Sunflower Dishcloth

In the last few years sunflowers have become a favorite flower. One of the local farmstands sells boquets of them during the summer and there is just something about them sitting on my kitchen table that makes me smile. I thought adding a dishcloth to my kitchen rotation seemed like a great idea.

This is another pattern from Leisure Arts out of print leaflet A Dishcloth a Month 75558.

While I've been making a decent dent in my old dishcloth cotton I realized I'm starting to run out of certain common colors. Walmart has an in house brand Hello Hobby that is quite a bit cheaper than the other cotton I normally use but it has good reviews.

I decided to give it a shot. I will say it splits quite a bit less than the other brands I've been using from my stash and that is a huge plus. How long these last with use vs the other brands remains to be seen.

For my own notes I did the center with the suggested H hook and switched to a g hook for the petals as I found it was harder to get the triple combos to keep their shape with the larger hook.

Our Generation Mermaid

The 18 inch dolls are next up for the 2026 Mermaid Challenge. I have a couple of different patterns to try. The first is a free pattern you can find here.

While I've liked some of the designs over the years with the free Yarnspiration doll clothes patterns I've not always had the best luck with making them. This was one of the first I've completed in a bit and required the fewest alterations to the pattern to complete it

I used Lavender Big Twist that has been in my stash since the days of Joanns. The blue and pink are Red Heart Super Saver.

To get the top to close with the lavender I needed a K hook and to change the starting chain from 34 to 45. I think if I made this again I'd experiment with what it took to close with suggested I hook as I ended up switching to an H hook for the tail as it was bulky.

Changing the original stitch count changed row 8. I needed to sc in the first 19 skip 2 sc 5 dc in the next sc and sc in the last 19.

At some point I realized to make the tail point I needed to get down to the original stitch count. This happened by reducing the tail count to the original stitch count before starting reduction for tail point. This happens between row 19-20. Then I returned to row 20.

I started the first fin sc into the back bumps of the chain. This made it so much easier to start the second fin. I sc the fin to the body and then sc around the fin to give it a more solid finished look.

The first two rounds of the crown were made with a K hook to get it to fit on the doll's head. I made the final row of the crown with an H hook so I wouldn't ruin the spikes of the crown.

Chain 40 for the ties sc in center crochet around sl join and chain 40.

Neither of my other mermaid patterns has a crown so I'd consider using this with those patterns. It will be interesting to compare the three to see which one I prefer. This is the only one piece set.

I'd also like to make a tail for the Our Generation Boy like I did for Ken.

Leaf Dishcloth

I've been reworking a Mermaid pattern to fit the Our Generation doll. Likely my gauge and fiber choice not the pattern but it is nice to walk away with a practical project for my house.

This is another pattern from Leisure Arts out of print leaflet A Dishcloth a Month 75558.

Notes:

One of the thing I've enjoyed about making these dishcloths is working off some of my older stash.

I wasn't sure I had the yarn for this but I found Lily's Sugar and Creme Terra Firma in my stash and avoiding buying some Hobby Lobby cotton. For future reference Hobby Lobby's Crafter's Secret Variegated Olive Branch was what I was thinking I'd buy as Terra Firma is no longer available to buy. Classic Brown would also work. Mango would give it a more orange leave look.

I needed an H hook for this project.

The directions are correct but the format of these directions required more attention than I expected as there are multiple changes in each row.

It is nice to see my replacement fall dishcloths take shape.

Jack O Lantern Dishcloth

As I mentioned previously I'm on a quest to update my holiday dishcloths as I finish off this year's doll donation. Since two major holidays arrive before the doll donation ends I can't really wait if I want to use them this year.

While I love a holiday theme to brighten up my kitchen my dishcloths and potholders do get used so I try to find something that will do the job and provide some holiday color. I do have some potholders with some sewn on appliques as stuff just sits on them. However, where possible I try to have the details of my dishcloths be part of the pattern as they are less likely to come off over time.

I've seen some Jack-O-Lanterns with the details sewn on the dishcloth and I have a potholder made that way but until I came back to this one I'd avoided the idea for a dishcloth because I knew it wouldn't last in my house.

This pattern is from an out of print Leisure Art Leaflet 75558 A Dischcloth a Month.

I used the suggested H hook for this pattern with the same colors I used for the pumpkin dishcloth I made previously with the addition of black for the mouth and eyes.

