Patricia’s Skirt and Top – Pink and Grey Again!!

Bonjour mes amies!

Here is Patricia’s contribution to my Pink and Grey Theme (nearly finished with it!!)

The very smart skirt follows a lovely pattern by Vero at Le Petit Monde de Vero. The yarn I used for the skirt is Patons Diploma Gold 4 ply shade 4245 (Steel).

The knitting needles used throughout are size 3 mm.

And for the cute top I have followed Marie’s lovely pattern at Les Voyages de Capucine. The yarn is Sirdar Crofter DK in shade 60 (Loganberry) which has some matching grey speckles.

I am delighted at how this outfit has turned out.

And here is Patricia with Annie in their contrasting Pink and Grey outfits. I’m sure you will agree that they look lovely together.

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

Patricia is Cosy Indoors – (And I Mutilate a Sock)

Bonjour, mes amies!

Here is Patricia in a lovely outfit from Odile at Passion Poupees specifically designed to keep our lovely little girls cosy indoors.

The only changes I made were to use a 3.5 mm crochet hook (despite Odile’s recommendation of 2.5 mm!) and to add a couple of extra rows here and there to lengthen any part that needed it. I especially made the collar a little longer so that I could turn it down like a polo neck.

The slouch socks are incredibly simple and yet look really cool – there is no shaping in them – yet they look well fitted.

And (… drum roll …) I have finally sewn something for my dolls – admittedly it is hand sewn – still haven’t managed to face my sewing machine (it is lurking in a cupboard reproaching me). Patricia’s leggings are a sock – yes – I managed to cut up and sew a sock to make a cute pair of leggings to go with the lovely jumper and socks.

The yarn used is Stylecraft Life 4 ply in shade 2303 (Oatmeal).

I’m sure you will agree that Patricia will not feel the cold indoors in this outfit.

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

Happy Hogmanay! – Patricia Arrives at the Party!

Bonjour, mes amies!

HAPPY HOGMANAY!!

Here is another Hogmanay party dress, this time for Patricia.

It is based on a really cute little dress by Odile at Passion Poupees. I’ve already made this pattern as it is supposed to be. Click here to see my yellow summery version, complete with summer hat.

But here is my party version. I used the same top and bottom as Odile’s pattern, but for the main body part I made a simple tube in a fuzzy DK yarn.

The glitter yarn is Anchor Artiste Metallic shade 312 (turquoise) and the fuzzy yarn is Woolcraft Brushed DK in shade 02 (cream).

I made the little shoes by following one of my favourite tutorials found here.

Patricia looks ready to party …

… and here she is with Jeannie. (The other little girls will join them soon.)

Hogmanay is the Scottish word used for the celebrations of New Year’s Eve (31 December).

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

Merry Christmas Everyone! – Jeannie’s Sparkling Gold Trim

Joyeux Noel, mes amies!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Here is the last Xmas outfit for my little family of Les Cheries. Jeannie is wearing a beautiful outfit by Odile at Passion Poupees. This features a simple long sleeved dress, trimmed with some sparkly variegated yarn in shades of gold.

I think you will agree this is a very sophisticated look for Jeannie.

The cream yarn is Sirdar Countrystyle DK in shade 917 (cream). The contrast yarn is DMC Starlet in shade T143 (coppers/gold). Having crocheted with a thicker yarn than recommended, I found that the use of a size 3.5 mm crochet hook meant the dress was a perfect fit!

The Xmas party look is completed by a lovely gilet with a gorgeous flower in the middle of the back. I used a different yarn for this – Woolcraft Brushed DK in shade 02 (cream). This is a fluffy yarn which has a nice effect. I used the same gold contrast yarn for the gilet and it took me a few attempts to get this right. I used a size 3.5mm hook for the gilet too.

And here are all my lovely Les Cheries together in front of my xmas tree.

Festive Felicitations and a very Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas Eve! – Shona’s Lovely Xmas Tunic

Bonjour, mes amies!

Here is Shona in her lovely new dress. This is made from a pattern by Esyram (at Dans le Pupitre d’Esyram) which is designed for the Boneka dolls.

I have no idea what size these dolls are, but I know they are smaller than les Cheries, so I increased the needle size to 3.00 mm and hoped for the best. Surprisingly it fits very well, although as I was knitting it, I wasn’t sure if it would turn out as a dress or a tunic!

I think using the colours red and white give the outfit a festive air and I am very pleased with the way this dress looks.

Of course, the most obvious way to make the outfit look festive is to add a Santa hat!

Shona’s hat comes courtesy of Marie at Les Voyages de Capucine. A simple and effective pattern that creates a very cute hat.

I used the yarn, Stylecraft Life 4 ply, shade 2306 (Cardinal) and some old white 4 ply from my stash.

I think Shona looks like she is ready to join Patricia and Annie for Christmas.

And without the flash …

Bonsoir, à bientôt …

Still Counting Down to Xmas – Annie Joins the Party!

Bonjour, mes amies!

