'Wind Catchers' ~ March

Where is Spring? . . . either way, I am sure it is soon to follow . . . continuing on with my year-long knit-along following each month's themes as set out in my Kidz 'n' Cats Kalendar Book Publications 


This month's  theme is                  'Wind Catchers' featuring the textured stitched sweater called 'Laurentia' with the option to work incorporated fingerless-mitts, worked and modeled by my slim Gotz girls, Katie and Emma, where I paired my Lace Newsboy Cap for a finishing touch.

For April I will be following 'April Showers' as depicted in volume one of Kalendar Kidz featuring 'Nuala' ~ a textured stitched sweater dress which I plan on working sleeveless as I want to pair with some trendy gauntlet fingerless-mitts . . next post will be the reveal of that along with a newly customized Gotz model of mine . Below I worked one inspired by St. Patrick's Day

Fall Collection from Summer Pickin's

One of my favorite summer pastimes is spending some time at our local thrift store for some cool summer finds, especially in the yarn section.
I was able to start early and found some great summer pickin's that have helped me get a super early start on outfits from my Fall Collection . . .

      I love working fair isle patterns, so I set about and worked a favorite stitch pattern from 'Ayanna', that I added to the one of my sweater dress patterns, the stitch pattern makes use of a faux fair isle stitch, creating the look of a complicated pattern with the ease of a simple slip stitch . . . it feels good getting an early start on my favorite and most inspiring season.

Here's the first of more to come, modeled on 

Katie from the  Gotz Happy Kidz Collection.

Check in soon for another take on this fun pattern for one of my Kidz 'n' Cats girls 

Have yourself a safe and happy summer ~ Deb

Color Palettes Part Two

Part Two ~ for this part I chose a favorite color combination which also served as the basis for a new pattern addition designed with the upcoming Spring season in mind and designed for the 18" American Girl Dolls and the comparable 18" Gotz Dolls like my models Elisabeth & Jessica from the 2003 Precious Day Collection
 

Pink paired with Grey

  




For my new pattern, Lavernia (link takes you to my Etsy Store) rather than work the colors combined into the outfit, I chose to work one in grey and one in pink








 

 Lavernia ~                A stylish peplum cardigan featuring a picot textured stitched hemline and eyelet row for ribbon adornment for a fun addition to your doll’s spring wardrobe with three-quarter length sleeves to enjoy the new spring warmth and a flattering shawl collared neckline

 These completed knitted outfits are currently available for sale in eBay listing                       

Debonair Designs at Tekayintl

For more color combinations, pop on over to my new Pinterest Board called Color Palettes

 

A love story . . . . .

Let me tell you a love story . . .

Three years ago Jaden and his family relocated to the beautiful Pacific Northwest region, however Jaden was not so keen on making new friends, being a little shy he was encouraged to mingle . . it wasn't long before that mingling led to discovering a true friend in the girl next door, Jess.
As the months flew by they became inseparable, but finally in January two years ago, a bashful Jaden revealed his true feelings to Jess with the help of his buddy, his dog Rembrandt, by surprising Jess with a Valentine's Day card, Jess was at first a little taken back as she had no idea he was her secret admirer, but she too secretly was very pleased

 

And their love grew, Jess fell for Jaden and loved him in the same way he loved her, today they finally declared their love for each other as they celebrated Valentine's Day early for their two year anniversary

 

 

and even Rembrandt met his love when Jess and her family adopted a puppy dog they called BonBon

 The End

Color Palettes for Sweet Valentine's Day

First of all Wishing you a very Happy New Year to you all . . . first blog post of this brand new year is all about color choices . . in an attempt to help those of you who get lost in what colors to pair together I have created a Pinterest Board called Color Palettes

Each time I create a design I will be making use of these color palettes to show how I managed to team colors together . . . so let's get started with the popular sweet upcoming holiday of Valentine's Day.

Here is the color board I am following

I will be working a sweater for my slim bodied Kidz 'n' Cats model, Lena using Nordic Windermere pictured below that makes use of a slipped-stitch technique to achieve a faux fair-isle look without the need or experience in stranded colorwork

 







Of the five colors pictured in this palette, I will be working with two shades of red as my main color, one deeper than the other, along with a girlie pink as contrast. I intend to finish in the contrast for the upper section and neckline and pair with red jeggings and boots

Once complete I will update and add to this post along with a link to it's listing where it will be available for sale.

See you soon . . . Deb 

Edited to add final picture of 'Sweet Valentine'

Hand knitted (by me) using my own exclusive knitting patterns

The two tone red accents on a base of soft pink also feature sequins and metallic flecks

 

Kalendar Kidz ~ my new pattern book publication in the works

As January quickly came and went, along with the flu, happy to report my February is looking bright and hopefully as I set about to embark on my new project, a knitting pattern book (my third book) publication in the works,
‘Kalendar Kidz’ ~ an heirloom designer’s knitwear pattern book for slim bodied 18" dolls such as the Kidz 'n' Cats series





 The challenge right now has to do with my computer; last month my 9-year-old computer and hard drive failed and I lost everything, software, photos and all. :( 
 
  So my husband suggested raising the funds needed via a Kickstarter project in helping me further my work (my passion) by funding a print run along with computer costs needed for the production of my new book.

