This is an easy knitting project for those who want something cute and quick for their dolls. Because it’s garter stitch, it can be a nice mindless project to take on while watching Netflix. The keyhole aspect of it makes it a shorter scarf, and can stay on the doll when it’s windy.

For this pattern, you will need to know how to: cast on, knit stitch, and cast off. You can find knitting tutorials and videos on knittinghelp.com.

You will need:

• Knitting needles (2.75mm/US 2)
• Fingering or sock yarn – small amount (I used Knit Picks Palette)
• Scissors
• Yarn needle

Directions:

Cast on 13 stitches (I use the long-tail cast-on).

Knit for 19 rows.

Knit 3, cast off 7 stitches, knit 3.

Knit 3, cast on 7 stitches, knit 3.

Knit for 70 rows (or until desired length).

Cast off.

One of the cute, quirky things about Blythe is her over-sized noggin to body ratio. It’s also one of the things that makes her so difficult to stand up! This is one of those moments when geometry comes into play in “real life” and suddenly it makes sense why your math teacher in grade school told you that this information was important.

Basically, there’s the ground, the doll, and whatever you’re using to stand up your Blythe. You want your Blythe doll and the ground to form a right angle, and then whatever you’re using to prop up your doll to form the hypotenuse, like so:

Now, there’s a variety of things that you could use to from the hypotenuse. Some sampling of things that I have used before include: plastic fork, chopstick from sushi take-out, bamboo skewers, and random sticks found on the grass. There’s pros and cons to all of these items, so lets go through some of them.

The plastic fork is fantastic because it can be inserted into the ground. This is especially good if you are trying to stand your Blythe up in grass or a sandy beach. You can insert the tines of the fork into the ground at and angle and that provides more support of your top-heavy Blythe. Plastic forks don’t tend to be particularly long, so chances are the end of the fork will rest on your Blythe’s back. Bonus – plastic forks can be clear/translucent! This is especially useful if you’re not wanting the fork to show that much. I used proper silverware in the photos of this post because silver is easier to see in photos than clear plastic, and for the tutorial’s sake it makes it easier if people can visualize what I’m talking about.

Chopsticks are fantastic. I personally like the unused variety of take-out chopsticks that are still attached together. Why? Because it provides a larger ‘base’ for the doll to rest against. Having a wider surface to rest against means that there’s less risk of her tipping to one side or the other while I’m trying to stand her up. Win-win!

Bamboo skewers are cheap, they’re easy to find at dollar stores (or perhaps you have some leftovers from making kabobs?), and they’re sharp and pointy – for the ease of inserting into the ground. One of the problems I’ve personally found with bamboo skewers is that they can break easily. They aren’t the sturdiest things I’ve ever used to stand up one of my Blythes, and I find that they can break in the ground if I’m trying to insert them into not the softest earth. Another downside to using skewers is that they don’t offer a particularly wide base – but you could use two bamboo skewers to form let another triangle – but this time it’d be an equilateral triangle (geometry comes in so handy in real life!) where the ground forms the base and the skewers form the equal sides.

Random sticks can be fantastic – free, and you won’t feel bad leaving them where you found them because that’s where it belongs! Chances are you’ll be able to find sticks anywhere – the downsides is that it may not be long enough, or too stick, and you may have a hard time hiding it in your photo (and if you don’t have the magical Photoshop skills, it may be hard to edit out). This is by far the cheapest method (can’t beat free!), so it is your best bet if you’re out and about and just need something to help you out with a photo.

But last, and certainly not least, just lean your doll against something! Propping up your Blythe against a wall or a bench or a tree will save you the hassle of trying to put geometry into action, although it may not provide you with quite the look that you were looking for. Use grooves between floor boards or tiles to your advantage! They’re there for a reason (and it’s an added bonus that they help with your doll photos!).

(And if you’re a parent, feel free to use this as a lesson to your kids about why math class is important!)

I love attending local Blythe meets. It’s fun to see what new dolls someone has, or to see what someone is trying to destash (I love getting new-to-me clothes or shoes locally this way because it helps save on postage costs!). I really enjoy the company of my local doll friends, and a lot of the time we don’t even talk about dolls! It’s fun when we do talk about dolls though (and new dolls…!). Here are some fun activity ideas for Blythe meets:

