# Ladyfingers - Part 3 American Girl doll photos for December, 2011



## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

Here is the final set of photos that will be posted before the "hectic" decorating and baking begins.

Photo 1: I knit this top with attached panties in stripes, then made a solid colored skirt to go over it - used up some "stash", but ran out of yarn before I could make a hat and/or purse.

Photo 2: Had a little of that lovely "Shaggy Shimmer" left, so made a white party dress and trimmed it with pink.

Photo 3: This is another self-striping yarn I purchased from Turkey. The colors are so terrific I just kept going and completed the entire dress and hat.

Photo 4: Solid sweater top with multi-colored pants in "Kids Brites" from Herrschener's.

Photo 5: Sweater dress in multi-colored pink/blue/yellow - low waisted, with bright pink "pom-pom" belt and matching headband.

Photo 6: This is a halter style top with separate panties and a full skating skirt with long-strand eyelash yarn in pink, lavender and silver sparkly strands. I made crochet chains to tie the halter behind her neck.

Photo 7: This yarn is so pretty! Bernat Jaquard "Flowers" in Orange Blossom. Used the "Sleeveless Dress" pattern (Handout #1) for the top - then picked up stitches around the neckline and made the ruffle. Used the same yarn for matching panties.

This is the very final posting before the new year - Happy Holidays!


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## Dreamweaver (Feb 1, 2011)

Again, all terrific. I really love the shape of the dresses and the pink one is my favorite. The hat with that is wonderful. Sure wish I could get some knitting done. Need to finish the decorating first!!!


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## CARABELLA (Sep 9, 2011)

Oh my they are all beautiful.


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## SEA (Feb 9, 2011)

Just beautiful.

SEA


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## Sandiego (Sep 17, 2011)

They are all so beautiful. You have been busy. I love the colors you use. Thanks for sharing. Do these also go with the previous pattern leaflets?


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## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

All of the outfits in the 3 photo postings for December can be knit following instructions in the handouts, except for the SEAMED PANTS in the crayola colored jumpsuit, the tossle cap, and the halter top for the skating costume.

The green/gold top with cap sleeves and attached panties is in a handout. The yellow skirt was knit separately and is in the handout.

The white dress with tiny spots of color also has cap sleeves and was trimmed at intervals with my favorite "Shaggy Shimmer".

That lovely self-striping in pink/lavender/white has capped sleeves, and at the waist I changed to a pleated skirt - all in one of the handouts. The hat is the basic wide brimmed hat with the self-striping for the brim, and it just worked out that the crown is all in white. I turned up the sides of the hat and pulled down the front when I dressed the doll - to give her a "western" look.

The yellow sweater is the basic top with capped sleeves, adding two rows of multi-colored yarn that matches the peddlepushers - legs knit for only 20 rows, then bind off at the knees.

The sweater dress in multi blue/pink/yellow has a ribbed neck and instead of capped sleeves I worked 4 rows of K1, P1 rib then bound off each sleeve. Knit straight down to the hips, then added a garter stitch band in bright pink, increasing in every other stitch for a short full skirt.
Made a bright pink matching headband and just for that "wow!" factor - added a pom-pom on the "belt" and headband.

The halter top skating costume started with a garter stitch band than bound off 15 stitches, knit 4, and bound off the rest of the stitches. Went back to the 4 stitches and increased at each end every row until there were 52 stitches at approx. the waistline. Increased in every stitch for 4 rows for the skating skirt, then added the long-strand eyelash in pink/lavender/silver sparkly yarn.
This style made it necessary to make a pair of separate panties. I added a tight "skull cap" in white and eyelash yarn - then trimmed the eyelash (on both sides to keep it from being too bulky and straggly looking on her head). When I dressed the doll, the halter top was too "narrow" for her chest, so I had to crochet two rows of single crochet loops on both sides of the halter top from the top neckband down and around to the back seam at the waist.

The final dress in beautiful Bernat Jacquard "Orange Blossom" yarn was started with the "Sleeveless Dress" pattern to the waist, then increased for a full skirt and used the "open lacy" yarn-over stitch pattern for the bottom of the skirt - increasing in every 10 stitches on the knit rows for a gradual flared skirt. Picked up stitches around the neckline and worked the same "open lacy" yarn over stitch pattern for a nice ruffle. Made a matching headband with 6 rows of the open lacy stitch pattern.

