COCOON

One of my sweet blog followers, Sarah, requested a picture of my finished cocoon. So, without further ado, here it is!

Owl Bib

While I sit around and wait for this baby to arrive, I’ve added a few more things to my to do list. I found this cute Owl Bib and decided to give it a try. It was really easy to make, and turned out really cute.

It started off with a few different pieces. Eyes, nose, and the owl’s body. The most time consuming part was hand sewing it all together. I did the wings a little differently also.

Here is the owl mostly put together… minus the wings and ties.

Finished Product! I made 2 more rectangle as wings and attached them to the inside of the body (instead of the outside a the pattern wanted)

COCOON

Who says that butterflies are the only ones who need these. Not I. I found the cutest pattern from a blog called Tots and Bottoms for a baby cocoon. My good friend Brittney asked one day if I knew how to make them. I had never tried, but the pattern looked simple enough. So I went out, bought the yarn and got working. It took me about 1 1/2 – 2 hours (which is pretty fast) and it turned out ADORABLE! So cute, I might make one for myself with this little nugget that should be here in a few weeks. I’m no photographer (as I’m also no Martha) but it’s fun to add new things to the list.

Crafts for Baby Alana

What have I been up to? Well, everything to put it shortly. However, it hasn’t stopped me from crafting, it’s just stopped me from blogging about it. So here is a quick catch up to what I’ve been up to.

I’ve been so consumed with home, family, etc… and on top of it all I’ve made things for other’s. I realized that I have been neglecting the baby that is inside me and decided to get working!! I started making this little girl headband after headband. I am also working on a blanket and will be doing a hat and booties also. Crafting is my ME time and it’s such a great release to do things creative. Here’s a little taste…

{Alana’s baby blanket. It’s the exact same one I made here. I used a purplish/pink color. I’m about 1/2 way through. It still needs a border and the ribbon, but I think she’s going to like it.}

{These flower headbands were fun to make. I did the satin flowers and then attached elastic bands to the back. Simple and Dainty. The white one is for Alana’s blessing day.}

{These I made from premade fabric flowers that you can get at any craft store and then attached the elastic to the backs again.}

{And these bands I crocheted. The cream one is from super soft yarn. The white and dark pink ones are from crochet thread and turned out so perfectly. I can’t wait to dress this baby’s head!}

{ I just clipped on flowers I had made for Kalea and Mia. It’ll be fun to reuse these over and over in different combinations.}

And onto what I WILL be doing. I’m going to try and make a tutu for the baby. I bought two different kinds of tulle and some ribbon. I found a tutorial on YOUTUBE on how to make one that requires NO SEWING. Which appeals to me, since I don’t own a sewing machine. We’ll see how it turns out. I’ll be sure to post pictures when it’s finished.

 

Finishing Touches

I finished this baby blanket. It wasn’t hard by any means, but it was time consuming. And it turned out a little smaller then I wanted, but it’s for a baby so I was ok with it. Here is the finished project.

APRIL SHOWERS, BRINGS MAY FLOWERS

I have another baby shower coming up. What better time to make a baby blanket. I wanted this one to be different. It’s a work in progress…

First you make one of these…

Then you make like a thousand more… In different colors… And connect them all together…

This is the end result (Just not mine because I need more pink yarn. And I’m doing a slightly different color scheme.)

You can find the pattern here.

RETIRING

Well, not forever, but for the season. Winter has pretty much come and gone in our neck of the woods. I was SO busy and SO thankful for everyone who like my stuff enough to buy something from me. But don’t fret, I’ll be be back next fall and winter. And I think I’ll stock up and make a bunch throughout the summer to keep me caught up. I’ve been very blessed with all of you supporting me and even giving me suggestions and ideas throughout.

I am going to keep making things, mostly gifts. Baby blankets, booties, etc. I made this for a good friend. It turned out so cute that I’ll probably make one for our little girl… eventually.

**I think the brown ribbon around the edging really makes it. Other ideas I thought of  was skipping the ribbon and maybe putting a cluster of flowers in a corner.**

CROCHETING

… HAS TAKEN OVER MY LIFE. It’s what I’ve been doing most of winter and finally decided to start selling my stuff. Mostly to people I know. People have suggested Etsy.  I haven’t opted to do that yet… it kind of freaks me out. What if people complain and I get irritated. Plus, I’ve been so busy as it is, It just doesn’t seem feasible right now.  Here are a few things I’ve made and sold.

Headband Earwarmer

So my Sis-In-Law, Candice, has this headband/earwarmer/headwrap that she bought while up in New York. It’s really cute and LOOKED like something I could make.  The only problem is that it was KNIT… and I don’t knit. So I started searching online and found this and thought to myself, “I can make that.” I didn’t have a pattern though. They are pretty popular right now (especially out West) so people aren’t really giving away their patterns.

So I attempted it and here is how it turned out.

 

 

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out… especially since it was my first attempt on making something without a pattern. I think next time I would make it with a bulkier yarn and maybe a few alterations here and there. But overall I think it turned out ok. So many possibilities.

