Our Generation Boy Pajamas

One of the challenges of donating the boy Our Generation is finding enough patterns to make it a workable donation. I've have some male patterns but I've taken to using some of the 18 inch girl patterns that are more generic and making them over for the boy. This year I've taken two Christmas themed patterns for both the boy and the girl and moved them to more year round colors because I think the outfits will get more use once Christmas is past if they aren't thought of as Christmas night wear.

This outfit was designed as Christmas PJ's for the 18 inch female doll by Adoring Dolls. You can purchase the pattern here. I will say it reminded me of the winter PJ's and long johns my brothers had growing up so I decided making them for the boys was not a bad choice.

Notes:

I chose not to include the night cap and I switched the back for front because it fit better for this doll.

I used an I hook and Caron One Pounder Blue Danube. While I love this shade I'm not sure it is still available. I pulled it from my stash as I wanted blue and I wanted to make sure I didn't run out mid project.

I used an I hook with this project and followed the directions as written until it came to figuring out how this would be worn. The directions are a bit iffy for closing it in the font. I tried it on with the doll wearing the opening in the front and honestly I wasn't loving the look. This led me to decide to close it in the back with a snap and add the button closure in the front as a decoration rather than the closure which was slightly unclear to me as to how it was going to work.

For my purposes this makes it easier for a child to use as the snap easily closes the outfit in the back and the outfit drapes better with the opening in the back. I would continue to make it this way as I'll need PJ's for next year as well.

She does have a pattern for pj's for the boy on her website but I wasn't sure they would appear different than a shorts and shirt outfit.

With this outfit the Our Generation Boy is ready to be packed the day before Halloween!! Yes I am excited to be finishing up and getting stuff packed.

Our Generation Boy Sleeping Bag

I finished the crocheting part of this at an appointment last Friday. I did the final finishes at home. These do make great travel and wait projects. I do try to do the pillow section as it requires stuffing at home and get the bag section started but after that it is a great calming waiting project. This was finished over two appointments.

You can find the free pattern at Suzies Stuff Blog here.

I've been working harder on the join after creating the pillow section. This is the only challenge I have with the pattern as it sets the form for the whole project. Something has changed in what I'm doing as I hadn't had a problem in previous years so I'm taking it more slowly. Testing the doll to make sure it fits before adding the rest of the rows. I also think I may have added an additional sc row after joining before starting the dc shell rows. I will keep working on this as this previously had not been an issue and clearly the pattern hasn't changed in all these years.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Ombre Cocoa with a K hook.

I don't count rows once past the pillow. I continue to measure it against the doll closing when it is easily past the feet with room to sc closed with a little space at the bottom.

Our Generation Boy Swim Trunks

This is an Adoring Doll pattern that can be purchased here. I have the set that includes the boy, girl and the Wellie Wisher doll patterns. You can buy the individual pattern that I've linked or it is sold as a set.

Notes:

I use an I hook for this pattern.

To get it to fit the Our Generation Boy I need a starting chain of 46. This then changes the legs to 23.

The color change for the leg is marked for the 2nd leg not the first so the change is Row 11 stays yellow, row 12 blue, end with row 13 yellow. Again a note to self for next year actually count. I did the color change a row early and it will work but it is better with the additional row.

This is why I actually write these notes for myself. Sadly when I'm rushed I don't always read them. I did this the last time I made them and something told me I'd done it before but I read the pattern directions not my notes and I didn't follow the notes which also allows you to tighten the trunks if they are a little loose.

The original pattern calls for a piece of yarn to be tied for the trunks as if it is a tie. I decided to crochet a tie and thread it through the fpdc as this year the trunks were loser and it allowed me to tighten them just a little with the pull ties.

I mentioned in a previous post about a hat I made for the 16 inch Baby doll from a Linmary Knits pattern that you'd be seeing it again for the Our Generation Boy as I'd made a mistake and it was too large for the baby doll. When possible I try not to waste items that could be used by another doll if it is just a matter of size. When I saw this I thought it would make a great sun hat for his swim trunks. I never thought when I made the hat in July it would take me until October to get the trunks finished but they are done in the same donation year so that is a blessing.

