In this tutorial, I show you the most secure way to add braids to a crochet Gracie Doll. Now you will have more hair style options for your crocheted dolls.
Shortly after the Gracie Doll pattern released back in 2020, I shared a post on Instagram showing a Gracie doll I had made. She had braids instead of space buns, like in the original design, and almost immediately I started getting asked how I did it.
I released a quick video and shared it to my feed, but as you can imagine it got lost pretty quickly. I wanted to officially write up the tutorial, complete with a full step by step video, and give it a permeant home here on my blog so it didn’t get lost and you can refer to it whenever you need a refresher!
If you’ve never made a Gracie Doll before, here is a link to the original free pattern.
If you’re more of a printed pattern gal, like myself, here is a link to the paid ad-free PDF download in my shop.
Here is what you will need to add braids to a crochet Gracie Doll.
- Gracie Doll, crocheted through assembly
- Hair color yarn of your choice
- Crochet hook (size may vary)
- Scissors
If you’re more of a visual gal, you might find the video tutorial more helpful.
Step one: Once you get your Gracie Doll created and assembled, you can attach the hair strands while she’s still inside out.
Step two: Cut strips of yarn double the length you want the braid to be. Mine were around 24-30″ long, and I used 10 strands total.
Step three: Fold one of your hair strands in half, creating a loop. Insert your hook into the first “hair” SC you created during assembly. Grab the loop from the strand and pull through the stitch. Grab the other side of the strand and pull through the loop creating a Larks Head knot.
Go back into the same stitch and add a second strand of yarn.
Step four: Continue attaching 2 strands of hair yarn in your hair assembly stitches until your hair is as thick as you’d like. I did 5 stitches on each side of my doll’s head.
Pro tip: If you did 6 stitches, each braid will have 12 strands of hair making it easier to split into 3 sections.
Step five: Once you have both sides attached it’s time to pull each strand cluster into the doll so it pops out on the “right side” of the head.
Insert your crochet hook right up next to the first stitch you attached hair, as close you can get, grab the first hair strand (it looks like two but it’s really one piece of yarn) and pull it into the inside of your doll head. (Remember she’s not flipped right side out yet.
Be careful not to split your yarn during this step, it’s easy to do.
Step six: Continue pulling in each strand of yarn one at a time until all of them are poking out on the right side of your doll head.
Step seven: Flip your doll right side out and braid her hair. I like to secure mine with baby rubber bands but you can also use yarn.
That’s all there is to it! Now you can add braids to a crochet Gracie Doll and create new looks to offer in your shops. You could even make one thick braid, instead of 2 thin ones, and go for “ice princess” vibes, if you catch my drift.
Thank you so much for spending time on my blog today. It truly means the world to my family and I. I hope you found this tutorial easy to follow and are excited to add braids to your crochet Gracie Dolls. If you post any pics I’d love to see! Tag me @acraftyconcept across platforms if you’d like to show me!
Happy Crocheting
🩷 Ashley.