Glitter Girls Doll Ruffled Top and Skirt

Last year I ordered Rag dolls from CR Crafts and Factory Direct because I wasn't sure which one I wanted. Having decided I prefer Factory Direct's model the next step was to decide if I was going to drop a doll for the donation or find a new type of doll to work with as I didn't intend to donate two of the same Rag doll.

I'd been interested in the Wellie Wishers dolls even before they stopped making them but they were never a realistic donation doll. I'd never quite found the subsitute in the size range I liked for a price that seemed sustainable for the donation. This year as I was looking at dolls I came acrross the Glitter Girls Dolls by Battat and decided I had to try them out for the donation this year.

I'd seen free crochet patterns for the Wellie Wishers on ABC Knitting and even adapted one for the Rag dolls last year for the donation. I was excited to see how they'd work with the Glitter Girl doll as everything I'd read online indicated they were a similiar size.

It is unusual for my guage to match the designers so I was pleasantly surprised to find the top fit the doll using Aunt Lydia Crochet Cotton Size 10 , White and the suggested 1.5mm crochet thread hook.

The skirt was a very different story. The pattern called for chaining 70 and I am seriously thinking of trying this pattern for the 18 inch doll as written because I think it would be an interesting skirt. The pattern does call for a tie to pull the skirt in at the end but with 70 chains I could have fit 2 dolls into the skirt. The bulge would have been huge when I pulled it in with the tie. I reduced it to 56 stitches and this made for a nicer waist fit but I didn't end up with the ruffled skirt. I was OK with that. If I make this again I can fix the skirt pattern if I want the ruffle. I rather liked the straight skirt look.

My Life Chevron Skirt and Summer Blouse

This was a unique fiber challenge for me. Both projects suggested using size 10 crochet thread for their respective patterns. In the case of one I ended up using the smaller size 20 crochet thread. In the other I was able to meet a goal of using up some Spud and Chloe sock yarn I'd won as a door prize from a fiber event years ago and have been slowly targeting for doll projects.

I purchased the Chevron skirt pattern from e-pattern central during one of their many sales. When I checked back today the pattern was no longer available. However if you are interested the designer still is selling it at Ravelry here.

I tried making the skirt with size 10 cotton thread and went down to my smallest steel hooks with no luck. This could be my issue as it looks like at least one other person has completed it on Ravelry with size 10 thread. However, I decided to try an experiment and started the skirt with size 20 thread I had left over from a Barbie project and used my Tulip Rose Steel Crochet Hook-Size 4/1.25mm. The skirt quickly showed signs of fitting better but I had to order more size 20 thread from Creative Yarn source so I put off finishing the skirt until my thread arrived.

With the right hook and thread this was actually a fairly easy pattern to follow and I like the look of the finished skirt.

While I like sending separates because the child gets to mix and match outfits to create a fashion pleasing to the child it creates a need to find more patterns. I turned to ABC Knitting's Doll Crochet section for the Elgegant Summer Blouse. You can find the free pattern here.

As I mentioned earlier this pattern also called for size 10 cotton but when I'd tried it earlier it had been too small. I remembered the sock yarn and decided it was worth a try. I used a size B hook with the sock yarn and am pleased with the fit. This might not be a bad way to use up more of the yarn and give myself tops to use with skirts and pants.

My Life Doll Cardigan, Skirt, and Hat

This project filled a couple of my goals. First I used up crochet thread that has been living in my stash for far too long on the skirt. Secondly, I attempted two patterns that I've had on my to do list for a while and never quite gotten around to making. The cardigan yarn was gifted to me by a kind woman from the Ravelry Charity Knitting group who sent me a box of Herrschner's yarn. The cardigan was a perfect use for the sport yarn.

The Seashell Summer skirt pattern is one of ABC Knitting's free crochet doll patterns you can find here. It was a great chance to use up more Aunt Lydia's size 3 thread. I used a size D hook for the first 5 rows to establish the waist. I then switched to the suggested C hook to finish the skirt. The D made it easier to get the outfit on and off. After that the C hook made the skirt shape better than the D which I tried first. I added a few extra rows to make it slightly longer.

As I mentioned in the Irish Lass post Crochet World used to have online bonus patterns. The Cardigan and Hat pattern were part of the August 2011 bonus patterns. You can find the free pattern here. I was quite pleased to find that using the sport Herrschner yarn and a G hook my guage matched the required pattern guage without any adaptations. I used Bernat Baby Sport yarn as the contrasting yarn for this project. It is a little lighter than the purple yarn but because I used it for trim it wasn't an issue.

