#I am a granny in this day and age don't make me adapt

[midnightwind]

the slow dread of realizing I should probably make a pinned post because most people likely use the mobile layout and thus miss out on my Many Useful Links

[mythosidhesdollhouse]

Ok friends, at long last I'm finally--finally--getting this post together. Apologies in advance for this one being a bit of a ramble, this poor doll has a lot of backstory, and I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible but you know how it is when ADHD brain tries to relay a linear narrative XD And when you add brain fog to that...it's a bit of a mess. Anyway. I'm trying. Feel free to skip the text and just look at my crochet pix ;p

(Overly detailed explanation of why I made things plus lots of photos)

So. Over the past several weeks I've done a LOT of work to get my girl Iona (Pullip Nomado) back to a semblance of her former glory. Io is pretty well established as my favorite doll. She was my very first Pullip--I've had her over twenty years now--and for a long time she was basically my mascot in the doll community. People used to send me gifts specifically for her (including but not limited to the necklace she's wearing and the hair currently on her head). But the years have not been especially kind to either of us, and when I brought her out of storage it was clear she's beginning to feel her age. I was dismayed to find her suffering from an advanced case of the neck melt that plagues type 2 Pullips, which required a good bit of repair and modification to ensure she got to keep her original body (for a minute there it looked like she might have to become a Rainbow High hybrid).

Once I managed to salvage that situation, I decided Io was long overdue for a full refresh to return her to a semblance of her former glory. I gave her a brand new scalp plate with her signature hair twists still intact (thanks to a generous friend who sent me extras several years ago); replaced the hooks on her earings with new wires that put less stress on her piercings; dug her original boots out of storage; and most importantly (THE ACTUAL POINT OF THIS POST) I set to work crocheting several new pieces for her wardrobe! So far this includes a maxi skirt, hair scarf, and shawl. These are all garments I wear in my day-to-day life, so if you notice them recurring in my handmade doll clothing, that's why ;p As I get older I find myself more inclined to dress my dolls in pieces more in line with my own personal aesthetic, rather than aspirational styles that I admire, but would never wear.

I am so happy with how these have turned out, the skirt especially. I made it using KnitPicks Curio #10 crochet thread in Comfrey, a shade which beautifully compliments several of the blouses I've collected for Io over the years. The shawl was made with Lion Brand BonBons yarn, and the hair scarf is Lizbeth #10 crochet cotton from Handy Hands (I don't remember which colorway at the moment).

The patterns for the skirt and shawl were adapted from ones for full size garments I've made for myself in the past; I can talk more about the specifics of that and what modifications I made in another post if anyone is interested. The hair scarf is just a granny stitch triangle with a very lazy border and some ties added.

(**Sigh** pining for the days when Mattel still had quality standards...)

And at long last we've reached the end! Apologies again for the length of this one, if you can believe it I *did* edit out a significant amount, but it still ended up novella-length XD I hope you enjoy Io's new looks, as I've had a great deal of fun working on these pieces, and plan to continue making more for her and other dolls in the near future. I also have several Rainbow High dolls with complete or near-complete crochet outfits I want to share, so be on the lookout for that post sometime soon as well.