Today there is no total shortage, you can buy almost everything, but needlewomen do not stop, preferring to knit a doll from yarn rather than look for a toy in a store. A self-made crocheted doll is an original thing, a brilliant holiday gift for a child or a souvenir for a foreigner, especially if you dress the craft in a national costume. Having gained even a little experience, you will be able to associate a doll with a unique character, facial expression, and frozen facial expressions. Such characters can be gathered into a “company”, and the illusion of their communication will arise.
Hand-crocheted dolls can become collectibles, united by a common idea, for example, costumes of the nationalities of the country or the world, historical outfits of one era or in chronology. There is no shame in giving a historical doll to an adult. A job well done deserves to be placed in a museum. There are a lot of photographs of crocheted dolls posted on the Internet. You can view a gallery of images created by the hands of knitters here.
Knitted dolls – photo ideas
Many crocheted dolls do not have a nose: it is easier to make the head in the form of a ball, sew on beads as eyes and mark the mouth with thread. The toys turn out cute, but slightly resemble a monkey. If your doll turns out to look exactly like a monkey, use the same threads that were used on the doll’s face to embroider a voluminous nose or make it as a small knitted element and sew it on.
It’s worth taking a closer look at the models’ eyes:
- drawn;
- knitted separately and sewn;
- made of beads;
- purchased parts.
You can find doll eyes for sale in specialized sewing and embroidery stores. They are typically used in soft toys made from fabric. Crocheted dolls are also soft toys, sometimes found with a wire frame to help them stand. The frame of metal elements should be inserted directly into the packing, but this must be done carefully so that the wire does not come out. An alternative to wire is external stands, which are good to use for displaying dolls, but not to use them during play. We invite you to look at many interesting photographs of crocheted dolls.
What are amigurumi toys
Amigurumi are miniature models of animals, objects or people knitted from yarn. Crocheted amigurumi toys are more common. Since these products are miniature, it is inconvenient to knit them with knitting needles.
Amigurumi have become popular all over the world because they are very cute and funny. Differences from ordinary knitted toys:
- Size. Amigurumi are miniature. Some craftswomen manage to knit toys no larger than 1 cm in size. But such mini-versions are still rare. The average size of a toy is 5-10 cm, but there are exceptions; there are real giants up to half a meter tall.
- Appearance. Toys should be cute and funny and evoke positive emotions.
- Disproportionality. Amigurumi depicting animals or people often have a disproportionately large head compared to the small body.
Find out how to crochet a Stesha doll: patterns and description of knitting.
Another distinctive feature is the knitting method. The products are crocheted in the round and have no seams. Children's cartoon characters - Stitch, SpongeBob, Smeshariki - are often used as models.
How to crochet an Amigurumi doll
Crocheted dolls are not typical for the art of Amigurumi, since most often the objects on which Japanese craftsmen and craftswomen work are cute little animals and inanimate objects. However, the latter are often given the features of living beings: thanks to the embroidered cute face, cakes and fly agaric mushrooms, ice cream and bags, glasses with drinks and hats can come to life. Characters from your favorite cartoons, including Pokemon, are also a favorite motif for Amigurumi knitting. But if the cartoon character is a person, then in knitted form it is a doll that has to be “revitalized.”
The most difficult thing about knitting a doll is finding flesh-colored threads for the head and hands. The rest of the body can be easily performed immediately in clothes and shoes. The knitting technique is not much different from creating animals: the same complex volumetric elements that require stuffing with synthetic padding or other springy material. It is important to be able to knit spheres, cylinders, cones - the main elements that serve as the “building blocks” of any figure. Crocheting doll legs will work well for those who have knitted booties, slippers, and footwear. Amigurumi toys are small in size, so you will have to learn how to knit miniature parts. The size of the finished work is traditionally no more than 8 cm.
Features of knitting a frame doll
The basis of such a doll is a frame, which is made of wire or something similar to this material. Each frame element is first wrapped with filler material, and then “dressed” in a thread sheath. The peculiarity of a frame doll is that its legs and arms bend, which makes it more real and alive. Knitted interior dolls of this type serve as an excellent home decoration. They can also be used as a gift for any occasion.
Frame doll
Crochet Lalalupsi doll
Crocheted dolls are not only “Amigurumi”, but also the favorites of American children – Lalalupsi dolls. The brave inhabitants of the country of Lalaupsia - dolls with button eyes - were not originally knitted toys. Only by combining the Amigurumi technique and the image of any of the Lalalupsi dolls, you can get a toy or souvenir made of wool or other threads. Each doll has its own character and role, expressed in its costume. The creators of the toy have already come up with images of Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Pirates, and Superheroines. Experienced craftswomen will have no difficulty converting them into a knitted version. Those who are endowed with imagination will be able to associate a doll with a unique role. For example, add Russian classics: kokoshnik and sundress. Japanese technology, American image and Russian costume will come together in one toy.
