Crochet Pattern: American Girl Shawl/Wrap

Today is going to be a quick post since I am under the weather....again! Sinus infections are no joke! lol 

I wanted to get this pattern posted since a few people messaged me about it and wanted to know when I would be posting the pattern. :)

American Girl Crochet Shawl/Wrap Pattern

Inspired by the Claudia Scarf Pattern

You can make and sell things from this pattern but please make sure to link back to me if you blog about it. 

What you will need:

A small amount of yarn

A button of your choosing 

Needle and thread for sewing on the button

Yarn needle for weaving in ends

A 5.00mm hook or hook needed to obtain the gauge. 

US Crochet Terms

sk {skip}

dc {double crochet}

ch {chain}

The blue one is done in Naturally Caron Spa and the pink one is done in two strands of baby yarn held together at the same time.  Blue shawl/wrap measures about 15.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches from top to tip of shell.  The pink and white one measures about 16.5 inches by 4.5 inches from top to tip of shell.  After working your first row, you will want to measure your piece to make sure its between 15.5in - 16.5 inches to check your gauge.  If you are off a tad just adjust your hook accordingly. :)

With your 5.00 mm hook and your yarn {one strand or two} you will ch 58.

Row 1

5 dc in the 7th ch from the hook, sk 2

* dc in the next, sk 2, 5 dc in the next, sk 2 *

Repeat from * to * until you get to the last ch and then work 1 dc in that last ch space. 

Row 2

Turn 

ch 4, work 5 dc into the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster from the previous row, ch 1

* dc in the previous dc, ch 1, 5 dc in the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster, ch 1*

repeat from * to * ending with 1 dc in the ch 4 space of your beginning 6 skipped chains from row 1

Rows 3 - 6

Turn 

ch 4, work 5 dc into the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster from the previous row, ch 1

* dc in the previous dc, ch 1, 5 dc in the 3rd dc of the 5 dc cluster, ch 1*

repeat from * to * ending with 1 dc in the last stitch space. You will always end your rows with 1 dc. 

Secure your ends and weave them in with your yarn needle. 

You will want to sew your button onto a 5dc cluster so that it lines up with the hole from a 5 dc cluster on the opposite side.  See photo above to see what hole I am talking about. The arrow is pointing to the hole under the one I used for my button hole but hopefully you can see what I am talking about. :)  This way you can use that hole from your 5 dc cluster as your button hole instead of trying to work a button hole into the pattern. If you use a smaller button like I did, it fits great and keeps it secure on your doll, which is perfect for doll playing fun. 

After you sew on your button and weave in any stray thread ends you are finished! These work up very fast and easy, perfect gifts for little girls who love their dolls.  You could even customize this by making it bigger to fit waldrof dolls or any other doll your little one has. :)  

If you make one I would love to see the finished product! 

Off to get some rest before we are off to ballet :)

Linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On.  Head on over there to check out some more crafty goodness!

Getting Sneaky with Birthday Presents

As a homeschooling mom who loved handmade gifting, I find that I hit a little snag when it comes to gifts for my daughter.  Since she is home all day with me and I am pretty tired come 8:00 when she is in bed I have to find ways to get creative with how and when I can make her gifts.

Take this adorable hat I just finished.

She thinks I made this for my friend's little girl....when in reality it is for her birthday all along.  She fell in love with this hat pattern when I made it for my other friends little girl and kept saying how much she wanted one too.  I decided then and there to work one up for her for her birthday but needed a way to do it without her knowing.  So I asked her to design a hat that a girl her age would love under the pretext that it would be for my friend's daughter, I know some people might gasp at that BUT I want her to be surprised with her gifts so I had to think of something that she would believe and still be able to try it on her without her asking too many questions.   I had her pick out the yarn, the colors, and the buttons.  She knows this little girl is a lot like her so I told her to just pick something she would love because we both knew that little girl would love that too. :)  

I wanted to add two more rows to the hat but my daughter liked it the way it was because if she tilts it back, a little more of her forehead is exposed and if she wears it like this its a shorter hat.  Since it was going to be for her, I let her call the shots on it. I am going to make another one with the called for hook for her to wear for Christmas photos {I am making one for me as well}, that way it will have the more retro vintage cloche feel. 

Pattern for the hat can be found here. 

