For my über nerdy crochet friends out there, here are all the details of my hella cool dancers I’ve been working on. Below I share the types of yarns I used, other materials, and then at the bottom of this post you’ll find links to each one of the dancer’s Ravelry page where I list specifics for each individual doll. For my non-crochet friends, there are PICTURES of each doll so you can see them more closely!
First of all, the pattern I used to create these beautiful dancers is from Bunnies & Yarn, and you can purchase the very well crafted pattern, Tracey the Ballerina Doll through their Etsy page. I highly recommend the pattern.
The main yarn I used is by Paintbox Yarns, although you actually purchase their yarns through LoveCrafts.com, and they ship quickly. For almost every component of the dolls, I used their Simply DK acrylic yarn as they have an amazing selection of colors, especially of a variety of flesh tones to really have a great variety of diverse dancers. For you crocheters out there that work in amigurumi, figures, or dolls, it’s always a good idea to stick to the same brand and weight of yarn so that all of your stitches are consistent, even as you change colors.
As I mentioned, there were a few yarns that didn’t come from Paintbox, and I had to get a little creative to match the gauge. For some of the dolls’ hair, I wanted to add some unique colors to create a variety of hairstyles and textures, so I found that Hobby Lobby carries Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek DK yarn that had incredibly rich colors for hair.
Now, despite both the Paintbox yarn and the Soft & Sleek yarn both having the same weight of “DK” or “double knit”, a light weight category yarn, they were not the same physical thickness. The yarn I wanted for hair was thinner than my main yarn, so I opted to use half double crochet stitches for the hair instead of the traditional single crochets done in amigurumi dolls. Keep this strategy in mind if you use different brands of yarn, but if you can stick to the same brand and weight all the way through, even better!
As for stuffing the dolls to make them firm yet still soft, my secret is cotton quilting batting. My Not Evil Step Mom taught me this trick! Instead of using the super fluffy, super springy Poly-Fil acrylic stuffing, I highly recommend cotton batting instead. It’s courser, and you are able to create a more consistent and firm figure. Simply tear small pieces, and use the end of your crochet hook or your fingers to evenly stuff the inside of your dolls as you make them. It works every time! I usually purchase a queen sized quilt batting roll, and slowly make my way through it. Depending on the size of the doll or amigurumi figure, I can get 20 to 50 dolls out of one queen sized batting.
For the eyes, I kept it simple with black safety eyes, size 6mm for these roughly 10-11″ tall dolls. Sometimes I’ve made dolls with different iris colors, but for this project I liked to keep it very simple, whereas the tutus, hair, and variety of the dancers would be more of the focus.
Click on each doll below to see their Ravelry project page!
Reminder: these beauties will be live in my Tugboat Yarning Etsy Shop Thursday, September 24, at 8:30pm EST.
Get them (on Thursday) while they last!
~Maggie