Newborn Stocking Caps x 2

**The Tutorial for this pattern is now up!  Check it out here!**

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Lately my tutorial on crocheted long stocking caps has been getting a lot of interest thanks to Pinterest.  {Thank you Pinterest!}  Which is exciting, but also a little scary.  I was still fairly new to crocheting when I wrote it and it was one of the first things I ever figured out on my own and wrote a tute for. Yikes!!

I've made several newborn versions of these hats recently for my sister's new floral shop, and have made some improvements to my pattern.  Here's a favorite...

Notice anything?  Like there are two of the same hat?  There's a reason for that.  I'm expecting, not one, but TWO bundles of joy!  This has been one of the main reasons for my hiatus from my blog this summer.  We found out the beginning of June that I was pregnant {YAY!}.  However, the end of the month brought a miscarriage scare.  Imagine our relief/shock when the doctor told us that not only was everything fine, but that there were two little ones baking in my belly.

And you can guess by the pink and brown theme of the hats that they are both girls.  My poor husband.  He's about as "male" as you can get, and now he's going to be raising three girls.  As he says, the problem with having girls is that you don't have just one boy to worry about, but ALL of the boys to worry about.

I can't wait to put these little hats on them for some newborn pictures.  But, wait...yes I can...I'm not ready for them to be here yet!!  There's still so much to do.  I'm 28 weeks along and already huge and uncomfortable {note that I'm 5 foot nothing, so there's not much room for these babies}.  You would think that would make me want them here sooner rather than later.  But I have quilts, dresses, car seat covers, and so many other things to make!!  I also have Christmas gifts to make for my two year old.  Then there's the fact that I don't want them here before their little bodies are good and able to function without machines.

So keep watching for a revised tutorial of crocheted long stocking caps, as well as some cute baby photos.

Works in Progress - 5.23

Here goes again!  Many projects started, none completed. :)  I know I'm not alone in this!

I did make some progress on my bear cocoon.  I'm working on the oval that will be then belly.  Then on to the hat!!

Nothing to report on refinishing this children's bench.  I still need to take the metal pieces to my father-in-law to clean them up with the sand blaster.

I haven't done anything else with my Zig Zag Quilt Top either.  I'm debating whether to use quilting cotton or flannel for the back...

I have however, made lots of progress on my bookshelf ladder.

I cut out the shelves...

Primed everything...

And added the first coat of light blue paint to it today.  One more coat and then I can do the final assembly.  Yay!!

Painting today was somewhat frustrating though as I had 2-year-old hands helping and feet walking on my project.  It's what I get for trying to paint with my little one awake!  Lesson learned.

And that one petal of my Retro Flower quilt block from last week has now become a whole flower!  Yay!

And look!  I even got a second one done today!  More frustration though as my sewing machine and I were not getting along.  In 40 minutes I only managed to sew two 3 1/2 inch long seams successfully.  ARGH!  :)  It's okay though.  I'm in the market for a new machine.  Any suggestions?

Newborn Cap and Booties

Just finished a gift for a pregnant friend!  A little birdie told me she wanted a long stocking cap for her baby.  I found a crochet pattern through snappy-tots.com and went to work!  I was good this time and used yarn I already had in my stash.  Gotta love it when I manage that.

I decided to use some Peaches & Cream Twist yarn that had blue, yellow, red, and green in it.  They're not finding out the gender of the baby so I needed something neutral.  I thought the yarn was fun when I saw it in the store and I'm glad I found a good use for it!

The pattern was an easy one to follow, the only thing that could be improved upon is it doesn't specify if your chain 2's at the beginning of each row count as a stitch.  Other than that, it was easy-peesey!

Then I decided I wanted to learn to cable knit.  As I was looking for a simple pattern to try out I came across these cable knit baby booties on Ravelry.  So of course I had to make some to go with the stocking cap!  What else would you expect?!