I worked up the child size but used a 4.00 hook and took out the last two rows.  I did this because A.  I knew my daughter was looking for a hat that fit snug but not too snug that she could not pin back the top part of her hair to get it out of her face when wearing this hat.  B. She told me she wanted it to be shorter and more loose fitting as I was trying it on her as I worked it up. She loves the way it fits and told me after trying it on and snapping a few quick pics {which is totally normal because I like to take photos of all my projects} that she wanted a hat that fit/looked just like this. 

I guess its her lucky day because in a few short weeks this hat will be all hers. :)

This hat pattern works up super quick and on the web posting their are directions for many sizes.  Perfect for family photos or quick and easy holiday/birthday gifts. 

Easy Handmade Mother's/Father's Day Gift Tutorial

If you've been following my blog for awhile, most of you know that I am big on handmade gifts for the holidays.  I not only love creating them, I also love seeing someone's face when they get a handmade gift.  Its priceless. :)

In our house my husband always tells me its hard when it comes to holidays because I am such a crafty person and will usually just make what I want/like/need ect on my own.  He too is into the handmade stuff but says he is no where near as crafty as me.  I figure there are some other husbands out there in his boat who would love to create something special and personal for their mom or to help their kids make something for their wife....ect so I thought I would post a quick and easy handmade gift that even the proclaimed "not crafty people" can do. :)  

This is a work in progress....still tweaking it to get it just right but that is what is so great about this, you can take this simple idea and add to it to fit the person you are making it for.  What I love about this project is not only how easy and heartfelt it is but how you can customize it for anyone....a mom, dad, grandma, grandpa...ect all depending on the photo, quote and embellishments used. 

What will you need for this project? 

A photo of your choosing

Frame that has matting 

Lace or embellishments 

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Permanent Marker 

An awesome poem or quote that you feel speaks to that person, you can write it yourself or surf the interwebs for a great one. :)

This is the photo I started out with ....I love this shot I captured of the two of them walking along the path in the park sharing a moment together. 

Stick it into your frame to make sure you like the contrast of the photo and the frame.  I picked a frame that would bring out the colors in the photo.  Sorry about the glare, I didn't push all the back pegs down so its not totally secure in the frame. :)

Write your quote on the matting and then add some embellishments and you are done! 

The poem I used was written by my husband, you can use it if you want but it is copywrited to him, being the writer of the piece.  So if you use it, please link it back to my blog and give him credit. :)

Here is the poem he wrote:

"As I hold her hand and guide her down the narrow, beaten path through life, I begin to realize, I've been here once before.  Only then, I was the one being guided.  Then suddenly it hits me, I too will someday have to let go." ~ G.F.

Now, what changes am I going to make to make this wip a finished product? 

For starters I am going to have my husband re write the poem on the matting because I am not too keen on my handwriting.  Thankfully I have an extra matting! :) 

I might add in a flower in the bottom corner or something else...not sure yet.  

I will def. keep the lace and will trim it and mount it on the matting so it looks beautiful and put together. 

Mother's Day is fast approaching, hopefully you guys are having fun creating beautiful projects for the special people in your life!  I would love to see your finished or wip Mother's day ideas, feel free to link those in the comments so I and others can check them out! :) 

Linking this project to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On

Hand Print Mother's Day Dish

I saw a post weeks back where a women had used a crochet doily and imprinted it in clay and made it into a bowl.  I loved the idea and wanted to try it myself.  After making one and not being fully happy with it I changed the idea to make it into something more personal for me.

I made a small dish out of clay with my daughter's hand print in the middle and a special message that she picked out for me imprinted along the edge.  I made the bowl knowing it would be perfect for the snipped off ends from when I am crocheting and weaving in the ends.

These would make awesome Mother's Day gifts {hint hint dads! ;) } or even grandma gifts if you gift to grandmas on Mother's Day too. You could even gift something like this for other holidays like Christmas, birthdays, or any other special occasion. Handmade personal gifts rock! :)

For this project you will need:

Not pictured: 

E-ACTO Knife 

Bowl for resting your clay on and cutting around.  Pick a bowl that's lip is the size circle you want for your finished piece. 

Acrylic paint

Mod Podge to seal your finished dish.

Soft sandpaper block.

The clay I used was an air drying clay that you can pick up at your local craft store. 

The doily is optional, I took this photo when I made my first attempt at the doily imprinted one. 

