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Christmas Crochet Projects 2020

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Hello friends! I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy during this pandemic. With Christmas just about a week away, I hope you are finishing up all your last minute projects; whether it be crocheted Christmas gifts that you’re trying to finish up on time, decorating, baking, wrapping or dare I say shopping still. This year has been a little crazy to say the least. I think we all needed this wonderful holiday season and the warm, inviting feeling that only the Christmas season can bring.

I know this year I struggled to get in the mood for Christmas. Usually my nickname around Christmas time is Buddy the Elf. Yet this year I felt more like an elf from the South Pole. I wanted to enjoy the holiday and go all out, yet this year it required a little extra motivation in some aspects.

Luckily, this year being our first Christmas married, Corey helped me get lots of the shopping and decorating under control much earlier than I usually have it done. That was a huge blessing and has provided me with the chance to work on all these Christmas projects that I will be sharing with you in this post.

I only had one big order for Dishtowel Pals this year which has opened up my time to try a handful of fun projects this season. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I have a new niece and nephew that are just six days apart. Now that I have started making baby projects, I never want to stop. They are so much fun to make! So obviously they each needed a crocheted Christmas item for the season. Once those were finished, I was able to start on a fun project for myself that I’m very excited to wear for the holiday. And I even found my new favorite Christmas decor project that I will be making lots of to sell at craft shows next year (fingers crossed we will in fact be able to have more of those next year.)

So without further ado, let’s just jump right into these projects and get a dose of Christmas spirit for the day.

The first project I finished was the Mrs. Claus’ Santa Hat and Skirt outfit designed by Thoughts, Knots & Stitches LLC. My mother-in-law found a picture of this outfit and shared it with me for me to make for my niece, Alyessia. The moment I saw it I absolutely fell in love with it. After a quick Etsy search (I love Etsy SO much), I came across this pattern. This pattern was literally so much fun to work up! I have made adult Santa hats before but this one takes the cake for being my favorite. I just LOVE the bow!

This pattern uses very basic stitches that allows any crocheter to be able to tackle this project. Not only that, Thoughts, Knots & Stitches’ pattern is so straight forward and detail oriented. There are multiple picture tutorials along with very descriptive notes on how to do every part of this pattern. It came in multiple different sizes which makes it very cost effective, because you buy one pattern and can use it to make multiple different sizes of this cute little outfit. I mean in this one pattern she has instructions on how to make them for newborns all the way up to 24 months! You could make them for your little girl two years in a row, at least! I recently saw on her Instagram account that the toddler size of this outfit is now available as well!

If you want to find this pattern to create your own adorable Mrs. Claus’ Santa Hat and Skirt along with other awesome patterns that she has designed, you can find her on Instagram here. Go to her page and follow her so you can stay up to date on all her patterns. I can’t wait to keep making more of her awesome designs. But until then, I can’t wait to see pictures of Alyessia in this outfit.

The second Christmas project I completed was the Reindeer Hat for my nephew, Connor. Since I was making a Christmas project for Alyessia, I had to make one for Connor too. After asking my sister-in-law what type of hats or outfits she would like little Connor to have, she said she needed a Christmas hat for him. I looked up some ideas for baby hats on Etsy and came across some super cute reindeer hats that were different than just a normal Santa hat. That’s when I came across the Reindeer Hat with a Reindeer Doll pattern by Jocelyn Sass from Too Cute Crochet. Her lineup of endlessly cute baby hats and projects were so fun to look through on her Etsy shop.

This hat uses a single crochet stitch which I don’t think I’ve ever used for a beanie but I loved it! It gives it a whole different texture than other beanies I’ve made. Her pattern comes in multiple different sizes and has very easy to follow instructions. Like she mentions in the pattern to measure head size of the recipient, I had to add a few extra rows for it to fit him perfectly. But the sizing guide matched so close to his head size. I was impressed! That’s my fear of crocheting hats and it always makes me hesitant to make them because I’m so scared of it not fitting. But it fit him great! I also had to add a few extra stitches to the antlers to make them a smidge longer because I wanted them to be fairly tall considering I added the few extra rows for length on the beanie.