Almost everything can be knit from the 3 handouts - I just used an assortment of different colors to make the styles look different, but they still use the basic capped sleeves, basic top with attached panties, and the basic sleeveless dress patterns.


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## kjoerwin (Jun 3, 2011)

wonderful as always....


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## jilli (Jun 20, 2011)

love these!!


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## endless creations (Jul 17, 2011)

These are all great outfits.

Enjoy your Christmas.


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## carolyn28562 (May 6, 2011)

Your work is wonderful. Your handouts have some amazing information. Glad you put those notes in. They were very helpful.


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## patocenizo (Jun 24, 2011)

You a re amazing!


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## Sandiego (Sep 17, 2011)

Thank you again Elaine for the additional information. You have a wonderful talent and very giving! ;0)


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## Leonora (Apr 22, 2011)

Once again you tempt us with your eye candy. They are beautiful. Leonora.


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## kyriakoulla (Jul 11, 2011)

They are all beautiful, will be waiting to see the next lot in the New Year.
Best wishes


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## arianna (Feb 13, 2011)

Awesome!! Glad to see you back! Merry Christmas Arianna


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## radiator (Jul 13, 2011)

guess I mised your handout sheets, could I get a copy to maybe make a couple of things for my granddaughters for x mas?


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## jmai5421 (May 6, 2011)

Elaine, they are all simply awesome. I will be knitting up a storm this summer when the girls come to visit. I will try to get some pictures before they return home with the doll clothes. Thank you for posting the ideas and the directions. You are so creative with a wonderful imagination. I am jealous.
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Judy


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## socoboater (Apr 4, 2011)

I'm fairly new to this site, and don't quite understand all of it yet. Where do I find your handouts. Thank You.


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## patpipczynski (Jun 21, 2011)

Beautiful work. I would love to see the handouts. I am willing to buy all patterns. Thanks, Pat


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## kikipoo (May 22, 2011)

Absolutely gorgeous! What is a "handout" and how do I get one? My granddaughters would love any of these outfits for their own AG dolls.


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## jemima (Mar 26, 2011)

Your American girl dresses are all sweet I love them all..jemima


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## SYAPJR (Mar 5, 2011)

Love them all! Cowgirl hat is the best... Happy Holidays and thank you for sharing your creativity and beautiful work.


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## socoboater (Apr 4, 2011)

I don't know how to get handouts. Could someone help me?
I guess I'm not underdtanding it?


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## onellie1 (Mar 23, 2011)

I love all the dresses. Do you sell them? Please e-mail me at [email protected]
Thank you!


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## jellybeaner (May 6, 2011)

You do AWESOME work! I really appreciate the handouts!! I don't have the ability to do pictures, but my granddaughters are in for a big Xmas surprise (clothes for their AG dolls)!


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## TabathaJoy (Mar 5, 2011)

Beautiful work. Merry Christmas!!


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## socoboater (Apr 4, 2011)

I missed all the handout sheets.....where do I get the sheets?


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## jmai5421 (May 6, 2011)

socoboater said:


> I don't know how to get handouts. Could someone help me?
> I guess I'm not underdtanding it?


click on the ladyfingers avatar and pm her. She will reply with the handouts. It is easier for her to just reply with the handouts rather than sending your email.


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## aknitter (Jan 25, 2011)

Every last one is a winner in my book!

Anita


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## Muddyann (Jan 29, 2011)

Love them, thank you so much.


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## canadagal (Dec 6, 2011)

Where do you get the handouts?


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## Grandma Jo (Feb 18, 2011)

Oh Elaine , they are beautiful as always. You are such a kind person to do this for us. Joene


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## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

To All of You Who are New to This Knitting Forum:

Click on my name - Ladyfingers - on the left side of this page, above my Avatar photo of the American Girl doll in the pink sweater & pants. This will take you to my profile page. Click on "PM" to send me a personal message with your e-mail address. DO NOT LIST YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS ON THIS THREAD - IT GOES OUT ALL OVER THE INTERNET!!!!! When I get your e-mail address I will send you the 3 AG doll handouts via "reply" e-mail ASAP. Thanks for asking.


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## Weezieo77 (Feb 24, 2011)

Well done! You are amazing! Are these gifts or are you selling them?


