Our Generation Wisteria

Still on my stroll through Darski's pattern library. This free pattern can be found here. The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creation's Sailor pattern and can be purchased here.

I love the concept of this outfit but I struggled a little with the execution.

Underskirt:

I used the 4.5/7mm hoook for this project with the exception of the shoes.

First I'd reduce the width of the skirt for the underdress. I had to make the overdress much wider to come close to accomadating the width of the skirt.

I would consider keeping it at the original 60 stitches rather than expanding it to 70.

I reduced the underskirt to 20 rows but I would trust my instincts and keep it to the top of the feet likely closer to 18 rows next time.

The tie pictures look more complicated than necessary. I did a simple tie in the back.

Overskirt:

I used a 4.5 mm hook for the overskirt.

The top feels large but it is reduced with a pull tie that allows the dress to come on and off.

For this outfit I had to increase the skirt count to 75 to fit over the larger skirt. This might not be as much of an issue with a smaller skirt.

I used Sweet Silver Creation's shoe pattern with a G hook.

There is an overall set included with this pattern that I'd like to finish for the donation.

I do need to pivot and start getting back to the night clothes, swimsuits, and some general clothes for the other dolls. I'd also like to work on some of the other patterns I have for the 18 inch dolls. I won't be abadoning my quest to work through more of her patterns but I do need to broaden my donations for a bit.

My Life Mommy's Little Girl

This is another of Darski's free patterns found here.

I did try making Darski's shoe pattern from Youthful memories but even with increasing hook size and adding a few stitches to the starting chain I found them to be too small. I was hopeful as her baby doll shoe pattern is the only one that will fit the 16 inch donation doll. Therefore, it was back to Sweet Silver Creations's Sailor pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

I don't get to Hobby Lobby often so I do pick up a few skeins of I Love this Yarn when I'm there, especially if I can find some unusual colors.

For my reference the dress is made with I Love this Yarn Print 494 Instant Classic. I would like to buy more of this as I have several projects including this one for next year where this color blend would be wonderful.

The other two colors are Red Heart Super Saver Safron and Real Teal.

Dress:

As mentioned this was made with I Love this Yarn Print 494 Instant Classic and an I hook. I did not add the additional trims Darski used as I liked the look without them.

I used three buttons for the dress.

Capelet:

I had trouble establishing the shape of the cape. When I finally didn't get it to be too large it doesn't create the circle that the pattern intends. It still works. Note to self that the sc are only in the dc not the chains otherwise the cape is huge.

The dc ch 1 does not skip a stitch between.

Straw Hat:

I followed the directions for the hat as written.

Purse:

The purse is a work in progress. The directions for the bottom of the purse were very detailed the top was more vague and something I need to work on.

My Life Chef

This is the last item from Darski's free Howdy Neighbor pattern found here. The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creations' Sailor pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

I take better more detailed notes some years than others. I made this several years back and my notes were not as helpful as I would have liked.

I used an I hook for this hat. I'd go bigger next time for a fuller hat. I tried this twice and it is smaller than the two hats I made before which leads me to believe I may have used a larger hook.

I made these shorts top down crocheting over elastic sewn together. I decreased until I got to the stitch count Darski listed for her legs after splitting. I did not do a chain 3 for the crotch but joined at the split. I did a ss to hem the shorts so they were less likely to get caught while taking on and off.

The previous notes don't mention and issue with the count for the shirt being a challenge for splitting the arms and having them even. To get them to be even I did the first arm as written and then counted the stitches from the end for the second sleeve and put a marker where the join should be made to split the sleeve. This was the only way the sleeves were close in size.

The apron is made using the suggested hook size. Mark both sides where the ties will be added to make sure they will be even on both sides. I chose to sc rather than ss as I prefer the look. Darski's notes explain this but in order for the apron to slide over the head with out tying behind the neck there is a gap that hangs behind the neck. If you decrease the stitches it will not fit over the doll's head. The only way to fix this would be to finish off one side and start the other so you could tie the apron at the waist and neck. I've not tried this but it would fix the large gap.

I used a G hook for the shoes.

I know this is Red Heart White but I have a note that the last time I made this the pink was Red Heart Super Saver Shocking Pink and the colors look like a match.

I added this picture to my notes to remind me to use Adoring Doll's Back to school heart motif. I find it next to impossible to make good hearts. That pattern is one of the few that works for me. I fiddled with this one several times. It would have been easier to pull the other pattern. I will do that next time.

I like that this works as a summer outfit if the child bores of the chef motif.

