Pink Ribbon Scarf

This scarf is made to look like the well-known Breast Cancer Awareness pink ribbon, and I plan to give it to my colleague, Sue who is fighting back against a recent diagnosis.

For this project, I used a size "L" crochet hook with Red Heart Super Saver yarn in Perfect Pink and Soft White.

I followed the Wrapped in Hope Scarf pattern posted on Ravelry.  This pattern was very easy to follow and involved single, double, and half double crochet stitches.  Even creating the slit for weaving in the scarf was surprisingly easy to do.  

I deviated slightly from the pattern when I added the half-double crochet stitches in white for the edging, as well as the fringe for a final touch.  I'm happy with the outcome!

This scarf is cozy, cute, and girly-- plus it lays nicely with the slit opening.  It measures 46 inches long by 4-1/2 inches wide.

Hope this leaves you feeling inspired to start your next crochet project.  

Happy hooking,

Jilliane

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Flower Headband for Newborn

This adorable headband is for my best friend's first child, Emma Kate, who is due any day now!  I'm so proud to say that the headband will be worn in her newborn pictures, along with the Cascading Pink Ripple Stitch Blanket that I made for her earlier this year.

Step 1:  Making the flowers
First, I made each of the flowers, following Alli Crafts' Baby Headband pattern and using a size G crochet hook.

Step 2:  Making the headband & attaching the flowers
Next, I started the actual headband which is just a chain stitch (still using the size G crochet hook).  Once the chain was 6 inches long, I attached the first flower by inserting the crochet hook onto a loop on the back of the flower and making a slip stitch.  Then, I made 2-3 chain stitches to reach the other side end of the flower. Next, I grabbed another loop on the back of the flower and made a second slip stitch. After that, I made 4-5 chains to create space between the flowers and repeated the process for the next two flowers.  After the third flower, I continued to add onto the chain for another 6 inches.

Side note:  I read that a typical newborn headband is 10-12 inches. I made mine about 16 inches long so that it can be tied in a bow to fit just right.

Step 3: Sewing on the beads (optional)
Finally, I used a sewing needle and thread to sew 5 translucent pink beads onto the middle flower.

This was a very quick project and there's a lot of room for creativity.

Hope you're feeling inspired... Happy stitching!

Jilliane


Update:  Check out Emma Kate's newborn  photos by Kelly Long Photography.  Her headband goes so well with the Cascading Pink Ripple Blanket.

Update:  Emma's little sister, Brynn Ann was born on April 20.  This adorable little copy-cat wore her sister's headband in her newborn photos, too!

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Cascading Pink Ripple Stitch Baby Blanket

I was so excited to work on this project-- it was a baby shower gift for Emma Kate, the first child of my best friend, Erin and her husband, Brad!

My initial inspiration came from the chevron pattern I found on Happily Ever After's blog, and the color scheme was an imitation of Ravelry's Cascading Ripple pattern. Most importantly, I learned how to crochet the ripple/wave stitch from Crochet Crowd's video tutorial.

For this blanket, I used a size G crochet hook and the following yarn:

- Caron Simply Soft, Watermelon (315 yards)

- Caron Simply Soft, Soft Pink (315 yards)

- Caron Simply Soft, Off White (315 yards)

To achieve the cascading color effect, my pattern was 2 rows of hot pink, 3 rows of light pink, and 3 rows of cream.  Finally, I ended with two rows of hot pink to achieve a "framed" look.

Once I finished the ripple rows, I decided to edge the blanket with a hot pink border.  I wasn't quite sure how to go about it on a ripple stitch, but found some direction with Sedruola Maruska's instructional video. After a little experimenting, the pattern for my edging involved crocheting two half doubles into the opening at the end of each ripple row, which I did on both long sides of the blanket.

After that, I finished the edging by crocheting a single crochet stitch around the entire blanket.  Side note:  I started and ended in the "nook" of one of the ripples, because it seemed like a better hiding place for the knot.

After all was said and done, I still ended up with a small ball of leftover yarn in each color, and the blanket measured 24 inches wide by 32 inches long.

I hope this gives you some inspiration... Happy stitching!

Jilliane


Update:  Check out Emma Kate's adorable newborn photos by Kelly Long Photography.  The blanket and Flower Headband go so well together!

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Thick & Quick Baby Blanket

This adorable baby blanket was whipped up in just a few hours for our friends' first child, Lauren Alyse.  It is a simple, single crochet stitch using three strands of yarn simultaneously.  I was inspired by the Chunky Crochet Baby Blanket Tutorial and used those instructions to get started.

Something I really like about this pattern is how creative you can get with the possibilities-- color combinations, yarn weight, number of strands of yarn, etc.  I've used this pattern/stitch once before to make a Pittsburgh Steelers scarf using a strand each of black and yellow yarn, and it turned out great.

For this blanket, I used a size P crochet hook and the following yarn:
- Red Heart Super Saver, Perfect Pink (2 - 364 yards)
- Red Heart Super Saver, Orchid (2 - 364 yards)
- Red Heart with Love, Pewter (2 - 370 yards)

I purchased two skeins of each color to be on the safe side, but ended up using only about 1-1/2 skeins of each.  The blanket measures 30 inches by 40 inches-- the perfect size to use as a winter-time blanket, as a crib mat, or for tummy time.

I hope this gives you some inspiration.  Happy stitching!

Jilliane


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