Crochet Baby Santa

Hello Lovelies,

When I was strolling around Pinterest I found a lovely crocheted Santa themed hat and diaper cover that I stitched up for Lauren's Christmas photos. Squeezing in time to crochet with a new born is quite difficult. I am starting to have time to breath some more but I will admit getting this hat and diaper cover done was quite a challenge.

But the end result was well worth it:

 It appears as though I am at my maximum amount of photos for my blog without paying to upgrade. I need to look into this and see what my options are. I wish I could share some more of her christmas photos. Hopefully I will get them up shortly!

xoxo Susan

Lovely Lauren

Hello Lovelies,

I made two posts and somehow drafts were not saved and I could not find the time to get back on and re-write them. But, I must bring this blog up to date. I miss crocheting and crafting.... and blogging!

Our baby girl Lauren is so lovely I just spend my days starring at her, aaaaand taking care of her. She will be 8 weeks on Monday, so she is finally starting to eat more and go longer increments between feedings, which gives me some time to do stuff. Crochet kinds of stuff.

I will be heading back to work next week for a couple weeks of work and then I will be off for a couple weeks for the holidays. This weekend J and I are getting the house ready for Christmas, the outside lights are up and the Christmas tree is down from the attic. As soon as I finish this post I will be getting the tree up and decorated. Lauren will watch, or do some sleep watching.
I ordered our Christmas card photo and am waiting for that to arrive so things are sort of on track right now for the holiday season.

Here was Lauren's birth announcement:

First side

Other side

I took the photos with our new Nikon camera we purchased before Lauren arrived and then I sent them over to my friend Jillian over at Jillian Marie Imagery and she made them look like this! Completely marvelous! We could not be happier with the way they turned out. Since they were mailed out I have been getting phone calls and emails with squeals about how cute it looks. I highly recommend Jillian Marie Imagery, if I lived in Arizona I would have her take some photos of Lauren as she is primarily a photographer not just graphic artisty.

Well tomorrow I will share the photo for Lauren's Christmas card shoot. I was going to take photos of her sleeping but she is such a smiley and alert baby I figured I better do an awake photo of her smiling. So check back tomorrow for it!

xoxo Susan

Our Baby Girl is Finally Here

Hello Lovelies,

I have been away waiting for my little pumpkin to arrive. All of my crochet goodies look better with her inside or on top of them so I was holding off on posting until she came.

My due date was October 5th which came and went without a baby. A week from today at 11:00pm my water broke and labor began! By 4:44am our beautiful baby girl was here. October 8th, 2012. We named her Lauren Olivia. She is a little peanut weighing in at 6lb 1oz and 18.75 inches. She is so perfect and we could not be happier.

She loves her daisy blanket and thanks to Mary at The Worry Bird, I am so glad I did not make the blanket any longer the size is just right.

More soon!
Xoxo Susan

Go Wild Pattern, Vera Bradley 2013

Hello Friends,

I do have some crochet goodies to share but unfortunately I am having some trouble getting the photos loaded to my computer. So, I am going to share another Vera Bradley 2013 sneak peak. This one is Go Wild!

 To me, this doesn't look like the typical Vera pattern. It is light and fluffy and looks neat. I like the black, gray, and yellow hues but this is one of those patterns that will get too dirty for my liking since it has a white background.

So there you have it, a second Spring 2013 pattern for Vera Bradley! You may find some on ebay from people who were able to buy them at a Sneak Preview sale.

No baby yet. 16 days to my due date, she is moving around A LOT and I have been getting a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions but other than that all is well.

Happy Wednesday,
xoxo Susan

Vera Bradley Winter/Spring 2013 Jazzy Blooms

Hello Friends,

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I do not have any crochet progress to share but I do have a sneak peak at one of the 2013 Winter/Spring Vera Bradley patterns. I think four new patterns will be coming out in the beginning of the new year in 2013 and Jazzy Blooms is the first one I have to share.

Jazzy Blooms, Vera Bradley Spring 2013

Jazzy Blooms Border, Vera Bradley Spring 2013

I think this pattern looks lovely. Not sure if I will run out and grab anything in it, but it looks pretty. Now that I have so many Veras I try to be very selective in what I purchase. We also have a Vera Bradley Outlet store near me which makes it extra difficult to control my desire to buy more and more Veras at great prices!

