Funny Little Critters

Funmigurumi Stripey Cat No. 6---Cutie Lilly 

WHAT A CUTE KITTY! Check out:  http://funmigurumiandkidsstuff.blogspot.com/ 

for this kitty pattern and some free crochet patterns.

Here is her monkey baby rattle  

that would make a great baby gift!

Funmigurumi Monkeyroo 7: (Baby Rattle) Carambola

Quick & Easy Baby Gifts - WOOL DRYER BALLS

Need a quick and easy baby gift idea?

Wool dryer balls are the best!

If you've run out of time to make a crochet baby hat or crochet baby booties, etc. but you want to give something handmade....make some wool dryer balls! They are super quick and EASY!

Reason #1 - EASY. Anyone can make them!

Reason #2 - Don't take up a lot of time but are handmade AND you can personalize them.

Reason #3 - Cost is very minimal.

Reason #4 - They are a great alternative to dryer sheets AND SAFE for the environment!

Reason #5 - Moms will love them.

Reason #6 - You can be creative with them (adding them to a gift basket, cute packaging, etc.)

Reason #7 - They are great for static and collect lint.

You don't have to be a natural "GREEN" mom or a cloth diapering mom to appreciate wool dryer balls. They are great for any mom-to-be. Dryer sheets can irritate a baby's delicate skin, so these are a great alternative...and they are safe for the environment. You can use them over and over again!

There are many ways to make them but here is my EASY/QUICK way:

Materials:

2 skeins 100% wool yarn (feltable wool is best) (do not use superwash)

pantyhose or knee highs (whatever you can find)

yarn needle

Start by wrapping your yarn really tight into a ball (I used some scrap wool for this part). Once you have reached the size of the larger ball below (a tad bigger than a golf ball),  take your needle and secure the tail. *You want it to be really tight and really secure so that it doesn't come apart in the wash.

After securing your balls, put them into your pantyhose and tie them TIGHTLY together with a scrap piece of yarn. *Again I want to stress VERY TIGHT.

Wash them on WARM or HOT (you can throw them in with your regular laundry) and then dry them on the HOT until they are completely dry. They will felt up a bit.

Next, remove them from the hose and and begin wrapping more yarn TIGHTLY until they reach the size of a tennis ball. I used my preferred color with this part (green) since I am making them for Christmas. I used Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller FULL O'SHEEP 100%  wool.  Secure them, put them back in a hose, tie tightly, and throw them back in to the wash. This time you might need to wash and dry them at least 2 cycles. They will continue to felt up with use.

Here are my finished balls!

Makes a great Christmas Gift too!

Depending on what type of yarn you use, they might get pilly after using them several times. Just use a sweater shaver to clean them up if this bothers you.

My Best Baby Gift Idea:

Add some baby blue or pink wool dryer balls to a large wicker laundry basket filled with other laundry items such as Oxyclean Free, Free and Clear Laundry detergent, a zippered washables laundry bag (you can find at Target), cloth diapers for cloth moms, a stain stick, or other laundry items you can think of.

Please feel free to leave comments if you have any questions!





Baby Crochet Hats - FREE PATTERNS

Here are some of my favorite free baby crochet hat patterns found online. Be sure and become a facebook fan or google follower of my site as I will be adding more patterns soon including some of my own. 


CROCHET BABY HATS
the shell stitch beanie


chullito ear flap hat

Cheri Hat

The Art of Crochet on You Tube:
BABY BEANIE HAT - SINGLE CROCHET
LITTLE DARLING SHELL CAP


Merry Christmas!
Jenny

The Happy Boot-y...COMING SOON!

I am so excited about this little crochet baby BOOT(ie) that I have been working on. Here is a sample of the baby boy version. It is even CUTER in person! It and will be available for purchase in January 2011.

I also have a Little Happy Jane bootie that I am coming out with for Spring. It is adorable and I can't wait to show you. I am just finalizing the pattern which will also be available for sale. 

Take Care!
Jenny

Easy Crochet Patterns at KnitPicks

Here is a great website that offers crochet patterns for $1.99 each!
KnitPicks
They have some really cute patterns for kids, babies, and adults.  

Here's an adorable sweet-heart crochet pattern

for a crochet baby hat....Very Cute!

Free Vintage Crochet Patterns

I recently found this website FREE VINTAGE CROCHET which list hundreds of crochet patterns that are no longer copyright. Which means, you can use them however you choose...copy them, share them, make them to sell. They have some cute crochet baby hat patterns. I will be looking over this site in the next weeks and let you know what I find for babies and kids!

Michael's Coupons

Now thru Monday December 13th....
Michaels 50% off and other coupons

Get great deals on yarn for more projects!

Wool Soakers & Diaper Covers

I LOVE cloth diapering and I wanted so badly to get in to WOOL covers, especially since I crochet. I tried some recycled wool for a while and it worked great for nightime, but I prefer prefolds and covers such as Thirsties and Flips. Anyways, I spent some time researching some easy, soaker patterns that I wanted to try. I never got around to it (yet) but maybe you will! I love these patterns and one has you tube videos that help you create it!

Little Fire Crochet Soaker & Skirty Pattern

LadyBugz Diaper Cover on You Tube - go to Online Learning to see the videos

Crochet Castle - Easiest Wool Soaker Pattern 

Happy Crocheting!

Jenny

Sunday Show-off Link Up!

It's Sunday show-off!
Unfortunately our family is stuck inside today since our kids have colds :-( I wish we were at church right now.....

What projects are you working on? Christmas gifts? I know I have been really busy making hats. Here are some cute little hats for my twin nieces. I am almost done with them and I think my sis will love them. My sister loves hot pink and I was having a hard time finding one I liked. I settled on Caron's watermelon color and I think it turned out really cute. What do you think?

Hats are made with Caron So Soft  - Watermelon and Bright White
Flower is Vanna's Choice - Aqua

My little man model!

I love seeing your work....Link up your stuff below!

Baby Afghan - FREE PATTERN

I so WISH I had more time to crochet baby blankets

because this one is just BEAUTIFUL!!

Free Pattern download from Lion Brand.

This would make a great baby gift....

oooohhh,

if I only wasn't working on hats for Chrsistmas right now!

For this pattern download - Go to Lion Brand Website, create an account or sign in. Search for pattern # L0044 and download for FREE!

Teach Yourself To Crochet

Yes, you can easily TEACH YOURSELF HOW TO CROCHET! All you need is a computer, a crochet needle, yarn, and some extra time on your hands.

Here's How: Click on the link below (CROCHET 101) and it will take you to a SERIES of You Tube Videos teaching you how to crochet basic stitches. You can also see the Left-handed version, which was great for me!

CROCHET 101 - Beginner Stitches



Your will learn the following:
SINGLE CROCHET
DOUBLE CROCHET
TRIPLE CROCHET
SLIP STITCH
HALF-DOUBLE CROCHET
CHAIN
QUADRUPLE CROCHET
HOW TO CROCHET ROWS


Happy Crocheting!!!
Jenny

Christmas Angel for Baby

Both of my boys were born close to Christmas and my family would ask me what to get them for gifts. Well, since they were newborns, I felt that they didn't need gifts. They were too little to play with anything and I already had clothes and baby stuff. So, I was thinking about this pattern and how sweet of a gift this would make for a new baby. It's a crochet angel, and wouldn't it be a sweet gift to personalize this angel for a newborn as a Christmas tree ornament? Now I just need to REMIND myself of this idea when there is a new baby in our family!

You could add a little message attached to the angel such as: "I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and bring you to the place I have prepared" Exodus 23:20 NIV
For Baby Brink born December 1, 2010 (example)


Here are my Christmas Angels!

Here is the FREE pattern that you can VIEW or watch her online tutorial.

Single Crochet Baby Beanie - EASY

The baby pattern I probably use MOST is the single crochet baby beanie. Moms love this pattern, especially for baby gifts and newborns. The same pattern can be used for many different versions and styles (I will be adding more ideas at a later date). The following pictures show some of my different versions of the same simple pattern. This pattern is FREE and can be found online at:
FREE BABY BEANIE PATTERN where she also has an online tutorial showing how to make this beanie hat. Video tutorial\

The baby shoes/loafers below are from a pattern by Hook Candy. I love her crochet baby bootie patterns. Here is her shop on etsy: Sylver

Here is one of my baby beanies in a Sugar'n Cream's natural cotton yarn.    

This one is made with Caron's Simply Soft in Orange and Blue.

I had a request for a War Eagle/Auburn baby beanie. 

This one is made from Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Lake and Taupe.



Sweet Piggy for Baby

I found this FREE PIGGY pattern online at CoatsandClark.com . It worked up really easily and was pretty quick to come together. I left out the skirt part of the pattern since I was making it for a baby boy and then added a really cute matching ribbon. I also sewed a really cute bad to go with it. Makes a GREAT baby gift!