Driven to Make

Hi Knitters,

The Collector was on a major crafting jag over last weekend. It is hard to describe the mode she gets in and frankly, it makes me so excited and happy to see. The girl is absolutely driven to be maker. It is almost all she can think about until she deems her current project complete. I don't want to say she is in a trance but maybe more like a crafting trance. She puts me to shame. She likes to take a simple concept and change and adapt it to the extreme.

Her little friend around the corner turned seven and The Collector wanted to make some dolls for her. These little dolls are so simple. You wrap fabric strips around pipe cleaners that are formed into a body with arms and legs. She used fabric glue to tack down the ends. Then you leave a long part of the pipe cleaner at the top. You put a wooden bead on for the head and the pipe cleaner that sticks out the top is the looped end and then she pulls yarn through the loop for hair. T.C. went crazy on the hair. We had been to Jo Ann's earlier for something else but she wanted to get some hair yarn, too.
The Collector worked for hours and hours on these dolls. She started with 5 larger size dolls and they are elaborate with painstaking details. Then she decided that each larger doll needed a smaller "sister" doll or baby doll to match. She ended up making 10 dolls. The dolls that had babies also were equipped with a fabric sling to carry the baby. You could take the sling on and off as it is simply tied around the back. She used a fine tip Sharpie pen to make the faces on the wooden bead.She braided a headful of braids on the bigger doll and made pony-tails for the smaller one. This pair actually has Rowan Big Wool for hair. She didn't end up with the right number of pieces for the braids so she separated one of the strands to make the number come out right. She told me later and I was impressed at her quiet problem solving.
Yes, that's Colinette Point 5 for the scarf! T.C. likes to root around in my stuff and I don't mind a bit.
These two are my favorite in the group. They look so happy and like they are in motion and dancing. I love the flower petals she used for the skirts on most all of the dolls, too.
This doll has a baby in a sling....
... as does this one. I love the way she bent the arms on both of these dolls to cradle the babies.

Here is one of the babies she made when the sling is removed and opened up. What a fun project for my sweet Collector. She quietly occupies herself for hours and hours with her crafting. It is awesome to witness.

I am writing this post from my hotel room in Little Rock, Arkansas. It has been a long day of work and travel but I did quickly want to remind anyone in the area that I will be at the Knitting for Noggins Event tomorrow, Dec 3rd starting at 2:00. The event is being held at the Arkansas Children's Hospital. It is a wonderful charity knitting event and it is huge! I am not kidding you when I say that people show up with THOUSANDS of hand knit and crocheted hats to donate to the hospital. It is amazing and I can't believe I was invited back for the third time! I love this event so much. I will try to get good photos but it is difficult because I am working the whole time.

The Collector knitted three hats that I am donating to the charity event for her. She is very excited about it.
She made this one out of Blue Sky Dyed Cotton and she whipped it up pretty fast. Awhile ago she made a fuzzy hat with pom-pom ears and another Blue Sky Dyed cotton Bunny hat from IBH and I think I posted photos of those earlier.

Okay, I need to organize my trunk show and go over some things for tomorrow. Mainly, I need to go to bed! I am a tired knitter tonight.

best, susie

p.s. Do you all know that I am having a knitalong on the Spud & Chloë blog? I am making a little Tiny Elf and I am posting the pattern for free as I work along. I have posted two parts of the pattern so far. Maybe you'd like to join me. The pattern will be available for free in its entirety when I finish the knitalong.