Hardworking little helpers: How are you kicking off January?

Dear users, dear authors,
dear little helpers,
what are you working on today?

On January 1, I started a temperature blanket. Every day at 12 noon, I note the current temperature and crochet a row according to the chosen color scale.
So far, I haven’t changed the color yet because the midday temperature here has always been between -4° and 0°.

That sounds great.
But you don’t need a promotional thread for it (yet), do you?

I’m in the process of designing a baby doll pattern; I’ve already thrown out three heads as test pieces because they didn’t turn out quite the way I thought they would. The body has also been replaced once, as have the legs and arms. It’s supposed to look like something in the end. The doll I posted here was a pattern I found online, but while sewing it is kind of fun, it’s not as much fun as designing it myself—

Heads disposed of as TfT? What are you doing there? Please translate :-)

TfT = a piece for the trash, Josefa :-)

Oh, so you’re not sewing clothes for baby dolls, but actually making dolls. That makes more sense. :-)

Clothing would be a piece of cake for me, Josefa, as a trained seamstress, but designing dolls or other toys is always a challenge I set for myself.
I’ve already designed teddy bears and even a sitting cat—both were processes that took weeks until I was satisfied with the results. I’ve already shown you the bear, but I don’t think I’ve shown you the cat yet—it went to our children’s charity last Christmas for a daycare center where kids from families spend their days because things at home aren’t quite as good as they should be.

Would you like to tell us more about it?

I’m currently in a pointy-hat frenzy... then I’m thinking about summer clothes... for plus sizes... and then there are still a few customer requests waiting for me... 2021 is definitely off to a good start...

It all starts with sketching the animal—this helps you get a feel for the animal or doll you want to make—BUT a sketch isn’t a pattern yet, because a sketch is two-dimensional, whereas when making patterns for dolls or bears, you have to think in three dimensions. I had some trouble with that at first; then the proportions of the limbs have to match the rest of the body. It’s a good thing my mentor explained the principle of the golden ratio to us back then and helped us understand it.
(You can Google the golden ratio to find out what it’s all about—it would take us too far off topic here.)
So then it’s time for the first pattern draft. It usually looks pretty good when it’s cut out and lying in front of you, but then the reality sets in—you often realize it’s too tight, or the pieces don’t fit together right, and so on. Then it’s time to toss it and start over. For my first sewing test pieces, I always have old clothes I’ve set aside lying around—because using a new, nice piece of fabric for that would be a waste in my opinion ;-)
When I’m completely stumped, I ask my husband what he thinks of the piece; he takes a look and says, “Why don’t you try it this way or that way?”—and often that’s when the light bulb goes off :-) So this process can drag on for several weeks until I’m finally ready to say, “Okay, now you can get on the sewing machine and sew the final product.”
I did learn pattern making during my training, but designing clothes for myself is a whole different story from working with three-dimensional pieces.

You make wonderful things, Akela. Really artistic. I’m sure you’ll have plenty more to show us, I’m guessing.

I started the year with a sweater for myself—made from alpaca wool. 

@Akela :
Wow :-) I’d love it if you’d keep posting pictures and info about it in the forum.

After a long break, I’ve decided to try Tunisian crochet again. I’m currently experimenting with the 2-hook needle.

Akela, you never get bored either. I imagine designing a sewing pattern is quite time-consuming. Especially since you really end up with “scraps” from failed attempts. If I make a mistake, I can just unravel it all and start over with the same material.

I finished slippers No. 4 yesterday and am now continuing on my baby blanket.

So sieht sie von hinten aus..... 

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