Another Cath Kidston Colored Redheart Little Sweetie Dress

This past week I celebrated a crochet milestone -- the making of my first crochet dress! Because I've been busy and didn't have enough time to create my own design, I used Redheart's Little Sweetie Dress pattern for a Cath Kidston-colored dress, which you can learn more about here.

The first dress was for my oldest daughter's two month old and now I've finished a second dress for my second daughter's two month old. Two Cath Kidston-inspired dresses for two darling little babies.

And now, for the Big Reveal....

 

 

For Baby S

For Baby E

You'll find directions for the alterations I made to the pattern on the blog post linked at the end of the first paragraph. I've so enjoyed crocheting these dresses, especially with this pattern and these beautiful yarn colors. It's so much fun trying new things. What new creative pursuits and projects have you been trying?

Today I'm Linking Up With: Erika's Crafts Corner Link Yourself Monday
Memories by the Mile Treasure Box Tuesday
Kathe with an E You're Gonna Love it Tuesday
VMG206 Brag About it Tuesday Link Party 
Oombawka Design Weekly Link Party
Small Things Yarn Along Wednesday
Crochet Addict UK What Are You Doing Wednesday?
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning Four Seasons Blog Hop
Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party 
Crochet Addict UK "I've Made Friday"  
Create with Joy Friendship Friday 
The Stitchin' Mommy Get Creative Link Party 
Sincerely, Paula No Rules Weekend Blog Party  
Natasha in Oz Say G'Day Saturday
Beauty Observed Link Party 
Annemarie's Haakblog Link Party 

Go Crochet Crazy Goes on the Road

It's that time of year once again, when vacationers from the US travel overseas to fulfill their dreams of experiencing parts of Europe. They have waited to ascend the Alps and look down into the valleys below. They delight in walking cobblestone streets trod upon by people from hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. They leave having learned more about the history than they ever expected, and they find out that travel is one of the best ways to learn about the world and about themselves.

In my work as a tour director from late spring through early autumn, I am lucky enough to help these people fulfill their travel dreams. This Saturday, I leave for my first tour and can hardly wait for the season to begin. Between now and the end of September, I will be fortunate enough to see and share my passion with guests for places like Munich, Germany and Neuschwanstein Castle. I'll lead older adults and families through the countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland (my favorite country), Italy and Lichtenstein. For someone who's been infected with wanderlust since she was a child, being able to do this is a dream come true.

Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany, the Bavarian Region

If you've been following the Go Crochet Crazy blog for a while now, you know my motto is "Have yarn, will travel". The thought of going a day without crocheting even a few stitches is, well, unthinkable. To me, crochet is like breathing. No matter how busy the day is, there's always five minutes to wrap the yarn around my fingers and, hook in hand, get lost in creativity.

For the month of May, I'll be tour directing through Germany, starting on the Central West border, making a U-shape down into Bavaria and coming back up to historical Berlin. My very patient, supportive boyfriend will keep the home front going until I return for a two-week break before heading out again.

During that time, I will continue to blog (you can't get rid of me that easily!) and hope you won't mind me interspersing a few travel photos in with my crochet bits. My trusty crochet bag will be coming along with me, filled with several skeins of cotton yarn. Since there won't be time or space in my suitcase for any large projects, I intend to spend the whatever time I have to crochet on making spa cloths or potholders for Christmas gifts.

My crochet bag

Having a bag full of yarn and WIPs nearby makes me happy.

Although there are times when I wish I could be at home, sleep in past 6am and be responsible for no one but me, I wouldn't trade the opportunity to be a tour director for any comforts or conveniences. Not only am I living a dream, but I have the honor of helping others realize their dreams. And that makes it all worth while.

So, it will soon be time to hit the road! I'd love to hear about some of your travels and travel dreams. What's your favorite place that you've visited? Where would you like to go that you haven't been yet? I'm sending good thoughts and wishes that you get there. :)

Cath Kidston Colors for Redheart Little Sweetie Dress

These past few months I've been doing a lot of crochet designing, and now I'm preparing to begin tour season (more on that in my next blog post). So, this past week I've transitioned to easy designs and ready-made patterns. Several people in my Google+ community, Go Crochet Crazy "All Things Handmade", have been sharing crochet dresses that they've recently made. That was one crochet project I'd never tackled, and I was really inspired by the pretty dresses I was seeing.

