Knitting is one of my many crafting-related hobbies and I know a lot of other people in the doll community share the love of needles as well. A lot of great doll fashion crafters also knit, it’s great hobby and you can do it almost anywhere (just like crocheting, which I did blog about back in September 2010).

There are a lot of great resources available for beginner knitters, all you need is a pair of knitting needles (or just two smooth skewers) and some yarn (or string). My first project was a garter stitch scarf, but you needn’t be that boring! Like crochet, knitting has different terminology for UK or US terms, there’s also different sizing methods for the needles themselves and different ways to describe the types of yarn (ply, weight).

You can get your supplies for learning how to knit (yarn and needles) at most any craft stores, at yarn shops (expensive!) or at thrift stores (be sure that both needles are the same size – they can get bagged incorrectly!). You can find free patterns online at sites like Ravelry or just poking around. You can find fantastic resources at a public library or also on the internet! Some great websites to help you get started are:

• knittinghelp.com
• knittingonthenet.com

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not knitting fantastic lace dresses for your Blythes from the start – everyone needs to start somewhere and it’s always important to learn the basics and fundamentals before branching off into newer things.

For those looking for a free pattern with very little shaping, you can check out the Knit Empire Dress pattern here on BlytheLife.com. The skills you use in that pattern are casting on, knit stitches, purl stitches, cast off, cast on in a row and casting off.

If you’re a knitter and you have any hints or tips for beginner knitters here on BlytheLife.com, please share in the comments section!

Supplies Needed

• 3mm knitting needles
• Sock/fingering weight yarn (under 10g required [under 42m or 45.9yd])
• Yarn/darning needle
• Snaps
• Sewing needle and thread (matching colour to yarn)
• Ruler
• Decorations (buttons, ribbons, appliques) – optional

Gauge:
3 st per 1 cm

Notes
The yarn used in the dress shown is Regia Jacquard Color 4-ply by Schachenmayr nomotta in colour #5176 (50g per 210m or 230 yards)
Total number of stitches per row mentioned in brackets [#] at end of the row.
Casting off is also known as binding off.

Directions
Cast on 54 (leave a long enough tail at beginning for sewing up the back of the dress; I use the long-tail cast-on)
Knit 3 rows (garter) [54]
Alternate knit and purl rows (stockinette) until total length is 7cm [54]
(On knit side, decrease row): *k1, k2tog* [34]
Knit 6 rows even [34]
Knit 7, cast-off 3, knit 14, cast-off 3, knit 7 [28]
Knit 7, cast-on 4, knit 14, cast-on 4, knit 7 [36]
Knit 2 rows even [36]
Cast-off

Use yarn needle to sew up the back (up to the decrease row).

Sew a snap at the top of the back of the dress, add decorations as desired.

Notes on Pattern Use
This pattern may be used for personal or commercial use provided that full credit is given to BlytheLife.com/Michelle for the pattern (please include a link to the website or pattern page in your sales description). This pattern is not for mass-production manufacturing. You may not sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you have any questions regarding these terms, please email Michelle at michelle@blythelife.com.

When I was younger, my parents refused to go out and buy clothes for my Barbie dolls beyond what came with the doll herself. But I still wanted new clothes for my dolls so my dad used to sew some for me, just to placate me long enough for me to stop from whining more. One of the things he used to make for me was little sweaters and dresses from socks, so with his help I wrote this tutorial.

Pretty much all of the directions are his, minus the use of stabilizer (I have no clue how he was patient enough to sew doll clothes for me with socks without stabilizer, I had a hard enough time with it!).

You will need:

• 1 sock (I bought mine from a local dollar store, kids sizes at 3 pairs for $2 CAD)
• scissors
• stabilizer (makes your life so much easier)
• thread (either the same colour as your sock or similar)
• pencil (or something else to mark fabric with)
• pins
• sewing machine

Click to read more of this entry.

My wardrobe is the opposite of my dolls’. I have a lot of separates (shirts, pants, skirts, sweaters) while they have a lot more dresses than I will probably ever have (if only for lack of closet space). In my need for more separates to go with the small amounts of tops that I have for my dolls, I decided to sew a simple skirt that is very much modelled after a skirt that I have.

You will need:

• fabric – 8cm x 23cm
• trim (optional) – 23cm
• elastic – 3mm width, 9cm length (I got mine for $1.70 for 3.7m)
• scissors
• pins
• stabilizer
• safety pin (for threading elastic)
• thread
• iron
• sewing machine

Click to read more of this entry.

There is a lot to be said for bought doll clothing. It’s generally fast, you don’t need to know how to sew or buy your own supplies. Let’s face it: the cost of various colours of thread, different types of fabric and then some kind of fabric to line it so that the darker colours won’t stain your doll? It takes money to make those clothes, but also energy and time. I’ve talked a lot in the past about where to find fabrics or small prints, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty, unless we’re all ready to dabble in pattern design – we need to know where to go to find size-appropriate designs for our Blythes.

One great website is PuchiCollective.com, a lot of people recommend this site for newbies because it has a lot of sewing patterns (many adapted from old Skipper patterns) along with some great tutorials on changing eye-chips, how to do the lock-loop method for rerooting dolly hair and tutorials on how to take scalps off of the doll’s head.

Some other great sites to check out are:

• Orriettacat’s sewing patterns
• xoxo, Blythe
• Simplicity #2353 (not free, but a good resource if you can find it on sale!)

For non-sewing patterns, but these patterns will still aid you in expanding your doll’s wardrobe, check out:

• knitty.com – knitting patterns
• Shershegirl – knitting pattern (plain onesie)
• Shershegirl – knitting pattern (poofy pantie onesie)
• Stitch Journal – knitting patterns (links on side menu)

Dress made with the Blythe Empire Dress pattern from puchicollective.com

When in doubt, you can always do a quick search on Google for “free Blythe patterns” or “free Skipper patterns” (or another similarly sized doll). There’s a lot of resources that are available online, you can also find sewing tutorials (for machine and hand sewing). There are a lot of Japanese books available (although not inexpensive at all factoring in cost of the item and shipping!) like Dolly Dolly or similar books (these generally have patterns for Blythe as well as other dolls that are popular in Japan).

Please remember to read the terms and conditions outlined on each individual pattern. Many of them are free for personal use only (not for commercial use) and be sure to respect the wishes of the designers.