Ken Shorts and Shirt

I made this back in 2022 when I was using the smaller Ken Dentist.

Lately I've fallen back to my newsprint and other older magazines for the Barbie dolls because many of them have quick to make outfits that are more designed for play than display. I admire the people who collect, dress, and display their dolls. The hand made outfits can be amazing to look at but for little hands and someone looking to fill a room full of donation bags those patterns just aren't as practical a choice.

This pattern comes from the out of print newsprint title House of White Birches Crochet Wardrobre for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Dolls Including a Complete Wedding Ensemble and Trousseau. I try to include titles even for out of print stuff because it's easier to find something if you have the information to look. I learned this recently when I came across a new line of newprint titles I'd never seen before.

I used a C hook for both the shirt and shorts despite the pattern calling for a D hook. I suspect doll size and yarn create different needs.

I used a no longer available Red Heart Baby sport yarn for the pants and Bernat Big Baby Sport White for the shirt.

I rather liked this version of Ken beecause he fits many of my old vintage patterns much better than the dentist. However, I misjudged purchasing extras and if my inventory is correct I only have him through 2025 before I will need to find a new Ken model.

While I've replaced Barbie with the camping Barbie nothing on the market for Ken right now appeals. I got stuck this time because by the time I ordered a couple and started making something for the model he was already disappearing from the market. This time I have to make testing a priority regardless of where I am in the current year's donation.

Our Generation Boy Hockey Sweater and Pants

When possible I do try to recycle items into other outfits to stretch my donations. This was the test hockey sweater I made prior to making the hockey uniform because I had no idea what adjustments would need to be made and using one color with a bit of trim seemed a great option for figuring out the details of the sweater without having to manage color changes. I actually went back and finished this sweater after the hockey uniform and thus benefited from knowing I needed to stay consistent with the bottom stitches in order not to have shrinkage at the bottom of the sweater.

I used Darski's free Detroit Red Bunnies pattern found here for the sweater. These are the directions I made up for the hockey pants. I just added rows to the legs to get them to be full length for this outfit.

The pattern directions called for two strands of yarn and K hook. I used Red Heart Super Saver black and crocheted over a pony tail holder to give the pants an elastic waist to make sure they stayed on the doll. I continued crocheting in the round until I needed to split for the crotch making sure I had decreased the total number of waist stitches to 40 before splitting. Sometimes it takes more stitches to cover the pony tail fully. It wasn't as much of an issue with the double strands.

Row 1 sc around elastic band to cover it.

Rows 2-6 hdc in 40

Row 7 split for legs adding 3 chains to join crotch.

Rows 8-11 on each leg crochet around 23.

Shirt:

I didn't need to change colors but I did add a trim row of white to the torso and the sleeves. I reduced the sleeves with a hdc 3 hdc 2 together around. Then I followed with a row of sc trim and another with main color to decrease the sleeve size at the wrist.

Row 1: 2sc in 3 (1 sc followed by 2sc) until last 3 stitches, 2sc in last 3 stitches.

The stripes on the bottom of the sweater need to be hdc or dc. I chose sc and the sweater gets a bit smaller as a result. I would likely choose the hdc option to keep it even with the rest of the sweater.

Glitter Girl Fun in the Sun

I purchased several of Little Bitty Boutique's patterns to make for the Glitter Girl donation. While designed for the Wellie Wisher Doll they are close enough that they work for the Glitter Girl doll as well.

The dress for this pattern is from her Fun in the Sun pattern that can be purchased here. The shoes have become my go to pattern for any Glitter Girl pattern without shoes and comes from an Adoring Doll pattern set that can be purchased here.

This was made with Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn Yellow and an F hook. I had a slightly odd back so I ended up using a snap rather than the suggested button.

The shoes were made with Red Heart Super Saver Lemon and an E hook. I'd try Herrschners Worsted 4 next time but I found the light yellow Red Heart first. I didn't think to check the lighter yarn first.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Playtime Romper

I purchased this pattern back in 2021 from Amy Carrico's Etsy shop, which is no longer open. It is showing available to purchase on Ravelry here.

Looking at my inventory list I realized while I've been rotating around the different types of dolls many of the baby dolls have been neglected and I need to focus on filling their bags for the donation. That led me to searching for my Carrico patterns that I knew I bought but had yet to make.

