Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween. Time to celebrate by remembering all the Halloween projects.

Fall Birthday Presents

I set this post up to add things as I was making them for the birthday and then I found out the birthday girl was moving very close to her birthday. So I'm waiting until they are settled in to their new home to give the birthday gifts. I still thought I'd share this post because I know when I look back to remember what I made the previous year, I'll be looking during this time period for a reference. I still have one monkey to make and depending on when I finish it will determine if the monkeys end up a late birthady or early Christmas present.

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

As soon as the Orca was finished for the Summer birthday box I had to begin work on both the Fall Birthday Box and the Halloween box.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher

The Tale of Samuel Whiskers

My Life Howdy Neighbor Shorts, Shirt and Shoes

After making the Chef's outfit I decided it would be a great idea to add another short outfit to the donation using the same free pattern from the Howdy Neighbor set found here.

It was a great chance to use up the green Herrschners worsted yarn and the Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Petal Pink left over from making the last doll carrier. Sometimes it feels like I've barely made a dent in either goal but I'm still working on it. The shoe pattern is from Sweet Silver Creations School Girl Uniform available for purchase here.

The shirt was made following the pattern using the suggested hook size. I make my pants top down but this time did not chain for the crotch but joined to split for the legs after finishing the top section. I actually liked the fit for this better. I did a sc chain 3 trim for the legs. I used a g hook with the lighter Herrchners yarn and the shoes fit fine.

My Life Chef

I've been revisiting patterns I haven't made in a few years. This chef outfit is from Darski's free Howdy Neighbor pattern found here. The shoes are part of Sweet Silver Creations School Uniform pattern and can be purchased here.

With the exception of the hat this outfit was made with Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, White and Shocking Pink. The hat was made with Bernat Big Ball Baby Yarn -White.

Notes:

The shorts are not from the pattern I make most of my pants/shorts top down and split for the crotch. This time I didn't add chains for the crotch and I like this look a bit better. I also added sc chain 3 for the legs as a trim for the shorts.

I followed the hook suggestions for the various pieces of the pattern with the exception of the shorts which I made on my own and the fit was correct.

I used a g hook for the shoes this time and didn't need to add an extra row or add a reduction row.

My Life Dovetailed

This is one of Darski's free patterns found here that I often revisit. It has a nice historical look to it and it works up fairly quickly and easily. The shoes come from Sweet Silver Creations School Girl Uniform available for purchase here. I wanted a strapless shoe for this outfit and this fit the need. I added an extra row to the shoe reducing the front of the shoe with an additional 4 sc decreases.

I followed the suggested hook sizes. I chose not to use elastic and did a sc 4 then decrease around waist to make the waist a bit smaller. It worked well for me to keep the skirt from sliding down.

This dress was made with Caron One Pound , Medium Grey and White using the left over Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Petal Pink from making the last baby doll carrier.

My Life Sailor Dress

While I've used the shoe pattern from this outfit for many years I haven't made the sailor outfit for some time. This year I've been revisiting neglected patterns in my doll binders and it seemed a good time to add the sailor dress to the donation. Sadly for those of you looking to purchase the pattern it is no longer listed in Sweet Silver Crochet's Etsy store. Should the pattern show up again I will try to add a new link for the pattern.

When I made this outfit previously I used Caron One Pound Yarn, White for the entire white section of the outfit. This time I only used that for the hat and used Bernat Super Value Yarn, Navy for the trim and the shoes as it was the only worsted Navy I had in my stash. I used an I hook for both the hat and the shoes.

For the dress I started with the heavier Caron but it wasn't working and I frogged it and restarted with Bernat Big Ball Baby Yarn White using no longer available Red Heart Sport Navy yarn and Red Heart Comfort Sport in Red for trim and detail work.

I started with an I hook found myself switching to an H hook and then finished after the 3rd row with the g hook. I did add some additional rows to the top as I found the dress was hard to get on and off if I joined it to start the skirt as suggested. It is a much easier outfit to dress when the torso is a little longer.

Update November 3, 2021

Pattern has been relisted for purchase here.

My Life Cobblestones Sweater Dress

I picked this pattern up on e-pattern central a while back and it got lost in my 18 inch doll binder. I was looking for something different to try this year and decided this was the year to attempt this pattern. While no longer available where I purchased the pattern does still look to be available at Ravelry here for purchase.

