Sister Rabbit Finger Puppet

I had hoped to finish more Easter themed projects this year but the holiday crept on me while I was working on doll donation projects. I also discovered these "quick" finger puppets I thought I'd add to the Easter box were some of the most time consuming projects I'd made in a while. They weren't hard but making all those tiny stitches is time consuming and there were a number of rabbits to be made.

The bunny base is made with Red Heart Crochet Thread Size 10 and the dress with Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread Size 10, French Rose with Tulip Etimo Rose Steel Crochet Hook-1.25mm.

The eyes are standard 6mm but the pink nose comes from CR Crafts where I've discovered they have a remarkable selection not only of colored noses but of smaller sizes as well. I've found larger pink noses in the past but these are nice for the smaller amis.

Notes:

I added rows to the skirt as I wanted it to lay a bit better. I preffered this look to suggested pattern directions. I love the heart buttons. Slightly larger than needed but I need to find a source for smaller doll buttons as I plan to get back into making Barbie clothes.

Yes, I said it. After writing the blog about Barbie patterns and saying I wasn't planning on making them, I had a feeling something would change my mind. It was actually this project. One of the most challenging problems I've found with working with thread is working in the round with ami style projects. With my new hooks, I seem to have met the challenge and decided I'll be adding Barbies to the donation, if not this year than the following year. It all depends on how much I get done between now and Thanksgiving which is my deadline for finishng. I've dug out the binder and dusted it off so I will be experimenting.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Egg-cellent Romper

It's hard to believe it but I started this holiday doll project with Lots to Love Bunny Suit last year. For my second Easter doll, I turned to another Amy Carrico 5-inch doll pattern Egg-cellent Romper. I first came across this pattern as an April 2010 Crochet World bonus pattern. However, it is currently available for free here.

Notes:

In order to get the top of the outfit to fit I used light worsted weight 4 yarn. However once the arm holes were completed I switched to sport weight yarn as the worsted weight proved to be too heavy. I used an e hook with the worsted weight yarn and a D hook for all other items including the hat and booties.

Easter Hot Pad

Coming just in under the wire on this one. Finished it up Friday night when I realized that Easter was only a weekend away.

I started with the mug rug pattern from Annie's Spooktacular Crochet and by making an additional back side turned it into a hot pad.

I should have reversed the stripes and made the dark portion the backing for the basket. I could still have made the back side the lighter color, as I had concerns I might not have enough dark color for both sides of the hot pad. something to keep in mind for another day. I would have preferred not to have the basket and the hot pad the same color.

The basket comes from a Maggie's Holiday Crochet Fridgie pattern you can purchase here. I've moved to fridgie patterns for my holiday hot pads because there are plenty to choose from and they work up quickly. I used to pieces of Omega Sinfonia yarn together for the basket but found 2 was too heavy for the eggs and went back to single pieces for the eggs. For my notes I ordered the purple yarns when I got the green for St. Patrick's Day from Creative Yarn Source. The yellow, pink, and orange were left overs from previous projects.

Mrs. Cottontail

I finished a second character from The Tale of Peter Rabbit for my Easter box. I found a free pattern for Peter's mother here.

For this project I used Knit Picks Brava Worsted and I found it was a lighter weight worsted than some. For those of you familiar with Planet June's designs and writing she's actually collecting yarn samples on her Ravelry group here to do a write up comparing the various products to document and demonstrate the variances in worsted weight brand yarns so we have an understanding of what we are working with when we start a project. I know I often have to combine brands to get the colors I want for a project and sometimes the size variances don't make a huge difference depending on where I'm using the color, but in locations a size change can throw off a project and that can be frustrating. I look forward to her results when she publishes them.

The challenge I had with using a lighter weight yarn for the body was I needed to change the yarn I intended to use for the clothes. One of the reasons this didn't post Monday was I had the dress almost finished using Joann's Big Twist yarn and it was just too heavy for the bunny. I pulled out an old skein of Red Heart Comfort Sport Blue and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Yellow and the fit was better.

