3D Portraiture in wool: The Giulia doll

About three years ago, we had our first Italian Exchange student stay with us for two weeks. Her name was Giulia. Giulia was delight to host. She kept apologising for her English but it was fine.

My son is has just been in Italy following in the footsteps of his two older sisters. Ten days of touring; Sorrento, Pompei, Roma, Florence with side trip to Pisa and then 10 days of school in Padova (Padua) with a side trip to Venice. In Padova he was staying with a family who are friends of Giulia so he was charged with finally delivering the doll to Giulia. (It was too precious to entrust to the vagaries of the postal system). The handover was achieved successfully at a Shakespeare festival at the theatre in Padova. So now that the Giulia doll has finally reached its intended recipient (only about 2 and a half years after her creation) I can finally blog about it.

This is the message I got from Giulia to say thanks for the present.

"Yeah the doll its amazing, I'll take a picture of her in my room and after I download here:P thank another time ^^"

 

Doll Pattern: Patons Nursery Rhymes (Book 2147) - Basic Doll Pattern. 

Clothes Patterns: Adapted from the Patons Nursery Rhymes book and the November / December 1998 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly Handmade magazine using the pattern for Reuben.

Yarn: Assorted 8ply (Double Knitting) acrylic and wool.

Needles: 2.75 mm needles for Doll body, 3.25 mm and 4 mm needles for clothes.

I had knitted the basic doll over one weekend on a whim and then put it away faceless and still bald while I decided what character to it turn it into. I used to do this lots, mainly knitting random toys and stashing them till the right recipient came along. Then I met Giulia and she breezed through our lives for two weeks, brightening up the place with her earnest English, slightly mangled but always endearing complete with copious apologies. She was so unlike my kids, with a quirky edgy dress sense and an artistic vision of the world. I wanted to capture that and so after she left the faceless anonymous doll came out of storage and I tried to harness my artistic side and tried to create a 3D portrait of a unique personality. I hope I got it somewhat right.

"Stabbing" the goodbye cake

The eldest daughter, a koala in the middle and Giulia

Pink pipe cleaner glasses and  hair with highlights

 

Ignominiously packaged for transport via suitcase to Italy.

As an aside: Considering October was Blogtoberfest the month where bloggers were encouraged to go all out and commit to regular posting schedule, I can't believe I didn't get a post up in October at all! It's not that I haven't been busy on the crafty front. I made both a beret/slouchy hat and a scarf as well as some squares for the granny rug. I even have three half written drafts of blog posts. It's just that I can mark assignments or play blog (and they do pay me to mark stuff and growl if it doesn't happen in reasonable time frames). So I have lots of good things scheduled  to post for November.