Ken Pajamas

I started to look for a pajamas pattern for Ken not remembering I'd made him pants and a robe in 2022. The pattern came from Crochet World's Fashion Doll Showcase #1.

What I actually wanted was a more traditional pajamas pattern though not just a robe and pants. I thought I'd found that my pajamas pattern flipping through Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Dolls including a Complete Wedding Esemble and Trousseau. I didn't look that closely at the time to realize it wasn't a pajamas pattern but actually a jumpsuit that reminded me of a costume from the Six Million Dollar Man. With that in mind the top still worked for my project if I didn't make it a onsie. Not finding lots of other options I decided to go this route.

Notes:

I used a D hook and Baby Bernat Sport Blue yarn for the top and followed most of the pattern as written through row 10 where I stopped before joining to make the jumpsuit. The one major difference I made was to use sc for the collar as it was way to large with the suggested dc. The sleeves worked as written.

I made the pants the way I make most of Ken's pants. I measured and sewed a piece of elastic big enough for his waist and crocheted around it with a C hook and the same yarn as the top. When I reached the crotch I split the paints by chaining 4 in the middle and joining thus creating two legs of equal stitches. I crocheted one leg until it was long enough I believe it was 19 rows. I ended it and completed the second leg.

These are the smallest white butttons that come in my button sets I buy. I bought some mini buttons for the Barbie outfits and they work with the thread and fingering yarns. However, they are not big enough to work with the baby yarn. I had to remove and add the larger buttons. Just an FYI note to myself for future projects.

Ken Sweat Pants and T-Shirt

After making Ken's PJ bottoms I realized the pattern would work for sweat pants as well. As I've mentioned before it is challenging getting the older patterns I've collected for Ken to fit the smaller modern Ken dolls so when I find a pattern that does fit I'm trying to see if I can stretch it for more than one purpose.

The pants pattern for this set was found in an out of print Crochet World's Fashion Doll Showcase #1. I had a slighlty different guage using Aunt Lydia's Size 10 Navy thread and ended up using a Tulip 1.75mm hook for this set of pants. Not sure why the thread was different but I'm making a note of it hear for myself because I will likely return to my stash and this pattern next year and it will matter.

Having made the pants I wanted a simple top to finish the set. I turned to another out of print leaflet from House of White Birches Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Dolls Including a complete Wedding Ensemble and Trousseau. This pattern is a simple short and top set and I will be returning to make the short set at a later point. As I've said if something fits I'm going to use it for the donation this year. Ken is one of my more challenging dolls to fit.

I used a C rather than the suggested D hook with Bernat Baby Sport Blue and White. I used the suggested number of rows for the shirt and sleeves.

Ken PJ's and Robe

I tend to buy multiples of Barbies, Ken's etc. so I can adapt patterns and donate them for a few years without having to start over with a new doll and new dimensions.

I stil have a few more years with the Ken Dentist Doll and then I'll have to hunt for a new model as I suspect he'll have been retired. I looked this year just out of curiousity and picked up a few Barbie Zoologists as my doll when I run out of Barbie Vet dolls. I was concerned as I looked at the dimensions for the Ken professional dolls that he keeps getting smaller. This makes fitting clothes for him from the old Ken patterns increasingly more challenging.

This is another pattern I found in the out of print Crochet World's Fashion Doll Showcase #1.

There is always a challenge when you adapt older patterns for dolls but with the changing sizes of the Barbie doll family there is an additional challenge that it just isn't a change in available fibers it also means you are adapting for different sizes not just in height but in other proportions as well. This is why when possible I do try to buy several versions of a specific doll to donate so when I adapt a pattern I get to use it for a couple of years before having to refit it to a new model.

I needed my Tulip Etimo Steel .9mm Hook to make this fit Ken. The original pattern calls for a C hook to give you an idea of contrast. I used Red Heart's Size 10 Thread White and Aunt Lydia's Size 10 Delft

The pants were easy to make and I'm thinking these would make great sweat pants in another color with a shirt. I struggled last year to find enough patterns that would fit Ken so I'm going to expand where I can on patterns that fit.

Stacie Sunday Best

I have a preposted donation list to help me track all the items made to keep me on track. I started it last year late in the year and this year I started it from the first project made and it has helped me to focus on dolls in need of dressing.

I started out well with Barbie's clan in January. Barbie and Chelsea have a good start. This is promising since last year poor Chelsea left with only one outfit. However, Stacie prior to this project had but one outfit and Ken and Skipper still have only the clothes they came in so I have some work to do not to have that what was I thinking moment in the fall when I realize I've forgotten to include enough outfits for a doll.

I started making Barbie clothes for my now adult nieces before moving on adding Barbies to the donation recently. During the years my nieces were younger I hunted the Internet searching for out of print leaflets and magazines devoted to crocheting for Barbie and her clan. While adjustments sometimes have to be made for the changes in doll sizes, available yarn/thread, and my own guage, I find I'm often able to make the patterns work for even the modern Barbie line.

This pattern comes Crochet World's Fashion Doll Showcase #1 published in 1988. It has a wide range of patterns from leisure to more formal outfits. I started with this one because I wanted something for Stacie and I thought it would give me an idea of what I was working with for guage.

The pattern calls for Knit-Cro-Sheen and a Size 1 steel crochet hook. I used Aunt Lydia's and Red Heart Thread and traded back between my Tulip thread hooks 1.8mm and 1.25mm.

The pattern shows the picture for the dress but not the coat. I shortened the coat because I found the longer coat didn't fit well over the dress. Without a picture to see how the designer intended it to fit it was hard to determine how it was supposed to fit but I liked the short sweater look for the outfit.