‘Kalendar Kidz’ is an heirloom designer’s knitwear pattern book designed for the slim bodied all vinyl dolls such as the poseable Kidz 'n' Cats series, featuring full color pictures throughout, easy to follow written instructions suitable for both the beginner and experienced knitter, designed for those who have, as I do, a passion for knitting for dolls, to be enjoyed for years to come.

Pictured above is but a small sample of patterns, including a sneak-peek of my new design "Bon~Bon" to be featured (lower right)

As someone who absolutely loves knitting, especially doll-sized, help me spread the word with my pattern book of creations in the wonderful world of dolls.

Your support (pledge) can make a difference in getting 'Kalendar Kidz' available worldwide, and hopefully my journey, my heart-felt passion can serve as an example of what we all can do in our own unique way, as I truly believe everyone has a dream, a passion to fulfill too. Thank you ~ Deb

Hello January

A brand new year beckons, my head swirls with delightful thoughts of casting on something new for my dolls, maybe even for myself too! Purged through my knitting basket for inspiration as I slowly recuperated from a family filled holiday home along with an un-welcomed flu virus that held my family and I hostage for the new year . . . .ugh

Opening up my emails was at first daunting, soooo many to read after my computer died from an overworked, small capacity hard drive failure, thanks to my dear hubby for coming to the rescue with not only a newer hard drive but one that has much more capacity I have not had for a couple of years now . . . yay! this new year is looking brighter each day.
One particular email caught my eye, an event I actually had forgotten all about, the debut of the 2015 American Girl of the Year, Grace Thomas 

This was exactly the inspiration I needed, something new, something different to cast on my needles for, thanks also to a January knit-along currently happening over in the American Girl Knitters group over on the ravelry forum.

I set about to the knit-along challenge of creating a outfit using three different patterns and chose a Parisian City Chic style for my 2006 American Girl, Jess.

For her sweater I made use of my raglan jersey sweater pattern Sequoia paired with an adorable ruffled skirt by Janice Helge where I added a bow befitting of the chic style I was going for, topped with a stylish beret, and finished with fingerless-mitts also with added bows. . . overall I am very pleased with the outcome, as is Jess too!

 

Thanks for looking, be sure to check out my listings for this completed outfit and more via my eBay store my husband and I have had for many years ~ Deb

Hello December

For many it is as pictured, although a treasured postcard image that evokes hot toddy's, cozy fires, snuggled up in warm blankets, the reality can be a dangerous situation on the roads, so do take extra care out there.
In the meantime from our overcast days here in Seattle I can only dream of winter white days and make use of faux snow in my photo shoots for my latest two designs, although we did have a brief dusting of the real stuff.



Here to show and tell is my Kidz’n’Cats Wunschpuppe/wish doll, Aletta modeling my latest hat accessory

 Jingles 
a jester’s style hat with a textured stitched cuffed brim that matches the main body pattern of Laurentia ~ my previously published unisex sweater

 For the American Girl/Boy version here is my Gotz girl, Elisabeth from the Precious Day Collection to show you

 Jolly 

a jester’s style hat with a textured stitched cuffed brim matching the main body stitch pattern of Yukon ~ my previously published unisex sweater

 



Wishing you and yours safe travels and treasured memories during this winter season, thanks for looking ~ Deb

Thankful for my knitting

 

I am thankful for my knitting ♥ because . . .

• It fills my life with color.

• It expresses my creativity.

• It keeps my hands busy.

• It connects me to friends alike and introduces me to new friends ♥ who share my love for the craft.

As I take a moment to give pause to all that I am grateful for, I am also pondering what's next for my knitting needles, and look forward to create more of what I love doing, knitting and designing for 18 inch dolls


 







 

 

What's next for my knitting needles?  . . . 

the upcoming winter season for one, along with Christmas holiday celebrations

Feel free to visit my Pinterest Mood Board  for more of what inspires my knitwear designs and color picks

Follow Debonair's board Debonair's Mood Board on Pinterest.

Fall for Aletta

Fall for Aletta
~ my new Kidz n Cats model I fell for ♥

The second Kidz’n’Cats Wunschpuppe/wish doll, meaning you get to choose her coloring from three choices.
For my Aletta I chose dunkelbraun/dark brown hair with braun/brown eyes ♥










 

So it seemed appropriate to cast on a little something special for her first autumn.

 

Worked my previous pattern released back in 2012 called Drift, where I made further improvements to form a classic crew neckline, along with reformatted written instructions that I hope you will enjoy ~ Deb

See original post here

I look forward to sharing more of Aletta as I explore more colorways for her,
thanks for looking ~ Deb

Autumn offerings

Autumn/Fall, the most inspirational time of the year for endless color combinations I am eager to explore working from my popular design from last year's season, 'Ayanna', a faux fair isle sweater dress, read  previous post here  for pattern details.

See my Etsy store for completed ensembles

 However before I embark on these, my attention has been taken away to focus on my Kidz n' Cats twins, Leroy & Lena, this being their first fall season together, pictured here embarking on their first school trip .

 September may be almost over, but not my plans for more fall inspired knitwear.  Deb ~ Debonair Designs

 'Ayanna', a faux fair isle sweater dress, read  previous post here  for pattern details.