Tools for working on dolls must be miniature: a hook No. 1.5 and threads of approximately the same thickness. This will allow the product to be compact.
Popular types of dolls
Currently, there are many ways to make toys from yarn, but the most popular are amigurumi and ball-jointed dolls. Another great idea is a comic Russian doll called a big-legged doll. The article discusses in detail the step-by-step diagram and description of crocheting a tilde doll.
Required materials and tools
To create this designer toy, you will need a 2.5 mm hook, as well as white, beige, grey, light brown, pink and light gray yarn. The yarn must be of high quality and soft. Professionals recommend using mercerized cotton threads. For the doll's eyes, you can take beads, buttons, etc., about 10 mm in size.
Important! The yarn must be of high quality, since the durability of the toy depends on the material used.
Required materials and tools
Crochet doll - diagrams and description
Any doll can be crocheted, starting with the Amigurumi ring, which avoids the appearance of a hole in the center of the part. Initially, a ring of thread is wound around a finger, tied with posts and tightened tightly. Next, a spherical part is knitted according to the pattern with additions: a large ball for the doll’s head, a small hemisphere for the beginning of an arm or leg. The body of a crocheted doll can have the shape of a cylinder. It is good to “dress” a classic doll in a dress with frills, which are made with significant increases (three or five columns are knitted from one column). Spherical elements usually start with 6 columns, giving rise to sectors. With each row, all sectors increase by one column until it is time to make a rounding. From this moment, the same number of rows are knitted without increases, after which decreases begin with a similar intensity. However, the head must end with an opening for the neck. Any other ball - a part for crocheted dolls - should still have a hole through which it will be filled with filler. If you need to knit a separate balloon (for example, it will be a character’s balloon), then you should first stuff it, and then just knit the missing rows with decreases and tighten the last 6 loops with thread.
Cylindrical parts are knitted either from the loops of a closed chain, or from the columns of the previous part (neck - from the bottom of the head, forearm - from the hand or fist, etc.), or from the “diameter” of the hemisphere (fingers, legs and arms of the baby doll, etc. .d.).
A separate topic is stuffing the product with soft material. In order for crocheted dolls to “hold” their head well, its stuffing must be continuous with the neck. The transition from arms and legs, if desired, can be made sharp by simply sewing separately stuffed and sewn parts to the body. Then they are easier to “manipulate”. But the transitions from the neck to the head and body must be smooth, with “general” padding.
To knit a doll with a relief face, you will have to work separately on the head and only then move on to the neck. The eye sockets – the indentations where you sew the eyes – give the face a realistic look. Using the same thread that was used to make the head of the crocheted doll, grab a loop from the inside at the point where you plan to sew (embroider or glue) the eye, and pull the thread inside the stuffed part, hooking it from the inside to the center of the back of the toy’s head. Inside the head, bring the thread to the place for the second eye, grab it and again pull the thread to the same point on the back of the head. Form the filler inside the part so that there is no gap left on the back of the head, and characteristic eye sockets are outlined on the face. The nose of the toy can be slightly outlined with stitches, then the crocheted doll will turn out to be snub-nosed. This is good for a naughty girl or baby doll. If you decide to knit a doll representing a boy, the nose will have to be made separately in the form of a small hemisphere, starting with an “Amigurumi” ring, tied with 4-6 single crochets, and sewn to the face. Then you can move on to the neck of the crocheted doll.
You can crochet the doll's legs separately. We knit one leg and fasten the thread, but do not break the thread on the second leg. Both legs can be stuffed at once, attached to each other with the remaining thread and the body knitted to the level of the arms. At the place where the handles are attached, you can switch to rotary rows and knit the back of the doll separately, and the front separately. Above the level of the hands, connect the front and back and again perform circular rows with decreases on the sides until the same number of loops (tops of columns) remains as on the neck. The neck of the doll should be crocheted to the body, having previously stuffed it. The connection is made with a knitted seam or a crayfish step along the inner surface so that the transition is smooth, without a hem. The seam can also be hidden under clothing.
Sometimes a crocheted doll needs to have ears or hair. This part does not require stuffing; it can be knitted in the form of a semicircle and sewn to the head.
Knitting a baby doll
We will need:
Knitting needles No. 2;- The yarn is beige and multi-colored;
- Large needle;
- For eyes, one thing: half beads, eyes or buttons;
- Glue moment;
- Padding;
- Eyelashes (you can cut them yourself from PET);
Abbreviations in the text:
- Stockinette stitch - knit one row, purl the other row - k. ch
- Increasing loops - prb.
