A Fishy Necklace
To me, Wal-Mart is one of those necessary evils. I hate shopping there, but their prices are so low on some things, that it just has to happen occasionally. A while back I went on a bead shopping spree. They actually have some pretty fun beads there. This necklace is made up of beads purchased at Wal-Mart, and oddly enough, this simple necklace has received more compliments than many other necklaces I’ve made.
The fish makes such a great focal point, and the details on some of the beads accent it really well.
Another great detail is the swirl above the fish. I made this simply by bending an eye pin about a third of the way down, and shaping the rest into a swirl. I tried to make the swirl a bit on the “rough” side in order to fit into the earthy feel of the necklace.
All total, the beads for this necklace (including the fish) cost me less than $10, with plenty of beads to spare. Not a bad price and very simple to make!
Nursing Bracelet
A while back I heard about “nursing bracelets”, which are basically to help you keep track of your baby’s last feeding. In searching online stores to see what they look like, I was highly disappointed. Many of them looked like a craft from kid’s camp…right down to the cheap plastic beads. So naturally, I decided to make one myself:
The red beads on the bracelet represent hours. In reality, they should be actual number beads, but I could not find any locally, and I didn’t have enough time to order them from an online store. So hopefully these work. In between each “hour” bead are four silver ones, each representing a quarter hour. There is a small charm you move around the bracelet, so if the last time you nursed was at 6:30, the charm marker would be placed two beads after the “six ‘o’ clock” bead. Pretty cool, huh? As well you can switch the bracelet from wrist to wrist to help you keep track of what side you nursed on last. I was really happy with the way it turned out, it looks more like an accessory than a tool =)
Mother’s Day Mug Cozy
For Mother’s Day this year, my husband and I are putting together gift baskets for our moms. I came across this pattern in Etsy and thought it would be a great addition. I plan on picking up a couple of fun mugs and filling it with a little gift bag full of a chai tea mix. It was a really great project, very easy and fast, and best of all, easier than it looks! The base was a bit tricky, as I have never done a circular increase like that while knitting. Fortunately I got the hang of it quickly and it looks really good…even if there is a small gap in the center =) The original pattern instructs you to make an i-cord as a button loop, but I decided to crochet a two thinner loops making two button closures instead of one.
Baby Bib
I wanted to make something a bit more practical for a baby than just booties and a hat. At first I thought about doing some kind of towel and/or washcloth type thing, but this is not my friend’s first baby, so I’m pretty sure she has plenty of that stuff. So I decided on a bib. Yes, she probably has plenty of those too, but a bib at least can be coordinated with clothing so it can be functional and cute. I made this pattern using bits of 100% cotton yarn. I’m pretty happy with how the embroidery turned out. I’ve never done anything like that before, so I was a bit worried. Sadly, I didn’t realize until later that I should have added some leaves…oh, well.
Technorati Tags: knitting, baby, bib, embroidery
Cabled Baby Booties
Part 2 of my baby gift is the adorable pair of booties. The pattern is found here. As you can see, there is a little cable down the center with a pink ribbon tied into a bow…matches quite well with the hat =) This pattern was nice and easy to follow, as I have never made booties before.
Baby Shower Gifts
A friend of mine is due to have a baby girl any day. So naturally I have been making stuff! First on the list is a cabled hat found here. It was a very cute pattern that was much easier than it looks. I thought the sizes were a bit small, but then again it’s been a while since I’ve had a newborn to put a hat on =) Here are a couple of shots of the hat:
It was made with good ol’ Lion Brand Baby Soft yarn in white with a nice little pink ribbon laced through it. I didn’t manage to get a shot of the top of the hat, but the cables all join together quite nicely in the center.
