Something to hold you over till I get more done on Addy’s Valentine dress…

I had a busy day… typing out things that my hubby needed for work, mending 2 toys that Reuben chewed apart, cutting Reuben’s hair…with my hubby, visiting with my mom, working on my Married Couple’s Valentine party that’s coming up soon…learning how to crochet an American Girl hat…

Oh wait… what?

Yes, I have never crocheted an American Girl size doll hat before. I’ve made a few smaller sized ones… but I’m not very good at it. I counted how many I have made and today was the 8th hat I’ve made… I mean the 8th one that I’ve kept… LOTS have been thrown in the trash or undone…
I really don’t even want to show them…(Now don’t laugh all of you who knit and crochet…) it would hurt my feelings… :o)

But on the other hand, I’m SO proud of myself for finding an 8 minute You Tube video (HERE) and stopping and starting it until I got this hat…my 8th one done for Kit. I wanted one more thing to go with her dress and this crocheted cloche was it! I searched through my yarns and found this one small ball and wondered if it would be enough to do Kit’s hat. I had 20 inches left of the yarn when I was done… That’s cutting it pretty close, I’d say.

Kit’s hair bow can just be clipped onto the crocheted hat if you like… or not!

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I need to work on the back side of the hat…where you join the 3 chains up for each row… I watched the video several times at that part and I see what I’m doing…making extra stitches in the chained part, but I will just have to keep working at it to improve. The hat won’t fall apart and if you only look at the front, it looks fairly decent, I think…

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I think you can see my “problem area” in this picture a little better…

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I found these three little hats in a drawer of some yarns I have and tried them on Patsy and Ten Ping… they are pretty poor…uneven stitches, skipped stitches, and I won’t EVEN show you the back of them…

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Here’s a few little hats I made for Bitty Bethany and my Wren, by Helen Kish…I followed a pattern by Eli, who sells her doll patterns on Ebay.

This was my fourth hat that I made and actually “sold” with an outfit…

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This was hat number 5 that sold…

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These 2 hats were numbers 6 and 7…

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…and the one I made today for Kit was number 8! Woohoo… 8 hats! I bet Cindy Rice has knitted 800 little hats like this… well, not like THIS, but much nicer… Look out Cindy, I’m going to keep practicing…

Oh, I almost forgot, a few things to tell you…

I managed to get Kit’s Valentine dress set listed on Ebay. You can see it HERE or click on the side bar at the right…

I’m cutting out Addy’s new Valentine dress, and will be working on it…

Next week I’m going to show 2 different ways to tighten your dolls legs…

I’m once again behind the eight ball in getting my Valentine dresses made… Rebecca just told me today, “Uh..did you know it’s 2 weeks till Valentine’s Day?”

“You have to be kidding… It can’t be that close…”

“Sorry mom, it is…”

*sigh* ….no… *sigh, sigh*

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

28 thoughts on “Something to hold you over till I get more done on Addy’s Valentine dress…”

  1. As a non Crochet person I think you do quite well. Wish I had listened more to my Mom growing up. She did try to teach me both Crochet and knitting

    1. Thanks Lynne,
      I’m glad you think my crochet job is acceptable… I’m going to keep practicing… I think little hats add so much to the outfits sometimes…
      Maybe you could learn now? Why not give it a try?
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Jeanne, just perfect!! What more can I say? You can do just about anything, and this little hat just proves it! I really like the hat with the bow attached, and it looks just like Kit is going to town or church, or even a Valentine Party!

    1. HI Linda,
      Thanks so much for the compliments on Kit’s new cloche. It was fun to do and then see that it actually turned out pretty well. I will definitely keep trying and hopefully improving…
      I’m really happy that Kit has returned to my house again…
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. HI Christine,
      Does your little avatar picture show you crocheting? It looks like you are doing something with your hands… Thanks for the compliment on my crocheting… I appreciate your kind words…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Hey – we *all* have something we can ‘improve our skills on… at least you keep trying! It gives us our motivation and expands our ‘options’. Lucky, that you had ‘just the right color’ of yarn to accessorize Kits outfit with!