My Life Birthstone

Again still not out of April but moving deeper into May as I prepost. Not a bad challenge to have as summer approaches and more things take up time.

This is another one of Darski's free patterns found here.

The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creation's Sailor pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

I'll start with the pants. Unless I'm making footed pj's for the baby dolls for the most part I just make pants from the top down regardless of what the pattern says. There have been a few exceptions where the pants required something specific but when possible I don't. I find creating the legs and joining to be a frustrating process. I'm sure it technically is better but I've finally decided a finished wearable pair of doll pants is better than an unfished technically correct pair.

So with that in mind I followed Darski's directions for the upper part of the outfit but went my own way with the pants. I buy hair elastics and sc over them. I then dc until I split for legs by chaining 3 and dividing the legs evenly. I then decrease the legs as they can be wide. I generally finish with a ss "seam" as this tends to keep the stitches from catching as the pants are taken on and off.

This is Red Heart Super Saver Blue Wave and I only got two skeins of it when I stumbled upon it at Walmart. I liked it because it was between Royal and Navy and I knew I'd have projects that would work with this yarn. Sadly when I went to look for more it looks like they are no longer making this color.

It takes almost a full skein of Super Saver to finish this outfit along with additional white for trim.

Sweater:

I used an H hook for the sweater as suggested.

The sweater seemed short so I added some rows for length which meant adding rows to the cape to get the length pictured in the pattern.

This is a nice top and I would add it to the rotation with the cape for future donations.

Cape:

I used an extended dc rather than the hdc that Darski suggested. I tried the hdc and it didn't work for me.

As stated above I needed to add rows to the cape to cover the rows I added to the sweater to get it to fit.

Hat:

The hat was a happy mistake. I thought about pulling it out and starting again but I liked the way it looked despite it not being the match to the pattern picture.

Shoes:

This is my standard strap shoe pattern but having read my notes from the Madison project I did use a g hook and the fit was better.

Our Generation Elspeth

Still not quite to the end of April yet but edging closer as I prepost my projects.

This is another of Darski's free patterns that can be found here. The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creations School Girl pattern which can be purchased here.

Notes:

The main yarn for this dress was Red Heart Super Saver Saffron. The pattern called for an I hook but the dress is slightly larger than I'd like but having played with these patterns lately I suspect the H hook would be too small to get the dress to close for me.

The white trim is Baby Bernat Sport the hat Red Heart Super Saver. The Green is also Red Heart Spring Green left over from the Madison and Rivulet outfits. I used an f hook for the shoes but I'd go with an e next time as this yarn is heavier than the grey yarn I used for the last shoes and they were big.

Our Generation Dovetailed

This is a fairly standard donation pattern for the Our Generation Doll. It is one of Darski's free patterns you can find here.>

The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creation's School Girl pattern that can be purchased here.

This grey photographs lighter than the actual color. I was confused when I looked up the previous post as it also looked like a lighter grey and I don't have much light grey in my stash. This is Red Heart Super Saver Dusty Grey and it is the color I'd want again for this dress. I recently ordered some light grey for some other projects and I think it would be too light. The Red Heart Super Saver Gray Heather I use for another of Darski's patterns is too dark for this outfit although based on other pictures I have used it previously.

Notes:

I start the skirt by crocheting around a hair band with an I hook.

The increases need to be made on the side of the skirt. I start the overdress with a K hook switching to a J hook when I change to pink.

The back is finished and I add three button holes. Darski and I differ in that I do not let the buttons go below the grey line.

I used a H hook for the hat working as written.

I'm still struggling to make shoes without the strap that stay on the feet. I used an f hook for these and they still aren't quite right but I'm trying.

My Life Howdy Neighbor Coco's Tunic

With the wonders of preposting I'm half way through April as I write this but almost into May as I'm posting.

This is another pattern found in Darski's free Howdy Neighbor pattern found here.

The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creations Sailor Pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Bright Yellow and white. The hat calls for a darker yellow contrast but not having any currently in stock I went with a solid yellow with white trim.

I used an I hook for the tunic following the directions as written. I took the picture below to demonstrate the back closing as it has been a while since I made this outfit.

Darski makes her pants one leg at a time and joins them and this is a perfectly legitimate method. I only use this method when making footed pajamas because I can't avoid it for those. I much prefer to start top down and split for legs.

For this outfit I don't chain for legs I join at the crotch split. I start by sc over a hair elastic and then move to dc rows until I feel it is long enough to split for the legs. I chose to match the spikes on the top of the tunic to the bottom of the pant legs.

