Crochet Easter Bunny

I pinned this tutorial a while back with a whole slew of gems from Lionbrand yarn. 

 

                                                                                 Source: lionbrand.com via Melissa on Pinterest

 I found him adorable and immediately wanted to make him.  Although I am pretty adept at crochet, I shy away from this type of work.  Why?  Well, for one thing, I figure it's never going to turn out like the picture.  Then I don't think I crochet nearly tight enough for a stuffed product.  I don't know why my stitches seem loose, because they are really uniform.  I've been working on tightening my stitches though.

Finally for Easter, Auntie Anne came over to do some pre-holiday crafting and I broke out my yarn and hook and got to work.  I wanted to make him pink, but my pink yarn wasn't having this, so I switched to white and settled on making the ears pink.

I think he turned out rather well, except his body totally stretched out when I had to stuff it.  The head and limbs and tail all looked fine though.  If I were a true perfectionist, I'd have remade the body.  Unfortunately, I started working on this so late, I didn't have the time (or patience) to try it twice.  I really liked the pattern.  It was easy to follow, really simple, and made me feel comfortable to try this technique again for more toys in the future. 

And Claire?  Well, here she is with all of her Easter spoils, including Bunny, who was tossed aside for a pack of Peeps.  But she did take Bunny to church and gave him several hugs.  He even went on a wagon ride to visit Auntie Megan and was only thrown out once (thinking white was definitely not the color for Bunny).  So, it seems Claire really does like him, too.  He got more love than the Hello Kitty lamb, so, there you go.  Better than Hello Kitty.  Success!

The Owl Hat Saga

Hat on your left is mine, hat on right is Claire's.  The eyes and beak are the same size for both (smaller for the other ages).  I'm jealous of her hat--but I guess if I had a head that small, I wouldn't have enough room for all my "smarts," right? 

Everyone knows I have a serious love for crocheting hats.  Claire is unfortunately at an age where a hat might be wearable or not--meaning she'll rip it off her head if it's not a hat day.  How I long for the days where she was too young to know better!  This hat pattern is from Etsy, where I get most of my patterns.  I love buying patterns because I get them in PDF form usually the same night or day after I order in my email, so I can start work on it right away.  With this hat, however, I waited a bit (I've had this pattern probably since last winter).  I wanted to make a hat for this winter, since owls appear to be all the rage right now. 

I started the hat back in September when I had my surgery.  I figured since I'd be useless and stuck on the couch I could at least make the most of my time by working on something productive that required little thought (I can fall asleep crocheting and not screw up stitches... it's a gift).  Unfortunately, my reasoning skills were a little muddled by the wonderful pain killers, so when I selected a size (1-5+ years... seemed reasonable considering she'd be one this winter and the smaller size was only 6-12 months) I didn't think anything about it and never stopped to say to myself, "Self... does this look Claire-sized to you?"

I made the hat itself minus ear flaps and owl accessories the weekend of my surgery, but everyone knows you can't keep this girl down, so I was back to work on Monday and back to life and I ignored the hat since I didn't need it right away (and I still never thought about the size).  Well, that's a lie.  I put it on her, but with no flaps, it was a little big, but didn't seem huge. 

With our one year photo shoot coming up, I wanted to have the hat for cute shots since I have a thing about making sure those pictures always showcase not only my adorable kid, but also all those adorable things I make for her.  So this past week I sat down and finished the hat.  Then I realized, hey, this is pretty big.  I put it on my head and to my horror, it went right on.  I hoped (at that point Claire was asleep for the night) that somehow she had the same size head as me and I just had a small head, but in the morning I realized that no, she was NOT going to fit in this darn thing--and pictures were only two days away!!

