I have always loved folktales, mythology and fairy tales – just not the Disney versions. I spent many an hour in my childhood under the canopy of Japanese maples, listening for leprechauns and fairies, creating houses for them out of walnut husks and scraps of fabric. To this day, I still make rice pudding every Christmas Eve for Tomte, just so I don’t tempt fate. So, without further adieu, I bring you the Eastern European character of The Snow Maiden. You can read more of her story here if you’d like.
She is made with two different sizes of thread and three different sizes of crochet hooks. Her hair alone contains almost 200 yards of thread or almost 20 grams.
The final doll includes, approximately, 12, 731 stitches and took me over 300 hours to complete.
She does have shoes but, I have to admit, while I did finish one – by the time I had sewn her all together – I just didn’t feel it was good enough. And, frankly, I just didn’t have the energy to make them tonight. She might just have to prance about the snow barefoot for awhile.
She is, in the end, 7 and 3/4 inches tall. Her head is only slightly larger than a (US) quarter. There are some things I’m not exactly happy with, some things I still need to fix, but overall she’s pretty amazing, I think. After almost a month, however, I’m definitely ready to start my next project. And a nap. I could definitely use a nap.
geekgirlcrochet 
Very nice! What a lot of work you put into her. She’s so beautiful.
Thanks! And, yes, I have quite a few new calluses.
It’s gorgeous! Congrats!
Thank you so much!
This is a beautiful piece of work – love the head-dress! =D
Thank you! I was pretty uncertain of her crown but, after I saw it with the rest of her dress, I think it’s pretty fitting.
É isso aà PASCOM precisamos mostrar para o mundo que temos grandes estrelas da música católica e divulgar nossas belÃssimas músicas nas rádios para que estejam na boca do povo, músicas de qualidade e que possamos evangelizar por meio delas. Faço parte integrante para divulgar esse evento, vale a pena, vamos lotar a Concha Aca!ctisú!!
Wow!! stunning!! I love all the details, very pretty…
Thanks for the compliment! I wish I could have embellished her a little more but my embroidery skills need some work.
I think she is perfect, I want to make a doll too maybe later, it is a long project right? because you want her to have a lot of accesories 🙂
It can be long or short, depending on what direction you want to go in and what materials you want to work with. It also depends on whether or not you want to develop your own pattern for it. That takes more work than people think. I really enjoy it, though! Give it a try!
yep i agree, and yes i like to develop my own pattern
I love your Snow Maiden! I recently read a novel based on that folktale, it was the best book ive read in a long time – you might like to check it out 🙂 http://www.bookdepository.com/Snow-Child-Eowyn-Ivey/9780755380527
Thanks so much for the compliment and the book suggestion! It sounds really interesting so I’ll definitely have to pick up a copy!
Wow! This is beautiful. I love this Snow Maiden! If you don’t mind, I am going to share this for my “Epic Crafting” Saturday post. This is definitely epic crafting. 🙂
Wow, I would feel honored if you shared this, really! You’ve definitely made my day!
Done and done! This is a beautiful piece of work. It *needs* to be shared.
Oh, stop! You’re making me blush, hehe. 🙂
I think you deserve a nap for about a thousand years lol. I thought it was going to be Rapunzel from the sneak preview, but the Snow Maiden is equally gorgeous. How did you make her hair? I love how it looks 🙂
Thanks! I made the hair using a separate cap that could be sewn onto the head and then attached the individual strands to the cap around the stitches. This is a good tutorial explaining the process.
Ah brill – thank you! I knew that technique for looping the threads in, but I couldn’t work out how to approach doing it for a whole head of hair. I will have to try this layout at some point 🙂
She’s beautiful, you are very talented! I like the idea of making amigurumi fairy tale characters, do you think you’ll do more?
Oh, thank you so much! And, yes, my next project will be in the same vein, though a little darker. I just love the way that fairy tales spark the imagination and that sense of wonder, even in adults!
300 hours!!!! The doll is fabulous and you must be extremely patient besides being very talented! I take my hat off.
Thank you! Patience is definitely not a virtue that I naturally possess so working on this project really taught me a lot!
I know what you mean about not liking a certain element of a design you’ve created. I do that all the time but I think this is fabulous!!!
Thank you so much! I think there’s always something nit-picky that designers will have a problem with, as far as their creations go. I’ve just got to learn that perfection is never possible. 🙂