Brightening up this cold day with a yellow-striped shirt and warming up my neck with a new crocheted cowl…
Yellow-striped shirt: Old Navy {less than $3 on clearance!}
Skinny jeans, cowboy boots: Target
Braided crochet cowl: made by me
Necklace: The Vintage Pearl
Linking up with What I Wore Wednesday!
I love to cook and bake, so I went with recipes last week for Mindee’s Pinterest Post Party. I also love to crochet and that is what you’re getting today!
Confession: I went MAJORLY crochet happy while pregnant with Double J. It kept my hands and mind busy. I made lots of baby items for him and for friends’ babies. Baby hats are just so cute and quick to make!
I came across this pattern for a crochet owl newborn hat just a few weeks before Double J was born and I just had to give it a try!
My favorite yarn to use for baby items is Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton – it is soft, washable, inexpensive, and comes in many colors! I found all of the colors I wanted for the owl hat and got to work!
Believe it or not, the hat only took me a few nights to finish while watching TV after the kids were in bed! I really thought something this detailed would take much longer, but the directions were easy to follow and, like I said before, baby items whip up fast because they are so teeny tiny!
I didn’t take any pictures in process, but I think the completed project turned out pretty darn cute…
Yep – I made that! The baby AND the hat! And I only had help with one of them 
{Thanks to my friend Megan for this adorable newborn photo of Double J!}
Oh, and did I mention the pattern was FREE?! Pinterest is a great resource for finding free crochet patterns all of kinds! You can check out my other Pinterest crochet finds here!
By the way, I’ve done absolutely ZERO crocheting since Double J was born. Go figure…
Check out more Pinterest-inspired posts and link up your own every Tuesday and Thursday in May over at Mindee’s blog!
I’ve been crocheting some cute little hats for our bundle of joy who will make his appearance in about a month, but the hats are getting some use now thanks to these boys, some bears, and an Angry Bird…
They make pretty good models, right?! I’m excited for baby boy to join his brothers and wear these hats for himself!
By the way, have you taken our little baby poll yet? It’s not too late and it’s just for fun!
I taught myself to crochet a few years ago. {Thank you Lord for this creative outlet – and for the internet that helped me learn it!}
It all started with a blanket…that I never finished.
I don’t do blankets – I’m more of a short-term project kind of girl. Yes, I need instant gratification whenever possible.
As my skill has progressed, I have found MANY rewarding projects that don’t take years to complete and I want to share some of my favorites with you!
Let me encourage you – if you want to learn how to crochet, you can find every kind of tutorial you’ll ever need on the web. Video tutorials on YouTube are especially helpful. And then, you can find free patterns for just about everything on here as well!
So if your fingers are itching to make something or you need some gift ideas for Christmas, here are…
1. Rib-wrapped cap – This is actually my very favorite cap to make for babies, but there is also a pattern for toddler/child size and I used that with modifications to make one for myself!
2. Crochet rosette flowers – This was one pattern I actually paid for and it has been WELL worth it. I have used these flowers on headbands, necklaces, hats, pins and even flip flops! And they are very easy to make!
3. Petite Scarf - This is a cute little “scarf” to wear when you don’t want something long and bulky under your coat! There is a button to fasten it underneath. Very fun winter accessory!
This was a fun set to make for my sister. The scarf works up very quickly and the ruffles are so fun! The wristers are even faster to make and with two skeins of yarn, I could make the scarf and wristers to match!
6. 3-Layer Flower Applique - Another pattern I paid for, but at $1.99, I couldn’t resist and it is my favorite multi-layer flower pattern so far!
7. Basic Newborn Side-to-Side Hat {with a pumpkin twist!} – This is VERY easy to make and is stitched together at the end so you don’t have to figure out what round you are on! Making it into a pumpkin hat was simple and she also has a striped version!
8. Chunky Hat - I was surprised how easy this was to make and I LOVE the structured bill on it! I made one for my sis for Christmas last year and a friend wants one made for her this year! Cute and warm for these Midwest winters!
Source: redheart.com via Erin on Pinterest
9. Baby booties – I LOVE this pattern – not too hard and super adorable when all finished! I use Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Cotton for most of the baby things I make these days – very soft!
Source: zoomyummy.com via Erin on Pinterest
10. Slippers – Ok, these I have not actually made yet but they are the very next thing on my list because they are SO cute. I’ll let you know how they turn out
And one more EXCELLENT crochet idea that will work even if YOU don’t know how to crochet…
My friend Jessica over at Muthering Heights had the most brilliant idea to give a child in need the gift of learning how to crochet! If you pack a box {or boxes!} for Operation Christmas Child, then you must check out this crochet tutorial idea to add to a box!
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What hobbies do you enjoy? Any other crocheters out there? Share your favorite patterns!
So I know these kinds of posts usually go up in the month before Christmas, but my family actually reads my blog so I couldn’t post what I was making for them this year until AFTER they received their gifts!
And people still have birthdays in January, right? So you can use handmade gift ideas anytime!
Here are my…
Top Ten Favorite Handmade Gifts I Made for Christmas 2010
7. Handmade Glass Pendant Necklaces
(No tutorial – a friend’s mom had all the equipment and taught us!)
6. Chunky Crochet Hat with Brim
(must be a Ravelry member to view – but it is free to join!)
5. McKinley’s Springtime Crochet Hat (another Ravelry pattern)
4. Petite Scarf – Not a gift, but I just love it!
(I used a different flower pattern than listed.)
3. One-Skein Scarf – I made for this my dad, but I don’t have a picture of him in it!
2. Loom-Knit Mobius Shawl (in a book I had!)
1. Flirty Ruffle Scarf and Wharton Wristers
And now we’re having fun with crafts and such with all this cold weather! I love to keep these hands busy!
Have you been making anything with your hands lately? Crafts, gifts, food?
Join the conversation!