So here is another Xmas outfit for my Les Cheries. This time it is Annie who is wearing the lovely new outfit.

This pattern comes from the Sticka Till Barbie site and is pattern number 169. I was amazed that I did not need to adjust this pattern at all for it to fit the Les Cheries dolls. All I had to do was use size 3.25mm knitting needles and double knitting yarn (DK). This has opened up a whole new world of potential patterns and I have made a very lengthy list of other patterns I would now like to make (not enough time in my days!)

I used the same red yarn as for Patricia’s dress yesterday – King Cole Big Value DK in shade 09 (red) and for the contrast this time I used Sirdar Snuggly Snowflake DK in shade 630 (white). This gives a lovely fuzzy effect which really suits the festive theme.

The dress has a nice lace pattern in the skirt and is beautifully fitted.

I made the same boots as yesterday, but with the new contrast yarn. I made them slightly longer this time and increased my needle size to 3.25 mm for the last 6 rows to widen it enough to fit neatly over her calves. This super pattern comes from Marie at Les Voyages de Capucine.

And here is Annie with Patricia in their festive outfits. Although these dolls are the same, I am convinced that Annie’s skin tone is slightly warmer as if she has a slight tan. Annie is the Camille Horse Rider doll and her fringe is very flat (from being under the riding hat!)

Here is a back view of the dolls and I hope you are impressed by their hair styles. They were both done by my daughter ‘Katie’. I think she has made a fabulous job.

And here they are enjoying their Xmas tree.

And without the flash …

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

Countdown to Xmas – Patricia’s Festive Outfit

Bonjour, mes amies!

Finally, I manage to produce a wee outfit for one of my lovely girls in the colours of this holiday season.

The dress is based on a pattern by Vero (the bottom half) and I adapted the top.

I used King Cole Big Value DK in shade 09 (red) for the body of the dress and the trim is Stylecraft Eskimo DK in shade 5006 (Winter White), which I crocheted around the hem and neck in double chain. I used size 3.00 mm knitting needles, but it would have been better with, maybe, size 3.25 mm.

I think Patricia looks as if she is looking for Santa in this photo – “you still have a few days to wait, Patricia!”

The boots are by Marie of Les Voyages de Capucine, and use the same wool. The boots are absolutely adorable – I will be using this pattern again.

I think this is a simple wee dress in the spirit of Xmas and Patricia looks very sweet.

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

Shona’s New Dress – Stripes!

Bonjour, mes amies!

Here is Shona’s first outfit and it is a dress by Marie at Les Voyages de Capucine.  I was delighted that Capucine was able to come and visit Scotland for a seven day trip earlier in December.

This is a cute little tunic dress and it was very easy to follow Marie’s instructions.  The front and back are all knitted in one piece, which saves having to sew the shoulder seams. The sleeves are then picked up and knitted, so yet another saving in sewing effort!

I used Stylecraft Life 4 ply in shade 2309 (Heather) and Woolcraft Baby Care 4 ply in shade 702 (Lemon). I used Marie’s recommended size 3.00 mm knitting needles.

This is a really sweet dress and I think that this heralds the start of a stripey theme that I think I will continue after Xmas.  (Got to try and come up with some Xmas outfits now!)

Shona’s hair is a bit tangled, but I actually liked it all messy like this.

Here are the two new French arrivals together with their first outfits.  I hope that Patricia and Shona will be happy here in Scotland.

Bonsoir, à bientôt …

Fabulous Fairisle (3) – Patricia’s First Outfit

Bonjour, mes amies!

So here is the lovely Patricia in her first outfit, a little tunic top based on Sylvie’s great pattern, Abigail’s Tunic at Poupeesdesyl. This is my third version of this tutorial, and I’ve slightly adapted each one.

This time I have shortened it and made it into a little top to go with her jeans and shoes.

Once again I have used Sirdar Crofter DK in yet another shade – 64 (Wild Thyme) and size 3.00 mm knitting needles.

I think Patricia looks really cute in her new top.

Here she is with Jeannie and Annie in their original matching dresses based on Sylvie’s fabulous pattern.

The little girls are making Patricia feel very welcome!

Here are the links to the posts about Annie’s and Jeannie’s dresses.

Passez une bonne journée, à bientôt …

The New Arrivals – All the Way From France!

Well, I blame Patricia!

She posted on her blog that Camille was for sale cheaply on Amazon.fr. I made a mistake and bought two!! I actually thought I was buying another Camille and another Chloe – but I got that wrong! So here are my two new girls – Patricia and Shona.

Shona is named for a very dear friend at work who is such a lovely person and great company – I have been wanting to buy Camille ballerina for ages to be named after her…

And Patricia is named for the lady who got me into this mess (I now have three Camilles!) Obviously, I only have myself to blame really – or maybe it was the language barrier!!!

But they are such beautiful dolls I am not at all angry, but very pleased to have some more dolls to dress.

Here they are together …

Je vais prendre mes aiguilles ….

Bonsoir, à bientôt …