Knit dresses for LPS Blythe

I knit two more dresses for the petite dolls. I'm still experimenting with modifications to the original Kelly pattern. There's more info on that pattern at the end of this post.

This first dress was knit in the round so the back doesn't open (where you'd normally put something like velcro or a snap). This looks great, but it made dressing little Blythe and Pullip difficult because their arms stick out at an angle and don't simply move straight up and down like Kelly dolls. Squeezing the tiny arms made me worried they'd pop off the body, so lollipop girl will keep this dress, which she's quite happy about. I didn't plan for it to match her face up and accessories so perfectly, that was serendipity.

 
A halter style dress would work better for LPS Blythe. Her head pops off easily so I can remove the head, slide her body into the dress, pull the halter strap over her headless neck, and then put the head back on. No snap or Velcro required and no danger of breaking Blythe's arm just to get her in a dress.

This outfit doesn't really match her bubblegum pink lips

wheee!

Déjà vu

You might have seen the following photos before, when I first posted them in March. Little Pullip and LPS Blythe are wearing the first doll dress I knit, which swims a bit on the petites but fits Barbie's sister Kelly correctly -- which makes sense as the pattern was written for Kelly. The Kelly (or Shelly, as she's known in Europe) dress pattern is #645 from "Sticka till Barbie," a Swedish website with hundreds of free knitting patterns for fashion dolls... and Monchichi, in case you have a monkey in need of clothes.

too big!

Liv Brites Katie

Note: Blogger is forcing a few clickable ad links in the text of this post without my permission, but I don't pay Blogger to host this blog so I won't throw a fit over it. The only clickable links I added myself are in the final paragraph, they are two links to new Blythe dolls on Target's website.

I missed Target's Liv clearance this summer, which means I didn't buy any of the Liv Brites or Liv for Color dolls, and now Liv is gone from Target. Oh no! So last week I stopped by Ross to see if any of those dolls made their way to the discount store. Ross mainly sells discounted clothes and accessories but they have a small toy section where you can find older toys marked down. There was one Liv Brites doll on the shelf, a Katie with her long purple wig ($9, originally $20). Alexis is also on my wish list because her orange wig is pretty awesome too.

Notice this box doesn't say "Only at Target" in the lower right corner

 $9 is a fair price, it's $1 cheaper than the long boring brunette/blonde Liv wigs TRU still has in stock (and that's $10 for a long wig by itself, no doll attached).

The Liv Brites and Liv for Color wigs are appealing (if you enjoy brightly colored doll hair) but the wigs were the best thing about the dolls. I refused to pay $20 for the Brites when they were new because the Liv knee joints were downgraded, the waist/elbows/wrists/ankles were no longer articulated (!!!), and the outfits looked slapped together and cheap. SpinMaster cut corners with the 2012 dolls. :(

The Liv for Color dolls were similar to the Brites: same inferior Liv body, a simple dress, a brightly colored shorter wig, but no accessories and they cost $11, almost half the price of the Brites! They were a much better deal but the downgraded bodies made me cross and I didn't want to pay even $11 for them. Maybe Liv for Color dolls will show up at Ross soon, marked down to $6? One can hope.

The wig shown in the illustration is cool, I never saw it in a store. Check the buttons!

Katie Brite is not without positives, I think she's the best of the Brites trio. I like her distinctive makeup (she stands out from all my other Katies), purple boots, and of course the purple wig. She's the only Brites girl with boots, the other two wear so-so shoes. The wig is key, I wouldn't have bought this doll if she had a normal brunette wig. Bonus: the icky green vinyl vest has four small purple buttons on it, you can snip those off and use them on another doll outfit.

the see-through vinyl was an interesting choice

Her outfit needed a little help so I added pants, a jacket, and glasses from other Liv outfits. The green dots on the dress and pants are almost the same color so they do match, unfortunately the lighting messed with the greens in these photos.

Bottom line: I'm happy Katie Brite is here. I hope to find Alexis Brite and some discounted Liv for Color dolls at Ross soon.