The directions were so easy to follow and read. She uses a lot of pictures explaining everything you need to know to make this reindeer come to life. I’m so happy with the finished product and so is my sister-in-law. This hat is sure to keep little Connor warm all winter long. This pattern also comes with a little reindeer doll that I’m sure to make at some point, just ran out of time before Christmas with all the other projects I have going on. If you’d like to make your own reindeer hat or doll, check out her pattern here.

The next thing I crossed off my Christmas crochet to do list was these amazing Christmas trees that I ran across on Instagram from MJs off the hook designs. It’s called the Bobble Tree Sweater pattern. I always am on the lookout for things that work up quick, that are easy to make a lot of and can be used as decorations. Some of the things I’ve sold the most of have been little pumpkins at my craft shows over the years. As soon as I saw these I knew this would be my “pumpkin” project for Christmas time. I bought the pattern and got to work. Another awesome part about these is that it’s a great stash busting project of any size six yarn you might have lying around. The colors you can make of these are endless!

I’ll be honest, working in the round can sometimes intimidate me. But this is not one of those patterns. Once you start working on it, you get in such a routine with this pattern and it becomes so much fun to work on. I even found a YouTube video for the pattern that she made for any visual learners out there who have trouble reading patterns. This is a great beginner project for learning how to work in the round. Not to mention it uses very beginner stitches and the one special stitch in the pattern she gives very detailed notes about it in the written form and on the video.

All around this is an awesome pattern. I wish I could have come across it earlier in the year so that I could have busted out a big tree farm of them to sell at my craft show. But that just means I can start now for next years shows! That is that the world is back to normal by then.

If you would like to make some festiveness for your house, check out the pattern on her blog here. She explains in her post about how she uses cones made out of foam to help the trees hold their shape. I was only able to find one of those in stock because I went to the store just a few weeks before Christmas. But I’m excited to be able to snag some more cones after Christmas to make them sturdy to be on display at my craft shows. However, for just around my house, they stand up very well without it.

Last but not least, since I do love the Christmas season, I had to make something for myself. I found A Crafty Concept’s pattern for the Crochet Christmas Light Headband and instantly became obsessed with it. I am a radiation therapist for my day job. I give cancer patients their daily radiation treatments and get them set up for their treatments. In the past, we have been able to wear festive headbands for holidays and all I could think about when making this headband is how much this would make my patients smile so much on Christmas Eve when I wear this.

This pattern was so much fun to make! It is such an awesome stash buster because I literally went through all my yarn stash and grabbed any color of regular acrylic yarn I could find that I thought would look good as a lightbulb. Not to mention I am not able to get to my polyfill (long story short: Corey and I hit a deer in my car, my car is in the shop for weeks now, my polyfill is in the back of my car from a trunk or treat we did in October, thus I can’t get to my polyfill), so I grabbed a fluffy type yarn that I really don’t like working with. I chopped that yarn into a bunch of little pieces and used that to stuff my light bulbs. It worked like a champ and I almost got rid of that annoying skein that’s been lying around for years!

Just like the Christmas tree pattern, this pattern comes with a YouTube tutorial explaining everything you would need to know to make this pattern. Also, the written pattern on her blog had so many “pro tips” that made it even easier to make. I thoroughly enjoyed this project and I don’t think I’m ever going to take it off my head. I even thought about using this light bulb pattern and making some garland out of it for future Christmases. Keep stash busting my acrylic yarn lying around and keep making more and more fun, festive Christmas decor in the process!

If you would like to make your own Crochet Christmas Light Headband, you can find the pattern and everything you need to know here. Trust me on this, you will not be disappointed! I can’t wait to wear this to work and Christmas parties and Christmas craft shows next year and for many years to come.

Well my friends, that’s all the new Christmas projects I’ve been working on the past couple weeks. I hope that you get inspired to start crocheting them all and spreading Christmas cheer with each and every stitch you make. If you are still looking for more last minute Christmas projects, check out the rest of my blogs. I have a quick headband pattern and a quick scarf pattern that you could make within a couple hours.

