Tag Archives: snowmen

New Year, New Pattern, New Ensemble!

By now it is 2017 everywhere in the world, so a Happy New Year to all!

My husband and I went for a brisk walk in one of the nearby forest preserves today.  The paths were a little treacherous in places, but we were careful and the sun felt so nice.  It was the perfect way to start 2017!

My Little Darling, Lucy, is also here with her bright, smiling face (and her itty bitty snow baby) to wish you all the happiest start to 2017!  Before most of our snow melted last week Lucy and I made this tiny snow baby. She is still trying to decide if this snow baby is a boy or girl, so she can give it an appropriate name.

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While outside she told me that her new sweater coat, hat, and scarf kept her toasty warm.

Lucy is wearing a dress made out of my most favorite snowman print.  I LOVE this print!  It’s colorful and a little bit primitive looking.  There are “zillions” of snowmen lined up on this fabric; all looking equally cute, don’t you think?  Snowman lovers will find this print adorable.

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I previously used this fabric in 2014 (“Snowman Luv”) to make an ensemble for Gina.  I decided to make it less Christmasy this time, so it could be worn more as a winter ensemble.

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Isn’t this the cutest fabric!  I think they are the happiest little snowmen!

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Lucy’s ensemble will be available Monday, January 2, 2017 at 7:00 pm CST on my website.

“My Little Snow Baby” is a one-of-a-kind ensemble, but if you’d like to knit your own sweater coat, the pattern is available on Ravelry.  The instructions include a step-by-step guide to add your own patch pockets.  Once you see how easy they are to make, you’ll be putting patch pockets on everything! (lol)

Thank you for visiting with me as we start this new year together.  Bye for now!

“Surprise it’s a Snowgirl!”

I finished my new Little Darling ensemble, and guess which of my Little Darlings gets to model it for you!  Is it Gina, Lucy, or Alice?

It’s Gina!  And I must say she is thrilled!  That little snowgirl made all three of them swoon.  But Gina is the oldest, so you know how that goes.

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Gina’s wintry outfit is sure to keep her toasty warm on these chilly cold days.  The drop waist styled dress print features two shades of very pale greyish lavender snowflakes on an ivory ground.  I’ve also embroidered a few snowflakes on the skirt in a random fashion.  A shimmery white organza ribbon ties around the waistline and tiny white pearls decorate the back placket.

Her sweater coat (maybe it’s more like a jacket, but I’m calling it a coat) is longer than a typical sweater, and is hand knit with a heathered wool yarn.  It is a very pretty shade with hints of the palest pink and blue violet mixed in with the “not too bright” lavender.  I REALLY love heathered yarn!  Embroidered snowflakes (embroidered with mohair/silk and baby alpaca/silk yarn) and seed bead (silver lined and palest pink) flakes fall into the patch pockets.  The patch pockets are knit onto the sweater fronts and can really hold little treasures, such as the snowgirl.

The snowgirl is hand felted with yarn scraps, seed beads, needle and thread.  I knit her a tiny cap, in the round on size 000 needles, with very fine baby alpaca/silk lace yarn!  This is my tiniest knit hat ever!  And, probably my tiniest little creature ever.

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The vintage styled headband earwarmer is embroidered to coordinate with the sweater coat.  It ties under her chin off and off to the side.

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A bracelet made with silver lined seed beads, a clear iridescent heart bead, and an ivory enameled snowflake decorate Gina’s wrist.  She also wears ivory cotton Lycra® tights.

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Gina’s “Surprise it’s a Snowgirl!” ensemble will be available tonight (December 15, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com.

Why I Create

This is something I ponder often as I feel I am always so busy, busy, busy making things.  The answer I always think of first is, “because I have to”.  If I didn’t create I know I’d be loony, nuts, depressed—the whole shebang.  Creating is necessary for my well being.

If I start to dig deeper I can see why I have to create.  I get little jolts of happiness (maybe it’s my brain releasing endorphins) when I create something, especially if it’s something different.  When a doll ensemble is finished I usually get that happiness jolt.  I say usually because if I make something that is copied from a previous creation, I get nothing.  If it’s something that is not very different, I get very little.  But if my completed ensemble is quite different I get a huge dose of “happy”!

I haven’t even finished my next ensemble and I got a double dose of happiness yesterday.  I must share—a double dose of happiness just doesn’t happen everyday!  And here’s why.

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Pockets!  I knit patch pockets right onto my sweater coat for the Little Darlings!  I have never knit pockets directly onto my knitwear before.  They came out perfect, so adorable and miniature, happy number one.  However, they were immediately asking to be filled.

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Here is happy number two!

All this snow we’ve gotten has made me want to make a snowman.  Since I’m not too excited to spend more than a minute out in the cold, I made one in my studio instead.  And, she (it’s a girl) fits right into those patch pockets.

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I swear I heard this tiny snowgirl thanking me for bringing her to life.  I love her so much, I knit her her very own itty bitty cap.  Isn’t she the cutest li’l thing!

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Thank you for sharing in my happiness jolt.  Do any of you get a happiness boost from creating?  If so, is it during the process or when the project is complete?  I’d love to hear about your experiences with creating.  Please share!

Bye for now!