Rag Doll I Feel Pretty

I've been alternating between the Rag Doll and the Glitter Girl doll weekly until I finish off the swimsuits to try to keep their donations equal. In the past one or the other always feels like it has been neglected.

This has been adapted from one of Darski's free baby doll patterns I Feel Pretty found here.

Notes:

Last year I made a note that the H hook I'd used was too large. This year I tried the suggested size 7 hook and it was still a bit roomy. I'd try a g hook next time.

I used Herrschners size 4 Herrschners Baby Worsted 8 Baby Stripes Hydrangea and I believe Worsted 8 Eggplant as the contrast color.

The arms were reduced sc around and finished with a sc chain 3 row. I also sc along the bottom row and then also did a sc chain 3 row around. This helped the skirt keep from turning up. I used a button to close the dress.

I hope to make this dress for both the 16 inch baby dolls including the accessories that don't quite work for this doll.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly Dress

Several years back I accidently made this too large for the Lots to Love 10 inch baby doll and it got added to the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby doll's donation. It doesn't make every donation year but I do keep it in the rotation.

With the exception of the shoes this outfit is made using Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here. The shoes are from Amy Carrico's Spring Pattern which appears to be currently available on Ravelry here. Her patterns come and go so I link them when they are up. I love these shoes with socks for the 14" baby doll and frequently add them to other patterns.

Notes:

I didn't read my previous project notes and confused them with my written notes for the nightgown from this set.

I used Herrchners worsted and Ice Cream Yarn Meringue for the dress. The shoes were made with the Lemon and Bernat Baby Sport Big Ball White.

The dress required an H hook and I added rows for length. I also added the same chain trim to the bottom of the dress that is used on the sleeves.

I used the Lemon for the panties and played with the design as I usually do.

The shoes were made with the suggested e hook as written.

The bonnet belongs to another pattern in this set. It was made with an H hook and as it was a bit short I decided to play with some post stitches.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly

I was concerned about the availability of the Lots to Love 10" Baby Dolls after discovering the 8" dolls are no longer available.

I've struggled with the 10 inch dolls even longer often resorting to school supply sites to find them. I was pleasantly suprised to find them online this year not only at Amazon, but Walmart and Michaels. I stocked up as nothing is promised but I thought I'd put that out there for anyone else looking for the smaller baby dolls. Michaels' website says they are only available online.

This dress set was made using Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here. There are several patterns included and I use most of them for the donation.

Notes:

This outfit was made with Bernat Big Ball Sport yarn in Pink and Baby Baby.

From my previous notes I read the panties were long which resulted in needing a longer skirt for the dress to cover them so I started with the panties. I'd previously had trouble with the crotch but this time there was no problem. I just find these are long to fit over the tummy and then create the split for the legs. Followed as written they do create panties, but the skirt as written is still too short.

Having made the panties I decided to finish the other accessories before making the dress. Although, to be fair I redid one bootie and the bonnet on finishing the dress.

These adjustments to the booties work great, but you actually have to follow the complete directions or they fall off. I made the first one as written the second one I skipped rwo 7 and the bootie refused to stay on the doll's foot. I remade it after finishing the dress.

E hook

Complete row 1-3 of the booties.

Row 4: sc in back loops around

Row 5: sc evenly

Row 6: sc reducing 6 times at toe

Row 7: HDC evenly

Follow directions for 8-9

My notes say the bonnet fits as written and I have no idea how. So I'm revising my notes for this year. The bonnet as written is currently sitting on the Lots to Love 14 inch Doll for when I make this outfit for that doll's donation.

I used an E hook for the bonnet.

There was a good deal of adding and pulling out so I don't have a complete answer but I added rows after row 8 until the bonnet was big enough. Then I finished with row 9.

I used 40 chains for ties so this requires chaining 43.

I used the suggested G hook for the dress I'd consider an F for my next attempt as this felt roomy.

In the past I believe I reduced around the arms when adding trim and I did not do that this time. I would do that for future outfits.

I finish the back adding a button hole and later a buttton not following the written directions.

Kits for Kids 8 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

Still in the middle of March as I continue to prepost but that April deadline is looming. Trying to see just what I can finish in a short period of time. What doesn't make it into this year's donation will go into 2027.

This is a simpler version of the donation I make for Aztec wishes as I know the space for this donation is more limited.

Since liquid isn't an issue for this donation I do hope to get the smaller baby bottles at Hobby Lobby before the due date. If not I will slide another out of the bigger kits as I did for the shoebox donation and plan better for 2027.

I have the snuggle sack to post and I'd like to get at least one other outfit made. The doll does come with a simple onesie so it does come dressed. I hesitate to add too much as space is an issue.

Notes:

This is from Darski's Sweetly pattern that you can find here.