This year I needed a J hook to get the hat to fit the doll. The hair on this doll is a bit different but similiar to the models I've been donating so it seemed a good idea to go with the larger hat. The only other change I made to the hat is I finished it with white crab stitch along the top border.

My Life Rivulets

The last two years I've made this pattern with dark green yarn as the light green was harder to find. I found the Spring Green at Amazon and I just reordered some as I make several patterns for the 18 inch dolls and the 16 inch baby dolls with this color.

That being said after I'd finished this in the suggested color I realized I rather like the pattern in the darker color and wanted to note that for next year. While I'd continue with the Madison dress in the Spring Green I'd go back to the dark green for this outfit.

Notes:

This is one of Darski's free patterns that can be found here.

The shoes are made using Sweet Silver Creations Sailor Doll Pattern that can be purchased here.

This was made with Red Heart Super Saver Spring Green. I'd go with a darker green for my next attempt. My notes all say Caron Pounder is the best choice for this dress. The white is Baby Bernat Big Ball white.

I used the suggested I hook for everthing but the top trim. I used a g hook for the trim on the top as it tended to poof with the larger hook and the lighter yarn. I also used a g hook for the trim on the bottom as it gets bulky with the larger hook.

Don't increase beyond four dc between the post stitches as the skirt gets to be huge. The last row is all dc before adding trim. I missed this and the trim sits better from dc row.

The bottom trim rows need to adjust for reduced number of increases.

After finishing the dress directions I finished the back and top of the dress with the primary color yarn before adding the white trim. This made for a cleaner back and made adding the trim easier. It also makes the arm holes look cleaner when completed.

Be careful not to split yarn changing from chains to dc for arm holes. The white yarn is soft but it needs to stay strong for the arm holes.

I need to do a V stitch in the end stitch of each end for each row of the shawl, not in the chain stitch. I struggled with this last year and caught the direction this year.

My Life Madison

This free pattern is part of the Howdy Neighbor set found here.:

Notes:

In looking at my notes it appears the last few times I've made this dress it has been for the Our Generation doll not the My Life doll. All good as it is nice to shift things around a bit.

I've noticed my gauge has been a bit off the last week so I'll note my previous hooks and current for future projects. Previously I've needed a J for the bodice and an I for the skirt. This time I was able to follow the directions as written using an I hook for the whole dress.

I used Red Heart Super Saver Spring Green. There are a couple of yarn eating Darski patterns that use this shade of worsted but it is one of the colors I can't get at my local Walmart. I do stock up when I find it. Unlike the Rivulets pattern I used worsted 4 white for the trim for this pattern.

Row 3 should read sc 9 not 19 as the numbers do not work for the stitch count without this change. I love it when there are stitch counts.

Row 11: Row 10 sadly doesn't have a stitch count so having made this a number of times now I'm making this note for myself others may find it works differently for them. I dc in 5 in order to get a stitch count of 55.

Rows 12-16 I increased to 20 for the length I wanted. Thus making row 17 row 21

Bodice trim and strap changes:

Instead of slst in 5 I sc in 5 then I chained 8 for the arm strap. This was just a better look and feel for me. This changes the next chain direction to chain 8 ending with sc 5 at end.

I chose to finish back with green not white trim. I used a button not a snap for a close this time.

The shoes are made using Sweet Silver Creations Sailor Doll Pattern that can be purchased here.

I used an H hook for the shoes with my current gauge issues I'll be using a g for the next My Life project I'm working to complete.

I'm continuing to prepost so today was drop off day for Kits for Kids. Unlike Aztec Wishes this was just a drop off. However, all things being good I've been invited to help pack the bags in May so I'm looking forward to learning more about what donations would work best for the project.

Our Generation Let The Sunshine In

I have one more Kits for Kids project preposted but with this preposting the delivery date for that project is tomorrow. With some challenges I'm having retruning to a project with larger hooks seemed like a good idea.

This project seems to pop up in my to do list every other year or so. Thankfully with binders of patterns I do have plenty to make. I chose this one because it is fairly simple to make and requires basic colors that were in my stash.

That didn't stop me from stocking up on Red Heart Super Saver Navy from my local Walmart as that can be a tough color to find. I can find the lighter blues but Navy is hit or miss for me.

Let the Sunshine In is part of Darski's free Weatherby set found here. The shoes are from my favorite shoe pattern from Sweet Silver Creation's Sailor Pattern and that can be purchased here.

Notes:

All three colors are Red Heart Super Saver. For my own notes the Navy is Soft Navy.

I used a K hook on the dress for the bodice and an I hook for the skirt. I used a K hook for the Bolero jacket.

