Schlagwort: doll

The swimmer

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No! More! Winter! (Please…) I really can’t take it anymore. I am so tired of the cold, the ice, the snow. Especially after spring already showed up. We had sun, we had crocuses, we even had a bit of gardening going on. And now this again. Really?

Of course, from a knitting and crochet point of view, winter has its charms. Cozy projects, warm yarn, all of that. But still. I am seriously longing for daylight and warm weather. Aren’t you? So I decided to take matters into my own hands. If summer won’t come to me, I’ll just “crochet summer” instead.

And here is the result:

Any idea what this might be? It belongs to a gentleman in a blue bathing cap and matching speedo – a swimmer!

Over the years, some of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

He is very committed to his look. Very confident. Slightly round in the middle, and perhaps not blessed with the longest legs—but honestly, he owns it. I am quite pleased with how the swimmer turned out.

Especially after I finally managed the floating tire. That part nearly defeated me. I tried again and again. I almost gave up. And then—out of nowhere—it clicked. Like a bolt from the blue. Literally blue, because of the blue cap, of course 🙂

The trick was doing it from the outside toward the inside. Not in rounds like usual. More like an LP record playing, spiraling in toward the center. For anyone who never handled vinyl: yes, that kind of record. Once I figured that out, everything fell into place. The swimmer. The tire. The whole summer scene.

So here they are: the swimmer and his floating tire, fully ready for summer—even if summer is clearly not ready for us yet.

Looks like there are at least two of us now, patiently waiting for warmer days…

Bill, The Travelling Man

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It’s about time I introduce you to Bill, I guess. He was named after Bill Clinton, as he would (accidentally!) look like him when I made him – at least that’s what we thought.

Bill

Just for grins, I talked to J about Clinton the other day and our little conversation still makes me laugh:

Me: „so who is Bill Clinton?“

J (quick as a shot): „Isn’t that Hillary Clinton’s husband?“

Looks like we’re raising a feminist here 🙂

But back to the original topic: Bill gets to travel if we can’t (no money, no time, no vacation). He definitely prefers traveling with people, but envelopes work almost as good. So far, he always reached his destination as planned and – more important – he always came back. Where ever he goes he has his picture taken for J to see. J says looking at those pictures is almost as good as travelling himself.

After short trips to Hong Kong and Uruguay, New York and Poland, Bill went to Chicago lately. Of course, he had his picture taken next to „the bean“:

Bill and Bean

And he must have liked it, as, after coming back to Germany, he decided to go right back to the US. This time he would go west: out of all places, he chose Meeteetse, Wyoming (325 inhabitants) as his destination. Be that as it may, doing ranch work he stayed a lot longer than originally scheduled. (In case you wonder what they are doing in the picture: they were testing the cows to see which ones were pregnant).

Bill working cows

Upon coming home last week, bringing along his new cowboy hat and his own passport, he asked my boss to take him to Beijing. And much to my surprise, the boss – without batting an eye – put Bill in his pocket and off they went the next morning.

Now, here’s one of the pictures I got yesterday by email. Trust me – I was dumbstruck, when I saw it and sharing it with you is a must!

Bill and Chinese Police Officer

How on earth do you make a Chinese police officer hold a little crocheted doll (there is a string attached to his head, can you see it) and smile for the camera, especially if you don’t speak his language?! Bill will be back this weekend and I am very much looking forward to hear the story on Monday!

A lovely weekend to all of you out there 🙂

Albertha & friend

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Looks like I’m not quite done with the little people after all—here are two more to add to the collection. It’s still foggy and gray outside; I honestly don’t remember seeing the sun for at least a week. Consequently, the kid insisted that the little people get dressed—he said it’s far too cold to run around naked.

So here they are: Albertha, on the right, the very first doll to get a proper name, and her nameless friend. The kid came up with Albertha himself, inspired by his two favorite teams: Alba Berlin (basketball) and Hertha BSC (soccer). Al-Ber-tha – Apparently, he has two hearts in his chest—one for each team—and both fight for attention at the same time! Or – to quote J. W. von Goethe – “two souls, alas, are housed within his breast, and each will wrestle for the mastery there.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself 😉

Even on these foggy, gray days, little people keep life playful and even a bit magical.

Little People with Wild Hair-Do

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At some point – well after I’d made these two – I decided to change how I construct the arms. Now each doll is worked in one piece: starting with the legs, then the body, then the arms (which are incorporated into the body), and finally the neck and head. That makes them properly “baby-proof.”

Even with this new construction, I try to keep the spirit of the originals alive—the little people with their wild hair-do, sticking up in every direction, untamed and full of character. That wild hair-do gives each doll a mischievous, playful energy, like they’ve just run through a whirlwind or been caught in a gust of wind. It’s what makes them instantly lovable and full of personality, even before you add a face or a story.

Little People

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Little people—that’s what we would call these dolls. These cheerful four were the very first generation, the originals that started it all.

They’re small, simple, and don’t have faces—and apparently, that’s never bothered a single child. On the contrary, it lets them come alive in a child’s imagination: they can laugh, cry, or talk however the child wants.

Of course, they wouldn’t be the last; many more little people would follow, each with their own personality and quirks.

little people häkelmonster

little people häkelmonster