Newborn size cluster stitch hat: GIVEAWAY

Yesterday, I was sick. What do I do when I’m sick? Sleep. A. Lot. 

In-between my naps, I would drink some tea and crochet a little bit. Then, because crocheting was much too strenuous, I’d take another nap. With all my sleeping and a little bit of crocheting, I had a newborn baby hat done by the end of the day. Life can be so exhausting when you’re sick. Anyway, the hat I made was from this awesome pattern I found on Pinterest:  bustingstitches.blogspot.com/2012/09/candy-puffs-beanie.html.

Example of the first cluster done with the skipped stitch behind it.
The next stitch would go into that skipped stitch, meaning
you would cross over the existing stitch. 

Love the look of these stitches!

                   

    I found a little bit of CARON Simply Soft yarn in grey so I decided to see if I had enough to make a baby hat. I followed the pattern and crocheted using two strands of yarn as one with the larger crochet hook. Since I only had one skein of yarn, it was a bit tricky. I had to stop every now and then and unwind some more yarn from the one side so the skein wouldn’t get all tangled up. 

An example of the end of a cluster stitch. See how there are
 technically 6 strands of yarn instead of 3?
 That's because I doubled up the yarn and am working
 with 2 strands instead of 1.

I love the look of these stitches – it’s basically cluster stitches crossing over each other.  It was easy enough to learn and different from anything else I’ve made. I ran out of grey yarn with only one single crochet row left. I decided that I would finish that row with an accent color and crochet the flower out of that color as well. I went with the CARON Simply Soft yarn in Passion as the accent color. I doubled up the yarn for the last row of single crochet and then made the flower with just a single strand of yarn.

I have a go-to flower pattern that I really like – here is the pattern I used: http://www.action-hero.net/blog/2004/09/crocheted-flower-pattern.html

Since I only wanted a small flower, I stopped after Row 2. Then, I found a matching grey button, sewed that onto the flower and then the flower onto the hat! J

Ta-da! I actually did something productive during a sick day.
Do you want a chance to win this hat? Well, it’s your lucky day because I’m giving it away! For a chance to win, do one or more of the following: Like the Facebook post, comment on the Facebook post, or comment on the actual blog post. You will get 1 chance for each one of those actions taken. The drawing will end on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016. I’ll draw from a hat (maybe even this one!) to see who wins. Good luck! :) 

Glass etching

As a previous child care provider, I know how much energy, love, passion, and hard work goes into each and every day. It is an exhausting but extremely rewarding job. Child care providers are not paid enough. Not nearly enough. Early childhood educators don't get the credit they deserve. Because of that, I try my best to thank the child care providers of my niece, Sydney, in little ways that show I appreciate all they do.

I bought this set of 4 little glass jars at Home Goods months ago. I had another glass jar that was similar in size so I decided these would be my next project for the 5 super amazing ladies who work with Sydney.

Since I had each of Sydney’s teachers fill out a “favorites” sheet, I knew what each of their favorite candies were. I went to the nearby CashWise and bought some candy in bulk. Jolly Ranchers, Swedish Fish, Laffy Taffy, LifeSaver gummies, and Starburst.

Then, I set to work on doing some glass etching on the little jars. My older sister, Stacey, taught me how to do glass etching. Super easy, fairly inexpensive, and doesn’t take much time.

Here’s what you need to do some glass etching:

·         Various glasses/jars

·         A small bottle of Armour Etch

·         Small foam paint brush

·         Gloves

·         Scrapbooking letters/stickers

·         Masking tape

·         Windex

·      

First off, I washed the jars and used Windex on them to make them super clean. After drying, I began to place the scrapbooking letter stickers where I wanted them. Then, I placed masking tape in a square around the letter. Whatever is not covered will turn into a nice frosted look. Make sure you push down on the stickers and the masking tape to make a clean edge.

          

Put an old towel down in case this next part gets a little messy. Next, put your gloves on. Using the small foam brush, put a generous coat of the Armour Etch onto the squared off section surrounding the letter. Really goop it on. Make sure the jars lay so that the letter faces up so the etching cream doesn't drip. The first time I did glass etching, I was working with wine glasses and put the etching cream on so thick that it dripped down over the masking tape and etched some of the glass that I didn't want etched. That's why you should have it facing up, if at all possible. Cover all of the jars and leave it on for 10 minutes. 

Keep your gloves on – you’re going to need them in a bit. Now, starting with the first jar you etched, rinse off the Armour Etch under running water. Use your gloved hand to gently get ALL of the etching material off and don’t let it touch your skin. After all of the jars are rinsed, dry them with a towel, being gentle around the newly etched part.

Now you get to take off the scrapbook stickers and masking tape to see what your glass etching looks like! 

Carefully pull the masking tape off. Then, gently pull off the scrapbooking sticker. Mine kind-of stuck a little bit so I had to scrub it off really gently.

Use some Windex to fully clean the etched area again. Wash out the inside of the jars and now they are ready for some candy! 

Of course, I made sure that the gal’s favorite candy were placed in the correct monogrammed jars. I wrote a little thank you note for each jar and tied them to the jar with curling ribbon.

