Crafty Book Review: Knits for Dolls, by Nicky Epstein

Knits for Dolls isn’t a knitting book for beginners, but if you know how to knit, and you’re comfortable following knitting instructions, I think that you’re really going to like the patterns on offer here. I love stashbusting projects, because they’re both de-cluttering, thrifty, AND more eco-friendly than buying new materials, but I really, REALLY love projects that use a traditional craft like knitting to churn out uber-modern results. The Ruffles and Roses dress, for instance, is not only different from most contemporary handmade doll clothes, but also looks a lot like the Cool Water dress from Sew Pretty: T-Shirt Dresses, another great source for contemporary hand-made kids’ clothes. If you can knit AND sew, you can make your kid and his or her doll matching clothes!

Other patterns in the book that garnered my kids’ approval are Perfect Match, which includes knitted capris; All that Glitters, which includes a knitted cape and crown; Skullduggery, which is a knitted Goth tunic with a skull motif; What a Hoot!, which combines knitting and sewing to create a sundress; and Monkeying Around, which includes a knitted monkey hat and the variations to turn it into a kitty hat or owl hat.

Although the patterns do not offer instructions for customizing them to dolls of different sizes, 18 inches is a pretty common size for dolls. Not only does it encompass most of the American Girl line, but if you’re handy, you can also make Waldorf dolls in the 18-inch size. The hats might not fit a homemade 18-inch doll, but with some futzing, most of the other projects are customizable for a Waldorf doll.

My only suggestion for this book? Epstein’s next book NEEDS to include knitting instructions to make these outfits in kid sizes, too, because I’m pretty sure that my kids and their dolls need to walk around in matching Goth sweaters with skull motifs.

Want to see more from Knits for Dolls? Check out the rest of the blog tour here:

July 1: Toys In the Dryer and House of 34

July 2: Katie’s Red Umbrella

July 3: Karen Mom Of Three’s Craft Blog and Doll Diaries

July 4: Smashed Peas and Carrots and On The Laundry Line

July5: The Doll Wardrobe and Untrained Housewife

July 6: American Girl Fan

I received a free copy of Knits for Dolls, because I can’t review a book if my kids can’t drag it around for a week and dog-ear all the pages and whine for me to make them stuff.