Roll your clay out on your plastic mat or any other surface that you prefer.   We found that it didn't stick as bad on the plastic. You can roll it to your preference for thickness, we did it on the thin side {about 1/8 inch} so it would dry faster and not be weighted down when we draped it over a bowl.  

After you roll out your clay, you will place your bowl down onto your clay softly....DON'T PUSH IT DOWN.  You are just using it for a template.  Take your E-ACTO knife and run it along the bowl, cutting your circle shape into your clay as you go. 

Lift up bowl and pull off your left over clay. 

 Your edges will be rough, that's okay.  Once its dry you will use a soft sandpaper block on the edges to smooth it out. 

Have your little one press their hand into the clay, not too hard but enough to get an imprint.  You can do a quick check by peaking under one of their fingers. :)  Use the ABC stamps to imprint your special message. 

Rest your clay over your bowl, hand print side down.  You will want to let it dry for a few days.  After an initial overnight drying I turned it right side up in the morning so the hand print side could fully dry.  Then I let it sit and dry for another two days to make sure it was fully dry. 

Rub the edges with a soft sandpaper block to smooth them out.  We did this outside so that clay dust didn't get every where.  You can wear a face mask if you want to be 100% that you don't breathe any of the dust in. 

Once dry, have your child paint it in a color of their choosing.  

Let the paint dry for a few hours. 

Paint on a layer of Mod Podge for a sealer coat. 

Admire your fabulous and unique dish that will forever keep a memory of your little one's hand. 

 I tagged the photo with the wrong name using my etsy store handle, still 100% me :)

If I do something like this again, which I probably will for another hand print keepsake,  I would press her hand down a little harder to get a more defined imprint.  

Its a easy, unique, one of a kind gift that will be treasured for many years to come. 

Every time I use this dish it makes me smile. <3

Crochet Pattern: American Girl Tiara

Earlier this week I did a post on tiaras for a little girl, pattern and photos can be found here.

My daughter loved how the kid size tiaras came out and wanted her doll Kit to have a matching one for her big day next month.  I love that she still likes to do the matching thing with her dolls and comes up with her own ideas and projects for things.  Its so neat to watch their creative minds at work. :)

For the back I took two long pieces of ribbon and then on each side I put it through the gap right next to either the ch 2 or the double crochet {depending on the side} and then pulled it through about two inches or so. Then I folded it over and hot glued the 2 inch folded onto the the long piece of ribbon.  This way it wrapped around either the ch 2 or the dc to keep it secure to the tiara. 

American Girl Crochet Tiara Pattern

US Crochet Terms

What you need:

5.50 hook 

Worsted yarn {I like a soft but not too soft yarn}

Yarn needle for weaving ends

Beads or other embellishments 

Needle and thread for sewing on beads and embellishments. 

Ch 23

Row 1

sc in the second chain from the hook and sc across till the end

Row 2

Turn

ch 2

skip 2 stitches

work 1 dc in the next, cross in front of the dc you just made and work a dc in the 2nd skipped stitch of this row

* skip 1, work 1 dc in the next, cross over that dc and make a dc in the skipped stitch *

Repeat that pattern until you have 2 stitches left. 

skip 1 and then dc in the last 

Row 3

Turn

ch 1

1 sc in the 1st space created from the previous row's crossed dc stitches {this will be in between your last dc of the row and the last crossed dc pair of the row

work 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space

* work 1 sc in the next space & 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space *

Repeat this pattern across ending with a your 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc cluster in the last space and then a sc in the top of the ch 2 from the previous round.

Finishing

Secure your yarn, weave in your ends and embellish to your hearts content! 

My daughter loved the one that I did and she sewed the beads on so much that she wanted to give it a try as well.  The cross double crochets were a little hard for her at first but she mastered it so quickly and was able to finish it off easy peasy. 

I love how adorable hers came out! 

Today I am linking up to The Magic Onions Friday Nature Table

Crochet Tiara Pattern {Birthday Traditions}

As Victoria gets older, more and more family traditions are being formed for our little family of three. I am finding myself so excited as holidays or special days come up and we get to share in another fun family created tradition. A few years back I started the tradition of crocheting a crown or a tiara for Victoria for each birthday.  She loves dress up, crowns, and hats so I thought this would be a fun tradition that her and I could do together.... from picking out the pattern to going to the yarn store and finding the perfect yarn.