I did check my gauge again just to make sure the error wasn't on my part (it wasn't), so I quickly grabbed the yarn and started to work on the 6-12 size hat.  I was careful because I didn't want TWO huge hats, and again my stitches were spot on, so I didn't have to worry any more that my skills were off.  I finished the hat in a record two days (I stayed up pretty late, I won't lie) and on Sunday for pictures the hat was finished, fit, and was adorable.  And now we have matching owl hats! (trust me, it wasn't intended.  I'm sure I'll wear it, because I too love hats, but I think I'm a little old for a purple owl hat ;)  )

 I have another hat, this time with bubble crochet stitches, that I absolutely am in love with.  It'll be Claire's Christmas present.  This hat was technically a birthday present (oh, we'll wrap it, don't worry).  After that I'm pretty much hatted out for her.  A lot of people keep asking about me making hats--I'd love to, but I'm so worried I won't ever get them finished or they won't be as nice as what they want.  I'm a perfectionist like that, I suppose.  I never really thought my crochet skills were good enough for other people to want!  I have some family who I feel "deserve" hats... I also don't know the resell status of these hats--I buy patterns from some folks who let you sell the work and some folks who won't let you sell them.  I don't see the point, because I find it unfair--I made the darn thing!

I have thought about actually researching this and opening an etsy shop of my own to sell the hats.  I have a gift for a friend's newborn and I just love the hat and would make them all day if I could.  Just don't know what I'd do with all those newborn hats, because I'm not having a ton of babies just to fill them (oh, but if I could... ;)  shhh don't tell Matt!)

 So the short answer is, if you want a hat I'm pretty nervous to make people buy them, but I'll see how the gifts are received first (like if my cousin throws it away?)  and then I'll branch out.  It's gonna be a long winter.  You know I won't be doing anything but hiding under the blanket on the couch anyway. 

Hope you like the owl hats.  A lot of love and percocet went into the first one, just a lot of love in the second one.  It's Claire's birthday today.  I find it fitting to talk hats because the first thing we did was try on all the hats I made last year and I remember thinking how adorable she was and that she was alllll mine... I don't think that thought had anything to do with hats in particular, but she's been our baby doll all year.  In a lot of ways today I felt my heart was breaking because she's not a little baby anymore.  But watching her do real people things and eating real people food and having a personality (and last night she "read" me a book--how sweet!!), has warmed my heart.  I'm a proud momma.  Every milestone is bittersweet, but today I'm trying to remind myself of how many wonderful things we have to look forward to and how many wonderful memories we've made. 

Happy birthday, Baby Claire.  You'll always be my baby, no matter how many birthdays go by!

Craft Room Clean Up

Christmas.  Baby.  They sure have a way of ruining a craft room!  I'm so lucky now to have my own room for crafts.  Sure I could all-purpose it, or give it to visitors, but this is my house.  I have never had the opportunity to create my own space for my messes (er... projects).  So I did.  So that's why if you ever spend the night here,  you're sleeping on the couch.
      But as you can see, my room has become a disaster.  Scraps of projects past, plus little this's and that's... all over. 

Somewhere, under this mess, there is a whole wooden table.  Kind of like Where's Waldo, no?

          My giant table, which is so ugly, is beautiful for working on.  It's sturdy.  Already scratched up.  Perfect for cutting fabric, scrapbooking, sewing, ironing in a pinch (but I have an ironing board.  I'm just that lazy).  

See?  I DO have an ironing board.  It's right by our guitars that never get played... Oh... guitars.  Post on pause...

            *rocking guitar solo* I'm back... So I spent my morning getting some stuff taken care of.  I have diapers that need refreshing (some of our used BumGenius diapers are desperately in need of new tabs (whole other post)), I have scraps that need sewing, baby outfits just itching to be made--I'm almost three months behind in my baby scrapbook (and she's almost three months, so you see the problem here).

Lurking in the corner by my massively old TV, and the props from the baby photo shoot.  I need to find a home for everything.  Oh wait.  That's why they're there in the first place--home sweet home. 

          Scenes like this all over the room--scraps from past projects (remember those lovely bags?) just waiting for use.  Or the trash.  What will become of them?   (the suspense)

I spy with  my little eye... camo flannel, for more flannel wipes?

             Larger scraps found a home in my new fabric drawer.  Sure I could cut everything into squares.  Or fat quarters.  But you never know.  So I've got big pieces in here.  And then, after reading many crafting blogs, I decided to make a true scrap bin.  To keep!  This basket is full of odds and ends, really too small for anything except something intentionally made of scraps.  I'm thinking a pot holder.  I'd make a small quilt (like another carseat blankie) but they're not very coordinating.  So I dug through my trash and began to sort:

It's like the foster home of fabric.

