Copyright update

Just to keep posted on the copyright problems - not only have I not been able to get my material pulled from the Spanish site, I've found that other patterns of mine have been uploaded to a Chinese site in translation.  I know they're mine because the photos were taken in my own living room.  I have even less chance of getting any action on this as I can't communicate in Chinese so can't even contact the site owners.  I really wish there were better controls on this kind of thing but at least I'm not yet trying to make a living from my work online, so it could be worse. 

To Marcia Larente

Just wanted to thank Marcia Larente for pointing out a problem with my popcorn layette pattern; I've updated the pattern so it should make more sense but sadly I can't find a way to message you and let you know about it, so I hope you see this and that the changes help.  Please let me know if you can, and thanks again, I appreciate feedback.

Copyright Problems

I haven't been adding to this blog as I had hoped because I'm concerned over a nasty little problem that has cropped up with my material on HubPages.  Whole pages have been copied, machine translated (at least partly) into Spanish and pasted onto another site.  Since this site has posted none of the data required to make a Copyright Infringement claim, I (and all the others whose work has been stolen) can't do anything about it unless the offending site starts selling advertising space, in which case we can inform the advertiser they are helping plagiarists to profit.  Naturally this has made me hesitant to publish any of my new patterns until I am confident that nobody is going to be able to do the same with them and benefit from my work without so much as a thanks or an acknowledgement.  Even if I don't charge for my patterns I don't want to see them stolen and slapped onto a botched up site like this.  Sorry, but hopefully I will be able to find somewhere I can post my work that is a bit more secure, and link to it on this blog.

Jacques and Jacqueline

Not the tinsel pattern yet, but the final part of my Bastille Day set, which I only just realised I left half done - I put up the royals, but not the peasants.  So here they are; Jacques and his lovely wife Jacqueline.

REQUIRES
Yarn -  small amounts of DK in tan, black, red, white, blue, and brown, grey, green, flecked oatmeal
Hook / Needles - 2.5 mm
Sundries - toy stuffing, toy safety eyes (small, brown iris or plain black), red fabric paint, tricolour ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS (Given in UK notation)

JACQUELINE
HEAD
Work as for Marie Antoinette but using tan DK, black or brown eyes, and omitting extra stitches for neck.  For the hair cut several lengths of yarn in black, brown or grey (I used a blend of dark and light grey with streaks of black).  Attach to the head tassel fashion in groups of three.  You can give her the style of your choice - I went for a wild bird’s nest look, but you could Fasten it back in a pony tail or pull it up into a bun.
LIBERTY CAP
Using red make a magic ring and work 6 dc into it.  Rd 1; (dc 1, inc 1) to end.  9.  Rd 2 - 3; dc.  Rd 4: (dc 1, inc 1).  12.  Rd 5; dc.  Rd 6; (dc 1, inc 1).  18.  Rd 7; dc.  Rd 8; (dc 2, inc 1).  24.  Rd 9; dc.  Rd 10; (dc 3, inc 1).  30.  Rd 11; dc.  Fasten off and stitch to head.
BODY
Make as for Marie Antoinette but using tan for the actual flesh colour and dark green or some other drab colour for the clothing.  Stitch head on.
LEGS (make 2)
Work as for Marie but using black for shoes, tan for rest of legs (Jacqueline goes commando).  Stitch to body.
SKIRT
Using drab green, attach to front loops of the body round worked through back loops.   Dc all round.  Rd 1; (dc 2, inc 1) to end.  24.  Dc 16 rounds straight, fasten off.
ARMS (make 2)
As for Marie to round 7, but using tan.  Change to dark green on round 7 and increase in every stitch.  Work 2 rounds dc, fasten off, stuff and stitch to body.
APRON
Using flecked oatmeal dk, make 13 chain.  Dc into 2nd chain from hook, dc into every chain to end.  Turn..  Work 12 rows dc.  Next row;  chain 20, ss into each chain and across top of apron, chain 20 and ss back to main part of apron, forming the strings.  Fasten off.  If you like you can make a pocket by working five chain, and working four or five dc rows on that chain, then stitch to front of apron leaving open at top.  Spatter with red fabric paint and tie round waist of doll.
ROSETTE
Using red, chain 2, dc 6 into 2nd chain.   Fasten off leaving a tail.  Using white, chain 2.  Work 6 htr into 2nd chain.  Fasten off.  Using blue, chain 2.  Work 6 dc into 2nd chain.  Fasten off.  Place the white rosette onto the blue, then the red onto the white and anchor together by using the red tail to stitch down through the three centres, then stitch to doll’s cap.
KNITTING
Using dark grey wind a tiny ball of yarn and secure with a clear drying fabric glue.  When dry, cut both ends off a cocktail stick to make needles (you can make the round needle ends with a small blob of fabric paint or glue, or a tiny bit of air drying clay).  Push needles into ball of yarn.  You can stitch the ball to Jacqueline’s hand but I found it anchors well enough if you push one ‘needle’ through her hand and then into the ball.  If you have given her a pocket you can push the knitting in so it shows at the top.