I went with the suggested hook size for the hat.

This dress ties to close around neck in back and I added chains. This was a bad idea. Use suggested chain length for ties.

Found a previous note to try a G hook for these shoes with the Our Generation Doll and they fit well.

This is the first year I've added white trim to the Bolero jacket arms and I would continue to do this as I liked the look.

These pictures are from my 2022 project and instead of taking new pics each year I keep the old ones to remind myself of what the Bolero jacket looks like prior to full assembly as some years it makes more sense than others and rather than take new pics each year of the process I just post the old to my latest project as that is generally where I turn the next time I make the project.

Rag Doll Sleeping Bag

This is the last of the large doll sleeping bags I need for 2026.

I'm working on adapting this pattern to use with the Glitter Girl as I've never been a fan of the mummy sack sleeping bag pattern I have for her.

You can find this free pattern here.

I still use the K hook for this doll I just use fewer rows stopping when the bag covers her feet leaving room to close it.

I believe this is Red Heart Super Saver Polo Stripes Yarn.

Our Generation Sleeping Bag

With this sleeping bag finished all the 18 inch doll sleeping bags are complete. I just need one for the Rag doll and then I'm on to the fashion dolls and little critters. I still need a sleep sack for the Lots to Love 14 inch baby doll.

Notes:

This is a free pattern found here. You can also find patterns for the fashion dolls there as well.

I use a K hook to make this fit the 18 inch dolls.

The yarn for this one is Red Heart stripes Baby Rainbow and I need 2 skeins to make it fit.

My Life Hearts and Flowers

Since these donations won't be delivered until Christmas of 2026 my making the holiday outfits late is not as much of an issue as it might otherwise be if I was gifting them. I do like including them and so expect to see more Valentine's and then some Easter themed outfits all likely past the holiday for 2026 but not for 2027 when the child will have the toy.

This was made using two patterns. Darksi's free Heart and Flowers pattern was used for everything but the shoes. You can find that pattern here. Adoring Doll's Valentine Dress pattern was used for the shoes and it can be purchased here.

Notes:

I use a K hook for the first 4 rows of this dress as with my odd guage it is the only way I can get the dress to slide on and off. I use an I hook for the rest of the this pattern. including the shoes. The one exception is the flower which I use a g hook to make.

The dress is primarily made with worsted 4 pink, white and rose. The mesh including the shawl uses Bernat Baby white sport.

I did not join after finishing the opening chains but waited until I worked into the back loops of the stitches for the first row. Oddly I've missed this step every time I've made this dress and this was the first time I did not need to reduce the top of the bodice to get it to stay up. This did require me to sew the opening created by not joining the chain closed after I'd finished but it was a minor issue.

Reminder to join all rows other than the first as I found it impossible to work into back stitch of first row while it was joined. I have made this dress so many times but for some reason I missed this one this year so when I make a mistake I add a note.

I added two pink skirt rows this year as I found the skirt was short. Not sure I've always done this but trying to get better about documenting my changes.

Return to Row 1 and start Row 10 to complete the skirt portion of the dress. I didn't read this note from last year and paniced when I needed the reduction row but I added it and all was well.

I use a different strategy for the flower and the rose joining. I changed the design to have the dress tie at the neck and use the flower to attach the tie at the front so it covers the attachment. This just works for me.

I've never made any notes regarding the mesh/pepulum but I clearly have changed the directions over the years and haven't noticed so I'll document my changes here. I followed the first as written. Row 1 work as written. Row 2-3 I did tr ch1 tr around. Row 4 as written. It is important I don't forget to change to the baby yarn as the mesh is heavy with the worsted 4.

My Life Sleeping Bag 2

This one was primarily made in January during the Patriots playoff game against Texas. I finished it the Tuesday afterwards and started one for the Broncos. I find it is best to have something easy to workon whether watching football with DH or at appointments when I'm waiting.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Stripes Parrot. I use a great deal of Super Saver for my doll projects. It comes in lots of colors and it is on the affordable end of yarn for my projects.

This was the first time in a very long time I got a bad skein.

Almost every brand has joins but these joins fell apart. The yarn also had a streak of brown that ran through the yarn making it look dirty. I cut out and rejoined around it but it was disappointing as I use striped yarn for many of these donation projects. I just pulled a pair from my stash that I had purchased from Joann's ages ago and that set is clean. Hopefully this is not going to be a new issue.

This is made with a free pattern you can find here. There are patterns for several sizes of dolls available there.

I need a K hook to get this pattern to fit the My Life and Our Generation Dolls.

