Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Pretty Yellow Dress

I've been making a real effort this year to try patterns that have been in my doll binders for some time that for some reason I've never made.

This is one of Amy Carrico's patterns called Pretty Pink Dress for 8 Inch Baby Doll. I started this one a couple times with different yarn and hooks and I know I didn't get it right because the picture shows a full almost bed dress picture and this is much narrower but it still works which is why I didn't just frog it and choose another pattern. It may not have been what the designer had in mind but I did get another dress for the donation doll.

For my notes I had to use a D hook for the dress as with the suggested Baby Bernat the dress was just too tight. I was able to use a B hook for all the accessories which continues to lead me to believe I'm missing something in the pattern design for the dress.

I need to work on some clothes for the 18 inch dolls and I really need to dress the family of Barbie with time quickly running out. I'm going to be making some of the Lots to Love 14 Inch Doll patterns I posted recently for the Rag doll, so that doll will also have an increase in donation size as well. I will just have to see what gets done before drop off time and start again for next year.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Sweetly Nightgown

This is project was made using Darksi's free Sweetly pattern found here.

Not sure why I went with an e hook instead of an f but for future reference an e hook with baby yarn fits the 8 inch Lots to Love doll nicely. I did need to reduce rows as the doll is shorter but the basic pattern format works well for this doll as well as the bigger 10 inch doll. I didn't change stitch count at all just the number of rows.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Bathing Suit

After making Char's bathing suit pattern, available for purchase here, for the Lil Cutesies Doll I tried in on the Lots to Love 8 Inch doll. The pattern directions have adjustments for the slightly smaller 8 inch doll but I found the fit to be good and decided while the pattern was still fresh in my mind it would be a good project to get finished for the donation.

I've mentioned this before but I realized I failed to note either on the pattern or my blog notes that the hook size called for is a thread hook 5. My hooks are labeled in mm not starndard numbers so looking this up several times now I've come to make peace with the closest I have is a 1.75mm though technically I believe it is supposed to be a 1.7mm. The .05mm doesn't seem to cause a huge issue with the fit of the doll outfits.

This pattern uses size 10 thread in 3 colors. The light pink is a color is still holding out although you can see the cardboard on all sides of the cone holder. I keep thinking each project will finish it off but this was not the project. I've been shopping out of my stash for projects when possible so the darker pink seemed like a great choice for this bathing suit.

The Lots to Love 8 inch dolls are interesting in that the feet and facial expressions are different on each doll. Shoes that fit one are harder to fit on the next. I've found the Lil Cutesies dolls to be a little more standard. As a result I will say I think the shoes fit the Lil Cutesies a bit better. However, considering the challenge of fitting shoes to the feet of these dolls I was rather pleased with the outcome.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Pink Doll

The title of this blog post is a take off on the Mary Maxim title Baby Blue doll which you can purchase here. Using their title for my entry seemed odd as I chose pink from my stash to make this outfit.

This outfit is made with the now unavailable Red Heart Baby Sport yarn which as I've mentioned before I bought a rather large supply of when it was discontinued. I'm still working through it. I was amazed at how small a dent I made when working on this outfit. What I loved about this line of yarn above its yarn features was the colors. It went beyond the traditional baby colors and I have some darker colors not normally available in "baby" yarn. This of course is a more traditional baby color but it worked for this outfit.

While I've been making holiday outfits with the 8" Lots to Love dolls this is the first for the 2021 donation.

In years past I've focused on making clothing and accessories for one group of dolls and then moving on to the next. This has been less succesful than I'd hoped. The most productive times for crocheting end up yielding uneven resutls as one doll group ends up with a great amount of clothing and the others with less so and I end up scrambling to finish off their donations or they go off with less than I'd hoped. As I've added more dolls it becomes even more critical that I spread out the time I spend on each doll. This year I'm trying to rotate through the dolls hoping this keeps me from burning out from making one type of doll outfits and secondly creates a more balanced donation.

