Adrienne Franklin

My Journey

My preoccupation with yarn and knitting needles began 20 years ago when I was a charge nurse working in Newport Beach, California. One night, I saw several nurses knitting during their break time and instantly knew I wanted to knit. The following day, I went to the craft store and purchased yarn, knitting needles, and a how-to-knit book, which I still have. With my book and YouTube, I learned to knit washcloths, afghans, hats and sweaters.

Then, lo and behold, the time came for this baby boomer to retire. After 40 years, in December 2012, I retired from the one job I loved: nursing. Oh, my, what would I do? A friend told me about coloring books for adults, so I purchased coloring pens and pencils and adult coloring books, and I truly enjoyed creating those works of art. I practiced playing the acoustic guitar (I keep telling myself I will start practicing again). Throughout these endeavors, I would cozy up on the sofa and read, ponder my Sudoku puzzles, or pick up my knitting needles and knit.

When my great-granddaughter was born, I began knitting little items for her, including a little girl doll. It was now 2015, and my daughter asked if I would knit a doll for her. I didn’t know how to knit an adult girl doll. I searched the web for an adult female doll pattern and found one, but I was having difficulty with the pattern and decided to tweak it to make it work for me. I was captivated! This little doll had indeed caught my attention. I told my husband, “I think she will stand up and walk!”

Upon completion, I gave her to my daughter. She named her Nyla, and I wondered: Was that a fluke? Can I knit another one? And, oh yes, I did! And I haven’t stopped.

I continued knitting dolls and, with each doll, I would make changes, some subtle and some not so. I figured out how to knit the arms, hands and fingers as one piece. All my dolls were barefoot. I didn’t develop a method to knit shoes until 2021.

In 2018, I decided to open an Etsy shop and I wanted a name that would be easy for people to remember. A few people had told me that my dolls were gorgeous, and I thought “Gorgeous Dolls” would be a perfect name. But then I thought of the phone calls I may receive. People looking for gorgeous dolls might think I’m running an escort service, so to be clear and concise, I changed it to “Hand Knit Gorgeous Dolls.”

Whew, an easy fix!

Aside from my Etsy shop, I also wanted to vend at art and craft fairs. I looked on the internet and asked a few people for input. My very first craft fair was at Huntington Beach Pier. Here I was, at the beachside with my little ladies, when someone looking at my dolls asked me where the mermaid dolls were. After all, I thought, I am here at the beach; that was food for thought. I looked online for mermaid patterns and began knitting mermaids. I found them to be an easier knit for me than my dolls, and young girls were fascinated with them. I put them in my Etsy shop and sold them at the fairs.

In October 2019, I received an email from Vogue Knitting. I subscribed to their magazine but couldn’t recall sending them my email address. They were looking for 20 people from the BIPOC community who were just starting out with their small business to partake in their first-ever program, Vogue Knitting Launch Pad, which was a five-week small business development program/webinar. I was certainly impressed, but I had to find out what BIPOC meant! Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color.

I thought Vogue Knitting would have many applicants, but I sent in my application anyway and, lo and behold, I was accepted into the Launch Pad webinar program. What a vote of confidence that was. I didn’t think my knitted dolls were that good. I made many changes with each one. Here I was, trying to sell them, wanting people to love them as much as I did.

Some dolls had crooked eyes and misshapen bodies. I began to see every mistake, no matter how small, and I knew I had to fix them. It was frightening! I looked at my Etsy shop and was horrified at some of the poor-quality dolls I had produced. Why hadn’t I noticed them before? Why had I thought they were all perfect? I immediately removed some of the photos from my Etsy shop.

And then, EGADS! COVID-19 and the world stood still for a long moment, but the internet world opened up to me. I put photos of my gorgeous dolls on Instagram and Facebook. I met many creative people from around the globe. And to this day, I continue to interact with many fascinating, talented people and organizations that have benefited me: the Riverside Knitting Guild, Vogue Knitting, the CIA (no, not that one!) or Craft Industry Alliance, the William Grant Still Arts Center and the Doll Chat club, to name a few.

I continuously receive a tremendous amount of support from my family and friends, and I am the proud owner of a few handmade dolls by several talented doll artists.

I may be in my 70s, but I am young in the world of doll making. And as I grow, I hope to be a doll diva. You may ask: What is a doll diva? A celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of doll art — but enough about me.

Let me tell you all about creating a gorgeous doll.

Process

I first decide on her skin tone and knit her arms, hands and fingers. With size 3 circular needles I work my way down to size 2, 1, 0, 00, DPNs (double point needles), then i-cord her fingers with 000 DPNs.

I begin knitting her body with size 3 needles, in the color of her panties, then change to her skin tone and continue knitting her body and head.

I choose a shoe color and begin knitting her legs. I use size 3, 2, 1 and 0 needles. When I reach the bottom of her feet, I knit in the color of her shoes. To make her heels, I paint the pointed tips of the wooden skewers.

With size 1 needles, I knit two ears.

I seam her body parts using the mattress stitch. Depending on her skin tone, I choose either white or black polyester fiberfill to stuff her knitted body parts. I use pipe cleaners for my doll’s skeletal system. I cut the painted skewer tips, put the tips of the skewer through the bottom of her shoes, and use a tiny drop of glue on a toothpick to secure her heels in place. I sew her together once all her body parts are seamed and stuffed.

My talented and clever husband, Barry, is a retired cabinetmaker and handcrafts my doll’s chairs and knitting needles for me.

So, my little lady sits in her handmade chair while I check my yarn stash, choose the color of her clothing and decide whether she will wear pants or a dress. While I ponder, I begin embroidering her face. Eyes are first, then lips, teeth and nose; then, I attach her ears. By this time, I know what clothes I will knit for her to wear: black pants and a yellow and black top. Once her clothes are knitted, I soak them in cold water with Eucalan for 20 minutes, then pin flat to dry.

My dolls’ bodies are knitted with light worsted weight acrylic yarn, and their clothing is knitted with fine-quality yarn. Merino/silk blends are my favorite. Each doll sits 10 inches high in their chairs, 6 1⁄2 inches deep, and 3 1⁄2 inches wide.

Once she is dressed, I prepare her hair. For her curly hair, I wrap yarn around skewers and place them on top of a baking pan, place a few drops of water in the bottom of the pan, and place them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Using a crochet hook, I place the strands of hair in her head, style it and cut it.

I iron strands of yarn for straight hair, and I also braid hair.

Depending on the color of her clothing, I choose her nail polish (yarn).

All the while, I am talking to her, smiling at her, tweaking her, remaking her eyes, re-doing her mouth, adjusting her ears, and straightening her clothing, watching for her approval. Then, I put eyelashes on her.

I have drawers and small bins full of jewelry, beads and wires, the smallest I can find from the craft shops. I take jewelry apart and create earrings, necklaces, watches, bracelets and rings. I purchase accessories — miniature books and tablets — from shops on the internet. I also knit and use plastic canvas to create purses for my gorgeous dolls.

Now, it’s time for her jewelry. I smile at her and she smiles at me, and together, we come up with and apply what looks best on her. And voilà!: a hand knit gorgeous doll.