Jean Greenhowe Designs Official Website - Jean Greenhowe knitting patterns, knitted dolls, toys

The Little Dumpling Dolls began when Jean made just one doll – Mrs Mrs Mopitup

Mopitup. Then she decided to create an old-fashioned Little Dumpling Village with charming miniature characters. The ladies came first, followed by the next Village booklet - Little Dumpling Men.

The dolls are free-standing and 17cm [6¾in] high. Only small amounts of yarn are required and full instructions are given for all the delightful accessories. You too can knit a shop stall packed with miniature green-grocery and another stall with a wonderful variety of baked goodies.

Here is the introduction which Jean wrote for The Dumpling Men's booklet.

'One sunny day Lord Lancelot of Little Dumpling Manor Harold, The Handyman

and his little dog Macintosh set off for a pleasant drive in the country. Unfortunately, Lord Lancelot's motor car has seen better days and they hadn't gone far before one of the tyres burst with a very loud bang! But all was not lost, because Harold the village handyman lived near by. Harold can fix just about anything and he promised to repair the tyre as quickly as possible. Farmer Woolly, Lord Lancelot and Macintosh

Farmer Woolly, Lord Lancelot and Macintosh

Meanwhile, Lord Lancelot and Macintosh decided to walk down to the village. At Buttercup Meadow Lord Lancelot stopped to chat to Farmer Woolly about the weather and the price of turnips. Macintosh couldn't resist trying to round up the sheep, which caused much amusement when they scattered all over the field!

On arrival at the village Lord Lancelot had a bright idea - a little shopping would pass the time quite nicely. First they visited Benjamin Bakewell's Bakery Shop. Benjamin is famous for his secret recipe for mouth-watering savoury turnovers, so of course Lord Lancelot bought some for tea as well as a sausage roll for Macintosh.

The next stop was Samuel Sprout's Greengrocery Shop. Lord Lancelot couldn't help but admire the splendid array of

vegetables on Samuel's stall. Even Macintosh was impressed and he doesn't even like vegetables! Samuel suggested that a crisp salad would go down well with the savoury turnovers. And what about some mushrooms for breakfast and a pretty pot plant for Lord Lancelot's wife Lady Letitia?

By now quite laden with paper bags, Lord Lancelot and Macintosh returned to Harold's workshop to pick up the motor car.

What lovely surprises were in store for Lady Letitia ... and all because of a flat tyre!'

Jean is famous for her ability to design realistic knitted items on a very small scale which always look like the real thing. Take one example from Samuel Sprout's vegetables - the lettuces have perfectly curled leaves, yet the pattern is simple enough for a beginner. The shape also depends upon a final nifty bit of sewing, which magically turns the knitted leaves into the flowery shape.

And how did Jean manage to get that wonderful uneven baked effect on Benjamin Bakewell's baked goodies? It took her ages to find the right solution and it's all detailed in the instructions.

Jean's attention to the ease of making for the knitter is also evident in the Men's hair pieces and the hats. A particular knitted row on each doll's head is marked with white running stitches to indicate the position of the hair piece. Thereafter, all the hat pieces are easy to sew in place, also due to the placement of the white guide-line.