 And then Matt stumbled on the motherload stuffed in a giant Christmas bag!

The scrap bin overflow-ith

          What's in there?  Flannel too small for wipes.  Flannel backed satin.  Scraps of all the colors of the bags.  Scraps from my sock-to-legwarmers project.  I think I have enough satin flannel to make Claire a pair of pants... but what >1 needs a pair of pants like that?  No stretch.  Kinda sexy.  Wrong wrong wrong.  Maybe I'll make a pair for Wally--I can use my button-hole-er to put in a tail opening... tempting.

Not a Knitting Zone

          My crochet items also found a home (instead of their temporary one underneath my end table in the living room.  I took all my PDF patterns and put them in a nice little binder and sorted out all the balls of yarn.  Luscious.  Makes me want to jump in and crochet a sweater of many colors.  Or another hat... NO, I said I wouldn't make another hat--stop me you temptress... but I might buy some of those cute patterns going around that look like owls.  Claire needs a trendy owl hat.  

Glad you took a picture.  This never lasts long.

         Finally, after much distraction, I have a clean working space.  Notice my awesome purple Brother (Wal-Mart special) sewing machine.  Some day, when this beloved friend blows up, I might invest in something a bit more expensive.  But this has all the features I love.  Threader, thread trimmer, digital settings.  Buttons that make me stitch backwards, and lift the needle... it even tells me what foot I need for a particular stitch (and COMES with all of the feet... foots?  so I don't have to buy any more).
         You can also see my scrap bin, right at my feet.  My sewing box.  My keep all for pens and scrap booking.  It never gets cleaner than this!  Now you know where the REAL magic happens!

Momma Hat!

Call me jealous.  I wanted a crocheted hat, too!  I've made so many baby hats, perhaps I was a bit cocky on my hat skills, but at least it turned out well enough to fit on my head.  I won't say where I got the pattern from (it's on ETSY) simply because I have several beefs with the pattern.

It looks so harmless sitting on the counter.  Like it couldn't leap up and strangle me at any second.

1.  It starts from the bottom up.  I find that hats look much nicer when they start from the top down.  I don't know why, but I've made enough hats to know this.
2.  NO STITCH COUNTS.  I got one count.  That was the chain for the first row.  From then on?  Not one.  Now, I guess if I was better at math, I could go ahead and do all this myself prep-wise.  But I didn't.  It doesn't really matter on the parts that don't decrease, but when you start decreasing, and it's just, skip this many stitches all the way around... why don't you tell me how many I should have?  Just so I'm sure.  Every other pattern has that!
3.  Reverse crochet/triple crochet... should be enough said, but if I'm speaking Greek to some of you, well, the pattern was speaking Greek to me, too!  I had to keep getting on youtube to watch tutorials on these stitches, but since they weren't normal (like, reverse, but only in one side of the stitch... which side?  Hell if I know).  I figured it out by ripping out a lot of stitches.  I'd try one way, then the other, than decide which was correct.  Luckily, the step was repeated a ton of times, so once I had it figured out, it made the rest pretty simple. 

All in all, I made the hat, it looks okay, and it's warm.  I'm NOT happy with this pattern at all.  For a long time I wasn't sure it would turn into a hat at all, and all the confusing directions were meant to keep you from finishing it and thus figuring out the pattern was a complete sham.  I mean, I can crochet.  I can read patterns... why does it have to be made harder?

In Soviet Russia, HAT wears YOU!

And I think I look like a bad Russian stereotype in it.  Although Matt thinks it's cute.  And it's comfortable and warm, so on my coldest days, I don't mind.  Don't think I'll be making THIS hat, or any hat for ME in the near future.  I need to forget this experience!

My Delicious New Scarf!