The original pattern is designed for a 10" baby doll so some adaptations are required for the smaller doll.

This is made with Bernat Baby yarn.

I use a C hook for this doll.

I followed rows 1-17 then completed rows 33-37.

I finished the back and then did the ties as suggested making mine 30 chains.

I decreased the stitch count on the arms and finished with a chain 3 skip to make it more decorative.

To keep things fun I did a sc chain 3 around the neck as well. I need 3 this year so it pays to keep things fresh.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

I've adapted the 10 inch baby doll Nightgown from Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here for the Lots to Love 14 inch baby doll.

I made this one while watching the Olympic Figure Skating team competition. I like simple patterns when I'm watching something that requires more of my attention.

Notes:

I use a G hook to get this to fit the larger doll.

This nightgown was made with Bernat Big Baby Sport Tiny Tulips.

I didn't count rows for length but I do crochet until it is about ankle length.

I make a number of these nightgowns so I do play with how I finish them. I chose a shell pattern for the bottom of this one. Sc skip 5dc around.

The ties are 40 sc each. I finished the back before adding the ties. I didn't do anything special with the collar this time.

I finished the arms with a row of sc followed by a row of sc chain 3 skip one sc around.

16 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

With this second 16 inch Baby Doll Sleep Sack complete I only have one more to make for the Lots to Love 14 inch Baby doll. Next up however is a sleeping bag for the Our Generation Boy doll. I finished all the Sleeping Sacks easily enough but never got to the sleeping bags last year. I am determined not to be making sleeping bags in the fall next year.

Notes:

You can find the free pattern here along with sleeping bags for both the fashion dolls and the 18 inch dolls.

I use a J hook to get this to fit the 16 inch baby dolls.

This one is made with Red Heart Ombres Jazzy.

As I tend to use these and the sleeping bags as traveling projects a reminder to myself to start and get to row 7 before taking this project out once established this is a very relaxing project that requires minimal monitoring. The earlier rows require more attention which can make it less useful for my needs.

I do not count rows once the pattern is established but determine it is time for the final row which is a trim row when I've tried it on and it is big enough.

16 Inch Baby Doll Bib 2

With the completion of this bib the diaper bag crocheted items for the 16 inch baby dolls are complete for 2026. I still need a bib for the Lots to Love 14 Inch baby doll.

This bib pattern is part of a larger free crochet feeding kit pattern found here.

I add the Melissa and Doug Feeding Kit to the three largest baby dolls I donate every year. The one challenge I've found is the bib is designed for their doll not the dolls I donate so I still continue to crochet bibs and diapers to add to the diaper bags each year in addition to sending the feeding kits. I no longer need to crochet bottles and feeding items.

Notes:

After finishing this bib I'm making a note to use lighter yarn for the trims and ties. Worsted is great for the bib but the ties are a bit bulky when done with worsted.

I hook

To get this bib to fit the larger doll I've made the following adjustments:

Start with a chain 16

Continue pattern for 20 rows

Row 21 do row 11 neck shaping

Chain 40 stitches for ties

I always add this reminder but I did pull the pattern and put it in my to do binder because I will forget if I don't set it up for success.

Reminder to myself for future years, this bib is a bit large even without adjustments for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby doll. Needlecrafts Shop's Sweet Cuddles 971016 leaflet is a better fit and I should pull it out to use for the smaller doll.

16 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

This was actually my Christmas Day project. I started it as a travel project and finished it Christmas night.

I had forgotten that unlike the sleeping bags this pattern takes until about row 7 until you have a easy pattern to follow while having a conversation or not having the brain power to concentrate which is what I try to establish for a travel project.

The rows prior to that aren't hard but the stitches used change and you have to be more mindful which can be more challenging when you are looking for something to keep your hands busy but not require a great deal of focus.

With that in mind I finished the second snuggle sack for the 16 inch baby dolls to row 7 and left it for my next appointment.

Notes:

This is a free pattern found here. There are two sizes of the snuggle sack and various sleeping bags I use for this project.

To make this fit the 16 inch baby doll I use a J hook.

This version was made with Red Heart Ombre Violet yarn that was left over from a previous project. It felt like it was a little lighter than some of the other Red Heart Striped Yarns I've used for the sleeping bags.

Once passed the establishing rows I don't count rows for the snuggle sacks. I keep trying them on until they fit and then do the final row.

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper 4

This is the final diaper I need for the 2026 16 inch Baby Doll donation! There are so many distractions and honestly fun crochet projects that I like to get these projects completed early and in their donation bags so they don't get left out and have me scrambling when I do inventory in the fall.

They are simple enough to do but I try to make two for each of the dolls to allow the child to have a diaper on and have one in the diaper bag for "changing" the baby. While not hard the items can be a bit dull. My experience with my adult nieces was the plastic disposable ones didn't last long and finding replacements wasn't an easy task. These are pretty hardy and can be used until lost.

