Playroom chaos

As spring approaches and days grow longer, the playroom seems to grow ever more chaotic. Playthings are strewn everywhere and everyone is looking forward to spending happy hours in the garden.

My complaints and requests for some tidying to be done fall on deaf ears and Lucy Lavender is more than happy to point out the dolls best friend . . . a large Minnie Mouse who tells me 'mess is best' or words to that effect.

 I hope the sun is shining for you in your part of the world.

Enjoy your weekend.

Fern and Flora - new dolls

Two new little dolls arrived in the playroom today.

The sun had been smiling on us all afternoon and the little sisters had decided to go for a walk in the wood to search for flowers to pop into their tiny baskets.

Not surprisingly their baskets had remained empty as our woodland flowers have yet to bloom.

So who were these little girls?

They both made a polite curtsy and introduced themselves as Fern and Flora.

But it is only February and surely much too cold for the two sisters to return to the wood. Kind Tilly was the first to ask if they'd like to live in the playroom with the other dolls. Fern looked very pleased with that suggestion.

At which point Kate couldn't resist giving little Flora a big welcoming hug.

In no time at all the newcomers had made themselves at home and were surrounded by lots of smiling friendly faces.

I've always loved Waldorf dolls with their plump cheeks and tiny noses but have never tried making a knitted version, until now. Fern and Flora are the result. Inspired by the Waldorf method of shaping heads, these little dolls have a shaped knitted inner head that is covered with an outer head.

If you are not familiar with the way Waldorf dollies are created then this method might sound complicated. But my step by step pattern is easy to follow and there are plenty of pictures to guide you. However, if creating chubby cheeked dollies in this way isn't for you then you can follow the same pattern and simply omit the head shaping (details given in the pattern).

You will find the pattern for Fern and Flora in my Dollytime Etsy shop

Boots and birds

There was much excitement in the playroom this morning as the shiny red wellies were hurriedly taken from the cupboard and all because . . . . .

. . . . . . snow had fallen overnight.

The dolls only have one pair of wellies to share between them and whenever these boots put in an appearance everyone wants to try them on.

But of course they are much too big for the tiny dolls.

And they are just a bit too big for the medium sized dolls

And although they are almost the right size for Lucy Lavender

she needs the tiny dolls to help her walk.

Fortunately everyone knows that these boots will be just the right size for Posy and she is able to walk perfectly in them. And so Posy was chosen to be the doll who would brave the snowy conditions in order to put extra food on the bird table.

Standing on a chair she was just able to reach the bird table and when she'd filled it with bread crumbs and seed the hungry birds began arriving.

It was too cold to stay outside for long and the snow-covered wellies were left outside on the doorstep.

Posy returned to the playroom where the tiny dolls were waiting with her cosy warm slippers

And then it was time to identify the hungry birds that arrived looking for food.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting by a warm fire and am pleased to say my latest dolly is beginning to take shape so I will hopefully have more news about her fairly soon.

Until next time

Eli

All good fun

I thought I'd show you the curtains I've just finished making for our cloakroom. As I always seem to end up choosing flowery fabric I was determined this time to have something different, checks or stripes perhaps.

As you can see, I fell into the 'flowery trap' yet again. These delicious roses on a pale aqua background stole my heart as soon as I saw them. I have a few bits of vintage china on the cloakroom windowsill which are a perfect match so there was no contest. Perhaps I'll choose checks or stripes next time!

Our weather has been wet and windy for weeks but there has been plenty to keep us busy. Whilst I've been decorating and making curtains the playroom has been its usual buzz of activity. There are a number of Mabel Lucie Attwell books on the playroom shelves and the pictures are a constant source of inspiration to everyone, including me!

Don't you just love this illustration. It comes from an early Attwell book, written in 1920, about a little baby that goes missing.

As the sun goes down and the moon rises some little elves discover the baby asleep under a tree. But how do tiny fairy folk transport a chubby baby safely back home?

Luckily these quick thinking little characters have the answer. They bundle the baby into an old linen basket and with great effort pull the cutie back home.

This tale is a great favourite in the playroom not least because it gives some of the dolls the perfect excuse to have a game of 'let's rescue the baby'. The Rainbow Rascals love to wrap Daisy in a clean handkerchief, bundle her into the old linen basket and drag her across the playroom floor.

Of course this game doesn't last long and usually leads to more boisterous adventures, especially when inspired by this picture.

If one baby will fit into a small basket then how many dolls will fit into an even bigger basket? Let's find out!

Isn't it funny how empty containers act as a magnet for youngsters and can inspire the most creative play. Children will never be bored when there are empty baskets and boxes nearby.

Before I go I'd like to thank everyone for the very generous comments left with my last post. Many of you popped over to Toyshelf to see what patterns were available.

Recent arrivals are these little sailors,

Tilda and Tommy-Ted

It was with a sigh of relief I finally completed decorating the three rooms I started last October, and with the new curtains in place I am at last able to give my mind to creating a new knitting pattern. As always I have plenty of ideas buzzing around in my head and have already started on one particular dolly idea. It's a bit experimental and might be a hopeless failure, in which case you'll not hear any more about it. However, I'm hoping it will turn out well so I'll keep you posted.

Until next time

Eli

Playroom visitors

There was an unusual amount of activity in the playroom this morning. I could hear chairs being dragged across the floor, books being pulled from the bookcase and much whispering going on. When I opened the playroom door I was met by a dolly barricade.

Little faces peeked out at me from behind books and cushions and it was soon plain to see that this wasn't just a game, so I went in to investigate.

Luckily it didn't take long to discover the problem.

During the night four little monsters had made their way into the playroom and were now happily playing with the balls of wool in the dollies' knitting basket.

Luckily Kate and Tilly were not far away and being experts at catching stray fairies they wasted no time in scooping up these little rascals.

Kate netted the first little fellow and Tilly grabbed the second and soon all four were in safe hands.

The girls wasted no time in offering the visitors a cup of tea and I think they quite enjoyed it, although it's hard to tell from the expressions on their faces.

These little monsters won't be permanent residents in the playroom as they belong to my daughter and will soon be going home. She opened an Etsy shop last year selling her own knitting patterns and these little fellows are her latest designs. We both love toys and spend hours discussing our latest plans. Whilst I tend to design traditional dolls my daughter likes to experiment with new ideas.

This is Cupcake the kitten confronting two cheeky mice who are obviously very determined to guard their precious tin of salmon. You will find the patterns in her shop.

The shop listing below is my favourite . . . . 'Puppy Love'.

My daughter's shop is called Toyshelf, a name which I think suits it well as it conjures up an image of a shelf filled with an ever growing number of cute, cuddly and colourful toys. Do pop over and take a look if you enjoy making small toys.