Happy Thursday,
xoxo Susan

Ready for Baby

Hello Friends,

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I am currently 36 weeks and 5 days pregnant - 23 days until my due date. Hopefully she is not late as it is getting very difficult to do much of anything. I am not a Happy Camper and I really do feel bad for J. He has been a good sport, and helps pull me out of bed when I can't sit up. Luckily pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome has not been too bad this past week - knock on wood. I hate to even say that because I suspect tonight my hands and fingers will be throbbing.

The baby's room is just about done, a few more things to get and do but overall she could come today and I wouldn't feel like I had to do anything right away. Every since I made my first pink owl crochet hat I have fallen in love with owls. So we went with the Dena Happi Tree Owl theme for the crib bedding and matching wall decals.

Flower Headbands for my Baby Girl

Hello Lovelies,

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. I have been working hard on getting things ready for the arrival of our baby girl. In 5 more days I will be 37 weeks which is considered full term by most standards! This past week has been difficult, I am very uncomfortable all the time and go on bed rest once I get home from work each day. Whenever I try to get some things done I start getting Braxton Hicks contractions and need to lay down for a bit.

Anyways, I have been eyeing up some flower headbands on Etsy to get for my little pumpkin and was having a hard time deciding on which person to purchase from and which ones I wanted. I was mostly concerned with colors matching because some of the flower head bands are very specific colors and would need to be worn with just the right outfit. I finally decided I could make some of my own. You know, Pinterest inspired I guess?

It turns out they can be quite easy to make! I started off with this pink one:

Baby Flower Headband in Pink

I purchased the elastic ribbon at Michaels when it was 50% off a couple of weeks ago as well as the flower piece. These were located near the jewelry section. I used a hot gluegun to put it together and some white felt to use as backing where it will touch the baby's head. I made it in new born size (about 13 inches around) and figured I can always ripped it where I glued it and make it longer when she grows. This light pink blossom is so big I had to put the band to the side to be able to show it in the photo.

Second one: Blue Blossom

Baby Flower Headband Blue - Made by Me!

This one has a lacier elastic ribbon also made for new born (I made them all for new born so I can take lots of photos of her when she is first born with the headbands on). Same thing for this one, hot glue gun and white felt backing.

Next two smaller blossoms in pink:

Baby Headband - Three Roses pink and fushia

Baby Headband - Cluster of Roses in Pinks

I am very happy with the way they turned out and plan to make many more. The four of these were made with materials purchased from Michaels Craft Store for a total of $10.43 - I still have elastic left to make more. Each item was 50% regular price on sale, and I had a coupon for an additional 20% regular price and sale. I think each flower was $3.99 regular price and the three roses were sold together for $3.99 or so as well as the cluster of four roses.

The four baby handbands I made all materials from Michaels

I heard from many mommys that some of the ones they purchased from Etsy were too tight on the baby's head, so I feel much more comfortable using ones that I made to ensure they are a perfect fit. I just may need to bring my hot gluegun to the hospital with me so I can make sure we have a custom fit for her first photos. I think I may slip it into my hospital bag tonight :)
I hope you had a lovely weekend and look forward to the week ahead.

xoxo Susan

Daisy Blanket Squares Connected

Happy Sunday Friends,

I've been spending most of the day inside to avoid swollen feet but I did slip out to make a run to Michael's Craft Store for the Vanna's Choice Sale and extra 20% off coupon good today and tomorrow.

As of today I am 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant. In one week and 5 days she will be considered full term and I think she will stay in for at least that long. This morning I was craving milk and drank about half of a gallon.

So back to the yarn. The yarn is on sale 2/$5 and then with the extra 20% (even sale items!) each skein is only $2 each. Unfortunately the store near me has been out of white for a few weeks now so I was not able to stock up on that. I've used other yarns but I really like Vanna's Choice and Vanna's Baby for making baby hats and blankets. The yarn is consistent and has a nice thickness to it without feeling bulky. I used Vanna's Choice in White for my Pink Daisy Blanket and Debbie Stoller's Washable Ewe for the Pink and Yellow.
The ends still need to be woven in, but the 5 by 5 squares are now complete and connected.

