L Lawliet Death Note doll

I started knitting L from Death Note about 6 months ago, when I began experimenting with using wire supports inside my dolls to give a greater range of postures. With his unique sitting style, he seemed like the obvious choice.

I tried to knit him sitting in his trademark crouch, using stiff florist's wire as support. It didn't really work but I ended up with a bad case of Knitter's Block and couldn't work out what the problem was. He sat on my desk for the next few months, eyeing me balefully.

Over Christmas I watched the entire Death Note dvd boxset and finally worked out what was wrong with him. His legs were way too short. His trousers were way too tight. His eyes were a tiny bit too small. A little bit of remodelling, and here he is, sitting, rather than crouching.

One of the things I like about L (apart from his genius intellect and his ability to eat nothing but sweets and cake without putting on weight) is how his facial expressions veer between manga pretty-boy handsomeness and just plain weird. I think I've caught him somewhere in the middle.