Diagonal Granny Stripe Baby Blanket & Striped Baby Hat

This matching blanket and hat set were made back in July 2016 for my cousin's second child, Walden.  (Yes, I'm still getting caught up on backlogged blog posts.)

For both projects, I used a size G or H crochet hook.  The main yarn is Red Heart Gumdrop in Citron, and the stripe and border is Snuggly Wuggly by Loops and Threads in Soft Gray.

For the blanket, I followed the Diagonal Granny Stripe Afghan tutorial by Easy Crochet Patterns.  To achieve the striped pattern, I crocheted six rows of Citron and two rows of Soft Gray.  Secret:  I didn't cut the yarn with each color change.  Instead, I simply ran it loosely along the edge to where I needed it next, and then covered it up when I did the shell edging.  The blanket came out to be 30 by 30 inches. 

For the hat, I followed Oombawka Design's pattern for a Double Crochet Beanie in the Newborn size. I've had good luck with this pattern in the past (check out my Earthy Striped Baby Hat).  My secret is to use Cr8tion Crochet's instructions for seamless crochet stitches. The hat came out to be 9 inches around and 4-1/2 inches tall.

I hope you've enjoyed this post and found some new ideas for your next project.

Happy hooking in 2017,
Jilliane


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Ben's Striped Baby Blanket

I'm baaack!

I've been MIA for a year and a half, and the reason is simple:  I had a baby!  My sweet boy is 14 months old now and tucked in for the night.

One of my New Years resolutions is to do more crocheting and blogging again.  So, here I am getting a jumpstart on my resolution by writing this blog post before the clock strikes midnight.  I think I can.  I think I can.

Truth be told, I finished this blanket back in September 2015 while I was pregnant with my son. Third trimester exhaustion kicked my butt, though, and I had no motivation to write this post until now.  (I've written it in my head countless times if that's worth anything.).  

"You're how late on posting this blog, Mama?!" (blanket in the background)

For this project, I followed the Soft Stripes Cross Over Double Crochet Afghan pattern with a size G or H crochet hook.  My memory is a bit foggy, but I'm fairly certain I didn't do any variations to the pattern.

Sweet dreams, sweetie boy.

I used Snuggly Wuggly Yarn by Loops and Threads in Silly Sprite, Blue Yonder, and Soft Gray.  This yarn was a great choice!  It's super soft and durable enough to be washed regularly.  The blanket came out to be a nice size-- about 30 by 45 inches.

I hope this post offers some inspiration for your next project in 2017.  

Happy New Year,

Jilliane

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Baby Booties and Hat

I'm definitely in "crochet mode"-- dreaming up all kinds of things to stitch for our little guy (due November 14).  For this post, I'm sharing the matching baby booties and hat that I just finished.

This hat is one of my favorite projects to repeat (check out the Earthy Striped Baby Hat or the Double Crochet Beanie with Scallop Edging and Flower Applique).  I used a size "G" crochet hook and Sirdar Snuggly Tiny Tots DK, Shade #0915 (a cream blend yarn with blue and brown flecks, purchased at a local yarn store and found here).  

This time, I followed Oombawka Design's pattern for a Double Crochet Beanie in the newborn size. And once again, I adjusted slightly by following Cr8tion Crochet's instructions for seamless crochet stitches. 

The hat measures 5-1/2 inches wide and 5 inches tall, which measures up against another newborn I had on hand.  

The booties were a new project that involved the same yarn and a size "I" crochet hook.  I used a pattern from Ravelry called Simple Crossover Booties.  One minor adaptation:  For Rows 9-21, it says to "SC in next 3 SC stitches."  I think this was a typo, because there are actually 4 SC stitches in the previous row.  So, I did 4 single-crochets in each row and it turned out just fine.  

The booties are about 2 inches wide, 3 inches long, and 2 inches tall.  I really hope they fit (and stay on for a few minutes) because they're so stinkin' adorable!

Hope I've inspired you to start your next project.

