Product Review: Clover 2/2.75 Bamboo Knitting Needles

Before I met Blythe, I had knitted a few things. Everything I knit was for a human. Then came Blythe. And everything changed.

Now, I prefer to knit miniature clothes. I am a slow knitter at best, but even I can finish a dolly sweater! My first pair of tiny knitting needles were Clover No.2(2.75mm) Takumi Bamboo Premium. You can find these at most local craft shops. They are very affordable at just a few US dollars. I think I got this set when I was visiting New York a while back.



DESCRIPTION: There are five sticks in the set. (Yeah, there really are five! I think when I was taking this photo, I already used one to cast on a project. ) So, you can even knit in the round with these (knitting in a continuous circle, eventually forming a tube). These knitting needles are smooth and polished. When I used them, there were no snags. Each stick is engraved with "TAKUMI 2 2.75 mm CLOVER". I thought that was cute.

PRO: I am so glad that I started miniature knitting with the wooden knitting needles! It helped me so much that there was just a slight amount of grip between the yarn and the knitting needle. It also helped keep the stitches on the needles while I worked. I used to knit human-sized projects on metal sticks and it always felt like the stitches were sliding around.

CON: So on the flip side, if you are one of those speedy knitters, the friction of the wood against the yarn may slow you down too much.

PRO: The other nice thing is that wooden sticks are warmer to the touch. This was a welcome change as I usually prefer to knit in the cold of Wintertime.

CON: There was slight warping of one of the sticks. I think that was the one I used the most. Not sure why it warped, but it doesn't bother me at all and it functions fine.

OVERALL: I recommend the Clover US2/2.75mm Takumi Premium Bamboo knitting needles, especially if you are just starting miniature knitting.

Synchronized Swimming

Penelope, Remy and Momoiro-chan practice their synchronized swimming routine. *cue the music: Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake *



Last Tuesday evening, I watched a very entertaining documentary called "Men Who Swim". It is about a group of men who unite to form an all-male synchronized swimming team. It takes place in Sweden and chronicles their struggles to learn how to swim as a group fluidly. The best part is that during the course of learning how to swim together, many of them gain insight into their own personal problems. The extended scenes also discuss the stereotype that Synchronized Swim is for females only, as well as the big question: "What am I supposed to do with my life?!"

It was a part of the PBS' "Independent Lens" series....I was only able to watch a part of it (dh was controlling the TV remote grrrr.) so I'll try to watch the entire documentary when it reruns. I really enjoy watching foreign films, independent films, and good documentaries. This was a combination of all three of those things. If you happen to watch "Men Who Swim", let me know what you thought about it.

quilting for the cold

It is cold and Winter now. To keep my dolls warm, I started a miniature quilt for them during the Autumn. It is made with handsewing, so it is a slow process. But sometimes homemade things give a little extra warmth, I think. :o)

We love striped knits

Penelope loves this turtleneck shirt and matching socks:



Isn't she cute in these purple and pink stripes?! I'm so happy that I cut up my clothes to make her clothes ha ha! I sewed Penelope's turtleneck shirt using pattern from Doll Coordinate Recipe #5. The socks pattern is also from a DCR....I don't remember which one, but the sock pattern is often repeated in these books.

I've been looking for striped knit fabrics to make socks and shirts for Penelope. The local fabric shops don't seem to carry this. Where do you find your knit fabric? To make this shirt and pair of socks, I cut up my own (new) clothes to get the fabric. If you know of a good place to shop for knit fabric (especially striped), please feel free to let me know! :o) I would rather not cut up my clothes ha ha! But you know, sometimes our clothes have to be cut up because the fabric is just so cute for doll clothes. ;o) I think after we start sewing for dolls, we look at all fabrics in a different way...everything has potential to be used for miniature clothes. Nothing is safe from my scissors! ;o)

I guess Scarlett O'Hara and Maria Von Trapp had the right idea....you can sew some nice clothes if you cut up the house curtains.

How Do You Make Iron-Ons?

I would like to make some iron-ons for these miniature shirts. I think they can be made with the computer printer. From what I have read, you need to use an ink-jet printer and special iron-on transfer paper. Has anybody tried this before? Any suggestions or ideas on what works best for these tiny shirts? :o)


[Penelope is wearing shirt made from pattern in DCR#6 pg.12&69. Unfinished shirt on right is made from pattern in DCR#6 pg.24&90. ]

I hand-sewed both the shirt that Penelope is wearing and the shirt on the right. I figured it is better to iron-on the decoration before sewing the shirt together completely?

Knitting the "MamaKnits" Cardigan

This cute cardigan pattern for Blythe is designed by the talented Jessica of the Mama Knits blog. It is knit top down (starts at the neckline of the sweater). When you get to the sleeves, you have two options:

1) Sleeves made in the round, or
2) Sleeves made flat, then seamed up later.

I don't remember which way I did the sleeves!  I'm looking back at this photo of the sweater in progress and it doesn't look like I followed the instructions ha ha.  I made this sweater over a year ago but wanted to add it to my blog of finished projects today. (Today is January 1, 2011...so Happy New Year, everybody! )  I think what happened was I couldn't figure out how to make the sleeves work, so I skipped the sleeves and knit the rest of the sweater to the bottom.  Then I came back to pick up stitches in the armholes and knit the sleeves in the round:



I'll have to try this pattern again and figure out where I started doing "creative knitting" ha ha.  Nevertheless, I still ended up with a cardigan for little Penelope.  :o)

Notes to self for next time:
* I think somehow I got a little tangled up after making the armholes, but I managed to untangle myself and keep going. 

* Also, I may have misread the pattern regarding the front closing edges of the sweater (where the buttons or snaps would go).  I ended up with a nice looking garter stitch that stopped halfway up the fronts of the sweater.  I think this contrasting placket of garter stitch was meant to go all the way up to the neckline?  So next time, I will do that. 

Thank you, Jessica for sharing your pattern with us!  Here is the MamaKnits Cardigan Pattern for Blythe.

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to say Happy New Year!
Hope the New Year brings you much Happiness & Love!
So fun that today is 1.1.11 !