I'm moving!

Moving my blog to tumblr

All change for 2011!!

Please come over to the tumblr side :)

Meet Noel.....

Meet Noel.....
Originally uploaded by polly-jane

The newest member of the Pierrepont family :)

Urgh

Been so ill the past few days I haven't even been near the computer! Coughing and sneezing a plenty and lots of blankets and hot drinks! Added to my misery we had burst water pipes!

I just wanted to wish all my lovely internet friends a wonderful Xmas and New Year before I dive into the pre-holiday madness! I will not be around much, just checking in now and again, but rest assured I have a little surprise for the New Year which will start it off with lots of smiles I hope :)

Happy Holidays Everyone! 

Vintage Strawberry Shortcake cardigan pdf pattern

All finished another pattern available on Ravelry or etsy. This is my own pattern that fits Vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls. It can be scaled up to fit other dolls too by using different weights of yarn and larger needles. I have made them in 4 ply yarn for Lati yellow and DK yarn for Blythe.

I made a lot of these cardigans for sale and thought it would be nice to share the pattern to let other dolly lovers have a go at making their own.

This is knit on 2mm needles with very fine lace-weight or kid mohair yarn.

If you have any questions about this pattern please do not hesitate to get in touch: janepierrepont@aol.com

Santa Baby.......

....... slip a little dress under the tree for me!!

Just in time for Xmas I have made a little festive dress to delight your Dollies! Made from pure wool hand-knitted into a short sweater dress that fastens at the back with a vintage glass button. Trimmed with creamy marabou feather trim and tiny sequin flowers.

I have enough supplies to make ten of these dresses so I will take orders on a first come first served basis and make them up as they are ordered rather than making the whole batch.
They are $30 each + postage and if ordered in time I will make sure they are finished and posted before the last Xmas posting date of 10th December.
If you are interested in ordering one please email me: janepierrepont@aol.com with your paypal address and location (so I can charge the right amount for postage) and I will send you an invoice.

I am also working on a totally new project which will be revealed VERY soon ;) Keep a watch!

Winter Warmers this weekend

I have 4 little Winter Warmer coats for Blythe going in the shop this weekend. A bit of a blast from the past (well last winter actually!) to keep your dollies warm and cozy! Also added to the shop are a couple of bargain bits from the Rule Britannia collection in October. These have been reduced and are the last 3 pieces from this collection.

Also don't forget you can use the coupon code BLACK2010 in my jollypolly shop to get 25% off everything in there till Tuesday 30th November. Stock up on my yarn stash bags, mohair scraps and fabric or get yourself a knitting pattern to make something for your Blythe!

Keep Warm Everyone!!

Black Friday Discount in JollyPolly!

On Friday 26th November you can get 25% off everything in my JollyPolly etsy shop!! Just enter the code BLACK25 when you checkout and your discount will be instantly deducted. This coupon will last for the whole of the weekend and expire on Tuesday 30th. You can stock up on yarn stash bags, mohair scraps, fabric and other crafty supplies, or have a go at knitting for your Blythe doll with one of my patterns :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the US! (and anyone outside the US who celebrates too!)

Listing Twinkle Twinkle Items

I have listed a few items from the Twinkle Twinkle collection in the shop and will list a couple more in about an hour. Then more in the morning about 9am UK time and in the afternoon about 3pm UK time. After that I will list anything I get finished as it is completed. I will post on Wednesday and Thursday. I do hope you like my luxurious little lots, I wish I could make me sized!!

 If you have any questions please email me  at: janepierrepont@aol.com

Twinkle Twinkle

Little stars!!

Finished a lot of the new Blythe collection (still plenty more in my project boxes!!) and have taken some pics. I am loving all these sparkles and luxury yarns and I'm knee deep in marabou and gold stars :)
I won't waffle on about all the different yarns and trims I have used but have used cashmere, alpaca, mohair, my own hand spun, marabou, lurex, metallic vinyl and LOTS of gold stars to name just a few materials. I do hope that you like my Xmas creations, I have LOVED making them :)
If anyone ever wants to know where I have got certain supplies from please ask, I like to promote the people I buy from and share the gems I find!