This came out a bit fluffier than I had wanted for the top. The first row doubles the chain stitches and since I intend to make a 2nd outfit this year I think I'm going to try a double followed by a single and see how that brings the size down a bit. It's supposed to be an oversize top but this top is just big.

I used Bernat Big Baby Sport Yarn Pink and White for this project. I used a C hook for until finishing the arm holes as it was a bit tight with a B. I will revert to B hook when trying changes for next outfit.

The pants and booties fit as written. I thought the hat was going to be tight so I added 2 increase rows. I'd try going as written next time as the end product is a little larger than I wanted.

Our Generation Boy Hockey Player

Back in March I asked some of my friends over on Crochetville to help me find patterns I could use with the Our Generation Boy doll for the donation. I was open to free or paid patterns but while I hadn't worked through my library of available patterns specifically for the male dolls, I knew my supply was limited. That's when people challenged me to think about how to adapt patterns to fit the male doll.

This is Darski's free Detroit Bunnies pattern which was designed as a hockey outfit for the girl dolls. You can find the pattern here. There are a number of sport patterns originally designed for the girls that I'm looking to adapt for the boy doll before he leaves for the donation. This was my first attempt.

Notes:

The skates were purchased from CR Crafts. So I can find them and buy them again they were listed as Skates - Ice - 2 5/8" Black Item 69151. You can purchase them here. I've not purchased many shoes for either the Our Generation or My Life doll. Making shoes for them has told me the My Life dolls feet are a bit larger based on hook sized required to get the crocheted shoes to fit. This is something to remember when ordering shoes for them in the future perhaps.

Hockey Pants:

When ever possible I avoid making the legs and joining. It just rarely works out for me so unless it's something like footed PJ's I try at all costs to avoid this method.

The directions called for two strands of yarn and K hook. I used Red Heart Super Saver black and crocheted over a pony tail holder to give the pants an elastic waist to make sure they stayed on the doll. I continued crocheting in the round until I needed to split for the crotch making sure I had decreased the total number of waist stitches to 40 before splitting. Sometimes it takes more stitches to cover the pony tail fully. It wasn't as much of an issue with the double strands.

Row 1 sc around elastic band to cover it.

Rows 2-6 hdc in 40

Row 7 split for legs adding 3 chains to join crotch.

Rows 8-11 on each leg crochet around 23.

Darski includes directions for suspenders for her uniform. I chose not to include them.

Hockey Hose:

This was Darski's wording not mine. I'm not an expert on hockey uniforms. I made one and then remade it as it was larger than I expected. I stuck with my original yarn choices although Darski mentions using baby yarn. The color options were not going to work for me with baby yarn.

I started making 20 rather than 25 rows of chain 4 ribbing. This helped it stay up on the doll's leg.

When I crocheted on top of the ribbing adding the suggested extra stitches I ended up with 26 both times so that seems to be the number.

Shirt:

I played with the colors a bit so I had to change some of the pattern to accomadate additional color changes.

I started with 2 strands of yellow as while this is a worsted 4 yarn it is lighter than the white and black. I also changed the directions to get the stitch count to work for me.

Row 1: 2sc in 3 (1 sc followed by 2sc) until last 3 stitches, 2sc in last 3 stitches. The stripes on the bottom of the sweater need to be hdc or dc. I chose sc and the sweater gets a bit smaller as a result. I would likely choose the hdc option to keep it even with the rest of the sweater.

I used snaps to close the shirt. I had planned on buttons but with the shrinkage at the bottom I finished the edges in blank and used snaps to close.

Helmet:

The helmet is worked in two strands of black and a K hook. I worked as written until row 7 when I needed to add increase rows because this doll needed a larger helmet before moving on to the fp sc of rows 9-10.

I found the shaping directions confusing so I marked the temples of the doll on the helmet and proceeded with rows 11-13. If you don't stop for these locations and turn you end up with a hat not a helmet.

I found the first side of the chin strap worked well I'd be more careful looking at the way the first one sits before placing the second one. I'd pulled out the helmet a few times to get the face to work by the time I reached the strap so I had less patience than perhaps was best for this type of project. However, hopefully with these hints I'm hoping my next attempt at the helmet will prove easier and I can focus on a better second strap joining.