Our Generation Boy Basketball Uniform

This has been a challenging year for getting crochet time but I still believe we will have an amazing donation. I'm starting to focus on finishing the targeted projects for the individual dolls. This could be one of the last items just for fun that will be made for the donation as the deadline is fast approaching and I still have lots of must makes to complete before then.

Since I added the boy Our Generation doll I've had to seek some of the more generic girl patterns to convert for the boy doll. Adoring Doll Clothes has sports patterns that have worked well for the boy. This is her Basketball pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

Shirt:

This is made with Caron Pounder Kelly Green, Red Heart White and Black. I wanted the specific shade of green for future reference I tend to use what ever shades/brands of white or black I have on hand.

I used an I hook for the shirt and I'd stick with that for future projects as the fit was good for getting on and off the doll.

I made the button hole while trimming the neckline and finishing the back in white.

Shorts:

I needed an I hook.

I kept this note from the previous year's post as I found it helped me complete this year's project.

I've never been good at adding ss along the edge of something so I ss to add the yarn to the side than did a row of ss not attached to the end of the shorts and ss to the end of the shorts. I left a long end and sewed the ss to the shorts. Not the most effective method but better than the mess I was making trying to ss directly to the shorts.

Shoes:

Last year I used a g hook and I wrote it worked well for the Our Generation. I found the shoes were a little harder to get on and off so next year I'd suggest an H hook for the Our Generation. If I was doing this for the My Life Girls I'd use an I.

Our Generation Boy Easter

When I see patterns for the 18 inch doll boy I try to pick them up to add to my options for the donation. I often find myself adapting more of the girl generic patterns.

This was part of one of Adoring Doll's holiday sets that can be purchased as individual patterns or as a set. Since I have Easter patterns for the other dolls in the set I decided to pick up only the male doll outfit and that can be purchased here.

Notes:

Shoes:

I was able to follow the pattern using the G hook as written as the feet are smaller than the My Life feet. I like the way these shoes fit and am making a note that they'd be good for future projects with pants. They have a boot look so a bit stranger for projects with shorts.

Pants:

I used an I hook for the upper portion of the pants and an H for the legs and waist.

Shirt

I used an I for the body of the shirt and an H for the arms.

I added 4 rows for the length to get it to be long enough for the doll before adding final row of brown.

This is a good pants pattern for future boy doll projects if I need a quick pair.

I finished back of sweater with white adding button hole and button.

Bow tie:

Made with suggested G hook. I would finish edges before wrapping next time.

Cap:

I used this pattern for the Valentine outfit and struggled with the directions but finally figure out the stitch count numbers are correct but at a certain point you switch from working the front of the cap to the back. I was trying to work in the round and was completely confused the first time I made the cap. Row 14 begins the directions for the back of the hat only. Figuring this out made completing the hat much easier.

I needed an H hook for the hat.

Our Generation Boy Heart Sweater, Pants and Hat

Happy Valentine's Day.

There are not many crochet clothing patterns designed for the 18 inch boy dolls. Most tend to be costumes. I've learned to pick the girl items that I think are generic enough and adapt them to fit the boy doll.

This outfit is a combination of pants I've just been making for years, a Tara Cousins' Girl Heart Sweater and Shoes pattern, and the Hat from an Adoring Doll Easter pattern for the Boy doll.

Notes:

I've been playing with doll pants for years and still experimenting. This pair was made by crocheting over a hair elastic with an H hook for the waist and then crocheting in rounds until I reached the waist. I went a row too long for the waist I believe. I increased rows hdc 5 inch for 3 rows I believe as the top section was snug to slide on and off. I split with a chain four. At this point with the increases the legs had to be decreased to 21 stitches per leg. These are my notes for future reference and not designed as a pattern to share.

