Knit Dolls: Make Some!

guy_doll_hat_on
Originally uploaded by Green Kitchen.


bee_doll_hat_on
Originally uploaded by Green Kitchen.


dad_doll
Originally uploaded by Green Kitchen.

Remember these knit dolls? I finally found the book that the original pattern came from, "Woman's Day Book of Best-loved Toys & Dolls," 1982. I scanned the pages and they're over at my Flickr account if you want to download and print them out. I'm not sure how that works with a 25 years old copyright. If anyone thinks this is inappropriate/illegal to post I will gladly take them down and write up the basic instructions.

You can make up your own pattern for a knit doll pretty easily — it's basically a rectangle with some decreasing. The boy at the top is the only one I made from the original pattern. There are also patterns for a smaller boy, a woman, and a man. Here's a photo of the whole family.

The Bee Woman in the middle is a pattern that I made up as I went — her hat is a removable stinger. The guy doll at the bottom is based on my husband. He's wearing his basic work uniform: black Dickies and a white T-shirt. I still need to embroider the stripes on his Adidas.

These dolls are pretty easy and very enjoyable to make. The kids like to hold them. Hell, I like to hold them. They're very soft and comfy. The removable hats are fun, too, especially for the 18-month-old set.