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| My name is Kwokkie Doll a.k.a. AKA Amigurumi! (Made by Jodiebodie 2013) |
It's me again, in my Christmas hat, wishing everyone hope and goodwill for the holiday season and beyond.
I first popped up on Lupey Loops at Christmas in 2013.
Do you remember? Jodiebodie promised to give me a blog entry all to myself. I thought she was going to introduce me properly in April 2014 but that must have been an April Fools' joke because nothing more ever came of that.
How disappointing.
Not to worry! I am here to tell you myself!
My name is "Kwokkie Doll" and this is my story …
Once upon a time, there was a Little Colourful Teacher who was bright, cheerful, friendly, clever, enthusiastic and all-round awesome!
She worked at a secondary school where the students towered over her yet they could not overpower her positive attitude and exuberant energy. Her disarming happiness, wit and polka-dots made even the toughest student succumb to her nurturing, holistic approach to teaching.
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| Little Colourful Teacher is famous for wearing polka-dots. |
A sense of humour is essential to living with teenagers. The Little Colourful Teacher's playful methods connected with the students who responded with respect and willingness to give their all to their studies.
The mutual respect and care built a strong bond between teacher and students so there was much dismay when the students learned that their beloved teacher would be leaving them for a higher calling.
"How can we show her how much we care, how much we will miss her?"
"What gift can we give to wish her all the best but also so she won't ever forget us?
They didn't realise at the time that there was no way she would ever forget them because the students had given her as much joy, challenge and love as she had given them.
"It needs to contain chocolate!"
"It has to be unique."
"It must make her smile."
"It needs to be unmistakably 'her'."
That's when a group of students asked Jodiebodie, (who took crochet hooks everywhere, even to school) to make an amigurumi likeness of the Little Colourful Teacher.
Jodiebodie happily (and excitedly) got started on the project but what should she call this project? It had to be a secret. Special care needed to be taken in case the beloved teacher was a 'Raveler'* as well. (Perhaps, as a music teacher, she is a fan of the composer, Ravel, in which case she might be a 'Raveler' of a different kind!) Her initials are A.K. so the project's working title was AKA (A.K. Amigurumi) with a satisfying play on words.
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| The bare beginnings of Kwokkie Doll |
Conceived in November 2013, Jodiebodie modified a pattern from Lily / Sugar'n Cream's Lily Doll series. The 'little girl' Lily dolls were straight up and down for easy crocheting but AKA Amigurumi was no little girl. Jodiebodie gave her a bust for a more womanly shape–a perfect hourglass figure of 30–24–30 stitches.
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| Kwokkie Doll's crocheted glasses. |
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| Kwokkie Doll in her very first outfit –a red summer dress with sandals, glasses and a red ribbon. |
A number of patterns were consulted for designing the hair. There are various methods from which to choose. It was decided that AKA Amigurumi should have a low ponytail because that is the way the Little Colourful Teacher was wearing her hair on the day the project started but the hair is designed so that it can be restyled if desired.
More technical details about the project can be found on Jodiebodie's AKA Amigurumi project page on Ravelry.
Everyone had mixed emotions when the day came to say goodbye to the Little Colourful Teacher: sadness that they would not be seeing her at school anymore, gratitude to have had the privilege of knowing her and happiness and excitement for her because she was embarking on a new adventure where she can spread her wings while giving other students the benefit of her amazing lessons and talents.
The students thanked The Little Colourful Teacher and wished her well by presenting her with the AKA Amigurumi who was promptly and officially named "Kwokkie Doll".
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| "Kwokkie Doll" and "Little Colourful Teacher" |
They hit it off straight away and made their travelling plans. Kwokkie Doll had packed a suitcase full of the clothes she might need and that evening, both Kwokkie Doll and the Little Colourful Teacher celebrated.
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| Kwokkie Doll ready for travel. (Photo: A. Kwok 2013) |
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| Kwokkie Doll celebrates a new adventure. (Photo: A. Kwok 2013) |
The End.
… That is my story. I had a very warm welcome into this world and made lots of new friends. Here are some of the things they said:
"… fabulous!!!"
"… AWESOME …"
"Oh, wow!"
"Oh, wow!"
"GOLD"
"… so cute!"
"… sweetest thing ever!"
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| Little Colourful Teacher and Kwokkie Doll (Photo: A. Kwok 2014) |
All of those reactions aside, the best thing is that the Little Colourful Teacher thinks I am very special and she has taken me on all sorts of adventures but those stories shall be kept for another day.
May 2016 bring you many happy adventures full of fun and love.
—Kwokkie Doll xx
*Glossary
Raveler: a member of the Ravelry web site for crocheters and knitters.
Links & References
Jodiebodie, Ravelry project search: "AKA": http://www.ravelry.com/projects/search#query=AKA&by=Jodiebodie&view=thumbs&page=1&sort=completed
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.
Little Colourful Teacher, blog: http://littlecolourfulteacher.com
Little Colourful Teacher, "The Accidental Magic Moment", blog entry, 22 December 2015: http://littlecolourfulteacher.com/2015/12/22/the-unexpected-thank-you/
Ravelry, web site: http://www.ravelry.com/
Yarspirations, web site: http://www.yarnspirations.com/
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.
Related Posts on Lupey Loops
"Merry Crochet Christmas", 25 December 2013: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/merry-crochet-christmas.html
"Sneak Peek: WIPs & Workspaces", 13 December 2013: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/sneak-peek-wips-workspaces.html
"April Update", 1 April 2014: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/april-update.html
Such an awesome doll with a great story! Hope she will have many more adventures!
ReplyDeleteTake care
Anne
Crochet Between Worlds
Happy New Year, Anne! Fröhliche Neujahrstag!
DeleteKwokkie Doll has had an adventurous life already. More photos to come.
I hope you had a good celebration to welcome 2016. xxx
What a great story !! I hope for her and you many many more adventures too and a wonderful and happy new year !! hugs
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Géraldine. (How do I say that in French?)
DeleteYou are right that it is a good fun story that needed to be told to appreciate the effort and motivation behind this project. So much love went into Kwokkie Doll.
May the new year bring you plenty of crafty adventures too! xx
well in French we say : Bonne Année 2016 !
DeleteI wish you all the best for 2016 my friend !
Thank you for teaching me, Géraldine.
DeleteBonne Année 2016!
That's just fantastic Jodie, it's a great doll. I hope you and yours have a very Happy New Year. x
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Sharon! Thank you for your good wishes.
DeleteI hope you have enjoyed Christmas and New Year festivities and that they have been more energising than tiring. For the second year in a row, I did not fall asleep before the turn of the calendar and am enjoying a quiet time on New Year's Day reading blogs.
If you like crafting for dolls, you might like to know that Kwokkie Doll is keen to show off her custom clothing collection to a willing audience!
May 2016 be a good year for you. xx
I love this doll and her story. So lovely :)
ReplyDeleteA special gift for a special lady. Kwokkie Doll likes to accompany her to school.
Delete