Aside from afghans and shawls, my favorite thing to knit or crochet is stuffed toys, sometimes known as Amigurumi (Japanese for “small crocheted doll”). I previously posted about a mermaid I had knit for my cousin Karee, whose favorite Disney Princess is Ariel. So I naturally had to make a Princess for cousin Khloe, whose favorite Disney Princess is Belle. Here she is waiting at the window, waiting to meet her Prince Charming (or in this case, her Khloe):I had to, of course, alter the original Princess doll pattern that I was using from the book Dream Toys. I changed the color and shape of the dress to match that of Belle. I also changed the style and color of the hair to be more flowy and natural-looking. My favorite addition, however, is the pantaloons I made for the doll.She did not appreciate me taking a picture of her underdrawers, however discreet I tried to be. But it is important for all young Princesses to have the necessary garments, even if they are a doll. Plus, for some reason, the first thing a little girl does with a new doll is check for the under garments and see if the clothes can be taken off. Why this is, I can’t say for sure…but unfortunately for Karee and Khloe, both of their dolls have all of their clothing securely fastened and irremovable, without considerable force that is.

Now for some more technical details: The only disadvantage to making the Princesses was my choice of yarn. I used “Sugar and Cream” cotton in various colors and discovered that I do not like cotton unless mercerized or in a blend. Since I made the Belle doll second, her hair, apron, and pantaloons are made with some acrylic stash I had. The eyes and mouths were made with felt pieces secured to the face with embroidery thread. The cute little arms and legs were i-cords.

So Belle was sent to Khloe earlier this week. Due to the busy-ness of starting classes again, Belle has been patiently waiting for several weeks to be sent off, but she should now be happily in the arms of cousin Khloe.