Queen Elizabeth II Doll Complete
by Nyssareen
- Craft
- Knitting
- Pattern
- Queen Elizabeth II Doll
- Tools
- Chiaogoo US 2.5 (3 mm) 5" tips, Chiaogoo US 1.5 (2.5 mm) 5" tips, 37" cable for magic loop
- Notes
- I got the idea for this pattern from the "Lillibet the Jubilee Queen" pattern by By Cilla Webb (https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/lillibet-the-jubilee-queen-knitting-pattern-by-cilla-webb) but there really is nothing left of the original that I have not changed drastically. The original pattern was knit flat and seamed, I have altered it to be knit in the round with minimal seaming and made many adjustments necessary to working in the round, as well as others to make the pattern look more streamlined and get the look I am after.
- Yarn used
- Herrschner's 2-Ply Afghan Yarn Herrschner's 2-Ply Afghan Yarn Herrschner's 2-Ply Afghan Yarn Herrschner's 2-Ply Afghan Yarn Herrschner's 2-Ply Afghan Yarn
Project journal
2022-12-24 21:30:16 UTC
This project was originally intended to be a birthday present for one of my oldest and closest friends back in early October, but I ended up designing so much of it from scratch, in addition to making it, that it eventually turned into a birthday AND Christmas present.
I had asked my friend some time ago what her favorite look of Queen Elizabeth II was and she sent me the photograph of the Queen that I have included, which is what my doll was based on. I got everything finished, got my pics, and got everything recorded just in time to take the doll over to my friend on Christmas Eve. Yes, it was technically over 2 months late, but she loved it so much, she didn't seem to care in the least. She was always such a fan of the Royal Family, especially the late Queen, that it was no surprise that she loved it so much, but I was still very glad that she squealed in delight when she saw it! I am glad that this particular project is done, but I have SO many ideas on how to improve it now!
The final yardage was as follows: Herrschners 2-Ply Afghan Yarn (100% Acrylic 2 oz/56 gr 220 yds/201 m) Total Used 141.46 gr/555.74 yds
Body Taupe (skin) Used 36.69 gr/144.14 yds White Start (hair) Used 4.59 gr/18.03 yds
Dress Pink Peony Used 14.25 gr/55.98 yds Yellow Used 13.93 gr/54.73 yds
Jacket Pink Peony Used 29.29 gr/115.07 yds
Bloomers White Used 9.63 gr/37.83 yds Yellow 0.3 gr/1.18 yds
Bag Black Used 6.67 gr/26.2 yds
Shoes Black Total Used 10.55 gr/41.45 yds (Shoe #1 5.35 gr/21.02 yds - Shoe #2 5.2 gr/20.43 yds)
Gloves Black Total Used 2.74 gr/10.76 yds (Glove #1 1.44 gr/5.66 yds - Glove #2 1.3 gr/5.11 yds)
Hat Pink Peony Used 10.22 gr/40.15 yds
Flower Plum - Used 2.0 gr/7.86 yds Olive - Used 0.6 gr/2.36 yds
2022-12-24 21:00:42 UTC
I went back and forth for a long time about whether or not to make some sort of underpants for Her Majesty, but in the end, I decided that The Queen would never, ever have gone commando, so she had to have some bloomers! They are pretty simple, which is what I think suits the late Queen, with just a cute little bow for decoration.
2022-12-23 07:50:34 UTC
I have the flower finished and attached to the hat and it is so cute! The rose pattern came from https://www.flaxandtwine.com/2013/04/coming-up-roses-free-knit-pattern-a-finish-fifty-project/ and I am VERY happy with how it came out!
2022-12-20 07:59:04 UTC
The hat is finished. Now, on to the requisite flower on the hat!
2022-12-12 20:30:51 UTC
I finally got started on the hat, but I haven't made much progress yet. Just the beginnings of the brim.
2022-11-22 22:59:16 UTC
With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I didn't get too much knitting done this week. I finished the gloves, which wouldn't have taken so long had I not been designing them as I went. But both are done and I am pleased with how they came out. All that is left now is to figure out how to make the hat the way I want it. 😳😫
2022-11-17 09:17:26 UTC
I finished both shoes and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. There is even a slight point at the toes like ladies' dress shoes usually have. Once I got the shoes finished, I realized that the jacket the Queen is wearing in my reference picture has buttons on the sleeves so I added those too. As much as I hate sewing on buttons, I'm glad I took the time because they are really cute.
2022-11-08 23:51:02 UTC
As usual, the day after Ilvermorny check-in, I completed the piece I was working on. The purse turned out really cute and I think I may ditch the idea of putting a cardstock form in it as it looks super cute when she's holding it. Next, I will be working on the shoes and probably gloves. I am putting the hat off until the end because I have NO idea how to make it how I want it to look!
2022-11-07 21:41:35 UTC
I have the main body of the purse finished, I used smaller needles (US 1.5) in an attempt to make the purse stiffer, but it didn't work as well as I had hoped. Now I am stuck on trying to create a cardstock form to put inside so it looks more like the purse Queen Elizabeth II carried most of the time. This yarn is SO dark that I had to mess with the settings of the picture for it to look like anything more than a black blob. It is SUCH a pain to work with because I have to turn on all the lights and put a spotlight over my shoulder to even see the stitches! The second picture of the purse is the same image, just without any manipulation.
