Move aside Barbie! Here come hand-knitted dolls that are just as fun and lovely. These 10 free knitting patterns for dolls showcase a variety of dolls and as many knitting techniques.
Hand knitted dolls are usually not for beginners as they can contain many parts and some parts can be quite fiddly to work with. But some of these are so lovely, the effort is worth it.
Quick Links
1. Paton’s Rose Fairy Doll
This is such a lovely knitted doll pattern. Perfect for a girly girl whatever her age.
Get the free pdf pattern for Rose Fairy Doll here.
2. Jennie’s Sally the Eco Fairy Knitting Pattern
Sally is such a lovely doll with very stylish knitted hair. It is not for beginners although the instructions are quite detailed.
Get the free web-based pattern for Sally the Eco Fairy at Knitty.com.
3. Nioknits’ Keito Doll Knitting Pattern
If you like playing with doll dresses up, this would be up your alley. You can now knit up the doll and a set of clothing like a jacket, a dress, trousers, and more. Nioknits had also designed a series of dresses, trousers, and shorts. A good yarn buster project.
Get the free web-based pattern for the Keito Doll here.
4. Marion the Mermaid
This pattern can be found in Fiona Goble’s Knit Your Own Dolls.
This hand knitted doll is not for the beginner. There are many parts. 2 pieces for the body and head, 2 pieces for the hair, 2 pieces for the tail, 1 piece for the bra top, and 2 pieces of bra straps. Many parts meant a fair amount of sewing up which I am not a fan of.
This free version does not contain instructions for the arms. It is possible to work it out yourself if you have already done other doll projects.
Get the free web-based pattern for Marion the Mermaid at Makeetc.
5. Knubbelchen
A softie doll that is both whimsical to look at and make. The English translation is very clear which is a pleasant surprise, thanks to Katharina.
Get the free PDF pattern for Knubbelchen at Ravelry.
6. Sara’s Gingerbread Boy Knitting Pattern
This Christmas doll is easy knit with no seaming at all. My kind of pattern haha. I would use 2 circular needles to knit this instead of double-pointed needles.
Use yarns of different colours, design different accessories and choose facial expressions. No two gingerbread boys or girls will be the same.
Get this free PDF pattern for Sara’s Gingerbread Boy at Ravelry.
7. Lizzard’s Fin the Human
Lizzard gave a lot of instructions for Fin but because she used a lot of small parts so it can get a bit confusing. Scroll down her page for questions by visitors and her answers. It should clear things up a bit. Jake the Dog is available for free too.
Get the free web-based pattern for Lizzard’s Fin the Human here.
8. Juanamac’s Frozen Olaf Knitting Pattern
Something for fans of Frozen.
This is a surprisingly good pattern of Olaf. It is knitted using double-pointed needles but it can be replaced with circular needles.
Get the free web-based pattern for Juanamac’s Frozen Olaf at Knitguru.com.
9. Knitterbees’ Miffy Knitting Pattern
I used to read the Miffy picture books (affiliate link) to my nephew and niece when they were little. It is nice to see knitting patterns for this little fictional rabbit.
There are some gaps in the pattern. It didn’t say how you should attach the head to the body but I think it is intuitive yah. Another knitter mentioned that she picked up stitches from the head to knit the body. Not a bad idea. Or you can do a provisional cast on for the head so you get live stitches later.
Get the free web-based pattern for Miffy here.
10. Susan’s Miffy
Another version of Miffy. Construction is similar to Knitterbees. Knit the head and divide for the ears.
Get the free PDF pattern for Susan’s Miffy at Ravelry.
Knitted Toys: 14 Cute Toys To Knit by Tetyana Korobkova (affiliate link)
I wanted to give this book a shout out because the dolls are just so cute. There are 14 toy doll patterns. It is worth buying although you can also try to borrow from your local library.
Tetyana’s dolls are probably not suitable for very young children. They are more delicate and not good for rough play. An older child may be captivated by their cuteness and play with them with more care.
Tetyana seems to think that even beginners can make her dolls as she starts off her book with the basic techniques like how to hold the needles, cast-on, knit, and purl stitches.
I really appreciate her taking the time to teach assembling the parts using thread jointing. There are step-by-step instructions with pictures or illustrations. She did the same with hairstyles and limbs.
Each project consists of abbreviations, materials needed, section by section, and row by row instructions. Tetyana is meticulous. She also included pictures of each completed part. There is no guessing with her patterns.
Tetyana uses some unique techniques to shape her dolls. Even experienced knitters might learn a few new tricks. She uses specific yarns for all her dolls. They are DMC Woolly, DMC Natura, and DMC Natura XL.
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Happy knitting!
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