Crochet is a new hobby of mine.  I've crocheted quite a few baby hats before this point, but I haven't really had a use for my skill outside of that arena.  Perhaps because a lot of those crochet clothing patterns look a lot like something my grandmother would have made for me, and I would have smiled and thanked her and shoved it in the depths of my closet never to see the light of day again.  But I also have a thing for scarves.  I have this black scarf I was eyeing the other day, and I realized (and remember, I'm still running on new mommy brain, so this realization might be a big "duh" to everyone else) that the scarf was definitely crocheted!  So, could I make one?  I hopped on ETSY and bought a pattern for a Grande Circle Scarf from I'll Be Yarned's shop.  The scarf comes in three sizes and basically is just a regular scarf sewn together (so I guess there are 6 scarves patterns--sewn and not sewn).

Don't let it fool you, this scarf would kill you and everyone you loved if it had the chance. 

This is the medium size scarf.  I bought my yarn earlier today for my new scarf and for a pattern for a hat.  Now, they are both wool, but different sizes... and wouldn't you know, the freaking yarn company doesn't have matching colors in the two sizes!  So my hat will end up being charcoal, like my coat, and my scarf is a gray mottled color.  I like both colors.  I'd like them better if they were the same color.  But at least they had neutrals at all... I could have ended up with some wonky colors and then where would I be?  (Well, wherever I was, I'd be wearing a wonky colored scarf and hat).
And you heard me, I bought the yarn today.  A lot of teachers would insist today they made a difference, that's what they made.  Well, I don't know about all that, but I definitely made a scarf today!  I picked the medium size from the pattern (yes, there is one even BIGGER than this, I can't imagine).  It wasn't very hard.  The pattern was nice, because it at least told me how many stitches, size of yarn, and size of hook.  However, I kind of felt like actually purchasing this pattern was a little stupid---it's just a bunch of double crochet stitches!  Like I couldn't have figured that out.  I should write my own patterns--this is like highway robbery for the insanely non-spatially inclined among us.
I also had to buy a new crochet hook.  Silly me when I saw the size, I still envisioned a pretty tiny hook.  No, I had this giant thing:

I feel like that Crocodile Dundee movie--that's not a crochet hook, THIS is a crochet hook!

It was super simple ( won't cheat and just outright give the pattern).  The hardest part was counting the insane amount of chain stitches at the beginning.  I have trouble counting and I have trouble counting chains that large, so I'm not ashamed to tell you I redid that step about ten times before I finally made it to the 70s.  So, then a bazillion double crochet stitches later and whala!  I have a scarf.
I'm curious to try the hat pattern (different vendor) and see how it turns out.  I won't be making this hat nearly as fast as I did the scarf.  It was just a brief scarfy obsession that spurred me on so fast.  But I like the end results!  I can't believe it was so large, but it's really cuddly and yummy and warm.  Yay for scarves!

What a model... ignore the gym hair. 

Baby Legs and Big Girl Seat

Peek-a-boo!

 So I am in love with Baby Legs, little baby leg warmers, but they are so darn expensive for what they are.  I originally figured I'd have to learn to knit so I could just knit up a few of my own.  Then I found out I wouldn't have to!  Thanks to this helpful tutorial, I went out on the search for some socks and got to work.  I couldn't find the socks of my dreams, but these were pretty cute, and she needs more purple (and I realize the navy KIND OF looks like jeans.  SO that was kind of neat!)  I made three pairs--purple with navy, navy with purple, and stripes.  They're definitely big right now, but she's going to be a baby for a long time, so that's okay.  I'm still kind of humored by things that are oversized on her.  Makes me think she's small :)

I also found out that her cute little purple pom-pom hat that I made before she was born finally fits.  For being a newborn size, it certainly did NOT fit until now!  It's made out of a really soft fluffy purple yarn, and I mixed in some white for the trim and poms (to break up all that purple). 

In these pictures, she is also wearing one of her pug shirts that Wally graciously made for my baby shower.  It's a newborn size, but they STILL fit well.  I guess "newborn" is a nice way to say, it just might not make it all the way to three months. 

Despite all my rage...

