Crocheted Doll Hammock

I wanted to make a dolly hammock for my daughter, and I had the book Toymaking with Children, but I couldn't figure out the pattern, so I came up with my own. This is the first pattern that I created that I actually wrote down, and I am thrilled to be able to share it. You are welcome to use it, but please do not sell this pattern. Thank you.

If you'd rather buy it than make it, please visit my etsy store :)

One note: please bear in mind that English is not my first language. I tried my best to be very clear in the description of the pattern and added a lot of pictures to avoid misunderstanding. All you patterns writers/readers out there, you are more than welcome to help me correct the wording of this one.

Hammock is worked in Lovers' Knot stitch. Instructions here

So, here we go:

I used a 5.5 mm crochet needle and a worsted weight cotton yarn. The loops between the knots were 3/4 inches long (or 1 inch from the middle of one knot to the middle of the next knot). The resulting hammock measures 12 x 30 inches without the handles, which accommodates a lot of little dolly friends, but is probably a bit too long if you are making it for just one dolly. To downsize it, make the first row with less knots,/but be sure to make an uneven number of knots - I'd say about 21 knots for a 12-16 doll/, or use crochet thread with a smaller needle, or make the loops shorter /the hammock will have a closer wave/.


Row 1: make 31 knots, chain 3, turn








Row 2: make 1 knot, single crochet into 1st knot from needle [make 2 knots, skip 1 knot, single crochet into next knot] until end of row, make 2 knots, single crochet into beginning of 1st loop, chain 3, turn





Row 3-23: make 1 knot, single crochet into next knot [make 2 knots,skip 1 knot, single crochet into next knot] until end of row, make 2 knots, single crochet into 3rd stitch of chain, chain 3, turn






Row 24: working on the shorter side of piece, single crochet into every stich (47 stiches), chain 1, turn
Row 25: double crochet into 1st stitch, [chain 1, skip one stitch, double crochet into next stitch] till end of row







Row 26: working on the longer side of piece chain 1, slip stitch into next single crochet, chain 2, single crochet into next knot [chain 5, skip 1 knot, single crochet into next knot] till end of row, chain 5, single crochet into next chain stitch, chain 1





Row 27: working on the short side of piece, single crochet into every stitch (46 stitches), chain 3, turn
Row 28: skip next stitch, [double crochet into next stitch, chain one] till end of row
Row 29: chain 108 stitches (or less or more, according to how long you want the hanging loops to be), single crochet into other corner of short side






Row 30: slip stitch to single crochet underneath, working on the long side of piece chain 3, single crochet into next knot [chain 5, skip next knot, single crochet into next knot] across, lip stitch to end of row
Row 31: chain 108, attach chain to other corner of short side of work and

Voila!




Your doll hammock!

Cut yarn, work in ends. Now you just need two pieces of dowel or thin branches from a tree that you peel, sand and finish with beeswax, thread it through the chain created by the double crochet stitches on the two short end, secure the ends - you can do this by carving a small groove 1/2 inch from the ends of the dowels and wrapping yarn in it and then sawing the ends of that yarn to the hammock. Hang it from two chairs, tree branches, put dolly in it, rock and hum a lullaby.