Santa Hats

I've been dreaming about making these precious Santa hats for awhile now. So glad that I finally broke down and made them, and right in time for Christmas! I also made the pom pom loose and removable so that it can double as a cute winter hat when Santa is back at the North Pole and it's still chilly outside!

Lucy with her precious cap (and of course one for bitty baby!)






So glad I was also able to make one for beautiful baby Leanna. Her mama isn't used to these Christmas newborns, having 2 other spring babies. I was so excited to see her wearing it!



These were so easy and such a blast, that I am pondering making them next fall and selling them on etsy. One of the few things that can double for either boys or girls!

Frosty Blanket

Lucy has been so nuts about Frosty lately that I made her this blanket. I did take lots of pictures and am pondering doing a tutorial on fleece blankets with make it yourself bias tape. I know this is not rocket science, but was so thankful that someone showed me how to make my own bias tape. Esp since I prefer the really large kind (more room for error) and the bigger it gets, the more expensive it is! Lucy is so excited about this blanket! I'll have to post a picture of her with it.

Scarfing Along

Thanks to my dear friend Dallas and Joy's Hope, I was able to make these amazing scarves. It was a blast and really with Joy's tutorial, anyone can do it! I hope they serve well as stocking stuffers for the ladies in my family as well as the MOPS gift exchange :)

Starting 9 fat quarters from the fabric store, I cut and arranged them, like so...



Sewed them together..


And made 8 beautiful scarves!! Here is the "skinny" version, for fashion, followed by the "cozy" version, for warmth. I prefer cozy but probably b/c I'm not much of a fashionista and it's been 20 degrees outside!



And, as Julie says, anything looks cuter on a beautiful baby! So here's my Little Lu modeling them for me.

Circle To Square Baby Afghan

I have been admiring this afghan from afar for about a year, way too intimidated to try it. However, my sweet nephew was born, and I had an excuse to try it. While it was a learning experience, I was eventually able to crank out these squares pretty quickly. I am excited about how it turned out and can't wait for my nephew to open it tomorrow night!!

The first square...this was a doozy at first. But later I was doing them pretty fast.


The squares without the finishing.


A close up of the finished squares.


Adding the pompoms and...done! I love how it looks!

Family Pics

Wendilee took these family pics last night. I was super excited about how they turned out. I got the bright idea to do a few pics of the family with the kids wearing their caps. I hope they don't resent me for it one day. C'mon, Ranger and Sawyer are wearing Dallas Cowboy colors and Lucy has a matching cap for Bitty Baby, can we get any more modern with yarn?? Lol!

Toddler Girl Cap and matching doll cap

Lucy was not too excited about the beautiful cap I made her. Then I made one for "Bitty Baby" and now she won't take either of them off. I'm very happy with how they turned out! So easy...probably would have taken a few hours from start to finish, and maybe even 2 hours or less had I not had mommy distractions.

Also, a special thanks to my amazing crochet mentor, Annie, who taught me how to effortlessly weave in new colors. I would NEVER have attempted color changes like this a few years ago. It does take practice, but also a knowledge of how to do it. I would not have been able to do this without her teaching. Enjoy!

More Cute Baby Caps

I made matching caps for these precious twin girls. This was my first try at the pompom. How can anything not look good on these little cuties?

Taggie and Wipey Holder

My mom has been making taggies for several years, and has made one for all 3 of my kiddos, which they love! I had been pretty intimidated by them. My friend Kelly made one for Sawyer using minky fabric and I was inspired to try it. This is the result. The wipey cover is super easy, and while I had made a few before, the tutorial that Jill gives are just the best. I found the pattern a little too big, but when I reduced it about 5% it was the perfect size! I got some minky blue fabric and made 2 boys wipey cases, too. So many pregger friends and way too many opportunities to make baby bling!

Blanket with Crocheted Edgings

My friend Annie taught several of us how to make these, but this is my first time to try it! I am giving it to a dear friend who has just adopted a toddler girl internationally. It was pretty easy and I thought it turned out cute!

Baby Girl Sweater

This sweater is from a pattern that is from a very old crochet book. I had just gotten into crocheting, and was very excited about it. Kevin's great aunt Uarda, who is as close as a grandma to him, gave me a book that she has owned for over 30 years and never put to use. Ironically, most of the patterns in it were more fashionable today than lots of patterns in the stores now. (While crocheting is not just for grannies, some of the patterns out there are, esp when it comes to garments).




This was my first big crochet undertaking. It was a beast, to say the least, and while I'm very proud of it, I would probably not start with something of this magnitude if I had it to do over again. Not only is the pattern a little difficult, but the skeins of yarn are so fine that it takes a lot of this stuff to get bulk. This project was made with Bernat baby yarn in pink. I chose it for it's sparkle. It was a great yarn, don't get me wrong. Now, I swear by Lion Brand Vanna's Choice baby yarn. It is bulkier, and it's so much easier to get traction with my projects. This sweater was made for Little Lu last year. It fit big, thank the Lord. My efforts get to be blessed for 2 winters!

I modified it a little last night! First of all, I added buttons. Little Lu cannot wear a jacket unless it is buttoned/zipped, etc. While she was happy to have this jacket secured with a tie on top last year, I have tried to get her to wear it this year. Every time she sees the open part, she says "oops!" and takes it off. Since the pattern did not call for buttons, I was at liberty to choose my own. I found these roses by JHB International. Sewing these on was another story. I am a crocheter not a seamstress. Don't know if the buttons will make it through a washing but I have a spare and know where to get more!



Second of all, the original pompoms were hand made. Since then, I have discovered pom pom makers by clover. They are so great and make full, beautiful pompoms! I hope Lucy can get a lot of wear out of the sweater now that it has buttons. I also hope to pass it on to a niece or grandaughter one day!

Froggie Blanket

This is the Sawyer Lovin blanket that I crocheted while I was pregnant. To be quite honest, I was a tad disappointed to find out he was a boy since I had been poring over crochet patterns for baby blankets from the minute I was aware of his conception. It is hard to find a baby blanket, even in a boy pattern, that doesn't seem feminine. I thought this one served him well. This is made with Vanna's Choice Baby yarn and is actually a Vanna's Choice Baby Pattern. For those of you non-crocheters, Vanna does refer to the Vanna White! Who knew "Miss Beautiful Letter Turner" ("Letter Toucher" now, but "Turner" in the 80's you youngins!) on Wheel of Fortune is an avid crocheter! BTW, I am entering a contest that Michael's and Lion Brand Yarn is putting on and the winner gets to meet Vanna in LA and be in the WOF audience. Wish me luck :)

Elephant Doll

This is a doll I made for Ranger, and it also from the Vanna's Choice Baby book. It was very difficult since it is the first non flat piece I made. Also, sewing the limbs on was very difficult. Don't look at it too closely. It's not perfect, but he snuggles with it every night and takes pride in the fact that I made it for him. That's the most important thing, right?

Sweet Boy Caps

After the frustration of trying to follow patterns for crocheted baby caps, I came up with my own. These are the results. Sammy and Sawyer are 5 months apart and beautiful baby models.