The Cardigan has a unique texture to it and it was created using a technique I'd not used before. It wasn't complicated but it I ended up using markers to count out increase and decrease changes as it was hard to do a count once the stitches were made. By marking the beginnings and end of a section it was easier to count when I'd get distracted and lose count of where I was in a section.

The hat uses the same stitch technique as the cardigan. I had more trouble getting the shaping on the hat than I expected but I was pleased with the finished product.

Our Generation Seashell Summer Dress

Every year I make an attempt to work through fiber that has taken up residence in my stash and really needs to find a purpose. I bought this size 3 yarn last year to make this dress and then ended up using different yarn for the project. When I started this project I decided it would go to which ever 18" doll it fit best. It turned out to be too big for the My Life Doll so it is the first item I made for the Our Generation doll this year.

I tried the suggested C hook but it was too small for either doll. I moved to a G hook and found while it was large for the My Life doll it fit the Our Generation Doll. I'd start with the F hook next time for the My Life Doll.

Notes:

Dress:

It took slightly under 3 containers of Aunt Lydia's size 3 cotton to complete the dress, hat, and purse. I used a size g hook for the top of the dress to get the right fit. I then used an e hook for the skirt as it was too full with the g hook. I slipped stiched the back closed to the wasit and required only one button to close the back.

Row 6 clarification in case I lose my pattern notes Ch 3 3 shells 4 fans with sc in sp between shell, 5 shells, 4 fans with sc in sp between shell, 3 shells 1 dc in last dc

Hat and Bag:

I used an E hook for both.

You can find the free dress pattern here, the hat pattern here, and the bag pattern here.

Rag Doll Autumn Lace Dress

I've updated my crochet thread hooks with the idea of taking on some doll thread projects this year. I'd lost some of my Bates Bamboo Steelite hooks which sadly have been retired. I've been filling in my lost thread sizes with Tulip Etimo and Armour hooks.

I went to ABC Knitting, the home of most of my doll thread crochet projects, looking for a project to test my new hooks and settled on the Wellie Wishers Doll Autumn Lace Dress free pattern you can find here.

I've never actullay seen a Wellie Wishers doll but from what I read I was hoping the doll would be close enough to adapt the clothing to the smaller 13 3/4" rag doll. The pattern calls for Aunty Lydia's size #10 Crochet Thread and a 1.5mm hook. I did the swatch for guage at the beginning and I was fine. My testing point for fit for a shirt or dress is usually the arm holes. By that point you get a good feel for the fit of the outfit. Using this hook the outfit didn't even fit the 8" baby doll. By the time I reached a 2mm thread hook the stitches were far too loose. I needed to change fiber.

I decided to try Bernat Baby yarn and for the ombre I used an old house brand sport yarn from AC Moore which sadly is no longer available. I started with a D hook and found again the dress too small for the doll but much closer. The E hook proved a good match. I did add a row of dc in purple around the arm holes as they lacked a finished look without them. I did not need the full number of rows to complete the dress as I was using different yarn. The pattern also does not indicate when to switch colors. You will need to decide where to do that yourself.

18 Inch Doll Seashell Summer Dress, Hat, and Purse

This was another attempt to finish off my Spud and Chloe box of sock yarn. I am happy to say the dress used almost an entire skein. I thought I'd have enough to finish off the hat, but I had to use some left over pink yarn I didn't manage to finish up in a previous outing. Thus the reason for the pink purse.

These are all free crochet patterns you can find at ABC Knitting. The dress is available here. If you give them your email address they will give you the ability to download the PDF for free. I suggest this as it is much easier to work from their PDF version than from the version posted on the website. I always end up missing some detail.

Pattern notes:

I used an f hook to get the dress to fit.

As I mentioned when I suggested getting the PDF I have a copy that predates this service and I missed the line after row 6 that says you will be dividing for the sleeve. Thankfully, I knew I was right about at that point and was able to figure out that should be happening. With the number of stitches decreasing it was also a good hint that I'd be skipping stitches to form the arm hole. However, having the complete descriptions and pictures would have made my life easier.

After decreasing the number of stitches in row 7 to make the arm holes you begin increasing in row 8 to create the flair in the skirt. I mention this because I misread the V stitch in between and had a very straight too tight dress that had to be pulled back to row 7 and redone. My hope is by making these notes when I make this dress again I'll remember having done this before.

You can find the free pattern for the hat here and the purse here.