Knit Outerwear Vests for Barbie-Down or Faux Fur Styles

Well folks, it looks like winter will be here for a while longer, so let's get comfy... These Knit Barbie Outerwear Vests whip up in no time and I've made a "down" version with worsted weight yarn (the garter stitch kinda reminds me of a puffy Lands End vest) and a "faux fur" (faux wool?) one with crazy yarn from the $1 bin at AC Moore. This is another project a girl can most likely make for herself. They are simply constructed from a square for the back and a long rectangle that wraps around the doll's neck-creating a collar and the front panels, then gets sewn to the sides, leaving a hole for each arm.

Now, I will say this crazy fuzzy yarn can be a bit challenging to work with. I prefer knitting with it because it's a little easier to see the stitches when they're on the needles. If I was more comfortable crocheting with it I'd love to try one of my Bear Skin Rugs:@)

And here's an updated version using the fun fuzzy sparkle yarn from Dollar Tree:

I love this project for a few reasons:

1. They are cute and fashionable and I think they'd appeal to most girls.
2. Mattel doesn't mass market a lot of outerwear for Barbie.
3. Different yarns will give you different looks.
4. It's a perfect little project to help teach your girl to learn to knit.
5. And you can quickly whip a few up if you're looking for a little extra gift for the holidays. An experienced knitter can probably get one done in about an hour or so. And as you'll see below... The schematic was designed for real people, maybe make one for your girl ~and~ a matching one for her doll.
6. I'm sure if you prefer to crochet you can figure out how to make one by looking at the schematic below, I haven't tried it yet. Or I have a crochet pattern for a poncho here.

The best part about this vest is, the pattern was designed for real women! So if you'll stop by Laylock you can see the beautiful vest she made and get all her tips and instructions. I sincerely thank her for this great schematic that makes this pattern as easy as pie:@)

Knit Outerwear Barbie Vest-Faux Down or Faux Fur-adapted from Coze: Easy Knit Vest Pattern

10MM needles, worsted weight or fuzzy yarn, all garter stitch.

Back: cast on 10, knit stitch until it reaches just under where Barbie's shoulder meets her arm. Approx 14 rows. Bind off.

Sides: cast on 7, knit stitch until it reaches from the bottom of the back, wraps around the back of her neck, and down the other side to the bottom of the back. (Wrap it around her neck like a scarf.) Bind off.

Finish: Sew sides to the back (up approx 1" from bottom of vest) leaving an opening big enough for an arm on each side. Then center the collar and sew it to the back all the way across the top of the square.

Note: If you use a thinner yarn you'll be able to fold the collar down like Laylock did, this thick/fuzzy yarn is too bulky for that.

Click here for my Barbie Pinterest Board to view all of my Barbie crafts at a glance.

Make something just for fun and have a happy day:@)