Crochet Star Ornament

Sometimes you find something on Pinterest and it leads you nowhere... so then you go on a hunt for the link to what you need. That was the case for this star ornament. Luckily, there were a lot of very talented people who went through the frustration of finding the link and instead, came up with patterns of their own! 

Even though I found a few patterns, I decided to look on YouTube. I've been getting better at following written instructions but sometimes, I just have no idea what the patterns are saying. I love to watch tutorials on YouTube because even if I don't quite understand someone's instructions, usually I can figure it out by watching the video.

So here is the link to the tutorial (by Jonna Martinez) followed. I only changed minor things but it's pretty much the same pattern. Once you make the first one, you pretty much can knock them out pretty fast. I love that it's so easy. 



I tried variations of attaching the ribbons and button. I split the 4-ply yarn in half (2-ply) and used that to thread my tiny needle to sew the button to the ribbon. In the end, I decided that sewing the button to the ribbon first and just attaching it through the hole of the star was the easiest.



I used several different hook sizes but ended up using the 5mm hook for most of them. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarns. The 5mm hook will give you a star about 4 inches (depending on your tension).



I always have a stash of buttons to use :)

Crochet Bow-Tie

A couple of months ago, I made these Crochet Coffee Cozies and I really liked the way it looks. It almost looks like it's knitted. I decided to make this same pattern for the Bow-Tie. I already made some Crochet Bow Ties for St. Patrick's Day using double crochets. But I wanted this one to be different. 

I added a strap with a button to hold it in place instead of using a safety pin like I did for the St. Patrick's Day ones. 

This bow tie was made to match a Crochet Newsboy Hat I made for my son's First Birthday Cake-Smash Session.

I felt like it was a little too big but when I asked several people, they thought the size was just fine. I guess i'm always unhappy with how things turn out.

You can follow the same tutorial  (Free tutorial by Jonna Ventura) as the coffee cozy but don't make it as tall since you're making a bow. 

You can use yarn to wrap around the middle or you can crochet a small piece that goes around it (like I did). It doesn't matter how the back will look since it's hidden. 

He looked so great in it!

Crochet Newsboy Hat Pattern

I wanted to make a newsboy hat and matching bow-tie for my baby's cake-smash session. I actually had to make the hat twice because even though I measured his head, I still made it too small (not to self: always make it slightly larger!).

I use this chart all the time when I make hats and it seems to work pretty well. Sometimes it doesn't measure exactly what you need depending on what crochet stitch you're using but it always seem to work out. You may have to increase/decrease hook size or loosen/tighten your tension.

NOTE: In the beginning of each round, the ch 2 does not count as a dc stitch. You will always start your first stitch in the same stitch as the ch 2.

Materials

I used Red Heart Worsted Weight yarn in 2 colors.

5 mm hook

Scissors

Tapestry Needle

Stitches 

Double Crochet - dc

Half Double Crochet - hdc

Single Crochet - sc

Chain - ch

Slip Stitch - sl

Round 1-  

Starting with a magic ring, Ch 2 & 10 dc into the ring. The ch 2 does not count as a dc stitch, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 

Round 2 - ch 2, 2 dc in each stitch around (including the same ch where you ch 2). The ch 2 does not count as a dc stitch so the first one will look like there's 3 chains, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2  

Round 3 - ch 2, *1 dc in the first stitch, 2 dc in next stitch,* repeat from * around, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 

Round 4 - ch 2, *1 dc in the next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch* repeat from * around, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 

Round 5 - ch 2, *1 dc in the next 3 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch, repeat from * around, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 (60 dc)

Round 6 - ch 2, *1 dc in the next 4 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch* repeat from * around, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 

This is where I stopped increasing because my hat piece measured about 6 inches (according to the chart for ages 1-3, you stop increasing no more than 5.9"). Remember it all depends on your hook and yarn size and your tension. 