I have to admit, I cruised until I reached the cable part.  Then it was like, "Huh?  What?  I leave some stitches unworked?  What do I do with them?  Turn before I reach the end of a row, what?"  My true colors as a beginner knitter really showed.  So I looked online for basic instructions on how to knit a cable.  I found some on Knitting for Dummies.  Come to find out it wasn't the cable part that was tripping me up, but the shaping of the bootie.  

So I gave the shaping part a go, managed to do it, but it didn't look so hot.  I unraveled the whole bootie and started over.  I'm glad I did!  That practice run did nothing but help!

All that's left is to sew my tag onto them, then they can be delivered to their new home.  The baby is not due for a few more months so I'm ahead of the game on this one!

(Sorry the pics aren't better.  The weather in my part of the world just hasn't been cooperating this week!)

Tutorial - Crochet Flowers

Several months ago my sister told me about some cute crochet flower and headband sets at Walmart.  You could buy them separately so you could mix and match colors.  After taking a quick look at them I thought, "I can do that."  So here is a tutorial for the flower portion!  I’d like to do the headband portion as well, but I can’t find them in Walmart anymore and I don’t know if my memories that good.  We’ll have to see…

It's an easy and quick crochet project.  Enjoy!

CROCHET FLOWER

Pattern Notes

Pattern uses a size F/5 (3.7MM) hook and light weight (#3) yarn.

Ch 3 counts as first stitch

(Variations of flowers are shown at the bottom using different hooks sizes and a variation in stitches.) 

Abbreviations
ch – chain

sc – single crochet

dc – double crochet

tc – treble crochet

st – stitch

sl st – slip stitch

sk - skip

R1: Start with a *magic ring.  Ch 3 in the magic ring then 14 dc.  Pull the ring tight. (15)

*If you are unsure of how to do this, here is a great tutorial.  If you’ve never used a magic ring for crocheting in the round before I highly recommend it as it makes that center hole MUCH smaller.

R2: ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each stitch around. Join with sl st in top of beginning ch 3. (30)

R3: ch5, *sk 2 st, sc in next st, ch 4* repeat * section around.  End with sk 2 st, then join with sl st in first st. (10 arches)

R4: *5 tc in first arch, sl st in sc* repeat * section around. Join with sl st in base of beginning tc. (10 scallops) See note at very bottom to understand why it is important to join in the base of the beginning tc.

Finishing Off: trim and weave in ends.  You can then attach whatever kind of hair clip you’d like to them, or put them on a scarf, head band, bags, the sky's the limit!

VARIATIONS FROM PATTERN ABOVE

1. Uses size G hook.  R1 - 16 stitch count.  R2 - 32 stitch count.  R3 - 11 arches and dc in place of sc.  R4 - 11 arches and scallops.*

2. Uses size G hook. R3 - dc in place of sc.*

3. Uses size G hook.

4. Done using original pattern above.


*You'll notice each of these flowers have a scallop that stick our above the rest.  That is because on R4 I joined the last scallop at the top of the first tc rather than the base.  I learned.  And know you can learn from my mistake too!

Cranberry Cloche

After crocheting for about a year I finally made myself a hat.  Novel idea, huh? :)  I gave a sneak peek of this one last week at this post.

Cranberry Cloche

The pattern is from the book Hooked on Crochet! Hats.  It's a simple enough pattern, mostly made of double half crochet stitches and double crochet scallops.  It was pretty quick and easy to put together, but I think it's a cute design.

I don't really like how I photograph, so you won't see many pictures of me on here.  But just this once...

Tutorial! Crocheted Long Stocking Cap

**A tutorial for a newborn version with two brim options is now up!  Check it out here!**

Crocheted Long Stocking Cap Tutorial

**If you use this pattern in a blog post or sell any hats from this pattern, please give me credit and link back to this tutorial.  Thanks!**

Hat Dimensions

Approximate Length – 36 inches

Fits head approximately 20-22 inches.

**This is the first time I have ever written a crocheting tutorial.  It has not been tested and I am sure there are mistakes.  Please just have fun with it, and feel free to notify me if you feel you’ve found a mistake.**

Pattern Notes

I used an H hook and medium weight yarn.