This year has been a little crazy to say the least, but it’s also been filled with so many blessings. I hope that your holidays are overflowing with love, joy, peace and happiness and I pray the new year finds you with a renewed spirit. Read Luke chapter two in the Bible to be encouraged and filled with peace and joy. Truly He is the only true Joy to be found.

Happy crocheting my friends! I hope you all have a merry Christmas filled with so many blessings.

Photo Taken by Christine Schleif Photography

Buoy Bag – Grocery Bag Holder

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I’m not sure if this was all 90’s moms or just mine, but does anyone else remember those cloth grocery bag holders that used to hang somewhere in your kitchen? The one that had a cinched top and bottom so you could stuff a bunch of grocery bags in the top and pull one out at the bottom whenever you needed one? My mom’s broke a long, longg time ago but my mother-in-law still has hers and I loved how convenient it is to grab a grocery bag at their house whenever we need one. I decided there was nothing stopping me from making my own since I have no idea where I could buy one anymore.

So that’s why I created the Buoy Bag! Clearly the name came from the way it hangs on the side of our cabinets like a buoy hangs off a boat. But I got so sick of taking up a whole cabinet that is filled with soo many grocery bags and each morning digging around to try to get just one to put my lunch in it.

The pattern is so fast and quick to make. This now being my second original pattern, you probably have noticed a pattern that I am trying to use up some of my cotton yarn that I have lying around. I used cotton for it, but there’s no reason why you can’t use any type of acrylic yarn. I’m sure I will be making a bunch of these with acrylic yarn to so I can have more color choices and to help bust down some of my yarn stash.

What you will need to make this pattern:

  • 5.0 mm hook
  • About 95 yards of weight 4 yarn
  • Yarn needle
  • Scissors

Some abbreviations you will see in this pattern:

  • Ch = Chain
  • St = Stitch
  • Hdc = Half Double Crochet
  • Tr = Treble Crochet
  • * * = Repeat instructions inside the asterisk across the row until otherwise noted
  • Sl st = Slip Stitch

Gauge:

  • Due to the “lacey” appearance of this pattern, gauge is difficult to calculate and will not make too much of a difference in this pattern.
  • Finished dimensions: 14.0 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide at the widest, most center portion of the bag.

Notes:

  • The ch 2 or 4 at the beginning of each round counts as a stitch throughout the pattern.
  • Each round’s stitch count will be in parenthesis at the end of the round’s instructions.
  • This bag can hold at least 20 plastic bags when finished.

Pattern:

Ch 35

Sl st into first ch of first st – do not twist the chain

Round 1: Ch 2, hdc around, sl st into top of ch 2 (35)

Round 2: Ch 4, tr in first st, ch 3, sk next 3 stitches, *tr in next 2 st, ch 3, sk next 3 st,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (35)

Round 3: Ch 4, tr 2 in the space between the ch 4 and first tr from previous round, ch 3, *tr 3 into the space between the two tr from previous round, ch 3* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (42)

Round 4: Ch 4, tr 1 into space between ch 4 and middle tr from previous round, tr 2 in space between middle and third tr from previous round, ch 4, *tr 2 in space between the first and middle tr group from previous round, tr 2 in space between the middle and last tr in group from previous round, ch 4,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (56)

Round 5: Ch 4, tr 2 in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 1 in space between third and fourth tc from previous round’s tr group, ch 4, *tr 1 in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 2 in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr 1 in space between third and fourth tr from previous round’s tr group, ch 4* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (56)

Round 6-12: Repeat round 5 (56)

Round 13: Ch 4, tr in space between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, tr in space between third and fourth tr from previous round’s tr group, ch 3, *tr in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr in space between second and third tr from previous rounds tr group, tr in space between third and fourth tr, ch 3,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (42)

Round 14: Ch 4, tr in between second and third tr from previous round’s tr group, *ch 3, tr in space between first and second tr from previous round’s tr group, tr between second and third tr from previous round tr group,* repeat across, sl st into top of ch 4 (35)

Round 15: Ch 2, hdc in each stitch around, sl st into top of ch 2 (35)

Ch 15 and sl st the last ch into the last st of the previous round to make a loop.