My Life Little Bluebell Nightgown 2

After rushing to finish off the nightgowns and swimsuits for the 2025 donation I've been trying to weave them into the early stages of the 2026 donation and get them off my to do list. With this second My Life nightgown the My Life dolls are complete for 2026. It is a small success but each one is a step forward.

I had mentioned previously that having experimented with nightgowns for the 2025 donation I'd settled on Patricia Klonski's free pattern found here. It's quick and easy and looks nice. It's a great way to use up some of my left over yarn from previous larger projects.

Notes:

I believe this is left over Caron Pounder Lilac that I'm trying to finish off.

The project calls for a g and h hook I substitute an H and I hook to get the fit right.

I finish the back and crochet around the top. I close the back with a snap. This time I did finish the sleeves and added a sc chain 3 sk around the arm holes.

My Life Little Bluebell Nightgown

Of all the nightgown patterns I tried for the larger dolls last year this was the quickest and easiest to make so I'm sticking with it for 2026. You can find the free pattern here.

I started alternating pattern types at the end of the season last year to finish neglected categories. I've started this new season hoping to avoid neglecting categories. So you will see night wear, sleeping bags and sacks, and swim suits mixed in with a variety of outfits so I don't have them all to make at the end as I did last year.

Notes:

I used Red Heart Super Saver for this project.

The pattern calls for a G and H hook I found I needed an H and I when I made it previously and continued with that for this project.

I followed the project as written and finished the top and back with sc before adding a snap to close. I had finished the arms in previous projects but this time didn't feel it was needed.

My Life Nightgown

I had forgotten this nightgown pattern and while searching for nightgowns for this year's donation I rediscovered this free gem which you can find here.

After completing this item one of the My Life Doll's is ready to pack!!

Notes:

This works up quick and not hard to follow. I plan on using this for the Rag Doll as well to finish off that donation as well.

I used the H hook rather than the suggested G changing to an I hook when the pattern suggested changing to an H. I found this fit the doll nicely.

To close the nightgown I finished the back and added a button and buttonhole. The pattern suggests ribbon but the button seemed a bit more likely to survive.

My Life Sleeping Bag 2

It is time to celebrate as I've finished the sleeping bags for 2025.

Notes:

I was in Walmart to pick up some other items. My husband normally does the Walmart runs so I treated myself to a trip down the yarn aisle and picked up some Red Heart Favorite Stripes Yarn as I've started to run out of options for sleeping bags. I prefer the multi-colored yarn rather than the solid for these projects as it keeps them a bit more interesting.

You can find this free pattern on Suzies's Stuff Blog here.

I need a K hook to get this pattern to fit the My Life Doll.

Our Generation Sleeping Bag

After finishing off the Calico Critter family's sleeping bags I decided to jump to the larger dolls as those bags take a longer time. I finished off this one last week after several appointments brought me close to the edge. I finished it off at home as I need to make sure it fits the doll before closing the end. Measurements are wonderful but I like to see it fit before finishing it off. I started another large doll one and already have the pillow section completed.

This is a wonderful free pattern that can be found here. She has multiple sizes of sleeping bags and also has free patterns for the baby doll sleep sacks I use for the donation on her site as well.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Super Saver Deep Teal Ombre with a K hook.

With this one complete I have one more for the Our Generation Boy, 2 My Life Dolls, and the Rag Doll to complete with this pattern. The Glitter Girl uses a different pattern from Adoring Dolls.

My Life Dress with Ribbed Waist

This was a new addition to the donation this year. It's a free pattern that can be found here. The shoes are my go to pattern for the 18 inch dolls and is part of a sailor pattern that can be purchased here.

I don't buy much Red Heart Soft yarn so I'm not sure when this skein came into my stash but I've been targeting skeins that seem orphaned. I also have found this pattern works up better with lighter colored yarns. I tried a darker colored purple for the Our Generation Doll but the texture didn't show as well as the two colors I chose for the My Life dolls. I note this because I know I'll be back to make this next year and this is information that is helpful.

Notes:

I used an I hook for the dress and a G for the shoes. I go back and forth with the shoes. While a g was perfect for the last set of shoes they were a bit snug this time.

I made a note last time that the hair tie was a serious of less than 200 chains. I made 200 chains this time and it was a bit long. I try 150 and see if that is long enough.

When I first made this the count on row 1 confused me my note is the numbers are correct as written follow them.

I used an H hook to finish the back and neck. I closed the dress with a snap on the back.

I finished the arms with a sc around the arms to clean them up and then did a sc chain 3 skip one for an additional row.