So now I have to decide if I want to add one more row and make this a 6 by 5 square or if I should leave it as it is and just add a nice border. For now I am putting it on things that the baby would use it with such as the swing to see how I like the size. Right now I am still undecided.

For those of you who are celebrating the end of the summer this Labor Day Weekend I hope you are outside enjoying the lovely weather. I remember Labor Day weekend always seemed sad when living up north. Summer was over and it was time to get ready for another school year and another cold winter. But now living down in Florida, school started weeks ago and the summer weather will be here for at least another month so it is just another weekend of beautiful weather. Which I will enjoy inside this year doing final preparations for the baby's arrival.

Enjoy the long weekend and happy crafting!

xoxo Susan

Crochet Baby Cocoon Very Easy! Pattern for Easy Peasy Crochet Baby Cocoon

Good Morning Lovelies,

It's a 3 Day weekend in the USA! I am looking forward to doing some final touches to my soon to be baby girl's room and crochet some more goodies for her. I have been pinning it up on pinterest with baby booties and cute hats to make for baby M so this weekend is my designated time to get some made.

Earlier in the week I shared a quick photo of the green crochet cocoon which will look much better in photos when I had a baby to put in there! For now we have to make do with just the cocoon. But I do want to share the pattern and it can't be any easier.
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease. Thick & Quick.
Color: Grass
Hook: N (what the yarn packaging said to use for that yarn)

After the photo infused pattern I have the pattern without photos for those who do not like photos or want to copy just the pattern part to save or print somewhere.

Easy Peasy Crochet Baby Cocoon
Pattern: to start Chain 4, slip stitch to form a ring
Row 1: chain 2, 11 dc into the ring (ch 2 at beginning counts serves as the twelfth dc), sl st.

Row 2: chain 2, *2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc*, repeat until end of row two, sl st

Row 3: chain 2, *2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc in next 2 stitches*, repeat until end of row. (so it should be 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc, 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc, 2 dc, ...), sl st.

Rows 4-18: dc into each stitch, sl st. (You may need to do more or less rows to get to the 17 inches in length.

Final Row: chain 1, sc in each stitch.
At around 17 inches in length do your final row (for newborn size cocoon).

Just pattern no photos:
Pattern: to start Chain 4, slip stitch to form a ring
Row 1: chain 2, 11 dc into the ring (ch 2 at beginning counts serves as the twelfth dc), sl st.
Row 2: chain 2, *2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc*, repeat until end of row two, sl st.
Row 3: chain 2, *2 dc in next stitch, 1 dc in next 2 stitches*, repeat until end of row. (so it should be 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 dc, 2 dc, 1 dc, 1 sc, 2 dc, ...), sl st.
Rows 4-18: dc into each stitch, sl st,
Final Row: chain 1, sc in each stitch.
At around 17 inches in length do your final row (for newborn size cocoon).

This was super easy to make and the yarn is nice and soft. If your cocoon is tight try stitching looser or use a larger hook. Please let me know if you have any problems with the pattern.

Happy Hooking!!!!

xoxo Susan

Connecting My Daisies As I Go

Happy Tuesday Friends,

Luckily we came out of the storm (Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac) with minimal rain and not too much wind. The east coast of Florida was not so lucky, they are experiencing some flooding. Back at work today with just few bands of rain and lots of sunshine inbetween. I hope things are not too bad for those north of the Gulf of Mexico as the storms moves north.  

I have been connecting my pink daisy squares using the connect-as-you-go method. Usually I tie in my ends before connecting but this time I am leaving all of my ends until the end. I have never left all of my ends out until the end so it is a little nerve racking but I wanted to see if I like doing it all at once better than doing it little by little. I think little by little may slow me down because I dread the periods of time when I have to tie them in, so I may not work on projects as much knowing if I am at a point where I would tie them in before proceeding.  

 

I was able to whip up a little baby cocoon for my little pumpkin yesterday. The Lion Brand Wool Ease, Thick & Quick is on sale this week at Michael's for $5 each. I will post the pattern for this tomorrow. I can't wait to put my little pumpkin in this and take some photos. I bought a light blue and a pink color to make a few more! They are very easy to make and look nice and cozy for babies.  