Chain at the beginning of each round counts as the first stitch.

The number in parenthesis is the number of stitches in that round.

Most people chain 3 when beginning a double crochet round.  I tend to have really tight double crochets so I chained 2 instead and will write the pattern as I did it.

Join each round with a slip stitch.

The length of this hat can be easily adjusted by reducing the number of rounds of a particular stitch count (especially at the beginning), or increasing the number of rounds of a particular stitch count.

Abbreviations

R – Round

ch – Chain

dc – Double Crochet

st - Stitch

dec – decrease

ss – Slip Stitch

R1: ch 5, join in first chain

R2: ch 2, dc in each chain, join (5)

R3: ch 2, dc in each st, join (5)

R4: ch 2, dc in each st, join (5)

R5: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in each st, join (6)

R6: ch 2, dc in each st, join (6)

R7: ch 2, dc in each st, join (6)

R8: ch 2, dc in each st, join (6)

R9: ch 2, dc in each st, join (6)

R10: ch 2, dc in each st, join (6)

R11: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in next st, *2 dc, dc,* repeat * section round, join (9)

R12: ch 2, dc in each st, join (9)

R13: ch 2, dc in each st, join (9)

R14: ch 2, dc in each st, join (9)

R15: ch 2, dc in each st, join (9)

R16: ch 2, dc in each st, join (9)

R17: ch 2, dc in same st, dc in next st, dc in next st, *2 dc, dc, dc* repeat * section round, join (12)

R18: ch 2, dc in each st, join (12)           

R19: ch 2, dc in each st, join (12)

R20: ch 2, dc in each st, join (12)

R21: ch 2, dc in each st, join (12)

R22: ch 2, dc in each st, join (12)

R23: ch 2, dc in same st, dc, dc, dc, *2dc, dc, dc, dc* repeat * section round, join (15)

R24: ch 2, dc in each st, join (15)

R25: ch 2, dc in each st, join (15)

R26: ch 2, dc in each st, join (15)

R27: ch 2, dc in each st, join (15)

R28: ch 2, dc in each st, join (15)

R29: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 4 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 4 st* repeat * section round, join (18)

R30: ch 2, dc in each st, join (18)

R31: ch 2, dc in each st, join (18)

R32: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 5 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 5 st* repeat * section round, join (21)

R33: ch 2, dc in each st, join (21)

R34: ch 2, dc in each st, join (21)

R35: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 6 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 6 st* repeat * section round, join (24)

R36: ch 2, dc in each st, join (24)

R37: ch 2, dc in each st, join (24)

R38: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 7 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 7 st* repeat * section round, join (27)

R39: ch 2, dc in each st, join (27)

R40: ch 2, dc in each st, join (27)

R41: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 8 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 8 st* repeat * section round, join (30)

R42: ch 2, dc in each st, join (30)

R43: ch 2, dc in each st, join (30)

R44: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 9 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 9 st* repeat * section round, join (33)

R45: ch 2, dc in each st, join (33)

R46: ch 2, dc in each st, join (33)

R47: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 10 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 10 st* repeat * section round, join (36)

R48: ch 2, dc in each st, join (36)

R49: ch 2, dc in each st, join (36)

R50: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 11 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 11 st* repeat * section round, join (39)

R51: ch 2, dc in each st, join (39)

R52: ch 2, dc in each st, join (39)

R53: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 12 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 12 st* repeat * section round, join (42)

R54: ch 2, dc in each st, join (42)

R55: ch 2, dc in each st, join (42)

R56: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 13 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 13 st* repeat * section round, join (45)

R57: ch 2, dc in each st, join (45)

R58: ch 2, dc in each st, join (45)

R59: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 14 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 14 st* repeat * section round, join (48)

R60: ch 2, dc in each st, join (48)

R61: ch 2, dc in each st, join (48)

R62: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 15 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 15 st* repeat * section round, join (51)

R63: ch 2, dc in each st, join (51)

R64: ch 2, dc in each st, join (51)

