Lil Cutesies Swim Suit

I can take the Lil Cutesie doll off my in need of swim suit list after finishing this outfit. My Swim Suit Challenge of 2023 is coming along as I'm slowly checking them off my list. The suits are generally pretty quick projects to complete so I like to squeeze them in while I'm working on other projects.

This is the same pattern from Char Caywood I used with the Lots to Love 8 Inch doll that can be purchased here.

My 1.75mm hook had gone on a couch vacation while I was working on this so I used my 1.8mm. Generally one would think not a huge difference but it felt like this suit was larger than the one I'd made previously. Since the 1.75mm has returned from its vacation, when I make this again I'd use the 1.75mm hook over the 1.8.

I believe the pink for this outfit is Aunt Lydia's size 10 crochet thread in French Rose. The contrast color I belive is Hobby Lobby's size 10 Artiste but I couldn't find the color on the website. Variegated colored thread can be harder to locate so I tend to stock up when I find colors I like but it can take me years to go through it so I'm not surprised colors disappear.

Lil Cutesies Dress, Headband and Shoes

This was another pattern from Petite Dolls for the Little Cutesies Doll. You can purchase the pattern here.

Notes:

I used a B hook for the pattern and chose to close the back rather than use a tie. It is loose enough to slide on and off without needing to leave an opening and adding a tie.

Over time I've acquired quite the supply of baby yarn for the doll projects. I believe the main colors are Bernat Baby Big Ball Pink and White. The Green is Lion Brand's Baby Soft Mint. It is easier to find the white, pink, and blues in baby yarn. I tend to pick up colors like this green when I find them on sale because there is always a project like this one that benefits from a different contrast color.

I left off a row of the knickers which I then replaced when I added the bodice. This let me use the actual first row of the bodice to crochet the row in back loops to allow me to use the front loops later for my my skirt row. Others may not find this necessary but I found it was much easier to get an even starter row for the skirt all around.

I'm also adding a note to remind myself that the first skirt row and the remiaing skirt rows are different. This doesn't give away the design notes but I didn't read the directions carefully and wondered why my skirt did not look like the one in the picture. Once I followed the directions I got the fuller look I wanted.

I still haven't fixed the bulky knickers issue yet. I'm thinking about experimenting with taking out a row so the panties are shorter and then build up the bodice from that area. It's worth a try the next outing. Another note regarding the knickers the knickers color is the same color as the top. This reminds me not to play yarn chicken. I sometimes think these small doll projects are a great time to use up yarn and they can be but it pays to note how much yarn one needs or you end up wasting yarn, not using it up.

Lil Cutesies Dress, Knickers, and Shoes

I'm continuing to cycle through my donation dolls trying to make sure they all leave with clothes. This is one of Petite Dolls patterns for the Lil Cutesies Doll that can be purchased here.

As I did with the larger JC 16 inch Baby dolls my plan is to cycle patterns through the Lil Cutesie doll and the Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby doll as most patterns fit both with minor adjustments. Since the Lil Cutesies doll was still waiting for a picture to be taken when I finished this outfit, I started on a bathing suit for the Lots to Love 8 Inch Doll that I hope to switch and make this dress for the Lots to Love 8 Inch and the Bathing Suit for the Lil Cutesies doll.

This was made with the same Herrschners yarn I used for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Doll I posted about yesterday. I used the suggested E hook and the fit was fine. This pattern does not come with a flower so I borrowed one from another one of her patterns I purchased here. One of the advantages of having a pattern library is being able to borrow items from one pattern to use with another. I do this all the time with shoes. When I find a pattern that is easy and fits I often repeat it.

Lil Cutesies Valentine Outfit

I had previously made Valentine themed holiday outfits for the Lil Cutesie dolls for a Valentine present box but this year I set a challenge to see if I could add more holiday outfits to the donation dolls. The outfits don't need to be made at the holidays since they won't be donated until November or early December but it is a fun way to celebrate making them during the season.

You can purchase the pattern here. There are minor adaptations for the Lots to Love 8" doll included in the pattern and I'm planning to make the outfit for both dolls to send off for the donation this year.

I've made this outfit in pink for Valentine's and green for St. Patrick's day. It works well for both holidays.

Notes:

The pattern calls for a size 5 steel hook. I've never found the numbers to be helpful as the numbers vary by manufacturer so I try to stick to mm when recording so if I change hooks I have a better chance of matching mm than sizes. For this pattern I used my Tulip Etimo 1.75mm and 1.5mm hooks. For the dress I used the 1.75mm hook. I finished off a container of pink size 10 thread. I mention it because while I often finish a skein of yarn, it often feels like thread lasts forever. Since I've added some of the smaller dolls I've been using more thread and seeing the cardboard ends is not as rare as it once was although still not as common as finishing off a skein of yarn.

I did not use a tie at the top and I finished the back with sc so I skipped the first stitch on both sides when working the collar. I didn't do this the first time and the collar didn't close correctly so I note it here for future projects.

The bottoms also used the 1.75 mm hook. I chose to finish the leg openings with a sc around the legs.

I used the 1.5mm hook for the shoes. I had previously made them with the larger hook and found them hard to keep on the feet. I found going down to a 1.25mm hook made the shoes too tight.

For the hat I also went down to a 1.5mm hook. I ran out of pink at the last row so I used a row of white at the end before the brim.

Lil Cutesies Moses Basket

The Lil Cutesies Moses Basket is the last of the small doll Moses Baskets I need for the 2023 doll donation. My hands just aren't up to making the large baby doll baskets anymore.

I picked one up for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll during the holiday sales. One of the very generous women who crochets for the donation has shown interest in trying the free pattern I've used for years so that is a possibility. If that doesn't work out I will pick up the basket I picked up for the second 16 inch Baby doll for last year's donation so they both had a doll carrier/bed.

Notes:

This Moses Basket is made using Annie Potter's Sweet Baby Doll Layette leaflet available for purchase here. The blanket is part of the free BBL set you see frequently referenced on this blog found here.

I used an H hook for the basket adding no additional rows. I used a J hook for the blanket.

Lil Cutesies Snuggle Snack

Having finished the Lots to Love 10 inch Snuggle Snack I set to work on adapting the free pattern found here for the smaller baby dolls. I was able to use up the remaining balls left from a skein I'd been targeting last year and when it didn't quite finish the project I finished off another ball as a contrasting color.

In order to adapt this pattern to fit the Lil Cutesies doll I used worsted weight 4 acrylic yarn and an H hook. I needed to add an additional regular row to make it long enough however, I didn't add the finishing round as I'd run out of the green and really didn't want to add another color. I was pleased with the outcome.