Vintage Weave-It Dolly
I haven’t done much weaving this summer, so I was pleased to find this sweet dolly at antique store. She was a steal at $4.
Tag: doll
Uh Oh… Susie Sad Eyes
I say “uh oh” because she’s kind of creepy, but even so, I did it–I bought a big-eyed doll, Susie Sad Eyes. Not only are her huge eyes sad and woebegone, she has dark circles under her eyes, poor thing, crooked bangs and a really rough haircut (which I see is the norm for this doll). I first spotted this 8″ doll in a locked glass case at a nearby antique store. With each visit over the past few years, I’d stop by and peer down at the sad creature, and this weekend I couldn’t resist, so I bought her. The price was $24. Now that I know a little more about Susie Sad Eyes, I know the price was really good; however, I’m just not a doll-buying type of person, so for me, it seemed like quite a lot of money. I’m glad I bought her, though. What a strange-looking doll!
Susie Sad Eyes was a cheaply produced plastic doll from the 1960s and 1970s. There are plenty of websites out there with information about her for collectors, but she came around during the popularity of artist Margaret Keane, who specialized in sad-eyed images. (For anyone in the know, this was pre-Blythe.)
Susie has a following that’s kind of fascinating. There’s a Flickr group, full of photos of Susies, many who have been updated with new hair, painted eyes, and plenty of modern clothing. There’s even a book dedicated to her, Susie Says, by the same author, Gina Garan, who started the Blythe craze in the year 2000 with her eerie photos of the 1972 doll. Blythe was Barbie doll-sized with a string out of the back of her head that, when pulled, changed eye colors. Talk about creepy! It was manufactured for only one year and then discontinued. If you judge popularity by how many active websites are out there, Blythe has a tremendous following. There are even new Blythe dolls being produced. When you compare little Susie Sad Eyes to Blythe, she’s less popular. Yet another reason to be sad, I guess.
Now, I must say that the Ebay prices of Susies are a bit steep. My little doll was a good deal. She even has her original clothes and leggings, but no shoes. The strange thing about Susie is that she’s really photogenic, and I find myself snapping way too many pictures. I assume this isn’t the last time Susie Sad Eyes will show up on this blog!
Woven Dolls
When I saw this posting and instructions on the eLoomanator's blog, I knew I had to try to make these two dolls using just one 4" woven square apiece. Barbara Giguere created these dolls using her 4" Weave-it loom. I made mine with the Wonder Weave, which also creates a 4" square.
I selected three colors of Dale of Norway/Falk 100% wool and threaded the loom with the neutral beige. I used the same color to weave six rows for the head. I then swapped to my second color, wove six more rows, and finally swapped to my third color, weaving six more rows. Once off the loom, it's pretty straightforward to finish the dolls. Simply sew up the back to make a tube, use the extra yarn to draw in the neck and stuff, then gather the top. Stuff the body, tighten the waist and sew the feet. I liked how Barbara stitched in some arms and on the boy doll, some legs, so I followed the same idea.
Doll hair is still difficult for me. I don't quite know how to stitch it so it covers the head and yet can't be pulled off by a child. These two dolls have hair, but it's pretty loose–one good tug and it'll come off. I'll need to research hair for future dolls.
These two dolls are just four inches high. Aren't they sweet?
Olive, Loofah’s little sister
I knitted this doll using the same pattern as Loofah, only on the large end (8 peg) spool Knifty Knitter instead of the flower loom. She’s very tiny, about 4″. I think if I were going to make these dolls to give away, I’d have to find a way to keep the stuffing in place. As it is, you can tell the gaps between each row are so large you can see the polyfill. One idea I had is to use a child’s sock as a way to stuff the doll. I can also use a tighter stitch like I do for the head.
One more problem I’m having is with the hair. Right now, it looks okay, but it’s not durable and wouldn’t stand up to much playing. I separated strands of Lion Wool Ease but as they come apart, it’s easy to tear off sections. I need to research a way to make decent hair.
When we were visiting family over Thanksgiving, I knitted this ball with the flower loom. My plan was to make three of them, print out a “How to Juggle” tutorial, and give them as a gift. However, the little dog of the household got one look at this ball and decided it was hers. How could I refuse that face??