We also decided, since we've been sitting up more with her lately, and Claire's head control is getting so awesome, that we'd invest in a Bumbo seat.  She can actually sit in it for quite some time, but she was being obnoxious for pictures, so Daddy has to support her head.  Might have had something to do with her giant heavy hat, too.  It's amazing how much she loves just being up in everyone's business.  Laying on the couch in her boppy pillow is for the birds--If she's awake she's in her bouncer or on our laps.  We also have a Baby Einstein jumper, but she's way too short.  Even with pillows.  But we still play with it with parent help. 

What a big little girl!  And notice the fit on the silly leg warmers--definitely something to grow into, but super super cute!

New Hats, Same Crochet

So, my hat infatuation continues. I'm not sure what my obsession is--hat making has apparently become my hobby. Or my nesting. I'm excited that I was able to teach myself to crochet, so that's probably part of the problem too. My grandmother, as I've mentioned, crocheted quite a bit and was very talented. I am by no means in that league. However, I feel a connection just that I'm able to do it now, and I can follow simple patterns. These are some of the latest hats I've made. I used one of my old dolls for a model for them (I've unearthed all these old cherished toys and washed them... she looks pretty good for being nearly 30 years old, doesn't she?)
This hat came from my Stitch 'n Bitch Happy Hooker crochet book. I didn't want to attempt it before because it seemed difficult with the ear flaps. The directions didn't seem to make sense, but I just threw caution to the wind and did what the book said. What do you know, it turned out to make an actual hat. Here's a close up:
Then I went to ETSY and bought a few simple looking patterns. I'm not big into the website so I don't know all it has to offer, but it seemed really appealing to purchase something and get the patterns in my email the same day. I bought three patterns; I've made two of the three hats so far.
This is my favorite. It's a pink and white stocking cap (it's really hard to see the pink in the pictures... even with our new awesome camera. I think the pink I picked was too subtle, but it looks really cute in person). I made the 3-6 month size because the pattern said the newborn size wouldn't really fit past the first few weeks, and I really wanted this to be a hat to be used rather than just for a few cute pictures. However, after looking at it, I think it would still work early on for photos, even if I have to clip it in the back for a better fit. I don't think I'll make a smaller size, but I do want to make a red and black one and a yellow and black one for football games next fall. I figure with our football infatuation, Claire can wear these and support her favorite teams. I'd love to make a Christmas one before this Christmas because that would be too cute for our first trip to see Santa, but we shall see. Time runs short. If this is just a terrible fit, I might consider making the newborn size for Christmas. I'll wait and see though.
I made two of these jester hats, also from etsy. This multi-colored one is SUPPOSED to be the 3-6 month hat, but it looks huge. I hated the pattern. I actually had to email the seller to give me more specific instructions because it seemed like I was doing it wrong. Turns out, it's just a stupid pattern. It also eats up quite a bit of yarn (one of those times where I think a double crochet stitch would have been better than a half double crochet... less rows... less tight...). But the masochist in me wanted to make TWO!
THIS is the "newborn" size. It's STILL huge! Granted, I used a much thicker yarn for this (which is what makes it look so big, it's very thick), which I bought before I knew how much yarn it used. It's really heavy, but it's cute and warm. I do NOT recommend using this type of yarn for anything that requires stitch counting. I basically had to just assume I was doing it right because I couldn't really get a good count on stitches or rows. If I was smart, I'd have made notes and tallied the rows, but I didn't realize it would be an issue until I'd already lost count. I mixed in white for the trim and white for the tassels, just to break up all that purple. I originally wanted to make myself a matching scarf out of that yarn, also with the white trim (because I love little fancy scarves), but I'm practically out of yarn now, and I hated using it. We will see if I get daring enough to buy more and try it as a scarf, but right now I'm satisfied to never make this hat or use this type of yarn again.

I still have one more pattern I'd like to try. It's your basic beanie hat but it has ears you can put on it. There are so many possibilities! I thought about a cute pink and white one for Easter (if I can figure out how to make longer ears, that'd be even better). It would also be more practical as an every day hat with just tiny ears. I seem to have this impression that babies MUST wear hats... it seems every picture I have of me little has a hat. I'm sure I've made enough hats (plus bought enough hats) that my baby will never grow hair now, and I could probably sell half of my hat collection and still have a hat for every day of the week, but I'm trying to reason that it's helping me learn the stitches and is a hobby. It's fun to make them though!

