My big challenge: small knitting

Is anyone else knitting for dolls?

I’ve been getting back to knitting after a loooonng absence, having fun trying to knit for my old dolls, but it’s a slow process.

I’ve got a very small “collection” - an 18-inch doll which I got one year for Christmas when i asked for a bridal doll. I don’t know what she originally wore and I’m not sure of her mfr but think it was an “Eaton’s Beauty”. I think my mother might have made the dress.

The others are a 12-inch teddy bear given to me by my grandmother when I was about 4 (that’d be 1946 :ick: ) lol, and a smaller baby doll from the 1930’s given to me by my mother’s best friend. Patterns are pretty scarce, so I’ve pretty much had to make them up as I go - so I’ve been trying to run long before I’ve learned to crawl, for sure! Just wondering if I’m alone with my new hobby -

I haven’t knit for dolls yet. Maybe when I have grandkids. :slight_smile: You’ll have to share in What’cha Knittin’ when you finish. :thumbsup:

I know a guy in Nanaimo! We went to Vancouver Island one year with a bunch of photographers. It’s a beautiful place!

Check out this site. There are patterns here for an 18 inch doll. American Girl patterns are all the rage now. I believe they’re 18 inch dolls as well.

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/dolls_clothes.php

And for anyone who’s into Barbies, you’ll get lost in this site for days:

http://www.stickatillbarbie.se/

Here are some more links for sweaters for the teddy-bear and some doll clothes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Knit-a-Sweater-for-a-Sunkid-Teddy-Bear

http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/dollsbearswe12.htm

http://www.knittychick.com/free_knit_crochet_doll_patterns.htm

I’ve finished a couple of things for the bear - I’m new here and haven’t posted any pics but since you give the link for instructions, I’ll give it a try in What’cha Knittin’ later today -

How cool that you’ve been to Nanaimo! We’ve lived here 6 1/2 yrs and I LOVE it - 2 lovely gdaughters here and I walk the seawall almost every day! What more could I ask for? :woot: …well…except, maybe, to be a better knitter…and to have a knitting friend here

And yeah, I almost always have a camera with me. The wind is blowing like crazy right now and it’s just above freezing, in the sunshine - I might get some good pics at the seawall this morning

Thanks. I’m familiar with that site and some of the patterns there are helpful - at least for basic instructions. AG dolls are 18", and I’ve never seen one but I think they’re a lot more flexible than my old composition doll - and of course mine has a totally different look from a modern doll.

She must be about 60 years old, and is kind of strange - I think she’s supposed to be a young girl, judging by the body, but her hair is done in a too-mature style. Quite possibly she’s just supposed to have a hat on that would cover all but the curls at the edges. Really hard to know what to dress her in. Had a great idea for a Christmas outfit, but didn’t get it done in time - will start on it this year - in July! :slight_smile:

Thanks for the links! I hadn’t come across that little sweater knit in the round. I also haven’t ever knit in the round ha ha.

I can’t put sweaters on my bear cause she’s too fragile. Very little fur left. I don’t want to pull things on and off her - like sleeves, or things that go on over the head - and her arms don’t bend. So that’s been one of my biggest challenges. But I can use the patterns to help me learn how to shape, learn other techniques, and to get ideas from.

Best of wishes for your doll knitting. I can’t add to here since I’m a beginner, plus I’m afraid of dolls (and clowns). I would love to see your doll clothes, tho. :hug:

Some knit vests would be cute for the bear. Easy to take off. I know a guy here who buys up teddy bears at places like Goodwill. He crochets vests for the bears and sells them. He uses Christmas colors at Christmas time. They’re really cute.

Vests look great on bears. Mine is jointed though, so there’s no flexibility at the shoulder, and her arms can’t be bent, so I was thinking I’d have to stretch anything that has front closures too much to get it on - maybe if I used a lacey stitch it’d work.

Sorry to hear of your fears. My dolls aren’t spooky though, they, and my teddy bear were given to me when I was a child, from parents and my grandmother - with all the love in the world. I’m so lucky to still have them.

You can see the pictures I posted pics a couple of days ago, on the forum called What’cha Knittin’. My heading was FO: Bear dresses

Good luck with your knitting! I’m pretty new here too, and I can already see it is a GREAT place! :waving: