What's Cuter on a Baby Girl (and Quicker to Make) than a Crochet Headband?!

Hello Everyone! In yesterday's blog post about Chunky-Stitch Infinity Scarves, I mentioned that I needed to blog about some of the baby crochet projects I've been making. These last few months, my nimble fingers have been working away making a crib-sized ripple afghan, two crochet baby cocoons with matching hats, more hats and eight baby headbands.

You see, we have not one...but TWO babies on the way in our family! My oldest daughter, S, was due with her baby girl yesterday, January 28th. She was pretty much finished with being pregnant a few weeks ago, and I know she was highly disappointed to have her baby's due date come and go. But you know how babies are; they come when they are good and ready. My younger daughter, R, is due with her little girl on February 7th. Like her older sister, R is also ready to bring her baby into the world.

Of all the baby crochet projects I've tackled (and will tackle in the months to come), making baby headbands was certainly the easiest. Talk about instant gratification! I made eight altogether, four for each baby. I worked at them each night for three evenings and was done. Each of the girls received an identical set, with minor differences in the embellishments.

Each headband is crocheted with rows consisting of four to eight double-crochets. To give the headbands more stretchiness and a ribbed look, I double-crocheted into the back loops only. The circumference of the finished headbands is around 12 to 13 inches, and the pom-pom and lavender bow headbands each have a button hole and two buttons so they can grow along with the baby's head. Since both babies are arriving around Valentine's Day, I crocheted this red headband to finish off each set.

Tips:  For these headbands, I used Redheart's "With Love" yarn because it's super-soft and has just the right thickness. Chain four or more to get the ideal width for your baby headband. As you form your rows of double-crochets, make sure to crochet into that little hump-like loop on the side at the end of each row so your edges are straight. Somehow it's easy to miss these, and then you get crooked edges. I always count my stitches to make sure my rows are even. To achieve the ribbed look -- instead of double-crocheting into the two loops of each stitch -- DC only into the single back loop, which is the loop farthest away from you.

I'm also busy making a surprise crochet gift for S's baby, but I can't say anything about it until I give it to her next week or so. Here's a hint for you: Everything's coming up daisies! The big reveal will be sometime next week.

In the meantime, I've got to figure out what project to blog about next...hats, my giant granny square blanket, my Christmas afghan or one of the other projects I've done or am doing. And then there's the thought of yarn shopping...something I'll be doing lots of while visiting my family in the states! I'm salivating just thinking about all the possibilities.

I'd love to hear about what you're crocheting these days! Who knows; maybe we can inspire each other.