If you are reading this and have a child care provider who takes care of your child, treat them like queens (or kings if you’re lucky enough to have a guy at your center!) They do what they do because they LOVE it and they want to make a difference in a child’s life. Let them know you appreciate everything they do.  A simple thank you note or gift goes a long way.

The finished candy jars! Depending on what's in them and the lighting, some of the letters are easier to see than others. 

Fingerless gloves crochet pattern

Close-up of one of the fingerless gloves made with CARON Simply Soft in the color Sticks and Stones

Tis the season for really cold weather. I mean REALLY cold. This weekend, the temp is supposed to be around 20 degrees below zero, and the windchill 45 degrees below zero. Yikes. That’s enough to keep anyone inside. I think I’ll cozy up with my heated blanket and a cup of tea and crochet the day away. J

If you are looking for a good crochet project for a day like this, search no further! THIS PATTERN is a quick, fairly easy pattern that doesn’t use a lot of yarn. My older sister, Stacey, like me, is always cold. Her office area is often colder than she’d prefer so she requested that I make her a pair of fingerless gloves so she could wear them while she types. I found this pattern and decided to give it a try. I used CARON Simply Soft yarn in Spring Brook.

Supplies needed: 

CARON Simply Soft yarn (or another worsted weight yarn)

4.25mm or 4.5mm hook

4 buttons (if you are going to use them, aren't needed)

The unusual stitch in this pattern is the puff stitch. It takes a little practice to master but isn’t too difficult. HERE is a tutorial on how to do the puff stitch.   The biggest advice I can give you regarding this stitch is to not start off too tight when doing the first couple of loops on the hook. If you tend to crochet tight stitches (like me), you will have to loosen up your stitches a little bit in order for the hook to cleanly go through all of the loops. The video describes and shows that very nicely.

These fingerless gloves are made with CARON Simply Soft in the color Spring Brook

I made several alterations to the pattern. Since I did not have a 4.5mm hook, I used a 4.25mm hook. I also made the thumb holes bigger because I don't like feeling like it is cutting off circulation. In Row 5, where the thumb hole is made, I crocheted 6 chain stitches instead of 3. I also didn’t use buttons. So, in rows 4 and 8, I skipped the button holes. After Row 12, I single crocheted the two sides together to connect the piece into a cuff. 

Stacey liked the first pair I made for her so much that she requested another so she could keep one at home and one at work. The other color (brownish, pictured below) is called Sticks and Stones. They are both CARON Simply Soft. 

I liked using variegated yarn colors for this pattern because with the puff stitch, you don’t end up seeing a “pattern” of a certain color of yarn always being in a certain part of the project. The puff stitch uses up enough yarn in each stitch that you don’t end up with weird stretches of color in your project.

When you finish your fingerless gloves, put them on and use them to crochet your next project! J

Waffle weave crochet pattern

So, I LOVE the look of this basket weave crocheted baby blanket. It looks more like a knit pattern, but it is actually crocheted! It involves a couple of more advanced stitches, but once you get the hang of them, it is a piece of cake! 

I used Loops and Threads Charisma yarn from JoAnn Fabric. I’ve made this blanket a few times – the first time in Charcoal and the next time using Off White with a Dark Blue border.

 I like the Charisma yarn because it is thicker and works up fast, but is also soft and machine washable and dryable (super important qualities to have when making a baby blanket!) 

The hook suggested is an 8mm hook, but I only had a 9mm so I used that instead. I followed this pattern:  http://www.deliacreates.com/nesting-basket-weave-crochet-baby/

My friend, Jackie, sent me this picture (above right) of the blanket I made for her sweet baby boy Emmett. Doesn’t it look so cute hanging on the edge of the crib with the adorable sign above? For this blanket, I used 6 balls of Off White and 1 ball of Dark Blue for the border. 

I had learned how to do a front post double crochet and back post double crochet stitch when making some cute baby booties before, so I was familiar with the stitch. It is actually easier to do with thicker yarn and a bigger crochet hook, so this is a perfect pattern to learn how to do this stitch. Here is a link to a GREAT tutorial on how to do the front and back post double crochet stitch: https://crochetwithpassion.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/front-and-back-post-double-crochet-tutorial/ Just remember that it is the front and back POST you are focusing on, not the loops. The post is the upright, vertical part of the stitch.

As you start working on this pattern, you won’t see the basket weave pattern right away. The pattern requires you to alternate every 4 rows. After 8 or 12 rows, you will start to see the pattern emerge. Keep in mind, you need to end your pattern on  a multiple of 4 so you don’t break the pattern halfway through.

In this picture, I purposely placed my foot next to the blanket 

so you can see the size of the baby blanket. 

Pretty pink toes, right? 

The little laminated sticky label in the corner is one of the coolest creations on the planet! It is a personalized label from NameBubbles that is washable and super sticky.  I love putting the label on it to remind the recipient that the gift was made with lots of love.

 If you are wondering if these labels are worth the money, let me tell you they absolutely are! I bought the laminated washable ones so that they will hold up in the wash. Here is the link to their website: http://www.namebubbles.com/Default.aspx  

I used to work at a child care center and one of the little boys in my room had a laminated sticker on his blanket. It was washed MANY MANY times and still looked brand new and still stuck to the material. Great way to label your child’s clothes or belongings so they don’t get lost at daycare.
Happy crafting everyone! :)