Notes:

I used an e hook for the bunny. The white is baby yarn to match the lighter worsted yarn, the other white worsted I had was too heavy with the Brava worsted. If I make this pattern again, I'd go with the feet I used for Peter rather than the small feet used in this pattern. I think you get better overall balance.

With the exception of the bonnet I used a C hook with the baby yarn. The bonnet was made with Caron One Pound , White and an e hook.

While this bunny is made to be played with so the clothes can be removed, if I make this bunny again I wouldn't add the white tummy again, it makes it harder to fit the dress. I added the tail after the dress was done to make sure the hole lined up in the back.

My mailing deadline is coming quickly. I'd hopes for more projects, but first I really need to finish the finger puppet family. After that we will see if there is any time left. If not it is on to the summer birthday and more doll donations.

Peter Rabbit

I love sending gifts that combine children's books with toys. For the Easter box The Tale of Peter Rabbit seemed a good choice.

Prior to the pandemic I used to go to Barnes and Noble in pursuit of the UK crochet magazines. On one of my last trips before the shut down I picked up not a magazine but a kit from Simply Crochet sold in the magazine section to make Peter Rabbit and Jemema Puddle Duck.

These patterns along with two others were originally published in Simply Crochet's Issue 95's Supplement Amigurumi The Cutest Toys To Crochet and I'm going to try to pick up a digital copy of the magazine through Ravelry which is supposed to include the supplement so I can complete the Beatrix Potter set for a fall birthday or perhaps Christmas depeding on time. You can find the link here for the magazine.

I am getting better at working with UK crochet terms. In the past I've had to write the US terms on top of the UK terms to keep them straight. It is a bit easier with ami's as they tend to only use sc so unlike clothing I'm rarely switching between stitches. Once my brain starts working I know I'm making sc and it is only the number and location that matters regardless of what they are being called. In this case even the clothing didn't change stitches so it was much easier working with the different terms.

The materials in the kit were good quality and I'd buy another kit if I see another themed one I'm interested in again. I ended up getting a subscription to Simply Crochet when the pandemic hit because the magazine was no longer available here for purchase. It used to be one of my occasional treats.

I love the way the legs are formed to help the bunny stand. The buttons in the kit are so small and reminded me if I do get back into making Barbie's I need to find a new source for buttons. Yes, I did post a while back that I didn't see it happening, but then I started working with thread and new hooks and I pulled out and started organizing my Barbie patterns. I'm looking into picking up some modern dolls as the last kids I made clothing for are in high school and college so I suspect the sizes have changed some. I'm used to having to fit patterns to dolls so this shouldn't be a huge issue, but I need the dolls to fit the items to or I risk sending clothes off with the dolls that don't fit. We'll see how this works out. Barbie might make the 2021 donation or she may be pushed of until 2022. It all depends on what I can complete for the other dolls first.

One adjustment I did make is I used a crochet pom pom technique I learned years ago making an 18" doll Santa Hat for the tail. I have never been good making pom pom's and this technique works for me. It is oddly one of the only changes I made to this pattern. I didn't really make any other adaptations as I went along. The pattern was easy to follow as written.

16 Inch Coral Baby Doll Sundress

While I have enough 18 inch doll patterns to rotate patterns in and out each year I don't have the same luxury with the JC Toys 16-inch Baby Dolls since I donate 2 and I have limited pattern choices even though I've adapted many doll patterns not specifically designed for this doll. As a result I generally have to repeat patterns to get enough outfits for each doll. In generally try to change colors to keep the process more interesting.

I periodically buy Joann's Big Twist yarn when it is on sale and I have a shipping coupon. These days most of my yarn comes by mail so shipping offers are always important. As I went looking for yarn for the dress I discovered the coral Big Twist and I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

Both patterns used in this outfit are free patterns. You can find the dress through the Wayback machine here. The shoes are part of the Peachy Keen set and you can find that pattern here.

