Sick Again

I've been ill again. I feel like I'm going to and from doctors and hospitals at the minute. Unfortunately my crocheting has taken a back seat. It's difficult to crochet when you're in so much pain that you don't want to sit up. I did start the blanket I mentioned before from moogly blog and it's coming along nicely. I've also been spending a lot of time with my parents as they have had this week off. Gives me an excuse to play with their pets :) I've also signed up for the blog every day in may challenge, so hopefully you'll be hearing a lot more from me

Making Progress

Even though I'm still in a lot of pain I am making progress with my next Yaya doll. I've crocheted the whole head and neck, and I'm now working on putting the hair in.

This is the bit that I find most boring and time consuming, sewing in ends! Has to be done though to give a nice hair line on the back of the head.

Didn't actually take as long as I thought in the end, just had to find a systematic way of doing it. I actually worked through it so I did all the yellow bits and then all the pink bits (not that I have crochet OCD haha)

I've added the first row of hair, just around the base of the head. Now going to get a contrasting colour and sew in where I want the rest of the hair to fall. The plan is to have a full fringe that gets longer at the sides to blend in with the rest of the hair. Going to do a centre parting along the top of the dolls head and then add in as many rows of hair needed. I don't want to put too many in as it makes it difficult for the hair to be tied up.

I've popped some pins where I want they eyes to go so I know how long the fringe needs to be. Also debating on what colour dress to give this little dolly. She is meant to be based on me and I tend to wear a lot of black but thought a brighter colour would probably look more cheerful.

I am also looking forward to another side project I am starting (I need to start what I finish haha). A very good friend of mine is having a baby and has asked if I would make her a few bits so the baby will have something made by "Aunty Charlotte". The blanket is a free pattern I found on mooglyblog.com. It uses the bobble stitch and looks really snuggly. Going to make it in rainbow colours seen as I don't know what she's having yet. Popped the link on here in case anyone else wants to take a look. It's also on Ravelry.

http://www.mooglyblog.com/free-pattern-blackberry-salad-striped-baby-blanket

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blackberry-salad-striped-baby-blanket

Starting a new project

Have written my pattern out so it's legible.  Time to start the next Yaya doll. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend as much as I'm going to :)

Getting the Ball Rolling

Feel like I am finally getting somewhere with the start of my Yaya Doll business! Today I have started up a Google Plus profile, a Facebook Page and a Twitter account for the Dolls (I'll pop the links on the bottom). Its nice to feel like I'm getting somewhere with it all!

I've also made some accessories for my mums doll (as the dolls are custom it was what she requested as course!) She wanted a belt and shoes in red with black daisies and I think I delivered haha

She has now requested a Labrador and a ginger kitten (I should have never mentioned that I was considering making them pets as an accessory ha). She'll have to wait though because I'm itching to get started on some new Yaya Dolls. Each off the shelf one will have a specific name and look so the next one will be modeled on myself and be a Charlotte Doll!

First though I think I may have to sit down and properly write out my patterns. I think people would be horrified to learn I work off scrawls like this:

Would also love people's input on another idea I was having, for the more technical I was thinking of making little robot pets and then I thought maybe I should adapt my Valentines Robot as some form of Yaya-Bot haha

Links

https://plus.google.com/u/1/106170149247403365410/

https://twitter.com/Yaya_Dolls

https://www.facebook.com/YayaDolls

I'll also pop on the link to the Etsy shop once its open :)

I'm hopeless!

I really need to try and keep more up to date with this. At the minute I'm blaming sickness and being in hospital...Not fun!

However the very first Yaya Doll has been finished! She is named Katina (after my Yaya) and was a mothers day gift to my Mum (I made her cry). There are a few little tweaks that need to be made but overall I'm quite proud, its odd to look at the photos and see how it all came together. Next project is to start work on the "Charlotte" doll and give my friend a little shove to get her "Katie" doll finished haha.

Also need to make this doll some shoes and accessories, my Mum has been quite specific about what she wants haha! Apparently Katina would like black flowers on her dress and red shoes with black flowers as well as a handbag!

Normal life is getting in the way of my crocheting!

Feel like normal life is stopping my crocheting at the minute which makes me really unhappy. Crocheting makes me happy and relaxes me so when I don't get time to sit and do it I feel like I'm missing out!

I finally got my robot finished, had a few problems getting the neck right, I kept making it too tall and then his neck was flopping round all over the place. I think if I make another one I'll just forgo the neck all together

I'm still not 100% happy with the neck but to be honest I don't know if I ever will be haha. I have actually submitted this guy into the hobbycraft "make of the month" competition. Fingers crossed that they like it!

Now that this is done I can get back to working on my doll prototype. Me and one of my friends (and also one of my crochet protegees) decided to look into starting up a little business making customised dolls and I'm currently in charge of designing the basic pattern. At the minute shes just being made out of odd bits of yarn that are lurking at the bottom of my craft ottoman (I have so much yarn I need a whole ottoman for it haha), that's why she's in some odd colours. For some reason she really scares my 18 year old sister, she says its the eyelashes but they're  not very clear on the photo because of all her hair! We've decided to call them "Yaya Dolls" after my lovely nan who taught me to crochet.

My boyfriend has also requested an A.W.E.S.O.M.-O. toy for his desk. For the people who are not avid South Park fans its from an episode where Cartman pretends to be a robot.

I've already sketched out a rough pattern for it so I can get started on it soon

Early Spring Clean

Today I spent my whole day cleaning my house - I hate cleaning. I always find it amazing how it only takes a few busy days where you don't have time to do your everyday chores and the house turns into a huge mess! Also every time I thought I'd finished I managed to find something else to do.

So it was lovely this evening to just have a bath and then snuggle under a blanket with my crocheting. As I mentioned in my last post I've started my Valentines Robot. I've done a rough (very bad) sketch. Does anyone else use diagrams for their patters or just me?

Started actually crocheting the Robot at work on Friday and managed to get his head finished:

I decided to make it in separate sections and sew them together rather than making it in one piece to ensure that it gave a good cube-shape. I'm going to do the same with the body pieces I've made and then construct a neck to go in between the 2: