Knitted Doll Recipe Modification #1

It is quite easy to make a companion doll for your first doll with a few modifications.

Finished Doll

For this doll, I used 12 gm black yarn, 8 gm skin tone, 7 gm light blue, 15 gm navy, 14 gm purple and 12 gm chestnut. All yarns were worsted weight. You also need a small amount of stuffing, and some thread to embroider the face.

Follow the same directions for the legs, body and head, but the colour changes will happen at a different point. This doll has black boots, so keep working in black for 8 rows after the ankle shaping. Change to skin tone for 8 rows, then change back to black. Keep working in black until you get to the shoulder shaping row (decreases close to the neck), then change to light blue for 3 rows (This will be the blouse under the vest) Change back to skin tone and finish the head as before. Again, start at the feet and sew the seam on the doll to the neck. Finish stuffing the body, sew most of the head seam, stuff the head and close the gap.

All the parts you will need ... hair cap, braids, body, arms, skirt, straps for vest .... opps, missing the cloak!

Arms .... Start in light blue and continue as before. Only change colour for the hands. Seam the arms and sew onto the doll.

To make the black a vest, make 2 straps to sew across the shoulders. Cast on 10 stitches, k a row, then cast off. Attach a strap to the centre front where the black and light blue meet, across the shoulder and to the meeting of the black and light blue at the back. Attach the second strap to the other shoulder so you have a V in the front. I use a small amount of a contrasting colour to run a blanket stitch around the neck edge of the vest.

A Line skirt
With navy, cast on 62 stitches. Work 6 rows in garter stitch.
Next row, k 16, place a marker, k 30, place a marker, k 16.
Alternate rows are always purl.
*Next knit row, knit to 2 stitches before the marker, k2tog, move marker, k1 k2 tog, k to 3 stitches before the next marker, k2 tog, k1, move marker, k2 tog, knit to end.
Purl row.
Knit row.
Purl row.**
Repeat * row (decrease 4 stitches)
Continue this pattern of decreases (from * to **) 3 more times (46 st), then work the decreases on every knit row until 26 stitches are left.  Check the length of the skirt on the doll ... it should fall about mid calf. If needed, work a few more st st rows without decreases. Bind off.
Sew the seam on the skirt, then whip stitch the skirt to the doll.  Use a contrasting colour (same as the embroidery at the top of the vest) to run a small running stitch across the waist just above the skirt.

Hair
Make a hair cap as before, from chestnut yarn. Tack the hair cap to the back of the head close to the neck. Cut 42 lengths of yarn about 30 cm long. Take 21 of these and knot them together at one end. Use 7 strands of yarn X 3 to make a braid. Repeat with the other cut lengths. Leave the knotted ends alone, but trim the other end of the braid to be the hair. Now, lift the hair cap and position the braids under the cap so they are just behind the shoulder. Secure the braids in place to the head. You know the braids will be tugged on so do secure them well!! Once the braids are secure, finish sewing the hair cap onto the head.

Use skin tone to make a nose, and 2 ears as before. Embroider the face.

Cloak
With purple, cast on 16 stitches.
Work in st st for 19 rows, increasing 1 stitch on each edge on every knit row ( I use k1, inc1, k to last 2 st, inc1, k1) but you can do the increases as it suits your method. You will have 34 stitches. Next 4 rows, decrease 1 stitch at each edge on the k rows. (This will give a rounded edge to the cape) (30 stitches)
Cast off 9 stitches at the start of the next row. Finish the row.
Cast off 9 stitches at the start of the next row. Work to the end.
Again, work the increases at the each edge of the cloak on the knit rows. Work 15 rows. You have 44 stitches now. Work 6 rows with no increases in st st.
Work 6 rows garter stitch, decreasing 1 stitch at each edge of alternate rows. Cast off.

Sew the neck of the cloak to the neck line of the doll. Tack the start of the second set of increases to the waist of the doll, so the top of the cloak folds over the place you attached it in a gentle fold. (This is like a little cape on top of the cloak) Go over the edge of the cape and cloak with navy thread in a a blanket stitch.

And now you have another kind of doll for your princess collection!

Tutorial for embroidering the face is now done! Making the face on the doll