Notes:

I use a K hook with the dress, an I hook for the shoes and an H hook for the hat

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I'm continued with the breakfast and other food and kitchen themed items I started with for the Valentine Box

Bacon

Little Baker Set

Milk Carton

Pancakes

I've enjoyed sharing my St. Patrick's Day projects with you. Hope you have a great day.

Mother Rabbit Finger Puppet

I mentioned in my post about the Father Rabbit Finger puppet that I wanted to try the next finger puppet using Red Heart Crochet, Thread Size 10 and I'm quite pleased with the change in size. The pattern calls for size 20 crochet thread but I can't see myself working with that size thread in the round. These finger puppets are part of a larger Rabbit Family pattern set you can purchase here.

I had a skein of Aunt Lydia's size 10 Bamboo crochet thread which I understand has been discontinued that I used for Mom's dress. This is much softer thread than I'm used to working with and it made for a unique project. The dress almost felt like cloth which is rare in a crochet project.

I had hoped when I looked up the thread for this post to find it was still available as I think it would be great for projects like this one. I also would think it would be soft for other light weight projects. I suspect the softness might be the reason it was discontinued though as it wouldn't have worked if I'd used it for the head as it couldn't have held the shape of the body. So perhaps for the majority of people using thread it just wasn't practical for their tasks.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day which means I really do need to get a move on with this Easter box. The upside is after Easter I have a summer birthday and then nothing until the fall. This gives me some space to work on the doll donation and spread out the fall projects once I finish the summer birthday. I already have ideas for themes for both birthdays so it is a matter of pulling out the patterns and getting the projects finished.

St. Patrick's Day Hot Pad

I've been converting the mug rug pattern from Annie's Spooktacular Crochet since I got the pattern in the fall to holiday hot pads. Lots of people tell me they make and use mug rugs but for our house the hot pads are just a more practical use of my time. We use these frequently while cooking and it brings a little holiday cheer to the process as I've been adding new holiday ones as the season's change.

I had been using crochet applique patterns for the hot pads but hadn't found anything I liked for St. Patrick's Day. I did see clover but I've done clover again and again and wanted something different. While looking through my pattern leaflets I came across a copy of Maggie Weldon's Crochet Holiday Fridgies and found the Pot of Gold. The leaflet is still available and you can purchase it here.

The fridgie pattern calls for worsted weight acrylic but does suggest you can use 2 strains of sport weight yarn together. The suggested hook is an H. I used an e hook and since I wanted cotton for safety I used the same yarn I used for the hot pad Omega Sinfonia.

For my own records and those of you who might want to find the yarn you can get limited colors online at Hobby Lobby which I do when it is on sale. However, my main source is Creative Yarns. The color selection is good, price is fair and the delivery is quite quick. For those who are curious I have not received anything from thiem for this review. People are quick to complain about bad experiences. I believe it is equally important to state when you receive good service and fair pricing.

I've discussed the mug rug conversion many times now. I follow the pattern for the mug rug as written for the front of the hot pad. I make the mug rug pattern in a single color for the back of the hot pad and then crochet them together with a sc around the edges.

Having discovered the fridgies as a replacement for the appliques I already have an idea in mind for my Easter hot pad.

Lil Cutesies Bathing Suit

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I started making Petite Designs Lil Cutesies Baby Doll dress pattern following the directions as written. For those of you interested you can purchase the pattern here, When I got to adding the skirt I wasn't happy with the method for adding the skirt. I found the first round of the skirt alternated up and down a portion of a stitch as I tried to work the pattern as written. I wasn't happy with the look. If you read yesterday's post you can see my notes on how I resovled the situation here..

This left me with a decision on what to do with my first effort. Sometimes I just toss the first effort as there really isn't enough yarn to frog it to reuse the yarn. However, when possible I try to recycle and reuse an item if possible. Looking at this on the doll it just seemed like it would make a cute swim suit. I added a beach blanket and the set was ready for the doll donation.

Lil Cutesies Dress Set

I've been looking to add patterns for the Lil Cutesies 8.5" Baby Doll and a kind friend from Crochetville gifted me this pattern from Ravelry. You can purchase the pattern here.