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## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

Weezieo77:

I knit the outfits, dress my doll for a photo session, then pack the "creations" away in duffle bags and/or 6-gallon popcorn cans - waiting for my great-granddaughter to grow old enough to take care of them - she's almost 3, which is way too young to handle knitted garments properly without snagging the doll's fingers on the sleeves, etc.


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## Muddyann (Jan 29, 2011)

I know what you mean about the dolls fingers getting stuck. I made one doll outfit in crochet for my great nieces 3rd birthday. The rest I sewed in super easy on off mode. I keep trying to figure out if I should just take that dress and pack it away for a different year. I do worry about that. I did it in a thread so it is real delicate. I think packing it away might just be a good idea.


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## dotcarp2000 (Sep 5, 2011)

I see that wonderful intricacy of your work and that reminded me of my mother's work at sewing Barbie doll clothes for my niece so many years ago. What treasures they are and will be remembered forever.


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## nanamarion1 (Nov 19, 2011)

Ladyfingers, great work. Where did you get the handouts for the patterns. Would love copies so I could knit some of these for my grandchildren. Beautiful job. Marion


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## MaryE. (Feb 16, 2011)

Ooh, really nice. You have to be responsible for the best dressed AG dolls around.


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## Lalane (Aug 23, 2011)

absolutely adorable every one of them.


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## canadagal (Dec 6, 2011)

Thankyou so much for the patterns. I will start them tomorrow.


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## pammie1234 (Apr 27, 2011)

Those are precious! I've got to check to see if I have the handouts. I know I have gotten some, but not sure if they are yours. I admire your ability to create, and your willingness to share! Again, AWESOME!


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## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

Pammie1234:

Send me a private message with your e-mail address. Go to my Avatar and click on my name, Ladyfingers, above the photo with the AG doll in the pink sweater and pants set. This will take you to my profile page. Click on "PM" to send me a private message, requesting the AG doll handouts. Once I get your e-mail address I can send you the handouts via "reply" e-mail ASAP.

If you want to see all the photos I've posted over the past few months, go to the top of the page, in the middle section, click on "Search", then type Ladyfingers. A long list will open of all my postings. Click on all the titles that have "Pictures" on the left side of the page - this indicates that photos are included in the topic. You should see over 50 AG dolls modeling knitted outfits, plus quite a few Barbie dolls and some itty bitty 5-inch baby dolls.

I have received many, many private messages and e-mails from the knitters here saying they have begun a 3-ring binder to hold all the downloaded photos and the handouts, contained in clear, plastic sheet protectors. It is easier to refer to the photos when knitting one of the outfits in the handouts.

Ladyfingers on this forum
dollymomma for e-mails
Elaine Baker in real life


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## Pennypincher (May 7, 2011)

Elaine, As usual you have designed some beautiful outfits. I have all three of your handouts and have copied all your photos of the clothes you made using them. My great granddaughters are receiving clothes for the dolls I got them for Christmas this year and I will be making more through out the next year for next Christmas. I will be checking to make sure that I have all your photos as you indicate this is the third set for December. Again, thank you for the beautiful designs and handouts. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and glad to see you back on here. Hope this means you have recovered from your injuries and are ready to enjoy the holiday season. See you on here next year.


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## yona (Feb 7, 2011)

Wow, wow and wow!!!


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## ginamarie12345 (Mar 13, 2012)

You talk about handouts? Do you have a link to these patterns? They are absolutely adorable!!


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## Grandma Jo (Feb 18, 2011)

Gos to page 3. The first quote is from Elaine Baker about how to get her handouts. Just follow her instructions.


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## Lindylou22 (Feb 15, 2012)

Yes, you do beautiful work! The outfits are so cute. So fresh and fun looking. I would love to play with these dolls!


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## pmpb (Apr 20, 2012)

Hi Elaine is there a site where you can just go on and print out the patterns you want individually. I recieved your 1 2 & 3 handouts but i an\m a fairly new knitter and find these hard to follow. I like to have individual patterns. Sorry for the inconvenience. Also do you have the pattern for the Santa hat and sweater for AG


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## Waterford Girl (Mar 10, 2012)

Wow, what a collection.
Happy knitting


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## Grandma Jo (Feb 18, 2011)

Elaine's instructions are really easy to follow. Just take a look at, let's say, the basic top. To start with you just cast on 46 stitches, the next row you knit into the back of the stitch. Then she gives you options for necklines. If you want a lower neckline which I do a lot, cast on your 46 stitches, then I place my markers at that point. Otherwise start your decreases 6 rows down like she first says. Just pick out the options for neckline that you like. The cap sleeve is probably best to start with. Jusst take each step as you come to it. If you want an empire waist, start increasing higher than you would for a regular waist. This is all in Handout #2. On page 4, paragraph 4, she tells you how to increase. If you want to knit a dress, just take it each step at a time. All the information is there. I don't think she has individual patterns, she gives you the options of doing what you want.
Get through your first project and you will understand it much better. Really, it is easy and you will have fun doing different pieces of clothing.