There are a couple of other fall dishcloths I'd like to add to the collection but it will depend on where I have time to squeeze them in between other doll stuff.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sundress

As I mentioned in a previous post I've decided to devote the rest of my donation time to balance between where I still see some needs and projects I want to finish for me. This project for the 16 inch baby doll is about filling in gaps. There are so many accessories that get made at the beginning of the donation year that the number of outfits tends to be less than many of the other dolls. There are also two dolls to rotate through the baby doll crochet project slot creating a disadvantage. It is time to even that out.

This pattern is a free an oldy and one of my first for the larger baby dolls. While out of print it is still available through the Wayback machine here. It has been a few years since I have made this one and I love the dress and the hat but I really need to create straps that join as I go. That is the only part that makes me crazy about the dress. I hope to fix that for the second baby doll.

The shoes are my go to free shoe pattern from Darksi's Peachy Keen set found here.

Notes:

The dress and hat were made with a K hook, the shoes with an I. I found this yarn at my local Walmart and I picked it up thinking it would be perfect for projects like this one and for next year's snuggle sacks. I hope to pick up more as I like how it worked up. This is Red Heart Jumble Speckle Bubble Gum. It's nice to see something I bought get used quickly and not get lost in my stash. I still have quite a bit left to use as I bought the jumbo but it will be useful for the baby doll projects.

I always join after the first row and because of this I often forget to turn the rows. I really prefer the look when I turn. Mark the front. I will be working on a way not to have to sew on the straps. This never ends well for me. Took me several tries to get these lined up and sewn on correctly.

This dress slides on and off the doll easily and no snaps or buttons are required. The designer didn't join but sewed it together later.

Chelsea Cinderella

I picked up Sweet Silver Creations mini AG pattern set last year and I've been using it for Chelsea, Stacie, and in some cases even Skipper. You can purchase the individual Cinderella pattern here or the set here.

Notes:

To be clear these are not Chelsea patterns so I need to adapt them to fit. I've had more luck adapting her AG Mini patterns than the 6 inch Kelly patterns. I've tried both but the AG's were easier to fit.

I use size 20 thread from Creative Yarn Source and a .75mm hook for this dress. It is the smallest hook I need for these outfits. I was playing a little bit of thread chicken as I havne't ordered the Cinderella colors in a bit. I reordered over the weekend and believe I found a lighter blue I couldn't get the first time.

With the .75 mm hook I did not need to increase the number of rows to get the bodice to fit as I had to do for Stacie and Skipper. Like the other two dolls though I did have to decrease at the neck to get the neck to fit the doll. I did a sc 4 than decreased around the neck.

For the skirt I did rows 1-14 as written. I then completed rows 21-22. This gave me the floor length the pattern required.

I would not do the suggested additional chains at the waist as this made it harder to close and I needed an extra snap. I don't believe I did them last time but decided to try the directions to see what would happen.

I suggested adding a row to the headband and the collar and both worked better with an additional row. The snaps are tight even with the additional row for the collar and those are the smallest I have.

This year I followed the overskirt directions as written and liked how it looked. I plan on continuing this for Stacie and Skipper.

Glitter Girl Thread Shorts, Shirt, Hat, and Shoes

As I approach the end of this donation season I'm trying a different approach as I'm in a pretty good place with the donations this year with my new method of spreading out projects.

I stopped to look at where the needs are greatest among the dolls. Most have pretty good wardrobes. With some outside donations some have great wardrobes. However, some are lacking in certain areas of their wardrobes and that's where I want to focus some of my remaining time.

Then there is my creative time. I want to make some things I just haven't had the time to make this year and why not.

This project falls under the first category. The Glitter Girl has a decent wardrobe but almost everything is a dress. So before the season ends I want to add some casual clothes as one accessory kit is camping and that doesn't go well with some of her more dressy clothes. Along with this project I have a couple more thread and one yarn project I hope to add that will give her some casual play clothes as my Mom used to call them to go with her more dressy outfits.

This pattern is available for purchase here and also includes a pattern for pants that I'm hoping to include as part of her casual wardrobe.

Notes:

I purchased a bunch of Lizbeth size 3 variegated yarn a while back and found myself using the same colors again and leaving certain colors abandoned because I wasn't quite sure how the pattern would work up. I've decided it is time to attack these orphans and this project was the first outing.

The shirt is made with Lizbeth size 20 Wildflower Garden trimmed with Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3 white. The purple is Thread Art Size 3 Lilac which is only labeled 20 on the carton.