I will be listing these items from the beginning of next week in batches at times to allow for the different time zones. I will continue to list until all my yarn is used up or the last Xmas posting date arrives, whichever is the soonest!

Back to my stitching then..........

Xmas collection is coming along!

I am working really hard at the moment on my Blythe doll Xmas Collection. I have been spinning some lovely soft cashmere and wool blend roving and searching all over the place for lovely supplies to make a wonderful luxurious collection of clothes for the holidays :) I am up to my knees in sparkles and twinkles and sumptuous loveliness! Hopefully will get some nice pics in the next few days of the first batch of goodies but for now I have a sneaky peek pic taken on my phone for you to get a glimpse at what Polly will be offering your dolly for Xmas!

New Pattern!!!!

I have just finished writing the new pattern! The slouchy roll neck cardigan that I have made LOTS of is now available as a pdf download on Ravelry. This is knit using a DK weight yarn (or worsted/8ply for US) It is a very adaptable pattern that I think is easy to knit. You can start at the yoke and not have a roll neck, make it longer or shorter.....the possibilities are endless :)
I have knit it in various yarns including noro silk garden lite, bamboo and soya, merino and also my own handspun. Each has its own character and charm.

I do hope you enjoy knitting this, please though, as with the other pattern if you have any problems please contact me. I am new to writing patterns and may make mistakes or not explain things properly sometimes! I haven't put the tension on this as it seemed to vary according to the yarn I used. So sometimes the cardi came out bigger, sometimes smaller. The dolls didn't seem to care as long as they looked stylish :)

Meet the girls :)

The new hens are settling in lovely and have now got official names.
(From bottom pic to top)
We have Teasy-Weasy aka Peach who is a Columbine and should lay blue eggs at some point (we think she is keeping us waiting to build up the excitement!)
Then we have Zelda, a Cou Cou who is very pretty, very greedy and rules the roost.
Next is Chicken, who is a Copper Black and a bit nervous with the most beautiful feathers!
And last but by no means least is Xena (my little warrior princess) who is a Rhode Black and makes a BIG noise when she is annoyed!

Here hoping we have a bit more luck now...please!


*Dolly News*

Bit of a freestyle week with some bits and bobs popping up here and there while I work on my Xmas collection. Hopefully some will be ready next week to bring some sparkle to the holidays :)

Deep Purple and Pink Champagne

I have made a little collection around the handspun I made the other week. I created a little crochet cap with pure wool big pom pom and little ties at the side. To match this I have knit some little sweater dresses in a lovely deep purple and a pale 'champagne' pink.
I have 5 hats and 5 dresses so far but I may have a couple more maybe later on.

Lovely and snuggly and beautiful colours :)

They are in the shop now :)

Joseph's Amazing coat and hat sets

This weekend I will be listing 4 sets in this collection. I have just managed to squeeze 4 out of the yarn I spun. It's so soft and wonderfully bright! I felt this yarn just HAD to be turned into coats. They will sell for $65 per set and I will list randomly over the weekend rather than all at once to give people from different time zones more chance of getting one if they are interested.
The coats have lovely handmade rainbow heart buttons decorating the front and laser cut felt flowers and butterflies dotted around. The silver highlights give a bit of sparkle to them :)

I will also be listing the hanspun sweater dress and hat set along with these that I have put preview pics of on flickr

I Hope you like them!

*Hen news: We will be fetching 4 new girls on Friday so hopefully I will get some pics and have more luck now. Please...I think I am due some good luck!

Sorry, a bit more sad stuff

On Thursday last week ANOTHER neighbours dog managed to get into our garden, tear, shred and basically destroy our chicken pen and kill Barbara and Penny :(
I feel so so sad about it all.

