Thursday, September 30, 2021

Lots to Love 8 Inch Romper with Tam



I mentioned last week I was working on adapting the Romper with Tam from the free Berenguer Baby Layette pattern found here for the two small baby dolls. For the Lots to Love Doll I used Knit Picks Fingering Palette yarn and an e hook. I followed the pattern down to the crotch were instead of using elastics I split for the legs using a chain 4. I did a row of sc around each leg and finished with a sc chain 3.

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Lots to Love 14 Inch Doll Sweater, Pants and Hat



A funny thing happened as I was working on my second Lots to Love 10 inch doll pattern from Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here I ended up with a sweater for the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll instead. As I've mentioned before there is an advantage to having multiple sized dolls. When an outfit doesn't fit one, there is usually another doll who can wear the item.

The sweater was made with a G hook and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Yellow, Baby Pink, and Ombres, Baby Baby.

Now that I had a sweater I needed to finish the outfit so I went back to Amy Carrico's Sweet Baby Boy Romper Pattern that can be purchased here for the hat and pants pattern using the same yarns listed above.

I mentioned in the previous post I wrote about Sweetly that I changed the pants pattern to make the pants top down. This pattern is one of the few exceptions I make for working from the legs to the top as it is a feeted pants pattern and it is rather challenging to add the feet to the pants once finished.

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress for Summer



I believe with this last outfit made from the free Dress for February pattern found here I'm done with the pattern for this donation year. The La Baby 16-inch Baby Doll is the fourth outfit made from this pattern this year so I've gotten quite a bit of mileage from a pattern that wasn't designed to fit any of the dolls.



I'm still targeting yarn in the stash that needs to go. The green is Michael's Craft Smart yarn. I bought a few colors on a whim shortly after AC Moore closed and I've never been crazy about the feel of the yarn. I've promised myself to finish off my supply though and this dress was a great time to work on that goal. The pink is Red Heart Super Saver, Pretty n Pink I had left over from the Lil Cutesies Doll Moses Basket. This is the second outfit I've used it on since than and I still haven't finished it off yet. The yellow is Joann's Big Twist.



The free pattern for the shoes is the one I'm always writing about and can be found here. The hat is a work in progress. I don't quite have a pattern mastered yet which is why I've been taking the extra brim shots. I used the pictures from the Fall outfit when I was working on this hat. At some point I'm going to have to get around to writing down the actual pattern.

Monday, September 27, 2021

Lots to Love 10 inch Doll Top, Pants, Bonnet, and Booties



As I was searching through patterns trying to decide where to go next I stumbled across one of Darski's free pattern sets for the 10 inch dolls called Sweetly found here. This set like the Layette one have multiple outfits and I'll be working my way through them and likely trying to adapt them for the smaller dolls as well.

I used Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Pink and Baby Yellow with an E hook for most of the outfit. The bonnet required a G hook.

Notes:

The shirt, bonnet, and booties worked up as written.

In the future I might try a smaller hook for the booties as they were a little larger than I had hoped for but they don't fall off the doll.

There are multiple ways to make pants but two you often see in doll clothes are making the waist and splitting for the crotch conintuing with the legs and the second making the legs and connecting them at the crotch and making the top of the pants.

Darski's patterns tend to be legs first, I tend to prefer top first so I remade the pants to be top down. It is just something I find easier when making doll pants. Unless I'm doing footed outfits I tend to stick with the top down and work around what ever challenges that presents.

One last note the ties should have been attached a little further back for optimal fitting but each project is a learning experience.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Rag Doll Fall Dress



I have a shopping bag of Knit Picks Palette yarn that I bought years ago when I was originally making Barbie clothes for my nieces and then when I stopped I'd occasionally use some for a project but I still have a bag that I'd like to finish off and start fresh knowing I'm using up yarn as I buy it.

Having adapted Amy Carrico's 14 inch Baby Doll Spring Set for the 15 inch Rag doll I was looking for the right yarn to adapt the pattern for use for with the smaller Rag doll. I setteled on this yarn because I had 2 skeins which is always a good idea when you aren't sure how much yarn a pattern would take and it is a yarn I've had trouble finding a project to move it out of my stash. I believe this is one of the heather yarns in the Palette line and I think it was oringally purchased for Barbie office wear. However since that never got done its been holding up in long term stash storage and it was time for a new project idea.



I had used a fingering acrylic yarn for the 15 inch doll and it worked really well for the project. I decided the Palette yarn might do for the smaller doll and since this color has been on my radar to move out it was one of the first I checked to see if I had 2 skeins to meet my project requirements. I've been know to lose the will the yarn last game and I prefer not to when the option is there.

Amy Carrico's pattern is available for purchase here.

