Crochet: Bear and Bunny Lovies

Lovies, aka mini security blankets, were a great thing to have in the stroller for my kids when they were little. I remember an atrociously pink bear that my older child used to cradle in the crook of her elbow when I used to take her on stroller rides to the park.

The blanket part is super soft thick and chunky chenille, and the head and arms are made with fine soft fingering/baby acrylic yarn.

Popular vote at home is that the bunny is cuter than the bear, but, am sure the babies for whom this is intended won't care.

This is for twin girls that a friend is expecting, and I weaved in my prayers and good wishes for the safe arrival of her babies.

Of course, my middle-schooler, who can make her own lovies, very sheepishly asked if I could crochet one for her as she watched me make the bunny lovey. How could I refuse?

I had a bit of soft sheep-fleece-like fabric, so, I made a Sheep Lovey for her one Saturday night after she was in bed.

I gave it to her on Sunday morning.

And, all of that Sunday she didn't let go of it! Took it with her to the library, to Costco, to a little league baseball game (as audience, she doesn't play baseball)... I am guessing she likes it.

Either that, or she felt a certain obligation because I put in all the effort to fulfill her request...

I didn't write down the pattern, I just made it up as I went - started out with a magic ring as usual and worked my way up to one third of the sphere and then decreased appropriately to get the muzzle shape.

Looks more like a cow, apparently, but, i am sticking with the sheep theory.

Since, this is not for a baby and so no choking hazard, I hot-glued googly eyes rather than little French-knot eyes I embroideredfor the baby lovies.

Sewing: Baby Changing Pad Tote with Pockets

I've eyed wistfully at some of the tutorials for making changing pad clutch. However, I didn't want to do a clutch -I am more of a "hold-all" kinda gal. Clutch seemed too fancy, with an implied assumption to keep it elegant and slender. I have a tendency to stuff things into my knapsack and call it my "purse".

For the longest time, my "purse" held just-in-case diapers and wipes, just-in-case bananas and Baby Mum-Mums®, and sure enough, just-in-case onesies, hat, and socks.

When I saw this cute print of laminated cotton at JoAnn, I knew I had to make a changing pad. However, I didn't like that changing pads were not fully washable and dryable in the machine. So, I made a cotton and fleece changing pad that can be washed and dried using the machine. And, with Velcro™ to attach the laminated cotton that acts as the waterproof barrier for changing, this becomes a convenient changing pad that doesn't just have to be wiped down, but actually thrown in the washer.

I added two pockets - one for diapers and butt paste, and one for wipes, which can all be toted easily with the roll-up changing pad.

And, I also sewed some small cotton cloths that can double as washable/reusable wipes, or burp cloth.

Simply tuck the pockets in, fold in the long edge, and roll it up to tie into an easy carry-along changing pad.

This was an extremely satisfying and rewarding sewing project and am glad I had a good reason and motivation for doing it: it's for my colleague and friend who is expecting her twins this summer.

Sewing: Flower Play Mat

This flower play mat is a fun and easy project. It took me a whole weekend to finish, but, only because I was juggling cooking, laundry, house-cleaning, grocery-run, and library-run.

The project from start to finish, if one can devote uninterrupted time, should not take more than a few hours. Once the pieces are cut and ready, the sewing goes quite fast.

The fun part is to add little baby notions like mini rattle, cellophane etc tucked into the petals for the babies to discover and engage with. I can just picture little cuties getting their Tummy Time and grabbing a petal to have the rattle amuse them.

Of course, this was not for my babies who are much too old for a play mat. It's for a good friend who deserves all the happiness that life can give, who is expecting her babies this summer.

The idea came from DK Books Made for Baby, which has 50 beautiful projects to sew.

I went with a 28-inch diameter circle for the center. The petals are roughly a rounded rectangle cut in half, coming to about 10 inches tall and 13 inches wide. All the fabrics are baby flannel which was on sale at Fabric Depot. The batting for the flower center is actually two layers of fleece fabric plus a layer of quilt batting, so it is well-padded and snuggly warm to hang out in.

Sewing: Citrus Orange Baby Quilt

With all the color-coding going on for baby stuff, what with blues and greens, pinks and purples and such, I decided to skip the convention and go with a bright orange quilt.