Notes:

These are made with a free pattern available here.

I use worsted 4 yarn and a J hook. The diapers are closed with snaps. Buttons might work if you wanted a substitute.

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper 2

With this item complete the first 16 inch baby doll for the 2026 donation has its two diapers for the donation year. Two more to go and I'll be done for the 2026 donation!!

This is an old free pattern that you can find here.

Notes:

I've varied over the years on hook size but the last few years its been the J hook with worsted 4 yarn to get this to fit the doll.

I use snaps to close the diapers.

Before I go back to make a bib for the second doll I want to get a box of wipes done and complete the diaper bag kit for doll one.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll BBL Sweater Set

Darski's free BBL pattern set found here is one of my favorite sets for the Lots to Love 10 inch baby doll. I've adapted many of the patterns for the Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll and the Lil Cutesies doll as well over the years.

Notes:

This was made using Herrschners Worsted 8 yarn Jade. However, I bought it two different times and the color was slightly different. I can't replace the yarn at this point so I worked with it the best I could. I will order enough when I have the chance to make the outfit in one shade for the next donation cycle.

Sweater:

I used an H hook for the sweater. In the past I've added some rows being short on yarn I kept to the pattern. Next time I'd make sure I had enough of one color of yarn and keep the longer sweater.

Bonnet:

I went with a G hook for the bonnet as suggested. I followed the directions as written. In the past I've stopped and framed the front of the bonnet. I would return to that for the future.

Pants:

Like the sweater the shorts were a victim of the yarn shortage. They should have been two rows longer. There is no pattern for the shorts. I start with an H hook crocheting around an elastic hair band until I reach the length of the crotch. I didn't go quite far enough here. Then I also needed more rows for the legs. They work but not the look I was going for.

Booties:

The alterations I made for the booties held up. The second bootie worked better as it was made from one whole skein the first I was mixing scraps hoping to finish it.

I use a D hook for the booties.

I added a row including decreases before rows 6 and 7. This made the boots higher and more stable on the foot.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

I am determined not to spend the fall scrambling to make my challenge projects like the nightgowns and bathing suits. So I've been trying to work them in like the baby doll accessories as I work on larger projects.

This nightgown comes from Darski's free Sweetly pattern found here that is designed for the larger 10 inch baby doll. With a little adjustment it works well for the smaller 8 inch doll and the Lil Cutesies doll.

Notes:

I don't tend to buy a great deal of Lion Brand yarn as it is more expensive than my other options. However, occasionally there are sales and items find there way into my stash. For my own reference this is Lion Brand's Baby Soft Pastel Print. If I find it on sale I'd buy it again. It worked up nicely for this project.

I used a C hook to get this to fit the smaller doll.

I needed to change the rows to get it to fit the smaller doll.

I followed rows 1-17 then completed rows 33-37.

I finished the back and then did the ties as suggested making mine 30 chains.

I decreased the stitch count on the arms and finished with a chain 3 skip to make it more decorative.

16 Inch Baby Doll Bib

I've been trying to slip in the 16 inch baby doll accessories as I work on larger outfits for the other dolls.

This pattern is part of a larger free feeding kit pattern found here.

I generally donate a Melissa and Doug feeding kit with the larger baby dolls but I like the bibs to fit the actual dolls.

I've changed the bib pattern a little to fit the larger doll

Notes:

I hook

To get this bib to fit the larger doll I've made the following adjustments:

Start with a chain 16

Continue pattern for 20 rows

Row 21 do row 11 neck shaping

Chain 40 stitches for ties

Reminder to myself for future years, this bib is a bit large even without adjustments for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby doll. Needlecrafts Shop's Sweet Cuddles 971016 leaflet is a better fit and I should pull it out to use for the smaller doll.

I need one more diaper and a set of wipes and the first set of accessories will be done. I then will need to start the second set for doll 2.

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper

I've been making these diapers from a free pattern you can find here for years.

Notes:

The two larger 16 inch baby dolls each leave with two diapers, a box of crocheted wipes, and a bib. I generally purchase a feeding kit and a bassinet. I have an amazing donor who has been sewing diaper bags.

My hook size changes from time to time but recently I've leveled off at a J to get them to fit this doll.

I use snaps instead of buttons to close. I just find they stay closed better for me.

One done 3 more to finish for the 2026 donation.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

I found myself at the end of last year rushing to finish the sleeping bags and challenge projects so this year I'm trying to weave them in as I go so I finish clothing and accessories in a bit more of a balanced manner. So don't be surprised to see some of the end of last year's projects popping up at the start of the 2026 donation project. I don't want to see them at the end of 2026. I'd rather be adding more fun clothing items.

