean and Twisted Single Crochet stitches to create rich texture for the hat. While these stitches have already been used on other parts in this project, they all come together in the hat. I am now feeling much more confident about doing these and I’m sure I’ll be using them for other projects.