With a detachable head

Ann Boleyn was Henry VIII's 2nd wife.  After annulling his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, he quickly married Ann.  Ann was an extravagant queen, fond of lavish parties, elaborate clothes and jewels.  She kept a lively court.  Ann was also a great advocate of the Protestant church, and played a pivotal role in England's separation from Rome. 

When he married Ann,  Henry was desperate for a son.   Ann soon gave birth to Elizabeth, who would one day be Elizabeth I, but this first child was followed by two miscarriages, both boys.  By this time, Henry had already fallen for one of Ann's ladies in waiting, Jane Seymour.  He was convinced that his new marriage was cursed, and rumors circulated that Ann was a witch and an adulterer. Ann was arrested, along with her brother George on the charges of incest and treason.  Four other men who were friends or in service to Ann were arrested on charges of adultery with the queen.  After a brief trial, presided over by Ann's own uncle, she and the other men were convicted and sentenced to death.  Ann was beheaded on May 19, 1536 on the Tower Green. Henry VIII married Jane Seymour 12 days later. After Elizabeth I rose to power, new romanticized interest in Ann surfaced, and she was considered by many to be a martyr. Her ghost is said to still haunt the Tower of London.

Knitting Ann was really fun.  I've always been fascinated with her tragic story.  Creating a detachable head turned out to be quite a challenge.  After 2 hours at Lowes Hardware, UiJin and I finally constructed a mechanism consisting of custom fit plumbing fixtures, and a system of magnets.  Sometimes my husband is surprisingly useful.

  

Next in line on my knitting needles will of course be  Jane Seymour.  If I can keep up my momentum, I believe I may even knit Henry VIII himself! And for those of you wondering, I am planning to release the pattern for the basic doll, but probably not until I finish the entire series.

Comments

[The Anne Boleyn Files]

I love it, such a good idea!

[Jamie]

i was curious as to whether or not you'd be merchandising your "henry VIII and his wives"?

[Christa]

Please let me know when you release the pattern!

[Ann Boland]

I am obsessed with Anne Boleyn, also. My name says it all.

[Susan Ward]

Oh, my. Is it wrong that I want the pattern so I can knit up a Marie Antoinette? Just call me a modern day Terese DeFarge.

[Leslie]

I am so jealous! As a child I was obsessed with Anne Boleyn and to have a knit version, well, this is too cool!

[Crafts by Alice]

I have always been so fascinated by British monarchy and especially the Tudors. I absolutely love your knitted dolls, and Anne with the detachable head is awesome! Will you be knitting an Elizabeth one as well?

[Muza]

I just love your Tudor family! I very much look forward to seeing Henry VIII! I am currently reading a book about Mary Stuart, Elizabeth's rival, so it fits.

[TracyW.]

She is brilliant! I've worked on a cross stitch series of Henry VIII and his wives, but this is a lot more fun. I look forward to when you release the pattern! Wonderfully creative work.

[Merouda/Elyse]

This is wonderful! Makes me want to be able to knit more than a scarf! Thank you for sharing. :-)

[Eva]

she turned out super and i enjoyed reading about her :D

[Geri Zagorianos]

Do you have a pattern for this doll???

[windyridge]

I watched all seasons so far of The Tudors and am reading a book called The Autobiography of Henry VIII which is a well researched historical fiction novel. So I am very into the story and his wives and this is hilarious. I am also a knitter.

[beth]

You can use the same concept with Cathrine Howard! You will probably have to change her hair color though....

I love it! I have been totally into Henry and his 6 wives lately. Read the other Boylen Girl and RE READ the Autobiography of Henry VIII by his fool. That was a beast of a book to get through, but I loved it.

Thanks for the preview!

[Heather Lambert]

Your doll is absolutely beautiful. I have always been fascinated with Anne Boleyn. I cannot wait to see the rest of your series and hope that you will someday share a basic pattern for the dolls. These would be great fun to make!

[Cindy]

Will you be publishing the patterns in this series. I'd love to make them for my granddaughters!

[emma]

How FAB!! You should sell a whole era of patterns, I would be the first in line! Will keep my eyes peeled for further creations!
Emma

[Ana Isabel]

she is a true beauty! as someone who just finished watching the other Boleyn girl last week--the details are spot on--at least from what I can gather from the movie,etc. The detachable head is a hoot! I mean its kinda creepy--but its funny--weird. Ingenious--can't wait to see more of this series--

[Rhian]

I laughed in delight when I saw this on the Craftzine blog - she's so sweet and darkly whimsical! I'll be keeping an eye out for Jane.

[Daniel]

this is totally gorgeous. great work!

[Brandy]

I'm SO looking forward to seeing all the dolls in the series! They are wonderfully adorable. Is there a Henry doll planned?

[Kendra B]

That is 100% amazing! I am fascinated with Ann and her daughter Elizabeth. When my sister said you had created an Ann doll and eventually all of Henry's wives I was tickled pink! Great Job!

[luckylily]

Wow! I love her; she's gorgeous. That is so clever.

[Cheryl S.]

This is just wonderful - I love it! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the series.