Last year I made her this one:

Its a long band done in hdc that is long enough to go around her head and then tie in the back, with 3 granny square triangles sewn to it.  Its very simple and quick and easy to whip up.  You could sew some flowers onto the triangles or even jewels, whatever fits your fancy. :)

This year, she wanted to go all out and get super fancy, so we looked on the internet for a pattern/inspiration.  I was going to try and just make one from scratch but I wanted her to be a part of the whole process.  She is a very visual child so she usually likes to see something before saying yes or no.

We found this pattern here from Oodles 4 Noodles and she liked the concept but wanted to change it up just a bit.  She wanted it to look more like flower petals, wanted it to go more around her head, and she wanted ties instead of the elastic band.

With photo/pattern inspiration and the ideas from my little soon to be birthday girl I was ready to make a few tweaks to that pattern to make it just right for her.


Pattern After the photos! 

The crown I crocheted & she did the bead work for, for one of her ballet buddies. 

For the back of this one I took two long pieces of ribbon and then on each side I put it through the gap right next to either the ch 2 or the double crochet {depending on the side} and then pulled it through about two inches or so. Then I folded it over and hot glued the 2 inch folded onto the the long piece of ribbon.  This way it wrapped around either the ch 2 or the dc to keep it secure to the tiara.

Same concept for hers, only I used crocheted edging instead of ribbon. She wanted a more vintage feel to hers.

The front of her birthday tiara we made, she can't wait till her party when she can wear it and show it off to her friends and family. :)

Crochet Tiara Pattern

US Crochet Terms

A slightly modified version of Oodles 4 Noodles Pattern

{ length, extra stitch change, and ties in the back instead of band}

What you need:

5.50 hook 

Worsted yarn {I like a soft but not too soft yarn}

Yarn needle for weaving ends

Beads or other embellishments 

Needle and thread for sewing on beads and embellishments. 

Ch 61

Row 1

sc in the second chain from the hook and sc across till the end

Row 2

Turn

ch 2

skip 2 stitches

work 1 dc in the next, cross in front of the dc you just made and work a dc in the 2nd skipped stitch of this row

* skip 1, work 1 dc in the next, cross over that dc and make a dc in the skipped stitch *

Repeat that pattern until you have 2 stitches left. 

skip 1 and then dc in the last 

Row 3

Turn

ch 1

1 sc in the 1st space created from the previous row's crossed dc stitches {this will be in between your last dc of the row and the last crossed dc pair of the row

work 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space

* work 1 sc in the next space & 1 dc, 4 tr, 1 dc in the next space *

Repeat this pattern across ending with 1 sc in the last space

Finishing

Secure your yarn, weave in your ends and embellish to your hearts content! 

Here is a little teaser of another pattern this week, I worked up an American Girl Version of this pattern so Little Miss and her favorite doll can match on her big day! :)

This post is going in my Spring into the Holidays page, they would make adorable holiday or birthday gifts for little girls who love to dress up and have fun!

Crochet a hat for Mother's Day

Now that Easter is over I am in full holiday mode for the rest of spring/summer/fall to get gifts ready for all the various holidays that are coming up.  Just in April and May alone I have three birthdays and Mother's Day stuff to work on.  Little Miss has already put in quite a few requests for crocheted or handmade gifts for her big day.  I love that handmade things are on the top of her wishlist...right next to a big trampoline lol :)

To kick off the Mother's Day holiday Season I am going to post links to two of my favorite hat patterns I have made the past two months. They work up super quick and easy and are great simple handmade from the heart gifts. :)

Both of these hats are made from the same pattern that can be found here.

This pattern would be fabulous for a spring/fall hat because its not too thick and is done in an openwork pattern. 

The green hat follows the pattern exactly.  It fits pretty snug and works great for those windy days where you want your hair and your hat to stay in place as best as it can. :)

For the red hat I went up to a 6.00 hook and followed the pattern with the larger hook.  I made this one out of Naturally Caron Country, which is a wool blend.  Love this yarn and the Spa blend! This hat is bigger and great for when I want to pin some of my hair back and still wear a hat without getting awkward looking bumps from my hair do under my hat. Photo done by my daughter, she things taking photos with my "fancy camera" as she calls it is "so very cool!" :)

For Mother's Day, you could work up matching hats for a special mother in your life and her adorable daughter. :)
Tip: To fake a photo that looks like you are holding your child on your hip like when they are younger put  something sturdy right up next to you.  It needs to be as high as your hip {which could be hard if you are tall....I am super short so finding something was not very hard lol} You want them to be taller than you when they are standing.  Have your child stand on it and then put their arms around you like if they were on your hip, they will have to bend down a bit, which gives the illusion that you are holding them on your hip.  Kudos to my awesome husband for figuring this out. :)

I love this photo of her wearing my hat, she looks adorable! 