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## lyn.fraser56 (May 10, 2014)

Hi I love your work.. i was wondering where do I get the handouts that have your patterns in them?


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## Ladyfingers (Jan 26, 2011)

Hi Everyone!

This is an older thread, but I see some recent questions about where to get the knitting handouts for the AG doll.

A little background info.....when I joined KP in Jan.2011 I had to learn how to post photos, then I shared lots and lots of pictures of my knitted doll clothes for the AG doll. I had been asked by my son's girlfriend to knit some outfits for her 8 year old daughter. At that time I didn't know about the American Girl doll. Ordered a clone from Mary Maxim and spent a few weeks figuring out how many stitches to cast on....then I started knitting, and knitting, and knitting. It was such fun! After I began posting photos of these doll clothes I was suddenly inundated with requests for patterns. I am not a professional pattern writer, but decided to give it a go. Believe me, it is not easy writing a pattern! I kept getting ahead of myself, skipping critical rows, and the first few attempts were terrible.....judging by the corrections I made while proofreading!

Anyway, patterns were written for Handout #1 - a simple sleeveless dress with headband. (I forgot to include a pattern for panties.) I had such fun creating this handout that I immediately started Handout #2 - with a lot more patterns for "basic" tops, dresses, skirts, and pants. I thought it would be easier if everyone sent me an e-mail address and I would send the handout via reply e-mail. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well....this caused a "log jam" on my computer, with over 250 requests PER DAY. By this time I had completed Handout #3. To make a long story shorter.....I e-mailed out over 1,000 copies of EACH handout, and didn't have any spare time to knit! Something had to give! So.....I decided to post individual patterns directly to this KP website, and then everyone who wanted a copy could "copy and paste" to their computer, then print it out. 

One of our members, "Daeanarah" (who is Rhyanna from Oregon in real life) began providing us with a PDF Download button for each pattern I posted. This was well received and we all gave a sigh of thanks for this little button. Later on, "Daeanarah" had even a better idea.....she decided to post all the Ladyfingers patterns in one location, with photos and the PDF button, for easy access by knitters. This was met with many thanks from all of us.

Go up to the top of the page, middle section, click "Search", then type in the box "Ladyfingers - Elaine's Doll Patterns", and click the Search box again. This will take you to a long thread - "Elaine's Doll Patterns" - and "Daeanarah" has posted in the Comments the pattern TITLE, followed by "download". Click "download" to open a very nice copy of the pattern and photos on your computer - for easy printing.

You will find patterns here for the AG doll, Barbie, the 8-1/2 inch Cutsie doll, and the 5-inch itty bitty baby doll.

Just an "FYI".....when I check "My Topics" to see how many hits I'm getting for each posting, I see that the AG doll within 3 days gets 4,000 to 5,000 hits, Barbie patterns in the same length of time receive 2,000 to 4,000 hits - and keep climbing.

For instance, the AG doll Wedding Gown, Veil, Garter, and Bouquet is now over 15,000 hits. The Rainbow Bridesmaid Gown, Head Piece, and Bouquet is at 8,900. The lavender dress with hat and boots trimmed in purple fur and a purple fur jacket is the most popular (after the bridal outfit) at 14,500 hits. This is followed by the Casual Dress with Variations, the Holiday Dress with Variations, and the Easter Dress with Variations, all three are over 10,000 hits. 

I was very surprised to see that Google and other search engines have picked up my postings here on KP - along with all YOUR comments and you will find them when you Google "Ladyfingers" or "Ladyfingers knitting patterns". Even Ravelry has posted some of my photos of AG dolls and also some AG outfits not knitted by Ladyfingers. Knitters - we are posted all over the Internet!

P.S. In some of my first postings on this thread I referred to my Avatar as pink sweater and pants. As you can see, I have updated my Avatar to the AG Wedding Ensemble.


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