Babies Everywhere

I like to make gifts for people, but I never know quite what to make. If I make a bib, it’s cute, but is it functional? If I make “no-scratch” mitts, they’re functional, but will they be used? What age should I target with gifts? Newborn or six months or nine months or a year? I try not to worry over it too much, but I want to give gifts that are meaningful and purposeful!

Three couples at our church are expecting or have newborns, and I have some cousins who are expecting a baby very soon. Three boys and one girl total. So far I’ve made six little baby wash cloths, three bibs and a pair of mitts. I want to also do some stuffed toys with jingly bells inside, and I’m going to do a car-seat-size blanket for at least my cousin’s baby.

That’s all if my hands can take it. Today my right thumb went completely numb! Both hands are cramping a little, but that’s probably not just from crocheting. I’m trying to learn guitar! So far I can play the first four or so measures of Midnight Rider by the Allman Brothers. I’m incredibly impressed with myself. The ends of the fingers on my left hand HURT. I’m told it’s “worth it.” I sure hope so! I’ll try to stick it out all summer and see if I can get somewhere.

Here are some pictures from recent work. The wash cloths and bibs aren’t from a pattern. I just made them up. If anyone wants a pattern, I can figure it out and type it up. Each bib has a different pattern, although they’re all about the same size. The girl wash cloths are more square than the boy wash cloths. The bibs will have buttons, but I haven’t made/added them yet!

The mitts are not from my own pattern. That pattern is HERE. The mitts pattern is great and easy to understand. I’m also working on THESE socks.

 

CLOTHS

 

 

 

MITTS

 

BIBS

Newest Project

This only took a couple of days, maybe three or four hours total, working while watching TV.

It’s a scarf of joined flowers that I made for my cohort adviser as part of a gift from our cohort before our graduation.

I’m now officially done with my master’s degree! I’m thrilled about that!

I didn’t like this flower, so I made it be a hat for my cat.

Tons of different flowers!

I didn’t think to get a picture of the final product all stretched out. Here it is after I tied it up with a bow! All of the flowers are just crocheted in the round.

Yo gabba gabba crochet

For our friends’ daughters. I think they liked them!

More latest crochet

A pillow for my husband. Soft, soft bamboo yarn. He picked it out! I just need to make the inside pillow part now.

I made a baby blanket and a scarf in the same colors and pattern for our friends’ toddler son. My sister made a pillow to match. He loves this soft yarn! It’s Caron Simply Soft (ocean and heather I think).

I’m working on Vader’s lightsaber for our friend who is the father of the baby I made the above blanket for. The Yoda saber was for his close friend; their birthdays are in the same week!

Yo Gabba Gabba Crochet

I’m making these for some adorable little girls who happen to like Yo Gabba Gabba. My sister is going to help me finish the details and felt the faces when I’m done with the bodies.

Yoda’s light saber

Close to full size.

I made the pattern up in my head.

Tardis

I crocheted this crooked, fat Tardis. It may not be the best ever, but it’s cute and it was hard work. To find the pattern search for TARDIS_pixelatedmushroom.pdf. I can’t link it from my phone!

1-Up!

I made these for my husband for his birthday this week. Pattern from inside my head.

Confession: Instead of singing in the shower sometimes I make up crochet patterns.

Mini 1-Up Key Chain

Small 1-Up, Car Charm

Crocheting for Cats

Sometimes I make my cats little toys with scrap yarn, or in this case a scrap piece of a baby toy ring that turned out too tight to work with. I stuffed it with some bells inside and sewed it closed on the ends, added some string tassels and a long braid to hold when I jerk it around to make them chase it.

Both of our boys like it. Our older male cat is 6 and very particular about playing… he doesn’t want to let on that he really likes to play! But we caught him playing with it this morning when he thought no one was watching. The ‘baby’ is about three now, and he loves it. He bats it all around. I’ll have to video him sometime… with toys on a string like that, I can get him to do back flips.

This is Liam, the youngest cat. If you ever want Liam to do something, you tell him, “Liam, do NOT do that!”

He’s wearing a collar… he doesn’t like collars. As soon as we put it on, he wanted it off and started trying to get it off. So, I told him, “Liam, take that collar off! I do NOT want you to wear that collar! Take it off now!” He never messed with it again.

He acted like he was embarrassed if I caught him playing with his toy, kind of like the older cat Eli does, so I threw it across the room and said, “Liam.. do NOT play with that toy.” He trotted right over and picked it up. He is ROTTEN!

Amigurumi Crazy!

So, here’s my big, geeky confession… I’m the Facilitator (like an acting President, kind of) of a local Star Wars fan club.

I crocheted Yoda! I used this pattern: http://www.happytogethercreates.com/2010/04/little-yoda-crochet-tutorial.html

Here he is! He makes me want to go “Awwww!”

I also decided to make these little chicks, which turned out not to be super little and also don’t look super great (to me), but they’re kinda cute. My favorite part is their cute little tails!

They definitely need some hair on top. I think it will make them much cuter! My sister suggested it. She’s a good craftiness consultant.

Here’s that pattern (mine aren’t as cute!): http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/birds-of-a-feather/

Then I made some baby toy loops for a friend. They are sort of like these, but not quite the same.

Pattern: http://herbsthandmade.blogspot.com/2009/01/crochet-tutorial-loop.html

Here are mine:

They have jingle bells inside!

In other news, I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Mathematics on Saturday! Now I have two months free before starting my Master of Arts in Teaching program. I see crocheting in my future. 😉

Future goals: More Star Wars characters, a graduation gift for my sister (who just finished her MAT, the degree I’m about to start), something game-y for my husband for his birthday, maybe some baby booties to keep around for whenever I need some (just plain white ones probably).

RE: Baby booties — My great grandmother did that, kept a supply of booties for whenever a new great grandbaby or great-great grandbaby was born. She’d mail them all around the country when another baby joined the family. I have a bag of her booties that I’m saving for when my sister and I have children. Hers are adorable too… I don’t think she had patterns for them. I saw her making them and blankets and doilies, etc. I don’t recall her using patterns often. She was in her early 90s. I think she’d been crocheting so long she just knew what to do in her head. One day maybe I’ll get there!!! (90 and crocheting from my head)