Notes:

This one worked up slightly differently than the 15 inch doll so I wanted to make sure I included my notes for any future proejcts.

First if using Palette yarn I need 2 skeins to complete outfit with panties. Can complete dress and sweater with one but not enough for complete outfit.

Hook sizes:

Dress E hook

Sweater body G hook fits better over bulk of dress. C hook for arms.

Panties G hook to 32 stitches.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Lil Cutesies Romper with Tam



When I started making the romper from the free Berenguer Baby Layette found here I wasn't sure if it would be for the Lil Cutesies Doll or the Lots to Love 8 inch doll. I was targeting the fingering weight acrylic yarn that was left over from the Spring Dress I'd made for the 15 inch Rag doll as I was determined to finish off the skein of yarn. The question was which doll would fit the outfit the best?



I orginally thought it would be the Lots to Love Doll but having tried the outfit on the Lil Cutesie doll I decided to make a second outfit using the Knit Picks Palette yarn for the Lots to Love doll.

While I had enough yarn to finish the romper the hat ended up being a combination of yarn ends from previous projects with a finish of some additional mint green baby yarn. The center was the same baby yarn I'd begun the project with and then I moved on to a small ball of the Lion Brand Yarn Ice Cream Yarn, Tutti Frutti left over from the Moses basket blanket.

As with the 10 inch doll I used a slightly different method for the legs of the doll. The pattern calls for elastics for the legs I chose instead just to split the legs once the body of the romper was long enough to do so and used a chain 4 for the crotch area. I added a sc a row for each leg and then did a sc ch 3 finish for each leg. I did not make the booties for this outfit.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Pinky Keen



I had 2 partial skeins of Red Heart Super Saver Pretty n Pink Yarn left over from making the Lil Cutesies Doll Moses Basket and the Peachy Keen outfit for the JC Toys 16-inch Baby Doll seemed a great way to start using it up. You can find the free Peachy Keen pattern here.

I finished one skein off and started on the second but I'll need another doll project to finish off the skein. I'm trying not to leave behind yarn but target it for projects to decrease my overall yarn supply.



The dress was made with a size 7 hook. The jacket and shoes with an I hook. I started the jacket with the 7 hook but found it was too tight over the dress.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress for Fall



As the November deadline looms ever closer for the doll donation, I'm trying to make sure I have a good selection of outfits for all the dolls. Since I donate two of the JC Toys - La Baby 16-inch Baby Dolls it generally means I need to make duplicates of everything I donate or have at least an equal number of outfits per doll to make the donations similar.



While I often use the same patterns for both dolls I do like to change up the colors and this fall set was a fun take on Darski's free Dora pattern a Dress for February found here.

To get the dress to fit the 16 inch baby doll I use a K hook and worsted weight yarn for the top of the dress and an I hook for the skirt. The shoes are made with another of Darski's free pattern sets that I hope to be making for the second 16 inch doll soon Peachy Keen found here.

I completed the outfit for the first doll back in February and it is time to finish the second. The shoes are the ones that seem to fit this baby doll the best so I'm constantly going back to this pattern to add it to other doll outfits as I know they will stay on the doll's feet.


I don't have a pattern for the hat it was just something I played with as I sat watching TV. I hope to get one more of these done in different colors for the other 16 inch doll prior to the deadline. It works up quick and makes for a nice addition to the wardrobe.

Monday, September 20, 2021

15 Inch Rag Doll Purple Dress for February



In the past I've stuck with bright colors for this dress but I was inspired by the color pattern from Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Ocean Print and decided to use up some left over worsted yarn from various projects to create a similar color pattern for this dress with yarn I had on hand.

The pattern is free and found here. I used an I hook for this project and a snap to close the dress in the back. I joined the outfit after the seventh round.

Friday, September 17, 2021

Lil Cutesies Moses Basket

Thankfully this is the last of the Moses baskets I need from Annie Potter's Sweet Baby Doll Layette which you can purchase here. I used an I hook for the JC Toys Lil Cutesies Doll Moses basket as the other baskets had been smaller and required more rows. I still added more rows but it worked up quicker with the larger hook and I will plan on doing this for next year's donations.

I've run out of multiple colored compatible skeins of yarns so I purchased 2 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver, Pretty n Pink for this project. I'm currently using the left overs for another doll project.

The blanket is from a free pattern set you can find here. It was a great chance to use up some left over Lion Brand Ice Cream Yarn, Tutti Frutti I had from a previous blanket project.

I now just have one more doll carrier to make for the JC Toys -16-inch Baby Doll and I will be done with doll carriers until next year's doll donation project begins!!! Not that its that far away but one must celebrate the wins.