It's a simple block pieced cotton top, with a cotton backing, and warm cotton and fleece batting. Finished size is approximately a square, barely a rectangle, at 40" x 48"

I was dreaming of making very cute applique quilt with whimsical baby animals, but, ran out of time. Well, rather, I realized that by that time I get that done with my current schedule, the baby for whom it was intended might be off to college...

This is not for either of my babies, of course. It's for a colleague and friend who has the best smile and attitude at work that makes others want to do their best. And, who is expecting twins this summer.

Sewing: Baby Diaper Covers

Another quick and easy project to sew baby diaper covers. I loved adding the lacy ruffles. And I broke the convention of pink and purple and went with sunny yellow print for these adorable covers.

Crochet: Baby Rattles

Not the prettiest, but gets done so quickly that it is a lot of fun to whip some up just because..

I stuck a little cowbell in, stuffed with scrap flannel and fleece fabric instead of polyfill and am hoping the intended recipient babies find it fascinating and entertaining.

Sewing & Crochet: Baby Blanket and Baby Toys

For a new nephew who arrived six or so months ago, I made a quick little baby blanket, simple block pieced quilt top and a fleece backing for this blanket. And a little crochet teddy bear, with tiny cowbells inside so it can double as a baby rattle toy.

Now, the colors are not typical pastel baby colors for this quilt. I went with some batik and some kid-friendly panels that I cut out from a fabric remnant piece I had stashed.

Also crocheted some tortoises for fun...

Crochet: Baby Blanket and Sewing: Swaddle Blanket

For a friend's baby expected in August I wanted to make something rustic and useful, something that is unique... and so I crocheted a baby blanket with soft acrylic yarn, and sewed a swaddle blanket in soft cotton flannel print.

Of course, the crochet yarn blanket won't be needed until late Fall, but the swaddle blanket might be handy for the first few weeks...

I thought about granny square afghan like I've made before, but, decided to use an attractive tight stitch in colorful stripes, making a unique pattern. As usual, a made-up pattern - just followed a (sc,ch2,2dc) cluster repeated throughout, changing yarn at the end of rows as needed.

The swaddle blanket is not an original design. At first, I was leaning towards swaddlers like the ones I made for Oggie, but found a nicer design on the web which has a simple tie to keep the "baby burrito" from unraveling.

My daughter's friend Enid (cabbage patch doll) volunteered to help demonstrate the swaddle blanket's utility.

All that was left to do was wrap up the yarn blanket in the swaddle blanket and give it to the expectant mother. I was so happy to do these projects. There is something magical and joyful about making baby things, just thinking about the new baby, how the family dynamics changes and how one grows as a human being...

Crochet: Baby Bolero (short-sleeved) and Afghan

For 16 years, going on 17, ever since we met in Ohio as green grad students with stars in our eyes, this young lady has amazed me with her thoughts and accomplishments... And, when she shared the news of her niece's birth, I was pretty excited, for two reasons: One, well, naturally a new baby makes my heart leap with joy; Two, she'll be in my neck of the woods more often to visit this niece, and so, hopefully I will get to see her more :)

Anyway, it took me a while as usual, with 30 minutes here, an hour there to crochet the baby afghan and the cropped, short-sleeved baby bolero jacket.

Afghan: is simple enough - a rectangle about 30"x36" or so, roughly, in textured stitch, with a nice shell edging.

Baby Bolero Jacket: this is a made-up pattern - starts off with my favorite yoke and flares at the bottom end, very short sleeves, with shell edging to match the afghan. Crochet buttons with eyelets make this fairly chic and baby-friendly.

As always, this is "one-of-a-kind" creation as I didn't write down the exact pattern for the bolero jacket, making it up as I went along... I am sure I can make another one, but, no guarantees that it will match this one exactly :)

Knit: Baby Sweater

I wanted to knit something with the little scraps of yarn that I didn't have the heart to throw away, especially considering how pricey yarns have become these days, even just acrylic baby yarn.

The pattern is sort of made-up - extrapolated from crochet pattern I usually use for sweaters. I am essentially a crocheter, knitting is only a secondary thing for me.

