Sophisticated Stripe Baby Blanket

When I'm making baby blankets I'm always shopping for cute baby patterns. I love teddy bears, Winnie the Pooh, and all the precious baby patterns that are out there.

There are some moms though, who prefer more grown up patterns for their little ones, and I decided I wanted to make some pretty baby blankets that would appeal to them.

This striped fabric isn't a traditional baby pattern, but I loved the color combination. With cream, brown, pink, periwinkle, lime and orange stripes, this pattern is a bit more sophisticated than rubber duckies, and could be used for baby boys or girls.

I bought enough fabric to make a few blankets. This first one I edged in periwinkle. I really like the way it came out. I have more yarn in pink and in cream that coordinates with this fabric, but I really like the way this yarn calls out that blue stripe. I think it helps to make this more grown up pattern a bit more youthful.

1505

I finally finished the crochet portion of my bead crochet project!

1505 beads went into making this - it was FUN!

I thought that stringing these beads and keeping track of the pattern would be incredibly tedious, but it really wasn't bad! It was sort of relaxing. Of course this is a relatively small project, and I might feel differently when facing a huge number of beads (though 1505 beads does seem like more than a few).

In any case, I'm more or less pleased with my work. It's my first try, and it's not perfect. The left side is nice and straight. The right side is a bit raggedy. I'm hoping that when I block and assemble that it will look a bit cleaner and be usable.

Many thanks for Kathy for teaching the class and sharing her pattern. I have to work on assembly now, but so far this class has been great and a lot of fun!!

Another EdgeryDoo with Pooh

This is another Edgerydoo blanket that I made for Marine Corps Kids.

I love this Pooh fabric, and Edgerydoo makes it so quick and easy to complete projects.

I worked without a pattern for this one, and played with elements of other edging patterns that I've used. The pattern is original, but I've taken elements from a lot of other patterns that are out there, most specifically one from Lynn at Angelcrafts.
Here is how I did it:

This edging can be done around fleece patterns or around traditionally crocheted pieces.

stitches used:
SC - single crochet
CH - chain
DC - Double Crochet
HDC - half double crochet
TC - Triple crochet
slip stitch to join

Special Stitches:
V-Stitch = DC, chain 2, DC (all in same stitch)
Shell = HDC, DC TC, DC, HDC (all in same stitch)

Using my Edgerydoo, I cut and pierced holes around my fabric.

Using baby weight yarn and a 3.5 mm hook, I sc followed by 2 chains in each pierced hole, and joined my yarn to form my base row. Then:

Row 1: sc around entire edge (sc in each sc in your base row and in each chain stitch). slip stitch to join.

Row 2: Chain 5 (counts as first DC and chain 2), DC in same stitch, skip the next 2 sc, V-stitch in the next sc. Continue pattern around (V-stitch, skip 2 sc, V-stitch, etc) Slip stitch to join

I changed color here
Row 3: chain 2 in chain space of first V-Stitch. In same space DC, TC, DC, HDC. SC in next V-stitch space, Shell in next V-Stitch - continue this pattern around (alternating shell, sc, shell, sc in each V-stitch) Join to finish and you're done.

Very fast and easy to do and gives a nice wavy edge to a simple project.

Enjoy.

Livie's Legs

My niece sent some pictures of Miss Olivia modeling her Livie Legs.

Honestly, with a baby this cute, I hardly notice whats on her legs, but I like knowing that she can wear them and that they help keep her warm and toasty.

Admit it - she's a cutie, isn't she?

Look Who's Beading!

Some very close friends of mine have become bead addicts, including my dear friend Lynn whose amazing bead and metal jewelry work can be viewed on her blog at Beading Help Web.

For years, I have been in awe of her work, and I've been sorely tempted to try my hand at beading and jewelry making, but I'm a crocheter - if I took up bead-work, when would I crochet?

Problem solved! With bead crochet I can kill two proverbial birds with one stone! (what a horrible expression! I would never knowingly kill a bird!!)

I recently signed up for an on-line bead crochet class with Kathy White. Kathy is amazingly talented - you can see some of her work on her Crochet N Beads site or at her Etsy shop.

