Coke Zero Bottle Tanzanian Doll

Trying out some different ideas based off an idea for jewelry where you crochet around rings.  When attempting this I looked around the room here in Tanzania to see what I had I could use for rings.  The security ring around the bottle neck of a Coke Zero (you know the one left after you twist your cap off).  So I had done a couple pieces of jewelry (future blogs) and thought why not start a doll dress and keep it in size with the bottle the ring came from so it could be attached back onto the bottle.  Before I get into the making of this a picture of the final product-be warned I am horrible at faces for dolls and bears.

This is already mounted back onto the bottle.  The ring with the crochet dress will only snap onto the first part of the threads not all the way back to where it used to be but that is good for the doll's head to fit on.

So I start with a security ring from a water bottle or soda.

Make a slip knot to start with and then crochet double crochets around the ring. (note you can do single just treat the ring like it is the space you insert your needle to draw the loop through the previous stitch there just is no previous stitch just the ring)

You want to fill the ring with crochet stitches so that the ring is no longer visible.

After you fill the ring, slip stitch with the first double crochet on the ring to close the circle then chain 3 for the height of your next row (if you do something over than double adjust for the correct height).  Then double crochet in a round as normal.  Note you may need to occasionally decrease stitch to keep it from becoming too wide.  On my specific pattern I did this on the dark colors because they hid it better and never on the first or the last round of a color as you can get an odd look on the color switch over.

The patter I chose to do for the doll dress was a Tanzania Flag pattern since that is where I am at.  Their color pattern is large green triangle, small yellow band, medium black band, small yellow band and large blue triangle.  For the dress I did 7 rounds of double crochet (including the original around the ring-if you do a single crochet you may want to not count that one as it will not be the same size).  2 rounds of yellow double crochet, 5 rounds of black double crochet, 2 rounds of yellow double crochet and then 7 rounds of blue double crochet.

Then the dolls head-you can do these in any patter of doll's head you want.  I did a simple head as follows:

Chain 4

slip stitch into beginning of chain. then chain 1 for height

1st round-2 each single crochets in each of the four chains

2nd round -2 each single crochets in each of the 8 single crochets

3rd round-1 single crochet in the previous round single crochet, then 2 single crochets in next single crochet of previous round-repeat for round

4th round-1 sc, 1 sc then 2 sc in the first three stitches repeat for the round

5th-7th round-1 sc all the way around (no increase)

8th round-4 each sc then a decrease stitch repeating all the way around.

At this point I stuff the head.  Since I don't have any stuffing available here and the key is to make these like they will here when I get the pattern the way I want it, I used really thing shopping bags or the plastic wrap around the toilet tissue paper.  

Now continue to decrease stitches quickly to get it to close up.  Then tie it off.  I cut a long tail on the finishing string so I can use it to center the head into the ring of the dress.

I chose to use the dress green to sew the head on to the ring but since I technically stitch from the inside of the dress (the dress is turned inside out  in pictures) it should not show but I wanted to be safe.  I stitch into the string on the back side of the ring.

The mount onto the empty bottle the ring came off of and it will stand on its own.  I want give you face or hair directions since my work here is never really that great.  

I plan to do a USA flag later using some of the white very small beads I have found to do the stars.  Will show you that one when I do it.  Will also do a different head and use single crochet.

If you don't want to do one this big it works smaller as well just go ahead an let the dress flare out as you do rounds (no decrease stitch to keep it tight)

Same basics as above just 2 rounds of green, 1 each yellow, black and yellow, then 2 round of blue.  This one decorates the top of a my plastic container I keep electronics cables in.

Hope you enjoyed