Little Red Riding Hood Baby Doll

I love fairy tales and making themed outfits is always fun. I made this outfit for the Melissa & Doug Jenna - 12" Doll as part of my Christmas donation project.

Something else I enjoy is collecting old crochet patterns and while they can take some work to adapt, they are also can create some fun outfits for dolls. The dress for this outfit came from an old Mary Maxim pattern 189V, which is available for purchase here. I am thrilled Mary Maxim is releasing more of their old patterns for download. I've picked up several doll and other patterns and have had fun working on them.

The cape comes from a black and white 1981 publication from House of White Birches, Baby Doll Fashions to Crochet by Margaret Funk. I found this on one of my many vintage pattern hunts and I have had a great deal of fun exploring the patterns. One thing I will note is the sizes are a bit challenging. For instance they might tell you it is for a 13" doll, but what kind of 13" doll? There are no additional measurements. That being said I've been able to adjust most of the patterns to fit by changing yarn and hook sizes. The 18" patterns have fit pretty well for the padded 15" baby doll when I used worsted instead of sport yarn and increased the hook size.

Barbie and American Girl Doll Free Patterns are listed on my blog at these locations:

Barbie Crochet and Sewing Page

Barbie Knitting Page

Ken Page

Kelly/Skipper Page

American Girl Doll Crochet and Sewing

American Girl Doll Knitting

Doll Blankets and Pillow Patterns

Baby Doll Patterns:

Baby Doll and Cabbage Patch

Additional Doll Patterns also Available on the Holiday Blogs:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Pictures may not be used without permission.

American Girl Pussycat, Pussycat Where Have You Been?

As I mentioned last week I picked up the new Crochet World Presents Best of Animals, Toys, & Dolls magazine. The first item I attempted was the pattern called "Pussycat, Pussycat Where Have You Been?" by Sandy Abbate.

The pattern calls for Patons Astra light, a 3-weight yarn. I used Red Heart sport and other than having to change hooks to make gauge, I had no issue with the change. It also helped me use up some yarn in my stash. I found the hat, the pants, and the shoes worked up really well and will be making them again. I liked the hat without the face so I left it that way. The details didn't look like they'd be that bad to add if you wanted the kitty face.

I did however, struggle with the sweater. After two attempts, I couldn't get the pattern to work for me and opted for the "Cable Loop" Sweater from the out of print Fibre Craft's Springfield Collection Sweater Trio. When I'm working on my donation projects, if something doesn't work, I tend to move on to something I can finish as having a completed wardrobe is my goal and November is creeping up on me. I would love to hear from others that finished the sweater.


Barbie and American Girl Doll Free Patterns are listed on my blog at these locations:

Barbie Crochet and Sewing Page

Barbie Knitting Page

Ken Page

Kelly/Skipper Page

American Girl Doll Crochet and Sewing

American Girl Doll Knitting

Doll Blankets and Pillow Patterns

Baby Doll Patterns:

Baby Doll and Cabbage Patch

Additional Doll Patterns also Available on the Holiday Blogs:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Crochet World's Best Animal, Toys, & Dolls

I was between appointments last week and stopped into my local bookstore to cool off and relax between stops. I love checking out new books and magazines and always check out what might be new in crochet. I was pleasantly surprised to see a new special Crochet World had been issued, Crochet World Presents Best Crochet Animals, Toys & Dolls. While I understand the specials are not included in my regular subscription, I've always found it frustrating that as a subscriber I don't get notices about these, I either find them in a store, or catch them at Annie's. While I don't buy every special issue, I do buy them when I can find them before they go to digital issues. I even have a collection of older doll and toy ones that date back to the ones with black and white pictures. I'll be blogging about some doll clothes I made from one in the not too distant future.

The issue covers a variety of projects from doll clothes, amis, and toys to items for kids to wear and use. There are three 18 inch doll outfits, which I am always thrilled to find new patterns to make for my donation project. In the doll section, there were also 2 patterns for 5-inch dolls and one for the chubby 10-inch dolls. I've already worked my way through most of one of the 18-inch patterns. There are two dolls with outfits and accessories you can make. I am thinking about using some of the clothing and accessories for my projects. While I admire the doll making process, I'm not sure that is on my agenda at the moment.

As for the rest, I love the dragon and the farm puppets with the farm bag. Those are adorable and might have tempted me into a purchase. The Twister game is cute; though I'm not sure I'd have the patience to put it all together. I already am looking at yarn to make the fox hat and scarf set. I was a bit disappointed in some of the choices. There are many free options for bowling sets, balls, ring toss and some of the other ami items selected. I would have preferred to see some new ideas. I suspect that original costs more than the magazine could bring in under budget. While they don't show you the doll's clothes, Annie's does highlight many of the ami's if you click on see more images in their add here.