Free Doll Pattern!

My niece is turning 11 on Monday and for weeks I thought about the right gift, the best gift. I made her some butterfly hair clips (let me know if you want the pattern for these) and some ballet style slippers which I posted in the previous blog post.

At first, I thought she might not want a doll or would out grow it soon but I couldn't shake the thought that I wanted to make one for her anyway, so I did!

I found this fantastic pattern online through Pinterest.com and made some additions. It is expertly written and easy to follow so I didn't have to make any alterations. I have copied the basics below but i highly recommend going to her site on Craftster.com as she has some other amazing things to add on to the doll (the teddy bear and kitty are my favorite!).

Here is the link to the original pattern and creator:

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=174226;sa=showTopics;start=10

Here are some pictures of the doll I made for my niece with attention to the details like the jewelry and butterfly hair clip. :)

Materials:

- Yarn in various colors of your choice.
- Embroidery floss or yarn for the face.
- Sewing thread that matches the color of the yarn for the hair.
- A hook appropriate to the weight of the yarn. I personally used fingering weight yarn and

 a 2.0 mm hook, which resulted in a 8.5 inch doll.
- Yarn needle.
- Polyfill.

Note: When switching colors, the last loop you pull through the stitch before the switch 

already has to be in the new color.

Basic doll instructions

Head and body

R1: Using the skin color of your choice, make 6 sc into a ring.
R2: sc inc in next st, around (12)
R3: sc inc in next st, sc in next st, around (18)
R4: sc inc in next st, sc in next 2 st, around (24)
R5: sc inc in next st, sc in next 3 st, around (30)
R6: Work even (30)
R7: sc inc in next st, sc in next 4 st, around (36)
R8-R12: Work even (36)
R13: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 4 st, around (30)
R14: Work even (30)
R15: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 3 st, around (24)
R16: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 2 st, around (18) Stuff the head firmly. Change to the body

 color of your choice.
R17: Work even (18)
R18: sc inc in next st, sc in next 5 st, around (21)
R19-R25: Work even (21)
R26: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 5 st, around (18) Stuff firmly.
R27: sc next 2 tog, sc in next st, around (12) Stuff more.
R28: sc next 2 tog, around (6) Fasten off and weave in the end. Embroider a face 

according to your own taste, or look at the pictures for inspiration.

Legs

R1: Using the leg color of your choice, make 6 sc into a ring.
R2: sc inc in next st, around (12)
R3-R5: Work even (12)
R6: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 10 st (11)
R7: Work even (11)
R8: sc in next 5 st, sc next 2 tog, sc in next 4 st (10)
R9: Work even (10)
R10: sc in next 3 st, sc next 2 tog, sc in next 5 st (9)
R11: Work even (9)
R12: sc in next 7 st, sc next 2 tog 

R13: Work even 1 sc in each st around
R14: sc in next 2 st, sc next 2 tog, sc in next 4 st (7)
R15: Work even (7) Stuff the lower leg firmly at the bottom, and more lightly 

towards the top. The rest of the leg will be so thin, it doesn't need stuffing.
R16: sc in next 4 st, sc next 2 tog, sc in next st (6)
R17-R44: Work even (6). Fasten off, leaving a yarn tail for sewing. Make another leg, 

then sew both to the body.

Arms

R1: Using the skin color of your choice, make 6 sc into a ring.
R2: sc inc in next st, sc in next 2 st, around 
R3-R5: Work even  1 sc in each st around
R6: sc next 2 tog, sc in next 6 st (7)
R7: Work even (7) If neccessary, put a small amount of stuffing in the hand. The rest

 of the arm will be so thin, it doesn't need stuffing.
R8: sc in next 2 st, sc next 2 tog, sc in next 3 st (6)
R9-R22: Work even (6) Fasten off, leaving a yarn tail for sewing. Make another arm, 

then sew both to the body.

I really hope you like the pattern as much as I do. I think the author/creator's name on there is Wayuki.

Thanks for reading.
Love,
Mery Ann

Cause Crochet is Awesome

What's better than a Free Pattern?

Wait for it..........FREE YARN!
Too bad there isn't any. :(

But at least I have a free pattern for you!

I came across this adorable newborn dress pattern and I just had to tackle it. I found it on Ravelry.com and let me tell you, if you aren't already a member, go join! It's free and painless. It could seem a little intimidating at first because there's so much to do and see but with a little practice I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. (See bottom for quick tips.*)Besides, you could always ask me for help! I'm always happy to lend a hand!

I had previously crocheted a pair of baby sandals and a headband from an original pattern I wrote and used the same colors and puff stitch flower for each of them like this:

And then added the dress to the set as shown here:

This set is available for sale on my etsy shop here:


https://www.etsy.com/listing/101238603/summer-newborn-baby-dress-headband-and


For the free dress and diaper cover pattern click this link:

http://www.oocities.org/crotiques/bgs.htm


And for the puff stitch flower check out a fellow crocheters Blogger page here:


http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/2010/07/6-petal-puff-stitch-flower.html


I have a database of free crochet patterns on my Pinterest page here:


http://pinterest.com/cbatcreations/favorite-free-patterns/


I have the sandal and headband patterns scribbled into my crochet notebook and I haven't decided if I write it up and post it. I'd need people to test it of course and then I would post it for free, just because.

Do you think I should write it up and post it?

I don't know why but I don't think I would ever be the kind of person to sell patterns. I love seeing all the amazing patterns people have for sale but if I wanted to make something bad enough, even at my amateur level I would probably just try and figure it out myself first. It could just be because I'm stubborn though. It would definitely be easier to just use an already created, written, and tested pattern instead. Oh logic, why must you lose to stubborn all the time?

HA! Just thought of something. What if kids said, "Let's play logic, stubborn, pride!" instead of rock, paper, scissors?

Anywho :)

Thanks for Reading
Love, 
Mery Ann


*Ravelry tips: At first you'll want to look around at the literally thousands of free patterns for either knitters or crocheters by typing a category into the search bar on the top right of the main screen. From there you'll see pictures and descriptions of the patterns and a menu on the left hand side of your page to narrow down your search by category, sizes, and even hook or needle size. Once you find some you like, click on them and either favorite them to show support or add them to your library so that you can access them at any time. I'm CoolBeansnThings on there so add me if you'd like and message me for help with anything. :)