So, What Am I Going to Do About it?... Dolls in Progress

In today's post, I'll share a bit about why I think I was having a hard time crocheting and what I plan to do about it. I hope that my experiences might help someone else who may be having muse problems.

Okay, last post I was a bit nonplussed. I wanted to crochet but I wasn't getting the results I wanted nor taking the time I wanted. I blamed my muse. You know that infamous mythical woman that we who would be artist are taught to blame things on when we aren't being productive? I gave my muse a hard time. But if the muse is supposed to be a friend and a supporter, I thought, how dare I be so critical of her? I sat down and I reassessed my problem. And then, after writing that post about the doll I wasn't going to finish. I did this:

I started two dolls, completing their basic structure and their hair (the most difficult part) in a night. This was a feat not just because I wasn't feeling particularly crafty, but also because I was (and still am) in immense mouth pain. Turns out that I had to have some wisdom teeth pulled among a host of other painful procedures. And after really reflecting, I think part of my crafty difficulties arose from my denial of the pain I was in. I'm used to doing a million things at once --- working full time, mothering, wife-ing (I know, I know, but you get what I mean), friending, writing, reading, and every other ing I could pack in.

But, dear friends, let me tell you if you don't already know, not paying attention to how your body feels will only work for so long. Eventually it will give out on you, make you rest, make you take stock of what's important.

Good thing is, now I think I can go back to doll making. I'm even inspired to try a few things.

I don't work from a pattern for the dolls. I usually just crochet in a spiral, increasing and decreasing where it feels right. For these two dolls, that I began out of frustration --- I just wanted to get a doll done in my rut -- I used two of my favorite skin tone yarns and basic black yarn for the body and wig. The wigs are actually a frogged hat. While similar, these dolls are differently shaped. Most notably from the side they have different bust shapes. I like each of them. I have plans to embellish them each with beads, ribbon and embroidery to enhance them. New territory for me. I usually just give them some earrings and maybe a necklace. I've got big plans for these dolls. I have a third doll with a lighter skin tone on the hook right now. Once she's done, I'll embellish all three. And hopefully have the first dolls for my new crafty business endeavors. (No more custom orders for awhile)

And what about the weird doll I posted about last? I dug her out of the scrap box (am I the only one with a scrap box for crochet?) and also dug out another failed experiment. Here they are in their ugly glory.

Putting them side by side made it easy for me to see what I didn't like about them! They have the same problems even though they have very different appearances.

• Problem 1 - Eye size. I use standard safety eyes in my dolls. Apparently I only like the really small ones. Lesson learned.
• Problem 2 - Body Shape. All my dolls have boobs, or at least a breast ridge. Neither of these do. They are both oddly conical and straight up and down.
• Problem 3 - Hair issues. Both dolls have hair that I have used on other dolls and loved. But I hate (yep, the H word) both of their wigs. After really looking at them I noticed that I had sewn their hair too far back on the head. These dolls have too much forehead. Plus, each wig is too thin. I like my dolls to have big lush afros. Neither of these do.

So, what am I going to do with the two uglies? After much debate (with myself), I've decided to unravel them both and reuse the yarn and stuffing. I can't salvage them because of the eyes. I don't think I'll ever like those eyes.

The next few posts will be progress posts for the three new dolls. Wish me luck.

Peas and carrots,
Dee