I substituted Knit Picks Palette for the no longer available suggested yarns. This was a great project to attack my stash of this yarn. While I will likely need more for doll projects at some point my current stash has out lived its tenancy and needs to be used.

Notes: The e hook was correct for guage. Not all rows have a stitch count and I made the mistake of conforming to the previous rows stitch count in certain places where I would let play out the next time I made this. I also didn't get quite the texture I was going for on the dress section but I did figure it out for the arms. If I make this again I'll have a better idea on how to get the desired effect.

Regarding the arms they are a little long and I would shorten to 14 rows before adding the ridge rows.

The pants are based loosely based on Maggie's Crochet's pants pattern found in her Abby, Allie, and Annie pattern you can purchase here. I've been making them so long now that I've adapted them and use them for all the dolls but I suggest them as an easy starting place if you are looking for a pattern that works waist down rather than one that has you make both legs and then join them. I just prefer this method and don't see it used as often.

The shoes are another standard pattern but I've been making so many baby doll clothes I'd forgotten which pattern set they came from and had to look it up so I could make shoes for this set. The shoes are part of Sweet Silver Creation's Sailor Doll pattern available for purchase here.

16 Inch Doll Dress, Shoes, and Hat

I mentioned last week that I'd be reversing colors and making another dress for the second JC Toys 16-inch Baby Doll using up the donated Herrschner's Worsted Weight Yarn. I finally finished a skein of the green but have at least 2 more skeins to finish.

You can find the free pattern for the dress here. To adapt the 14 inch doll pattern to the larger 16 inch doll I used a J hook with the lighter Herrschners worsted yarn for the upper section of the dress. I joined the rows after the first row rather than needing to close it with buttons or snaps. I switched to a g hook for the skirt.

With my experience of making the hat with a G hook the last time I switched up and made it with an H hook this time and I think I'd stick with the G hook next time.

I had to adjust the Peachy Keen free shoe pattern found here to a J hook in order to make them fit with the lighter yarn.

Lil Cutesies Sweetly Dress with Shoes

It was time to alter the free Sweetly pattern found here to fit the Lil Cutesies Doll as I keep looking for ways to increase the wardrobes of all the donation dolls.

This outfit was made with Herrschners Peach Baby yarn and Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn, Tiny Tulips.

The dress was made with an E hook using a D for the arm trim. I added a shell trim to the bottom with the E hook.

The shoes were made from the Gingham Tote Tykes pattern which can be purchased as a digital pattern here or a print pattern here. There are 3 different shoe patterns to go with each of the outfits included in the pattern set but I like these shoes the best. They fit well and are fairly easy to make for the doll.

I chose the Herrchners yarn as I'm trying to finish it off but it is a slightly heavier baby yarn. When I make this again I'd likely stick with Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Peach Blossom the color isn't as dark as the Herrschners but it is a lighter weight which is better suited to the smaller dolls.

16 Inch Pink Baby Doll Carrier

I am more than pleased to announce I've finished the last of the doll carriers for the 2021 donation. I started this one shortly after I finished the last one at the end of August and would do a little while watching TV and then put it aside as working with the 3 strands was hard on my hands. As I realized I was moving into the middle of October it seemed suddenly important to finish this up and have it ready to go into the donation.

This doll carrier is made from a free pattern found here.. I used 3 skeins of Red Heart Super Saver Yarn, Petal Pink and I alter the pattern to make it smaller than the original. I use an I hook for the first 10 rows and then switch to a K hook for the remainder of the pattern.

The Granny baby doll blanket is a donation from a MO member of Crochetville.

15 Inch Rag Doll Dress

As I've been working through patterns this year, I've been experimenting to see which dolls I can adapt the patterns to fit. After finishing the free pattern found here for the JC Toys - 16-inch Baby Doll I tried it on the 15 inch Rag doll.

The dress needed a lighter yarn than the Herrschner's Worsted I'd used for the baby doll dress. Thankfully, the donation I'd received from a member of the Ravelry Knitting Charity group also included some Herrchner's Baby Yarn and this worked well for the project using the same G hook suggested in the pattern.

Notes:

I did follow the directions for this pattern in not joining at the first row. I did this for this doll because there is little distance between head and shoulders. This creates a need for smaller straps than on the 16-inch doll. This makes a sliding on and off dress a more difficult prospect. I had to add two rows to make the torso long enough so I joined the dress before adding the two additional peach rows and continued on to the skirt in the round. I closed the dress with a button in the back.

