Happy Sweater Season!

  Inspired by Vanessa's post about the sale on doll sized sweater ornaments from Christopher &  Banks, I actually went to a Christopher & Banks the other day to check them out.I was hoping to save myself the postage of ordering them online. Of course it had to be the next to last store at the far end of the mall, and upstairs too. Of course, it's not like I don't need the exercise.
   I was surprised that the display of them was so small: just one tiny little display tree on a table. I was very pleased with the quality though. Most doll sized sweater ornaments are rather stiff, with arms that stick straight out when they aren't on a doll, and bunch up in stiffish folds when they are. These sweaters were super soft and the arms actually hung down like sweater arms should. The weave wasn't so out of proportion, like most are, either. Most of the 5 styles were properly proportionate in the body as well. The blue sweater with the penguins and,one of my favourites, the aqua sweater with the cardinals, seemed a little short and stubby.

It looks ok here, but in person it looked too short in the body. I didn't care much for the attached scarf, and the mittens were not very mitten shaped on most of the sweaters. The positive side was, they do have an opening in the tops, so you really could put them on a doll. It might make you want to buy them in person though, so you can pick a sweater with good mittens.

Surprisingly, I think my very favourite was the pink  sweater with the striped sleeves.

 It just looked so much like a real sweater. The proportions were perfect, and it was super soft.

  To my surprise, the sweaters were NOT on sale. Not in the store, at least.So much for getting them at the store and saving myself the shipping.  But in the store the sweaters cost $7.95. Online they are still on sale for 2 for $6, plus shipping. With shipping they are still cheaper,but not cheap enough for me. With such a tiny display they will probably sell out before they get marked down,so I most likely will not be getting any. But if you're interested, you can see the sweaters and buy them on sale HERE at Christopher & Banks.
   But, if you're as cheap as I am, you might want to check out Walgreen's. I stopped in there the other night to make sure I wasn't missing any cool ornaments, like the Beatles lunchbox ornament I missed last year. No lunchboxes or Beatles of any kind, but I did find what seemed to be the last one of these.

You might notice that the collar is coming loose at the front. The seam missed catching it. Might be a weakness, so if you're getting one, check it over carefully.

The hanger came out pretty easily. Unlike with  a lot of sweater ornaments, it wasn't glued to the sweater. It didn't even seem to be sewn to it.

   Unlike the Christopher & Banks sweaters, this one is like I described earlier: stiffer, with arms that stick out. It has a smaller weave than a lot of sweater ornaments though, so it's quite soft and looks proportional.

It's also more the size for a Ken than a Barbie.

But even he could do with having his sleeves rolled up a cuff.

 And you want to know the other really good part? It cost $1.99! You can also turn it around if you'd rather not have the year displayed. That's handy for next year.

It was a pain getting it on him though. His fingers, thumbs, and even his elbow joints keep getting caught  on the threads inside the sweater. In the end I resorted to wrapping his arms in some plastic off a roll of wrapping paper I had close by.

It made it so much easier!

"Score!"

I highly recommend wrapping the arms in plastic first. It avoids a lot of frustration!
  The yarn loop to hang the ornament by is easily removed. I just clipped it and it pulled out. It's not woven in, just sewn through the sweater. It pulls out like a loose thread.

 Walgreen's  also had these Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsum's on sale at 90% off!

They're a Christmas gift pack and a Walgreen's exclusive. Jack and Zero even glow in the dark! They are $16.99 at full price! Why are they 90% off?  They had a bunch of Nightmare stuff, like Santa hats, stockings, etc., and most of it was on sale, but not 90% off!
  For Star Wars enthusiasts there was a great BB8 filled candy dispenser that is perfect for 1/6 scale. It looked pretty realistic too. Sorry I didn't take a picture of it. If you have a 12" doll from the Force Awakens, the BB8 candy dispenser would look great with it. (Just don't look at the back of it. That's where the dispenser hole is.)
  I have several posts coming up soon. Stay tuned!