How to loom Simple adorable, one of a kind Angel Babies

Hi, I’m Sharona Wilson. My daughter Pam and I make loom knitted dolls for charity. We recently sent off two dozen to an orphanage in Haiti, followed by a batch to a local Alzheimers center, and a batch to our local sheriff’s station for their children in crisis program. Mary has asked me to share a bit about the dolls, so here goes.

I stumbled onto loom knitting quite accidentally. I took a group of girls from the church to summer camp. During the daily activities, the girls signed up for badge classes, and the leaders were told “if you aren't teaching a class, you need to be attending one with your girls”. (I guess one year they found a group of leaders taking long naps during badge classes.) LOL. No, it wasn't me. Really. I decided to take the loom knitting class, and was introduced to Knifty Knitter looms and learned to make a simple baby hat. I went home after summer camp, bought a set of looms and have never looked back.

After a couple of years of the same badge class, the badge teacher realized that the same girls were taking the class each summer, so saw the need for an “advanced” class and taught the girls to make a simple doll. Just a doll with a stitched face and a hat. They were told to go home and get one of their old baby blankets to wrap the baby.

I've worked up the design for the babies, and then designed a simple cocoon blanket. The dolls are delightful and everyone who sees them falls in love with them. So, here you are. Follow these simple directions and you can have a knitted baby doll of your own.

I start with making the doll form. I cut two pieces of light colored fabric, 10”x6”, and stitch the sides and top, rounding the top to make the head. Turn, stuff, and sew the bottom shut. I then do a running stitch with yarn about 1/3 of the way from the top, and pull tight, to form the neck. (All that being said, I do know people who just use an old sock.)

**for my loyal crochet readers, if you want to give this a try Check out Kristen at GoodKnitKisses youtube playlist HERE to learn the basics, MK***

The doll sock is loomed on the KK blue loom (24 peg). Ewrap and knit 40 rows (10 inches) and gather off. Use whatever skin tone you like. All looming done on this pattern is with two strands of yarn.

The sock will slide over the doll form and will form itself to the neck you made on the doll form. Sew the bottom shut.

The thing that will give your baby doll personality is the face. It does not have to be difficult, as long as it’s cute. I do a simple mouth and eyes stitched in yarn. I have found the triangle shaped mouth gives a great expression. I do the entire face on the lower half of the head, leaving plenty of room for the hat. Honestly, the face is what makes the doll especially adorable. Don’t tell anyone, but I stitch the face by using a long sharp quilting needle, and running it through the back of the head to anchor the stitches firmly. The hat will cover the knots on the back, and the face stitches cannot possibly come loose. 

Now let’s work on the clothes. Of course, planning the outfits is the most fun! The hat is made on the blue KK loom as well. Ewrap eight rows, then turn a hem. Complete ten more rows, then gather off.

The hair can be made a couple of ways. My usual style is to make a loop stitch on 17 of the 24 rows, about ½” under the brim of the hat. Yes, the hair is attached to the hat, not the head. Cut the hair to about 1” or so in length, then with your hook or a needle, separate the strands of the yarn. This will give you curly hair. (I 

have also made the hair using simple loops, or I have made braids, or long straight hair, or I have even used Fun Fur (a double strand) to give wild spiky hair.) 

Position the hat on the head and secure with a hot glue gun, applying the glue just under the brim all the way around. Glue a pom pom on top. At this point I generally add a ribbon around the neck as an additional accessory.

Now for the cocoon. Use the red KK loom (31 pegs). You will start by ewrapping, but do not complete the circle. Leave the last wrap open, and then wrap rows back and forth so that you are making open rows. Wrap eight rows, then turn a hem. Continue for ten more rows, leaving open.

At this point, go ahead and close the circle and ewrap and knit 22 more rows, wrapping completely around the circle. Gather off.

The baby will slide right down inside the cocoon perfectly. Trim with a ribbon if 

you like, to match the ribbon on the baby.And just like that, you have a precious little baby doll, which, if I do say so myself, is absolutely adorable.

Now you can just let your imagination run wild. Try all sorts of things: sports 

themed babies, garden babies, superhero babies, even Waldo, if you can find him.

Like I say, we make the babies mostly for charity. Do we sell them as well? Well, yes, of course. But all the money we make selling babies goes right back into more yarn to make more items for those around us who could use a cuddly little friend when things get tough.

Sharona has a paypal set up for donations, to help make more of these babies for charity, if you feel so inclined donate any amount using the above button. How about some love to Sharona for sharing this free pattern with us!