The Sloane Hat

I love crocheted slouchy beanies.  Last year for Christmas I made my sister the Urban Jungle Crocheted Slouchy Beanie, which I absolutely loved.  But I'm always on the lookout for new patterns to try out, and so I was honored and excited when last week I had the opportunity to help test Delia's (of Delia Creates) new slouchy crochet hat pattern, the Sloane Hat.  Here are some photos of my kids modeling the finished product.  I love how it turned out!!!  This is the perfect hat to whip up in an evening or two, especially while it's still soooo cold out!  I can't wait to make one in my size :)

*In case you are wondering, I made the Child sized pattern, which fit my 4 year old perfectly!  (It was a little big on Clara, who is almost 2.)  I also used Hobby Lobby's I Love this Yarn in Antique Teal.  You can get the beanie pattern here.

Heirloom Blankets

When I was 7 months pregnant with William, we moved to Biloxi, Mississippi (from New York City--BIG change!), I wasn't working, didn't know anyone, and it was the end of summer, so it was extremely hot and humid and so I was stuck in a 2 bedroom apartment all by myself everyday while Peter was working. Needless to say, I was pretty bored! So . . . I bought myself a sewing machine and some crochet hooks and yarn and started teaching myself to sew and crochet! Turns out I loved doing both, and they grew into a couple of my favorite hobbies.

I watched a bunch of youtube videos learning different crochet stitches and I scoured craft blogs looking for projects to try. Through this process, I found the blog Meet Me at Mike's, which is the most charming blog! And on that blog, I found Pip's series on how to crochet a granny square. And this is where my heirloom afghan project all started!

As my very first crocheting project, I decided to make a granny square afghan for my soon-to-be-born baby boy. I wanted it to be full-sized, so, rather than a baby blanket, I decided that it would become an heirloom--something that we would use as a family over the years and that he would get one day when either he goes off to college, on a mission, or when he gets married. I haven't really decided yet, but he'll get it at some point :) Anyway, I continued to work on the afghan after he was born; I would crochet every time I nursed him and it became a sweet routine. I decided that I would do this with each of my children, and so far I've kept up the tradition!

For Clara, my experience was just as special as it was for William, but for different reasons. Peter was deployed for the majority of my pregnancy with Clara, and so I would spend my free time and evenings, after Will was in bed, crocheting Clara's blanket. This became a comforting project--it gave me something to do and helped me from thinking about being lonely or missing my husband. And so, because I had so much time to myself to work on it, her afghan became especially large :) I finished it not long after she was born during nursing sessions as well.

I used this Speed Hook Shell pattern for Clara's afghan. Although, I used a smaller hook and made the pattern much tighter.

And now I'm working on baby boy #3's blanket. It's been fun each time to choose different patterns and colors that I'm hoping the children will like and that I'll still like in 20 years. But even if the colors go out of style, these blankets will always be special to me because they'll remind me of special times of carrying and nursing my little ones as babes. Hopefully my kids will think they are just as special and they'll keep them as heirlooms for their own children one day!

This Vintage Crocheted Blanket is the pattern that I am currently working on.

Do you have any family heirlooms? Items that have been passed on to you or that you've created to pass on to your own posterity?

Spiderman and Panda Baby

It's still pretty hot in Texas. BUT . . . we're going to California (not that Southern California is very cold either, but nights near the beach do get chilly!) in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving and then to Utah for Christmas, so these kiddos needed some winter gear! 

I found this adorable pattern on Esty a while ago and thought that my little panda needed a cute panda hat! Truth be told, the pattern wasn't quite as clear as I'm used to, but if you know the basics to making a hat, it wasn't too hard to figure out. I made Clara the toddler size, and it's a little bit of a tight fit, but will be fine for this winter. I love the attached scarf, I just wish Clara loved it as much! It's a fight to keep the hat on her for more than 30 seconds, which is why I've got so many mediocre photos of her wearing it :) I figure a bunch of okay pictures equals one good one, right???

Here are a couple of close-ups of just the hat. I promise the two ends of the scarf look the same in real life; I think one just got a little twisted when I took the picture and I didn't notice :)

And I feel like this wouldn't be a very honest post if I didn't have at least one shot of her trying to take it off! So here you go:

As I was making Clara's hat, Will, of course, became a little envious. He also wanted a new hat for this winter. He requested Spiderman. Of course. Lately he tells me about 20 times a day that Spiderman is his favorite. This time though, I figured I could wing the pattern instead of buying another. I just made a basic hat, then added some ear flaps and then created the eyes and web design. It really wasn't as hard as I expected it to be, and considering I was just winging the whole thing, I am pretty happy with how it turned out! And he absolutely LOVES it. So that makes it worth it. 

I've never written up and shared a crochet pattern before, but I did take notes as I was making this. So . . . I can make this available for free if y'all would like! Just let me know and I'll write it up :)

And here's one last picture of a couple of fake smiles to make your day just a little brighter :)

Handmade Baby Gifts

When my son, Will, was just a teeny tiny newborn, I received a little tip from a friend of ours from New York. She told me about the most simple way to make receiving blankets that are just perfect for swaddling a newborn, plus everything else you can think of! And because they're handmade, they're unique and extra special!

Here's a quick rundown of the whole process: buy two yards of coordinating flannel fabric (one yard of each). Sew them right sides together (leaving about 6 inches open), turn the blanket right side out through the opening and then tuck under the gap and topstitch all the way around with a cute, little decorative stitch. And that's it! You're done! Sweet and simple!

And let me just tell you a few reasons why I love these blankets. First of all, you can pick whatever fabric you want to make it personal and unique (I found the cute fox and plaid flannels at my local Joann's), with two layers of flannel they are just the right weight for indoors or outdoors, and they are big enough to swaddle a newborn, use as a playmat, cover the carseat when needed, or as a cover-up for nursing. After learning about this super simple baby blanket, I made a few for Will, and then when I was pregnant with Clara, I made her a few as well, and out of all the baby blankets we have, these have been my favorites by far!

So . . . since my sister-in-law is just days away from having a sweet baby girl, I knew I had to whip up a cute, pink, foxy and plaid blanket for her! And to go along with her little blanket, I also crocheted her a quick newborn-sized Baby Turban that I found on Pinterest a while back. You can find the free pattern here!

Once you're finished sewing up your flannel receiving blanket and crocheting your baby turban, wrap them up in some tissue paper and adorn with matching yarn, and you've got a super sweet handmade baby gift! 

I can't wait to meet my new little niece!!! I hope she'll like her little handmade gifts :) 

Happy baby sewing and crocheting!!! And, if you're in the baby sewing mood, check out my harem pants tutorial, toddler tube skirt tutorial, and baby headwrap tutorial! 

I linked up to I Heart Naptime and The Answer is Chocolate!

Chunky Crochet Cowls

Once upon a time, I used to have an Etsy store. But it was actually pretty short lived because my husband ended up getting deployed not long after I started it and I was going to be temporarily living with my parents while he was gone, so I decided to close it down for a while. But then I had Clara and then we moved to Texas, and there was one thing after another and I never got it going again!

Anyway . . . I've decided to open it back up for the holiday season! I'll be taking orders for my chunky, crocheted cowls. If you're interested, you can click here or on my Etsy link on the side of this page, or email me with any questions!

These cowls are super soft and super warm. They are definitely my favorite accessory to wear during the winter months! Already twisted in the front so that it stays out of your face, it's the perfect size and shape to wear anytime and with anything!

 Here are the colors I will have available:

These cowls are made with chunky, soft, acrylic yarn and can be washed and dried on a gentle cycle. And my products are always made in a smoke-free and pet-free environment :)