Baby Sneakers

I am making a pair of baby sneakers, following the pattern put out by The Crochet Crowd.  These are pretty tall, so I may go back and redo them, making them two rows shorter.  I like the construction of the sole and tongue, but the boot seems a bit large and awkward for a 6-12 month old baby.  I also only did the sneaker and not the thicker sole, so it does look a little different than Mikey's sample.  The first picture I posted is the completed soles and the beginnings of the tongue.  My Furls crochet hook is also pictured, just before it fell off my table and broke in half (this is the 2nd time, same hook).  Needless to say, I'm a little devastated! 

To finish the project off,I will crochet (with a different hook) a white circle and add the first initial of the baby's name to the circle.  This pattern is pretty easy to follow and works up pretty quickly.  I'm not a beginner, but I don't consider myself an advanced crocheter either and this project took me about 3 hours to complete both shoes.  I'd love to see if any of you make these and how they turn out. 

Back to School

I can hardly believe it's already September and we are back to school!  I have my sights set on the holidays and what I might be making.  I've been looking into crocheted jewelry, hand warmers, hats and of course, ami dolls.  Can't decide what I want to focus on right now.  If you were to purchase gifts for this upcoming season, what would you prefer?

Scarves
Hates
Mittens
Fingerless / Texting gloves
Shawls
Ami Toys - dolls, bears, characters
Blankets (lovies for the babies)
Bags / Backpacks
Jewelry
Diaper sets (hat, diaper cover, booties)

Let me know what you think, as well as what you think I should price things at that would be fair to my materials and time.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions

Hoot of a time!

Got my first Etsy order this week and I'm happy to have made this cute Owl hat and mittens for a 3-6 month old baby girl.  The giver is not the mom, but she ordered for the soon-to-be-mom.  I've said a little prayer over this hat set and for the little one as she begins this new life <3  I'm so honored to be able to touch people's lives with this craft and I look forward to hearing how others are using my items.  I also made up a quick flower bookmark as a thank-you for the purchaser - hope she likes it!  

Owl hat pattern courtesy of Repeat Crafter Me Flower Book Mark courtesy of Annemarie

Baby Sweater & Puppy Dog

Baby Sweater & Matching Beanie Hat

I made this baby sweater and hat for a friend of mine, whose grand-baby was just born.  It's a little large for a newborn, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  I used Mikey's tutorial to finally get it right.  I had to "frog" it four times in order to get the collar worked out, which took a lot of time.  It was frustrating, but I pushed through and am so glad that I did!  This sweater is more like a 6-12months in size and was fairly easy to do, once I got the collar (yoke) to work the way I wanted it to.  I think I'll make a few more with a smaller hook for the newborns.  

Otie the Dog

I also made this cute little dog ami for the baby's older brother.  I am told he was named "Otie," which seems very fitting for this little guy.  He was a lot of fun to create and I followed a pattern that I got from Little Owls Hut. He stands about 7" tall and his ears and limbs can move.  He even has a cute little tail.  His eyes are crocheted circles with safety eyes attached and his belly-button button makes him complete.  His colors are dark green and a burnt orange snout, which I'm told are Otie's owners favorite colors.  He is also wearing a navy blue collar, but it can't be seen in the pictures.  Enjoy your new home, Otie!

Recent Projects

This past holiday season brought on some commissioned projects that I'm proud to share now.  I am currently working on finishing up a baby sweater, more minion hats, cabbage patch hats and a baby lovey for clients.  

These Little Me dolls went to two little girls named Marissa and Emily.  They were crocheted with worsted weight Red Heart Super Saver yarn and I purchased the patterns at Ravelry.com.  They each took a few weeks to make (I made another one before these and didn't like the way the pattern was turning out, so I frogged it.)  Each doll stands about 12" tall and are really soft and huggable.


Minion Fever has hit Crochetland and these hats are hot commodities.  I made these two infant hats and had another order for a teen girl that I'm finishing up soon.  Miss Sarah has also requested one from Mom when my other orders are complete and I owe Mr. Freddy one too.  I think I'll make an army of Minions to have on hand (just in case!).
 

Christmas is coming and....

...the minutes are whizzing by!  I've gotten three different orders for Christmas gifts, but if I share with you I might ruin the surprise.  I CAN tell you that they involve amigurumi, clothing and accessories of various shapes and sizes, but I won't post until after the items have been delivered to their prospective Santas.  I am thrilled to be able to share my crochet with others this holiday season and I still have a little bit of time to squeak in some custom orders (depending on what is wanted), so if you need a unique gift please let me know.  I will stop taking orders for Christmas on December 8th, so order soon.  How? Email (cindy.holda@gmail.com) or visit my Facebook page and let me know that you're interested.  I can do hats, scarves, shawls, dolls and small toys that are all affordable (and safe for babies).  Thanks for stopping by today!  

Owl Hat & Mittens

Well, here they are! I'm pleased with the way they turned and out and even more proud of myself for the mittens.  I found 4-5 different patterns for the thumbless baby mitts, but I frogged them all because they were written poorly and things weren't working.  I ended up started them like the amigurumi dolls (magic ring and spiral sc) until I got to the length I wanted, and then I changed color to sc around and then added double crochets every few stitches to make the holes for the "laces" to go through.  Worked like a charm!  I think it's really cute and I hope my recipient likes it too.

I have patterns for all sorts of animals - a dog, cat, duck, bear, sock monkey, pig, cow, lion, penguin and rabbit.  Then there's the now popular Despicable Me Minions and Mickey/Minnie caps.  I guess if you can think of it, there's a pattern for it or it can be created.  Are you ready for winter? If not, I'd love to crochet a special one-of-a-kind hat (and mittens or wristers) just for you!