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.

September, October and November Donation blankets

November Donation Blanket

September Donation Blanket

Edge of September blanket




The last few months were pretty busy with school starting back up for the kids.

Yarn and fabric donations have been piling up.

I have been busy making blankets at the kids practices. The nice thing about yarn is that it goes with you, wherever you may go.

Fabric will be used to make dresses for Operation Christmas Child. Each dress uses 3 yards + of fabric. That is where my supply surplus is going.

Not pictured, is the October donation blanket. I put it on facebook, but then forgot to post it on here. It was pretty with diagonal stripes.

I am making as many knit blankets as I can during the cold winter months. I have been blessed by friends who are cleaning out their yarn and fabric stash and giving me their scraps.  Without these wonderful craft hoarders, I can not do what I do.

My plan for the upcoming year is to knit as many blankets as is possible. I will then donate One of them each month to the Gabriel Project. A local charity in my area that helps out young mothers.

Other charity projects for this year include, but are not limited to:
Making dresses for Operation Christmas Child
Making small dolls for Operation Christmas Child
Purple baby hats for Shaken Baby Syndrome awareness
Red Hats for the Little Hats, Big Hearts Red Cross campaign
Buying and donating hat and glove sets for the local women's shelter


There's always a way to reduce, reuse and recycle. Quilting, knitting and crocheting do not have to be expensive hobbies. Thrift stores always have yarn and some of them even have fabric. Yard sales are a great place to look as well.

If you are looking for a way to get integrated into your community and be part of the change you want to see, simply ask around. Someone will be more than happy to accept your crafty madness.

August Donation blanket

August donation blanket

For August I crocheted a granny stitch afghan.

This was a great way to use up my scraps and practice crocheting. I usually knit. 

As I have said before. Crafting does not have to be expensive. Dig in to your scraps. Scour the thrift shops and keep an eye on clearance shelves. You never know what crafty treasures you will find.

Happy crafting.

July Donation Quilt

July Donation Quilt

For July I went with a red and blue theme.

Red and blue flannel backing, which was graciously donated to me.

I do quilt as you go. Then I top stitched with something decorative.

Binding was sewn on with my machine.

My supplies are usually on sale, from a thrift store, bought at a yard sale or donated. Quilting does not have to be expensive. My batting is usually pieced together randomly. Little bits and pieces of batting, fleece and felt come together to make the batting of my quilts. Can anyone tell in my finished product?  No.

My quilts and blankets are getting donated to the Gabriel Project, which helps young mothers in  my area.

Take your scraps and turn them into something beautiful for yourself or someone in need.

Happy crafting.

June 2017 Donation Blanket

June Donation blanket made in same pattern as my May Donation Blanket

A crocheted border was added to tie the design together and as a convenient way to hide the ends.

This blanket was made entirely of my project scraps and donated yarn.

As with the othere blankets donated from this year, this blanket will be donated to the Gabriel project. The Gabriel project helps young mothers in my local area.

These blankets are easy to put together and I'm sure that someone in your local area would love your homemade blankets. All one has to do is ask around to see if there is a need.

Put those scraps to good use and have fun.

Until next time, Nelly :-)

May Donation Blanket

May Donation Blanket

This was knit in a diagonal pattern, the same way you would knit a washcloth.

Crocheted border in Baby Clouds yarn

The blanket for May was knit with a variety of scraps from my stash and yarn that was donated to me by a local knitting group that I get together with. It was knit in the same way I knit square washcloths.

Pattern:

Cast On 4 Stitches

Knit 2 stitches, Yarn Over, Knit remaining stitches. 

Continue in this pattern until the blanket is as long as you would like it.

When it is as long as you would like it, start decreasing.

Knit 1 stitch, knit 2 together, Yarn Over, Knit 2 together, knit remaining stitches in the row. 

Repeat this row until you only have 4 stitches left. 

Bind Off. 

For my border, I did a single crochet border around the entire piece. This helps when weaving your ends in, as they can simply be crocheted in with your border.