Happy hooking,

Jilliane

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Crochet Bunny Lovey 2.0

I just couldn't resist repeating this project again-- this time for our little boy!  That's right, we're expecting our first child in November!

Just like with the pink bunny, I followed the Comforting Bunny Lovey pattern with a size "H" crochet hook.  Here are the other materials I used:
- Sirdar Snuggly Tiny Tots DK, Shade #0915 (a cream blend yarn with blue and brown flecks, purchased at a local yarn store and found here)
- Red Heart Super Saver, Turqua
- Red Heart Super Saver, Coffee
- Silky Soft Ultra Soft Poly-Fil

The bunny measures 20 inches from ears to tail and 12 inches arm-to-arm.  He's soft and cuddly, and I cannot wait to see him in our little guy's arms!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


Update:

Our little guy is 9 months old now and loves to cuddle with his bunny at bedtime. 

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Earthy Striped Baby Hat

This adorable hat goes with a matching blanket for baby Jacob due in August-- and it only took a few hours to make!

For this project, I used a size G crochet hook and Red Heart with Love yarn in Bluebell.  I followed Oombawka Design's pattern for a Double Crochet Beanie in the 0-3 month size.  PS:  I've had good luck with this pattern before on the Double Crochet Beanie with Scallop Edging and Flower Applique.

One minor adjustment to the pattern:  I followed Cr8tion Crochet's instructions for seamless crochet stitches.  This method hides the hat's seam and worked well for me on one of the Spring-Time Easter Hat.  I don't think I'll ever crochet a hat without the seamless method again!

For the stripe accent, I was inspired by the stripes on this blanket by the Felted Button.  I used a size F crochet hook and thin light-green yarn (same as in the matching blanket), and then I crocheted two rounds of single-crochet stitches to create the stripes.  Easy peasy!

The hat measures about 5-1/2 inches tall and 12 inches around.  It will make for a great fall or early-winter hat for the little cutie-pie.

Hope you're inspired to start your next project!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


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Earthy Ribbed Baby Blanket

This was a fun project for baby Jacob due in August-- he's the first child of my dear friend and fellow crocheter, Nicole.

This Single Rib Crochet Stitch was very easy to do, especially with the helpful tutorial on Dream a Little Bigger.  One thing I love about this stitch is the way the ribs created depth-- the blanket is plush and squishy.

I used a size "I" crochet hook and two strands of thin yarn at the same time-- one green and one blue. The yarn was purchased at a local craft store, but I'm not exactly sure how to translate the packaging. (I can tell you, though, that it's the same yarn I used in the Striped Granny Square Baby Blanket with Picot Edging, and I posted a picture of the yarn packaging for that project.)

Finally, the border was simply two rows of single-crochet stitch with the same "I" crochet hook and Red Heart Super Saver with Love yarn in Bluebell.  The finished project measures 18 by 22 inches-- the perfect size for a baby/toddler to snuggle and carry around the house.  And to top it off, I crocheted a matching hat.

Hope you're feeling inspired...

Happy hooking,
Jilliane


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Spring-time Easter Hats

These Easter hats were a fun project for my nieces, Mariella (7) and Laurina (2).  Here they are showing off their Easter outfits!

Mariella's hat was inspired by this creation on U Knit Me.  I used beige yarn with a size H crochet hook following a pattern by Stitch of Love.  To get the size right, I stopped at Round 8 (57 stitches) and then crocheted 6 rows of the body.  For the brim, I crocheted 3 rounds plus a round of slip stitch. The sunflower pattern came from U Knit Me, and the other flowers were a smaller variation of that.  

For Laurina's hat, I used yellow yarn and a size H crochet hook following the spring blossom cloche pattern by Cre8tion Crochet.  I skipped a few rounds of the body stitch to get the size right, and then continued with the band and trim rounds.  The dahlia pattern is by Drops Designs.

And there you have it-- the girls' Easter hats!

Happy hooking,
Jilliane

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