It's always fun to try out patterns from designers you haven't used before and I had looked at this designer's patterns frequently for the smaller sized dolls. She just never made it to the top of my purchase list.

The patterns are written in UK crochet terms but the designer kindly includes a chart that lists the US and UK equivelent terms. I still end up writing the US terms on top of the UK terms on the patterns because when I don't I do find myself making a dc when it should be a sc.

This is an adorable pattern and it works up quickly. I did make a couple of changes and one change resulted in my first attempt becoming a different project I hope to blog about later.

Notes:

I did not use the tie suggested in the back. Instead I joined the back together. The back is wide enough that you can easily slide the doll in and out of the dress without needing to add a tie. It is just makes it easier for a child to dress the doll.

The biggest change I made was preparing for the skirt. One technique I've picked up this year for adding both skirts and trims which I've really liked is crocheting in the back loops of the row you later will add a skirt or trim. This technique was not used for this pattern and I didn't like the way my skirt looked using the method suggested. This resulted in my using my original attempt for a differnt proect and restarting and rethinking how to create this outfit which would allow for a row with backloops to add the skirt.

I left off a row of the knickers which I then replaced when I added the bodice. This let me use the actual first row of the bodice to crochet the row in back loops to allow me to use the front loops later for my my skirt row. Others may not find this necessary but I found it was much easier to get an even starter row for the skirt all around.

I'm also adding a note to remind myself that the first skirt row and the remiaing skirt rows are different. This doesn't give away the design notes but I didn't read the directions carefully and wondered why my skirt did not look like the one in the picture. Once I followed the directions I got the fuller look I wanted.

I used Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn and Red Hear Sport for this pattern. I used pale pink instead of white as I had pale pink on hand and I liked the contrast with the dusty pink.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Pink Romper

I promised myself I'd keep attacking orphan and neglected items in my stash. Crochet thread has periodically appeared in my stash and sadly not always been used in a timely fashion and has taken up long term residence in my stash. I've been going through my binders of doll patterns looking for ways to attack my stash and came across an out of print Annie's Attic Crochet Twin Baby Dolls pattern 872017.

This pattern suggests the designs are for 12 inch dolls but I've learned over the years that the length of the doll is often not as relevent as the other measurements not included about the doll. I decided to try making the doll with the Aunt Lydia's Crochet, Size 10 thread and I quickly found the designer's doll had a narrower neck than the 8" Lots to Love doll.

When I started this project it wasn't clear which of the Lots to Love dolls this outfit would fit. As I worked through it the first time I narrowed it down to the Lots to Love 10 inch doll but even then I need to make adjustments to get the outfit to fit the doll as the shapes of the doll are clearly different.

Notes:

I started by chaining 61 instead of 41 stitches.

For the first two rows I used the Tulip Etimo 1.80mm Crochet Hook as I don't currently have a 2mm or size 4 steel crochet hook the pattern suggests.

After the first 2 rows I switched to a .9mm hook for the rest of the project as I found the items to be too large for this doll with the 1.8mm hook.

Follow pattern to arm hole row 9

15 dc ch 14 67dc ch 14 15 dc

Row 10 do in same color as shirt change colors for row 11

Row 11 Crochet even

Row 12 2 dc dc dec around

Rows 13-19 dc around

Follow leg directions

Decrease legs

Trim chain 3 sc around

Follow sleeves decrease to fit

Trim chain 3 sc around

This is one of the more interesting shoe patterns I've seen as they don't crochet around the back of the chain they start in rows and then crochet around the rows to create the shoe bootie. These shoes fit the Lots to Love 10" doll with the .9mm hoook as written.

The pattern includes straps to make the romper look more like overalls. I didn't like the look so I left them off.

I added an increase row in the hat and I'm on the fence about it. The hat was tight without it but loose with it perhaps fewer increases next time?

Father Rabbit Finger Puppet

Having sent off the St. Patrick's Day box it is time to begin my Easter projects. I decided to begin with the Bunny Finger Family pattern that you can purchase here.