Crochet Baby Cocoon, 17 inches long

My due date is 38 days from today. In general, I am feeling pretty good. Walking is more like waddling and I dread trying to sit up from my bed every time I have to use the rest room at night, which is about 3 times a night. We can't wait to have our baby girl here!

xoxo Susan 

Hurricane = Crochet Weekend!!!

Hello lovelies,

I have been having trouble publishing posts from my iPhone so I figured I better get on the laptop today and get some real posts up. Last Sunday was a beautiful Sunday in Sunny FL and I was happy to be able to get in some crocheting and relaxing by the pool. I had a nice morning swim and picked up my hook and added some pink to my daisies for Baby M's blanket.

J went on a fishing trip and caught some larger grouper, so we had a nice grouper and salad for lunch. A perfect summer Sunday in Florida :)

Now a week later, we were preparing for Tropical Storm Isaac/Hurricane in Southwest Florida. Hubby and I opted to forego putting up the Hurricane Shutters on our windows since the storm was going to be a Category 1 at its worse if it did indeed get to us. Putting up the shutters takes several hours and we were glad we did not put them up since the storm moved further west and passed us as a tropical storm. We did not really get any heavy downpours in the Fort Myers area just some rain here and there and wind. We had much worse weather last week with a heaving down pour and thunderstorm. Thankfully!

Luckily, on Friday before the end of the day, my work announced it would be closed today! So I have been looking forward to crocheting the day away all weekend. My Pink Daisy blanket progress is coming along. All daisies and pink are done. I am going with a 5 by 5 but will reassess once I have the white border. I am thinking I may need to add a sixth row.

As soon as this blanket is complete I need to make her a little hat to wear home from the hospital. I made sure I had some light pink yarn to match her going home outfit. Since I am a crochet baby hat making kind of gal, I better get some other hats ready too so she can wear a different one each day we are there (2 days as long as all goes well). Maybe a baby cocoon too?

Hope your week is starting off great!
xoxo Susan

Pink Daisy Blanket Coming Along

Happy Weekend Friends,

I was up bright and early getting organized after a week of work. I have been squeezing in a little crochet time here and there and can't wait to have this daisy blanket complete so I am stare at it!


My friend Gina is coming over today with her daughter McKenna for some swimming fun! She is also bringing lots of baby goodies her parents were kind enough to drive down to Florida from Buffalo.

Will post some photos of our fun tomorrow!

I am posting from my iPhone and can't seem to get the photos to show up in between text - any advice?

Xoxo Susan

Cloudy Sunday = Crochet Day!

Hello Friends,

I hope your weekend has been delightful. Yesterday my friend Jessica and I had a lot of fun. It was her first time visiting our new house so after I gave her a tour, we went through my box of crochet projects - some finished some WIPs. I told her one of the first actually things I made was a granny square way back when I first learned to crochet. The Granny Square has something about it that makes you feel like you have accomplished something by being able to finish a piece of a project after you make a square.

So after clarifying the difference between single and double crochet she started on her very first square and I forgot to take a photo! Probably a good thing, I do not want to scare her away by snapping photos of her stuff too soon. Next time I will for sure though. I even forgot to take a photo of the sun dried tomato dip, it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! You must try it if you have not made it yet. I halved the recipe since I do not typically make it for a large amount of people. Plus if you make only half the recipe you can make it again a few days later since it only uses half of the jar of sundried tomatos, perfect for bringing a batch to work or a party then having some at home.

On Friday night I spent some time looking at blankets on Pinterest for baby M. When I saw the one I just HAD to make for her. The pattern is a daisy square and I found it on Tillie Tulip's blog. I am going with pink background since I love pink for baby girls. The light blue looks great too though.

 I am using my new Debbie Stoller Yarn - Washable Ewe (remember the skeins I got for only 97 cents!!!). This yarn is 100% wool so even though it has lots of "holes" it should keep my little baby girl warm. I am loving the pattern and the way it is turning out. I must get back to hooking away!!!

xoxo Susan