This is a basic doll body with semi-realistic adult proportions suitable for dressing up many different ways. It is knit flat and seamed so that it is maximally customizable and can be sewn around a poseable wire frame.
I use KnitPicks Palette, which is a 100% wool, fingering weight, woolen spun yarn. Almost any yarn of equivalent weight should work, or you can use a larger yarn and needle for a bigger doll.
Knitting Terms:
Make 2 Starting at bottom of foot
Make 2 Starting at bottom of foot:
Make 2 Starting at bottom of body:
From bottom of neck:
From back of head:
Make 2 From the shoulder:
Seam legs and arms leaving open the top of the leg and the shoulder of the arm.
Leaving bottom of body open and wrong sides together, seam the body from bottom to middle of the waist. Leave from the middle of the body to the top of the neck unseamed. Insert legs in the bottom of the body, toes facing forward and body seams to the side. Mattress stich around each leg to affix to the body, taking care to leave the top of the leg open inside the body. Seam the crotch shut as well.
For both legs, hold 2 pipe cleaners together and fold in half, then twist and bend to make the toe of the wire frame, using the unstuffed leg as a guide for length. Twist both wire legs together at the top, leaving a post to attach to the body wire. Insert into the assembled body and legs, then lightly stuff with wool or fiberfill to fill out the legs, using small pieces at a time. It is essential to not overstuff and to move around the stuffing until you have achieved a consistent and pleasing shape. Err on the side of understuffing if in doubt.
Hook the post from the leg wire assembly over 2 more pipe cleaners foleded in half. Twist to secure body to legs. For each arm, fold 2 more pipecleaners in half and twist, then insert the bent end into the arm. It will likely be unnecessary to add any additional stuffing, but if required, fill now. Fold up the unseamed body flap to estimate where the arm wire needs to be attached to the center body wire for the top of the arm to line up with the decrease to the neck and the bound off edge to line up with the side of the body. Twist both arm wires around the body wire. Using a mattress stitch, seam the sides of the body together with the bound off edge of the arm. Wrap excess wire around the body post wire, stuff body, and seam shut.
Seam head at top and back (for round head) or from muzzle along bottom (muzzle head), leaving a gap in the neck or back of head. Stuff, taking care to shape the head as you go. Sew gap closed, then securely mattress stitch to neck The basic body is now complete!
Materials
I use KnitPicks Palette, which is a 100% wool, fingering weight, woolen spun yarn. Almost any yarn of equivalent weight should work, or you can use a larger yarn and needle for a bigger doll.
- 10 g main color
- Scrap yarn or embroidery thread for eyes
- Blunt yarn needle
- Size 2.75mm knitting needles
- Stuffing – I use wool batting because it stays in the toy a little better than fiberfil, but if you need to machine wash, use polyester stuffing
- 12 Pipe cleaners, preferable of color matching body
Notation
Knitting Terms:
- sts – stitches
- ss – stockinette stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side)
- co – cast on (i use knitted cast on but long tail works as well)
- k – knit
- p – purl
- kftb – knit the front and back part of the stitch to increase by 1
- k2tog – knit the next two stitches together
- bo - bind off
Knitting Parts
Choose between plantigrade (human) legs or digitigrade (animal) legs and between round or muzzle headPlantigrade Leg
Make 2 Starting at bottom of foot
- co 24 sts
- 1-2: ss starting with k row
- 3: k9 k2tog k2 k2tog k9 (22 sts)
- 4: p
- 5: k8 k2tog k2 k2tog k8 (20 sts)
