Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

Several years ago I made a mistake of not reading my notes and made this nightgown with the suggested G hook for the Lots to Love 10 inch Baby doll. It was huge and the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll inherited a nightgown. For some reason I never went back and made it for the larger baby doll again until I went on a quest to give nightwear to the dolls this year for the donation and realized I didn't have a specific pattern for the larger doll but I had used this pattern previously.

This pattern is the nightgown from Darski's free Sweetly pattern set found here.

With this item finished this doll is also ready to be boxed the day before Halloween!

Notes:

I used a G hook and Bernat Baby Big Ball Sport Yarn.

Bernat Baby Sport and Herrschners' brand yarns have been my go to yarn for the baby doll projects. I just ordered more of the Herrschners' striped yarns for the 2026 donation as I still have solid colors from my previous order but I've burned through quite a bit of my striped stash this year and do to the price of shipping I try to order only when they have shipping offers.

Supplies change but I find most of my Baby Bernat sport at Walmart. I used to order it online but the Walmart oddly has kept a wider selection of colors than I could find online and the price has been good. I've kept a decent stash so not sure what the current state of their availability is for this brand but I'll be starting there when I need more next year.

Ken Sleeping Bag

With this item finished Ken's box was packed for the donation the week of Halloween! Yes I am very excited to be getting these boxes packed so early. The departure date isn't until December but this means I can close out 2025 and begin the prep for 2026 once the last doll is packed.

The base of this pattern is Suzie's Stuff free Fashion Doll Sleeping bag found here. This is done completely in sc and I prefer the shell option she offers for the Beanie's found here. So I combine the start of the fashion doll and finish it with the Beanie shells. I just like the look and the texture it provides. I also find it works up faster than the rows of sc's.

Notes:

I used an I hook with what I believe was Red Heart Super Saver Green Tones. After getting the join correct I started the shells right away and I liked it better. I generally continue the pattern until I can join it at the bottom with a little room for Ken's feet. This makes it easier to get him in and out.

Still working on nightgown wear, bathing suits and sleeping bags until the boxes are complete. Then I can have a little more freedom of creation starting 2026.

16 Inch Baby Doll Swimsuit

With this item complete this doll is inline to be packed for the donation!! I'm so excited this year to have help with transportation. It means we don't have to be as crazy about making sure the boxes will fit in our car so we can fit the box best suited to the donation.

This is the same pattern I used for the My Life doll from Stephanie Dygerty that is sadly not currently available for purchase. I have another larger baby doll swimsuit pattern that I'm going to try to see if it will work for the second doll. I like mixing things up as not to get bored. Especially since I've left all the repeat patterns until the end this year.

Notes:

This is made with Red Heart Super Saver Bright Yellow yarn and an K hook. I was suprised the baby doll required a larger hook than the My Life but sometimes yarn is a little different in thickness.

Thankfully, I do stock up on dolls when I find them on sale for this donation. It's the only way to make this affordable.

This year has been a tough year to find sales but the week of Halloween as I write this I was quite thrilled to find the Lots to Love 14 inch dolls on sale at Amazon and thankfully I won't need to worry about these being on sale for a while now.

I'm truly hoping Walmart has a sale on the My Life dolls at some point as those prices are out of my donation price range at this point. I have all I need for 2025 and I am hoping at these prices there will be a glut on the market and the prices will come down and I can stock up on those again.

They used to be a much more affordable option than the Our Generation Dolls. However, they are now in some cases more expensive. I have my Our Generation Dolls for 2026 as I was able to get those on sale. I hope I will be able to keep sending the My Life dolls as well.

Glitter Girl Sleeping Bag

I've made this a few times now and I'm seriously thinking about adapting the free pattern I use for the 18 inch dolls as it works up a bit quicker and I like the pillow rather than the mummy sleeping bag look. It is easier to make and it also is easier getting the doll into and out of for me. I will try to experiment earlier next year so I can decide if I need to come back to the pattern.

This is one of Adoring Doll's pattern sets that can be purchased here. It comes with several accessories and a few clothing items. I generally have been buying and sending the Glitter Girl campfire and portable grill set when I can find it on sale. Eventually it will be discontinued and these items may come back to my crochet list.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Swimsuit

With this outfit completed the Lots to Love 10 inch Baby doll is also now ready to be boxed. Since I'm preposting this I'm pleased to announce this is done before Halloween. We've never been able to box stuff prior to Halloween.

This is made from one of Char's patterns that can be purchased here.

It provides separate patterns for the 10 inch baby doll and the 9.5 Inch Baby Steps Doll. For my own notes what threw me when I went to look for the pattern in my binder was the cover picture is of the Baby Steps doll and I thought I'd misplaced this pattern. It is the right one.

Notes:

I keep a variety of thread sizes and brands on hand to try to avoid having to order for a specific project.

I believe the main color is Aunt Lydia's size 3 crochet thread in warm teal. The contrast color is Lizbeth size 3 I believe wildflower. Lizbeth is one of my favorite threads in all sizes for contrast. The skeins aren't large but the colors add something special to a project.

I used a size f hook for the swimsuit and the visor. I used an e hook for the shoes.

Along with not including all the accessories as I had in previous years this year I also didn't add the coverup. I've been on the fence about it the last few years and with time being an issue I chose not to include.

I also used the Lizbeth for all the contrast rather than returning to the origin color or adding another contrast color as the directions suggested. I prefer the Lizbeth for the contrast. I also used it to finish the visor this year.

I generally finish around the legs for these projects but this year the edges looked good and it would have been bulky if I'd added another row so I let it go.