I followed the directions using an e hook through out the pattern. Since I plan to return to this pattern for the pants I'm thinking of decreasing the hook size to a D as they seemed a little large. I'd also use a D for the shoes. I've never worked with a Wellie Wisher doll so I don't know if those doll's feet are larger. The cap worked well with an e.

The shorts were long for me as written so I ened at row 12. This may change if I move to a D hook.

This pattern includes directions for shorts, capris, pants and a collar for the shirt to change the outfit.

Pumpkin Dishcloth

I purchased this pattern during an incredible sale on Etsy and you can purchase the pattern here. There are plenty of free pumpkin patterns out there but this one had texture and it is double sided which attracted me to buying a single pattern.

I knew it was going to be slightly smaller than most of my dishcloths but since it was a double sided technique I hadn't tried before I was hesitant to add widening rows the first time through. Having made one I'd condider making it a bit wider and longer before working the back side.

This was made with I believe Lily Sugar and Creme orange and Peaches and Creme Rosemary Cotton kitchen type yarn. I needed an H hook for the job. The pattern was easy to follow and as I mentioned I made no changes.

Turkey Leg Dishcloth

Still working on replenishing my holiday dishcloths. Today we have another free Yarnspirations pattern found here.

I still have their turkey one I made many years ago but I rather liked the texture on this one. It makes for a good cleaning experience.

This was made with Peaches and Cream yarn and an H hook. I used an off white yarn rather than the suggested Jute. My goal where ever possible is to use up the cotton I have on hand to reduce a stash I don't often use rather than to buy more random colors. I'm sure there will be that project that I can find a substitute color to make but my hope is that some of this yarn will be living in my kitchen and not my stash.

Spider Web Dishcloth

I learned to crochet many years ago making dishcloths and then pot holders for my house. I continued to make them to learn new stitches knowing that even if they weren't something I wanted anyone to see they would still be used to clean my house. I've always loved having holiday themed dishclothes and potholders for the kitchen.

About five years ago I updated the holiday potholder collection. I thought it had been more recent but one thing about this blog is it does help me keep track of my projects. It has been much longer since I've updated my holiday dishclothes. I still make scrubbies as they die and I've made some regular dishclothes on occasion but the time has come to add some new holiday ones to our collection.

This is a free Yarnspiration pattern found here. This is actually a scrubby pattern made with Red Heart scrubby yarn. I have never been able to crochet with their scrubby yarn and honestly for the same reason have never been a fan of the items made with the yarn. However, I wanted to see if this would work with traditional kitchen cotton. This was made with Peaches and Cream.

I started with the web. If the web wasn't going to work than the project was pointless. My one thought is I might use a g hook to get better definition with the web next time if I make it again. I used an H hook for the entire project. The only changes I needed were to change to kitchen cotton and I used blue for the border since I didn't have any purple on hand.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Spring Dress and Jacket

I'm returning to Amy Carrico's Spring Dress and Jacket pattern for the Lots to Love 14 inch baby doll that can be purchased here. It was in the 2024 donation but somehow missed the 2025 donation.

Notes:

This is made with Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport yarn. The yellow striped is getting harder to find but it does make a nice contrast with the regular yellow baby yarn. It's nice to try something other than pink or lavender for this outfit.

The pattern calls for an e hook but I need to start the first two rows of the dress and the jacket with a g hook before finishing with an e hook.

The panties need to be worked to 32 stitches to fit this doll. Depending on the year I sometimes need to add additional rows and then decrease a little to make them fit. I also finish around the legs.

The shoes fit as written and this year using yellow I have more variety of shoe colors for this doll.

I finished under the arms. My note from my previous project suggested finishing the top as well and I'd do that next time.

The dress is closed with a snap and the jacket with a button.

Barbie Pilgrim

Over the years I've acquired quite the doll library but only in the last few years have I truly commited to seeing what actually can be utilized for this donation.

This pattern comes from Crochet World's 1984 Special Issue No.2 Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 Inch Fashion Dolls. What intrigued me when I saw this on a used pattern site was the mention of the Pilgrim outfits. Ken's is designed for display. However, when I saw Barbie's I had hopes this might work.

Notes:

The pattern calls for sport yarn. This is one of those terms that can make you crazy in old patterns for a number of reasons. Even in 1984 there were a number of references to sport yarn that meant different things. However, today we have so many different types of yarn referrred to as sport that the word is sometimes less than helpful.

The outfit shown in the picture looked like the yarn was lighter so I started with heavier thread, moved on to fingering and found myself at DK. Even then while the dress was a bit bulky, the way the waist was formed made the dress too small for my current model. To manage this I decided to fall back to crocheting over an elastic for the waist ensuring that the waist would fit.