- 6: p
- 7: k7 k2tog k2 k2tog k7 (18 sts)
- 8: p
- 9: (k1, k2tog) to end of row (12 sts)
- 10-34: ss
- bo
Digitigrade Leg
Make 2 Starting at bottom of foot:
- co 12
- 1-4: ss beginning with k row
- 5: k1 kftb k2 k2togx2 k2 kftb k1
- 6: p
- 7: k1 kftb k2 k2togx2 k2 kftb k1
- 8: p
- 9: k1 kftb k2 k2togx2 k2 kftb k1
- 10: p
- 11: k1 k2tog k1 kftb k2 kftb k1 k2tog k1
- 12-32: ss
- 33: bo
Body
Make 2 Starting at bottom of body:
- co 14 sts
- 1-10: ss beginning with k row
- 11: k2 k2tog k6 k2tog k2 (12 sts)
- 12: p
- 13: k2 k2tog k4 k2tog k2 (10 sts)
- 14: p
- 15: k2 kftb k4 kftb k2 (12 sts)
- 16: p
- 17: k2 kftb k6 kftb k2 (14 sts)
- 18-22: ss
- 23: k2 (k2tog)x2 k2 (k2tog)x2 k2 (10 sts)
- 24: p
- 25: k1 (k2tog)x4 k1 (6 sts)
- bo
- 11-22: ss
- 23: k2 (k2tog)x2 k2 (k2tog)x2 k2 (10 sts)
- 24: p
- 25: k1 (k2tog)x4 k1 (6 sts)
- bo
For waist shaping:
For no waist shaping
Round Head
From bottom of neck:
- co 6 sts
- 1: k
- 2: p
- 3: (kftb)x6 (12 sts)
- 4: p
- 5: (kftb)x12 (24 sts)
- 6-14: ss
- 15: (k2tog)x12 (12 sts)
- 16: p
- 17: (k2tog)x6 (6 sts)
- 18: p
- bo
Muzzle Head
From back of head:
- co 6
- 1: k
- 2: p
- 3: kftbx6 (12)
- 4: p
- 5: kftbx12 (24)
- 6: p
- 7: kftbx24 (48)
- 8-12: ss
- 13: k4 k2togx20 k4 (28)
- 14: p
- 15: k4 kftbx10 k4 (18)
- 16: p
- 17: k2togx9 (9)
- 18-20: ss
- draw tail through loops
Arms
Make 2 From the shoulder:
- co 10 sts
- 1-16: ss beginning with k row
- 17: k1 k2tog k4 k2tog k1 (8 sts)
- 18-27: ss
- bo
Assembly
Unless otherwise specified, seaming is done right side out with a mattress stitch. Pipecleaners can be used as specified or you can make an armiture with a continuous piece of soft medium gauge wire. This will provide a firmer doll but is more likely to poke out between the stitches.Seam legs and arms leaving open the top of the leg and the shoulder of the arm.
Leaving bottom of body open and wrong sides together, seam the body from bottom to middle of the waist. Leave from the middle of the body to the top of the neck unseamed. Insert legs in the bottom of the body, toes facing forward and body seams to the side. Mattress stich around each leg to affix to the body, taking care to leave the top of the leg open inside the body. Seam the crotch shut as well.
For both legs, hold 2 pipe cleaners together and fold in half, then twist and bend to make the toe of the wire frame, using the unstuffed leg as a guide for length. Twist both wire legs together at the top, leaving a post to attach to the body wire. Insert into the assembled body and legs, then lightly stuff with wool or fiberfill to fill out the legs, using small pieces at a time. It is essential to not overstuff and to move around the stuffing until you have achieved a consistent and pleasing shape. Err on the side of understuffing if in doubt.
Hook the post from the leg wire assembly over 2 more pipe cleaners foleded in half. Twist to secure body to legs. For each arm, fold 2 more pipecleaners in half and twist, then insert the bent end into the arm. It will likely be unnecessary to add any additional stuffing, but if required, fill now. Fold up the unseamed body flap to estimate where the arm wire needs to be attached to the center body wire for the top of the arm to line up with the decrease to the neck and the bound off edge to line up with the side of the body. Twist both arm wires around the body wire. Using a mattress stitch, seam the sides of the body together with the bound off edge of the arm. Wrap excess wire around the body post wire, stuff body, and seam shut.
Seam head at top and back (for round head) or from muzzle along bottom (muzzle head), leaving a gap in the neck or back of head. Stuff, taking care to shape the head as you go. Sew gap closed, then securely mattress stitch to neck The basic body is now complete!