I didn't plan on using any color scheme, just joined the next color as one color got used up. It is done sort of like the kimono sweater that I love to crochet - starting at the back bottom, working the back, sleeves and neck and the fronts - except rather than overlapping fronts to make the kimono style, I left it like a cardigan. The whole sweater is done in simple garter stitch with a size 12 or so large needles. I sewed the seams and finished the edges with crochet.

It is the beginning of August, supposedly the middle of Summer, but it is pretty chilly here that I decided to put on this scrap-yarn sweater for the wee one so I can let him sit out in the patio and enjoy the backyard wildlife...

I made this over the Christmas/New Year Holiday season when I was in my third trimester, so overcome with nesting instinct that couldn't sit still. It is approximately 12-18 months size, so, it is a little big on my soon to be 5-month old, but, he wears it well I think :)

Sewing: Newborn Swaddlers

I came across this beautiful and clear instructions to make newborn swaddlers early this year and had made a few before my baby arrived in March.

I made three, of varying sizes, to get me through the first 3-4 weeks after birth when babies benefit from swaddling and are easier to handle.

With my first baby Ana, we tried making the Baby Burrito with receiving blankets, like the nurse showed at the hospital before sending us home, but, it never was tight enough and kept unraveling, threatening to drop the baby stuffed inside.

So, I was looking for a good way to swaddle and keep this new one compact and snug. And, the instructions in the link above was just perfect. I can't thank them enough for sharing it, free!

Of course, the first 6 to 8 weeks after delivery is a blur for me as I was suffering from back-to-back infections and the wee one was suffering from Reflux, fussing and throwing up a lot. So, photographing him, swaddled or not, was the last thing on my mind. But, Enid Paapaa, Ana's favorite Cabbage Patch doll/friend, agreed to model for me now so I can demonstrate how easy and how wonderful this design for swaddler is.

The features I liked in this design are: the little pocket inside, so I know baby cannot fall off the bottom easily; the velcro™ fasteners sewed perpendicular to each other where they overlap so that it can be adjusted to baby's size easily; the double layer of flannel which keeps them toasty warm and breathable.

I changed the size of the oval a bit as I sort of knew I was expecting a fairly big baby, and decided to make a couple slightly bigger than each other so I can use it as the baby grows during the first 3-4 weeks.

With Ana, she didn't like her arms tucked in when swaddling; she would wriggle and writhe and try to pull them out and rest them over her head. Oggie, my wee one, was the same way - he didn't mind being swaddled tight with arms tucked inside for about the first 2 weeks, and then wanted to get his arms out and over his head while sleeping.

These swaddlers I made turned out very useful, but, around 4 weeks he outgrew the largest one I had made, and, by then, he seemed to prefer being bundled in fleece blanket which gave him more wiggle-room.

crochet: infant sweater and hat set

I went yarn shopping with Ana and hovered near the Bernat Softee yarns that were on sale. On a whim, I asked Ana to pick a color to make a sweater for her baby brother and she picked this seen here :)

It took me little pockets of time - say about 20 minutes a day - for about 3 weeks to finish this sweater and hat set... it was tough choosing between catching up on sleep and crocheting, but, I was a bit driven this time: I wanted to make a baby sweater for my wee little 5 week-old boy.

My preferred pattern is to start crocheting the fronts and back and go around till armhole; then divide the work there to finish left front, back, and right front, shaping the neck as I go; then pick up at the armhole and finish the sleeves.

Usually, I prefer to make the sweaters bigger as babies grow fast and won't need it till their first real winter, but, since the wee one was handy, and since it is bloody cold here now in Spring, I just measured and tailored it to fit him now. I can always make more as he grows (assuming I have the patience and time).

crochet: infant sweater set

This is for a friend of mine whom I am yet to meet!

Yep, I have a pen pal who took the big step from just reading my blog posts to actually writing to me in her own sweet way...

She is expecting her little one anytime now and I am glad to have been able to send this crochet sweater, hat, booties set to her with my prayers and wishes...

Good Luck, C! Hope to meet you sometime soon.

crochet: baby afghan, koala, hat and booties

This is the only picture I have of the stuff I eagerly crocheted for my nephew when he was born.

He is an energetic five year old now, getting ready for school...