This was was my first chance to try out my Tulip Etimo Rose Steel Crochet Hook-Size 4/1.25mm and I was pleased both with the the hook fits in my hand and with how it holds the thread. I've used both the Rose and Red Etimo thread hooks now and I'm working to fill in my missing hooks with the Etimo and Armor brands. So far the Etimo are my favorite of the two. I still love my Bates Bamboo best but as they've discontinued their thread hooks; I'm working with what I can find online, buying when I find deals, coupons, sales, etc.

The designer used size 20 cotton thread for her puppets. I find 10 to be challenging when working in the round. That being said when I looked at my stash I had Coats Crochet Thread Size 3, White on hand and no size 10. So Father Rabbit is made with Size 3. This worked out for me as the pants and shirt are made with scraps left over from 2 doll thread dresses I made. The blue is completely used up and I made a significant dent in the yellow. I love gettting rid of scraps.

I did pick up some Coats White Crochet Crochet, Thread Size 10 to try making the other puppets but if I end up making them all in size 3 I'm good with that too. I think Father Rabbit is adorable and it would allow me to finish off the yellow I have left on one of the other bunny outfits.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Leprechaun

I started this Holiday Doll Project back last Easter as kind of a way to cheer myself up and bring a new holiday tradition to my life during COVID. I'm almost back to the beginning as I started with Easter last year. I have a 5" pattern I'm going to try to adapt for this year's Easter Doll.

The Leprachaun is an adaptation of several patterns from the out of print House of White Birches leaflet Crochet Holiday Baby Dolls 101102. The hat and coat are from the St. Patrick's Day pattern. The shirt and a longer version of the pants are from the Valentine's Day pattern. The shoes are from the Thanksgiving Day pattern. The buttons I used to decorate the outfit I purchased at Factory Direct. I've been picking up more decorative holiday buttons there lately.

As I've mentioned in previous posts the dolls these patterns were designed for are technically larger in some areas but adaptable because body size differs and even outs some of the challenges. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn but I used worsted weight yarn and a g hook for all the clothing. The trim is Knit Picks Brava Sport Yarn using an e hook. The worsted was just too heavy for the coat trim.

I made this note previously but I will add it to here as well to make the pants fit I followed the first 2 rows joined and skipped to row 5. I continued with the leg pattern until I felt it was long enough that it wouldn't interfere with the higher boots. I had to fiddle with the hat pattern but I was pleased with the outcome. I followed to pot pattern but added rows and then did a row of back loop half double crochets to give the pot and edge. To make the pile of gold I started on the remaining loops and sc around. I then began a pattern of decreases and stuffed before closing.

Bee

I had a request from a honey maker for some decorations for a farmer's market table. This is the first of the bees. As I went hunting for bee patterns I was pleasantly suprised to discover one of my favorite Ami designers Aradiya Toys not only had a pattern but it was free and you can find it here.

I've been on a quest to use up yarn on hand where ever possible. The pattern calls for Ariadna KAJA yarn and a .85mm steel crochet thread hook and creates about a 5cm bee. I'd didn't know much about this yarn but in looking it up online it looks to be a crochet thread, based on the hook size that makes sense.

I wanted a slightly larger bee and where possible I've been trying to use yarn on hand. I had two choices of sports cotton but loooking at my colors on hand I went with Omega Sinfonia yellow and black. Having used this yarn and worked with patterns from this designer before I chose a b hook and I liked the look of the finished bee.

My Life Doll Cardigan, Skirt, and Hat

This project filled a couple of my goals. First I used up crochet thread that has been living in my stash for far too long on the skirt. Secondly, I attempted two patterns that I've had on my to do list for a while and never quite gotten around to making. The cardigan yarn was gifted to me by a kind woman from the Ravelry Charity Knitting group who sent me a box of Herrschner's yarn. The cardigan was a perfect use for the sport yarn.

