Floppy necked doll

[cklync]

i recently crocheted a doll that was all one piece from head to toe.  the neck is too long and will not support the head at all.  can i cut the neck in the middle and unravel from both sides to make the neck shorter and then attach the two pieces back together?

[SlowCrocheter]

Just undid the last place you closed it at and add more stuffing in the neck.

[Granny Square]

Oh, no--poor dolly!

 

Crochet rips out easily one way (in the direction from the last stitch made to earlier stitches), but not very easily the other.  

 

When you rip out the other way, you have to pick the yarn very tediously thru each stitch.  Not impossible, just a a bit of a pain - but you don't have that many stitches.  And, in that direction the top of the stitches will be loops (like knitting), not like the tops of crochet stitches.  When you make the cut, you'd want tidy up each side to sew together the 2 sides, so you will have some picking to do; and I wanted to prepare you for what it would look like.

 

She'd have a visible seam in her neck.  Maybe you could make a "choker" necklace to cover it up,

[Granny Square]

Slow Crocheter and I posted at the same time, and she gave me another idea.  I was going to suggest originally if it wasn't for a child, to put pipe cleaners or wire in the neck, but decided against it as you never know if a little child might get hold of the doll at one point.

 

I'm not sure if more stuffing would be stiff enough without making her look odd, but a piece of plastic canvas rolled and stitched into a tube might work, and presumably would be safer.  And easier than dealing with 'surgery'.

[#1Crochetfan]

Sometimes even if you add a good deal of stuffing it will still be floppy but adding more stuffing may help considerably. A sewing spool could add support or a cardboard roll like that from a plastic wrap or aluminum foil container. You can cut it to a smaller size and they are very strong, much stronger than a towel roll or a toilet paper roll. A lollipop stick that can be found in a craft store or a food store can be used and you sew by hand, around it, batting.

[Real Deal]

I'm always aware of making neck stitches very firm, and doing the stuffing quite tight. Once, when it came out too loose, I made a choker type necklace and sewed it on tightly. That helped a lot and was actually cute.

[Coffeywoman]

I know I'm probably too late to help. One thing I've done with a problem like this is to "sew" the neck down or smaller. Use the same yarn as the body and try to create a fold in the fabric so it doubles over on itself and sew it together. I've always been able to make the change virtually invisible by blending my whip stitches with the crochet stitches. It also makes the material thicker and sturdier.

[Ellie 13]

Coffeywoman has a good idea, the plastic canvas with stuffing around it sounds like it would work too. If you use a cardboard tube, it wouldn't be washable. I had neck problems with teddy bears/dolls so I started using tightly rolled quilt batting. You stuff the head, use enough batting to fill the neck and go a few inches into the body. Then put stuffing in the body and around the end. I also use rolled batting for arms/legs to make them equal. My mom quilts, so I get the pieces she can't use. You might find some scrap pieces at a sewing/quilt shop, or ask a quilter. I hope this helps for future dolls. Good luck.

Ellie 13