Homemade Gift: Knitted Sweater for an 18" Doll

Do you remember I told you that I wanted to learn to knit this year? I think I mentioned that I taught myself on New Year's Eve. Well, one of the main reasons I wanted to learn was to be able to knit doll sweaters. I can crochet nearly anything I want, but crochet just doesn't have the same look when it comes to sweaters and hats.



So here is the first doll sweater I made. It also happens to be my second-ever knitting project. With that in mind, I was really, really happy with how it turned out. :) I made it with a specialty yarn that's all lumpy and soft.



And here you can see the back of it.

It really didn't take that much time to make this, since you can work on knitting in small snippets of time ... like when you're waiting for the kids to finish brushing their teeth before bed! :)

If you'd like to make a sweater for your favorite girl's 18" doll, here is the pattern I used. I made it in the pullover style.

Also, if you're a newbie like me, you might wonder how you're supposed to knit one shoulder at a time. It sounds easy enough until you realize that your yarn is on the wrong end of things when it's time to do this. (This is probably obvious to anyone who's knitted for any amount of time, but not for a beginner.) I couldn't find instructions for that anywhere online, so here you go ...

You need to leave the one side on your needles, cut or break the yarn, and start on the other side. Once you've finished that side (or gotten to the point where you're supposed to join them), cut or break the yarn and do the other side, leaving the mostly-finished side on the needle this time. Does that make sense? I hope so because I know I puzzled over that for hours until I finally broke down and asked on a knitting forum.

My daughter has claimed this sweater (and the doll, for that matter), but I'm hoping to make a few more without her seeing them so I can sneak them into my gift stash. :)