Notes

The pattern calls for fingering yarn but the Red Heart sport with the D hook worked well. The pattern has a buttonhole band in the back that covers what seems like would be a gap as you assemble the outfit. I used snaps instead of buttons. The patterns calls for an applique I used the owl button. The booties are tight but they do fit. These dolls have a range of "pointed feet" and this display doll falls in the higher range so one of the less pointed dolls may fit the booties better. I noticed that even more strongly recently when making the Valentine dolls. The girl doll is almost on her tippy toes, the boy's feet while pointed are not nearly as extreme.

As I was working on this doll I was also sizing the outfit on the Lil Cutesies 8.5" Baby Doll and with limited changes I think this outfit will be a good fit for that doll as well. I'm always looking for patterns I can use on multiple dolls as the supply of doll specific patterns is limited. I'm always thrilled when one pattern will work on another doll.

For those of you looking for the Lots to Love 8" dolls they are still available. If you can't find them at craft stores check the school supply market. I found this doll and the holiday dolls at Kaplan when my regular craft store was out of them. I found other school supply stores also stocked them and the other sized Lots to Love dolls. They are more expensive but if you can't find them at other locations the school market is worth checking out for the dolls.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll Valentine Gal

One of my rewards for finishing my Valentine box early and getting it mailed was having extra time to make holiday dolls. Up to this point I've managed one per holiday but while I've wanted to make additional dolls and have patterns in many cases I just haven't had the time because the next box has to be started. I do need to get the St. Patrick's stuff started but since it isn't the end of January, I feel good about taking some time to make myself some holiday decorations and house items.

This pattern comes from Annie Potter Presents Holiday Babies. You can purchase the pattern here.

Notes:

I accidently changed the skirt pattern. The orignal pattern is much fuller but I actually liked the way this one came out and if I can replicate it I plan on making it with less of a holiday theme for the donation doll.

I used worsted weight yarn and a D hook to make the outfit fit the Lots to Love 8" doll. I finished the last row of the panties in red and then added a row of red trim to finish them off.

I discovered accidentatly after making the second shoe that they actually fit better with an extra row at the top so I added one to the first shoe/bootie.

Instead of using the crocheted hearts I used buttons. I found the crochet hearts were just a bit large for the outfit. I liked the look of the buttons better.

I love my new set of Valentine dolls!

Lots to Love 8 Inch Elf

I've been building my collection of 8 inch Lots to Love dolls dressed with crocheted holiday outfits. I always mistakenly think I can get more than one made per holiday, but the up side is that I have something to look forward to making next year if my back order of dolls ever gets shipped.

This outfit was made from Annie Potter's Holiday Babies available here.

These patterns call for sports yarn but I used worsted weight yarn and a D hook for the pants and the shirt. I used an e hook for the first row of the hat because it was too tight and then switched back to a D hook. It was a little loose with the e hook but again with the D it wouldn't fit over the head so it was an interesting call to make.

In other notes I added rows to the top of the pants to make them fit a little better before moving to the legs. I made 6 chains instead of 4 to split the legs. I also made adjustments to the arms. I used a heart button instead of crocheting one. I played a little with the shoes to get them to fit the feet. Doll feet are always interesting as patterns have to be adjusted to the way your doll's feet are constructed and that's what I ended up doing.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Pilgrim Boy

While I've primarily been working on Thanksgiving projects to mail out, I have made a few items for my own house.

This is the fourth doll I've completed for my holiday Lots to Love 8 Inch dolls.

This time I used an out of print House of White Birches leaflet Holiday Baby Dolls pattern number 101102. Sadly this one hasn't been made available as a digital pattern yet in any location I could find.

As they published more patterns for these dolls I am hoping at some point they are released as I'd love to have copies of them.

While they are designed for a specific 9 1/2 inch baby doll with work this outfit fit the Lots to Love 8 inch doll. The Lots to Love have a generous stomach and when working with patterns one has to work around that.

For this outfit that meant using worsted weight yarn for the pants and the jacket. I added chains until the chain reached around the baby's waist. The original pattern was not large enough to accomadate the wider stomach of the Lots to Love doll even though the doll in the pattern is technically a larger doll. Measurements are everything. The body of the jacket fit well using worsted weight acrylic yarn, but I had to shorten the sleeves only doing the first 2 rows of the sleeve before doing the reducing rows.

