Last week I wrote about the treasure necklace I designed and made for my daughter’s 4th birthday. She loves the little satchel bag that now hangs around her neck on a daily basis. When I made her the necklace, though, I wanted to put something inside, something secret, something just for her.
Years ago a good friend of mine gave me some Guatamalan Worry Dolls. The idea behind them was that if you tell the dolls your worries before bedtime you will be able to sleep soundly. I loved the tiny, vibrantly colored dolls and the sentiment behind them. I still have them today, and although I tend to tell my worries to a higher power instead, the message behind these dolls still speak to me.
So I set out to make my daughter my version of a worry doll. My husband quickly pointed out that she is only 4, and has nothing to worry about. So, instead of explaining the worry doll idea, these became treasure dolls. They keep watch over the treasure she puts inside.
First, after some research, I found this great tutorial from The Craft Train on Braided Yarn Dolls. These were so simple to make, and fun! I could literally make hundreds of them, if I wasn’t interrupted so much by my crew ;). I used a thread yarn, thinner than the mercerized cotton I used for the bag. This made the doll small, about an inch and a half tall.
It took a while for my fingers to adjust to the thread, so that it wouldn’t keep slipping. By the time I made my second one, though, I had the braiding down.
For the second doll, I braided the head so the threads wouldn’t be so loose.
Like I said, I’d like to make more of these and experiment with thickness of yarn, or adding more yarn to the thread dolls. My favorite was the different colored doll, which reminds me of the original Guatemalan Worry Dolls my friend gave me. The bright colors make me happy, and during the dreary part of the winter, I’ll take anything to make me happy.
I know this is not a crochet project, but anyone into the fiber arts, or just want to try something new should give this a try. They are really cute, and I love that my daughter gets so excited that there is “someone watching over” her treasure.
Until next week, Happy Crocheting!
Crochet539 