The straps look close to the edge of the shoulder. I tried experimenting with moving them in one chain and the result did not look great so I pulled them out and removed them to the suggested pattern design.

If I get another Herrschner's shipping coupon I'd think about picking up some of the baby yarn. I like the way it worked up for this project and the greens, darker shade of peach, and purple options are not colors I regularly find when buying baby yarn.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Doll Sweetly Dress

I was blessed to receive a gift of Herrschners yarn from a member of Ravelry's Charity Knitting group and I've been targeting it ever since for my doll projects. I needed a middle weight yarn between sport and worsted to increase the size of the Sweetly free pattern found here to fit the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll and the Herrschners worsted which is closer to a DK was a great fit for this project.

I used an I hook until I changed colors to Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn, Tiny Tulips when I began using a G hook. I switched to an F hook when I started on the skirt. The upper chest and arm holes required the larger hook even with the heavier yarn but once past the arms the dress became too large without decreasing hook size.

I didn't follow the panties pattern as I've discussed before I chain the distance around the doll waist and then begin alternating hdc and dc until I reach the crotch where I split for the legs. I'm still working on a hat pattern I like. The shoes are from the Amy Carrico's Baby Spring set that can be purchased here. I like the fit of these shoes and likely will be making more as I continue with clothes for this doll.

The trim for the arms is as written. I added a sc chain 1 trim to the bottom of the skirt.

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress, Hat, and Shoes

I started using this free pattern when I was still using the soft bodied Mary Maxim 15-inch dolls they've since discontinued. With a little adjustment the pattern fit and with a bit more still fits the JC Toys - La Baby 16-inch Baby Doll despite being designed to fit a smaller 14-inch doll. You can find the free pattern here.

I've been targeting specific yarns in my stash this year to finish off. For this project I pulled out the Herrschners worsted weight that was gifted to me from a donor in the Charity Knitting group on Ravelry. I don't plan on letting this yarn grow roots in my stash. I want it to head out as doll outfits as quickly as I can use it up.

This is a lighter yarn so while I checked my notes from previous projects I needed to make additional adjustments to accommodate the lighter yarn.

I used an I hook for the upper portion of the dress joining as I went. This dress suggests using velcro to close and I've used buttons and snaps. I find velcro very difficult to use with crochet projects so I always substitute snaps or buttons. However, when possible, I find the slide on and off outfits to be easier for little hands. I also never complain if I don't have to sew snaps or buttons. I changed to a G hook for the skirt and the fit was good. I also used a G for the straps.

This is the first time I've tried multiple colors with this pattern but I liked it. I'm going to keep these colors but reverse them for the second doll's outfit. As I said I am determined to finish off the yarn.

Using a g hook, the hat pattern required a few extra increases to make it fit the doll's head. I also added contrasting colored shells for a little fun.

The shoes are my go-to free shoe pattern found in the Peachy Keen set here. I normally use an I hook to make the shoes fit but with the lighter yarn I had to go to a J hook to get the shoes big enough to fit the feet.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Sweetly Dress

I promised myself I was going to finish up the Euro Babe yarn in my stash so I decided to use it for my next doll outfit along with Bernat Baby Sport Big Ball Yarn, Ombres, Baby Baby. Still have more yarn to go so expect to see it popping up on more doll outfits.

This is another outfit made from Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here.

I used a G hook for the dress and a C hook for the arm trim. The trim was too large until I reached the C hook.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Sweetly Nightgown

I'm continuing to work my way through Darski's free Sweetly pattern for the 10 inch baby dolls found here. My first attempt at the nightgown fit the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll .

For my second attempt I used an E hook and Lion Brand Babysoft Yarn, Pastel Print and arrived at a better fit.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Spring Set

This is another one of the Amy Carrico doll patterns I picked up when I realized she'd added more patterns to her Etsy store and I wanted to make sure I bought them in case they disappeared again. You can purchase the pattern here.

I used a C hook with Big Ball Baby Sport Yarn - White and a discontinued version of Euro Babe yarn for the pink which is leaning purple in the pictures.

This was another occasion to start in on a stash of yarn that I don't remember buying and therefore have no idea what project it was intended for originally. Using it up on donation projects eems a great idea.

