Coo-coo baby doll

I love making my little guy toys. I enjoy sewing and crocheting them. I really got into crocheting amigurumi while I was pregnant with him last summer. I designed this doll when he was about 3 months old. He was starting to hold on to things but most of the stuffed animals we had were too big for him to really enjoy. I wanted a toy that was soft, had some high-contrast colors, was easy for little baby hands to hold, and something that was the right size to chew on. This fun little rattle doll was crocheted with acrylic yarn so that it can be washed and dried.

The hands and feet of my little doll were just the right size for my little guy to chew. At nearly 9 months old he still loves to drool all over them.

I added some polka dots in the colors of the arms and legs to the body for some added contrast and texture. Since I sewed the dots on after the body was constructed they are slightly raised.

I originally named him Cuckoo Bananapants because he was just a crazy-looking little doll I thought my son might enjoy. He loves to grab Coo-coo by the hair and bang him around.

Here's a rainbow version I designed for a friend's baby shower. He was a big hit. Each of them are stuffed with poly-fill and the body contains a rattle noisemaker for some added baby fun.

We love Coo-coo and I hope you do too. It's so satisfying and heart-warming to watch your baby playing with the things you make for him with love. What have you made your baby that he loves?

I'm excited to share this little guy on the Tea Rose Home Link Party. See you there.

Too much yarn? Is that even possible?

So my husband says I have too much yarn. What does he know? Honestly all the yarn I own is stuffed into these four little 12" square cubby holes. I don't think he knows what too much yarn looks like. Besides, if I didn't have all this yarn how could I make my cute little baby his cute little toys?

Slouchy beret; not on my big head

 

Let me just get this disclaimer out of the way now; I hate wearing hats. Winter hat, sun hats; you name it, I don't like wearing it. Maybe I just don't have the right head for hats. It's a little on the big side and on top of that I have a ton of thick hair. (Not that I'm complaining about the thick hair part. I'm really quite thankful for that because ever since I had my baby it's been falling out like a waterfall and if I had thinner hair I would be bald by now. But I digress.) I've never been a fan. But when you live somewhere with actual seasons, i.e. freezing cold in the winter, you really must put your irrational hatred of hats aside and put something warm upon your head.

It is in situations such as this that it is extremely helpful to be a crafty person who isn't afraid to try to teach yourself something new. I had never crocheted a hat with texture using more than a single chain stitch.

But when I found this book the hat on the cover looked so pretty I knew I had to try to make it. I had some lovely jade heather wool lying around that I had been trying to find a project for.

This particular hat is called the Slouchy Beret. The pattern says the finished circumference is 21" and since my noggin measures at 25" I knew I had to try to make my hat a little bigger. I am not an expert crocheter by any stretch of the imagination. As you can see above, I did not manage to increase my pattern enough to retain the slouchy aspect, but I love it anyway. I really do! It kept me warm all winter long, didn't squeeze or pinch in any way, and was in a lovely color. Since I had just had my baby, I wasn't in the mood for traipsing around town in an ugly winter hat; I wanted at least one part of me to look good (and not just the part carrying my adorable son).

The ribbing was extremely easy to crochet. The directions were easy to follow, just like I like 'em.

It's a little hard to see here, but I really like the little nubbies that make up alternating rows of the hat. The texture makes it a little more distinct from all the winter beanies you see everyone wearing.

Even though there's no slouching here, this hat is definitely a winner. I have some of the yarn left and I'm itching to make a matching scarf for this winter. And maybe some mittens. So if you're nervous about trying to crochet your own winter hat go ahead and give it a go. Maybe you'll be happily surprised with your results too.

This project is also posted on my Ravelry page (as Sordidsox). I'm so excited that the designer of the hat, The Crochet Dude Drew Emborsky, recently posted my picture on the pattern page as one of the samples. You've got to feel good when the designer thinks you've done his pattern justice. (The Crochet Dude does not know that I'm blogging about his pattern or Ravelry, or anything. I'm just really happy with the final product.)

Amigurumi

I discovered the world of amigurumi last summer when I was pregnant with my little guy. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. Typically they have big heads and small(er) bodies. They are adorable. I was looking for something to make for my then impending baby and these seemed like just the right thing. They are super simple (I had only crocheted straight things, like scarves, before attempting my first amigurumi. You only need to know how to crochet a single chain to get started.) and very quick to complete; the perfect project for this procrastinating crafter. They're also pretty darn cheap to make which is fabulous because babies and all their gear are ridiculously expensive. I have been able to find tons of free patterns online (bless the internet) but I have a few favorite books too.

Vanna's Choice easy crochet critters is full of adorable amigurumi animals to make. I love this lion.

Ana Paula Rimoli's book Amigurumi Two! is fabulous. I love her patterns as well as the cute little introductions she has for each of them.

(I have not been paid or asked to recommend these books; I just love them that much.)

Here's my lion (from the Vanna book; the elephant above is also from this book). He's so adorable. In the last month or so my little guy has become very interested in stuffed animals. The lion is a big hit. The bunny is from a pattern called best bunny that I downloaded from the Lion Brand Yarn website. (You can get the pattern here.) I adore this pattern. I have made several of these in all different colors as baby gifts. 

Here's the one I made for my nephew at Christmas. I had to take a quick picture before I stuffed it in the box.

 The octopus was my first crocheted toy. I still love him. My little guy loves him because there are so many baby-sized legs to grab hold of. He likes to shake this guy all over the place. I made a smaller version with a jingle bell inside. (Well, a jingle bell inside of a plastic egg, inside of the octopus; the stuffing muted the jingling so I had to give it a space to roll around in.)

I made this cute little bird (and a few others) for my son and nephew as Easter presents. I put a little rattle inside so they could shake them around. This little bird is small so it crocheted up super quickly. This is good for when you've decided to make way to many toys for your niece and nephew in the four days preceding your visit to see them. I found this pattern on Ravelry.com. (If you belong to Ravelry I have an account as Sordidsox.) It comes from the blog Bitter Sweet.

All you really need to make some amigurumi for your own little one is some yarn, a few crochet hooks, and some stuffing. I like to add a little extra to mine to make them even more fun for my little guy. I bought a bunch of rattles from National Artcraft.com. since I couldn't find any in my local craft stores. I also bought some squeakers on Amazon that are actually replacement squeakers for dog toys. I found the little musical button at Hobby Lobby. It plays Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. I still haven't decided what I want to put it in. The purple stuff is metallic tissue paper that I found at a party supply store. It works great for adding that crinkly sound babies seem to love. It even washes and dries well inside the toys and keeps on crinklin'.

 

It is so gratifying to see my little guy playing with all the creatures I made for him while he was growing in my belly and kicking me in the ribs.