Knitting & Crocheting

If you have a skein of yarn and 15 minutes, you can create a yarn doll! This is a great craft to share with young crafters, and soon, everyone will be busy creating a community of yarn dolls! Making the dolls is an "ish" thing. How tall you make your dolls will determine how many times you need to wrap the body. My dolls are 7 1/2" tall. If you want to make yours larger or smaller, just experiment until you find satisfying proportions.

Materials:
4 ply yarn
cardboard, book, lids, etc. for your wrapping board

Girl Doll:
1] Choose a book or lid that is the size of the yarn doll you want to make. You can cut a piece of cardboard to get the exact size you want. Basically, the doll will be as tall as the wrapping board you use.

2] Begin by taping or simply holding and end of the yarn at the bottom of your wrapping board. Begin wrapping the yarn around the board. For my 7 1/2" doll, I wrapped the yarn around the board 70 times. Note: Do not stretch the yarn while you are wrapping or when you remove the yarn from the board, it will "shrink" as it resumes its unstretched state. DO NOT remove the yarn from the board yet. 

3] Cut a piece of yarn around 10" long. Slide it under the yarn at the top of the board and tie a tight knot. Young children will some help making sure their knots are nice and tight. 

4] Carefully slide the yarn loops off the board. The tied section is the top of the head. Cut another piece of yarn 10" long. Keeping the yarns straight, and the tie at the top, wrap your piece of yarn around the doll's neck 2 times. This creates the head and neck. I make my head 1 1/2" long. Again, tightly tie off the thread on the front of the doll. After you have a secure knot, tie a bow. Then, tie the 2 loops of the bow again to prevent it from untying. You now have a bow at the girl's neck. 

5] To make the arms, wrap yarn around the board 35 times in the same manner described above BUT this time, tie off the yarn 1" from the bottom of the board.

6] Cut the yarn on the front of the board 1/2" below your tie. The yarn will come off the board. It will not be a series of loops like the body, but rather, it will be a long bundle of yarns.

7] Divide the bundle into three sections and tightly braid. Temporarily, tie off the other end. Basically, you want the arms to be the length of the doll. Measure 7" from the first tie and place another tie on the braid. Cut through the braid 1/2" away from this tie. Your arm braid should be ABOUT 7 1/2". 

8] To attach the arms, carefully find the middle of the doll's body and "open" it up.

9] Insert the arms in so the middle of the arm braid is centered between the loops directly under the head. 

10] Lift the arms over the dolls head to get them out of the way, and tightly tie the body directly under the arms using 10" of yarn. It is very important to tie directly under the arms so the arms are trapped securely, otherwise, the arms could slide out. Tie on the front of the doll.  After you have a secure knot, tie a bow. Then, tie the 2 loops of the bow again to prevent it from untying. You now have a bow at the girl's waist. Note: If you feel like this knot might not hold your arms securely, turn the doll over, and using a yarn needle, tack the back to the arms, making sure you do not go through the front, and tie off. Hide the thread ends in the doll's body.

11] Cut the loops at the bottom of the doll's body.

12] There are 2 ways you can finish the top of the doll. If you want to hang the doll from something, leave the yarn on the doll's head long and tie to create a loop. If the doll is going to be used as a doll, tie a bow. Then, tie the 2 loops of the bow again to prevent it from untying.

Boy Doll:
1] If you wish to keep the boy and dolls the same size, you will need to wrap the boy's body on a larger wrapping board. This is because you will be braiding the boy's legs, which uses more yarn length than the skirt. I found in making the 7 1/2" dolls, that if I used a board 9" long, it made the finished boy measure 7 1/2".

2] Continue making the doll as described through Step 11. Note: Instead of making bows on the boy, after tying secure knots, I simply cut off the extra yarn leaving 1/2" ends.

3] To make the legs, divide the yarn into 2 equal sections.

4] Braid each section separately, creating 2 legs.

5] Finish with top as described in Step 12 with a loop for hanging or with the 1/2" ends. 
 

Believe it or not, there is still time to knit a scarf for a Christmas gift... or, be self indulgent like me  ;) and knit one for yourself to help keep you toasty warm over the winter months. This scarf is an easy pattern to knit, suitable for beginners that know how to knit and purl. It is a basic checkerboard pattern, with blocks made up of 4 stitches and rows. It matches our Checkerboard Mitten (coming soon) pattern. It would look lovely made up in soft wools. I, unfortunately, am allergic to wool, so I made mine out of an acrylic. This scarf is best knit with solid yard. Patterned and self striping yarn would camouflage the pattern. Whether you make the scarf and mittens or just the scarf, it's sure to keep you warm!

Checkerboard Scarf
(Finished length: approximately 74”)

2 skeins (5oz – 140g – 256yd – 234m) worsted weight (4) yard
(I used Red Heart – Soft Yarn – Color 9770 – Rose Blush)
#8 knitting needles
Tapestry needle

Size:
Finished scarf is 74 inches long and 7 ½” inches wide. Gauge is not critical. (NOTE: Make the scarf as long or as short as you want. 60” is often considered a good scarf length but I wanted the scarf to wrap around my neck and still offer chest warmth so I made mine longer than many.)

Instructions:
Cast on 38 stitches.

