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.