Tie off and weave in all ends.

Make 2 separate chains of 55 stitches each.

Tie off and sew in ends of each strand.

To assemble the bag:

  • Weave the ch strands in and out of the hdc st posts in rounds 1 and 15.
  • Tighten each end to the desired width.
    • I tighten the top one pretty tight and leave the bottom one about half way open to be able to pull the bags out of the bottom easier.
  • Try to aim it so that both ends of the chains will be centered and even in the front of the bag, making it easier to tie off.
Sl st the last of the 15 ch into the last st of previous round to make a loop.
Weave in and out of rows 1 and 15’s hdc posts to add a “cinch” effect, ending and beginning in the front of the bag.
Picture of the bag’s stitch pattern.
The Buoy Bag finished and laying out flat.

That’s it! Not too bad, huh? Now you can clear out some cabinet space and stash those (way too many) grocery bags that you have in something that is more functional. As mentioned in the notes, this bag held 20 grocery bags for me. If you want it to hold more, you could always add more rounds in the middle.

I hope you enjoyed this pattern! If you would like to make one sometime, please pin it on your Pinterest board. Click here to open up the pin on Pinterest. If you make one, please tag me in your pictures of it on Instagram so I can see how you put your own spin on it. Also, feel free to use the hashtag #BuoyBag when you do post about it.

I have some more pattern ideas in mind, so always check back to see my latest creations. If you have a question about this pattern, please feel free to message me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].

Happy crocheting!

Feel free to make as many of these as you would like and feel free to sell them. I just ask that you please acknowledge Madison’s Makings when you do. Please do not steal or copy this pattern and/or my pictures and credit them as your own work. Thank you!

Switchin’ It Up Nintendo Switch Cover

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This is my first ever original design and written up crochet pattern. I never dreamed I would be to this point yet, but here we are!

I started thinking of this design when my husband gave me the Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons when we were on our week long, stay home honeymoon (thanks Corona.) For total transparency, I am pretty awful at video games. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to play a game where I have to move my head and the camera at the same time. Way too much going on there. So when some of my friends got Animal Crossing, Corey knew this would for sure be my speed of game. And boy was he right! I quickly got really into it. I even brought my (his) Nintendo Switch to work with me so I could check turnip prices and do some fishing on my lunch break.

This resulted in total destruction of the Switch screen (sorry honeys!) It became a victim of my bottomless purse filled with receipts, random nail polish bottles and the real culprit of the Switch’s downfall, a nail file. I randomly woke up one morning and thought, “I need to make myself a Switch cover!” I didn’t need a case; it’s not like I had intentions of throwing it on the floor. I just needed something thin and durable to put my Switch in before I throw it onto the battlefield inside my purse.

I did a quick Google search to see what it had to say about some of the sturdier crochet stitches. This is when I came across the lemon peel stitch. I now love this stitch and cannot wait to use it in so many more patterns. It gave such an awesome texture to the pattern and the fact that it is reversible makes it so much more mindless when it comes to finding the front and back side of your project. I’m discovering that I love finding new stitch patterns that use very basic stitches but in unique ways. Like this stitch for instance, just uses single and double crochet stitches. If you’re anything like me, double crochet was the first stitch I ever learned and single crochet I learned shortly after. It also works up quickly because of the height of the double crochet in each row.

What you will need to make this pattern:

  • 5.0 mm hook
  • About 140 yards of weight 4 cotton yarn
    • I used almost a full skein of Sugar n’ Cream cotton yarn
  • One 3/4 inch button
  • Yarn needle
  • Slightly smaller needle (to fit in the button holes)
  • Scissors

Some abbreviations you will see in this pattern:

  • Ch = Chain
  • Sc = Single Crochet
  • Dc = Double Crochet
  • Sk = Skip
  • St = Stitch
  • ** = repeat instructions inside the asterisks across the row until otherwise noted

Special stitches you will see in this beginner pattern:

  • Decrease by one for lemon peel stitch: Essentially you will be crocheting a sc and dc together. Insert hook into first stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, pull through remaining 3 loops on hook
  • Crochet 3 together for lemon peel stitch: Insert hook into first stitch, pull up a loop, insert hook into second stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook into third stitch and pull up a loop. You should have 4 loops on your hook. Yarn over pull through 2 loops on hook, yarn over, pull through remaining 3 loops on your hook.