The kids version of this hat can be found here.

For the adult version I used a thinner yarn {Naturally Caron Spa Blend} and crocheted it with a 6.00 hook holding two strands together at the same time.  I made my butterfly a little bigger to better work with the hat being a little larger. I also added in some extra rows before I started my butterfly.  I kinda just winged it and tried it on as I went along.  I will have to write up the pattern next time I make one. :)  

I have around 6 projects going on right now for gifts for the next two months, I like to have more than one going so I never get bored.  Some of those projects include hats like these, a scarf, an owl, a bunny, and some other goodies.  I have been having a great time working with Victoria on some special projects the past few days for her friend's birthday that is coming up soon.  She is over the moon excited about actually making the gifts for her friend and being a part of  the whole process from picking out the yarn, to picking the pattern, to making it.  I can't wait to share it when she is done, its so cute! 

This post is going into my Spring into the Holidays Page where you will find ideas for the holiday season that is coming up this fall.  I like to start early so I can fully enjoy the season and be finished with most if not all of my gifts.  That way I can do a little bit here and there and fully enjoy the holiday with no stress over getting things done. 

I am linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Crafting On Post. 

Re~Sizing The Big Brother Hat

Last week I made these hats

from this pattern here.

I wanted to make the boy version for a little boy who will be 8 by the holidays and I found that the child version would be a little too snug after trying it on my almost 9 year old daughter.  

To make it a little bigger I just went up to a 5.50 hook, I didn't need it too much bigger so just going up that half size did the trick.  

It fits great and actually has a little room in it as well.  :)

I changed the last two rounds of this one as well by doing:

Round 12

ch 2 and hdc around, join like the rest of the hat

Round 13

ch 1 and sc around, join like the rest of the hat. 

This post will be going into my Spring into the Holidays 2012 Series as well. 

Big Sister, Little Brother Hats

Just a quick photo post, taking care of my sick little ballerina today.  Hoping this bug passes soon!

Hats made from this pattern here just like yesterday's post.

I'm totally loving the girls hat...the yarn and the edging are so fun and sweet!

Victoria loves this hat, she kept hinting to me while I was making it that she wanted one too.  Thinking that it will make a cute Easter gift, even though she will have to wait a few months to wear it outside. ;)  She just loves having hats and wears them around the house daily. 

These two are going to a brother and sister, can't wait to see the two of them in their matching but different hats. 

A few more hats to go, def. loving this pattern. 

:)

This hats would make fabulous holiday gifts, works up fast and you can customize by color or by adding on a flower or other fun applique. 

Big Brother, Little Brother Hats

It seems like so many people around me are having babies ...its like baby mania these days and I love it. :)
With so many cute babies being born this spring and my love for handmade gifts getting stronger by the day I have opted to make cute simple hats for the new little bundles of joy.  That way I can give all the little new babies in my life something special while I don't go into a crochet coma. ;)

I was looking for something simple and easy for the boys and found this pattern here and I loved that it came in not only baby, child, and adult sizes but that you could customize it by color and boarder so that you could make matching hats for all the kids/family.  Super cute idea for family photos of the kids in the fall/winter months.  The boys hat has a simple straight edge while the girls has a cute little shell edge.

Big brother and little brother hats.....I love it! :)  

The only change I made to the pattern is:

Round 13

ch 2 Don't turn 

hdc around and join with a slip stitch in the ch 2 space of the beginning ch 2

I ended with that round.  Its just personal preference for me. :)

I can't wait to move on to the girls and make a cute one in pinks and purples with that adorable shell boarder for the edging.  I have one family that is having a boy but they already have a girl so I am going to do matching hats with the same pattern just different colors and edging.  Looking forward to seeing how totally cute those come out. :)

And if there are no new babies in your life right now, these would make great birthday and holiday gifts as well.  Works up super quick and easy.  :)