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Some domestic problems are hard to solve. How often have you wondered how to get those pesky Chateau Lafite stains out of your white cashmere carpet? Or the most efficient way to clean your priceless antique crystal chandelier?
Most common of all - how do you stop your freshly laundered doilies from shrinking and losing their shape?
Reader - we have a solution.
Simply purchase a vintage Pinabord Doily Stretcher and misshapen doilies will be a thing of the past. Place your doily on the board, use the highly mathematical grid to pin it into the correct shape , spray on some starch, et voila!
(NB. Strictly for domestic doily use only. Antimacassar stretching should only be attempted by qualified professionals.)
We at The Curious Eye have always considered ourselves above discussing celebrities to boost our exposure. However in this case we feel we must make an exception.
After all, how are we supposed to resist this?
Yes, your eyes do not deceive you - it's a knitted Bette Davis as "Baby Jane" doll. You have to admit, the resemblance is uncanny.
Baby Jane is not alone, she is part of a cache of fabulous celebrity knitted dolls from the 60s and 70s found by our dear friend Sean Barnett (and currently for sale at his stall at Ezra St Market, just off Columbia Rd).
Here we see Frank and Peggy Spencer, the ballroom superstars of their era.
Max Miller, The Cheeky Chappie (poised to offend with his 'blue book' of jokes).
And the other Max - Max Wall, looking very dapper.
This lady has caused some debate, is it Hermione Gingold? Danny La Rue?
No. After a lot of research, I've come to the conclusion that it's Phyllis Diller.
(If it isn't the resemblance is uncanny)
Last but not least - everyone's favorite musical genius (and comedy straight man) Mr André Previn.
Which gives me the perfect excuse for us all the enjoy this...
The best part of this whole thing is that Sean not only has the dolls - he has the pattern books for them too - the creator of these little gems (the aptly named Dolly Robertson) actually wrote down how she came up with her designs, presumably so that future generations could knit obscure characters from the 70's too. So if you ever feel the urge to knit yourself a miniature Molly Sugden, or a tiny Windsor Davies, or even a Pam Ayres of your very own - now's your chance.
For the patriotic amongst you - here's a sneak peak of how to create a scale model of everyone's favorite heir to the throne.
Time to get the knitting needles out!
The dolls (and other delightful goodies) are available at Seans stall, every Sunday on Ezra St, E2.