Despite the fuzziness, I decided to record it here as it was one of my early attempts at making crochet stuffed toys. I've made a few since then, but, this Koala is still my favorite as it was my first.

The baby afghan is made up of simple granny squares. The lilac-looking color on the afghan, if I remember right, is actually more of a periwinkle blue, which is one of my favorite colors. I was hesitant about the orange in the afghan for a boy and ran it by D who assured me that it was fine, as long as it is not pink or purple all other colors are fair game for boys :)

The hat and booties are my usual simple pattern, found on the web. (Koala is wearing the hat in the picture).

The Koala stuffed toy was, of course, a pattern I found in my first Learn To Crochet book. It is stuffed with the standard acrylic polyfill that seems to be recommended for kids' toys.

Crochet: Irish hooded capelet for Toddler

I was quite excited about making a simple scarf for my friend R's birthday, and as I picked out the color, I decided to get some extra skeins to make a matching toddler hooded capelet/poncho for her little girl so mama and baby can walk around all chic and coordinated :)

And from what I gather, the intended little recipient happens to like it and so do her parents! Now all I have to do is wait for the photos of the adorable little tot modeling this little creation.

The crochet poncho pattern is sort of made up - I looked at some of the free poncho projects on Lion Brand website and other free pattern sites and gleaned a general idea for shaping... I didn't want it too triangular and pointy, I wanted softer wavy edges, and no fringes either - they get caught in everything - plus, I wanted it to have a deep yet fashionable cowl.

This capelet/poncho is being modeled by little Miss Polly Pees-a-lot, Ana's latest friend - a gift from her Nana.

And, no, I did not name her. Since Enid paapaa and Olga paapaa were named by me and Ana, we let D come up with a suitable name for the new doll. We got what we asked for!


Meet Miss Polly Pees-a-lot...

Crochet: Toddler (boy) sweater

My interest, stamina, and thrill in my crochet projects seem to be inversely proportional to the size and complexity of the project. Smaller and easier baby projects get done in frenzied pace, while the others just sit around...

Now, an advice I read about staying organized recommended not starting a new project until the old one is finished and put away. Ha! If I followed that, I wouldn't have gotten past my first learning project :)

I have about 3 afghan projects of varying sizes, all stuck in various states of progress. Am not sure when I will complete them. Crocheting baby stuff has always been my favorite - they get done fast, and usually just imagining the wee ones wrapped in something handmade is motivation enough for me to finish it as quickly as I can...

I have knitted on and off, but, to-date crochet seems to be my favorite - it flows easily, comes more naturally, and most of all, it relaxes me!

Anyway, enough of the rambling... over the last several weeks - say from early October, I have been crocheting one small project after another. Usually, since D is home late at least 3 times a week (mostly close to 10 p.m), I get my baby in bed by 8 p.m and from 8-9 or so at nights I work on my crochet stuff... plus, weekends, if the little one manages to keep herself busy, I make some progress as well. Since I find it relaxing and am not too keen on finishing by any deadline, they seem to get done somehow, a few rows at a time...

The toddler sweater here is for my little nephew who is about 18 months old. I just eyeballed and made it a little larger for my 2½ year old, so am fairly confident this will fit my nephew easily with room to spare - plus, he can grow into it. It feels like such a wasted effort if I make sweaters the right size 'coz after a few months of wear, children outgrow it!

The pattern is based on Caron's Tweed Baby Jacket. I would have liked to add pockets... maybe for the next one.

crochet: infant sweater set

One of my friends (who was also my former colleague) is expecting a baby, due in first week of January 2008. I wanted to crochet a baby layette set for her. Now, she is expecting a boy, and am sure she'll be flooded with all things blue, with maybe some green and yellow, all pastels, cute and sweet. I wanted to make something in a different color for the baby.

I could not settle on a color easily, but, since she is from China originally, and since red and gold is considered auspicious, I decided to go with that color scheme.

The sweater pattern is a slight modification of Julie's pattern which I love. And, I sort of made up the booties pattern based on other booties patterns I came across. The hat pattern is an adaptation of a free pattern found on Lion Brand website.

I was quite excited when I finished it last week and wrapped it up to give it to her before the thanksgiving break... and I was incredibly thrilled when she said she really loved it! (I know... I know... like she is going to say to my face that it is hideous!)