JACQUES
HEAD
As for Marie Antoinette but using tan, and brown or black eyes.  For the hair cut strands in black, brown, or dark grey, or a mix of grey and black or brown.  Cut it shorter than Jacqueline’s and attach tassel fashion.
CAP
As for Jacqueline.
BODY
As for Louis but using tan for flesh, flecked oatmeal for the shirt and dark green for breeches.  Stitch head on.
LEGS AND FEET (make 2)
As for Louis but using tan for flesh, black for shoes, green for breeches.  Stitch to body.
ARMS (make 2)
Work as for Louis but using tan and oatmeal, and omitting the fancy cuffs.  Stitch to body and tie a little tricoleur sash around his body. Stitching the ends in place.  

Spatter both these little revolutionaries with as much blood as you please, and turn them loose on the unfortunate little king and queen.

Back At Last!

I have been offline for quite a long time.   First we had a family problem which really knocked me for six, and left me feeling very tired and not very - well, bloggish.  Then when I did feel like making a comeback my pc developed a major problem and I could only get online with a tiny netbook which I wasn't comfortable writing on.  I finally tackled the issue head on and, to my immense pride, managed to fix it.  Now all I need to do is catch up on updating every damn program in my pc, fix my printer which has decided it won't put out any black ink from a nearly full HP 300XL cartridge, and then it's business as usual.  I will be uploading a pattern (I hope!) for something I've been working on while I was de-internetted - here's some piccies to whet your appetites.

Problem with Hedgehogs

The hedgehogs in my garden have multiplied and grown fat.  Mrs Hedges and her four babies continued to feed at all hours of the day and night, evidently nesting under my brushwood pile.  Then one of them appeared several days running on its own, foraging by day.  It started to move oddly and I called a hedgehog rescue charity.  They said it must be ill and that hedgehogs are only active by day if they are ill or injured.  I handed over Bumblepig (the daywalker) to them and they advised me that if any others showed up by day they should be picked up, put in a box and taken to a rescue centre or a vet.

So today, for the first time since Bumblepig left, one of the younglings appeared foraging quite blatantly at midday.  It seemed quite confident and healthy but bearing in mind the advice I'd been given I got a cardboard box, put it in it and called the vet. The vet said that if it didn't seem sick or injured I should call the RSPCA and they gave me the phone number.  By this time the youngster was so full of beans that it was climbing out of the box and I had to move it into a travel cage for guinea pigs and hamsters.  It pooped a fair bit, tried to escape by climbing, pushing its nose through the bars and biting them (they are coated so it wasn't hurt, don't worry), and showed every sign of being fit as a flea.  The RSPCA said that daytime foraging is actually normal because sometimes they can't find enough food a night, and if the animal is a healthy weight (which if I'm any judge it is, felt the same to me as just over half a kilo of flour), not injured or evidently sick, let it go but maybe give it some extra food first.  They recommended dog food (NOT fish based), ground up dog biscuits, minced meat or liver.  It had been eating dried mealworms fallen from the bird feeder tray and they said that wouldn't hurt it but hedgies get much of their fluid from their food so make sure there is water available (there always is).  They said I should only worry if it shows up three or more days in a row.  So I fed the little chap and away it went into the shrubbery - then came out and started eating mealworms again.

