Doll's coathanger and crochet cover

by Jenness Fulton January 18, 2019

Introduction

This week I had intended to share just one pattern - one that featured the textured waves. However, since the pattern is for a doll's coathanger cover, and I have designed 2 different covers (only one of which uses textured waves), I'm adding both patterns to this blog post.

I can't remember exactly when I started designing dolls. However, I do remember that once I had designed them I started thinking about making clothes for them. Inevitably there were several different clothing designs which lead to thinking about making some coathangers for the extra clothes to hang on. The coathangers are fairly basic and made from pipe cleaners. Adding a crochet cover is optional but I quite like to do it because it disguises the pipe cleaner and reminds me of the crochet covers my grandmothers used to knit and crochet (though my designs are different to theirs and not just because I'm making them on a smaller scale).

Notions

2.25 mm crochet hook

Plastic tubing (4 mm diameter) to cover coat hanger (optional, but recommended to prevent the ends of the pipe cleaners from piercing your crochet cover). The tubing is the same sort used to cover the ends of full-sized coathangers.

30 cm long pipe cleaner (chenille stick/stem), preferably in a colour that is similar to or lighter in colour than your yarn

Measuring tape or ruler

Baby weight yarn in main colour or a combination of colours

Yarn needle

Scissors

Size and gauge

Gauge is not important. Finished coat hanger without cover was 12 cm long

Difficulty Level

Easy

Instructions

Making the coat hanger

Step 1 With your tape measure to guide you, measure 7 cm from one end and make a bend at that point as shown in the photo below:

Step 2: At the tip of the shorter part bend the pipe cleaner up to give a 1 cm bend

Step 3: Measuring from where the now 6 cm length joins to the longer part measure 6 cm and bend in towards the 1 cm part and then make another bend where the 6 cm lengths meet up so that the remainder of the pipe cleaner points up in the same direction as the 1 cm portion

Step 4: Twist the 1 cm portion with the remainder of the pipe cleaner and twist the remainder to form the hook

Step 5: Cut a small piece of plastic cover the length of the ‘hook’ of your coat hanger and insert the hook in so that it covers the join you made from twisting the 1 cm end together.

You can change the shape of the coathanger at this point if you like. The coathanger covers below are worked in rows but they will bend a little to fit the shape of your coathanger.

Coathanger cover patterns

Please note that if you want you can cover the coathanger in fabric first like you would with a full sized wooden coathanger. However, you would then need to adjust the cover pattern to fit the new size by adding more chains and rows. If you choose to do this then I would suggest only trying to adjust the first coathanger cover pattern as it is much simpler to do (more calculations are involved in the length required for the textured waves coathanger cover pattern to work in a longer length).

Crochet Abbreviations

US terminology used
BLO Back loop only
Ch Chain
FLO Front loop only
Hdc Half double crochet
Rnd(s) Round(s)
Sc Single crochet
Sc2tog Single crochet two together
Sk Skip
Sl st Slip stitch
St/st's Stitch/stitches
** Repeat instructions between asterisks the number of times specified
[] Repeat instructions between parenthesis the number of times specified

Important notes

The turning ch at the start or end of a row does not count as a stitch.

Coathanger cover #1 (Suzette stitch)

With your chosen colour ch 30

Row 1 Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, ch 1 and turn. (29)

Rows 2-3 *(Sc, dc) in the same st, sk 1 st*. Repeat from * to * 14 times, sc in the last st, ch 1 and turn. (29)

Row 4 Working in FLO, *(sc, dc) in the same st, sk 1 st*. Repeat from * to * 14 times, sc in the last st, ch 1 and turn. (29)

Row 5 *(Sc, dc) in the same st, sk 1 st*. Repeat from * to * 14 times, sc in the last st, ch 1 and turn. (29)

The above left photo shows the wrong side of the cover. The above right photo shows the right side of the cover.

Row 6 Sc in each st across, ch 1 and turn. (29)

Row 7 Fold your work in half so that the unworked loops from row 3 are on the outside. Sl st the first 14 sts of rows 1 and 5 together, insert your coat hanger then sk the next st and sl st the remaining 14 sts together.

Then turn your work slightly and sl st the sides of the rows together and sl st along the bottom in the unworked sl sts from row 3 then up the other side of the rows. Join to the first st with a sl st. Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Coat hanger cover 2 (textured waves)

Please note that you will need to keep your slip stitches loose or it will be tricky to work into the next row. I worked this in just one colour originally but have photographed the 2 colour version so you can see the rows a little. Rows 1-2 were done using purple, rows 3-4 were pink and rows 5-6 purple again. I also changed colour when slip stitching the sides of the rows together in round 7 to match the colours where necessary.

With yarn in your chosen colour ch 31

Row 1 Sc in the 2nd ch from hook and each st across, ch 1 and turn. (30)

Row 2 Working in BLO, *hdc in the first 5 sts, sl st in the next 5 sts* 3 times, ch 1 and turn. (15 hdc, 15 sl st)

Row 3 Working in FLO, *hdc in the first 5 sts, sl st in the next 5 sts* 3 times, ch 1 and turn. (15 hdc, 15 sl st)

Row 4 Working in BLO, *hdc in the first 5 sts, sl st in the next 5 sts* 3 times, ch 1 and turn. (15 hdc, 15 sl st)

Row 5 Working in FLO, *hdc in the first 5 sts, sl st in the next 5 sts* 3 times, ch 1 and turn. (15 hdc, 15 sl st)

Row 6 Sc in each st across, ch 1 and turn.

Photos above left: wrong side of work. Above right: right side of work

Rnd 7 Fold your work in half so that the unworked loops are on the outside. Sl st the first 15 sts of rows 1 and 5 together, insert your coat hanger then sl st the remaining 15 sts together (like you did with the first then turn your work slightly and sl st the sides of the rows together and sl st along the bottom in the unworked sl sts from row 3 then up the other side of the rows. Join to the first st with a sl st. Fasten off and weave in your ends.

Copyright Information

This is a FREE pattern, and by using it, you’re agreeing to the following legally-protected conditions.
You’re welcome to sell what you make with it; for online listings, please link back to my Ravelry page: http://www.ravelry.com/people/NessiesNotions

Here are the “do nots”:
Do not resell the pattern, either altered or in its original form.
●          Do not copy and paste the pattern onto your own Blog, in a Facebook group, or anywhere else. Simply link to my Ravelry page instead. Anything beyond this is copyright theft, regardless of what your pattern-sharing buddies tell you. You are welcome to copy/paste it into a document for printing, for personal use only.
●          Do not pull any of my photos or photos from this pattern to promote yourself or your crochet business on your own Blog, Facebook page, or anywhere else without my permission
●          Do not post a translation of the pattern anywhere – this is copyright theft.
●          If any translators would like to help with translations then please contact me.

Pattern by
Jenness Fulton of Nessie’s Notions