    1. HI Mary,
      I have LOTS I could improve on… this is just the start!
      I only had one peachy solid color of yarn that was even close and it was just a small ball wound up… and it worked!
      Thanks Mary,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Hi Jeanne,
    You’re doing great! I’m still learning new things with each piece I make, it keeps it fun. That is quite something that you had just enough yarn in just the right color. It was meant to be! Kit looks adorable in her new crochet cloche.

    1. Thank you Cindy,
      I was hesitant to even post my pictures, but being “among friends” I thought I would go ahead. Your post from yesterday about the formulas for knitting was very interesting. I didn’t understand half of what you were saying, but I really thought it was so neat to see how you come up with the end results.
      Thanks so much for your kind comments on Kit’s cloche…it really makes me respect you for your little creations…which I know take WAY longer than Kit’s hat…
      Thanks Cindy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Well, I think it looks great, and Kit looks adorable in it. The join looks like it maybe has an extra chain stitch, but I don’t think I would have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out. Crocheting is one of those things that you get better (and faster) at as you do more of it. No doubt you will have it mastered in no time. Kit looks pleased with her new outfit, and I love the way you styled the photo with the little valentines.

    1. HI Carolyn,
      The video showed the part where if you have “extra” holes in the back and it starts coming to a point, you might be doing “this.” I think I’ll watch it again while making another one and see if I can get it down… It was fun and I learned a lot. The lady was a good teacher!
      Thanks for thinking the pictures and the little Valentines look nice. I had to come up with a “make shift” table… and this was the best I could come up…
      Blessings to you Carolyn,
      ~ Jeanne

  6. You did a marvelous job, Jeanne. You just know how to make a girl feel really good in her clothing. Kit is a real beauty after your treatment and wardrobe makings. Great job on the cloche.

    1. Thank you Becky,
      Kit does seem to like being in the spotlight for now… she deserves it…with those lips she’s been living with since October…
      I appreciate your kind comments and so happy you think she looks sweet. I do too! :o)
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Hi Jeanne,
    The whole outfit for Kit turned out very cute. I would have suggested a crochet cloche, but I didn’t know if you crocheted? The cloche hat turned out quite well. When my daughter was in the Keepers of the Faith group it was amazing the to me the number of mothers who neither knit nor crocheted. I learned to crochet with crochet thread from my grandmother when I was seven or eight.
    I have made a couple of throws and doll blankets. I even had made a doll shawl. Then my daughter wanted a crocheted doll to resemble a book character. That was fun, but challenging. Crocheting 3D is completely different.
    I love the ribbon embroidery you did on the pink jacket. I love doing that and had decorated a few dresses for my daughter when she was young. The advantage of doll dresses is that they won’t outgrow them.
    I’m glad you liked my idea of Valentine cards. I love that you find vintage images of almost anything you want on the internet.

    1. Hi Laura,
      Well, just between you and me, if you had asked me if I crochet, I would have said, “slightly and very poorly” but I hope that changes one of these days. I love doing it while I’m doing it and really want to improve so my hat looks just as nice all the way around.
      I learned to crochet in the hospital one time when I was 16 and made 2 potholders…you know the granny square kind. I held onto them until I was married…and finally threw them away. When I found out I was pregnant with Kristoffer, I wanted to crochet him a baby blanket, so I just did that same granny square and just went round and round and round until it was big enough. Then my aunt showed me how to add a shell stitch to the edge. I didn’t make Rebecca a crocheted baby blanket, but made her a quilt.
      I haven’t crocheted from the time Kristoffer was a baby until I made those hats for Wren and Bitty Bethany. Maybe crocheting is like riding a bike…it’s something you don’t ever forget. But I do have lots of room for improvement!
      It’s fun to look at the old Valentine cards online. I have to watch myself or I could spend hours doing it…
      Thanks Laura,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Kit’s ensemble is so sweet and cute and her cloche just adds to the outfit, Jeanne. Beautiful work. There’s something about the colors you chose, including her lips, that is just perfect for Kit…that peachy pink is so pretty up against her face.
    Believe it or not, I actually crocheted a little bit. I remember making a lap blanket which I no longer have. It was a tolerable hobby. It went fast and mistakes were easy to fix. Seriously, my talents lie elsewhere! But, perhaps I will look into making my Kit and her friends a cloche hat too. Mmmm.
    I am more than sure you will have conquered your talents once again crocheting as you add hats to some of your outfits. I think your hats look great.
    *Cindy, your knitting is amazing. Such tiny stitches! Beautiful beautiful work.