Gauge:

  • A 4″ x 4″ square should be 14 stitches long, alternating between dc and sc and about 13 rows tall.
  • For a better sizing method for this specific project, the final dimensions prior to sewing should be about 10.5 inches wide and 13.5 inches tall for the larger Nintendo Switch.

Notes:

  • First and foremost, this is NOT a Nintendo Switch case. This is strictly to try to prevent scratches on the screen. I am not liable if you drop your Switch in this case and it breaks. It is not the purpose of this pattern at all. 🙂
  • As previously mentioned in the gauge section, this pattern is written for the larger Nintendo Switch. It can easily be modified for the smaller version, but in this pattern, the dimensions are for the larger one.
    • To make a smaller version, ch an odd number to your desired length and change the amount of rows to your desired height.
    • My pattern testers made multiple of these for their Nintendo Switch Lites with little change to the pattern. For a snug fit, they used 30 stitches across which can vary with each crocheter’s gauge.
  • This pattern uses the lemon peel stitch. I tried to word this pattern to be beginner friendly, but if assistance is needed, Google had a lot of information on this stitch that I found very helpful.
  • Each row’s final stitch count will be in parenthesis at the end of the row’s instructions.

Alright, now that you have all that you need to know prior to starting this fun pattern, we are ready to get started!

Pattern:

Ch 35

Row 1: sk first chain from hook, *sc, dc* repeat across, ch 1, turn (34)

Row 2: *sc, dc* repeat across, ch 1, turn (34)

Row 3-26: repeat row 2 (34)

Row 27: decrease by one, *sc in next st, dc in next,* repeat across until there are two stitches left, decrease by one (32)

Row 28: decrease by one two times (in the first four stitches), *dc in next st, sc in next,* repeat across until four stitches are remaining, decrease by one two times (28)

Row 29-30: Repeat row 28

Row 31: decrease by one, *sc in next st, then dc in next,* repeat across until you have two stitches left, decrease by one (18)

Row 32: decrease by one, *sc in next st, then dc in next,* repeat across until you have two stitches left, decrease by one (16)

Row 33: decrease by one, *dc in next st, then sc in next st,* repeat across until you have two stitches left, decrease by one (14)

Row 34: decrease by one, *sc in next st, then dc in next st,* repeat across until you have two stitches left, decrease by one (12)

Row 35: decrease by one, *dc in next st, then sc in next,* repeat across until you have two stitches left, decrease by one (10)

Row 36: decrease by one, sc, dc, ch1 and sk st, dc, sc, dc, decrease by one (8 including ch space) *This is the button hole row*

Row 37: decrease by one, dc, sc, sk over ch space, dc, decrease by one (5)

Row 38: decrease by one, dc, decrease by one (3)

Row 39: crochet all three stitches together *see special stitches section of pattern*

Tie off and weave in all ends.

To assemble the cover:

  • Lay the bag out flat with the triangle shape at the top.
  • Fold the bottom half of the rectangle shape to the bottom of the triangle portion of the bag.
  • Sew up the straight edges of the sides of the pouch using a whip stitch and your yarn needle. *see photo below
Sew the cover where the black lines are drawn with a whip stitch. Sew in ends after securing the whip stitch.
  • Sew in all ends that you may have after sewing the sides of the bag up.
  • Place the button on the front of the pouch so that it will fit with the button hole that you made on row 36.
  • Sew the button securely on with the thinner needle.
Securely sew the button on in the middle of the cover so that the button hole is directly over the button when the flap is closed.

And there you have it! You now have a weapon of your own to protect your Nintendo Switch from all the chaos in your purse. Now you can play Animal Crossing where ever you want.