Thursday, September 16, 2021

15 Inch Rag Doll Dress for Spring



Since I don't have specific patterns designed for these dolls I'm always happy to be able to adapt another doll pattern to make it fit for the two different sized Rag Dolls. This is Amy Carrico's 14 Inch Baby Spring Set that you can purchase here. When looking at baby doll patterns it is an interesting task to decide if they'll transfer over to the Rag Dolls not just in sizing but in the age difference in the dolls. The Rag Dolls aren't baby dolls so the look has to be one that will adapt to an older aged doll. I thought this pattern made the transition pretty well.



One task I target myself with every year is to find orphan yarns in my stash that I can finish off. While there are yarns I will use up every year many of them are staples and will be replaced or in no longer available a similar yarn will be purchased. However, there are these orphan skeins that once gone will not be replaced and those free up room in my yarn stash.

This yarn was an unlabeled baby finger weight acrylic yarn that I picked up at a pre-COVID Church or Senior Citizen sale. It's been around for a while because I just didn't have the right project for the yarn. The baby dress I'd made previously with baby sport weight was slightly large on the Rag Doll so I knew I wanted a lighter yarn and this was a great chance to use up an orphan skein. It's not completely gone but I'm thinking it might be good for a Barbie project.

As with the baby project I used a g hook until the arm holes for the dress and sweater. I switched to an E hook to finish the project.

When I started with these Rag Dolls I was concerned about having enough outfits to make a decent donation but I feel they will be goign off with a nice wardrobe after all.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Lots to Love 8 Inch Sweater Set



When the Red Heart Sport Comfort Yarn didn't work to resize the sweater set found in the free Berenguer Baby Layette pattern here for the 8 inch Lots to Love baby doll I decided to try a supply of Knit Picks Palette yarn that I'd purchased but never fully utilized for doll clothes as I'd intended.

I used an e hook for everything but the booties which I used an f hook. I was watching tv when working on the trim for this sweater and forgot to make the button holes which is why it uses snaps instead of buttons.

As with the Lil Cutesies Baby Doll I had to shape the bonnet by stopping the rounds and working in rows once the rounds reached the size of the head. I also did a chain 3 trim around the arms.

I made simple pants for the outfit crocheting over an elastic ponytail band and splitting for the legs when I reached the crotch. The legs also are trimed with a chain 3.

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Rag Doll Dress for February



This is a Dora the Explorer free doll pattern that I've adapted in the past for the JC Toys - La Baby 16-inch Baby Doll and I decided to see if it would work for the Rag Dolls. You can find the free pattern here.

I started the project with sport yarn but I quickly realized the dolls would require worsted weight yarn and the suggested I hook size to make the dress fit. I chose to join the dress earlier than suggested while still in the red rounds and I used a snap rather than buttons to close the outfit.

In order to make the arm holes fit I required a chain 8 rather than a chain 4. Skipping 10 chains still worked to make the dress fit, thus not changing the stitch count.

I plan on making a second dress in different colors for the other rag doll and following the adaptation directions to make this outfit for the 16 inch baby dolls as well. It's a quick way to add additional outfits to the doll wardrobes.

Monday, September 13, 2021

Lots to Love 14 Inch Doll Spring Set



I was very pleased to find out Amy Carrico had released more of her 8 and 14 inch doll patterns to her Etsy store. She had a large selection of baby doll clothes and then disappeared for a bit. When she came back she'd had a limited supply of patterns and I bought what I could. This time I splurged buying most of the patterns she's currently offering that I don't have for the 8 and 14 inch dolls. I have a few more to pick up but I'm thrilled with my options for new projects.

This pattern is her Berenguer Baby Spring Set and you can purchase it here.


The outfit is made with Lion Brand Yarn Babysoft Yarn, Little Girl Pink and Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn, Tiny Tulips. I like the donation clothes to be easy to take on and off so I made the first 2 rows of both the dress and the sweater and the dress with a G hook switching to an E hook once the arm holes were complete.

I added a chain 3 trim to the sweater arms for decorative purposes.

I'm looking into adapting this for the Rag Doll.

Thursday, September 9, 2021

Lots to Love 10 Inch Moses Basket



I'm slowly finishing off the doll carriers for this year's donation. After completing this one for the 10 inch Lots to Love Doll I need one for the Lil Cutesies Baby Doll and one for the second JC Toys - 16-inch Baby Doll and I'll be good for another donation year.

The pattern for the carrier is part of Annie Potter's Sweet Baby Doll Layette and can be purchased here. I tend to add rows as I like the carrier to be a little deeper so the doll doesn't roll out. I thought I had enough yarn to finish this one off but lost the game of chicken and had to pick up more RED HEART Super Saver , Amethyst to finish the job. I just didn't have another color in duplicate that would finish the job as I did with the previous basket.

To keep projects interesting I like to add or change something where I can so for this basket I used the blanket from the free pattern set Berenguer Baby Layette found here. This is a mesh style blanket that works up quickly and was a great addition to the doll carrier.