16 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

I'm not sure what happened to the link for Darski's Easy Dolly Nightgown for the JC 16 Inch Baby doll. As updates have been made to Crochetville over the years some things have not made the upgrade. Darski also listed some of her patterns on her own platform but most were also cross listed at Crochetville. So I can't give a link for this pattern unfortunatly. If I do find one I will update it.

This is a simple open nightgown pattern that ties in the back with a cute trim at the bottom.

I've been trying to dig into my stash to use up yarn that has been there way to long. The hat is made with no longer available Bernat Softee Spring Flowers. The nightgown is made with Herrschners Baby Fairytale. I hadn't purchased any dark pink from them in a bit so I wasn't sure it was still available until I checked the site but Fairytale is still sold.

I used a g hook for this outfit. It calls for a 4.5 which I have somewhere but not readily at hand. I tried the H hook but the nightgown was baggy so I went down to a G hook and was happy with the fit. After making the ties for the top I finished the back.

There is no pattern for the hat so I played with fp and bp stitches for the hat finishing with alternating 5dc skip 1 sc around.

I will be making a second nightgown for the other JC 16 inch Baby doll donation soon. I just need to choose different colors.

Ken Ski Outfit

I previously made this outfit for Ken back in 2021 using the pattern found in the out of print House of White Birches Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2" Fashion Doll Including a complete Wedding Ensemble and Trousseau.

This is a black and white newsprint leaflet but I love it for this project because for the most part the patterns are designed for people who want to make a wardrobe for a child to play with rather than an adult who will display the dolls. I have been exploring the patterns a bit more this year and returning to some like this one I hadn't used in a few years. I'm trying to get better about notations so when I do return to a project I have a starting point.

One challenge I have had is that the sizes on the model dolls change. Sometimes significantly and sometimes in a minor way. The first Ken I used for the donation is more similiar to the current model I'm using now. The middle one, the Vet was smaller and required significantly more changes to the old fashion doll patterns to get the clothing to fit. Sadly, this Ken looks like he's been discontinued so I will have to start searching for a new model. I'm hoping to find one similiar in size to this one because so far the old patterns fit him pretty well.

Notes:

I used Knit Picks Fingering Palette and a C hook for all items I would suggest using a D or E hook for the hat as it is tight.

Sweater:

I've played with changing colors at the top. I like this look better than the previous look. The single strand stripe got lost at the top. The double stripe looks cleaner.

Don't decrease sleeves at row 11. While it gives a more realistic cuff look the hand does not fit through the cuff once the count is reduced. I think I realized this before but without notes I tried the reduction and pulled it out. Pallete doesn't always love being pulled out.

Pants:

I end up crocheting around to cover the elastic and then reducing. I waited to reduce after making the legs. I think in the future I would experiment with reducing after finishing the elastic row as the pants get puffier the longer the additional stitches remain. I did get down to 15 stitches for each leg and that was a good fit once I reached it to get them easily on and off.

As I mentioned earlier these dolls seem to be slightly different in size. I needed to add rows to 18 to get the legs long enough for Ken's pants.

Hat:

After realizing Ken's hat was tight I went back to see if I left any instructions for Skipper's hat I'd made earlier and sure enough I had so for next year's project I leave myself the reminder from Skipper's project. I'd also seriously consider going up to a D hook as this was snug.

I added one 2 dc in one dc in next row for the hat after reading my previous project notes and I found this made the hat fit better with the doll's hair.

Glitter Girl Easter Morning Dress

I added the Glitter Girl doll to the donation as a smaller alternative to the bigger 18 inch dolls. Not everyone has space for a larger doll but it gives a similiar experience to the larger dolls with a more compact storage potential. I looked at the Glitter Girl as an alternative to the American Girl Wellie Wisher as it was at a price point that made sense for my donation project budget. I can find the dolls both locally and online and often get them on sale which makes adding them to the donation easier.

As with the off brand 18 inch dolls you rarely find patterns designed for the off brand named dolls but you can find patterns for the "brand" doll or sometimes a generic sized doll close to the "brand" doll. In the case of the Glitter Girl the brand that most often pops up for patterns that will fit is the Wellie Wisher doll. I've also seen patterns listed for the Hearts for Hearts dolls but while I've seen pictures of the Wellie Wishers dolls I've never looked up the Hearts for Hearts dolls.

