Baby Cocoon and Hat Gift Set

I just finished up this adorable little cocoon and hat set for a family member.  I used several different Yarn Bee yarns and I really like how the stripes turned out.  I used the butterfly baby wrap pattern (ravelry link) again and it looks totally different than the one I made for Little Man.  The dark licorice colored yarn was held double and the turquoise yarn was one strand.  I think the little hat turned out cute, but manly and that was exactly what I was going for.  Knitting for babies is so quick and so cute!

New Baby Set Design

I am still in the mood to make baby things, I think it’s a combination of instant gratification and the cuteness factor. This is the Diva set, with ribbon tied peep toe shoes and a ribbon embellished hat.

I would love to have some opinions about the hats: I have edged the yellow one with eggplant and the other one is plain, which one do you like better and which hat looks better with these shoes. I was also wondering if you think that sets like this are a good thing to sell.

I’m not 100% on the ribbon (it’s a color thing), I made the set and then tried to find ribbon. I now have some super cute ribbon and I got yarn to coordinate and I’m much happier with how it’s going to look. I have ideas for three more sets, the one I’m working on now is called Skater, I hope to have it worked out soon so I can share pictures.

More Baby Accessories

Well, still no baby, and I have to admit that I’m getting a little impatient for the arrival. I washed up all the little baby things this weekend, found my Boppy pillow and the car seat. Everything was looking a bit tired and well worn and I decided that maybe it was time to freshen things up a bit. Foolishly I had thought that I didn’t have time for these projects, but really I seem to have plenty of time.

I started with the car seat, it is still in great condition, but the boring liner is really kind of ratty (and ugly, so ugly there will be no picture). After carrying two other babies the cover is a little worse for wear. I traced the cover onto brown paper bags. It was a little awkward, but manageable. My cover is four separate pieces, a center piece, two sides pieces, and a back sleeve piece that slips over the back of the seat, there are also four elastic loops that hold the pad in place.I used a yard of pre-quilted fabric, I just fell in love with this batik pattern. It seemed a little pricey (it was on sale for $13.99, normally $19’99), but there was no way I was going to quilt my own fabric, and really once you buy 2 yards of fabric for the front and back and the batting you’ve spent about that much and you still have to quilt it! I cut and sewed the pieces together and tried it on the car seat. I was able to make some small adjustments and get the elastic placement perfect. The only thing left was to add the binding all around and it was finished, it really improved the look of the seat.Next I decided to make a cover for the seat to keep the sun and drafts out. I used this tutorial from Vanilla Joy. I did change the straps a little, I just made tubes and I used a decorative stitch to edge stitch the finished cover. This would make a great baby gift, it’s really a great way to customize a blah baby carrier.I also decided to make a matching Boppy pillow cover using another tutorial from Vanilla Joy. The cover turned out great, I have another pattern that I’ve made covers with and this one is much better. It didn’t give a yardage needed and unfortunately 1 yard wasn’t enough to do the entire cover, but I like the pop of orange on the back. The zipper makes it so easy to get on and off, my other pattern used an overlap and it was quite a wrestling match to get the pillow in and out of the cover. I used 1/2” seams to get a slightly snugger fit and I also had to get by with a 22” zipper, which did work out, but barely.

I have a few other projects in mind, since everything is so matchy-matchy, you’ll notice that some of these fabrics were also used in the swaddling blankets. Maybe some burp cloths or a diaper clutch or a few more Boppy covers and I still need to make some nursing tops.

[Edited to add: When altering any form of safety device (in this case a childs car seat), please be sure to consult the owner's manual and research proper techniques and/or materials for the project.]

Swaddling

I know how much babies like to be swaddled and it seems like there are a ton of specialty blankets to make it easier.  They do make it easier, but they are kind of pricey and they fall into the category of not being used long enough to justify the price, for me anyway.  I also know that I can use a regular blanket, gasp, I know!  But now I don’t have to use a plain old receiving blanket, I can use my custom made swaddling blankets.  I found this wonderful tutorial on PrudentBaby for making a stylish and inexpensive swaddling blankets.  I was also excited to find out that Joann Fabrics has flannel on sale right now for $1.49 a yard!  I made up four, two for me to try out and two to put away for gifts, it seems like I always need a last minute baby gift.  They went together really fast, I did all of them in a day, the first one took the longest and since they are all very different I felt like I spent a lot of time winding bobbins with different colors of thread and rethreading my machine, I did use up the ends of three odd colors I had laying around, bonus.  I don’t have a serger (I don’t have the space to keep one) and I didn’t want to turn and stitch down the edges of the large triangle piece, so I used my over-lock stitch, it makes three straight stitches and then a zigzag, it’s probably the stitch I use the most next to the straight stitch.  It finished the edges nicely and gives them a scalloped look.

I really like how they came out and I love that I don’t have to have pastel blankets, now I need some matching hats!  I definitely need some orange yarn, I guess I need to make a craft store run, again.

