Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Dress, Hat, and Booties

I've been trying to keep track of which dolls have been falling behind on filling their donation bags and I noticed the Lots to Love 14 inch Doll needed some attention.

Notes:

This outfit is made using a free Linmary Knits pattern found here for the dress and hat and what is becoming my go to bootie pattern for this doll from an Amy Carrico pattern Spring Set which I believe can still be purchased on Ravelry here.

This doll requires an E hook for the bodice and a G for the skirt. The main color for this outfit was Bernat Softee Baby Soft Red. I don't believe I've used this yarn often. It is a 3 weight yarn but has the feel of Caron Simply Soft. The contrast color is Bernat Big Baby Sport Yarn yellow.

I need to adapt this pattern just a little bit as the Lots to Love doll is a pretty chubby baby doll.

One note to myself that I always forget and already have forgotten as I've begun a second outfit for the larger baby doll the bodice should be done in back loops. I still have two more outfits to complete after these two so a chance to redeem myself.

After reading my notes from my last project I chose not to join until I reached the waist as this makes getting the dress on and off easier. I closed with a snap.

WHat was not in my previous notes was I needed 6 additional rows followed by two contrast rows for bodice length before starting wasit after completing original bodice pattern. In the past I've done this as one solid bodice color. I like the contrast split. I would consider splitting the rows more evenly between the contrast colors as I reached the waist before completing another set of directions. It would be more balanced if I split the two sections evenly.

The directions for the hat should also be followed in back rows until you reach the shell rows which I clearly did not do. For this doll I would stick to the e hook for the entire hat not switching to the g hook as suggested. The hat is a little large.

The booties fit as written with the same yarn I used for the main project and an e hook.

Skipper Red Riding Hood

I failed to include the link for Mel Garcia Tello's pattern to purchase in my previous post about making this for Barbie so I'm starting with it so I don't forget to include it. The pattern can be purchased here.

I've been so pleased to find so many of Barbie's outfits either fit or with minimal changes can be made to fit Skipper since there are limited patterns for Barbie's sisters available to crochet.

Notes:

I didn't need to make many changes from Barbie to Skipper for the outfit to fit but I did fix the mistake I made on the Barbie dress section.

I used the same Knit Picks Pallete colors for both Barbie and Skipper. Skipper's Bodice is smaller so I used a D hook for the bodice and a C hook for the skirt. While making Barbie's dress I had made the decision not to join the dress until I reached the skirt closing the top with a snap.

This did require me to go back to my notes about the straps I made for Barbie. The pattern for the straps comes after the bodice is written and there are two rows. You can do them without finishing off if the top is joined. However since I made rows I needed to stop after the first row finish off and start row 2 from where row 1 started. I actually read my notes this time and the straps look much better with this change.

After making Barbie's hood I tried it on Skipper and found it fit well so I used a G hook for Skipper's hood as well. I had experimented with the suggested smaller hook but it was too small for both dolls.

Skipper's bent arm is a bit challenging when anything covers her arm. I did find the hood didn't sit as well on it as I'd have liked but overall I'm pleased with her latest outfit.

Stacie Swimsuit

Continuing with my annual swimsuit challenge I move on to Stacie adapting Char Caywood's Chelsea pattern that you can purchase here.

Notes:

I use size 10 crochet thread and a 1.25mm thread hook to get this to fit Stacie.

I need to repeat rows 4 and 5 in the front panel before starting row six to get the length required for this outfit. I made a note after making this previously about needing a longer crotch but I didn't find that to be the case this time.

I haven't decided if I will try this pattern without the ruffle for Skipper or try to adapt a Barbie pattern for Skipper. I wasn't crazy about my previous attempt so I'm tempted to see if this will work before trying one of the Barbie options.