Crocheted Comfort Dolls- prototypes

Emanuel and Johanne are done. They are quite endearing, just larger than I had planned. Starting the next dolls in worsted wool soon and these should felt better and reduce to a more comfortable size for a little child. Hope you like them!

CROCHET COMFORT DOLLS - take two

I am starting all over again. You see here the worsted wool that I should have used with my K Hook. Using the donated wool, mostly bulky wool gave me very large dolls that did not felt well. Stay tuned for the next edition of this project. I don't usually get things right the first time, but it is not for lack of trying. I have the colors or the pants(blue) and shirt(melon) skin, hair and hat(gold) for the boy and the multicolor for the dress for the girl and gold for the straw hat idea. So I am off to start this correctly, meanwhile I will felt and decorate the first dolls for display and teaching others I guess. Live and learn, it's a process.

Crochet Comfort Dolls - step 2

Meet Emanuel (l) and Johanne (r) .
They are ready to be felted. After that is done, the faces, hair, and other decorations will go on using the embroidery yarn that my weaver friend is sending me. Getting more yarn in other nice colors today and some constructive feedback about this felting business. I will get the polyester stuffing today, too and soon there will be a real doll.

I have found a very interesting website, a social network for knitters and crocheters at www.ravelry.com. From this site I googled Haiti and found an woman at an orphanage, one of many there, who is struggling with the aftermath, http://www.rebeccalarkin.blogspot.com/.

Duduza- Knitted Comfort Dolls - pattern

For those of you who knit.....I found many other sites on line for these.

To begin:

4 ply wool, various colours in small amounts. For stuffing, polyester fibre toy stuffing is recommended.
Cast on 32 stitches on size 11 (3mm) needles. Knit 4 rows in stocking stitch, leaving a 15cm “tail” to
gather for feet when completing the doll.
Change colour for trousers. Knit 16 rows. Change colour for belt. Knit 2 rows plain.
Change colour for sweater. Knit 14 rows, leaving a 15cm “tail” to gather for the neck, and decreasing
four stitches evenly across last row. Change to cream / white (or any light colour) for face, changing to
size 12 (2.75mm) needles. Knit 10 rows.
Change colour for cap. Knit 2 rows in garter stitch (plain) for border. Decrease as follows:
Row 1: (Knit 4, k 2 together) x 4, knit 4 (24 stitches). Alternate rows: Purl.
Row 3: (Knit 3, k 2 together) x 4, knit 4 (20 stitches).
Row 5: (Knit 2, k 2 together) x 4, knit 4 (16 stitches).
Row 7: (Knit 1, k 2 together) x 4, knit 4 (12 stitches).
Row 8: (Purl 2 together) across row.
Thread remaining stitches onto needle and sew up cap. Sew up face. Run the gathering thread through
the last row of sweater stitches and, after stuffing head, pull up tightly for neck, finishing off securely.
Sew up centre back. Run the gathering thread through last row of feet. Stuff body and pull up gathering
thread tightly, finishing off well.
Complete feet by sewing up centre seam through both thickness of knitting, ie: dividing feet, which are
stuffed individually. Fold foot across cast on edge at right angles to body and sew up.
Finish off other foot in same way.
Define legs by sewing through all thicknesses from feet towards belt, finishing off 2 rows from belt.
Define arms in the same way starting 2 rows from the neck.
Embroider face as desired to give your doll character.

Comfort doll - Step One

The first step is to make the doll. Here is the my first attempt and it was NOT that hard. You will see the felted version soon. Face and clothes decorations come after felting and stuffing. There is comfort in making these, too.

Felted Comfort Dolls for the Orphans In Haiti

I recently joined crochet blog at www.crochetme.com. After searching for felted crochet projects, I found these dolls. Then it occurred to me that there are thousands of orphans or lonely/hurt children now in Haiti, maybe tens of thousands...just watch the news!!! If all the knitters, crocheters and other crafts people would make these dolls and send them SOMEWHERE so that the children of Haiti could have something to hold on to, we would have done something really important. Otherwise I feel so helpless, don't you? So 1. I have started my dolls, 2. the directions for YOU are below, 3, I am going to talk to as many crafts people as I can, 4, and I think I will send an email to the Red Cross about this and also Oprah. If anyone reads this blog, please post your suggestions about how to get these dolls to the children, ok? Now here are the instructions:

Comfort Doll Crochet Instructions
100% wool (not washable wool!), worsted weight
& K (6.5 mm) hook
Polyester stuffing, embroidery floss, yarn & embroidery needles
(Beads/buttons should be very securely attached, or not used for
children under 3 years of age)

Single crochet throughout body. Do not join rounds - crocheted in spiral...

Starting at shoes, Chain 36, join in ring (be careful not to twist)
Shoes: 5 rounds
Pants: 11 rounds
Jersey: (10 rounds total)
8 rounds = crochet around
9th & 10th rounds = decrease 4 sts evenly around, each round (28 sts.)
Face: (8 rounds total)
1st round = decrease 4 sts evenly around (24 sts)
2nd round = crochet around
3rd & 4th rounds = increase 6 sts evenly around, each round (36 sts)
5-8 rounds = crochet around
Hair: (10 rounds total)
1-4 rounds = crochet around (may change to another color yarn after
these 4 rounds to make "hat")
5- 7 rounds = decrease 2 sts evenly around, each round (30 sts)
8- 11 rounds = decrease 6 sts evenly around, each round (6 sts)
Leaving long tail, cut yarn. With yarn needle, draw yarn through
remaining 6 sts. twice. Weave in yarn ends.

FELT DOLL either by hand or by machine. Stuff to shape and allow to dry.

Optional Ears (make 2): Chain 4, sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in 3rd, slst last. end off leaving long tail to sew to head. Easiest to sew to head after head has been stuffed. Line up top of ear with bottom of hairline.

Stuff head & neck firmly, body should be stuffed lightly, as this will be stitched to define arms, legs, waist & shoes. Sew shoes closed after stuffing, drawing bottom edges in.

Embroider eyes and mouth & other details like french knot necklace, embroidered or crocheted design on jersey, pom-pons on shoes or hat, bow or flower in hair....

Hair may be accentuated with eyelash, boucle, or other fluffy yarn. Take lengths of yarn and make loops all around head, or make french knot in rows. Can also attach braids, pig-tails...
Details make the doll!

THANK YOU ALL FOR HELPING IF YOU CAN!

Hanger Sweaters From the Past

I have inherited hanger sweaters that are the best thing since the clothes pin, but better for keeping things on the hanger. Mine were knit, but I have found a way to crochet them. The first one I made was just a long six stitch wide piece that was sewed together up the length of the hanger. Wooden hangers are recommended.

Here is the first one.

The next version is much easier. Crochet a tube of 10 single crochet stitches to the length of one half of the hanger, slide it on. Make another one, slide it on and stitch the two "sleeves" of the sweater together in the middle, viola. They go fast, good for rides in the car, board meetings. And aren't you glad I have stopped using that ugly orange and yellow yarn, I am.

More Crochet Re-Creations

Something crocheted can always become something else crocheted. Thus when my second hat looked like something from Alice In Wonderland, it became a container. Here is the latest version of the container with a flat top and wooden button handle, and it is holding, guess what? ...more buttons. Looks better don't you think?