PROJECT BY SARAH SHRIMPTON | SUITABLE FOR BEGINNER | SHOULD TAKE A MORNING’S WORK PER DOLL

ESSENTIAL KITMILKY, POPCORN,SLUSHY, LIMEADE,

CITRON, FAB, CALYPSO

MEASUREMENTS:

STUFFING, PIPECLEANERS, SAFETY

EYES, COTTONTHREAD, BUTTON

What’s not to love about these cute crochetcreatures? The design is simple as it follows amagic ring method to produce theseamigurumi figures. With only double crochetstitch being used, this makes for a greatbeginner project. Don’t be afraid to play withyour choice of colours too – we love howSarah created a little alien by using Limeadeinstead of Popcorn for its face and hands.

FALL IN LOVE WITH THESE

16

adorable dolliesHead and body

Make four* Using 4mm hook andPopcorn (Popcorn, Popcorn,Limeade) make a magic ring,work 6dc into ring. Six stsRnds 1-2: 2dc in each st toend. 24 stsRnd 3: 1dc in each st to end.Rnd 4: (3dc, 2dc in next st)to end. 30 sts Rnds 5-9: rep Rnd 3 five times *Rnd 10: (3dc, dc2tog) to end 24 stsInsert safety eyes betweenRnds 8-9, eight sts apart,begin stuffing

Rnd 11: (1dc, dc2tog) to end. 16 stsWork in foll stripesequence: first doll: all rows Fab; second doll:(three rows Milky, threerows Limeade) twice; thirddoll: (three rows Slushy,three rows Calypso) twice;fourth doll: seven rowsCitron, five rows MilkyRnd 12: rep Rnd 3 Rnd 13: (1dc, 2dc in next st)to end. 24 stsRnd 14-21: 1dc in each st to endStuff Rnd 22-23: (dc2tog) to end. Six stsFasten off

ArmMake eightUsing 4mm hook and Slushy(Limeade, Popcorn,Limeade) make a magic ring,work 6dc into ring. Six stsRnd 1: 1dc in each st to endChange to Fab (Milky,Slushy, Citron)Rnd 2: (1dc, dc2tog) to end. Four sts

Make it Today!

Rnds 3-8: rep Rnd 1 six times Fasten off, leaving a 20cm tail

LegMake eightUsing 4mm hook and Slushy(Limeade, Calypso, Milky)make a magic ring, work 6dcinto ring. Four stsRnds 1-7: 1dc in each st to endFasten off, leaving a 20cm tail

HatUsing 4mm hook and Milkywork as for Head and Bodyfrom * to *. 30 stsFasten off

Hat pom-pom Using 4mm hook and Milkymake a magic ring, work 8dc

into ring. Eight stsRnd 1: 1dc in each st to endFasten off

To make upNote: If making as toysomit pipe cleaners forsafety reasonsCut two 7cm lengths ofpipe cleaner, bend in halfand twist together. Insertone pipe cleaner, foldedend first, into each leg.Working in back loops onlysew Hat Pom-Pom closed.Sew to top of Hat. StitchArms and Legs to body. Tomake hair cut 60 22cmlengths of Citron and sewto Head using matchingcotton thread. Style andtrim ends. Sew button tobody of doll if desired MIT

“These cute dolls are all made usingthe same pattern. It’s up to you to

choose what colours to use for thehands, arms, legs and bodies.”

SARAH SHRIMPTON , DESIGNER

FOR ABBREVIATIONSSEE PAGE 62

ADORABLE DOLLIESAnd their exquisite attention to detail

cheat’s guideDecreasingFor a flawless finish, use an invisibledecrease method when working the‘dc2tog’ stitch. To do this, insert yourhook into the front loop of the firststitch then the front loop of thesecond stitch, yarn over hook, pullthrough the first two loops on thehook, yarn over hook, pull throughthe remaining two loops.

IT’S ALL ABOUT GETTINGTHE DETAILS JUST RIGHT

What makes or breaks any toy is the attentionto detail, especially their facial features andany distinguishing characteristics. As thesedollies are so unique, we spoke with SarahShrimpton to find out her top tips on how tomake the design your own.

1 When adding features to your people, youcan experiment with the placement of theeyes. These dollies have their eyes added tothe middle of the face, with a fairly large gapbetween them. This creates a cute look, butexperiment affixing them lower, higher, oreven closer together.

2 The female doll has a clear side-parting thatgives her a distinctive look, compared to theusual middle-parting found on most dolls. Todo this, you need to cut about 60 lengths ofyarn each 22cm long – use a small book towind yarn around before cutting along oneedge. Hold a few strands together in themiddle and position them on the doll’s head.Using thread in a matching colour, stitch thesestrands securely in place. This creates the hairparting. Repeat with the rest of the yarnstrands until the head is well-covered.

3 Adding little buttons adds anotherdimension to your makes. The little heartbutton featured on the girl doll’s torso makesher really stand out from the rest.

4 Accessories give handmade dolls theirindividuality; add a bobble hat to one or two, but why stop there? Experiment by fashioning a walking stick, bag or even aminiature pet dog!

For other ideas to give your toys somecharacter, add a mouth by using simpleembroidery stitches. You could even givethem an English rose glow by using a pinkpencil crayon to add a hint of blush to their cheeks.

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ADORABLE DOLLIES

17

JIMMY

SHEILA

ARNOLD

BUSTER

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