You would just increase as follows:

Round 2 increase: 2dc in each st
Round 3 increase: 1dc, 2dc, Repeat
Round 4 increase: 1dc, 1dc, 2dc, Repeat
Round 5 increase: 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 2dc,  Repeat
Round 6 increase: 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 2dc, Repeat
Round 7 increase: 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 1dc, 2dc, Repeat 

Are you starting to see the pattern now? Every Round adds 1 dc between increase stitches.

Round 7 thru 11 - ch 2, 1 dc in each stitch around, sl into the top of the beginning ch 2 

Round 12 (BRIM) - Mark where you would like you brim to start and where you want it to end. I used another color yarn as a stitch marker.

ch 1, sc in each stitch until you get to the 2nd stitch marker (you'll stitch pass the first one), 

Turn your work and skip a stitch and *1 sc into each of the next 2 stitches, 2 sc into the next stitch (increase)*, repeat from * to * (the pattern is an increase every 3rd stitch) until you get to the stitch marker. Skip a stitch and sl into the next stitch.

**Turn your work and skip a stitch and 1 sc into each stitch until you get to the other stitch marker. Skip a stitch and sl into the next stitch.

Repeat from ** until you get desired size brim. Remember you want to end the brim on the opposite side of the hat from when you first started your round 12 so that you can continue the sc all the way back around the hat.

After desired length of brim is reached, sc into each stitch until you reach the beginning of round 12 & sl to join the beginning chain 1. Cut yarn and weave in ends with tapestry needle. 

Strip above Brim:

I used a different color for this. Ch as long as you need to go across the hat (I usually make it the same length as the brim).

1 hdc into the 2 ch from the hook all the way across until you reach the last st. 3 hdc into the last st. (this will go around to the other side) 1 hdc into every st on the opposite side until you reach the other end. sl to join. Leave a long tail to attach to hat. Add buttons as desired.  

Check out the cute little Crochet Bowtie here! 
Interested in making the Giant Cupcake yourself? Check out this tutorial!
Like the cute Tissue Paper Tassels in the background? Check that tutorial out here!

Stars & Stripes Crochet Hat

My baby turns 11 months the day after July 4th so I thought it'll be cute to make him a patriotic hat! 

I know that the little stars look more like flowers ha-ha but I didn't have any star buttons.

It was actually a little small for him but I made it fit! Aren't the tassels cute? See how I made them here!

He doesn't look too thrilled. ^_^

Now I'm off to plan his first birthday Cake Smash session and birthday party! Really? One year!? I don't see him as an almost toddler and it was hard to even see these photos because it's the first time, he looks older (sniff, sniff). 

Crochet Newborn Girl Hat & Mary Janes

I received a request for baby girl hat & booties set. Since I crochet a lot of boy things for my kids, I get excited about finding new patterns for baby girl things. 

I haven't found a video tutorial for booties that I really like until I found this one by YarnWars. Every time I try to make one, I get frustrated and get discouraged and dread making the second one. I loved how she explained everything. There are variations of where to slip stitch to join and I always get confused on where to join if they don't explain it. I'll end up with too many or not enough stitches. I actually followed this one through and just love how it turned out! I was even excited to make the 2nd side!

The video tutorial for the Crochet Shell Hat is by WoolyWondersCrochet. I've made this one before and decided this is the hat I wanted to make for this set :)

The tutorial for the flower can be found here. This one isn't a video but has photos and is very easy to follow. I added these litlle heart buttons to both the hat & booties to make it a matching set. 

Simple Crochet Newborn Hats

I can't believe it was just 2 years ago that I started crocheting. It seems each time I find something I enjoy, I dive deep into it. ^_^ I started off with such large hooks (9mm+) and chunky yarn because it was easier to manage and the projects were so fast! Most of my projects now are made using hook sizes 4.5 - 6mm. 

I wish I had more time to take on bigger projects. I'd love to start making clothing!

One of the easiest things to make are little newborn hats. Double crochet stitches make for faster projects because the stitches are taller and you finish a lot quicker than if you were to do single crochet stitches. 

