Happy Halloween!

Even if you don't "celebrate" halloween, fall is such a fun time for pumpkin hats! Here is one I made to cover up her bald head while at the State Fair and trick-or-treating. It is made with Lily's sugar n cream yarn, which isn't the softest yarn on the market. Still, it is all cotton (good for her excema) and comes in a variety of colors. Not to mention I happen to have enough scrap yarn in this color!

Thread Crochet Booties for Sundays

"She needs something on her feet" my husband said, when we learned we'd be taking this baby church. So sweet, but she didn't have any socks. So I made up some with a little thread I had. I love this thread. I never thought I'd say that about a thread. I had given up thread crochet--so tired of the tangling, and it sometimes cut my dry cracked winter-hands. Someone suggested I try DMC Cebelia, in #10, and I love it! Don't be put off by the small balls, because there is a ton of thread wound on! It slides so easily. I can tell it will hold up to heirlooms much better--and isn't that what we want after all that thread work? To be able to hand it down? I hope this little gal will pass these on to her babies one day.

Starry Night Baby Blanket

When it comes to baby blankets and afghans I pretty much go for the traditional rectangular --not the shaped variety. This pattern was just so cute to me, I had to give it a whirl. I did have a little trouble following the directions. Could be crocheter's block or something. I used Bernat Softee baby yarn--and loved the final results (so soft & cuddly) BUT it was hard to see my stitches when I was making the small stars, making the pattern even harder. My stitch count on the cloud border did not come out like the pattern said, but not a real problem. After all, they are CLOUDS--no rules--just make them uneven. The FREE pattern can be found on this site: http://www.innerchildcrochet.com/patterns/starry_starry_night.php

Update: Won 2nd place for Crochet Baby Afghans in the State Fair!

Sponge Bob Purse

I have a friend who has a daughter that is crazy about "Bob-bob". She also loves pocketbooks--so I put the two together and came up with this! The pattern is available for free on thecrochetcradle.com
Please report any errors through the "contact me" link on the Crochet Cradle's website. Enjoy!

Baby Bibs

These Baby Bibs I made for a special couple that I watched grow up. They are expecting their first child, soon after getting married & graduating college. This couple was longtime sweethearts that grew up in the church together. Something you thought you only read about in storybooks! Anyway, these bibs were made for their--boy or girl? and came from the Bernat website--free: http://www.bernat.com/search.php?key=bib&searchResults=&PATTERNS=Search
Super easy pattern. I altered it a little to make each just a little different. In one I sc, ch-1 (sk next st),sc across. It made a pretty pattern. I believe this is called the seed stitch.

मोंकेय क्रोचेत

My friend's oldest daughter is having her first child soon, and is decorating her nursery in a monkey-theme. My first thought was--oh my, what on earth can I crochet in this theme??? I almost bailed out and made her an afghan in baby colors. With some help from my crochet partners message board I found this pattern. I loved it! It was so easy to follow and best of all--free. I think I can size it down to make a pacifier holder from the monkey head. I'd like to make a hat for the baby with the same yarn & theme. All single crochet--so it can't be but so hard. Here is the site:
http://quesera.ojaru.jp/osaru-pattern.html
Note that it appears to be a Japanese site and someone translated the pattern into English. Whoever did this did a great job & I found no errors in the pattern.

Easy Springtime Dress

I made this dress in just a couple of days--it was so easy! You can get the pattern for FREE at thecrochetcradle.com . It is pictured here on a very chubby 4 month old baby. Isn't she cute? Such a sweetie! The thread is one of my favorites: DMC senso in rainbow & white.

Sweet Violets

Here is a little something I have worked on off & on for a while. I was trying out a new pattern stitch, and a new technique. I used (again) the red heart lustersheen yarn. It works up so nice for me, so I use it a lot. I just wish it came in more colors, which is my usual complaint with yarns & threads.

Lady Bug Dress & Hat

After finishing the Bumble Bee dress, I got a request to do a Lady Bug one. This outfit is for a toddler. The person who requested it is a relatively new crocheter so I wanted to make it easy to follow. I hope I succeeded here. I made it as repetitive as possible while still making it interesting to look at. It mostly consists of dc, sc, or trc. I chose half double crochet for the edging so it would show up nicer. A single crochet would work too. I have a couple of testers trying out the pattern, so hopefully it will be available to the public soon. If you have any ideas for another design, I'd love to hear it! My next thought is a sunflower dress--the bodice could be like the center of the flower (maybe brown with popcorns?) and the skirt could simulate the yellow petals somehow. I will definitely have to think on that one for a while :)

Thread Used: Aunt Lydia's #3 Fashion Thread (NOT the #10 or 30 doily thread) and an E hook

Bumble Bee Dress & Hat

Well, I have had enough requests for patterns, that I am trying my hand at writing some down. Definitely a new area for me! It sure slows down my crocheting, but it will be nice to have some written down in case I want to remake something. Here I have what I designed with Bumble Bees in mind. My youngest son thinks it might look good made in "team colors" as well. I am also working on making a website. It will eventually be at thecrochetcradle.com (The Crochet Cradle). This pattern is available on etsy.com as a PDF file or I can mail it to you. Look for my shop name: The Crochet Cradle type in thecrochetcradle as one word. Or try thecrochetcradle.etsy.com

(The doll is a 1985 Berjusa I bought on ebay. The yarn is my favorite: Red Heart Lustersheen. It took less than 2 skeins to make this 0-3 months size ensemble!)

NC State Fair Results

Here are the results of my first NC State Fair entry in crochet (2008)

Christening Dress Update

I have been quite busy since the state fair. My father recovered from a brain tumor (& will celebrate his 83rd birthday in February!) Then there was Thanksgiving, Christmas....now January is half over! I am honored that someone on saw my Christening Dress & wants to purchase the pattern. I have been diligently working on crocheting a copy, and writing it down as I go. So far, it is going well considering this is a big first for me! Meaning--I have this thing that I never make the same thing twice! :) I love the challenge of making something new, and not being real sure what it will look like when I am done. In fact, I can't remember one thing I have made twice ever! (Well, baby boys I guess qualify--I have 4 of them). I never did finish posting all of the NC State Fair pictures, so I will add the ones of the Christening Dress to this post. I added a gold cross tot he front, tied with a ribbon, and pearls to the flowers to spruce it up a bit (from the previous posted pictures)