After I bought Katie at Ross I went over to Tuesday Morning and found a new-to-me redhead LPS Blythe from 2010 marked down to $5. She would've been $4 at Ross but I wasn't going to balk over a buck!

Her picnic basket and headband are too cute

After that I went to TJ Maxx next door and saw another cheap LPS Blythe ($4) but I already own her so she stayed there. Earlier this year I found several little Blythes at Ross ($4), now they're showing up at Tuesday Morning ($5) and TJ Maxx ($4).

The only new Blythes currently in US stores are a couple Target exclusive "Moonlite Fairies" with purple and pink hair. It would be nice to own them but it's hard to go from paying $4 and $5 for discounted Blythes to $17 and $30 for Blythe and pets at Target. Click the prices to see the new dolls and their fairy pets on Target's website. I can wait for the discounts or settle for missing out. It's not clear if Hasbro has plans for more Blythe dolls in 2012, they'll need to hit the stores soon for the holiday rush.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

A knit dress for Little Pullip

I knit this wee dress while watching my beloved Seattle Sounders (eternal blue, forever green!) win their first match of the 2012 MLS season.

This ad made me laugh, I had to save and share it

The pretty blue and green yarn is left over from a pair of socks I knit a few years ago:

The Kelly (or Shelly, as she's known in Europe) dress pattern is #645 from "Sticka till Barbie," a Swedish treasure trove featuring hundreds of free Barbie knitting patterns. She even has a pattern for a Swedish football (as in soccer) kit, too cute. There are a good number of patterns for Ken, Tommy, and Shelly/Kelly too. Some of the Barbie patterns have been converted to Bratz size, which may fit Monster High dolls. I'll experiment with that later.

This Kelly dress was knit following the instructions pretty much as written. OK, I added 2 or 3 rounds to the skirt. Also, I knit it in the round instead of flat. Just remember to change the purl rows to knit rows if you do the same.

The dress starts out with 50 stitches and decreases to 25 for the waist, which results in a dress that fits Kelly perfectly. I pinched the dress around Pullip's middle and counted stitches. I estimate the dress will look fitted on Little Pullip if it has 15 stitches around the waist instead of 25. I think this dress looks cute on Pullip even if it's too big, but I'll make a new dress with her measurements in mind. The armholes could also be smaller, next time I'll bind off 2 sts instead of 3 (1 might be too small). When I cast on stitches for the straps I'll try 2 fewer stitches on each side. Also, I'll knit the skirt in the round until the waist and then switch to working it flat, this will make it easier to put on the dolls. Doing so will require a fastener be added to the back: snap, Velcro, or hook and eye.

(I'll keep notes on all changes when I knit the second dress and will publish the results with photos.)

Here is the same Kelly dress on LPS Blythe, she's a bit smaller than Little Pullip so the dress swims on her.

"Oh, it's really too big!"  "That just means there's room to grow."

LIGHT BOX info

In an effort to improve my digital photographs I made a simple light box using a U-Haul box and tissue paper, following the instructions here: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html

This lacks the infinity background because Blythe has issues*

 After I taped the tissue paper to the box it took about a minute to put my thumb through one of the tissue panels. Great. The thought of cutting and attaching a new panel every time the tissue tore wasn't appealing so I completely covered all three tissue panels with long strips of clear packing tape on one side. I would've used clear contact paper if I had a roll but I didn't want to buy anything new to construct the box.

This box hasn't solved all my photography problems, I'm still learning and want to improve more, but it helps. I'll be moving the box around the house to see which overhead lights look the best. I like the results I got from using the range hood lights today (shown in the photo above), but the laundry room lights might be even better.

Eventually I might make another box for larger displays. This box is plenty tall enough but I'm limited by the footprint. I have to make sure the inside of the box doesn't appear at the edges of the photos, which is a concern if I'm photographing 3-4 dolls.

HARK, AN IDEA!

