More About Knitted Elephants.......

These elephants are such fun to make and they knit up very quickly on four needles with 8 ply (DK) yarn. I first devised this pattern a few years ago, but the problem was, it was mostly in my head and a number of people had asked me for the pattern.  I had to make more so that I could write down exactly what I was doing as I was doing it. And take progress shots.
This was never going to cut it:

 

Although I understood this "shorthand" I couldn't expect others to have the vaguest idea what this all meant!

I started knitting........

        
                                                            .......and knitting
 

 

                                                              ..........and knitting,
until I had made all these elephant parts, assembled them and recorded exactly what I did. Then it was simply a matter of formatting the information into an easy-to-understand document and uploading it into my Etsy store. The elephant is mostly based on spherical and cylindrical shapes and quite easy to make for anyone with some knitting experience.

I made a pink one, a grey one and a mixed pink and grey one. If you want to knit one yourself for someone special in your life, the pattern is available in my Etsy store for little more than the price of a cup of coffee! Instant download. http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com

Oh, did I mention that I really like elephants?

Rabbits 'n Eggs

I've been busy this past week making some things to list in my Etsy store which has been looking decidedly sparse. There is a bit of a rabbity-egg theme happening, given the time of year.
Still working on that wig PDF (more work to it than I had anticipated). It should be ready for listing by the end of this week - I know some of you are waiting for it.............

Hairy Thoughts!

I'm currently working on a new PDF for my Etsy store all about how to create a knotted mohair doll'a wig. Which led me to thinking about all the ways you can wig a doll.............
There are many, from the "no-hair-at-all" option which works wonderfully well on some dolls:

to painted-on hair, as for the Izannah Walker style of doll:

Or you can make a moulded hairstyle like this:

And then there are options like using mohair still attached to the skin, or fur fabric:

Those are all very fine options, but the subject of the new PDF is, in my opinion, the best way of all to create a doll's wig, by hand-knotting mohair and stitching it onto a cloth wig-cap. Why is it the best? Well, you can create any style at all, depending on how you stitch on the strings of knotted mohair; it can be brushed and styled without falling out in clumps and it always seems to look just right on a hand-made doll.

It is time-consuming to make a wig in this way, but once you get the hang of it, it's the kind of thing you can do, like knitting, whilst doing something else. Take care, though........mohair tends to insinuate itself into everything, especially the dinner!
I'm hoping to have the new PDF in my store next week
PS: Here's a knotted mohair boy wig I made some years ago - this is a digital image from a photograph (can you remember the pre-digital era?) so apologies for the quality.

Fabulous Floating!

We spent New Year's Eve floating down the Mersey River in inflatable canoes, shooting a few gentle rapids and drifting through deep pools. It was a pretty wet ride, so unfortunately I couldn't take my not-waterproof camera, so no pictures of the actual boat trip. The trip lasted a couple of hours from launch point to the cabin where we had our New Year celebration barbecue with friends. Home-made bread, barbecued salmon, baked spuds and corn and salads followed by the traditional pavlova made by yours truly. (It's only taken me about thirty years to learn how to bake a successful pavlova!) It was a perfectly magical day.

Launching!

Lyn tends the barbecue

Idyllic bush setting - friends meet.

Home-made pavlova with fresh cream and raspberries from the garden. Heaven!

Meanwhile, I haven't been neglecting my work in between the fun stuff. I have listed two new PDFs in my Etsy store for sale. One is a painting tutorial for dollmakers and the other shows you how to create dolls using a mixture of sawdust and glue.

New In My Etsy Store

I have just listed a new PDF, which I put together as a result of many requests for information about this subject. The PDF covers making a moulded hairstyle for a doll - just like I have done for these dolls:

Moonglow and Starshine

Here are two cute little stinkers I just finished...........(*thinks* I am constantly amazed that I can finish making something and within minutes somebody on the other side of the world can be looking at it.........aah! the wonders of modern technology!)
Anyway, Moonglow (in stripes) and Starshine (in brown) are little owlie Zozies. I will be listing them in my Etsy store soon, so if you fancy one of them, better fly over there quick - they don't usually last long when I list them!