Suzie's Stuff blog has been my go to for the sleep or snuggle sacks for the baby dolls and the sleeping bags for the other dolls. The free patterns make great accessory items for the dolls. You can find this pattern here.

Notes:

I used an F hook to make this for the smaller 8" doll.

I used Herrschners Worsted Baby Yarn color Tiara.

My notes from last year indicated I needed more Herrchners yarn and thankfully I was able to stock up on yarn and by accident it is the same color as last year. I tend to grab a skein and go as these are my travel projects.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Nightgown

I'm working towards my goals of finishing the year with as many dolls having nightgowns and PJ's as possible. This pattern is Darski's free Sweetly pattern set found here.

As this set is designed for the larger 10 inch baby dolls some adjustments were required.

Notes:

I used a C hook for this project with Bernat Big Ball Baby yarn. I try to keep both the ombre's and single colors in my stash as I need them for various projects.

This is a smaller than intended doll for this project so even with decreasing hook size I needed to decrease rows.

I followed rows 1-17 then completed rows 33-37.

I finished the back and then did the ties as suggested making mine 30 chains.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Swim Suit

Where possible I do try to give myself some variety in patterns. I have tended to use the same swim suit pattern for the Lots to Love 8 inch Baby Doll and the Lil Cutesies Doll but I remembered I had this free pattern from Amy Carrico Fun in the Sun, you can find here, and decided to try it out this year.

Notes:

I didn't have the suggested yarn but I decided to try Herrschners 2-ply Baby Yarn in what I believe is Dress Up. I didn't start with a full skein and I had plenty left over so it requires a limited amount of yarn for the project.

The pattern calls for a B hook and I found this worked well even with the change of yarn.

I followed the pattern as written. The one change I'd make for future projects is I'd make the ties for the top longer. It will make tying the top easier for little hands.

16 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

With this I celebrate the completion of another category of doll projects for the 2025 donation. All the baby doll snuggle sacks are now complete.

I was able to complete this one while sitting in a meeting of crochet friendly people in mid February. I find it much easier to concentrate with a crochet hook in my hands if it is a simple project that doesn't require serious focus. The snuggle sacks, sleeping bags, and doll blankets have filled this mission for me over the years.

Notes:

You can find the free pattern for this snuggle sack here. There are also free patterns for smaller sizes and sleeping bags on the site as well.

This was made with Red Heart Ombres Deep Teal. This didn't stripe as well as some of their other ombre colors I've used for this project. Not sure I'd go with this blend again although I would use it for one of the sleeping bags.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

With the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack I have to move to Suzie's Blog larger free doll pattern found here.

This leaves me with just the 16 inch baby doll snuggle sacks and the sleeping bags to make for the 2025 donation.

Notes:

I used a J hook and Red Heart Stripes Retro Stripe for this project.

As with all these sacks I try them on as I reach the end to check for length.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly Sweater, Pants, Bonnet, and Booties

Every year I target yarn that has been far too long in my stash. This year I found some yarn that had been moved up in my donation storage area that was a mix of yarns.

I decided to start the year by finishing this yarn off because there isn't room in my normal stash for this odd mix of yarns. Some comes from pre-Covid Church sales, some from people looking to rehome yarn when a loved one passed, and other yarn that needed a good home but didn't quite fit the projects I was working on at the time.

The yellow for this project is an old skein of Woolworths yarn. I'm not sure where this came from. I've picked up some old stuff from Church sales, I've also been gifted stuff from people looking to rehome yarn. This was the first skein on top and it seemed like a good target for Darski's free pattern set Sweetly. This will not be the last time you see this yellow. I hope to work through this set until the yellow is gone sending the doll off with a vintage Woolworth's addition to its new wardrobe.

The multi-colored yarn is Baby Worsted 4 from Herrschners.

You can find Darski's free pattern set here. It has a whole set of patterns for the 10 inch Lots to Love doll. I've adapted these for smaller and once for the larger 14 inch baby doll.

Notes:.

Bonnet:

The pattern starts with the bonnet and I started there this time. I used the suggested g hook. I'd likely go for an f next time. Then again it could just be this yarn which I'm not likely to see again.

Sweater:

I had changes listed and I'm wondering if these are actually for the larger doll and I'd forgotten? The numbers worked as written for this doll.

I used an f hook for the sweater. I finished the edgings and closed the top with a button.

Pants:

I always make my pants from top down splitting at crotch and making legs. I've tried the method suggested here for making legs and joining but it is always much more challenging for me than productive.

F hook. Chain 44 to fit waist.

Booties:

E hook

I keep playinng with the booties but this seems to be the best fit yet.

Complete row 1-3 of the booties.

Row 4: sc in back loops around

Row 5: sc evenly

Row 6: sc reducing 6 times at toe

Row 7: HDC evenly

Follow directions for 8-9