My very first pattern!

Roamin' Gnome
Originally uploaded by ham_and_eggs

So I gotta admit it- I'm pretty excited to be selling my very first pattern of original work. I mean, this is something completely unique to me. It's something I made up, thought through, and wrote out in a pattern that other people can actually understand. I'm in the process of hand-copying all my patterns into my pattern "bible." I've developed a pretty succint shorthand to make the process go faster, so a lot of it looks like '2/0 x6' or something awful like that, that only I will ever be able to understand. Years from now, people will find my pattern journal and spend years trying to decipher it, thinking it holds the keys to the mysteries of the universe or something. Hah.

I'm also kind of nervous selling this pattern.... because, what if I made a mistake somewhere, or it turns out that nobody can understand what I'm trying to communicate. I know I'm being paranoid. I've spent a lot of time thinking this one through, and comparing notations from well-written patterns (as well as really AWFULLY written pattterns. ugh. I've wasted so much money buying patterns that were absoulte shite), so I think I have a pretty good idea what's what.

I'm also nervous because I feel like I'm releasing my child out into the world. When I was just selling finished products, I had complete control over them, at least until they arrived at their destination. I feel like, now that I'm selling the pattern, a bazillion people are going to seize it and start selling finished ones on etsy, which is a) ludicrous, and b) ridiculous. But I feel like I have a hard-enough time getting buyers already, and now that I'm starting to make my patterns available, I feel like I'm cutting off my pool even further. I think that's why I chose to start with something pretty basic like the gnome, because it doesn't feel very close to my heart (like my angry girls...)

and, of course, i couldn't finish this post without a shameless plug for my pattern:
it's only $2! go buy it already. okay, that's enough out of me.

Baby elephant!

Baby elephant!
Originally uploaded by ham_and_eggs

awwww...it's a baby elephant! that is all.
visit my etsy shop to get one for yourself.

Angry Lindsay

Angry Lindsay
Originally uploaded by ham_and_eggs

well, she's finally done. i accepted a request for a custom 'angry girl' about a month and a half ago. normally, these dolls don't take that long to make- it's the hair that really bogs me down. much like the 'mad janet' doll i finished not too long ago, this doll's hair really threw me for a loop- literally and figuratively. it's the first doll i've done with curly hair, and the best way i can sum it up is to say it was a learning experience. like... how not to make curly hair. the entire thing is one long continuous chain that is sl st into a wig headpiece, which worked well for a while, but towards the end, i realized i wanted some of the strands to sit other places, which would require doing hours and hours of work. going forward, if i ever get a commission again for a curly-headed doll, i'm doing each strand individually and sewing them all on later.

a few things i really like about this doll, though: her striped dress. this was a request from the client and i think it turned out so cute. she's also got baby pink underpants. i like the bangs on the doll, as well as the headband. haven't heard back from the client yet (just sent the email) on whether she's approved or not, but i'm really hoping she likes her.

anyhooo, if you want your own angry girly, head on over to my etsy shop and request one!

The Mad, Mad Angry Girl Gardener

Mad Janet_2
Originally uploaded by ham_and_eggs

my friend janet asked me to make her an angry doll a while back, and i finallllllly got around to finishing her last week. the basic body construction is relatively easy on these dolls- nothing too fancy, so i finished that in about a day or two. but the hair! good lord, the hair took forever. she's got short, blonde hair. i've never done short hair on an angry girl before. each hair is individually placed on the head, so i cut about a bazillion strands of yellow yarn and then cut them into a hairstyle, like a hairdresser would. that was pretty stressful, honestly. it's no biggie if i screwed up; i could always remove the hair and redo it, but because it took me so long to get it done in the first place, the thought of removing it and redoing it was making me sick to my stomach. anyway, after i cut all the hair, her head was looking a little too round and poofy, so i gave her a babushka. i used a pattern that i'd used to make a babushka for myself with, modified to fit the dolls head. (actually, i just used a d-hook instead of an h-hook and it worked perfectly).

janet's a huge gardener, so she had to have flip flops. i mean, who gardens in socks and shoes, right? i actually originally crocheted her with green clogs (not crocs, because i hate crocs!) which were pretty cute, but when i added the purple headscarf, there were too many colors going on, so i removed the legs and redid them. i have a drawer full of unused body parts from dolls gone awry. i keep saying one day i'm just going to sew them all together into one gigantic ugly doll. lastly, i gave her a flower, because every gardener needs a flower, i think. it's a funny juxtaposition because her face is so, so angry and the idea of a girl holding a flower is sweet and innocent. all in all, she's one of my favorite angry girls. she's got so much personality.

Army guy!

Army guy!
Originally uploaded by ham_and_eggs

My dad requested I make an army guy in honor of their neighbor, Robbie, who joined the army last year. My dad thinks of him as something of a surrogate son, and I know they're extremely proud of his decision, but they also miss him a lot.

On Memorial Day, my dad asked if we could give this to Robbie's mom, because she is having a really hard time with her son being away. So we walked across the street together, rang the doorbell, and my dad told her a little about why he asked me to make this, and that this particular doll was just for her. She teared up when I handed it to her, and of course, I couldn't help myself from crying, either. It was a pretty special moment- that something so simple, so silly, could move somebody that way.

I am so proud of my dad and his service to this country.