Thursday 11 February 2016

AKA Amigurumi Apparel: Bondi Bikini

Head and shoulders of Kwokkie Doll wearing a green bandeau style bikini top.
Kwokkie Doll
is ready for a swim.


 

Summertime in South Australia!

Our temperatures have been soaring in the high 30s (°C). That's in the 90s (°F) and above for my non-metric friends.

One of my favourite ways to cool off is to go down to
the beach at the end of the day once the sun is low and
not so sizzling.

Of course, Kwokkie Doll is all prepared.
After last month's report, she swapped her red sundress for her
"Bondi Bikini"!



Two pieces of Kwokkie Doll's bikini laid flat.
"Bondi Bikini"
So-named because Kwokkie Doll was travelling to Sydney.



Pattern Details

It was a quick and easy project to make based on the "Lily Fun in the Sun Doll (bikini)" pattern. I originally sourced this free pattern from the Lily Sugar'n Cream web site which has since been discontinued.  It can now be found on the Yarnspirations web site.

Because the pattern was simple, it wasn't hard to adjust the size to fit Kwokkie Doll who has different measurements to Lily. I reduced the size by 25%.


Materials

Her bathers are made from 8 ply acrylic yarn (DK)
Spotlight Basics Premium Marvel 8 ply in Lime Green (colour 1020, dyelot 1874).


They used hardly any yarn at all: just 0.05 skeins (5 grams) which was
15.5 metres' worth (17 yards) – 1 g for the top and 3–4 grams for the bottom.


All done with a 4.5 mm crochet hook.

Kwokkie Doll modelling the green "Bondi Bikini" - a bandeau style top with a full brief bottom. The top and the legs of the bottom are trimmed with a little ruffle.
Kwokkie Doll models her
Bondi Bikini
 
Dimensions (w x h)


Top: 15–15.5 cm x 3 cm (6" x 1 + 1/8"

 Bottom: 8 cm x 4 cm  (3 + 1/8" x 1 + 1/2")


Fun Facts!

A large proportion of Australians live by the coast. Everybody needs to learn about water safety and how to swim.  Did you know that Australians have different names for bathing costumes depending on where they live?

In South Australia, most people say "bathers" but in other places you might find these other names to be more prevalent: swimmers (New South Wales), cossie or cozzie (NSW), togs (Queensland), swimsuit (NSW), 'Speedos' (a trademarked style) and where would I be without mentioning the notorious "budgie smugglers"!

What name do you use for your swimming costume?




Remember to always use sunscreen and wear a hat when having fun in the sun.





Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"AKA Amigurumi Apparel: Sundress & Dotty Daywear", 21 January 2016, report by Kwokkie Doll: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/aka-amigurumi-apparel-sundress-dotty.html

All posts about the Annie K Amigurumi (AKA): http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/search/label/AKA

 

References


Lily / Sugar'n Cream, web site information on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/lily---sugarn-cream-website
The Lily /Sugar'n Cream web site is now inactive. It was replaced in 2013 by Yarnspirations.


Ravelry project page: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Jodiebodie/aka-wardrobe-2---bondi-bikini

Yarnspirations, web site: http://www.yarnspirations.com/ 

Yarnspirations, "Lily Sugar'nCream Fun in the Sun Doll (bikini)" free pattern: http://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/fun-in-the-sun-doll-bikini.html

Yarnspirations, "doll" search results: http://www.yarnspirations.com/catalogsearch/result/?cat=&q=doll
This search produced links to the Lily / Sugar'n Cream Lily Doll patterns which have thankfully been re-listed.    


8 comments:

  1. This is so cute Jodie. Two of my friends are travelling in Australia right now and I've been looking at photos of them in their cossies at your beautiful beaches on Facebook. I'm a Brit living in Texas. My Amercanized kids tell me it's swimsuit not cossie!

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    1. That's very interesting, Tamara. Language fascinates me, as does life in other places. I love how wherever we live in the world, people are pretty much the same in many ways and at the same time so completely different i other ways. What takes a girl from Britain to Texas? What is the Texas coastline like? My city, Adelaide, is sister city to Austin TX. Most of the metropolitan beaches are sandy and the surf is pretty calm. One needs to travel south of Adelaide for decent swell. Middleton Beach (between Goolwa and Victor Harbor) is popular for surfers.

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  2. She looks so sweet in that cute bathing suit, that is what we call it over here. Stay cool!
    Meredith

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    Replies
    1. Do you think we need to make a one-piece for Kwokkie Doll as well, Meredith? One thing I did forget was a towel. Maybe I could use a weaving loom to make one for her. What do you reckon?
      The weather is cooling off this weekend. It was 30°C yesterday (86°F) and this week should be milder. Just beautiful.

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  3. Replies
    1. Everybody needs a bit of cuteness in their lives!

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  4. That is so cute, we say swimsuit or swimming costume. Hx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Helen, for your kind feedback and the Scottish version of "bathers". I'm happy to see you popping up in the comments. Thanks for the visit! :-)

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