I started all my rounds chaining and joining to beginning chain to form a loop/circle. I was always intimidated to do the magic ring. Once I learned the magic ring, I never went back. What was I so afraid of? It's much easier (for me)!

There's so many great FREE tutorials out there!

This is probably the most simple hat. 9 rows of double crochets and finished with 2 rows of single crochetes. A cute button finishes it off. Simple. Cute.

This hat was done the same way except for the change of color and the shell stitch edges. Add a flower and it's an adorable baby girl hat.

Crochet Newborn Bonnets

I went a little crazy making these cute little bonnets at work. No, I wasn't crocheting while working. I'm still nursing my baby and I have to pump at work so I make the most of that time by crocheting. The good thing about newborn hats are they are little itty bitty and takes less time to make (especially now that i'm getting better!)

Free video tutorial for the bonnet found here. 
Free Three Layer Flower pattern & tutorial for the flower here. 

I even tried using mohair yarn which I absolutely LOVE! 

 

 

Burgundy Cross Stitch Slouch Hat

After making a green slouch hat that was slightly small, I decided to make another one using the cross stitch (because I didn't want to make the exact same hat again).

I used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Burgundy (I know my photos look red)

6mm Hook
Yarn Needle
Scissors

Abbreviations:
ch = Chain
sc = Single Crochet
dc = Double Crochet
sl st= Slip Stitch

Round 1 - 12 stitches
ch 2 (does not count as a chain stitch)
11 dc into the magic ring
sl st into the top of the ch 2

Round 2 - 24 stitches
ch 2 (does not count as a chain stitch)
2 dc into the same stitch 
2 dc into each stitch all the way around
sl st into the top of the ch 2

Round 3 - Repeat Round 2 = 48 stitches

Round 4 - 10 - cross stitches
ch 2* (this counts as a double crochet stitch)
skip next stitch & dc into the 2nd stitch
dc into the skipped stitch (these two stitches creates a cross "X")
Repeat all the way around
*when you get to the last stitch, dc into the stitch of the beginning chain 2  

Round 11 - 17
ch 1 and 1 sc in each stitch all the way around (do not sl st)
after the last stitch, place a stitch marker here
sc in the next stitch (beginning ch 1) & complete using a continuous round until you get the desired width
I like to sl the last couple of stitches to blend in better

Fasten off and weave ends in (don't forget to weave in the beginning tail from the magic ring.) It has this swirly look which I liked very much. yay!

I'm just learning how to read patterns and write them so I hope I didn't screw up too bad!

Green Crochet Slouch Hat

This slouch hat was made following this pattern. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn and a 5.5 hook but it was a little tight for me. I followed it exactly. I guess my tension was too tight or my head is too big haha. It looks cut on my kids though!

Crochet Coffee Cozy

It's Teacher Appreciation Week! I thought about what to make for the boy's preschool teachers. I want to be fair so I want to give them all the same gift even though my 4 year old has a specific small group teacher. 

I decided to crochet a coffee cozy (Free tutorial by Jonna Ventura) and give them each a gift card from Starbucks. Everyone drinks coffee right? Especially when work means dealing with 38 preschoolers from ages 2-5! 

I love these cute little wood heart buttons I ordered a while ago. They were smaller than I had thought but were just perfect for this project.

Can you tell the filler is from Easter? :)

I found this free printable tag here! I thought the guy at starbucks would give me a larger cup but I'm not going to complain! I used teal cardstock because it matches the color of the coffee cup. Luckily I also had teal ribbons. I love the color teal... my bridesmaids' dresses were teal ♥

I love how simple this is and hopefully they love it as much as I do!

Crochet iPhone (6 Plus) Bag

Recently, I crocheted a bag that allows me to carry my iPhone at work. Sadly, I'm still wearing my "bigger" clothes because losing the baby fat this 3rd time seems to be an uphill climb! I was pretty excited about how it came out (The blue one was a gift).