Now… I have a question for you. Would you buy this? I have NO idea how much I would sell it for but it was really fun to make and I would it do it in so many different colors.  So please give me your input or any advice you may have on ways I can make it better.  Thanks for stalking me.

Kristy

WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO…

I’ve been a little M.I.A. lately … but for good reason though. I am in charge of a newsletter that our family contributes and then combines together quarterly. This year I’m up to bat as the “editor” (I use that term loosely). During the holiday’s I thought it would be a good idea to put some of our favorite Holiday recipes together into one. So I’ve been busy with that and finally finished the compilation and sent it off to my husband for him to print off for me.

The OTHER thing. The other HUGE thing that I’ve been up to are … well… more hats. I had a crazy idea last Monday that I wanted to make hats for all of my nieces and nephews this Christmas. It’s an inexpensive, yet time consuming idea. It may seem doable to most people. However I have been blessed with 26 nieces and nephews. Which is really fun for out kids to get together and play. It’s like a big party all the time. Not so much fun when you decide to take on a monster project like this. Luckily for me and my obsession I’ve already made 12 hats (minus the flowers which I’ll add later). I just started the boys hats now and are happy how they’re turning out. It’s the colors that I’m worried about. We have half NC State fans in our family. And a few UNC fans. If I make the wrong color hat for the wrong kid… I might have a family feud on my hands.

Here’s how they’ve turned out thus far…

The hats with ribbons can have the ribbon traded out for a flower. It just weaves between X stitches but looks equally as cute with a flower attached. This time around I’m going to put hair clips on the back of the flowers so they can be used as wanted. I think the light pink hats with the chocolate ribbons are my favorites. The yarn is a little daintier but not as easy to work with (in my opinion). The other will be warmer though.

 

My 1 boy hat. It’s obviously NC State colors and was easy to make. It’s been a little harder to gauge the size of the nephews hats. The girls are easier for me to eyeball. Especially since I can try them out on their heads. I’d rather them turn out too big than too small so they can grow into them.

I DID IT!!

As many of you may remember, I tried crocheting 2 years ago. It was a terrible, horrible experience. I was pregnant with my 3rd baby and I thought I kick it old school by making him a blanket. It turned out to be the size of an square oven mitt. I threw it away (in the outside garbage, that’s how disgusted I was) and bagged up all of my crocheting materials and never looked back. UNTIL NOW!! My husband is constantly telling me to find a hobby which is hard for me since I don’t play sports (stop laughing) and the only things I’m good at are playing piano and making jokes. So I branched out. I enjoy reading. I enjoy baking (not so much cooking… there IS a difference). And now I enjoy CROCHETING!!  I have to admit I raveled and unraveled my yarn about a gazillion times. Christian at one point made the comment, “You look really OLD right now.” And I worked long hours on my projects that my hands and fingers would start cramping and my elbows would get stiff. It baffles me how old ladies can do this for so long when I’m feeling pre-arthritic as we speak. However, I have conquered and accomplished something I’m SUPER proud of.  I started off with hats thinking that was the easiest way to go (especially since the thought of making blankets put a bad taste in my mouth). After feeling confident in that area I moved on to other things. It’s really easy to find free patterns online and if you’re feeling discouraged, always know there is a sweet old lady on YOUTUBE who is more then happy to hold your hand and show you how to create the right stitches. The trick is getting your tension right so your project doesn’t turn into a hat that would only fit a newborn (unless that’s the goal, of course.)

Here is one of the first hats I made. Kalea’s not a fan of the dark grey but I love it. I told her she doesn’t have to be covered head-to-toe in pink. She doesn’t agree. The grey yarn is thick so it was really fast to make. It’s really thick which will keep her noggin warm at the bus stop in the mornings. I thought about making my own similar to this one, but I’m pretty sure the flower will make me look 10 years old which is a deal breaker for me.

Mia’s hat is the exact same pattern just with a thinner yarn. They both look so different, but cute on such cute girls!

The latest project that I just finished is this baby shower gift that I gave to an awesome chick and her unborn babe. The hat… easy. The booties… easy (once I got the hang of it). The blanket… uh… apparently blankets are my Achilles Heel. The pattern I found online was so cute I wanted to try it. Plus the lady said this blanket was fast to make. She SAID it was a 3 hour project. IT TOOK ME 3 DAYS. 3 days people. But it turned out so adorable and it was well worth the time and practice.

{Similar to Mia’s but much much smaller}

{The booties were confusing at first. I made 2 right booties on accident along with too much pink and not enough white on one of them. But EVENTUALLY mastered it.}

It’s called a Bubbles Baby Blanket. This little bit probably took me 4 hours…

 

{Here is the finished product. The pattern didn’t have any kind of edging but I wanted to make it look a little more girly.}

Here is the finished product. I was really nervous when she opened my gift. I’d never MADE a baby shower gift before and was kind of out of my element about it. However, I’m really pleased how it turned out.

Here are a few other websites where I’ve found really cute projects for kids and adults.
Ava Hat (toddler size)
Berroco Hat (adult women’s)
Flapper Hat (adult women’s)
Black and White Mary Janes (baby/toddler)
Slouchy Hat (adult women’s)
Ruffled Mary Janes (baby/toddler)