Life of the Lintee Bean

I’ve had a number of people ask about the fugly custom yarn dolls – so here goes.

mini-LinteeBean made of yarn and stuffing

I’ve never enjoyed making amigurimi (aka softees, aka toys) – nor have I ever been good at them.  But, situations seem to arise when people know you can make things out of yarn and request toys of some sort.  I guess it started with the phallic lip balm cozies… and then donuts for a work gag… then toys for friends.

I guess that’s where it started to take off.  A coworker saw my sad attempt at Star Wars toys on Facebook and asked me to make some for her on commission.  I got a little better at it.  Meaning, these aren’t AS horrible as my first attempts.  Han Solo and Princess Leia were made using patterns by Sammi Resendes of “Geek Central Station”.

Star Wars trio

I made a few other toys for friends and charity… and then one day had an idea.  I no longer know if this idea was great, horrible, or just strange… but I adored my personal trainer-coach at the time, and decided to make a yarn version of him.  The Geek Central Station pattern starts with a “basic” pattern, then adds details to make the doll look like Han Solo or Princess Leia – I’d just use different details to have the yarn doll look like Ron – kind of.

Then, after a while, I needed a mini-me, right?

Mini-trainer and mini-LinteeBean

I used the mini-me for my profile picture on a few sites, including Fitocracy.  I guess because they’re “novel”, people started asking about them – including the guy I’d “dueled” in the past.  He challenged me to a second duel, and wanted a doll if he won.  He won.

MidnightYell

More people asked about them – and wanted them.  I was uncomfortable with setting a price on them (it takes 10-25 hours, I’d have to ask $150 to $250 for a doll to make it worthwhile.)  So, the easiest thing seemed to be to barter for them – or duel for them.  Which is how I landed up making a “Daryl Dixon” doll (Norman Reedus’s character on the Walking Dead – super awesome crossbow carrying zombie killer) as well as KillerLine and EnsignGirl – more Fitocracy “friends”.

Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) of The Walking Dead

KillerLine – and KillerLine

EnsignGirl

Frequently Asked Questions (and answers):

• How big are the dolls?  They’re about 11-12 inches tall.
• How long does it take you to make a doll?  Well, it depends.  I don’t time it – but I’d guess it takes 10 to 25 hours.  It depends a lot on the detail, whether I get things right the first time, and how much hair is involved.  Hair, especially, can take forever.  For hair like LinteeBean’s, I have to make EACH strand of hair separately – so that’s a lot of yarn cutting and attaching (with a knot) then trimming.
• How is a doll made?  I crochet it, starting with the Geek Central Station’s basic pattern.  Clothes are sewn on, most aren’t removable (with rare exception, like KillerLine’s hat).  I basically start with the legs, then make two little arms, then add the torso and hear on to the legs and sew the arms on – then add all the details.  It’s stuffed about half way through the head part.  It’s all yarn – I don’t like using beads or buttons in case a child or pet gets at them.  This also makes it possible to throw it in the wash if that child or pet gets at it.
• How much does a doll cost?  How much does it cost ME?  Well, there’s the yarn – if I had to go out and buy (cheap acrylic) yarn to make a toy, it would probably cost me $15 to $20 depending on how many colors I have to buy – plus the fiberfill I use for stuffing.  In many cases, I have remnants of yarn in my “stash” that I can use.  For most of what I’ve made, I’ve only had to go out and purchase flesh colored yarn – because if I don’t have it on hand, it’s not like I can substitute green or purple.
• How much does a doll cost?  How much would it cost YOU?  I haven’t figured out a great answer to this question.  People don’t seem to understand that offering me $15 to make them a doll is NOT motivating.  That barely covers cost of materials – let along 15-25 hours of my time.  I enjoy crocheting, but I’d rather crochet a blanket or a garment – not a toy.  I just don’t rally enjoy making toys.  They’re small and fiddley.  To make it worth my time, I’d have to charge $150 to $250 for a yarn doll.  Unless famous celebrities start wanting fugly yarn dolls, I’m not convinced people will pay that much for a doll… but if you are, PLEASE, use the contact on the About the LinteeBean page to shoot me an email!