History

In the Beginning. . .

It’s hard to remember exactly how this all began. I’ve been a knitter since my teen years and even made several adult-sized cable sweaters for myself and my husband. But experience proved that despite all my good intentions, I could never make a human sweater fit well.

Still, I loved fiber arts and continued to purchase yarn and experiment with knitting complex cable designs and Fair Isle (working designs with two or more colors at once).

One can only knit so many test swatches and afghans, and my dissatisfaction with my lack of challenging projects led me to knitting doll sweaters—a way to experiment on a small scale and yet to complete a project at the same time.

Tyler, eBay, & Doll Designs

Though I had a collection of a few Barbies (which I claimed were for my niece), discovering the 16 inch Tyler supplied me with the perfect sized doll—small enough for design experimentation, but large enough for more realistic detail.

I purchased my first Tyler doll on eBay, which provided my first exposure to artists selling their One-of-a-Kind outfits for her. It was only a matter of time before I had a small inventory of sweaters & posted my first eBay sales.

Sew-Cool Separates

As I prepared for that first sale, I noticed that outfits on eBay seemed to sell for more than sweaters alone. So, for my first auction I sewed some simple short skirts (and one pair of denim pants) to coordinate with the sweaters. Little did I imagine then how much my "Separates" would contribute to my web business.

Beige Aran with Denim Skirt (Experimenting with cables)	*Blue Wool Aran* (Tight, but I was thrilled with the detailed pattern! )
Blue Wool Cowl Neck White Skirt	Blue Cotton Turtleneck Denim Mini Skirt
*Sleeveless cotton Turtleneck* *& Denim pants* (my first try at Fair Isle)	Beige Wool Turtleneck Corduroy Skirt

By my second auction, I was brave enough to branch out and try different separates to match with my sweaters, developing patterns for a long skirt with a kick pleat and experimenting with my first pair of denim jeans. I also found my sweaters fitting better, and though the most expensive outfit sold for only $27, this batch included my most elaborate Aran design.

Rust V-Neck Aran Denim Jeans	*Sporty Off-the-Shoulder Sweater* *Denim Skirt*
Lacy Cream Wool V-Neck Black Moleskin Skirt	Red Aran Turtleneck Flowing Floral Skirt
*Zig-Zag Cardigan* *& Jeans Skirt*	*Cream Aran Turtleneck* *Ultrasuede Skirt* This is it--my most complex Aran design ever!
Brown Mohair Aran & Black Denim Skirt	Striped Mohair Sweater & Moleskin Skirt