16 Inch Baby Doll Carrier

I looked at my stash yarn as I approached this project and realized I didn't have 3 skeins of the same colored purple yarn but I could mix and match to finish the project. This seemed like an ideal solution as my goal is to reduce my rather large stash of yarn to a more manageable size. Using up yarn on larger projects is always a great way to start. I came close to finishing with the 3 skeins I started with but the 2 Red Heart skeins gave out at the very end when it came time to make the handles. I had enough left from a partial pounder and found 2 slightly different Red Heart Super Saver purple shades to finish off the handles. I thought the finished look was fine.

I'm already scanning my stash to decide what to use for the last doll carrier. I need to give my hands a rest as working with the 3 skeins at once is hard on my hands and wrists, but time is moving quickly. The deadline will be here before I know it. I'd like to have the stuff ready early if possible.

For those of you interested this is a free pattern and you can find it here. I've modified the pattern to make it slightly smaller as I found the original to be rather large. I crochet the first 10 rows of the pattern with an I hook and finish the remainder with the suggested K hook.

The granny blanket came courtesy of a donation from a MO member of Crochetville. I'm fortunate that she and others help me with this doll donation each year. It means more kids get dolls with clothing and accessories each year.

Baby Doll Carrier

I'm very excited to say I'm done with the second doll carrier for the 2020 donation!!! This means no more for this year unless I need one for a gift. This rarely happens, but I did need an extra one last year.

The only real challenge with this pattern is the need to crochet with 3 skeins of yarn. It is a bit hard on the hands. I tend to alternate working on the carriers and working on another project.

I was able to finish the first project using stash yarn. This was the first donation project I needed to purchase yarn to make this year. I just couldn't find three matching skeins of yarn in appropriate colors. I don't feel to bad. Not everything is going to work out as a stash busting project.

For those of you who are interested in making your own doll carrier this pattern is a free pattern available here.

I finished this at the beginning of February so I making good progress getting the baby dolls ready for the donation.

Baby Doll Carrier

Most years I have to buy yarn specifically for this project as it requires the equivalent of 3 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver all in the same color to complete the task. This year while cleaning the yarn room I found three Caron One Pounders in purple and they were more than suited to this task. I'm still hunting for the 3 skeins I need for the second carrier, but since my hands and arms need a rest before tackling that one, I have time to see if I can't find 3 more matching skeins in my stash to complete the second carrier.

This is a free pattern available on Ravelry here.

I love adding accessories to the donation, so I do include this project with the donation every year. The challenge I find is working the three strands in the round. It isn't just hard on the hands but I feel it all the way up the arms. The pattern isn't complicated it just is sometimes hard getting the yarn worked through.

I have had to adapt the pattern to meet my needs and I like to record my notes in case I lose my paper copy and have to download a new one. These may or may not prove useful to others making this doll basket.

The pattern calls for a K hook. I found this made for a huge basket almostt a real baby size. To change that I did the first 10 foundation rows with an I hook, then I returned to the K hook to finish the rest of the basket. The bigger hook does help with manipulating the 3 strands of yarn which ultimately give the basket a more solid form that holds the doll inside the basket.

Baby Doll Carrier

One of the projects I try to finish early in the year are the baby doll carriers as they are hard on my hands. They are a great project to add to the doll donation and I love doing them every year, but I can't say I'm sad when I don't have them on my to do list any longer. For those of you interested in making one, you can find the free pattern here.

Thanks to some wonderful fairy godmothers at Crochetville I won't need to make blankets for the baby dolls or the 18 inch dolls this year as I received some beautiful donated blankets for the doll project.

Baby Doll Carrier

After taking a break to let my hands heal up I tackled and finished the second doll carrier for the donation last week. Thanks to a thoughtful Fairy Godmother from Crochetville, I don't need to crochet a blanket for this set as she sent me one as part of our wishlist there. I am grateful as this has let me move on to other projects.

The doll carrier is a free pattern and you can find it here.

Now for my project notes. I fell in love with the color of the Big Twist yarn while at JoAnn's and thought it would be a nice break from working with the Caron Pounders or Red Heart. The yarn is softer and I liked the pale pink color. The softer should have been a sign I'd made the wrong choice. Softer is wonderful for MANY projects, but not the doll carriers, which are trying to create an almost basket to carry the dolls in by using 3 strands of yarn crocheted together. The yarn broke more than once and I've never had this happen with any other brand of acrylic I've used making the doll carriers. That to put it mildly was frustrating. So while I will continue to by Big Twist for other projects, I'm making a note to remind myself that no matter how tempting the colors are I must never buy it again to make the doll carriers.

I am thrilled that the doll carriers are finished for the year. I love the way these come out and next year am planning on sending an additional one to a family member so that will be three in a year, but I never ever find myself sad when I'm done making them as they are extremely tough on the hands and wrists. Three strands is just nasty.