After a quick search, I found a free pattern for Redheart's Little Sweetie Dress. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I knew that with a few of my own alterations I'd be able crochet something pretty for the two two-month-old babies back home in the states. Plus, the pattern was easy and used stitches that I knew would get me to the finish line fast.

Since I've been using Cath Kidston-inspired colors for a giant rectangle granny I'm making for my bed, I decided to use those same colors for my Little Sweetie dresses. I've finished one completely and have started the other, and am over-the-moon with the results.

 

My Pattern Changes

There were a few things I changed about Redheart's pattern to make the dress look more like what I had in mind. Here they are:

1. The pattern instructs you to change to a bigger hook and also use a larger V-stitch. My change: I used a 5mm hook throughout and stuck with the smaller V-stitch to avoid flaring on the lower half of the dress, as well as a weightier look.
2. I didn't care for the fan-like edging at the bottom of the dress and wanted a softer look. My change: I added a soft, simple scallop edge by SC in one stitch, Ch 4, skip 3 stitches, SC in the next stitch, continuing this pattern all the way around.
3. I tried the picot edging because I love the picot stitch, but felt it distracted from the beauty of the overall dress. My change: I opted to go around the neckline and back opening with a SC for a finished look.
4. Again, I opted not to use the picot stitch around the arm holes. My change: I used the same soft scallop as is outlined in #2 for my armhole edging.
5. A waist tie is not called for in this pattern, but I liked it for two reasons...to add to the beauty of the dress and so it could be cinched in a little bit if it's too big. My change: A chain ribbon tie about 45 inches long, threaded through the first V-stitch row of the skirt.

And here's the dress as a work-in-progress...

Cath Kidston-inspired colors

The finished yoke and beginning of the skirt

The colors start coming alive

The finished dress without trim, pretty even like this.

My simple scallop edging for the skirt

A simple scallop gives the sleeve edge a soft look

And, again, the finished product, front and back...

 

Redheart's Little Sweetie Dress is crocheted from the top down. There's no piecing or sewing together, and it can be finished in a day or two. Using a Size H (5mm) hook, my dresses came out perfectly for a baby of about 3 months old. To make bigger sizes as the babies grow, I intend to just increase the size of the hook.

I'd love to hear what you think about the dresses I made. When you can take an existing pattern and add your own personal twists to it, the possibilities are endless. Have you made crochet dresses before? If so, do you use a favorite pattern or have one that you've designed? Let me know in the comments; it's great to share ideas. With the changes I've made, I'm certain I'll use this pattern again.

Today I'm Linking Up With:

Erika's Crafts Corner Link Yourself Monday
Memories by the Mile Treasure Box Tuesday
Kathe with an E You're Gonna Love it Tuesday
VMG206 Brag About it Tuesday Link Party 
Oombawka Design Weekly Link Party
Small Things Yarn Along Wednesday
Crochet Addict UK What Are You Doing Wednesday?
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning Four Seasons Blog Hop
Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party 
Crochet Addict UK "I've Made Friday"  
Create with Joy Friendship Friday 
The Stitchin' Mommy Get Creative Link Party  
Sincerely, Paula No Rules Weekend Blog Party  
Natasha in Oz Say G'Day Saturday  
Beauty Observed Link Party   
Annemarie's Haakblog Link Party 

Free Crochet Mandala Pattern

Whenever I finish a large project, I like to follow it up with a few smaller ones. The instant gratification that comes with smaller crochet projects is always a nice change of pace after waiting for weeks or months to finish the large project I'm working on.

Recently, I finished three crochet designs for my latest pattern eBook, A Bonnet, a Blanket & a Bag. A lot of work goes into designing patterns and the technical writing of them, so I was ready to whip up a few quick projects after that.

I set to work creating a car seat toy and free crochet bird pattern. Then I had leftover crochet motifs, so I turned those into star coasters and a birdie bookmark.And yesterday I finally got on the bandwagon with everyone else and crocheted a mandala and talked a little bit about what a mandala is and it's significance.

Today, I went back to my mandala pattern with some bright-colored yarn and did a little fine-tuning. Here is the result...

Crochet Mandala by Go Crochet Crazy

And it's predecessor from yesterday...

As you can see, my mandalas will be serving as potholders. If you'd like to try out my mandala design, you can use the free pattern below. Create a mandala and coaster set for yourself or as a gift by using my free "Think Spring" Cotton Crochet Coaster pattern to go with your mandala.

