Comfort dolls-knitting for African Aids Orphans
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What's this page all about???
This squidoo is all about African Comfort dolls - patterns for knitting or crocheting are further down the page, photos of the kids with their dolls, addresses for where to send your completed dolls.... everything you need to get started.
What is a comfort doll? A comfort doll is a small knitted doll used by ICross Canada . Instead of using packing peanuts or bubble wrap to protect delicate vials of HIV/Aids drugs and medical instruments, they use the dolls. Once the meds are unpacked, the dolls are given to the children in the community. Many children who receive dolls are also patients in the clinic, some are buried with their dolls when they die.
Please consider checking out my other lens as well, called Comfort Doll Project. My friend and I raise money using a comfort doll and photos of bands or musicians, and send the proceeds to World Vision or Icross Canada(we rotate charities with each new auction).
Just to also let you know.. any money made from this Squidoo lens is ear-marked for KIVA , a Microfinance Organization that is doing fabulous stuff out there (check em out). So far we've made just over $19.00 on this lens! Thanks to all who visited the 'advertising' at the page bottom.
Thanks to everyone for visiting, and for your wonderful comments in my guestbook. I love that there are more popele out there knitting! In fact, I'm actually thinking of making a new Squidoo lens just to list all the new knitters and give us more inspiration.
Who gets the dolls that are knitted or crocheted?




Billy Willabond with a crate of comfort dolls ready to ship
BASIC KNITTING PATTERN
dolls in photo knit by Sue Smith of Galiano Island

The basic method for making each doll is the same. Begin at the feet and knit a rectangle, and change yarn colours for each body segment.
The number of rows in each part of the doll can be increased or decreased depending on the individual design. Finished height of each doll is approx. 5 inches.
You need:
*Small quantities of Sayelle, or similar-weight yarn
*1 pair of 2.25 mm needles or maybe larger depending on wool
*Tapestry needle
*Polyester fibrefill
- To make:
*Work in stocking stitch throughout
*Cast on 32 Sts
*Work four rows for feet - change yarn
*Work 14 rows for pants - change yearn
*Work 12 rows for sweater - change yarn
*Work 8 rows for face - change yarn
*Work 11 rows for hat as follows:
*Row l - 4: Work evenly in stocking stitch
*Row 5: Decrease 5 Sts evenly in stocking stitch across row
*Rows 6, 8 and 10: Knit across row in stocking stitch
*Row 7: Decrease 5 Sts evenly across row
*Row 9: Decrease 5 Sts evenly across row (17 Sts)
*Row 11: (K.1, K2 together) 9 times
*Draw yarn through remaining Sts and pull up. - To finish:
*Sew sides together to form a centre back seam
*stuff body.
*Weave a strand of matching yarn across the first face row. Draw up to form neck and secure ends.
*Repeat for body, drawing in at the feet bottom -
*With matching yarn, form arms with small backstitches through all layers from waist to 2 rows beneath the neck.
*Define the legs in same way from bottom to a little below the waistline.
*Embroider facial features as desired
CROCHET PATTERN
(designed by Nan Hawthorne - Northwest Wings of Love)