The Seashell Summer skirt pattern is one of ABC Knitting's free crochet doll patterns you can find here. It was a great chance to use up more Aunt Lydia's size 3 thread. I used a size D hook for the first 5 rows to establish the waist. I then switched to the suggested C hook to finish the skirt. The D made it easier to get the outfit on and off. After that the C hook made the skirt shape better than the D which I tried first. I added a few extra rows to make it slightly longer.

As I mentioned in the Irish Lass post Crochet World used to have online bonus patterns. The Cardigan and Hat pattern were part of the August 2011 bonus patterns. You can find the free pattern here. I was quite pleased to find that using the sport Herrschner yarn and a G hook my guage matched the required pattern guage without any adaptations. I used Bernat Baby Sport yarn as the contrasting yarn for this project. It is a little lighter than the purple yarn but because I used it for trim it wasn't an issue.

The Cardigan has a unique texture to it and it was created using a technique I'd not used before. It wasn't complicated but it I ended up using markers to count out increase and decrease changes as it was hard to do a count once the stitches were made. By marking the beginnings and end of a section it was easier to count when I'd get distracted and lose count of where I was in a section.

The hat uses the same stitch technique as the cardigan. I had more trouble getting the shaping on the hat than I expected but I was pleased with the finished product.

Our Generation Seashell Summer Dress

Every year I make an attempt to work through fiber that has taken up residence in my stash and really needs to find a purpose. I bought this size 3 yarn last year to make this dress and then ended up using different yarn for the project. When I started this project I decided it would go to which ever 18" doll it fit best. It turned out to be too big for the My Life Doll so it is the first item I made for the Our Generation doll this year.

I tried the suggested C hook but it was too small for either doll. I moved to a G hook and found while it was large for the My Life doll it fit the Our Generation Doll. I'd start with the F hook next time for the My Life Doll.

Notes:

Dress:

It took slightly under 3 containers of Aunt Lydia's size 3 cotton to complete the dress, hat, and purse. I used a size g hook for the top of the dress to get the right fit. I then used an e hook for the skirt as it was too full with the g hook. I slipped stiched the back closed to the wasit and required only one button to close the back.

Row 6 clarification in case I lose my pattern notes Ch 3 3 shells 4 fans with sc in sp between shell, 5 shells, 4 fans with sc in sp between shell, 3 shells 1 dc in last dc

Hat and Bag:

I used an E hook for both.

You can find the free dress pattern here, the hat pattern here, and the bag pattern here.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Cuddle Up Romper Set

I've been able to pick up a few more Amy Carrico patterns for the small dolls. I really wish she would release more from her pattern library for purchase as her patterns work up nicely. You can purchase this pattern here. I used Baby Bernat Sport yarn in pink and dark pink for this pattern and a D hook.

Rag Doll Autumn Lace Dress

I've updated my crochet thread hooks with the idea of taking on some doll thread projects this year. I'd lost some of my Bates Bamboo Steelite hooks which sadly have been retired. I've been filling in my lost thread sizes with Tulip Etimo and Armour hooks.

I went to ABC Knitting, the home of most of my doll thread crochet projects, looking for a project to test my new hooks and settled on the Wellie Wishers Doll Autumn Lace Dress free pattern you can find here.

I've never actullay seen a Wellie Wishers doll but from what I read I was hoping the doll would be close enough to adapt the clothing to the smaller 13 3/4" rag doll. The pattern calls for Aunty Lydia's size #10 Crochet Thread and a 1.5mm hook. I did the swatch for guage at the beginning and I was fine. My testing point for fit for a shirt or dress is usually the arm holes. By that point you get a good feel for the fit of the outfit. Using this hook the outfit didn't even fit the 8" baby doll. By the time I reached a 2mm thread hook the stitches were far too loose. I needed to change fiber.

I decided to try Bernat Baby yarn and for the ombre I used an old house brand sport yarn from AC Moore which sadly is no longer available. I started with a D hook and found again the dress too small for the doll but much closer. The E hook proved a good match. I did add a row of dc in purple around the arm holes as they lacked a finished look without them. I did not need the full number of rows to complete the dress as I was using different yarn. The pattern also does not indicate when to switch colors. You will need to decide where to do that yourself.