1. Cookie decorating station – this can be made themed for an upcoming holiday and someone can prebake the cookie bases ahead of time. For Valentine’s Day, perhaps some heart cookies with white, pink, and red royal icing and fun sprinkles?
2. DIY mini t-shirt decorating – this one will take a bit more planning, but if someone orders a bunch of plain doll tees (e.g. from Cool Cat), shirts could be decorated with embroidery, fabric markers, iron-ons (printed from a printer or store-bought), or little patches.
3. Button making – this one requires someone having a button maker, but everyone could draw out their own button design (perhaps a pull ring or an eye chip?) and then pin in to their doll bag!
4. Scrapbooking – A great way to use all those photos of Blythes we’re always taking! It is surprisingly not that expensive to get photos printed these days, and a lot of scrapbooking supplies can be found at dollar stores or big box craft stores. Just make sure that you get acid-free papers and glues to prevent damaging the photos.
5. Tutu making station – I’m a huge fan of tutus and I even shared a tutorial here on BlytheLife on how to make an easy tutu! A roll of tulle can be fairly inexpensive (it can be found in floral shops as well as fabric/craft stores), and it’s an easy tutorial that most anyone of any level of crafty ability can do.
6. Furniture painting/decorating – It sounds like a lot of work, but I’ve found that a lot of dollar stores and big box craft stores will carry 1:6 or 1:12 sized furniture (usually wooden) for fairly low prices. With a few bottles of acrylic paint and maybe some sand paper, your group could make some cute and one of a kind pieces in afternoon!
7. Do a present exchange – this is not limited to the month of December! Set a reasonable limit (say $10-15), have people bring in wrapped gifts for Valentine’s, spring, Easter, summer, Halloween or just because. It’s fun to receive presents, but it’s even more fun to give! Make it doubly fun by making people do silly tasks to earn their presents (e.g. “bobbing” for gifts, or answering Blythe trivia questions!).
8. Host a sew-a-long – find a simple (free?) pattern online, and have everyone bring in some fabric or supply it to them. You’ll need needles and thread, along with scissors and pins. Try one of the projects on BlytheLife, like the trimmed skirt or felt slippers.
9. Have a tea party – this for me personally combines my love of tea and love of dolls (and friends). My local group and I have done afternoon tea at some tea houses and it has always been a lot of fun, but it isn’t cheap! Do it yourself at home with your friends, get everyone to bring in a light snack to share (some examples would include: mini cupcakes, chocolates, sandwiches, scones) and get your tea steeping!
10. Organize a swap meet – have everyone bring their gently used, but unwanted, clothes and shoes. Sell, trade, give away – and have everyone go home with something new-to-them. The easiest way to find joy in having something new without breaking the bank!

I hope these ideas come in handy when you plan your next Blythe meet! If you have any suggestions, share them below in the comments!

Welcome to the 2016 Blythe Holiday Shopping Guide! This is part 3 of a 3 part mini-series to help those who are trying to figure out what to buy for themselves, or what to buy for the Blythe-lover in their life. Part 3 is the $50 and up shopping guide!

With impending holiday gift giving deadlines, what are some fantastic gifts that you could give yourself (or your loved ones)? If you have a pretty generous budget, this is the shopping guide for you! If your budget is a little bit less generous, or you’re looking for some stocking stuffers, please check out part 1 of the 2016 Blythe Holiday Shopping Guide ($25 and less) and part 2 ($25-50).

What would every Blythe enthusiast love to receive? How about a new shelf? Floating wall shelves would be fantastic, bonus if there’s a little lip on it so that the doll stands fit nice and snug against the wall. There’s always the option of getting a shelf unit with a glass door – perfect for keeping dust off of the dolls, as well as hindering furry paws or tiny hands from getting onto the dolls. Definitely more than $50, but could be done for less than $100 depending on the option you choose.

There’s always the option of getting your loved one a new doll. From Petites to Middies to Neo – the sky is the limit when it comes what kind of doll you get the Blythe lover in your life! This can range from ~$50 (for a Takara Petite) to $400+ for a brand new, in box Neo Blythe.

If your loved one loves handpainted eye chips, there’s always the option of getting them a full set (4 pairs) for their dolls! This will likely run you at least $60-80 for a full set, but imagine the look on their face when they unwrap the nicest handpainted eye chips they’ve ever seen?

Does the Blythe hobbyist in your life have a favourite customizer? This option is fairly pricey, but would definitely cause some heart eyes to get directed to you when they unbox the custom dolly of their dreams!

One of the ultimate, the sky’s the limit type of gifts that you might want to consider gifting to the Blythe lover in your life is… a Kenner Blythe doll. If you really want to go all out, get them one that’s still in box. This is definitely at the top of my wish list – but I don’t think I’ve been quite that good this year!

I hope you’ve enjoyed the 2016 Blythe Holiday Shopping Guide this year! Maybe you’ll get something off the list as a gift this holiday season!

Welcome to the 2016 Blythe Holiday Shopping Guide! This is part 2 of a 3 part mini-series to help those who are trying to figure out what to buy for themselves, or what to buy for the Blythe-lover in their life. Part 2 is the $25-50 shopping guide!

Now that we’re getting up there in the budget, it does open the doors up a bit to what you can buy. Here are some of my favourites between $25-50.

Doll Coordinate Recipe books are amazing and pretty much a must-have in your Blythe lover’s life if they enjoy sewing, looking at gorgeous photos of dolls, and really want to step up their game from the free sewing patterns online. These printed Japanese books are available on various online retailers (I got many of mine from Hobby Link Japan), and the earlier editions are getting quite difficult to find! They’re very detailed patterns, and I think most Blythe collectors would love them. Bonus if they collect other sizes of dolls because the books often contain patterns for other sizes of dolls.

If the Blythe lover in your life loves doll shoes (who doesn’t?!), I’d highly recommend going onto eBay and looking up “squishy Barbie boots” or “vintage Barbie boots” (or some variation or combination of those words) and seeing about getting your hands on some of those cute boots. I love these, I have them in so many different colours – my favourites are the pink ones! Some are cheaper than others, if you’re getting 1-2 pairs, they’ll solidly land you into the ‘above $25’ price point, unless you’re getting an amazing deal.

Ikea is amazing, so much that they even have 1:6 scale furniture. There are the HUSET Living Room and Bedroom sets, and they’re both amazing and fantastic miniature versions of their regular furniture. I love these sets so much – I even have reviews up on both of them here on BlytheLife.com!

Part 3 of the 2016 Blythe Holiday Shopping Guide will feature gift suggestions that are $50 and up. If you’re an online shop owner and would like to be featured, please email me for more information at michelle@blythelife.com.