Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Loom Hat

Once I knew I was going to commit to learning to loom I decided I was going to add to my loom collection with an eye towards items that would work not only for winter warmers donations but for things I could use with the dolls as well. Looms have evolved well beyond what was available when I was even looking at Knitting Board years ago after playing with my Knifty Knitters.

This was made with a small gauge 3/8 24 peg loom from their Baby Knit Looms kit. The purple one I believe is for baby booties but you can do so much more with it like this cute little hat for the Lots to Love 8 inch Baby doll.

This was made using the old e wrap pattern.

I actually did my first Good Knit Kisses Lesson on this loom as it was small and finished quickly.

This also attacked the yarn that must go pile. I have a scarf finished from it for the Our Generarion Doll. I just need a hat for her.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Summer Outfit

I've long been a fan of Amy Carrico's patterns for the baby dolls as they work up quickly making a nice wardrobe for the various sizes of dolls. Unfortunatly her shop has disappeared from Etsy and while some of her patterns appear to be for sale at Ravelry I haven't tried purchasing any there as there are none I hadn't previously bought when she had her store on Etsy. I didn't see this one listed in my brief search on Ravelry. Hopefully she will be selling her patterns more widely again as they are great outfits for the baby dolls.

This one is titled Summer Outfit should you do a search for it.

Notes:

I'm starting to really enjoy working with size 3 crochet thread.

This was made with Aunt Lydia's White and Warm Teal.

I've been disappointed that Aunt Lydia's and Red Heart seem to have decreased the available colors for their various thread sizes. I've also noticed they are much harder to locate locally. Oddly Hobby Lobby has size 10, 8, and 5 but no 3, which seemed strange to me. I have been buying other brands to get a broader base of colors but they tend to be pricier.

On to the pattern.

Top:

I started with a C hook for the top. It was too tight with the suggested B. However I shifted to a B hook in row 4 because as the increases occured the larger hook made the top way too large.

For the arms I did not add the increases in the suggested stitches as it made the sleeves into mini balloons and it didn't look great.

Shorts:

I used a C hook to get the shorts to fit and followed the pattern as written.

Headband:

I used a C hook to get the band to fit the head but the smaller b hook for the flower. The pearl buttons are from Joann's.

Shoes:

I used a C hook for the shoes. The t strap has to be played with to get it to work there is no easy way to get it to work.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Sunday Go To Meeting Dress

When Amy Carrico was still on Etsy I purchased a bunch of her doll patterns and only recently finished downloading and printing them to use for the donation. While she is no longer on Etsy, I did find this pattern listed for sale on Ravelry so feel free to check it out here.

Notes:

I used Aunt Lydia's Fashion 3 Crochet Thread in White and Black and Thread Art's Size 3 Crochet in Hot Pink for this project. Technically the shoes should have been made with the pink but I wasn't sure I had enough to do both shoes after making the head band so I decided on the traditional black Mary Jane shoes.

I made a note on the pattern and I have a note in my phone that the next time I make this pattern I should order two cones of the Thread Art in the main color for the dress as it is a bit of a fiber hog.

I went with the suggested b hook for this project.

The only major change I made was adding rows to the panties as they were too small for this doll. I went from row 10 to row 15 before doing row 11. This was a bit large and I ended up sc 2 dc around after row 11. So perhaps 14 rows would do the trick.

This is on my radar for next year as it is a very pretty dress. I'm not sure how well it adapts for the Lil Cutesies but I will see what I have time for once I work through all the Lil Cutesies patterns I have.

It was funnny when I saw the title of this project I wondered how many little girls still wear frilly dresses to Church and sure enough a little one behind me on Sunday came all decked out for Church and it made me smile to myself for doubting.

I'm still working on the sleeping bag project and I'm hoping to get started on the summer bathing suit project. Since Memorial Day has come and gone it seems like a nice themed based project to help me keep cool over the next few months.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Playtime Romper

I purchased this pattern back in 2021 from Amy Carrico's Etsy shop, which is no longer open. It is showing available to purchase on Ravelry here.

Looking at my inventory list I realized while I've been rotating around the different types of dolls many of the baby dolls have been neglected and I need to focus on filling their bags for the donation. That led me to searching for my Carrico patterns that I knew I bought but had yet to make.

This came out a bit fluffier than I had wanted for the top. The first row doubles the chain stitches and since I intend to make a 2nd outfit this year I think I'm going to try a double followed by a single and see how that brings the size down a bit. It's supposed to be an oversize top but this top is just big.

I used Bernat Big Baby Sport Yarn Pink and White for this project. I used a C hook for until finishing the arm holes as it was a bit tight with a B. I will revert to B hook when trying changes for next outfit.