The pattern for this dress comes from Littly Bitty Botique the same designer as the Kennedy dress I made previously for the Glitter Girl. You can purchase the pattern here. The shoes are from an Adoring Doll pattern set you can purchase here. If you have read this blog at all you know that once I find a shoe pattern that fits it tends to show up frequently when patterns don't come with shoes for the outfit.

Notes:

The pattern calls for Caron Simply Soft yarn. I tend to avoid Caron Simply Soft unless I'm making a shawl. I find it tends to split which is less than joyful while crocheting, however for doll clothing it has an additional challenge that it gets caught on hands, feet, etc. causing further splitting. When possible I try a substitute yarn first. I also find it more pricey than other options.

For this outfit I used Herrschners Baby Yarn Soft Lilac and Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn White with an F hook for the dress and a H for the bow.

I love the texture this pattern creates for the skirt. There is a alternate pattern suggestion without stripes that I hope to make to add to the donation included with this pattern.

Row 9 overlaps the stitches to create a flap, but I found out previously making the Kennedy dress this makes the outfit too tight for the Glitter Girl doll. Perhaps with the heavier Caron it may not but I had no issue leaving out the flap.

As with the Kennedy dress it was short and I needed to add rows to get to the desired length. I added an additional section of white and lilac. This meant repeating rows 21-23 and 24 and 25.

I used Herrschners Worsted 4 the last time I made shoes for this doll. These were made with the Baby 3 weight so I wasn't sure if I'd need to adjust the hook size but the E hook still worked.

My Life Sailor Dress

This is my go to shoe pattern and I was pleased to discover when I decided to make the complete outfit the pattern is available for purchase again here. This pattern has a habit of leaving her Etsy page so if it interests you, I'd suggest picking it up before it leaves again.

I'm very fortunate to have acquired several binders of patterns for the 18 inch dolls. Some patterns appear yearly, some less frequently, and some I keep on my some day I will make list. I seem to get a few of those every year or so. This one seems to alternate every few years. I checked my blog history and I last made it in 2021 despite the shoes making frequent appearances for other outfits.

I have gotten better in the last few years about listing more specific notes about making outfits for the dolls which are specific to my needs and make repeating patterns for future doll projects much easier.

Notes:

Dress:

I used Bernat Big Baby Ball Sport White and Red Heart Super Saver Soft Navy. I was pleased to find the Navy as I had looked last year and couldn't find any locally or online.

I started with an H hook for the bodice and switched to a G hook for the skirt. I didn't end for the sleeves so this changed the count for my bodice rows. I made sleeves skipping and joining rather then ending and starting up again. This means playing with row counts but it works. In the past I've said I had to add rows which confused me. The reason the rows are different is I choose a different method for creating the arm holes.

I don't have acrylic sport navy yarn so navy trim for the dress is the Red Heart Super Saver Navy.

Hat:

I used an H hook for the hat with Red Heart Super Saver White and Navy. The sport yarn was too light for the hat although I did try it this time as my notes were not clear the last time why I went to the worsted. The hat was too small with the sport yarn. It also didn't hold the shape as well as the worsted.

Shoes:

I used an H hook for the shoes with the Red Heart Super Saver Navy.

Our Generation Let the Sunshine In

Let the Sunshine in is part of Darski's free Weatherby pattern set found here. The shoes are made with Sweet Silver Creations Sailor pattern which I noticed recently was available again for purchase here.

Notes:

I am pleased to say I was able to find Navy Red Heart Super Saver locally again. I looked last year and even online I couldn't get navy when I went to make this dress last fall. I go through phases with Navy so when I stock up it takes me a while before I need it again. Sure enough when I ran out last year I couldn't find it. I have a Jumbo so it should last me a while as doll clothes are small.

I used a K hook on the dress for the bodice and an I hook for the skirt. I used a K hook for the Bolero jacket.

I suspect I took out some of the increases in previous years and failed to note it so for my next attempt I'm noting I make want to take out some of the increases in the skirt as it was fuller than in previous years.