Check this out, here's Blythe standing inside the box in front of a side panel:

I'm thinking I should put a single layer of blue tissue paper on the outside of the box (covering the white tissue already there, or maybe I'll remove the white tissue -- I can try it both ways). That should make a pretty blue glowing background instead of this plain white. The doll will need something to stand on so the cardboard box isn't visible. OK, colorful tissue paper is on my shopping list, I'll see if I can test it out this week.

*To see what I mean about infinity background compare the two pictures of Pullip and Blythe:

My Pullip's vinyl really is that white.

If your paper is long enough you can curve it so there's no line designating where back and bottom meet. Both dolls are balanced against the back of the box so I didn't have to use a stand. Pullip's hair is so poofy it clears the curve. Blythe's hair isn't poofy so I had to either adjust the paper (remove the curve) or use a stand. Does that make sense? It's almost 3 am, I have no idea.

Here's a photo showing the white background curving at the bottom edge of the box:

Pullip says, "Thanks for stopping by!"

Their new name is Ross Blythe for Less

I haven't been to Ross Dress for Less in years, I completely forgot they carried dolls and other toys. Someone mentioned finding a cheap Barbie Basics accessory pack at Ross so I mentally added it to my shopping route on Monday morning. I almost forgot to go but remembered right before heading home, and I'm sure glad I did!

When I first blogged about Littlest Pet Shop Blythe I mentioned it'd be nice if Hasbro sold the Blythe dolls without pets so she'd be a little cheaper. At the time I didn't realize they did this in the past, because Ross had these three (c) 2010 dolls discounted to $4 each:

"Swim & Sun" Her pretty blue eyes match her hat, they're washed out in this photo

"Hiking Trip" Don't cry! Her expression looks like she dropped her lollipop on the dirt trail

"Desert Fun" I'll pretend a water canteen is in that unfortunate bag.

"Look for the matching LPS pet (sold separately)" is written on the front of their boxes. $4?! No pets, no problem! I hadn't seen these pet-free Blythes before so I don't know when they disappeared from regular stores and moved to places like Ross. Maybe this is the situation in my area and everyone else can still find these at Target.

Then in the next aisle I found this "Fashions & Treats Boutique" set for $13 -- it's still a ridiculous $30 at my local WalMart and TRU.

I count 5 pets and 4 treats

I don't think it's worth $30, especially because the treat counter is not real, it's printed on the cardboard liner. However, $13 is a good price for one Blythe, three extra dresses, play food, four stools, and five pets. I only wish they'd have included more shoes, I'd gladly give up a pet in the box for more Blythe shoes. Most kids probably don't care and they'd lose the tiny shoes within 5 minutes anyway. I sometimes have to remind myself they make these toys for children. ;)

A few more words about the counter: I appreciate the effort Hasbro put into making the packaging something kids can play with, until it falls apart. I just want to be clear it's not a plastic playset, which you might reasonably expect if you were paying $30 for it online and couldn't get a good look at it. The food and stools are plastic but the floor, steps, and treat counter are part of the cardboard liner.

sad polar bear

There are four pieces of food (honey, sardines, apples, and cheese) and five pets: bee, cat, pig, mouse, and ... a polar bear? Yeah, the white animal looks bearish with his rounded ears and big paws, I can't explain the pink splotch on his head. (Homage to Gorbachev?) So Hasbro, why didn't he get a treat? Maybe he's supposed to eat one of the pig's apples. Blythe's four dresses depict her pets included in this set -- except for the bear. He also doesn't have a stool at the fake counter! No treat, no stool, no outfit with his picture on it, poor bear. What happened? I'm thinking...

1) They added a 5th pet to make the set even more appealing to buyers.
2) They cut bear's treat, stool, and dress with his picture to increase their profit.
3) Clearly he's working at the treat shop so he doesn't need a treat or stool.

I really have no idea, it just seems weird one of the animals is left out in the cold. Oh I get it, because he's a polar bear! haha. This is just a random observation, what's going on with the LPS pets doesn't influence my decision to buy. I only care about Blythe, her clothes, and the price.