2022-10-31 08:56:09 UTC
I got the buttons sewn onto the jacket tonight (a job that I HATE!) and I still can't decide whether I like it as the fly-away style or if I need to start over and make it bigger. Really, I don't want to do it over because I am already a month late getting it to my friend for her birthday, but I don't want it to look stupid. It will probably grow on me so I am just going to leave it alone for the time being at least and decide for sure later.
2022-10-28 05:23:56 UTC
I finally finished the jacket and have it pinned out to block. It isn't big enough to fit around the fuller skirt of the dress, but it might work as a "fly-away" jacket. I'll leave it alone until I get the buttons put on and then decide if I like it or not.
2022-10-20 09:39:46 UTC
I got the buttons sewn onto Her Majesty's dress and tried it on her. It is so cute! I am done with the yoke of the jacket and now that I can put the dress on I can make sure the jacket fits properly over it.
2022-10-12 23:21:11 UTC
Her Majesty's dress is just about finished, it just needs the buttons sewn on. The top is mostly from the Two Tennis Dresses for 18-inch Dolls pattern, but the skirt and sleeves are entirely my own creation, as was the addition of the buttonholes. The dress turned out so cute, and I hope I am going to be able to get the jacket to come out as cute!
2022-10-08 20:21:38 UTC
I started off using the Two Tennis Dresses for 18-inch Dolls but decided that I didn't like the drop waist or the pleated skirt. So I frogged it back a way then poked around and decided on a more a-line skirt with some basic lace at the hem. Hopefully, I will still like it by the time I get to the end of the skirt because I've already changed my mind about the skirt about five times so far!
2022-10-04 09:38:10 UTC
After about a day and a half of trial and error, I finally got a hair "cap" that I am happy with. I was also able to add a bit of stuffing to the back of the head under the hair which really helped with the head/body proportion I was unhappy with so I am much happier with the head now. With the body finished, now I can get to work on her clothes!
2022-10-03 11:05:26 UTC
I got the arms finished and seamed to the body and I am a bit happier with the head/body proportion, but I'm still not sure about it. I am working on the hair now in the hopes that once I get the hair and hat added they will help the head look better. But there will also be a dress and jacket on the body, so once everything is on it might still look like she has a tiny head. I just really don't want to have to take off the face and redo half the head. As far as the hair, I must say that while I LOVE the look of picot cast on I HATE actually doing picot cast on! For some reason I cast on the same number of stitches as the part of the head the hair will be attached to but it is about 3" bigger than the head! So I am just going to have to guess at how many stitches to cast on for the hair and hope. The biggest problem with this method is that once I cast on with this yarn using the picot cast on it is basically impossible to undo it without breaking the yarn. But the look is so cool that I will keep trying until Her Majesty has hair!
2022-10-02 22:27:28 UTC
I finished the body and head, but I'm still not entirely sure the head is the right size for the body. I'm hoping that once I get the arms on (so she actually has shoulders) it might not look so strange to me. My son says it looks fine to him, but he's not nearly as picky as I am about this stuff!
After burning and melting a bunch of plastic pearls and gluing my fingers together with Gorilla Glue yet again (someday I will remember to put gloves on before using that stuff!), I finally gave up and ordered a small bead set from Amazon that appears to have what I will need to make a little necklace for her. I wanted to try to do this whole project without having to buy any supplies, but if I kept trying to make the necklace I had work, I was going to end up glued to the desk or burning my house down!
2022-09-21 20:24:35 UTC
I have finished the legs and the main body through the neck and am currently stuck on the pearls. As I am making the body all in one piece and stuffing it as I go, I will need to add the pearls before I finish the head and stuff it. I have a broken 40" long strand of costume pearls from the 1980s or 90s that are the perfect size for the doll to wear and look perfect for the Queen to wear, but it is obviously too long as is. They are the kind that is attached to the string, rather than the string going through a hole in each bead, so I need to figure out a way to cut just the length I need and then reattach the ends so they form a little necklace. I am probably going to have to resort to Gorilla Glue, but someone also suggested melting the two ends together, so I am going to try that before the glue, just because Gorilla Glue and I have a troublesome relationship. :unamused:
The body itself went quite well. I did have to increase the circumference a fair bit from the Lillibet pattern because she would have been extremely skinny if I had done it like that one was. The entire body was only barely larger than the legs and it just looked weird! So she is now nice and plump. It looks weird right now because there are no shoulders, but once I make and attach the arms it should look fine.
2022-09-18 08:48:36 UTC
I am making a Queen Elizabeth II doll for my best friend's birthday this year as she is a huge Anglophile and lover of the Queen. Since the inspiration pattern was knit flat and seamed and I want to knit it in the round, I am having to alter a lot as I go. The biggest alteration so far has been the feet. Originally, they were to be seamed together at the bottom, but I decided to knit a flat piece for the bottom of the feet, then pick up stitches around the edges and knit the feet and legs up from there. I am quite pleased with how they turned out. I am not sure about the body, but the inspiration pattern has the body only a few stitches wider than the legs, so I am working on increasing that so she's not quite so skinny. So far it is going well.