R65: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 16 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 16 st* repeat * section round, join (54)

R66: ch 2, dc in each st, join (54)

R67: ch 2, dc in each st, join (54)

R68: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 17 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 17 st* repeat * section round, join (57)

R69: ch 2, dc in each st, join (57)

R70: ch 2, dc in each st, join (57)

R71: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 18 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 18 st* repeat * section round, join (60)

R72: ch 2, dc in each st, join (60)

R73: ch 2, dc in each st, join (60)

R74: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 19 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 19 st* repeat * section round, join (63)

R75: ch 2, dc in each st, join (63)

R76: ch 2, dc in each st, join (63)

R77: ch 2, dc in same st, one dc in the next 20 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 20 st* repeat * section round, join (66)

R78: ch 2, dc in each st, join (66)

R79: ch 2, dc in each st, join (66)

R80: dc in same st, one dc in the next 21 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 21 st* repeat * section round, join (69)

R81: ch 2, dc in each st, join (69)

R82: ch 2, dc in each st, join (69)

R83: dc in same st, one dc in the next 22 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 22 st* repeat * section round, join (72)

R84: ch 2, dc in each st, join (72)

R85: ch 2, dc in each st, join (72)

R86: dc in same st, one dc in the next 23 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 23 st* repeat * section round, join (75)

R87: ch 2, dc in each st, join (75)

R88: ch 2, dc in each st, join (75)

R89: dc in same st, one dc in the next 24 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 24 st* repeat * section round, join (78)

R90: ch 2, dc in each st, join (78)

R91: ch 2, dc in each st, join (78)

R92: dc in same st, one dc in the next 25 st, *2 dc, one dc in the next 25 st* repeat * section round, join (81)

R93: ch 2, dc in each st, join (81)

R94: ch 2, dc in each st, join (81)

R95: ch 2, *dec over two stitches, dc in next 11 stitches* finish round with dc in last 13 stitches, join (75)

R96: ch 2, *dec over two stitches, dc in next 10 stitches* finish round with dc in last 12 stitches, join (69)

*R97-R102: ch 2, dc in each st, join (69)

R103: ch1, *ss in next st, ch1, ss in same st* round, join

*sometimes I will do more of the last round to make the hat longer or to complete a color pattern.

Finish off the hat by weaving in ends and with a yarn pom pom and enjoy!!

A Trifecta Weekend

It's a drill weekend (my husband's in the National Guard) which means it's mostly me and my little one for the next few days.  I've been making the best of it by working on projects!

There's been some of this...

This hats actually for me!  This is the first hat I have actually crocheted for myself.  I need to buy a little more yarn before it's done.  I'm excited though.

And this...

Quilt piecing.  I'm working on another baby quilt for a friend that is due in the Spring.  I'm ahead of the game on this one.  They're having a little boy, and it was challenging finding material that I liked for a little boy, but I'm loving what I found.  Some of it is Farm Yard Friends by Studio e.  I bought what little of the line was left at my local shop, but I might have to order more for myself.

And a little of this...

This is the infamous chair from my exploding eggs post.  I'm finally getting around to staining it!  Tomorrow I'll put the last coat of polyurethane on it.  Then all I'll have to do is cover the seat.  That's another story though.  I've already recovered the seat once, but it needs to be redone.  I'll save that story for another post.  :)

My daughter and I have also spent plenty of time playing outside and reading books.  In fact while I was staining the chair I lost her for a minute only to discover that she had climbed ALL the way to the top of our play thing (it's two stories and she's only 18 months old).  Which meant she had to climb up a ladder to get there.  Scary!  Darn little dare devil.

What a FANTASTIC way to spend the weekend.

Crocheted Long Stocking Cap

**Update - the tutorial is now up.  Check it out here.**

When I asked my sis-in-law what her 9 year old would like for her birthday, she didn't hesitate before answering "a VERY long stocking cap with a yarn ball on the end."  After searching online I didn't find any crochet patterns that I liked so I decided to see what I could come up with.

