Love My Doll Sweater in Red Heart Shimmer Solids - LW2647

Love My Doll Sweater in Red Heart Shimmer Solids (LW2647) – Knitted 18" Doll Pullover Pattern

The Love My Doll Sweater (LW2647) is a charming knitted pullover designed to fit a standard 18-inch doll, making it a perfect handmade gift for any child who loves dressing her doll in style. Designed by Jodi Lewanda and published by Red Heart, this pattern features an adorable heart motif worked from a simple chart, giving the finished sweater a sweet, fashionable look. The completed garment measures 14½ inches around the chest and 6¼ inches in length, sized precisely to suit popular 18-inch dolls.

Rated as a beginner-level knitting project, this pattern is an excellent choice for newer knitters who want to practice working with a basic colorwork chart in a small, manageable format. Because the sweater is doll-sized, it works up quickly and provides a satisfying, low-commitment introduction to shaping techniques such as armhole bind-offs and shoulder shaping.

Construction and Design

The Love My Doll Sweater is constructed as a classic pullover worked in separate flat pieces — a back and a front — which are then seamed together. The back begins with a Broken Rib border before transitioning into Stockinette stitch for the body. Armhole shaping is achieved through bind-offs, and individual shoulder sections are worked separately to create a neat neckline. The front incorporates the signature heart motif chart, adding a decorative focal point to what is otherwise a clean, classic silhouette.

Pattern Stitches and Techniques

• Broken Rib stitch – A two-row repeat pattern worked over a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1. Row 1 alternates knit and purl stitches; Row 2 is purled entirely. This creates a subtle, textured border at the cast-on edge.
• Stockinette stitch – The primary body fabric, worked by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic surface ideal for displaying the heart chart.
• Heart motif chart – A simple colorwork chart worked in two colors, described in the pattern as easy to follow, making it accessible even for beginners exploring stranded or intarsia-style knitting at a small scale.
• Armhole shaping – Achieved by binding off stitches at the beginning of right-side and wrong-side rows to create a clean armhole edge.
• Shoulder shaping – Right and left shoulders are worked separately using a stitch holder to hold stitches while each side is completed, with decreases worked to taper the shoulder edge neatly.

Special Stitches

• M1 (Make 1 Increase) – A lifted increase worked by picking up the strand between stitches onto the left needle and knitting through the back loop, twisting the strand to close any gap and keep the fabric tidy.
• ssk (Slip, Slip, Knit) – A left-leaning decrease worked by slipping two stitches knitwise to the right needle, then inserting the left needle through the front of both stitches and knitting them together through the back loop.
• k2tog (Knit Two Together) – A right-leaning decrease used in shoulder shaping to reduce stitches smoothly.

Gauge

The pattern calls for a gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows to 4 inches in Stockinette stitch. As with all knitting projects, checking gauge before beginning is strongly recommended to ensure the finished sweater fits the intended 18-inch doll correctly. Adjusting needle size as needed to match gauge is advised.

Materials

• Yarn: Red Heart Shimmer in an aran weight, using two colors: 1 ball of color 1715 Hot Pink (Color A) and 1 ball of color 1010 Snow (Color B). The Shimmer yarn adds a subtle sparkle to the finished fabric, giving the doll sweater an extra-special, eye-