Halloween Dolls

Halloween is a spooky time of year...

So why not make some cute little companions to keep you (or a little one) company on long, dark nights? Best of all, they won't even eat your candy!

These Halloween friends were woven on a potholder loom, but you could also weave them on a small frame loom.

Project Details

The techniques you learn in this project can be used to create a whole host of themed dolls, so let yourself get creative!

Yarn

The dolls are woven with 2 strands of worsted-weight yarn held together as a single strand. You will need less than an ounce of each of the following colors: white, orange, green, and black.

You will also need less than an ounce of stuffing for each doll, and black yarn for embroidering features and  buttons or beads for eyes and embellishments. (Note: do not use buttons if making the dolls for young children—embroider them instead.)

Tools

• Potholder loom
• weaving or crochet hook
• chopstick to use as shed stick
• craft needle
• 2-peg spool knitter
• scissors
• needle to sew on buttons or beads.

   

Instructions

Each of the dolls is made by weaving rectangles and strips on the potholder loom. Here's what the pieces look like after weaving.

Rectangle Dimensions

Head
Weave 1 rectangle that is 9 pegs wide by 18 pegs tall. Use white for the skeleton, orange for a pumpkin head. (Note: The heads of the pumpkins are woven in the same way as the skeleton, but assembled differently.)

Body
Weave 1 rectangle that is 9 pegs wide by 18 pegs tall. Use black or green.

Arms
Weave 2 rectangles that are 4 pegs wide by 18 pegs tall. Use black or green.

Legs
Weave 2 rectangles that are 4 pegs wide by 18 pegs tall. Use black or green.

How to Weave the Rectangles

Throughout you will use two strands of yarn held together as one. Tie the 2 strands onto to the lower right-hand corner of the potholder loom.

Take the yarn up to the upper right-hand peg, and over. Then take it down to the lower edge and around the first peg on the lower side. Continue up and down until you have wound the yarn over the required number of pegs. In the photo below, nine pegs have been warped.

Using a shed stick to create one of the sheds speeds up the weaving process. So, weave a chopstick under 4 strands/over 4 strands (U4/O4) and place it in the gap at the top of the loom.

Slide a crochet or weaving hook along the chopstick, then glide it down to the lower edge of the loom. Place a loop of yarn onto the hook, and ease it through the warp strands.

Place the loop on the lower right hand peg of the right hand side of the loom. Pinch the strands at the left hand side of the loom to keep them from pulling in.m

Weave the hook 04/U4 across, place a loop of yarn on it, glide it back through the warp strands and place the loop on the 2nd peg on the right hand side of the loom.

The  weft yarn folds over the left hand side of the piece, creating a selvedge. Don't allow this left selvedge to pull in too tightly, or it will distort the rectangle.

Continue until all the pegs on the right hand side of the loom have yarn on them and you have woven 18 rows.

Cut the yarn, leaving a 12 inch (30 cm) long tail for stitching. One row will be U4/O4 and the next will be O4/U4.

Chaining the edge

Before you take the rectangle off the loom, you need to chain the edge loops to secure them.

Lift the first 2 loops at the lower right hand side of the loom onto a hook.

Pass the 1st loop over the 2nd. Pick up the 3rd and pass the 2nd loop over the 3rd loop. Continue until all loops are chained off the side.

Chain across the top of the loom. Pull the remaining yarn end through the last loop on hook.

Turn the loom upside down, to make it easier to work the chain. Untie starting yarn from corner of loom. Chain across lower edge, towards the starting yarn end, then pull the yarn end through the last loop on hook.

Making a Skeleton Head

Fold the head rectangle in half, and stitch the side edges.
The seams go down the sides of the head.

Stuff the head.

Stitch around the lower edge, and pull up to gather. Squish and squeeze the head to make it oval shaped.

Making a Pumpkin Head

Stitch one long edge of the head rectangle and pull up to gather it.

Join the short edges for the center back of the head. Stuff the head, gather the lower edge, pull up, and shape into a ball.

Spool knit a 1-1/2 inch (3.75 cm) long stem using 2 strands of green yarn. (You could also use i-cord for this.) Leave 20 inches (50 cm) long yarn ends for embroidering the leaves on the top of the head.

Assembling the Bodies

1. Fold the long edges of the body rectangle together and stitch together for center back seam.  Gather the neck edge and pull up.  Stuff the body. Do not gather the lower edge of the body.
2. Arms and legs: Fold long edges of strip together. Stitch edges. Arms and legs are not stuffed.
3. Sew legs to lower edge of body, holding lower edge of body closed.
4. Sew arms to shoulders.
5. Weave in all ends.

Embellishing

Now it's time to give your doll personality!

Sew a bead or button on for each eye and for nose, or embroider nose. And then embroider a smile with one long stitch of black yarn secured or couched down with several short stitches.

(Note: Sewing on buttons is not recommended if you plan to give your doll to a baby or toddler, who might chew off and swallow the button. In that case, embroidered eyes would be safer.)

And that's it! Your doll is complete!

Noreen Crone-Findlay is passionate about the fiber arts. She is an author, professional blogger, teacher, and designer. She takes delight in opening doorways to creativity for her readers and workshop participants. Noreen is married to the most wonderful guy on the planet,  composer and jazz musician, Jim Findlay. They are blessed by being best friends with their daughter and her husband and their son and his wife.  They have lots of cats and many dogs in their extended family. Noreen's latest book, The Woven Bag, will be released by Krause Publications next year. She also publishes books, monographs, and patterns under her own imprint: Crone-Findlay Creations.