I've crocheted quite a few hats so I had a basic idea of what to do.  I just started with a much smaller first round and very gradually increased it.  I love how it turned out, and my nephew loved it too.  In fact, his older brother has now requested one for his birthday in January.

I know he isn't smiling, but I promise he likes it. :)

It ended up being three feet long!  It went past his waist.  As long as his head doesn't grow too much it should last him for quite a while!

Indy had to try it on before we gave it to him.

I'm going to clean up my notes while I make the second one.  Then I'll post it as a free tutorial on here.  Keep an eye out for it!

Goldilocks and the Three Slouchy Crochet Hats

This is the story of Goldilocks and the Three Slouchy Crochet Hats.  When she was fairly new to crocheting she found an adorable free pattern here and decided she'd give it a try.  The pattern calls for cashmere yarn, but Goldilocks couldn't find any.  So she decided to go with an extra bulky, heavy yarn hoping that the weight would create the drape effect.

It didn't.  Luckily before she got too far, she realized her choice of yarn was resulting in too stiff of a hat.

Partial hat with thick yarn that made it STIFF

Then she found a wonderful super soft yarn that she thought would work well.  She worked and worked on the hat and was pleased with its progress as it came along.  When she finally finished the hat she was a little worried though, it looked a little small.  The hat was intended for her adult sister, but it didn't look like it was going to fit her.  Maybe her daughter?  No.  The hat wouldn't even fit Goldilocks' little girl that was less than one year old at the time.  Can we say doll clothes?

So she found a different yarn and tried again.  Success!  Finally an adorable hat that would fit an adult and that wasn't super stiff!

Thanks for putting up with the Goldilocks story.  It seemed to fit this escapade.  This is a pretty simple pattern that goes quickly.  I just finished another one for my sis-in-law.  I still can't find any cashmere yarn, but I used Lion Brand Jiffy Acrylic (Bulky weight) this last time and it worked okay.  I use the larger needle the pattern calls for and add the extra round.  I'd still love to get my hands on some cashmere and give it a try.  It looks so smooth!

Baby Afghan - Finally Done!

So the baby afghan I introduced in this post is FINALLY DONE!  I checked the calendar and it took me two days shy of six months to complete it.  What an endeavor!  Of course there were plenty of other projects started and some finished within that time.

I LOVE how the diamond pattern turned out.  I may try to make up a beanie using the same braided loop idea.  And I'm very happy with my choice of blue for the edging.  It will work great for a little boy or girl.  This is the largest crochet project I have taken on, and I am so excited it's done!

 When I initially started it I was going to give it away as a present.  The baby that it was intended for is now almost a year old, and this blanket is probably too small.  I think I'll keep it for our baby #2 whenever it decides to come along.

My husband asked me what I was going to do now that it's done.  Silly man.  I have so many other projects lined up!  Next, a slouchy hat for my sis-in-law.  I've already made one for a sister.

My First Baby Afghan...Over 5 Months in The Making

After crocheting hats and headbands for three months, I decided it was time to try something new.  I was ready for an afghan...or so I thought.  I decided to start with a baby afghan, hoping it would be a little less overwhelming.  Here I am 5 months later, and it's still not done - but it's getting closer!

Better view of the loops that will be braided together later.

I chose the Precious Treasure pattern out of Touchably Textured Baby Afghans.  (It's the one on the bottom left.)  It's a fairly simple, but beautiful design.  The pattern is made up of loop rows that will be braided together later, followed by single crochet rows.

At first I meticulously counted each single crochet row to make sure that there were 140 stitches across.  None added, none dropped.  What can I saw, I'm a rule follower.  But counting 140 stitches over and over soon became tedious.  So I learned to to add or drop a stitch when things weren't lining up.  The pattern is forgiving that way.

I think I only had to restart this project once.  After I got about five rows into it on my first try I could see the diamonds were NOT lining up.  So I pulled out every stitch and started over.  Thank goodness things worked out the second time.  I wasn't sure that I had a third time in me with this one.

**Update**  It's finally done!  Check it out here.  :)