The picture above shows the first 16 rows of our class project. It's not perfect, but for my first attempt at bead crochet, I'm very pleased! I thought that the stringing would be very tedious and complicated, but Kathy's instructions are so thorough and well thought out - this has been a great learning experience!

I'm curious to see how this project finishes up - and I'll post more pictures of my progress. Bead crochet is a lot more time consuming than some of the other techniques that I've tried, but its really fun learning something new, and applying what I know to new forms of the craft.

Livie Legs - Free Original Pattern

BabyLegs are all the rave with new moms, and they’re awfully darned cute, so when my niece asked me if I could crochet a version for her daughter, Olivia, I was delighted!

I used Baby Yarn and an F (4mm) hook.

Choosing the yarn:
You want to use a baby weight acrylic yarn. Two of the pairs shown here are made with Bernat Softee Baby. The mint colored pair is made from a partial skein of baby weight yarn I had in my stash. I don’t remember what yarn it is, but I really enjoyed working with it.

You want the yarn to be soft as it will be up against baby’s skin. You also want a sturdy yarn that will survive a lot of crawling. I advise staying away from novelty yarns with fuzz, fur or other fibers that can catch or shed easily.

Also note if your yarn has any sort of pattern. The pink and mint yarn I used is an all over pattern, and the leggings are solid colored. The blue/green/yellow pair was made with Bernat Softee in Dreamy Blue. The pattern on the yarn created a pattern in the leggings. This was not by design, but pure chance. The top of the legging made a great diagonal stripe pattern, but as I decreased in rows and the leggings tapered to the ankle, the pattern changed. This is not good or bad – some will like it, some won’t. Just keep it in mind when you choose your yarn. If you don’t like the change in color pattern, you will want to stay away from this sort of variegated yarn.

For my first attempt at this design, I used a traditional chain base row. A few rows later, I realized that this method didn’t provide enough stretch, and that the top cuff could cut into Sweet Livie’s thighs, so I started over using the Double Base Chain Stitch method. I had never used this starting method before, and I love it! It has a lot more stretch and give, and I think it offers a cleaner look. Follow the visual tutorial in the link for easy instructions.

I have written the pattern in two size versions – they are basically the same, but Version 1 is a bit thinner on top for lean babies, and Version 2 gives a bit more room at the top for deliciously chubby babies.

Version 1

Row 1 - using the Double Base Chain Stitch, make a base row of 32 stitches. Join to form a loop being careful not to twist your work. (32 stitches)

Row 2 – chain 3 (counts as first DC), DC around, join to top of 1st chain 3 (32 DC)

Row 3 – Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed cuff. Join

Row 4 – chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch

Rows 5–17 – Repeat Row 4

Row 18 – HDC in first 6 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (28 HDC)

Rows 19-35 – chain 2 (first hdc) HDC all the way around (28 hdc)

Row 36 – chain 3 (first dc) DC around (28 dc)

Row 37 - Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed lower cuff. Join

For Girls: Scalloped bottom edging
Row 38: chain 1, sc around, join

Row 39 – chain 3 (first dc) 4 dc in same stitch (forms shell), skip next stitch, sc in next stitch, skip next stitch Shell (5 dc) in next stitch – continue around. Join. Finish off.

For Boys or Girls: Simple Ribbed edging
Row 38 – repeat row 37 ( do a FDC in each FDC of previous round, and a BDC in each BDC of previous round), join
Row 39 – sc around, join and finish weaving in tail of the yarn.




Make a second following the same instruction to complete the pair.


Version 2 (for a slightly larger legging):

Row 1 - using the Double Base Chain Stitch, make a base row of 36 stitches. Join to form a loop being careful not to twist your work. (36 stitches)

Row 2 – chain 3 (counts as first DC), DC around, join to top of 1st chain 3 (36 DC)

Row 3 – Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed cuff. Join

Row 4 – chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch (36 stitches)

Rows 5–17 – Repeat Row 4 (36 hdc)

Row 18 – HDC in first 7 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (32 HDC)

Rows 19-26 – chain 2 (first hdc) HDC all the way around (32 hdc)

Row 27 - HDC in first 6 stitches, decrease HDC over next 2 stitches, repeat this pattern around. join (28 HDC)

Row 28- chain 2 (counts as first HDC), HDC all the way around, join w/ slip stitch (28 hdc)

Rows 29-35 – Repeat row 28 (28 hdc)

Row 36 – chain 3 (first dc) DC around (28 dc)

Row 37 - Front Post DC in first 2 stitches, Back post DC in next 2 stitches. Repeat this pattern all the way around to form a ribbed lower cuff. Join

For Girls: Scalloped bottom edging
Row 38: chain 1, sc around, join

Row 39 – chain 3 (first dc) 4 dc in same stitch (forms shell), skip next stitch, sc in next stitch, skip next stitch Shell (5 dc) in next stitch – continue around. Join. Finish off.

