MY Crochet

Growing up, we were blessed to have a super crafty mom. From painting to crocheting, she miraculously knew it all and thankfully, I picked up a few skills along the way.

After JY broke the news that she and AM were expecting a little one almost 6 months ago (amazing how time flies), I naturally began to think about gifts. But, I wanted to do something special, something unique. So, I dug out my old crochet hooks and started brainstorming.

While I waited to find out the sex of the baby, I researched online for inspiration, patterns, and most importantly how-to guides since I could only remember one simple stitch (basic double crochet). I quickly realized that YouTube is a treasure trove for instructional videos and gathered my favorite video links for various items and patterns (see links below).

A few weeks later, JY found out she was having a baby girl and we talked about nursery decor – she envisioned a palette of primarily cream, gold and touches of pink. With this in mind, I went to Michael’s and found the loveliest cream yarn with threads of shimmering gold and the softest blush pink yarn (all from Loops and Threads).

Chevron Pattern Baby Blanket

Knowing JY’s contemporary aesthetic, I chose a chevron pattern that would be sweet but still modern. This pattern is particularly cute because it incorporates a puff stitch and naturally creates a beautiful scalloped edge. Here is the result.

For an instructional video on creating the chevron pattern with puff stitch accent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ5OpmYP-6c

Chevron Pattern Decorative Pillow

Surprisingly, the blanket only took me a few weeks of nightly crocheting and I was left with extra yarn, so I embarked on a second project – a matching decorative pillow. I used the same chevron pattern and fit it to a pillow insert I found at Jo-ann Fabric and Craft Store. Rather than crochet two separate pieces of fabric and sew them together to create a pillow case, I created one continuous piece of fabric that I could overlap to create an opening for the insert (this way the case could be easily removed for washing or replacement). Lastly, I added a pink ruffled border to add some extra girliness and whimsy. Here is the result.

For an instructional video on creating the ruffled border: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWy8GUxnt_A

Baby Beanie with Bear Ears

With still a few weeks until JY’s baby shower and in light of my reinvigorated love for crocheting, I decided to make a little baby beanie. While researching, I came across the most delightful baby beanies with bear ears and just had to make one. After completing the beanie, I added a large accent flower. Here is the result.

For an instructional video on how to make the baby beanie with bear ears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw40G3hEQWU

For an instructional video on how to crochet the large accent flower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFYQ6jz7G3g

Baby Ballet Slippers

To finish the collection, I made a matching pair of dainty ballet slippers with a simple flower and crystal embellishment (we all know how much JY loves her bling). Here is the result.