Go Crochet Crazy Mandala Pattern

Level: Easy/Beginner

Supplies:

H hook (5mm)

Cotton yarn (great stashbuster project)

Scissors

Large needle

Stitches Used: Slipstich, chain, SC, HDC and DC

Finished Size: 7.5 in across (19 cm)

Directions:

Ch 4 and connect with slipstitch or start with Magic Ring.

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as first HDC). 7 HDC into ring, for a total of 8 stitches. Connect to top of first stitch with a slipstitch.

Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as first HDC and first Ch 1). *HDC into next stitch then Ch 1*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. Slipstitch into top of first stitch. Fasten off if you wish to change colors.

Round 3: Puff Stitch Round. Into each Ch 1 space, make one puff stitch by doing:

Step 1: DC, pull through 2 loops
Step 2: DC, pull through 2 loops
Step 3: DC, pull through 2 loops
Step 4: DC, pull thru 2 loops
Step 5: Yarn over, Pull through all loops
Step 6: Ch 2

Slipstitch into the top of the first stitch to complete the round.

Round 4: SC 2 times into the stitch at the top a cluster. SC 4 times into each Ch 2 space. Repeat this pattern all the way around. Join at the end of the round with a slipstitch.

Round 5: Ch 3 (counts as first DC). DC 2 more times in the same space. *Ch 1, skip two stitches. 3 DC into the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. End with a Ch 1, and join the round with a slipstitch.

Round 6: Slipstitch to nearest Ch 2 space. Ch 2 (counts as first HDC). HDC 3 more times into the same space. 4 HDC into the next Ch 2 space. Repeat this all the way around and join with a slipstitch.

Round 7: Ch 1 (counts as first SC). *Ch 4, SC into the next space between 4HDC clusters*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join the last Ch 4 with the second stitch at the beginning.

Round 8: Ch 3 (counts as first DC). 5 more DC into Ch 4 space. SC into next stitch in between Ch 4 spaces. *6 DC into next Ch 4 space, followed by a SC in the next stitch*. Repeat from * to * all the way around. Join with a slipstitch into the first stitch of the Ch 3 and fasten off. 

At the end, you'll have something like this...

If you decide to try this or any of my other free patterns, I sure would love to hear about them or...better yet...see pictures! What little projects have you been working on lately? Be sure to stop by tomorrow or over the weekend to link them up to this week's "Finally Friday Link-a-Long"!

What is a Mandala? (And a Glimpse of My First Crochet Mandala)

It seems that crochet mandalas are all the rage these days. I have to admit, the mandalas I've seen are beautiful and have definitely piqued my interest. Up until recently, if you'd asked me anything about mandalas, my answer would have been very short.

"Necessity is the mother of invention" they say, and in the case of mandalas, it was also the mother of introduction. I needed an instant gratification crochet project to give me a break from my current blanket project, and my boyfriend M keeps saying that I need to crochet some potholders for our kitchen. Add to that the fact that I've been trying to use up a pretty skein of Bernat Cotton Yarn in Smokey Wine and its sidekick, a Sugar n Cream Cotton in Ecru, from a recent infinity scarf project. Put all these circumstances together, and my first mandala was born.

What Exactly is a Mandala?

"Mandala" is the Sanskrit word for "circle". In the Hindu and Buddhist religions mandalas have great spiritual significance. Spelled M-A-N-D-A-L-A with all A's, most mandalas are made with bright colors and patterns, but always in the shape of a circle. Since this was a scrapbuster project for me, I opted to use this yarn to help me get rid of some of my stash (so I can justify buying more!). Mandalas are used as potholders (as I'll be using mine), coasters, table centerpieces under a vase or fruit bowl, doilies or wall decor. I bet you can think of a few places where a mandala would be useful or pretty in your home.

My First Mandala (a Scrapbuster Project)

And here's my mandala practicing for its first official use as a potholder!

Now that I've designed my first mandala and like how it's turned out, I know I'll go back and make another in bright, happy colors. As soon as I do, I'll update this post with more pictures. Because this one will serve as a potholder, I wanted to use up some of my cotton yarn stash because I knew it could take the heat without melting like an acrylic yarn might.

What do you think? Have you made any mandalas? What do you use your mandalas for? I've embarked on new crochet territory! Isn't it fun to try out new crafty creations?

