I rather like this project for the donation despite the fact it is rather hard on my hands as it uses threee strands of worsted weight yarn together to make a carrier strong enough to tote around a rather large baby doll. This combined with the diaper bag gives the doll and all its extras storage. I was lucky this year and Caron Pounders were on sale and I got enough for the two JC Toys 16-inch Baby Doll carriers. I'm hoping to have enough from my stash to make the slighly smaller Lots to Love 14 inch doll.
This is a free pattern from Holland Designs found here.
I've been altering this pattern for years to make it a better fit for the dolls I donate. I crochet the first 10 rows of the pattern with an I hook and then switch to a K hook for the remainder of the pattern. The original pattern was designed for a Cabbage Patch kid and I suspect the larger size was a better fit. The narrower JC dolls fit better with the smaller carrier.
For my hands sake I tried to stick to 2 rows a day. The days I went over before switching to another projcet I felt it. I don't plan on starting the second carrier before April. I have plenty of projects that need doing and I'm hoping this will give my hands a needed rest.
I haven't finished any doll blankets yet and the doll donations generally come much later in the year, but this carrier will leave with a blanket for the donation.