As a note for future projects I'd start with the elastic waist and fingering yarn. The Premier Basix DK was bulkier than I liked but it was the only yarn that was even close to fitting at the waist.

The suggested D hook worked for the yarn portion of the project. I used a 1.8 mm thread hook for the thread sections with the exception of the bonnet which I used a 2.0mm.

I changed the cuffs by joining and then sc to the dress.

Bonnet needed added neck rows to get it to fit this Barbie's hair so I continued to crochet until it fit the face of the doll. The bonnet is supposed to have 3 rows bend back over the bonnet. I sc first row into back rows and sc next two rows as written. This just makes it easier to get the thread to fold evenly. I added ties to the bonnet with I believe 30 chains. If this was being displayed the like of ties would likely not be an issue but since it is designed for play it needs to be tied down.

I have a third Pilgrim pattern for Barbie from Shady Line that I last made before this donation started. I may pull that out and see which pieces work best. I do like the bonnet and apron from this pattern. The collars would have worked better if the dress worked better.

Our Generation Boy Prince

I made this in 2024 for the donation but while I added some new items to his wardrobe last year this one fell out of the rotation. I wanted to get it back in for 2026.

This is part of Pamela Yarborough's Snow White three pattern set. However, you can buy just the Prince outfit here.

I've been assembling the pieces of this outfit between other doll outfits over the course of the last two weeks. I find it easier to handle these projects with multiple pieces tackling them between other projects.

Notes:

The outfit is made primarily with Red Heart Super Saver. I knew from last year I needed a lighter yarn for the yellow trim so I went with Herrschner's DK yarn that was in my stash using a G hook. This was a much neater look than using worsted 4 for the trim.

I use an I hook for the one piece pants and shirt. After reading last year's notes I added three rows to the pant legs as I do not connect the boots to the pants. This makes it much easier for little hands to get the outfit on and off. If this was going to be a make and display I'd consider doing as written but tucking the pants into the boots works fine and means a child can put the clothes on and off.

As my guage can vary I make the boots first using a g hook. This allows me to test the length of the pants to make sure they are long enough to tuck the boots into the pants. The added row I suggested from last year worked well.

Two other changes relating to the boots were that I changed all brown yarn to black in this pattern. To allow the pants to tuck into the boot tops I crochet the first round of the cuff in back loops so it will bend over top of the boot.

The belt was also changed from the pattern to make it easier to get on and off the doll. I used a K hook and chained 50. I chose not to join but use a snap to close in the back as sliding it on and off over multiple layers is more challenging. If it was a one time display situation it wouldn't be much of an issue but if a doll is going to be changing than simple is better.

I needed a K hook for the Tunic and as mentioned above used DK yarn and a G hook to finish around the edges.

Having just resupplied my red I decided to go with red for his cape using a K hook. I would stick with that next time. I liked the look. Just a note for future projects the chains reattach to the sides of the cape. The directions are there but for some reason this puzzled me this time. My previous notes suggested using a G hook for the black sections of the cape I would suggest doing that next time as well.

If you want the crown pattern you will need to buy the Snow White set here. The crown pattern comes from the Evil Queen's pattern. I've been using it for the Prince as I've yet to get to the Evil Queen.

I used an M hook to get the crown to fit over the rather puffy hair of the Our Generation Boy. I did not use the suggested red trim.

One more personal note because this always panics me my copy is the complete set double sided so the Prince pattern is tucked in with Snow White and the Queen and can not be separated out like I've done with some of my other sets. When I look for this pattern again look for the set not a single pattern.

Glitter Girl Spring Petal Dress

It has been a few years since I last made this pattern and I continue to debate about the best fiber for the job. I was waiting on a shipment of Knit Picks once again so I decided I'd try size 3 crochet thread. It worked, but like the baby yarn I tried previously still not the flow I was hoping to find.

You can purchase the pattern for this outfit here.

Notes:

In case I decide to go this route again and as a gauge for thinking about how much Knit Picks Palette I'd need I used a little over one complete container of Aunt Lydia's size 3 warm rose for this project.

Unlike the previous time I made this I was able to use a D hook for the entire project.

I used the two suggested buttons for this outfit. I will sometimes substitute snaps for ease of use so I've been trying to get better at noting which patterns I use snaps and which ones I use buttons. It makes repeating the pattern for a future donation much easier.