So here's my problem.  The rescue charity said ANY hedgie that shows up by day is in trouble, get them to help the first time you see them.  The RSPCA said it's no big deal and wait till it shows up more than a couple of times before worrying.  Who do I trust?  I don't want any more getting sick, but I don't want to kidnap one that is simply doing its own thing.  Any experts out there who can help?

King Louis

Here's the partner to Marie Antoinette, King Louis.

REQUIRES
Yarn -  Twinkle DK approx 20g white and 10g lilac; Goldfingering light gold, 10g; Pearl DK 20g white; cream DK 15g.
Hook / Needles - 2.5mm
Sundries - toy eyes, toy stuffing, narrow black ribbon, velcro, stick on pearls, black fabric paint.

INSTRUCTIONS (Given in UK notation)

HEAD
Work as for Marie Antoinette using cream.   Using black fabric paint make moustache and beard.

WIG
Work as for Marie (Pearl DK) until both side rolls are complete.  To work back reattach yarn to wider section between rolls.  Work 1 row dc, then dec at each end of next 4 rows.  On last row work dc to centre back, then make 5 chain.  Dc on these chain, ss into same stitch and then complete row as normal and fasten off.  Decorate with black ribbon.  Stitch to head.  

RUFF
Work as for Marie.  Stitch to neck and then stitch velcro to bottom of neck.

CROWN
Using white Twinkle work as for head to end rd 1.  Rd 2;  inc in all stitches.  24.  Rd 3; dc.  Rd 4; dc in back loops only.  Rd 5; (dc2, dec 1) to end.  18.  Rd 6; dc.  Switch to goldfingering.  Rd 7; dc.  Ss to finish off.  Using goldfingering reattach yarn to gold row and work surface crochet line up one side, across top and down the other.  Repeat  so you are dividing crown into quarters, but on this line work as follows where the lines cross: Ch 3, dc into 3rd chain, dc into same stitch as ch.  Fasten off, stuff crown and stitch to head.  

BODY
Using lilac Twinkle work as for Marie to Rd 3.  Rd 4 -8; dc.  Switch to white Twinkle.  Rds 9 - 11; dc.  Rd 12; (dc 2, dec 1) to end.  18.  Stuff.  Rd 13; dc 9, ss across to 1st stitch of round forming a tube.  Dc 4 rds on these 9 stitches and fasten off leaving long tail.  Reattach yarn to unused stitches and work a tube as before.  Stuff breeches leaving space to insert lower legs.

LEGS AND FEET (make 2)
Work as for Marie’s legs using lilac twinkle for shoes and Pearl for stockings.  Stuff, insert leg ends into breeches and stitch firmly with tail ends.

TRIMS
Using goldfingering work line of surface crochet around waist, starting at centre front.  Ss to complete ring then crochet up front and round neck. Fasten off.  Using goldfingering embroider a line for pockets, and buckles on shows.  Add narrow black ribbon at side of breeches at knee.  Stick on tiny pearls for buttons on waistcoat.

ARMS (make 2)
Work as for Marie using White Twinkle instead of Pearl and Pearl for cuffs.

COAT
Using white Twinkle make 21 chain.  Work 2 rows dc on these chain.  On next row dc 2, chain 5, skip 5 stitches, dc 7, htr to end.  On next row htr 7, dc to end working 1 dc into each chain.  Work 5 rows of dc at top, htr (if this is not wide enough for your doll work more, or less if it is too wide).  Work another 5dc armhole to match first, then 3 rows dc.  Fasten off.  Slipe coat over arms.  Roll back neck and stitch down, then stitch around armholes.  Sew velcro to top of body.