In a series of some "oldies but goodies," which I dubbed "Play it again, Sam" crafts, I'm showing some of the hits from past years. Certainly the little braided rug yarn dolls had to be one of the big crafting successes of the 1970s. This time around, however, I discovered there is a bit more work involved because the rug yarn of choice, Aunt Lydia's Rug Yarn, is no longer available in 70-yard hanks. It is now sold in skeins that contain only 60 yards of yarn instead of 70 yards. As a result, you need to buy two skeins instead of one hank. You will also need to do your own measuring and cutting to obtain the required 50, 48" lengths of yarn. To do this it is probably easiest to wrap the yarn around a sturdy object. I used an end table.
Materials
two skeins Aunt Lydia's rug yarn
one, 2-1/2-inch foam ball or tennis ball
white, black, and red felt for features
optional: felt, fabric, ribbon, etc. for dress and hair bows
Steps:
- Measure out 50, 48" lengths of yarn. Remove eight strands to be used for the arms. Remove one more strand to be used for tying.
- Hold the remaining 41 strands of yarn together and fold them almost in half. Bring the ends of the strands to within four inches of the other ends. Cut a six-inch length from the cutting strand and tie the folded strands together about six inches down from the ends of the longer strands. Pull the strands taut and cut through the loop at the opposite end.
- Place the ball in the middle of the strands, under the tie, and spread yarn evenly around the ball until it is completely covered. This takes longer than you think it should but eventually you WILL get the strands to cover the ball. Pull the strands tightly underneath the ball and tie with another short strand of yarn. The tie should be directly underneath the top knot. Pull the strands to tighten and smooth.
- Pick up the eight strands you had removed at the beginning and fold them in half. Cut at the fold. Remove one strand to be cut and used for tying. Fold the remaining 15 strands in half and cut at the fold.
- Tie all 30 strands together about one inch from one end. Divide the strands into three groups of 10 strands each and braid to within one inch of the other end. Tie to hold. The resulting piece will be the arms.
- Place the arms in position under the doll's head, dividing the long body strands evenly front and back. Tie the body strands tightly under the arms. This is the waist.
- Divide the strands of yarn below the waist in half, left and right. Divide each group into three groups of strands and braid to within one inch of the end. These are the legs.
- Decide which side will be the face. If you want bangs, have the short strands of yarn in the front. If you prefer a ponytail turn the doll around and bury the short strands under the long ones. A hair bow will usually take care of wandering strands.
- Cut a six-inch circle of felt for the skirt. Cut a 1-1/2-inch X-shape in the center and slip the skirt one leg at a time up the dolls' legs to her waist. Cut a 3-1/2" x 8-1/2" rectangle of felt. Cut a 1/2-inch circle in the middle. Cut from one end of the rectangle up to the circle. Fit the cut out around the doll's neck, tuck ends into skirt and pull down. The ends can be stitched to form panties. The slit in the bodice can be placed in the front (for a V- neck) or the back (high round neck).
- To make a hat, cut a 4-1/2-inch circle of felt with an X-shape in the center and slip the strands of hair through the X-shape.
- Add any desired extras. The dolls shown wore letter "sweaters" and carried felt college banners. Earrings, hair bows, pins, rickrack trim, etc. can be added. Don't forget the face. Felt circles glued or stitched in place can be eyes, nose and mouth.
Resources yarn - Aunt Lydia's
Available at Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Etc., Ames, Rag Shop or contact Caron for local retailer.
Caron International
Website:
www.caron.com
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