Announcement: New Sculpting PDF Available

For some time people have been asking me to publish something on sculpting - at long last, here it is! I have just finished writing up this PDF which is available in my ETSY store as a download. It is as clearly explained as I can make it and copiously illustrated with photographs of the process step-by-step from making the armature to the final sanding. Here are a few sample pictures:

 When I finish making the complete doll using the example head in the PDF, I will post a picture to my Art Gallery, which you can access by clicking on the button under the header.

Still time to enter my OWOH giveaway!

I'm Back!

Just wanted to let you all know that I am back from six weeks in the US - I will post some pictures of the classes and other interesting stuff when I recover from the epic fight back across the Pacific with no sleep! I will be opening my Etsy store again in a day or so - just need to catch my breath. Needless to say, I had a wonderful time. Which is just as well, because I'll be doing it all again in April 2011.

New ADO Treasury

My 'Moxie pattern has been featured in a new Etsy treasury - Thanks Abi! If you have never had a look at Etsy - you should! So much cool hand-made stuff.

BTW, if you are interested in my 100th post giveaway - this is number 92 ;)

A Sneaky Peep

Here is a little peep at my 'Sylph' - can't reveal all until the ADO blog event this weekend.

I've also listed this 'Clothover Kit' in http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/

Should have more new stuff soon (Iknow, I know - I said that last week too!)

I've Been Busy!

Apart from getting new items ready for my Etsy store (http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/), I have been working on my ADO 'Elements' challenge piece - here are some w.i.p. pictures. I need to get a wriggle on with this because I only have about nine days to get it completed. I'm calling this piece "Aeris - an Airy Wraith".

I also have this new head ready for a body. The glorious Tibetan lamb wig is from http://www.dollmakersjourney.com/ and was part of my prize for winning the 'Discworld' challenge. I got to choose stuff from their wonderful online store - I chose two colours of this Tibetan lamb (each piece is big enough for three or four wigs) and a yard of wool blend felt in a yummy cinnamon colour - I'm planning to use it to make some dolls with moulded felt heads, which is something I haven't done in a while. Dollmakers Journey has a great list of quality stuff for dollmakers - worth checking out if you haven't yet done so.

I will most likely be posting some new things on Etsy this weekend.

New Works-In-Progress

Well.......I'm back at work. I've re-opened my Etsy store http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/ and that has been keeping me busy. I'm going to be introducing some new products over the next few weeks - I had plenty of time when I was overseas to come up with some new ideas.

I' ve also sculpted this finished head and wigged it with some beautiful Tibetan lamb (given to me by Kate Erbach). I have some ideas on how to finish this head, but first I must make a body. The other head was sculpted this morning - still lots of work to do on this one. This is the beginning of my ADO 'Elements' Challenge. She will be based on 'Air'.

Ophelia

I have joined a rather wonderful online group called ADO art dolls only, which was started as a networking group for artists who sell their work on Etsy. The group is quite active and has been promoting a few challenges to help get the creative juices flowing - one of the challenges is "Much ADO about Shakespeare" - the challenge being to create a doll of a character or characters from the plays of the Bard himself. I have always wanted to do an 'Ophelia' - here was the catalyst - but I didn't have too much time to get it done. I compromised by making a bust mounted on a piece of weathered turned wood that I found on the beach (been saving it for years - knew I'd use it one day!)

Here is the finished piece - head is paperclay with cloth overlay painted with acrylics; hair and cap are cotton, stiffened and painted, and the fabbric at the neckline is silk.

Face Painting Book and Pond Fairy

I have put together notes and other stuff I have gathered over the years from various classes, as well as some new information into this little face-painting book - please note: this is not THE doll-making book I am working on - just an interim thing that I can produce myself. Details are in my Etsy store (http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/).

And just look what Erica Davison did with my "Moxie" pattern! She has called this her "Pond Fairy". Isn't she cute?

New Hat

This doll, 'Rosalind' demanded a hat, so she got one! It is red wool felt with a blue silk band.

I'm working on new things to stock my rather depleted Etsy store with. (http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/). There will be a new pattern or two soon, as well as some dolls and needle-felted animals.

Apart from that, I have started the New Year by getting my book manuscript sorted out ready for formatting.

Etsy Listings

I have just listed the two dolls pictured here in my Etsy shop (http://www.susiemcmahon.etsy.com/)