The collar, sleeve cuffs and belt required a lighter yarn, so I used Omega Sinfonia cotton sport yarn for those items. They were too heavy made in acrylic. I knew going in I was going to use sport yarn for the collar and the cuffs. I tried the belt with worsted acrylic and determined it was too bulky for the doll.

I love these shoes. Each of these dolls has slightly different shaped feet so you never quite know how the shoes will fit. This is probably the most pointy toed doll I've worked with to date and the shoes fit perfectly. Unlike the hat which was constantly falling off while I was working on the doll, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the shoes stayed on the doll even when moving it around.

This holiday doll project has been fun and one I plan on continuing into next year. Time to order more dolls!!!

Lots to Love 8 Inch Bunny Suit

I've always loved the little 5 Inch Lots to Love dolls that people knit and crochet holiday outfits to add to their holiday decorations. Sadly, I've never been very great making doll clothes that small. I've been fortunate to have family and friends who have made some for me over the years and I happily display them for the various holidays.

When I discovered Annie Potter's collection of 8 inch doll clothes leaflets I included her holiday book in my order, not for donations, but for myself. I wanted to make some of my own doll decorations and this is my first. The print edition is available for purchase here. This pattern set is also available for purchase in digital format at Etsy here.

This was a great project to use the sport yarn I had picked up at AC Moore prior to their closing. I look forward to making more clothes from my stock for the 8 and 10 inch Lots to Love dolls. Then of course I'll have to find a new supply of sport weight that has that range of colors and is the right weight for these clothes.

Notes:

This pattern worked up with an e hook and sport weight yarn. Getting the feet to fit was the biggest challenge. I think when I make the next footed outfit I would have the outfit on the doll as I finished off the feet to try to make the footed pj's fit better. I changed the ears from the pattern. The pattern has the ears droop down the side of the bunnies head. I sewed two ears together to get the ears to stand up. I just liked the look better. I had carrot buttons on hand so I used one on the front. The picture has heart buttons. I did not add the ties to the feet as they already had challenges fitting to the doll.

I've decided this doll will be dedicated to this outfit and I'll pick up others for the different holiday dolls as I've done with the 5" dolls. It may not be necessary with all the dolls but the fitted nature of this outfit will create some damage to it if I try to put it on and off too many times. The doll dresses might be better suited to removing and storing with the holiday decorations and changing the doll to a new outfit for the next holiday.

A friend suggested I try making some of the 5" doll outfits with sport yarn for the 8" dolls. Once I've worked through this pattern set I may try that. I think I have the Holiday Itty Bitties book. If not it is regularly on sale at e-patterns central so I could pick it up if I can't find my print leaflet. That would give me some variety for my holiday outfit choices.

Updated to add:

Since I made this outfit I discovered FreePatterns.com has just one pattern from the House of White Birches Crochet Holiday Baby Dolls 101102 and it is the Easter Bunny doll. You can find the free pattern here. It is different from this one, but I've had great success in adapting the patterns from this series to the 8" Lots to Love dolls. Since it is a free pattern it is a good chance to try it out. You will need to give them your email to access the site's patterns. If this link doesn't bring you directly to the pattern it is called Easter Bunny Baby Doll Costume.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Romper

Mary Maxim has released a bunch of their doll kit patterns as digital downloads and when you catch them on sale the prices are quite reasonable. This pattern is called Baby Blue Doll if you need to look it up and it is available for purchase here. These patterns are frequently on sale so if you miss a sale and can wait it is worth it to stock up on the patterns you want.

I've worked with the 5 inch Lots to Love dolls but never the 8 inch. This was a fun simple project. The pattern called for fingering yarn but I decided to try the baby sport yarn I've been trying so hard to finish off and it made gauge with the suggested D hook. The only thing I changed for this project is I didn't add the arms. I found the dolls arms to be some what stiff and while the clothing wasn't tight, I did find maneuvering the outfit over the arms to be more challenging than I'd expected. I decided adding the arms would just make this harder for small hands. I used a snap rather than a button to close the back as I have limited smaller buttons in my supply.

I'm thinking of modifying this pattern to make a little dress as another outfit to donate with the doll. If I eliminate the split for the legs this would make a cute little dress.