Notes:

I expereminted with the B hook and settled on going up to the C hook for the entire project as the dress was too tight with the B.

When I make this again I'd add more rows to the sleeves and decrease the stitch count.

The "pearl" shaped button is LeMode 1/4 inch button card that came 5 to a set I bought at Joann's. I also bought the 1/2 inch 3 to a card set as I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted. I did not see them sold on the website when I looked. I mention this because I know I'll be looking back here and trying to remember where I bought the buttons as the style is different from most of the buttons I pick up in store or online from various vendors and writing it down is a gift to myself.

15 Inch Rag Doll Sweetly Sweater and Pants

I'm always looking for opportunities to adapt patterns that fit the other dolls to the 2 Rag Dolls. When I realized the free Sweetly sweater pattern found here would fit the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll I realized there was a chance the pattern might fit the rag dolls as well. Previous exchanges had worked.

This project was made with a G hook and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Blue and Ombre,Funny Prints along with the dark blue no longer available Red Heart Baby Sport Yarn.

Notes:

The construction of the sweater fit the doll well it was just short. I fixed this by adding rows prior to the final two finishing rows to get the length I wanted for the sweater.

The pants were made chaining the distance around the waist and joining and then making rows of dc until it was time to split for the crotch. I don't have a pattern for the pants but they are a pretty basic construction. To tighten the waist since I tend to overestimate the distance around to make them easy to pull on and off I sc 4 decrease for 2 rounds and I'm generally at a good pull on and off spot. I suggest testing to see how it works.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Sweetly Sweater and Pants

I started this sweater pattern from the Sweetly free pattern set found here last week and it ended up being worn by the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll.

For this experiment I used a D hook for the sweater and and E for the pants. The yarn was a combination of no longer available Red Heart Sport Yarn, Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn, Baby Yellow and, Ombres, Baby Baby.

I was trying to adjust for size as using the yarn I had on hand and with my sometimes odd guage the original pattern fit the 14 inch doll. When I make this again for the 10 inch doll I'd consider using an E hook for the neck area and switching back to the D hook after the first few rows. The sweater fit well everywhere but that top area as it is built to be a roomy sweater but with the D hook the top was a little snug.

The pants again were a simple top down design split for the crotch. I tightened the top with a sc around the starting crochet at the top sc 4 dc around.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Candie Corn Halloween Costume

I'm continuing my tradition of making costumes for the Lots to Love 8 Inch dolls to decorate for the holidays. I made a Pumpkin Kitty last year and this year I decided to adapt a pattern from an old Crochet Calendar for the 5 inch baby dolls from Michelle Crean called Candie Corn Doll.

I always separate out the patterns into my category binders so I don't know what year of the Daily Crochet calendar this was from but it was the October 24th and 25th entry for year. I've checked Michelle Crean's website and this is not one of the patterns she lists for sale. If I do find it I will add the link for those who might be interested in the pattern.

To make this fit the 8 inch Lots to Love doll instead of the 5 inch doll I used a g hook and I Love this Yarn Sport Weight Yarn in Orange and White along with a discontinued yellow from Red Heart Sport.

Note to myself the booties fit really well and could easily be adapted for another pattern that comes without shoes.

Lots to Love 14" Doll Nightgown

I'm continuing to work my way through Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here for the Lots to Love 10 inch dolls. While the first one fit without any adjustments for the doll I've been finding the other patterns are fitting the Lots to Love 14" Baby Doll when I make them as written.

This hasn't been an issue for me since I'll be donating both dolls and it is easy enough to adapt hook and yarn to get the patterns to work for the smaller dolls. It actually has worked out because while I often think of working these patterns down in size I'm not sure I would have naturally made the jump from the 10 inch to the 14 inch doll on my own. I'd likely have moved to other larger doll patterns and made them smaller.

The nightgown is made with a g hook and Bernat Baby Sport Big Ball Ombre Yarn, Funny Prints.

Notes:

I shortened the nightgown by two rows prior to adding the two finishing rows. I also finished the neck as I was adding the closing ties by crocheting the required ties, sc across the neck and then making the second tie. This might have been what was intended but not written.

The picture on the pattern shows arms for the nightgown but not directions. I chose not to add. I rather liked the sleeveless look. I've started this nightgown for the smaller doll and will likely add the sleeves as it will give me a chance to tighten the armholes as they are bigger on the smaller dolls.