The blanket is made with the no longer available Red Heart Sport Comfort Yarn and a J hook.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Lil Cutesies Sweater Set



This was actually intended to be an outfit for the Lots to Love 8 inch baby doll. I was adapting the sweater set from the free Berenguer Baby Layette pattern for the Lots to Love 10 inch doll found here using sport yarn but it was too big for the 8inch doll but thankfully not too large for the Lil Cutesies Baby Doll . I was planning on making one for that doll later so it all worked out.

For my own records this was made with the no longer available Red Heart Sport Comfort yarn and an E hook. The shoes are from a Shady Lane Pattern set for the Lil Cutesie dolls that can be purchased here. While I adapted the booties for the 8 inch doll I know these shoes fit the Lil Cutesie dolls really well so I went with what works.

The bonnet was too large for the head even with the lighter yarn and smaller hook size. I stopped working in the round when the back of the head was covered and began working in rows to keep the bonnet from becoming overally large. I used chain 3 trim on the arms.

I made simple pants for under the sweater by crocheting over a pony tail band until I got to the crotch and splitting at that point for the legs. The legs have a chain 3 crochet trim around each leg.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

15 Inch Rag Doll Dress



I think I'm finally done with this free Linmary Knits pattern found here for a bit. I'm am both thrilled and amazed at how many dolls I've been able to use this one easy to make free dress pattern for to increase my doll donations.

This is the Factory Direct Rag Doll and I've sadly neglected her this year. I actually targeted my first attempt at converting this dress from baby to Rag Doll for her but it was a bit tight and ended up being a better fit for the smaller Rag Doll.

This time I looked at my yarn stash for new inspiration and settled on the Spud and Chloe sock yarn that has been sitting in my stash far too long. It was a door prize from a fiber event and I targeted it earlier for a My Life Doll project but there is still plenty to be used. The change in fiber proved to be the solution. I started with a D hook until I reached the arm holes and then moved to an e hook as the dress tightened after the arm holes without the larger hook size.

Monday, September 6, 2021

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress, Hat, and Shoes



This is the second outfit made from the free Linmary Knits pattern for the second JC Toys - 16-inch Baby Doll that will be donated for the holiday toy drive. Since there really aren't specific patterns for this doll I try to duplicate the patterns I do adapt so I have equal outfits for both dolls I donate. On occasion as with this pattern its worked well for other dolls being donated as well. You can find the free pattern here. It's hard to find shoes to fit this doll so I tend to stick with the shoes from the free pattern set Peachy Keen found here.

This pattern is designed for a 14" baby doll. To make it fit I used a g hook added 4 additional purple rows to the top and two additional rows to the skirt to get the length I wanted for the doll. I've experimented with the hook size on the hat on the previous 2 dolls and this time tried it with an f hook. It is a snug fit so either the f or g is likely a good fit depending on the yarn. The shoes require an I hook.

This outfit was made with now unavailable Red Heart Comfort Sport yarn and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Yellow. The shoes were made with RED HEART Super Saver Yarn, Amethyst.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Lots to Love 10 Inch Nightgown



I'm working my way through the standard doll patterns I established last year for the baby dolls and the nightgown was a quick and easy project last year and again this year.

You can find the Berenguer Baby Layette free pattern set here.

This was also a great chance to use up some of the Herrschners worsted weight yarn that was gifted to me from a member of the Raverlry Charity Knitting group. The yarn is a great size for the dolls and I've used it on several projects this year.

Project Notes:

I chose a chain 3 edging instead of shell for the edgings.

This project used a g hook.

I'm looking into making this for the Lots to Love 8 Inch doll. I'm thinking lighter yarn and a smaller hook should do the trick.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Lots to Love 8 Inch Moses Basket



Having finished 2 of the larger doll carriers it seemed like it would be a nice break to work on the smaller doll carriers as they require fewer strands of yarn.

The pattern for this carrier is Annie Potter presents Sweet Baby Doll Layette and you can purchase the pattern set here.

I generally extend the bottom rows to make the carrier wider and this year I experimented by closing the top a little to make it more like the larger doll carrier. While I might decrease the top stitches again, I don't think I'd close it quite this much when I make the Lots to Love 10 inch doll carrier.

I've been on a quest to finish up yarn where I can. This carrier is made with left over RED HEART Super Saver Ombre JAZZY and I thought I had enough to finish the project. When that proved not to be true I decided to use a contrasting color to finish and chose Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Stripe - Retro and thankfully had plenty of that in stock.

The blanket is a fun pattern with a different stitch pattern. I used now unavailable Red Heart Sport Comfort Baby Yarn from my stash for the main blanket and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Yellow for the trim.