The pants and booties fit as written. I thought the hat was going to be tight so I added 2 increase rows. I'd try going as written next time as the end product is a little larger than I wanted.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

I'm still commited to balancing accessories with clothing but during the Christmas holiday and break I'm giving myself an out to take on simple projects to continue working on the donations but taking on realistic items that require minimal focus and trying on items, etc. That leaves me primarily with the accessories. It's a good chance to finish off some of the items that need to get finished and I can get back after the New Year to my promise of a balanced approach to accessories and clothing.

I've finished off the snuggle sacks for the larger dolls so I decided to start off with the smallest of the baby dolls the Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby doll. You can find the free pattern here.

This was a new item for the donation last year and I'm thankful I wrote notes for each size of the smaller dolls to adjust this pattern as I'd completely forgotten when I came back to start them again for this year. To keep the tradition going and for anyone interested I'm posting my notes again.

Notes:

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

I used Herrschners Worsted Baby Yarn color Tiara.

I did not need to add rows to get this to fit the doll and since it was a new skein I didn't have issues finishing it.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Spring Set

If you read yesterday's blog entry you'll know this was my second attempt at this dress for the 2024 donation. The first one while useable didn't exactly follow the pattern. This one came out as expected and I finished it off with the sweater.

This is made using Amy Carrico's Spring Dress set pattern which she is sadly not currently selling.

Notes:

Baby Bernat Sport Yarn

Size B hook for the top of the dress C for the skirt and the rest of the accessories. As I mentioned yesterday it might be time to try the b hook for the panties as the waist is larger than it should be for the doll, but I'm torn because the legs fit well and could become tight if the hook gets smaller.

I feel like I'm getting a better balance between outfits and accessories at the start of this donation run.

On another note thanks to a wonderful Barbie blogger I got a heads up about Dollar Tree items for Barbie.

I found clothes that will fit the smaller Chelsea doll. I've been moving towards a more outdoors theme for the Barbie donation and found Jet Ski's and kyaks for the dolls. I also was able to find simple Barbie versions of a kiddie pool for all the dolls. There are supposed to be some career outfits that will fit Barbie but I've not seen them at my local Dollar Trees. It's often hard to find accessories for Barbie that aren't complete kits with another doll. While I occasionally see Barbie clothes sold in Walmart, I've never seen clothes for Chelsea. I plan to continue to make clothes but it is nice to know I have a starter set because the Barbie dolls are often the most neglected as they are the hardest to fit.

I did find shoes and some clothes for Ken at Walmart for the 2023 donation and bought a second set for the 2024 donation at a reasonable price. I mention this because Ken is hard to find stuff for and many of the patterns I have for Ken have to be adapted significantly to fit the modern Ken. If I hadn't made clothes when my nieces were younger with the older Ken models I would completely claim responsiblity for my funky guage but the patterns I made for their dolls don't fit now.

I was able to add tubs for the two smaller baby dolls. While I've made accessories for the smaller baby dolls from time to time I rarely see much available for them. The Dollar Tree tubs come with a Rubber Ducky and soap so it makes for a cute set.

Not sure how long any of this will last but it give a little extra play fun for Christmas day. If you are interested in finding the Dollar Tree stuff realize they don't all have the same inventory despite being the same chain. I've hunted across my local area to find specific items I know will add play value for my annual donation over the course of the year.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Spring Dress

Sometimes you make a mistake on a crochet project and there is really no fixing it. You either pull it back to where the mistake began or you dump the project. However, every so often you find a use for the project that doesn't require such drastic measures.

This is Amy Caricco's Spring Dress set that I've made for both this doll and the Lil Cutesies doll. While I've made this dress on a number of occasions for some reason I had the directions mixed up with a different pattern and as a result the outcome was not what I'd expected. When I surveyed the results I realized while not the outfit I intended to make it would provide an extra outfit for the doll donation.

I finished the shoes, undies, and I made up a hat pattern. I didn't make the sweater for this outfit as the dress is a bit puffier than the pattern and I was afraid the sweater just might not be a good fit. I alternated making these final pieces while starting on the actual pattern in a different shade of Bernat Baby Sport. I just need to finish the shoes for that outfit and it to will be ready to add to my donation stash.

Not all mistakes are disasters. Sometimes they are just a bonus outfit for a baby doll.

Sadly this pattern is not currently available.

Notes:

I use Baby Bernat Sport yarn for this pattern.

The top requires a C hook and the skirt a B hook. The rest of the pieces use the C hook although I'm considering using a B hook after the second set for the panties.