We are in the process of putting HEAVY duty wire on the pen and repairing the hen house ready to fetch some more ladies on Friday. I will not be beaten by this! The owner of the dog just did not realise the damage a dog can do when its natural instincts kick in. She was very upset and shocked at the way he had demolished our hard work and killed the ladies in their nest boxes. I am confident that they understand now the importance of keeping their dog confined to their garden. I just wish everyone who has a dog would understand this.

So I am busy going all around my house and garden putting steel mesh in EVERY hole and gap no matter how small. It will soon be like a prison. No getting in and no getting out. To anyone thinking of getting chickens please think of me and know that dogs can SHRED chicken wire as though it was made of thread and rip wood to pieces. Just to kill and then leave the bodies there for me to find.

Look out for the new ladies this weekend and say a little prayer for poor Barbara and Penny :(

Love and Hate Collection

Based on some lovely tattoo inspired fabric I have created a little collection for your dollies to enjoy!

First is a dress with a crochet bodice and fabric skirt. Fastening with vintage beads at the front and trimmed with lace and sequins around the edge and a bow/ button/ charm at the waistband.

Next is a crochet dress with lace hem and gorgeous 'love' button at the waist. With 'flame' vintage sequins to finish off the decoration.

To go with these pieces I have made 4 felted red capes and 4 black mohair hats with matching decor. The hats are not tight so are suitable for your girls with more fluffy hair :)

I do hope you like them, they will be listed in my etsy shop through the day.

More pics are on flickr

Granny Madge's 90th Birthday

Yesterday (15th October) was Granny Madge's 90th birthday!!! We had cake and sherry and sang and gave presents. She looked pretty happy to me :)

Tibetan Lambskin Scrap packs

Just in Jollypolly ;)

Joseph

Fresh off the spinning wheel is my new handspun. I have had this roving for ages staring at me whispering 'spin me! spin me!' Well eventually I have! This will be turned into something special for Blythe, I have an idea in my head which I hope will work :)
I am having my first full day off work today with no jobs or errands to do and I really looking forward to it. I am planning on making up some fabric bundles for Jollypolly and maybe some more yarn/patterns. The nights are drawing in so quickly and its my most creative/productive time of the year. Winter does have it's good points!

This Friday will be Granny Madge's 90th birthday!!! We are going over to see her and give her lots of fuss and flowers. I will see if she is up to a photo maybe, she is doing well at the moment and managing by herself (with lots of visits and shopping etc done by my Mum and Dad) and seems quite happy. She is knitting a little but she does forget patterns so just makes little squares to stitch into kitty blankets :)

Well I'm off to enjoy my day, I hope you have a good one too!!

The Twilight Collection

This Sunday around 5pm ish UK time I will be listing my new Twilight collection in my etsy shop. I fancied doing a sort of grey and gloomy but pretty little collection and found some lovely owl and bat buttons which started it all off. I made some pure wool felted capes which have crocheted edges and beads and buttons scattered all over them. Then we have a collection of different hats all with one or two owl buttons on them. The crochet dress has frilled lace hem, ribbon and charm trim and vintage sequins sewn around the bottom. Metallic crocheted edges finish them off beautifully. I have 4 hats, 6 capes and 5 dresses for sale. All are different in their own way to make them one of a kind :)
Preview pics will be on flickr
Hope you like them, they are perfect for halloween and misty grey October evenings!

Please email me if you have any questions janepierrepont@aol.com

It has been such a busy week and time has flown, the nights are darker (perfect for knitting and spinning!) and it's getting colder. I sort of like the thought of hibernating for a bit though and relish all the creative stuff I can do when the garden doesn't need my attention :)

Limited edition Pattern and yarn

I have put together a little special limited edition pack for the creative knitters among you. It is the Blythe boyfriend cardigan pattern complete with 3 balls of yarn in red, blue and cream. You can either make 3 all one colour or go mad with stripes or patterns :) It's up to you. These are for sale in my jollypolly etsy shop. Just 4 packs so grab one while you can.

