Thursday, May 9, 2019

Mini Comfort Doll Pattern

A part of my mission with my Nelly's Quilt Room project, is to make things for various charities. I use the profits from my Etsy shop to fund these projects.

One of my passions in my craft work is using up every last scrap of yarn and fabric to make my charity creations.

This leads me to the meat and potatoes of this blog post: The Mini Comfort Doll.

I first tried out the pattern for this doll a long time ago, when I was trying to find a simple doll pattern for my charity crafting.  

The only problem was that, due to my knitting style, my dolls always came out huge. A typical doll was supposed to measure 7 inches. My dolls would measure 12 inches. I decided to alter the pattern to see if it would turn out better for my knitting style.



After some experimentation, here is the pattern I came up with and a photo tutorial to accompany it.

This pattern is free. Please use it only for charity purposes.

The doll can be made in the round or worked flat and sewn up the side / back. 

Cast On 16 stitches

If working in the round, join.

For the feet / socks, knit 4 rows in Stockinette Stitch.

 (If knitting in the round, you just keep knitting. If knitting flat, knit on the front side, purl on the back.)

Pants

Switch colors for the pants

Knit 8 more rows 

Belt

Switch color for belt, Knit one row. 

If working in the round, purl the next row to create a ridge. 

If working flat, knit 2 rows to create the ridge.

Shirt

Switch colors for the shirt. Knit 6 more rows

Face

Knit 6 rows in face color of your choice. I like to use peach, tan and light brown.

Eyes and lips

Embroider eyes and lips using embroidery floss or thin yarn.

Do this before you make the hair, otherwise it will be very hard to do.

Hair

With 2 strands held together,
 Knit 2 rows
*Knit 2, knit 2 together*  repeat across
*Knit 1, knit 2 together* repeat across
*Knit 2 together* repeat across

You should have 4 stitches left.

Finishing

Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail. Thread yarn in blunt edge needle. Thread the needle through the remaining stitches to close. 

If working in the round hide your ends in the tube you now have.

Leave out the following yarn tails: 

Face yarn end at neck

Shirt yarn at top and bottom

Pant yarn at top and bottom

Sock / Foot yarn at top and bottom

Use these ends to sew a line at the middle of the feet and pants to create the look of legs. 
Sew a line up each side to make your doll look like it has its hands in its pockets.
Cinch at the neck to create the head. 

Doll accomplished.

My finished dolls come out to be 6 inches tall.

Your dimensions will depend on the needles and yarn used.

There is no one right size for these. It is a fun use of scraps.


For a Photo Tutorial of this pattern, Go to this page: Mini Comfort Doll Photo Tutorial
















Mini Comfort Doll pattern photo tutorial

Mini Comfort Doll pattern photo tutorial


Cast On 16 stitches

When I knit in the round, I use 2 circular needles.
 I divide the stitches on to the 2 circulars and knit in the round this way.

Knit 4 rows in yarn scraps of your choice for the feet / socks. 
I prefer to use variegated yarn. Use whatever you have on hand. 

Join a different color and knit 8 rows for the pants.

Join a different color for the belt. Knit one row.

Purl the next row to create a ridge.

Join a different color for the shirt. Knit 6 rows.

Join the face color. Knit 6 rows.

Embroider the eyes and lips using embroidery floss or thin yarn. 

The last step is the hair. With 2 strands of furry yarn held together, knit 2 rows. 
Next, *Knit 2, Knit 2 together* repeat across.
*Knit 1, Knit 2 together* repeat across.
*Knit 2 together* repeat across.
4 stitches left. Cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail.
Thread the yarn tail through the remaining stitches.
Pull to close. Pull end of yarn into the doll. 

All yarn ends that won't be used to sew the details can be put inside the doll. 
Think of it as extra stuffing.
The tails you will need are for the neck, shirt, pants and feet. 

Stuff your doll using small amounts of fluff, a little at a time. 

Sew up the bottom of your doll using one of the yarn ends from the feet of your doll.

To create the neck, thread yarn through every other neck stitch. 

This is the back view, after you pull the yarn through the stitches.

Make the first part of a simple knot.

Pull to cinch. This makes the neck.

Finish the knot to secure.

It looks more like a doll now. 
Keep the shirt yarn end for making an arm.

In this picture the feet have been sewn in the middle. 
The next step is doing the same up 3/4 of the pants. 

Your doll now has legs.
The next step is sewing up either side for arms.

Doll accomplished.

Enjoy donating your new creation.