AMERICAN GIRL KNITTING

At Chicago's American Girl store.

Foghorn had one American Girl doll to start last summer (Kit, in her Depression-era garb) and for her birthday received Kanani, a Hawaiian-themed gal in a flowery tropical dress.  Grandma made all three of them matching sundresses in a mermaid-pattern last summer, which looked danged cute and the dolls have been wearing these dresses ever since.

The matching mermaid dresses.

It's now February and with the snow flurries blowing around out there, I have to say the dolls are starting to look a little chilly to me in their sleeveless frocks.  I've been wanting to graduate from knitting socks to knitting a garment a little more challenging, but I can't quite bring myself to start something big and ambitious like an adult sweater.  Instead, I decided to try my hand at doll clothing.  Complicated enough to stretch my abilities, yet easy and quick enough to not be quite so intimidating.

I made Kanani a matching outfit using leftover yarn from Foghorn's January socks.  It's the Serenity sock weight yarn with Deborah Norville's face on the wrapper in the "Spring Fling" color.  (I often wonder how a woman goes from being a journalist on the Today show to hawking yarn.)  Spring Fling made cute striped socks, so I thought it would add a little pop to an outfit.

The Eyelet Hem Skirt is a simple A-line design, super easy, and available for free on Ravelry here.  It has an elastic waist and cute picot edging.  This item was a breeze and I thought it came out pretty nice.

The Retro Cardi didn't work out so well.  I'm not sure if there's an error in the pattern or if I messed up in some way.  (I would think it was just me, but I noticed someone left a comment on the author's blog, asking about the same problem I was having.)  I had to make some adjustments, but I ultimately managed to salvage it.  It called for tiny 1/4" buttons and my mother had cute vintage pink ones, which go perfectly.  It's hard to see from the picture, but the front has a lovely cable-like design.  The pattern is free on Ravelry here.

I was a little afraid Foghorn might be so delighted she'd want a whole outfit for Kit as well.  Instead she annoyed me by barely glancing at Kainani and instead going on about how every other kid in her second grade class as an iPod Touch and why can't she have one, especially since The Professor has a Nook.  (The whole 7th grade class was just provided with Nooks, part of a technology pilot program, but this knowledge didn't make Foghorn any less indignant.)   She better watch it or I'll knit her a stinking iPod and make her really mad.


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