There is a mistake in the hat and next year I want a reminder that the brim should be wider and if it isn't than I've made a mistake and should repair before finishing.

I took these pictures back in 2022 and continue to include them in posts about this project as a reminder to myself because while I didn't need them this year. When I stop putting them in my project notes I may not look back several years to figure out why it is so hard now when it wasn't before.

Skipper Poncho and Pants

I don't have lots of patterns specifically designed to fit Skipper. Those that I have aren't always designed to fit the modern Skipper so when possible if I find a Barbie pattern that seems like it would adapt well to Skipper I try to make it work.

The poncho for this pattern is made using Michelle Ratman's design that can be purchased here. The pants were made using an out of print House of White Birches leaflet Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Dolls.

Notes:

I used Barbie's pants pattern which fits Skipper but I still needed to add rows to the legs to get it to fit. The pants are made with Knit Picks Palette Fingering Yarn and a C hook. I used 1/8 inch elastic measured cut and sewn together prior to crocheting around it for the waist band.

When I made Barbie's poncho I commented that I didn't have any sport weight cotton. I did find some and used it for Skipper's Ski outfit. However it was too light for the poncho. During my search I did unearth a skein of Knit Picks Shine Worsted that I also want to finish off so this became the yarn for Skipper's poncho.

This Skipper with her hair seems to have a larger head than than Barbie or it could be the cotton yarn is stiffer. Anyways I started with a G hook until I went to the mesh where I went back to the e hook I had used for Barbie's poncho.

Barbie Strapless Dress

I'm working my way through the out of print House of White Birches Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion dolls. The patterns are allowing me to use up yarn on hand while filling up my donation bags.

There are two strapless dress patterns in this leaflet for Barbie. This one is found on page 17 for my future reference as I suspect I'll be back to make this one again. I liked the approach to fitting the bodice on this gown even when I was unsure how the current Barbie compared to the vintage one the pattern was designed to fit. I was pleasantly pleased to find I could make it work.

Notes:

This was made using the same Babe yarn I used for Skipper's winter outfit. I still haven't used it off. I think there is enough for one more fashion doll item.

I chose not to make this a full length dress. I don't currently have many casual items for Barbie and I thought it would be more practical for this to be a shorter dress. I mentioned the page number because there is a second outfit in the booklet with the same name that is shorter, looks similiar but the directions are different. I might try that later but if I decide to repeat it would be helpful to know which pattern I tried considering the picture won't help since I changed the pattern length.

The D hook worked for this outfit but I needed to finish the back in order for their not to be a gap when I used a snap to close it. This is a slightly heavier yarn than the Knit Picks Fingering Yarn I normally use for these outfits so when I make this again hook size may need to change. I did try making this with an old A.C. Moore sport weight yarn and it was too thick. I'm thinking it likely needs to be a DK weight or lighter.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Sun Suit

This is the last of my projects for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Dolls from Darski's free Sweet Baby Mine pattern found here.

I realized as I checked my notes I'd only made this as a gift for the JC 16 Inch Baby doll. I'd never actually attempted it for the smaller doll so my notes were not as helpful as I'd hoped. That being said I'm not sure how helpful these notes will be as I tried some items I'll likely not have around for the next time I may this projects but I will write them as I'm never sure later what will help to know.

Notes:

This is made with Big Twist Bulky 5 in a color no longer available. I hadn't realized it was a bulky yarn when I pulled it out of my stash as it has the feel of a worsted 4. My experience with Big Twist is that while I love the color options it does tend to be a bit lighter than listed. If you know this going in and choose the right project options it tends to work out. In this case I wanted a bright happy variegated color for the project and the slightly heavier weight wasn't a huge issue.

In order to get it to fit around the waist I needed a J hook. In the future regardless of yarn I'd reduce what ever hook I chose prior to splitting for the legs. The chubby doll can have a waist challenge sometimes but once past the tummy the size reduces dramatically and things can get bulky.

The contrasting yarn is Red Heart Super Saver Spring Green. I used an I hook for the Suit and an H for the hat. The hat was made as written.

The shoes are from an out of print Amy Carrico pattern Spring Jacket and Dress. I used an e hook and Baby Bernat Sport Pink and White.