If you enjoyed this pattern, please share it with your friends! You can purchase this pattern on Etsy by clicking here. If you would like to make one one day, please pin it on your Pinterest board! Click here to open up the pin on Pinterest. If you make one, I would love for you to tag me in your creations on Instagram so I can see all the different ways you guys made them your own. Also, feel free to use the hashtag #SwitchinItUpNintendoSwitchCover when posting your pictures.

My awesome pattern testers did an incredible job with this pattern! Check out my Instagram page to see all of their Switchin’ It Up Nintendo Switch Covers. Also be on the lookout for new updates and new patterns on Instagram, along with more blog posts too! I have a couple more original patterns of mine in the works. If you have a question about this pattern, please feel free to message me on Instagram or email me at [email protected].

Happy crocheting!

Feel free to make as many of these as you would like and feel free to sell them. I just ask that you please acknowledge Madison’s Makings when you do. Please do not steal or copy this pattern and/or my pictures and credit them as your own work. Thank you!

Baby Galore!

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The last few months have been filled with lots of baby crochet projects! To sum it all up, my brother and sister-in-law are having a baby boy in September and my sister-in-law and her husband are having a baby girl in August and a friend of mine is having a baby boy in a couple weeks. These are the first babies in my family in a very long time, so to say I have had very little experience in the realm of baby projects is an understatement. I went on the search to make something as personalized to each baby as possible without losing all the wonderful soft and cozy features that I believe all baby items should obtain.

The first project I started working on was a cactus themed nursery blanket for my friend’s baby. We went on a Mission’s trip to Arizona last year which inspired her and her husband to have their nursery be a cactus/desert/Arizona theme and so I ran with that. I checked out Nella’s Cottage because I love how personalized her baby blankets are. I started with her granny square blanket and used Caron’s Simply Soft yarn. I love using this yarn for granny square blankets or blankets where there is going to be color change because there is such a huge selection of color options to choose from. Not to mention, this yarn is so soft and works perfectly for blankets. For this blanket specifically I used a combination of Taupe, Grey Heather and Off White for the main stripes portion. For the cactus applique, also from Nella’s Cottage, I used Pistachio and Dark Sage and added a few accent stripes in these green colors on the edge of the blanket. For the flowers on top of the cacti, I used some light blue scraps of yarn I had lying around in the never ending abyss of my yarn collection. (Don’t tell my hubby that I said it’s never ending, because then I won’t be allowed to go back to the yarn store.)

I had never sewn anything like the applique onto a blanket before. It was a little tricky at first, but once you started sewing it on, it became easier and more stable. The one thing to pay attention to is that you are placing your needle in a good “hiding spot.” A few times I would flip the blanket over and realize that I sewed in some of the back most parts of the stitches which exposed the sewing stitches. It’s a quick and easy fix, but just something to be mindful of while making it.

If you would like to try making this blanket, I highly suggest it! The pattern is easy, fun and mindless. Nella’s Cottage has soo many amazing applique patterns and different pictures and styles on her Instagram to inspire a blanket for any and all occasions. You can find all these at http://www.nellascottage.com.

The next project I worked on has been a long time in the making. As soon as I found out my brother and sister-in-law were having a little boy, I wanted to make him something special. My brother is a big Pittsburgh sports fan, especially of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team. (If I’m honest, most of my family is, myself included.) I had only made one baby outfit as a pattern tester and that was the extent of my baby clothing experience but I knew I really wanted to try to make him a little hockey outfit. A quick search on Etsy and I discovered Grandmabilt’s shop that is filled with adorable little baby outfits for every sport you could imagine.

Before the world shut down from COVID, I made a quick trip after work to Joann’s to search for black, gold and white yarn that could work for a baby outfit. This was my last outing before Ohio shut down nonessential stores. But I knew that things were going to be closing soon and I had to make this for them. Walking into Joann Fabric’s into the yarn section, I realized I had greatly underestimated how challenging it would be to find black, size three, baby yarn. I had just about given up hope when I turned to walk out the store and saw The Hook Nook’s new yarn line. I have been a fan of her products for awhile but hadn’t had any experience with her new yarn line yet. (I am totally obsessed with her interchangeable hooks!) She has a type of yarn called Small Stuff which miraculously had black, white, and yellow, size three yarn. I gathered up way more than I would ever need, but let’s be honest, COVID made us all hoarders. The official color names of the yarn are Tattoo Ink, Minimalist, and Warm Sunshine.