The sweater and shoes are from a Tara Cousins pattern that can be purchased here.

I used an I hook for the sweater and added a row of hdc with some decreases around the collar to fill in the off the shoulder look for the boy.

Looking at my records I'm not sure I've ever made the long sleeved version of this sweater before. I know I've made the short sleeved one several times.

I chose to close the back of the sweater with buttons. She uses a different method that didn't seem practical for little hands.

I finished the back of the sweater and added buttons and holes. The winter shoes work up with the suggested g hook as written.

The Hat is from Adoring Doll's Easter Outfit for the Boy that can be purchased here. I'm hoping to make the Easter outfit to add to the donation later.

I need to work on the brim for the hat. I don't think I'm quite joining this correctly but hopefully this will work out better with the Easter outfit.

While the holiday will have passed with the donation in the future I'm still working on Valentine's outfits for some of the other dolls. One of the advantages of the Valentine theme is hearts can be worn year round making them a little more practical for doll clothes.

Our Generation Boy Loom Knit Hat and Scarf

After making hats for a winter warmer donations I had some yarn left over that I wasn't prepared to use for more adult hats. I'm planning on continuing this project through the year to prepare for additional donations in the coming year but the left overs are good practice for learning new skills like loom knitting. Doll projects are often a great way to learn a new skill as the projects are smaller and they often are a bit easier to fudge if they aren't perfect.

I tried to learn loom knitting years ago and beyond the basic hat pattern that came with the knifty knitters I failed miserably. I recently started watching Good Knit Kisses on You Tube and her videos actually make sense to me. I said this recently to someone who was frustrated at learning crochet using online videos, keep looking for a method that works for you. I mention Good Knit Kisses not because it is the "only" one out there but because it is the first set of videos I understood. There are plenty out there that may speak to your learning style in a better way.

I needed to practice the knit stitch after learning the crochet cast on. I did her suggested homework swatch but I wanted a project I could use for the doll donation as well.

I used Learn to Loom Knit for Your Doll for the Scarf Pattern

I'm not sure if I hadn't started Good Knit Kisses video tutorials this book would have worked for me. It was however the right book for the right time. The book discusses patterns for multiple size dolls for hats, scarves, a backpack, and mittens. I'm actually looking to find some of the smaller looms as I had no idea they had them that small and recently found them online at Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I haven't purchased them yet so I can't say how helpful they will be.

Notes:

I used Premier Puzzle Chess Yarn I had left over from a crochet hat donation.

The loom for the hat is the blue knifty knitter loom. The scarf was made with the Knifty Knitter Spool Loom.

I followed the original pattern for the e wrap hat for the brim and then used the rest of the hat to practice my knit stitch. I did not use the pattern in the book

I followed the pattern in the book for the scarf. The challenge for me was closing the ends with the fringe. I tried an experiment with my second scarf that wasn't as helpful as I hoped but I'm not giving up on this approach.

Our Generation Boy Pilgrim

I actually started this shortly after I finished the girl Our Generation Pilgrim but I finished it in pieces. I'd get one item done and put it aside to finish a different project. I finally decided New Year's Day it needed to be completed before pieces were lost and the project abandoned.

This was made using Adoring Doll's male Pilgrim set you can purchase here. She offers a set with both the female and male doll which is the one I have since I use both patterns.

I was disapointed to discover I hadn't written down notes as I went along so I'm trying to recreat notes as I go here. I do know from checking the pants I used elastic at the waist of the pants. I think I then was able to use an H hook for the pants.

I think I also used an H for the hat although at least for the base I'd go larger as it is a bit tight maybe going with a smaller hook once past the head.

I know I used an I hook for the shirt and an H for the belt. I needed to the belt to get it to fit around the body. I added stitches until it fit and used a snap to close the belt.

Fairly sure the shoes were an H hook as the boots were tight when I went with suggested G hook.

I would add a few rows to the sleeves and perhaps one row to the pants. The pants are supposed to be shorter for the period but these are just a little shorter than needed.