Bella the Ballerina

Bella the Ballerina Knitted Doll

What is Being Made

Bella the Ballerina is a beginner-friendly knitted doll designed by Andrew Lucas, standing approximately 23 centimeters tall. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a charming toy doll with a ballerina theme, suitable for crafters new to doll construction and shaping techniques.

Craft and Primary Technique

This project uses knitting as the sole construction method. The doll is created by knitting flat pieces on straight needles, then assembling and stuffing them to form a three-dimensional toy. The pattern demonstrates fundamental knitting skills including casting on, increasing and decreasing stitches for shaping, and binding off techniques.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Stocking stitch (st st) – The primary stitch used throughout most of the doll, created by alternating knit rows and purl rows to produce a smooth, flat fabric with a distinctive V-pattern texture on the right side
• Garter stitch (gs) – A textured stitch created by knitting every row, used selectively in the pattern
• Increases (inc) – Multiple increase techniques including knitting into the back of the loop between two stitches (m1) and increasing in every stitch to create shaping for the doll's body and head
• Decreases (dec) – Knit two stitches together (K2 tog) to reduce stitch count and shape the shoulders and other areas
• Bind and tie (B and T) – A finishing technique where yarn ends are threaded on a tapestry needle and passed through live stitches, then drawn up and tied off to close openings
• Slip stitch (sl) – Used for joining and finishing details

Materials Required

The pattern calls for 3.25mm knitting needles and double knitting weight yarn in multiple colors: pink (for the body base), light pink, lemon, beige (for the torso section), and black (for details such as eyes and features). Additionally, a small amount of polyester stuffing is needed to fill the completed doll and give it dimension and structure.

Pattern Structure

The pattern is organized by body sections, beginning with the body which is cast on with 25 stitches in pink wool. The first row involves increasing in every stitch to reach 50 stitches, establishing the width needed for the doll's form. Stocking stitch is then worked for 10 rows in pink, followed by a color change to beige wool for an additional 11 rows, creating the torso section. The shoulders are shaped by knitting two stitches together across the row to decrease back to 25 stitches. The head section begins with strategic increases to expand the stitch count to 37 stitches, then continues in stocking stitch for 17 rows to create the rounded head shape characteristic of a doll.