The pattern itself was so easy to follow and recreate. It worked up fast and came together so much better than I ever imagined. The part that took the longest was sewing in all the ends of the color changes, but that might have been just all in my head since that’s my least favorite part of crocheting. I made the little jersey first, then the pants and the skates last. When I first looked at the skate’s pattern I thought it was beyond my skill level when I got to the blade part. But as I’ve found out before, just start with the first row and keep tackling the pattern one step at a time and it always works out. That is now one of my favorite parts of the pattern because having the actual blade of the skate made out of yarn was a very nice and realistic touch on the designer’s part.

I couldn’t keep the secret anymore so gave it to my brother and sister-in-law for a Father’s Day/Belated Mother’s Day gift to them. My whole family loved it and now I can’t wait to see my little nephew in it when he arrives.

If you are looking for any type of outfit that is sport’s related, please check out http://www.grandmabilt.com. She has a huge selection of awesome patterns! This will not be my last experience with her patterns because there is just so many adorable ones to choose from. These would be perfect patterns to make for newborn pictures.

The third project I worked on was a blanket for my sister-in-law and her husband’s baby. I knew that I wanted to make my soon to be niece a warm and cozy blanket so I ventured into the wide selection of baby blankets that Daisy Farm Crafts has. I knew that their nursery was going to be a blush pink color along with other neutral colors. I came across the Crochet Hygge Powder Puff Blanket on their website and knew that was the one. I absolutely love Red Heart Hygge yarn. It has to be one of the coziest, softest, squishiest, most beautiful yarn I’ve worked with. While shopping for the yarn, I discovered that Red Heart has made a lot more colors in this type of yarn. When it first came out there was just a handful of colors to choose from, but now, there is about any color you could think of which is great!

The pattern was very easy to follow and turned out great! The Hygge yarn gave the blanket the perfect amount of weight and softness. It also helped the blanket work up quickly with the thicker yarn. The stitches were very easy and basic, making this a great project for beginners. The pattern itself intertwined a couple basic stitches which gave the finished product a very detailed look. I loved it! I plan on using this pattern a lot in the future.

If you are wanting to delve into this squishy, soft blanket, the pattern can be found at https://daisyfarmcrafts.com/crochet-hygge-powder-puff-blanket/. There is also a YouTube video that goes along with this pattern if you are a more visual learner.

Last but certainly not least, I made the Butterscotch Baby Onesie from megmadewithlove for my soon to be niece! When I first saw her post about the pattern getting released, I knew I needed to make it. It also really matched the style of clothing that my sister-in-law and I talked about making for her little one. I had some Baby Bee Sweet Delight yarn, in the color Naked, from Hobby Lobby lying around and decided to put it to use for this special project.

The pattern worked up fast and took form quickly. The instructions for not only the pattern but also the assembly were so easy to follow with helpful pictures to go along with it. I made the newborn size, but the pattern came with sizes all the way through to twelve months. I finished it with some wooden buttons which I thought complimented the off white yarn well. It turned out so much cuter than I expected from only my second baby onesie that I’ve ever made. Like the other projects, it used basic stitches but incorporated them in a way that gave the onesie a very beautiful and finished look.

If you would like to create this beautiful little outfit, check it out on her blog! The pattern can be found at https://megmadewithlove.com/blog-2/2020/3/11/the-butterscotch-onesie-free-crochet-pattern.

This has been enough baby projects to keep me busy for the past couple months, but there is definitely a couple more already on my hooks. I’ll be sharing them as they come on my Instagram for sure and maybe here too. Please check out all the designers that made these wonderful patterns that inspired this post. If you decide to make any of these, please share them with me (and them). I would love to see what all you create!

I hope this inspired you to want to start crocheting something new! Have fun and happy hooking!