Homer, that is not a giant donut, it's a swim ring

 Ross also had Jake the shaggy hair Liv doll for $5, I might pick him up next week if he's still there. They had one Barbie Basics accessory pack for male dolls, I think it was $7 and I didn't want it that much.

Check out your local Ross if you haven't been there lately, you might be surprised by what you find in the chaotic toy section. I was impressed by the prices and will visit again in a week or so to see if they've added anything new to the toy shelves.

A new dress for Little Pullip

Last week I found a 5.5" doll at the Goodwill:

Little Pullip borrowed Carrie's dress before the photo shoot started. Her shoes can't be removed.

Normally I would've passed this girl by without a second glance but her pretty purple dress made me pause... it looked like it might fit Little Pullip. Was it worth a $1.29 gamble?

Little Pullip in Carrie Cherry Crème's dress

Yes! Her dress fits LP perfectly. Google revealed the dress donor is Carrie Cherry Crème from MGA's Yummi-Land dolls. Carrie's shoes are molded onto her feet so she can't share shoes with Pullip. That means LP needs me to make her some teeny tiny shoes.

Someone is underdressed -- and needs a day at the spa to fix that hair.

Side note: I'm pleased Goodwill switched to a $1.29 price for all unmarked toys, which includes their fashion dolls, both nude and dressed. For years it frustrated me to see Barbie in poor condition (fried hair and chewed hands) with a $2.99 sticker on her back. That was a decent price for a good outfit but I left behind a lot of dolls I probably would've paid $1.29 for just to get the killer boots or a great pair of pants. It's a lot easier to talk myself into buying something with a price tag that can be rounded down to a dollar.

Sweet Little Pullip

I'm thrilled and so thankful to add Little Pullip to my doll collection. She came to me courtesy of Emily, the Toybox Philosopher. Emily's blog is super funny and informative. It will make you want dolls you didn't even know existed, but that's not a bad thing, right? :) Anyone can win a free doll from Ms. Toybox, simply be the first to email her when she offers up a doll that needs a new home.

I've been eying Hasbro's small Blythe dolls but I'm waiting on a sale to get my favorite, the "Sightseeing Cute" London girl ($17). Little Pullip's arrival prompted me to check out Target's selection of Littlest Pet Shop Blythe and I found Autumn Glam, an adorable redhead at a much better price ($10.50).

Littlest Pet Shop, Autumn Glam Blythe

WalMart, Target, TRU, and Fred Meyer all have the London dolls gathering dust on the shelf so I'll be patient. She has two pets so that explains the higher price. I wish Hasbro would sell the dolls without pets to make them even more affordable but $10.50 is a good price for a Blythe doll, with or without a pet. And Autumn Glam's little deer IS adorable. I'm still trying to figure out what is glam about the doll.

"Blythe, come out to play!"

I debox 98% of my dolls so she will be free eventually. She's just so cute in her diorama box, I need to get my fill of that cuteness first.

Speaking of Blythe... Here is a fun piece of dolly ephemera from 2001. I picked up this freebie at a magazine shop, the cover girl caught my attention.

A scan of the booklet cover

The contents aren't exciting, it was an advertising tool for Sony music and Walkmans -- that music listening device we used before iPods. Back then I wanted a Blythe doll badly but had to make do with Little Big Eyes when KB Toys put those dolls on clearance. Remember them? They were a flop with kids but collectors knew they were cheap Blythe clones and snapped them up. I'd take a picture of mine but they're in storage.

Doll artists have done amazing things with LBEs, such as carving their faces to make them look more like Blythe. If you check out LBE photos online be aware that a lot of LBEs have gone under the customization knife to look better. That includes new eye chips, face paint, eyelashes, bodies, hair, carved and sanded faces, etc. If you buy a NRFB Little Big Eye doll off eBay it won't look nearly as good. Here is the LBE Flickr group which appears to be filled with lovely customized dolls: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1177116@N23/