KNITTING: A pair of 16 inch (40cm) dolls - in boy and girl versions. The toy shape is too nice to be tied to one colouring stereotype as originally portrayed. This is a sweet vintage pattern, with good basic doll making instructions and options.
Think “mini me” versions to delight a child-or go for bright modern doll styling. The scarf head cover gives lots of scope for heads and there is a good “hair making instruction for the “shock of hair effect” too. The boy’s body is made with the blue and white roll neck sweater knitted on ** then a knitted red and yellow “pullover” or jumper is made separately-and is so cute!
**(optional of course - body colour without a roll neck is easy to do.);
PLEASE NOTE:
The original pattern was a vintage doll character that is controversial and can cause offence today.
I APOLOGISE FOR THIS NOW “NON PC” TERM FOR THIS TOY. It was not perceived, nor intended, to be offensive when this pattern was originally written. I consider it to be a historical part of the pattern, like any other of outmoded vintage language, (such as the original use of the description “gay” for “cheerful and colourful”) and I hope you will see it in this light too.
I am avoiding using the “G” word… and have removed it from my PDF instructions, substituting “doll” instead.
The dolls can be interpreted in ANY colours; with realistic flesh tones or not, as the knitter wishes.
However it is at base, merely an instruction for constructing a doll body; with interesting stripy and textural details, and a tufted hair method as alternative to the hat of the other doll. It was difficult to draw a line between removing caricatures and removing pertinent structural information; at some point this process in itself becomes uncomfortably judgmental!
From a curatorial/social history perspective, I think the pattern is worth preserving and using as an instruction for a simple knitted doll body-and have done my best to cut out any offensiveness (unwitting at the time it was created) in wording or appearance.
It is possible to take offence at many things - what is left of the image is just a doll body in my opinion. Please do not buy it if it is still unpleasant to you.
If you actually do want an accurate scan of my original leaflet - please contact me.
