I decided to separate this pattern out from the just prior post so it can be focused upon as a stillwater fly. It is a very simple yet effective fly. I am not sure where the Doll’s Hair name came from. I tied it with fuzzy brown rug yarn and what use to be a leech yarn. The fly could be weighted by wrapping lead on the shank. The abdomen was the yarn wrapped into a football shape and considerably bigger than the thorax. A hackle was wrapped one to two times at the waist (gap between the abdomen and thorax). The thorax was created by wrapping a pronounced ball of brown ostrich herl. That was it. A darn good fly. I am so glad I rediscovered this fly!!! Try it and let me know if it is productive. Just looking at it you know it has to be. I lost or misplaced or loaned Don Roberts book. If anyone has it I would appreciate the particulars re the Doll’s Hair.
SwittersB & Exploring 
It literally was supposed to be tied with doll’s hair. For years I wondered what the heck that was. Then I was in a shop that sold doll’s hair. Which is staight artificial hair, and I guess might have been dubable into something sparkly for it’s day. By then I had caught so many fish on my version I had no reason to buy the dolls hair.
The key features of the pattern, as I remember it, were:
Overall effect is to tie a large fur ant pattern. Exaggerated thorax, exaggerated abdomen, and just a gap with the wire of the hook and some thread covering it. Over that gap I take a few turns of soft hackle. The abdomen is heavily weighted with wire, though today one might use some dumbbell eyes. The abdomen is ribbed with copper wire. I use 1 part black and 1 part dark brown Ruganell. I have never used an olive version, all our nymphs seem to be brown. A lot of our dragons have a very distinctive ant shape, though the body parts have a stealth fighter look to them. This is not the only dragon shape, so one can adapt the fly to local conditions. However, the ant shape has been so effective I never tie any other.
I tie on a #6 3906b.
Great nymph for trout or smallies.
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About 40 years ago, I bought 3 small bags of Rugganel. 2 realistic colors, Br and Bl, and two bright colours. Oh I did get Olive as well. A few years back I discovered one could get the packs on ebay, from people who did rug hooking. I got a lot more colours, including primaries for spectrum dubbing.
Also, I used to hear about Aunt Lydia’s yarn, in my quest for sparkle yarns. That stuff is on ebay also. The original yarn for Lafontaine patterns.
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Remarkable story, Tom!!! So much has changed over the decades! Thank you for sharing.
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