Anyway, I can't wait for a picture of the new baby in this sweater set.
p.s: Now, dear R, if you are reading this, you know you owe me a picture of TLS in her little sweater set :)

merry christmas!

Santa paid us a visit and he apparently thought we've been good:-)

I sent out a couple of caps i crocheted for the Caps to the Capital program I mentioned earlier.

I feel like Q4 2006 was too hectic: work was crazy as we had projects all lined up to be launched before year end; I had started a few projects of my own at home and they got done; am glad I could contribute in a small way to Project Linus and Save The Children foundation.

I feel like I need a long holiday.

Usually, on Christmas day, by mid-afternoon, I get a strange sense of have-i-done-anything-in-my-life-that-is-worth-anything feeling, sort of puts me in philosophical mode and makes me take stock of all the good things in Life and push away unnecessary baggage I carry about stuff I cannot change...

This year was no exception. I am still struggling with that feeling, but, it will pass.

project linus

Seeing my frenzied quilt-making, D was naturally curious.

"What are you going to do with all the baby quilts?", he cautiously quizzed so as not to trample on my spirits.

I am glad he asked.

I had set a teensy goal for myself for Q4 2006 to be a blanketeer for Project Linus.

So, I was pretty thrilled today when I went and dropped three quilts of varying sizes, suitable for toddlers and kids, at the nearest Project Linus drop off, which was A Common Thread in Lake Oswego.

Not too long ago, my wee one started getting attached to one of the fleece blankets I had made for her, way back when she was barely 2 months old. She likes to walk around with it, take it everywhere... not always, though. Just sometimes when she feels the need to hold on to it.

I am secretly hoping that one of my quilts (if not all three) would become a comforting security-blanket-of-sorts to a kid in need, and am glad Project Linus accepts/prefers handmade blankets.

Quilting stimulates me, am happy to do it, but, it is labor-intensive and a tad bit expensive especially since we are on a budget of sorts. So, I am glad I had a goal and I was doing it for a cause I believe in. Labor of Love.

I have been crocheting for a while and I can follow a pattern fairly well, and I can sort of cover up mistakes, and even maybe extrapolate and improvise on patterns as I go along.

But, knitting so far has not come with the same ease and comfort as crocheting for me. That's OK.

Crocheting, while it is quite labor-intensive and time-consuming - depending on the project and how tight my schedule happens to be, seems to be more rewarding for me, personally. So, I am sure I will be crocheting away as best as I can, as and when I can manage it.

My teensy goal for before Jan 1 2007 is to crochet for newborns around the world by joining the Caps to the Capital campaign. If interested, please download an action kit.

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p.s: We have hot water flowing in our pipes again. Yay!
 

country charm baby quilt

This is another baby quilt I made over this past week and weekend, seizing the time when my wee tot is taking a nap or is otherwise occupied*. I call it "country charm" just because the fabric prints remind me of charming country style decor. It is a "baby" quilt in the sense that the quilt dimensions are about 33"x44", not too big, but the fabric prints are not quite the traditional baby-friendly prints :-)

This is my current favorite piecing technique for quilt top: piece together long strips of 3"-wide (or any other width, depending on the block size and seam allowance) fabrics of three different co-ordinating prints. Cut them into blocks, the size of which would depend on the size of the strips and finished size needed. Arrange the blocks in random manner to form pretty interesting pattern. Add border on all four sides and Voila!

Alternately, after making the long strips of three (or more) fabrics 3" (or other) wide, one can proportionately cut cross-wise strips and piece them to form 9-patch or 16-patch blocks as well. This seems to be the most common piecing technique discussed in beginner quilt books.

One main reason I like it is because: I can piece the 3-strip blocks into some orderly pattern, or just arrange them randomly as seen in the picture to get different finished quilts that are not identical despite using the same set of fabrics. Pretty Neat!

The back of this quilt is a pretty country-style print that I liked a lot so, this country charm quilt is sort of 'reversible' in that sense.

The back looks just as pretty as the front, declared D, who rarely comments on my creations unless I twist his arm and act all cross if i don't hear a favorable review :-)

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* like trying on all her clothes one over the other, or, reading her books, or enticing the kitties to play with her etc