doll and Zuleikha

doll and Zuleikha, originally uploaded by lalootka.

I'm planning (still only as a project) to make a serie of simple dolls. Template should be very similiar to this one for sheep but the size larger. This one doll is made of jersey - grey one, her body of orange jersey and hair of felt. On this photo she's accompanied by Zuleikha bunny - another production of mine. For next month propably I won't be making softies (sigh) - I have another plans....RENOVATION of the flat!

Henio doggie softie and his collection

Henio doggie softie and his collection, originally uploaded by lalootka.

Finally I borrowed a camera to upload my photos. They've beem waiting for this for more than a month.
Henio is ready to play. He's my own pattern and made especially for Bartuchna, friend of ours as a custom order for his nephew. It was meant to be an Alsatian shepherd, hehe.
Now I think next time I should make similiar doggie larger - children like large toys. And those tiny, too, but medium size is rather for larger children (read: grownups)
P.S. I've realized that Henio is very much in style of my wolf finger puppet

Finished at last

Lady of the Lake
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

When I made this doll A YEAR AGO for my friend's daughter I made her dress of embroidered (by myself) silk cloth.
But it was yellow and actually, this colour doesnt' look good on me. So it did not on this doll. She was somehow incomplete, with no soul. She dusted in the attic, not forgotten but useless. And I was lucky to meet Trinlayk who asked me for a Japanese outfit for a kitty . And Japanese outfit that was it!
I made her proper slippers of black and grey felt - then she was bearfoot. And it looked ugly.
And now her magic moon of the forehead shines brighter. But it is my longest time made doll ever.

Another doll was waiting for her moment also. At first I wanted her to be dreadlocked, rasta - style girl. But she was not this kind of girl, I believe so she didn't want me to make her untrue. I liked this big green cap - it looked like a sack for potatoes and was funny. I still keep an orange screenprinted orange cloth to make her dress but maybe another doll will wear it.
She prefers to wear black turtlenecks, leggins and loves skirts. And ribbons. And dancing - look at her slippers.

With her arms open wide Georgie would become a perfect friend for any girl - self confident, not too talkative, openminded and wit.

crochet, knitting and woven

Today I have to write about the recieved part of swap with Trinlay Khadro (flickr friend, of course). Last Wednesday our postman delivered me a parcel and in this I found such things: beautiful Japanese style piece of fabric, funny trims and yarns for decoration, selectection of vintage buttons - thank you! two gorgeous crochet pins, some yogo sweets.......... amazing origami - it's a griffon!!! I've never seen anything like that. Beautiful, actually for me - awesome. Trinlay is a great admirer of Japanese stuff. And even her cats Japanese names.
The largest parcel was filled with - tra la! The kitty - crochet, turquoise kitty! I saw this kitty once among her photos and liked it very much. When she offered a swap we chose "kitty" theme at once. (I hope she'll like my kitty too).

I love the features of this kitty - it's so cute and funny. Usually I'm not fond of safety eyes - actually do not believe in their safety, but these are big and look stable, and we don't have a dog to bite them. And those eyes give the kitty so bright look! If Ada was not interested in having it, I would keep it for myself - it's soft and cuddly, yum. :)
But I hadn't had much time to enjoy to full those beautiful gifts when the time of my every week trip came. This time I was on my way to Sandomierz, for a conference for change, with a stop for the night in Krakow, at Grazyna Brylewska's place. Ms Brylewska is fantastic person, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, she used to be an assistent of Magdalena Abakanowicz then, and now she has unique collection of toys. Crochet mostly, but she has also some jewels like Peruvian doll representing mother and child, dressed in original Maya woven fabric. Perfect gift for somebody who dedicated one's artistic life to textile, as she does (she was not Abakanowicz' assistant for nothing). As Grazyna told me, it had been a gift, otherwise she wouldn't keep a doll made of such a precious antique fabric. But the doll is beautiful. I like such images of motherhood.
Among her collection of crochet dolls and goods Grazyna has also crochet "wig with pigtails". This "wig" is for her cat! We couldn't stop laughing watching blue Persian lady with a head decorated with pigtails. Cat stood our silly laughter with dignity.

I should be going to sleep early then, so did Grazyna, but we were both talkative and discussed a lot about dolls. I made plenty of shots, and then I got a knitted teddy bear as a gift! Perfect companion for a trip, I must say! Maybe he's not the most handsome teddy bear I've ever seen but he's very curious in everything and open minded enough to make friends. Good for me, I have to refresh my experience with a field work, which means talking to strangers and interviewing. Communication skills are asset in my profession, so Sigfrid can be excellent social anthropologist.
When I woke up the next morning he was sitting on my chest, waiting for my awakening, ready for adventure!
So we went to Sandomierz by bus, took lots of photos, meet some new people, participated in great conference and had wonderful time then. (Sigfrid had even better time than me - longing for my baby girl). But about that - next time. Today I have to upload photos of Trinlay's gifts on flickr.

P.S. The freshest news: I have writen my first html code - to connect BUST's button with a link. I've NEVER did it before but it works! Well - I'm scholar in humanities....
P.P.S. Trinlay sais that this griffon is not a griffon but a dragon. For me it's even more auspicious because I just love dragons and this one is perfect. I can only make cranes - flying or nesting, and hats, but such a creation is beyond my experience. First I wanted to make in my part of swap an origami for her (crane, of course), but I'll better resign - she's too good in making origami herself. Well, when I mention swap: making kimono outfit for kitty for her was a challenge for me, actually. And took long. Trinlay has some kimonos herself - as I could see on her photostream, so will be judge. I hope not too severe.