My little part of Blythecon uk

My goodness I am so tired! Wonderful day yesterday though! Met lots of lovely people and dollies and saw so much dolly creativeness :) The piles of lovely dolly dresses hats and sweaters was AMAZING!!
Must admit to spending most of the day behind my stall hence the aching back today and then the train journey home was a bit hairy as me and Tom had to RUN through Birmingham station to get our connecting train to Derby. We literally had 2 minutes to do it! I am getting far too old to run like that! BUT, it was worth it and now I have had a good nights sleep and a lazy Sunday ahead of me :D
I have an etsy update later when I will be listing the 2 OOAK sets I promised. I will put some preview pics on flickr soon. Also The Rule Britannia collection will be for sale at the same time.
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

Ready to go!

Everything is done and ready for Blythcon and all I need to do now is get myself preened :)
Sad news this week as my sister can't come with me due to illness so my poor son Tom is now accompanying me. He will be good to carry my suitcase!! Can't wait to meet all of you that will be in Oxford on Saturday! Please come and have a natter with me, or Tom...he's good at nattering :)

For all my other dolly friends who are too far away to get to Blythecon uk, I have a little surprise. I have made 2 special OOAK sets that I am going to list on etsy on Sunday specially for the non-blythecon-ukers :) They are secret till Sunday when I will put pics on flickr as I list them. I will also list a few of the items from The Rule Britannia collection too ;) Not quite sure what time it will be as it depends on how tired I am from Saturday. Probably early eveining here 5 - 6pm ish UK time.

Have a lovely weekend everyone......wish me luck for Saturday!

Nearly all ready!

Getting really excited now about Blythecon next weekend! I have had a bit of a setback this week due to a very painful shoulder leading to a stiff neck and headaches. I have rested up a bit (I can't rest for long!) and am just finishing up the duffle coats now and deciding which dollies to take with me. I am traveling on the early morning train from Derby to Oxford so if I look a bit bleary eyed please forgive me! I am so excited about meeting everyone I will probably be red faced and babbling like a mad woman...LOL
I will be keeping a few items from this collection to list on Sunday 3rd October in my etsy shop for those folk who like it and can't get to Oxford.
Right...back I go to the duffle coats...3 more to go :)

Nearly all done!

I spent all day yesterday packaging and taking pics of all the items for Blythecon uk. All I have left to do now are finish off all the duffle coats. I have been working like a trooper to have a nice collection for this event and I am so looking forward to meeting everyone! I will be keeping some items back to put on etsy on Sunday 3rd October for my customers who are too far away to come to Oxford. I really hope you like the theme I have chosen, it's been such fun putting things together and sourcing all the materials and supplies. I think my favourite item is the Paddington Duffle coat but I think this will be the only batch I make of these.
I am putting preview pics on flickr so you can see what I will be selling. I do hope you like them!

Jubilee

Here is the first preview of the stuff I have been working on for Blythecon uk. I spun 2 skeins of this 3 ply yarn which took AGES! Spinning 3 fine singles then plying it seemed to take an eternity. I am really pleased with the finished yarn though and its all now made into caps as part of my Rule Brittania collecion. I will launch it at Blythecon uk on the 2nd October and list items in my shop on Sunday the 3rd October for anyone who isn't going to Oxford or who lives too far away!

My fingers are sore from all the stitching, knitting, spinning and crochet they have been busy doing. I hope you will all like what they have produced :)

I'm off to take a few preview pics now.......

Still spring cleaning

And it's nearly autumn!

I have a bunch of 'vintage' Polly items that I will be listing in my etsy shop today and some more Strawberry Shortcake bits and pieces on ebay. I am really enjoying getting myself more organised and tidy.
At the same time I am working so hard on my Blythecon UK collection which is building up into quite a large pile! It is getting nearer to the date and I'm getting really excited about meeting everyone.

Autumn is definitely on it's way and the nights are getting darker by the day which always means more knitting and stitching for me....Yay!!

Last Day of the auction!

Today is the last day for the ebay auction! I have loaded a few more pics on flickr and am just wrapping all the items in tissue and boxing them up. This is a real BIG bumper collection! My girls are looking sad as I pack it all away! I wish everyone who is bidding all the luck in the world :)

PLEASE READ!