The Happy Hooker

So, coming full circle, I have taught myself how to crochet. I remember as a little girl my grandmother crocheted a ton, and even had me making chains and crocheting as well, but I of course saw no point in mastering the skill, and I never kept with it. Funny how now I'd kill for a few of those lessons now!
One of my new maternal "cravings" is to make homemade things for my baby. A blanket to come home in, a few hats, booties, sweaters, who knows. Easier said than done! Last Christmas I tried to teach myself to knit. It was a disaster. My sudden drive to learn crochet, I figured, was destined to meet the same fate of giant messes of yarn that wouldn't pass for crochet, let alone something wearable. I decided to get some "fine" literature (instead of a "learn it quick" guide, which probably, in retrospect, aided the knitting fiasco). These are the two books I tried:
The Happy Hooker was the first book I picked up, and I learned quite a bit, but I was still having difficulty mastering all the random stitches. So then I picked up the Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting book, which has great explanations and pictures. In retrospect, I was probably more drawn to the former because of the cute baby item patterns in the back--not really considering I couldn't do THOSE until I actually learned HOW to crochet. After a lot of "teaching squares" I decided to try my hand at a few hats, but the patterns all still looked too daunting. I scoured the internet and found a really simple pattern from this website: http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern5.html
I made the hat in the regular size, and although it was large, it definitely passed for a hat. She might not be able to wear it right out of the hospital (and honestly, I'm going for a natural birth, so let's all say a quick prayer that in fact, this hat is WAY too big for her hopefully VERY little head). However, they also have a "take me home" adjustment to make a smaller infant cap. These are the two hats I made from that pattern; the green hat is the very first thing I made:
Then I got bold and broke out The Happy Hooker and tried the cute hat patterns that had first drawn me to the book. They had two versions--one very girly with a frill, one more of a cap. Of course, at this point I knew I was having a girl (or had a good idea which was soon confirmed) so I tried the frill first. Turned out so cute, I made three--including the purple and white cap, which is my favorite.
And I decided to make the regular cap (in pink) but I plan on doing something ELSE to it, to make it even more girly. It's very small, so I think it'll be the cap she comes home in. I'm thinking of either making a flower to go on it, or breaking out my ribbon for a bow. I've got to see if I can crochet a flower before I make my final decision.
Knowing me I'll probably also buy more white yarn (I ran out of what I'd had, amazing, for how long I've been holding on to it) and make a few pink and white frilly hats too--I'm not much of a pink person, but it's killing me how cute it is.
So, then it was suggested to me I should try making something else. I'm afraid to make clothes with crochet because of the really long patterns. I know if I actually sat down and tried, I'd probably be fine. However, right now it seems like a big undertaking. So, I decided to try baby booties. I don't have any patterns for them, so I hit up the same website from the hats and found these: http://susan.kraus.net/pages/pattern6.html
The booties looked hard, but I figured I should just try. What's the worst that could happen? So, today I tackled booties. And I ended up mastering them! I'm impressed what I've learned, even though the pattern now seems really simple. It just SEEMED complicated in the beginning. I mean, have you ever looked at socks? There is a lot going on there. And these are small feet!
They turned out pretty cute! This pattern also has a "take me home" size, so I plan on trying those as well. Probably in a different color first, then I might remake another pink pair. The only thing that is annoying with booties is you have to make two. So, when you finish the first, unlike the hat where you can marvel at your amazingness, you actually have to make another one before people are impressed--no one would think it was so amazing with only ONE booty for the baby!
So, I guess now I can say with affirmation that I officially know how to crochet. I'm pretty excited about it. I feel a great connection to my late grandmother, because I'm sure she'd be super happy that I'd taken on one of her hobbies. Of course, I'm sure if she were here, she'd also point out all the mistakes I'm making on these (and there are many). But hey, Baby Claire won't notice--and if people are nice to a new mommy, they won't notice either. For those of you who see me trying to make my child wear my hand-crafted goods, that was a subtle warning. :)