Macatawa Knitting's Etsy shop offers knitting pattens for 18 inch and 15 inch dolls.
Fall for me is all about Sweater Weather and I love all the options we have for pairing Beautifully made sweaters with our favorite pair of jeans.
If you are a knitting doll lover take a look at the fun patterns offered at
Macatawa knitting by
clicking here
My love of doll Holiday Sweaters kept me busy looking at all this shop had to offer. I love the
Halloween Sweater patterns offered at $6 and there are two options for this sweater!
I asked
shop owner Erli about the shops best sellers and about her knitting history, here is what she shared with me:
"My best sellers are Cupcake, Tulip Time Dress, Popsicle, Candy
Block Cardigan, Carioca Poncho and Skirt, and Miss Ellen. Of the newer
ones, Candy Sprinkles Bathrobe, Bubble Gum Shrug,Three Seamless skirts,
and Flowers, Leaves and Bugs. My best Christmas one is Christmas Wreath
with Rudolph right behind it."
"I
learned to knit when I was about 12 years old but through the years
only made a few sweaters. I began seriously knitting when a friend
named Lindy, an expert knitter, opened a local yarn shop eight years
ago. I have since become addicted."
"Based on
customer requests, Lindy encouraged me to create patterns for 18"
dolls. She then worked with me to learn the language of patterns. She
prominently displayed
all of my samples and sold patterns to people from all over the
country. Lindy retired and closed her shop this year but remains my
mentor, advisor, and friend."
"I am a designer by
profession, and the process of creating patterns has fascinated me. I
am retired, so I've had time to learn new computer skills, how to create
the pattern format, ways to photograph samples, how to navigate Etsy
and Ravelry, and a little about marketing and business. I have now sold
about 3,000 patterns and 500 booklets in six countries that include The
United States, Canada, Brazil, England, The Netherlands, and France."
"Early
in the process of designing doll patterns, Sandy, from Boise, Idaho,
bought a few patterns and offered to be my test knitter. I've never met
her, but she and her test knitting have been invaluable. I secretly
suspect she has a lot of sleeves and backs somewhere. I
couldn't have done this without Sandy and Lindy, and, as a bonus, their
input and feedback have been positive and encouraging."
I also asked
Erli for any advice she could offer my knitting novice readers:
"My
advice to those who want to knit for dolls is that it is a great way to
learn and/or practice new skills and techniques within a small
project. I find many, especially new knitters, are reluctant to try
Fair Isle, Intarsia, maybe even cables, and are anxious about joining
pieces. Just remember, the doll doesn't care if the sweater isn't
perfect and the doll's owner will be excited to have something hand knit
for them!"
If you are living in the Michigan area and wish to pick up
Erli's patterns in person take a look at
Yarn Quest in Traverse City, Stitching Memories in
Portage, Clever Ewe in Ada, Nautical Yarn in Ludington, an J.T.
Stitchery in Rockford.
"I have one doll pattern published in a pattern
book, Easy as 1 - 2 - 3 Skeins, pp. 92 - 94. My patterns are
available as wholesale to shops and retail on Etsy with a few on Ravelry."
I love Elri's
Frosty the Snowman sweater pattern almost as much as I love the
Halloween patterned sweater , with such reasonably priced patterns you will not be forced to choose only one!
This
Christmas Time Pattern is also on my favorites list, it is so cute!
As with all all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com
