Yarn Along

The first Phoebe mouse is done!  I almost forgot her tail, but managed to remember before the children ripped it away from me.  I've been trying to of keep this project a secret.  Well, as much of a secret as a project can be when it is openly knitted, with the pattern pictures right there.  I think all the mystery made it extra intriguing.  I was only casting on the top of the head when the big kid started an inquisition on what I was making.

Rose: "Are you making the dolly now, Mama?  Are you making the dolly?"

Me: "Hmm.  Perhaps.  We'll have to see."

Mirin: "You are, aren't you?  You really are making the dolly, right?"

Clothilde:  "Eh, oo, rararrrghhh?"

Clothilde doesn't know enough words yet to really ask a question, but even she was asking about it, in her own way.  I had finished the head and body and was just stuffing and sealing up the arm when Clothilde took it away from me, snuggled it, and refused to give it back!

I did manage to get it from her in the end and close up the arm without losing too much wool roving out of it.  I was surprised how much they have loved this doll right from the start even though (as Ethan also agreed) it looked really creepy until all the limbs were on.  I did lose a knitting needle on the tail when Clothilde tried to take it away from me suddenly, and it flew somewhere - probably behind the piano.

This is supposed to be a Christmas gift for my girls, along with the girl sweaters and the matching doll sweaters, so it will have to be put away at some point when they are not clinging to it, or the cat isn't sleeping on it.

I made a start on the second doll's head and torso, making a few slight changes this time.  I didn't like the way the reductions turned out for the face.  The SSK turned out slightly lumpy, so I just did K2TOG for all of them, and I am happier with the result.  This will probably be the only change I will make, because otherwise I really like this pattern.  I had also thought about making the second Phoebe mouse in a different color, a darker brown, perhaps, or a gray?  But Rose pointed out that they would probably fight over them if there were any obvious differences.  Good point!  We certainly don't need any more reasons to fight over silly things around here, so Oats 'n Cream again it is.

I ran out of yarn in the middle of the second doll's torso, and am meanwhile knitting the second dress while waiting for more in the mail.  I don't think it will be noticeable if there is a dye lot change in the middle of the torso, but perhaps I will be frogging the whole thing and knitting it all over again once I see what that looks like....