    1. Thanks Paula,
      With all those encouraging words, I’ll HAVE to improve on my crocheting… it is fun and relaxing for me, but I just want to learn how to do it better. The video I gave a link to seemed to be a good one. The lady talked slow, she went slow, she explained how to do it well, and she had a NICE voice… that helped! :o)
      Yes, now Cindy IS a knitter extraordinaire isn’t she?
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. All the hats that you made to go with outfits you sold look nice, especially and always the ones for Wren.
    Two weeks and a weekend before Valentine’s Day. Don’t forget the weekend. It may make all the difference.

    1. Thanks Marilyn,
      Oh yes, Wren… the doll I boxed up with tears in my eyes… why, oh why did I sell her? I still look at her on Ebay from time to time… I guess some dolls just steal your hearts. She did mine.
      Okay… 2 weeks and a weekend… let’s get going Jeanne!
      Thanks Marilyn,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  10. Congratulations on your “new” hobby. HaHa. The little red hat on Ten Ping is so sweet. And the green and gold outfit and hat on Bitty Bethany is adorable. Love the embroidery trim. Wouldn’t that be cute on a Valentine dress? I do like Wren too. Wish I had one. Guess I’ll have to be satisfied with the Bethany I do have. Thanks for the tutorial on the hat. And looking forward to the doll leg tightening. I really need that one.

    1. Hi Joy,
      All I need is something else to do… :o) …but since it’s sort of dolly related, I’ll keep doing it. I think it will be a good thing to take on a trip , when I get it learned enough that I don’t have to follow the directions so closely!
      I think Wren is such a pretty doll… please don’t get me to thinking about her… :o(
      I’m getting ready for the limb tightening posts…
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  11. You’re hiding your talents under a basket if you’ve made all of those hats. I wasn’t convinced about a cloche because it would mash her beautiful hair, but you made it big enough that it doesn’t and what a wonderful color and bow. You are just a master at pulling the whole package together. A beautiful outfit. Love the other hats too. I’m with Marilyn in still liking the straw hat too.

    The only thing I’ve ever knitted was a scarecrow with a pumpkin head. No kidding, it was a sphere! Then the body in yellow and green overalls. It was from a McCalls Magazine when it was THE source for sewing and crafts, say late 1960s? Never knitted another thing as I had boys and sewed shirts, but I still bring the scarecrow out every Halloween.

    1. HI Susette,
      Well, I’m not sure I’d call my crocheting a “talent” just yet… I have a ways to go!!!
      The yarn I used is sort of stretchy too, so it fits on Kit’s head very well and sort of just lays on her hair instead of smashing it down.
      I found myself looking at hat forms today…oh dear…

      Your scarecrow sounds very interesting…so you use a real pumpkin for the head, but the rest of the body is knitted? How interesting… I bet your boys loved it when they were little.
      Thanks Susette,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    2. Charlotte Trayer

      I remember those magazines, Susette! McCall’s Needlework and Crafts. I still have a few of them in the basement, I think. Loved them!

      Charlotte

    1. Hi Cindy,
      I think you got it right on the first line in your profile…”I am a perfectionist when it comes to my craft…”
      I LOVE your work…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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