Fast forward to St. Patrick's Day (darn that day!) I went to pump at work and didn't bring my handy little bag. Without thinking, I put it in my back pocket (which I never do!) and went to the ladies room.... do you see where I'm heading with this? I'll get to the point. My phone fell into the toilet. I didn't even realize what had happened when it happened. In the split second, I decided to grab it (ewe, ewe, ewe!) Wrapped it in paper towel and washed my hands (and arms) THREE times. Scrubbing HARD. I wasn't able to turn it off. The screen started doing funny things. I went back to my desk (still upset) and put it in a bag of rice. I notice the phone was HOT. Yes, I had uncooked rice at my desk. I have a rice sock in my drawers ^_^ I waited a long 6 days and it didn't work. 

I tried to use my iPhone 4 but it was so slow and didn't work well. I decided to upgrade and get an iPhone 6. It was so hard deciding between the 6 or 6 Plus. I heard good and bad about the plus because of the larger size and small female hands etc. I had just purchased an iPad (you bet I crocheted a case for that too!) so it was hard for me to have to spend the money to buy a new phone.

After going back and forth and still annoyingly doing so at the store, I went with the iPhone 6 Plus. I've had it for less than a week but I like it so far. My old bag was larger than my iPhone 5 but not big enough for the new phone. So, I decided to make a new one. 

I LOVE the star stitch. I practiced it before and it was so cute. I looked for a video tutorial on YouTube and found this tutorial. 

I only used the tutorial to get started. I didn't complete it as she did. I think hers was for an older iPhone so instead of chaining 15, I chained 17 (I think). I finished off with single crochets on top. I didn't make the flap. I like to be able to slip it in and out without having to deal with a flap. I added a little button to hold the little strap. 

I know I should get better protection when buying a case but I was never into the bulky ones. Isn't this chevron case so cute though? I didn't know parts of it was clear when I ordered it but it's cute.

Crochet Baby Sandals

A month ago, my friend posted a picture of these adorable crochet sandals on my facebook. There's a free pattern so I made one in blue & cream since the original was grey and pink. I'm sure daddy will thank me when I'm not putting pink sandals on our baby boy! Ha!

The good thing about getting better at crocheting is that you can look at a photo and get an idea of how to make one.  If you know the basics, it's pretty hard to screw up (I still manage to screw up sometimes!). What I mean is it's easy to figure out the pattern if you know the basics. :) if you're interested in the pattern, you can find it here. If you're more of a visual person, she has a link to her video tutorial too.

Getting a photo of my son wearing the saddles was a challenge since he is nonstop kicking and flapping his arms. Haha. After many, many attempts (and getting kicked in the face) I gave up. Looking through the photos, I was able to use one of them. Yay!

I tried the sandals without the top blue straps but it didn't stay on so I added it and it was much better. I may double up on the soles next time to hold the shape better. I liked the soles I used for the Crochet Baby Flip Flops. I would probably make the back straps shorter too so it's more snug (1 or 2 less chains would be sufficient).

 

Crochet Baby Flip Flops

So I saw this really cute chubby crochet flip flop pattern and I wanted to make one! I love the idea of stitching two soles together. It creates the thick sole and it also holds its shape better. I was all excited because I'm getting better at reading patterns but for some reason, I wasn't getting the right number of stitches and I started to get really frustrated. I was determined to finish it so I just moved along and pretended like I knew what I was doing! Ha! It worked out anyway. 

Crochet Teething Necklace

There's so many teething remedies out there and I feel like none of them has worked for my boys. Now that the 3rd baby is about to break his first set of teeth, I decided to try the teething necklace. I also made another wooden teether using scrap fabric. 

Since this will be in his mouth, I used cotton yarn.

Using a wooden ring, I created a slip knot and single crocheted around the ring and slip stitched to the beginning single crochet. 

I then single crochet around a smaller wooden ring.

Next, I chained as many chains as I needed to get the desired length of the "necklace".

I slip stitched back into the base of the larger ring.