Rib (38 stitches)
Row 1: (K2, P2) repeat across row ending with K2.
Row 2: (P2, K2) repeat across row ending with P2.
Rows 3, 5, 7, and 9: repeat Row 1.
Rows 4, 6, and 8: repeat Row 2.
Row 10: repeat Row 2 adding 2 stitches evenly spaced across row. (40 stitches)

Scarf Body (40 stitches)
Rows 1 – 4: (K4, P4) 5 times across row.
Rows 5 – 8: (P4, K4) 5 times across row.
Repeat these 8 rows until scarf measures 72” or 2” less than desired length. (NOTE: End with a row 4 or Row 8, decreasing 2 stitches evenly spaced across row. (38 stitches)

Rib (38 stitches)
Row 1: (K2, P2) repeat across row ending with K2.
Row 2: (P2, K2) repeat across row ending with P2
Rows 3, 5, 7, and 9: repeat Row 1
Rows 4, 6, 8, and 10: repeat Row 2
Bind off.

These mittens are easy to knit, suitable for advanced beginners. It is a basic checkerboard pattern, with blocks made up of 4 stitches and rows. It matches our Checkerboard Scarf pattern. They would look lovely made up in soft wools. I, unfortunately, am allergic to wool, so I made mine out of an acrylic. These mittens are best knit with solid yard. Patterned and self striping yarn would camouflage the pattern. Whether you make the scarf and mittens or just the mittens, they are sure to keep you warm!

Supplies:
1 skein (5oz – 140g – 256yd – 234m) worsted weight (4) yard
(I used Red Heart – Soft Yarn – Color 9770 – Rose Blush)
#8 knitting needles
#6 knitting needles
Tapestry needle
1 stitch holder
2 stitch markers

Size:
Women’s Average/Large. (To customize, increase or decrease hand and thumb length as needed.)

NOTE: When I refer to a “stripe” I am talking about 4 rows of the pattern below that create a box; it does not refer to the entire 8 rows of pattern, which create 2 “stripes”.

INSTRUCTIONS - Make 2 mittens. Right and left hand are the same.
Ribbing: (36 stitches)
Cast on 36 stitches using #6 needles.
Row 1: (right side) (K2, P2) repeat across row.
Repeat Row 1 until cuff measures 4 ½”. End at the end of a right side row.
On wrong side: K2, Increase 1 in the next stitch. Continue pattern to last 3 stitches from the end of the row. Increase 1 in the next stitch. P2. (38 stitches)

Hand: (38 stitches)
Change to #8 needles.
Knit in the following pattern:
Row 1: (right side) P1, *K4, P4; repeat from* 4 times; K4, P1.
Row 2: K1, *P4, K4; repeat from * 4 times; P4, K1.
Row 3: repeat Row 1.
Row 4: repeat Row 2.
Row 5: K1, *P4, K4; repeat from * 4 times; P4, K1.
Row 6: P1, *K4, P4; repeat from * 4 times; K4, P1.
Row 7: repeat Row 5.
Row 8: repeat Row 6.
Continue working pattern until piece measures 2” from the end of ribbing. (For my mittens I completed 12 rows, completing 3 “stripes”.

Thumb Gusset:
NOTE: The thumb, or stitches between the markers, is worked in the stockinette stitch. (Knit 1 row, purl 1 row.)
Row 1: Work 18 stitches in pattern; place marker on needle; increase 1 stitch on the next 2 K stitches; place marker on needle. Work remaining 18 stitches in pattern. (40 stitches)
Row 2: Work pattern for 18 stitches; purl the stitches between the markers; work 18 stitches in pattern.
Row 3: Work pattern for 18 stitches; slide marker; increase in next stitch; K to stitch before next marker, increase in next stitch; slide marker; work remaining 18 stitches in pattern. (42 stitches)
Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until there are 14 stitches between the markers; end by working Row 2. (52 stitches)

Placing Thumb on Stitch Holder and Working Hand:
Work 18 stitches in pattern; remove marker; knit 14 stitches for thumb; place thumb stitches on holder; work remaining 18 stitches in pattern. (36 stitches)
Work remaining stitches in pattern (see note) until piece measures 7 ½” from start of hand; end by working a wrong side row. (For me that was 13 “stripes”)NOTE: The blocks in the mitten pattern were created by working 4 stitches by 4 rows. Now, stitches 18 and 19 will create a “half” block. (2 stitches by 4 rows) These will become the mitten fold when they are sewn together.

Top Shaping: (36 stitches)
NOTE: The top of the mitten is worked in the stockinette stitch.
Row 1: *K2, K2 together; repeat from * across row. (27 stitches)
Row 2: Purl.
Row 3: *K1, K2 together; repeat from * across row. (18 stitches)
Row 4: Purl.
Row 5: *K2 together; repeat from * across row. (9 stitches)
Cut yarn leaving a 20” tail. Thread into a tapestry needle and slide through remaining stitches, removing them from the needle. Pull yarn tightly and fasten securely. Leave yarn for sewing mitten together later.

Thumb: (14 stitches)
Slide stitches from holder to the needle. Attach yarn and purl row.
Work even in stockinette stitch until thumb measures 2 ¼”. NOTE: Measure from the “V” created where the thumb is attached to the hand on the inside.
Next row: *K2 together; repeat from * across row.
Cut yarn leaving a 12” tail. Thread into a tapestry needle and slide through remaining stitches, removing them from the needle. Pull yarn tightly and fasten securely. Leave yarn for sewing thumb together.

Finishing:
Sew thumb together.
Fold mitten and sew seam.
Turn up cuff. (Or for extra warmth… leave cuff unrolled if playing in the snow :)