Anyone who was interested in my Arsenic and Old Lace collection on ebay please note I have now changed the auction to include ALL the items in this collection! I decided this after much thought today. I felt that listing items in my shop on a similar theme to the special set on ebay was devaluing its exclusivity. I really think if you are bidding on something OOAK then it should totally be OOAK. So we now have a 3 day auction for the whole 10 pieces in the collection! I have notified the highest bidder on the other listing who was quite happy for me to change it.

Here is the link:
Arsenic and Old Lace Trio of outfits

I hope you will all agree with me and understand why I have done this.
Good Luck :)

A little more Arsenic and Old Lace

I have finished a few items from the Arsenic and Old Lace collection to put in my etsy shop. These will go in later today (Friday 3rd Sept) when I get back from work and Granny visits. They are simpler designs but on the same theme as the ebay listing which still has 3 days left to go! It's so exciting, thank you so much for everyone who is watching or bidding......Good Luck :)

Preview pics of the etsy items will be on flickr before I list.

ebay listing for Arsenic and Old Lace

Here is the link for the ebay listing of the Arsenic and Old Lace special set. I do have 2 dresses, 3 jackets and 2 hats along this theme to list on etsy later this week too :)

Arsenic and Old Lace
Please get in touch if you have any questions: janepierrepont@aol.com

Arsenic and old lace

I just finished my new set 'Arsenic and old lace' for Blythe. I think this is my most favourite set I have EVER done. I have been working so long on it and I love it when it all comes together at the end :)

The set includes:
Crochet dress with high neck, grey pearl necklace with skull charm attached to the dress, net tie belt with a bottle of 'arsenic' hanging from it (well it's actually salt, but don't tell anyone as it loses its deadly charm) double layered net skirt part with applique old lace decorated with tiny beads.

Pantaloons made from silk jersey with fine crochet waistband, extra black lace layer and scallop edging and beads around the hems.

Crochet net hat with cream lace decoration, skull charm and button pin with old skeleton print on it.

Full length grey wool felted coat with pockets and high neck decorated with ribbon and sequin trim. The body of the coat is appliqued with old lace and little beads. Tiny grey pearls are stitched around the sleeve cuffs. The coat fastens with 5 vintage black buttons down the front.

This one is going on ebay next week but I will also have some other items on this theme going into the shop afterwards.

I hope you like it as much as me :)

Granny Madge hat kits

Today I am listing some Granny Madge hat kits in jollypolly

Granny Madge used to make these little hats for me to decorate but recently because of illness and age her short term memory is not good and she can't remember what sizes to knit anymore. So she has decided to just knit some kitty blankets instead.

She still had a little stash of ones she had made before she went in hospital so I decided to turn them into little DIY kits for you crafty people to decorate yourselves :) The kits are 1 Blythe sized or 3 Strawberry shortcake sized and come with some bits of yarn, buttons etc to use. I also have some mohair Strawberry shortcake pixie hat that I knit myself that I have put into kits. i would love to see what you do with them :)

Spring Cleaning still

Just listed some stuff on ebay. Quite enjoying getting organized and having a bit more space :)

Here is the link to my ebay stuff for sale if you are interested.

Giveaways!!!

I have a few bits and bobs I need to re-home so I had an idea. If anyone wants them they can have them free if they pay for the postage.
I'm starting with a Dougal (magic roundabout) handbag and a felted wool handbag made by me.
If you are interested please email me: janepierrepont@aol.com and I will tell you how much postage would be to you.
Also some plied stash yarn on ruby reds that I just can't photograph right. The actual colour is darker than the pic.

Just added some Strawberry Shortcake dolls suitable for customising etc. *These are gone* But I do have a few more to sort out :)

A Special Day

Today is the day me and my lovely husband Kev celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe how quickly the years have passed and how I love him more and more every year. I feel lucky to have found my partner in life when I was so young and I thank him for all the love, support and big belly laughs he has given me over the last quarter of a century.