Crochet Sneakers

My neighbor ran over to me on New Years Day to tell me that she had just found out that she will be a grandmother in July. She was so excited. Her son will be giving her a grand baby.

As soon as she found out the gender of the little human, she was quick to let me know. “It’s a boy!” Then she said “I want you to crochet a little hat for him”. “Sure”, I said, but I went beyond just a little hat. I made some little sneakers to match. I used black because it made me think of the style of the father.

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I have tried to make little Converse inspired sneakers in the past but could never get it right. I had given up on ever trying again but I could not stop thinking about accomplishing the challenge. I picked up some white and black cotton yarn and gave it another shot. I tried not to get in a hurry this time and just did them a little at a time. It took me three days at about an hour a day. The first day I just worked on the two layered soles. Day two I spent about 30 minutes and crocheted the toe and tongue part. Day three, I finished with the black part of the shoe and shoe laces. 

I like how they look but they turned out a little bigger than I had expected. They are about 4 inches long,  so I made the little black beanie hat a little bigger than new born. If the baby is born in July, It should be grown into them by August or September. Perfect for Fall. 

My neighbor does not know that I have made this little set yet. I will be taking it over to her sometime before June. This is when they are planning a baby shower. I hope she likes what I made for the little dude. 

Receiving Blanket Inspired Crochet

If you have seen pictures of new born babies or have had babies of your own then you have seen the most used receiving blankets in the USA. The famous blue and pink blankets are part of the Kuddle-Up line from the health care supply company called Medline. These flannel blankets are soft, warm and absorbent. This is the first fabric that touches the baby’s skin once it comes into this world. They are gender neutral so there is no arguments with boys wrapped in pink or girls wrapped in blue. They date back as far as the 1950’s.

I confess that the only thing I have ever stolen in my life was the receiving blanket my daughter was wrapped in and the little hospital tshirt and beanie she was required to wear during her stay. Now days parents can dress their babies in anything they want too on the first day of delivery. In the early 90’s, all I needed to pack for delivery was an outfit for her to wear home. It was a frilly light blue dress and silk booties. 

The other day I was in the mood to crochet another baby blanket to sell in my shop. I needed three skeins of yarn but I did not have three of the same colors. The only full skeins I had available were a blue, white and pink. Then the idea struck me to crochet a hospital receiving inspired blanket. I pulled out a note pad and wrote down how many rows and stitches I needed to work for each color to somewhat mimic the popular receiving blanket.   

Two nights and four tv programs later, I pulled it off. I think a baby will be cute wrapped up in this blanket as it exits the hospital just days after birth. This blanket is the perfect size for car seats, laps, and strollers. It may even become a child’s favorite cuddle blanket that will last for years.  

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Ba-Bee Shower Crochet Set

A couple weeks ago, my daughter asked if I could whip up a little something for one of her work mates that was having a baby shower. She mention that the mom-to-be was using a bumble bee theme for her nursery and baby shower.

The shower was for a baby boy. I have not created a lot of crocheting for baby boys. There are just more options when making the frilly things for girls. I put on my thinking cap and came up with this hat and booties set.

I tried to create the booties without making them look prissy by adding a pom pom instead of a bow and skipped the ruffles. I tried my best to make the pom poms look like little bumble bees but they didn't turn out that way.

I added a tiny bumble bee top knot beanie to complete this adorable little set. She added a few other things to the gift and headed to the baby shower where her gift was adored by the mom to be.
This little crochet set was a win.