Procrastination Knitting

I have seen the signs and it seems that I may be knitting to avoid my other crafty pursuits.  I have several projects waiting to be started and finished, including some new supplies that I just bought yesterday.  These are projects that I really want to do, but yet I am putting them off to knit.

What I have accomplished is this: two hats and matching booties for a relatives new baby,a smaller hat to go will the little button loafers, and I am half way finished with a manly yet luxurious (silk and bamboo yarn) scarf for my father in law as a belated holiday gift.I’m going to assume that my sinus cold/infection is causing me to be a bit lazy with my crafting, at least I am knitting while I veg out and watch TV!  I’m sure once I finish up that scarf I’ll be back working on my other projects, I’m feeling better already.

In other news it’s been a great week so far, I’ve sold my first instant cemetery of the year and my home made watercolor tutorial made the Best of Craftster 2009, I imagine it will only get better!

And Now A Little Girly Set: In Progress

Yes, I bought another new knitting pattern, I am justifying it by saying that it is multi-sized and I can make one for every girl I know, if I want to.  Really, I have been admiring it for a while and I just really needed a super cute little girl hat to knit for baby gifts.  The Bow-licious Babe hat from Connie Haney was just too cute to resist.

The bow just makes this pattern, which is simple, but adorable.  The pattern is easy to understand and uses basic knitting skills and easily found yarn, all pluses.  It is also sized for newborns to adults making it super easy to make one for every female you know.  The only thing that I did differently was picking up the bound on edge and knitting it together with the hat (like in the little skater hat pattern) so I would not have to sew it up later.  The really awesome thing about this hat is that the bow is removable, just think of all the possibilities:  a bow in every color, ribbon bows, hair clips or giant flowers all can be easily attached where the bow goes!

Also pictured is bootie number one from the Saartje’s Bootees pattern (pattern link on right side bar).  This bootie pattern it a bit more advanced, but do-able by most knitters.  It work up quickly using all garter stitch and I think it is a great compliment to the Bow-licious hat.

Here are my two sets.  I really think that skater hat is just to big for the booties.  I think I will make a masculine version of the bow-licious hat, I think it’s size is perfect for a newborn.  The skater hat will be grown into later.

I am really enjoying knitting little baby things, I’m even thinking about making a little sweater.  I guess it’s time to go a make bootie number two, have a great weekend.

Skater Baby Hat and Booties

Last week I was in the mood to make little baby things, the advantage is that they work up really fast.  I used the Skater Baby Hat pattern from Emily at CoffeeBra.  Make sure you look around her blog a bit there are also special instructions how to make and insert the bill.  I think this hat turned out sooooo cute, although it seems like it might be a bit big for a newborn, but oh well he’ll grow into it.

I also made a pair of Little Button Loafers to match, they are so tiny, I may need to make the next size up to make sure I have a pair that will fit. 

Now I’m on the hunt for a cute coordinating fabric to make a tie appliqué for a little shirt.  I will be making a few more hat styles out of the left over yarn (it’s I love this cotton from Hobby Lobby in old leaf, burnt sienna, and white), I don’t think you can ever have enough little baby hats.

The Cutest Crochet Pattern Ever!

The Pattern is Little Button Loafers from Sylver Designs on etsy.  I don’t know what it is about this pattern that makes it so cute, maybe it’s the tiny size or the color possibilities, but it is just adorable.

I still need some little red buttons, but we have be hit by a large snow storm and I’m not leaving the house until the roads get a little better (hopefully tomorrow).  They work up pretty fast, I had some trouble working the pattern, but it was all my fault.  I am not a crochet expert and I was trying to keep my kids entertained and count stitches at the same time, it just didn’t work. 

The pattern is well written and there are several pictures to help you along.  There are four different sizes to make from newborn to 9 months and I’m sure you could make them even bigger by adjusting gauge.  I like that the heel of the bootie is contoured, I think that they will stay on better.  The pattern is for personal use, but there is a cottage license available from the seller if you would like to make booties to sell, which I am considering.

They are even adorable without their button on tab, wouldn’t a little red bow or ladybug button just finish these off.  I will be making a ton of these for gifts, now I just need to find the perfect hat pattern to match.

Diaper Cake

I know the diaper cake has been done to death, but when people invite me to a baby shower this is usually what I end up making. They are just so cute and practical too!
This is my super deluxe version, there is a lot of stuff packed into this one...56 diapers, 2 receiving blankets, a hooded bath towel, 3 bibs, 1 burp cloth, 6 pairs of socks, 8 washcloths, lavender lotion and bath, 2 mini baby powders, 2 car seat dangling stuffies, 2 hats, key teether, a comb and brush, and a nail grooming kit. This is the third cake that I've made and it is by far the best. I followed the instructions on this youtube video for anyone who would like to make one of their own.