Materials/Tools:
-G hook
-Black plus at least three other colours of easy care yarn, whatever weight fits gauge
-Fibrefill for stuffing
-Yarn needle
Gauge: 1 inch = 7 single crochet (sc) and 7 rows.
Pattern:
-With black yarn, chain (ch) 37. Last 2 ch are first stitch (st) in first row. Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round..
-Row 1: Continuing with black, sc in second st from hook and in each of remaining ch (should be 35.) Ch 1 and Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round.
-Rows 2-3: Continue with black, sc in each st across. Finish off black. This is the "shoes".
-Rows 4-14: * With colour A, sc in each st across. Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round. Continue from * until you have 10 rows of Colour A. Finish off Colour A. These are the "pants".
-Rows 15-25: ** With Colour B, sc in each st across. Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round. Continue from ** until you have 10 rows of Colour B. Finish off Colour B. This is the "shirt".
-Rows 26-34: *** With black yarn, sc in each st across. Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round. Continue from *** until you have 8 rows of black. Finish off black. This is the "head".
-Rows 35-42: **** With Colour C, sc in each st across. Slip stitch in first st of same row, ch 1 and start next row in a round. Continue from **** until you have 8 rows of Colour C. Finish off Colour C. This is the "hat".
You should have a cylinder 32 rows.
Construction:
1.Flatten cylinder lengthwise and slip stitch bottom (original chain) with black yarn to make an "envelope. Weave in ends.
2.Stuff lightly with stuffing. Enough stuffing to pad but not stretch the stitches.
3.At top of "hat" sew same colour yarn as the top row through all sc and pull tight to make a point.
4.Do the same, with either colour, between Colour B and the first row of the "head". Pull tight enough to form the "neck".
5.About 5 rows down from the neck and 3 to 5 sc in from sides on both sides sew with Colour B down in a straight line to bottom of "shirt" to simulate arms.
6.About 3-4 rows down from the top of Colour A sew with same colour yarn down to bottom of "pants" to form legs. Do the same with black on the "shoes".
7.Embroider face with eyes and smiling mouth
WHERE TO SEND YOUR FINISHED DOLLS
ICROSS CANADA
BOX 3, SAANICHTON
BC, CANADA
V8M 2C3
I've had many people ask how to send them, what will it cost etc... I send mine in a padded envelope, second largest size available, and just stuff as many in as I can. My friend uses a box. It costs us about $8.00 to mail them, and postage is always more expensive to mail inside Canada, than for my global friends to mail here.
Current Auctions on eBay
we do a charity auction about every two months.. this section is where you can find info if there is an auction currenty running.
Our next auction will be mid to end of October and we hope to feature State of Shock and country singer Aaron Pritchett - come back and check in a week or two!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byRSS FEED
What's new with Comfort Doll Project?
Come visit our Comfort Doll Project Myspace for updates on what we are up to, info on new charity auctions and bands or musicians we are currently working with to raise more money for the African charities we support: World Vision and Icross. (turn your speakers down - Myspace seems to like loud music)
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBooks and music that I've enjoyed
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
dark and haunting but hope filled as well... two singles so far: Rise above This and Breakdown
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
a fabulous book about one doctor's almost singlehanded fight against tuberculosis
Reader Feedback
HI, feel free to leave a comment or just say hello. Your comments are screened, so please dont panic if it doesnt show up right away! Thanks. and thanks for stopping by
skilly wrote...
Great idea! My family is moving to Africa this summer and my daughter would love to make these dolls with the kids of Mamelodi. I will bookmark this lens for reference.
donna_m wrote...
in reply to Ali HI Ali, yes the dolls are used by Icross for exactly what they say they're used for - the photos above are proof of that. Icross has sent over 3000 dolls to date, to kids in Africa.
Tiddledeewinks wrote...
A nice idea for such cute dolls and the kids look happy with them.
babythymes wrote...
Great site and wonderful work- one of our local yarn shops collects dolls for the project. I am going to put a link and a paragraph on my website < a href = http://www.babythymes.com"> anchor text with your address and basic info.
Best regards, Suzanne
Mar1anneC wrote...
What a wonderful page. The pattern is adorable and I love the idea of using them as packing material. Thanks.
donna_m wrote...
HI Anna, I checked out your site, what a wonderful store/meeting place!
Thanks for your offer to knit dolls - I've recently had people email me and ask about larger dolls - I've given it a lot of thought and the reason for the size is that its easy to use this size in place of packing foam (as oppposed to dolls say 14 inches large). Also... on considering more about buttons for eyes - i think its probably safer to not have any pieces that a small child can pull off and choke on. Other than that - I cant think of anything.
feel free to leave another message - i'd love to add your shop to my website once i finally get the thing up and running :)
donna_m wrote...
HI Diane (and others). Bigger needles - go for it. My dolls are all pretty inconsistent for size, tension etc. Not one looks the same, which is just fine for the children receiving.
Not sure about buttons - some dolls go to small children so it might be a choking hazard if they came off, but some of the dolls go to older children and even teenagers - in which case buttons would be fine. I'll leave that up to you.
Culture -people in Africa typically wear bright colors - yellows, reds, greens seem to be what I've seen in many pictures. most men wear pants and shirts or tshirts, most women seem to wear skirts i think. And arms - go for it! feel free to experiment with the pattern. The pattern is simply for ease of beginniner knitters and speed i think - i can make one in about 3 hrs but if i were to try a harder pattern or other embellishments it would take me a week to make one! lol
by donna_m
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