For Boys or Girls: Simple Ribbed edging
Row 38 – repeat row 37 ( do a FDC in each FDC of previous round, and a BDC in each BDC of previous round), join
Row 39 – sc around, join and finish weaving in tail of the yarn.

Make a second following the same instruction to complete the pair.


This pattern is easy to modify to fit your baby.

Add or reduce the straight hdc rows to change the length for a perfect fit.

You can make the whole tube larger or smaller in diameter by adding or reducing stitches per row. Just be sure that your starting row and all subsequent rows have a stitch count in multiples of 4s.

I made mine in solid yarns, but have fun adding stripe patterns. Just make sure to leave a long tail when you change colors and weave it into your work going back and forth in the row. You don’t want to tie knots as babies will be crawling in these and knots will cause uncomfortable pressure on their knees and legs.

While I wouldn’t want to embellish these in too many ways as embellishment like buttons can be choking hazards, and sewn seams can irritate baby, I think it might be fun to sew fleece patches onto the knees or decorative bows to the tops.

If you have any questions you can e-mail me at wormswords@gmail.com.
And please send pictures of your finished Livie Legs! I love seeing what other people create from my patterns!


This is an original copyrighted pattern. Feel free to use it for personal or charity work. Do not sell this pattern, publish it, or post it on the web. You may feel free to link to the pattern here. If you like this pattern, please consider donating a completed pair of Livie Legs to Operation Marine Corps Kids to help support the families of our troops.

I love a request!

Regular readers of my blog will know that a year ago my niece had a baby, and that that baby is one of the cutest children ever born. She's one of those happy, friendly babies who never cries without a good reason and who brings great joy to everyone who knows her. I love to crochet for her, so I was absolutely delighted when my niece asked me to try to make something for her!

Like many young moms, my niece has become a big fan of BabyLegs. I have to admit that when I first heard about them, I was skeptical - baby leg-warmers seemed like an odd idea, but when I listened to my niece and thought about it, I realized that they are a great idea. They keep baby's legs warm when she/he is in a a onsie or a skirt, they're easier to deal with than baby tights, they protect little knees when baby crawls on hard floors, and they're just plain cute!!!



Last weekend, my niece asked me if I would try to make some for her daughter. She told me that if I googled, I would find lots of instructions online about how to make imitation BabyLegs from a pair of women's knee socks. I found lots of instructions, including this simple photo-tutorial, and was able to make these for my great-niece.





They were fun and easy, and I enjoyed making them for her, but of course the challenge was to design a crochet pattern for Livie Legs.

I worked on it, and feel that this was my first REAL design effort. While I've posted many original designs before, this is the first time that I really had to try things, frog it, try again, change it and rework my thought process to get something that would work for my great-niece. Nothing that would be too tight on her legs and cause pain. I think that by the nature of yarn and crochet, they're quite a big thicker than traditional BabyLegs, and really are more like baby leg-warmers. BabyLegs are thin enough to wear under baby's pants. Livie Legs are a bit thicker, but they're sort of cute if I may say so myself.



I'm waiting for Livie to test these for me - make sure they fit as they should and don't irritate her, and once I have her seal of approval, I'll be posting this pattern to share.

Tutti-Fruiti

Just finished this blanket using Aggie May's Round Ripple pattern. I love this pattern, and decided to use it for a scrapghan using up my partial skeins of Bernat Baby Coordinates. I love the subtle shimmer of this yarn and the pretty baby colors. I used a F hook for this blanket, so it took some time to finish. I still have some ripples in the piece, but overall I'm very happy with it. I used a row of back post dc to give the piece a nice finished edge.

This will be donated to Marine Corps Kids.