- Two loops together - dec.
- Facial loop - knit.
- Purl loop - purl.
- Buttonhole - p.
- Row - r.
Description
Work starts from the bottom edge of the shoes.
- We dial 20p.
- 1p - purl;
- 2−5r — persons. smooth surface;
- 6p - 2 persons. (increase, front) 16 times, 2 persons. p-36p.;
- 7−11r - from the inside out. we make parts l. gl.;
- 12r - 10 persons. (prb, lp.) 16 times, 10 knits-52p.;
- 13p - purl;
- 14−19r - l. gl.;
- 20r - 14 persons. (decrease) 12 times, 14 lp.-40 p.;
- 21p - purl;
- 22p - purl;
- 23p - purl;
- 24r - 33r l. Ch. (socks are a different color).;
- 34p - purl;
- 35−53r - Starting from the wrong side. We perform parts l. lie beige threads - legs;
- 54r - purl;
- 55−64r - Starting from the inside out. We perform parts l. Ch. thread of a different color - pants.;
- 65−79r — l. Ch. beige threads;
We crochet clothes for dolls
For the collection, it is good to knit the doll directly in clothes. Crocheted dolls with a minimum of clothing (imitation underwear, swimsuit) or without it at all are better suited for play. Such toys need a whole wardrobe of elegant dresses, skirts, blouses, and jeans. Any of these outfits can be crocheted for a doll. However, the “model” itself does not have to be knitted. You can make an elegant dress for any crocheted doll - a ready-made soft toy, a plastic baby doll. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the sizes. Before crocheting clothes for a doll, you need to try on the “model”, make a sample and understand how many loops are needed in the chain to start the hem of the dress, and how much you will have to reduce the number of stitches at the waist or under the arms - if you plan to make a sundress.
If our model is a crocheted doll, calculating the number of stitches on the clothes adjacent to the “body” is simple. You can count them on the toy itself and add a couple of columns so that the clothes do not tighten the doll. For the tight-fitting part of the doll’s dress, a cylinder is crocheted; when switching to a fluffy skirt, additions are made through one or two stitches.
Similarly, you can knit wing sleeves for the doll. First, two straps are made to the cylindrical part of the dress (you can use very narrow ones, from chains), and wings are knitted from them. A single crochet is performed on each edge, the next one (1 or 2, depending on the length of the strap) is double crochet, and in the center there are double crochets or even three crochets. Looks like rose petals are being knitted.
My light, mirror, tell me - who is the cutest in the world...
The face of a knitted doll, in my opinion, is more difficult to design than a textile one. I drew a textile one - and that’s it, she looks at you, smiles... But with a knitted one you’ll have to tinker.
- The face of a knitted doll: eyes, nose and mouth can be embroidered. We try to do it beautifully, because the eyes are the mirror of the soul.
- You can draw eyes, but not on a knitted face. They are drawn on fabric or paper, then glued. We are trying to draw eyes so that they convey emotion.
But this option is only suitable for an interior doll. A child should not be given such a doll, otherwise she may be left without her beautiful eyes.
Crochet dolls: video – master class
The best way to figure out how to knit a doll using the Amigurumi technique, as well as doll dresses, is by watching a video sequence with explanations. It is more convenient to use step-by-step instructions, as well as videos that tell you where to start working on a crocheted doll. Individual elements are considered - loops, columns, increases and decreases, without which it will not be possible to make either conical or spherical parts.
It’s not enough to simply knit a doll and stuff it with soft material. This is an image of a person, which means you need to make a face. Crocheted dolls often do not have a nose, but this is not a rule that must be strictly followed. It is quite possible to associate a doll with a nose.
A crocheted doll is not only an elegant young lady or a baby doll. This is a huge field for imagination. Many craftswomen have managed to knit a doll - the heroine of a fairy tale or cartoon, a person with a bright, original character. Needlewomen share their successes and show how heroes “come to life” appear from ordinary threads. How to crochet a doll is described in numerous video tutorials that are offered to your attention.
How to stuff a knitted doll
There are a lot of materials that can be used to stuff a toy. It all depends on who it is intended for. If a child will play with the doll, it is better to choose synthetic fluff, since it is hypoallergenic, or wool, since it is a natural material. You can also use padding polyester, scraps of fabric, or cotton wool.
Note! For medicinal purposes, you can fill the toy with dry herbs. Then it will be not only beautiful, but also useful.
You might be interested in How to make a glove doll with your own hands
Interesting patterns of amigurumi dolls
Take advantage of our interesting free patterns with instructions for crocheting amigurumi dolls for beginners to add them to your collection.
Pencil:
Spider:
Mushroom:
