Jo Sharp Dolly Toy Knitting Pattern

Jo Sharp Dolly Knitting Pattern Summary

What is Being Made

The Jo Sharp Dolly is a charming knitted toy doll designed as a complete project with accompanying garments. The pattern includes instructions for creating the doll's body, head, and legs, along with three separate coordinating outfits: a striped sweater, flared pants, and a pinafore. Simple embroidery details finish the doll's face and overall appearance. This is a downloadable knitting pattern suitable for crafters looking to create a finished soft toy with a complete wardrobe.

Techniques Used

The Jo Sharp Dolly pattern employs both seamed and seamless construction techniques. The doll's body components are worked in individual pieces and then joined together using backstitch seaming for the shoulder seams, side seams, and sleeve seams. The pattern includes shaping techniques such as casting off stitches to create neck and shoulder definition, and increasing stitches to shape the doll's facial features. A decorative picot edge is incorporated into the garment construction, created through a combination of yarn-over decreases and picking up stitches from the cast-on edge to form an ornamental finished edge.

Stitches Used

• Stocking Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the pattern, creating a smooth, classic knitted fabric for the doll's body and all garments
• Knit and Purl: Fundamental stitches used in combination to create the stocking stitch base and picot edge details
• Yarn-Over (yon) and Knit Two Together (K2tog): Decreasing techniques used to create the decorative picot edge on garments
• Knit into Front and Back (Kfb): Increasing technique used to shape the doll's head and facial features
• Cast On and Cast Off: Edge techniques used to begin and finish all pattern pieces

Materials and Specifications

The Jo Sharp Dolly pattern calls for Jo Sharp Soho Summer DK Cotton yarn, a smooth, washable cotton yarn ideal for toys and garments. The pattern requires five 50-gram balls in the following colors: Col A (227 Putty), Col B (230 Rockpool), Col C (219 Sailboat), Col D (234 Currant), Col E (222 Freesia), and Col F (228 Calico). All pattern pieces are worked using 4.00mm knitting needles. The tension is measured at 22.5 stitches and 30 rows over 10 centimeters in stocking stitch. The pattern is designed in one size, with the doll's proportions and garment dimensions determined by the specified yarn weight and needle size.

Pattern Construction Details

The doll's legs are constructed as two separate pieces, each beginning with a cast-on of 24 stitches and worked over multiple rows in stocking stitch. The body and head are created as a single piece, cast on with 20 stitches and worked for 28 rows before shaping the shoulders and neck through strategic cast-offs and increases. The sleeves are made as two identical pieces, cast on with 20 stitches using the specified needles. The garments—sweater, pants, and pinafore—are worked in coordinating yarn colors with the pants cast on at 28 stitches and incorporating increases for shaping. Assembly involves joining all pieces with backstitch seaming, centering the sleeves, and joining side and sleeve seams to create the finished doll and its wardrobe.