Babes in Toyland

Babes In Toyland poster

I am far removed from the toy world these days. The only real touchstone I have are my 8-year-old twin niece and nephew. In this technological world, many of their toys are ageless. The Wii can entertain a room of giddy (and often inebriated) adults, iTouches are for the masses, and computers are for everyone too.  Fortunately, their innocence is not completely lost on microchips and extension cords. My nephew in particular has a very strong connection with plush stuffed animals.  I was somewhat fearful that the knit monster I made last Summer would not go over well since it wasn't super duper soft, but it was embraced with love and has remained in the "top 10 most loved stuffed animals". He might be just saying this but fortunately, the fact that the wool of his knit monster is pilling demonstrates a lot of hugs, wear and tear. They are still intact though.

On a recent trip down, my nephew noted a teddy bear sweater in a yarn shop and immediately asked me to make one for him.  As per my last post, you can see that I was happy to oblige and finished up a sweet raglan sleeve mini sweater for any one of his numerous bears.  My niece isn't nearly as attached to her stuffed animals. She has a monster she loves but Alex's love is more from afar. They mean something to her but she doesn't need to sleep, eat and/or play with them.  So it is with her most prized possession when it comes to anything comparable to a stuffed animal; her American Girl doll.

I believe she has a little lady called Kit. I could be remembering this wrong. To be frank, I know almost nothing about the brand, the dolls, the accessories or anything else for that matter. I just know they are expensive and there are stores dedicated to their merchandise, including a flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York.

As I mentioned, Alex has one that was a gift from her grandma. So when Jack asked for a sweater for his teddy bear, I knew I had to do something comparable for Alex. Needless to say, a sweater for her American Girl doll seemed the appropriate choice. Even more so after I had a chance to review some of the patterns available on Ravelry and determined that the selection was vast enough that I could make something exciting.  I fell for a Flared Sweater for an 18in doll. It is classic and yet trendy, and would look sweet in the variegated yarn that Alex selected  - snowbird in Malabrigo worsted merino wool. Only the best, of course.

After the teddy bear sweater was done, I went straight onto this flared sweater project.  Anyone associated with twins knows you can't do something for one and not the other, especially when they are eight!

I was very pleased that this was a quick knit and delighted it was in a delicious wool.  The pattern read smoothly though I seem to think there was a mistake in there that I pushed through, but I can't claim that I did it perfectly either.  What matters most of all is the end result, and that came out pretty darn close to ideal. I mean, perfect is in the eye of the beholder, right? And I believe in the beauty of one's imperfections (thanks to Natasha Bedingfield's FRECKLES.)  The flared sweater was done in a couple of hours over a weekend and I will be ready to ship if off this weekend.  I think it came out cute and now Alex's American Girl doll will surely be the new BABE in toyland!!