Today I'm Linking Up With:

Oombawka Design Weekly Link Party
Small Things Yarn Along Wednesday
Crochet Addict UK What Are You Doing Wednesday?
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning Four Seasons Blog Hop
Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party 

What to Do with a Leftover Crochet Motif?

A couple days ago, I blogged about a Crochet Car Seat Toy and Free Crochet Bird Pattern I'd made for the littles back home in the US. Here are the results of that fun, little project...

My plan was to make two car seat toys, using three of each motif -- crochet birds (find the free pattern here), stars and granny diamonds -- for each toy. As it turned out, that would have made for a rather crowded, busy car seat toy. So I ended up having a few extras leftover. What to do...what to do?

Using my blog friend Rain's star pattern, I completed the leftover yellow stars and then came up with the idea to turn them into Star Coasters to brighten up mornings and make coffee-drinking more special.

And for someone who enjoys reading, one of the little crochet birds grew very, very long legs like a Sand Piper and morphed into a whimsical, colorful crochet bookmark.

 

Making the Car Seat Toys was a lot of fun. Repurposing the leftover crochet motifs for something else smile-worthy was also an enjoyable experience. Hopefully, I'll have three happy recipients from these projects now, instead of two!

Admittedly, I haven't spent a lot of time learning about crochet motifs. Did you know that even a granny square is a crochet motif? A crochet motif is considered to be any crochet piece that must be sewn or stitched together with other pieces in order to create the finished project.

What kind of crochet motifs have you created? Have you ever had leftovers that you used for other purposes? I invite you to join the conversation about crochet motifs...a topic I thought I had little experience in but, as I discovered was something I'd known about all along.

Finally Friday Link-a-Long at the Go Crochet Crazy Bog, Theme: Creative Inspiration

Welcome, Friends, to another #LinkParty at the Go Crochet Crazy blog! This week's theme is "Creative Inspiration". I've been so inspired by the creative projects shared in my new Google+ group, Go Crochet Crazy "All Things Handmade". If you haven't joined the group, I invite you to do so. We're sharing anything handmade, not just crochet, but fiber arts, paper crafts, other crafts, food stuffs, DIY, etc.

Let's Get This Party Started!

Share your blogs, Pinterest pin, or linkable image of homemade/handmade items that fall under the categories of crochet or other yarn creations, crafts, home & gardening, DIY, cooking and decor. Please keep it family friendly, and by joining the link party you give me permission to share your additions through social media venues, such as Pinterest and Twitter. Of course, you will be credited for them. Because I'm highlighting community this week and creative inspiration, I ask you to please visit a couple other links shared in this party and leave a comment for each. It takes a few seconds and means so much!

Now, let's take a look at...

Last Week's Most Popular Links

See Plutonium Muffins Here!

See Erika's Crafts Corner Here!

See Julie's Lifestyle Here!

See Sum of Their Stories Here!

Congratulations, and grab Your "I Was Featured at Go Crochet Crazy" Button to display on your blog!

Here's the Code to Copy & Paste:

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.gocrochetcrazy.blogspot.com/" title="I Was Featured at Go Crochet Crazy"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRO5hyxdWnA56rSnxmhgDbtuOx_A14diaAk3gVqlY13Pu3OBah5m9bmybiGhZ9wG6ahBw5_iREzzz_JXciOiMFCsSQDHCCE1-sXm3yI499azvAYgYRcOeOa3kB_V4XYEYLn5OjeW7BFFvC/s1600/I+was+Featured.jpg" alt="I was featured at Go Crochet Crazy" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Before I get to the Finally Friday Link-a-Long Guidelines, if you have any doubts that participating in link parties is okay, please read my blog post here. It will put your concerns to rest.

 Go Crochet Crazy Finally Friday Link-a-Long Guidelines

1. Add links for up to three of your blog posts (not just your home page) using the ADD YOUR LINK button below.
2. Leave a comment on two other blog posts or pins, letting them know you found them through the Go Crochet Crazy Spring Fling Link-a-Long. If you're one of the first two to the party, you can comment on the last one or two from this Link-a-Long from last week. Please feel free to comment on more, if you like. We all LOVE to get comments.
3. Share this post through Google+, Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook...that's more exposure for everyone joining the link-a-long. **This is easy to do after linking up by clicking on one of the social media icons before you return to the party.**
4. Let your readers know you've joined the Go Crochet Crazy Friday Link-a-Long by linking to this post on your blog. You can text link to this URL:
   http://gocrochetcrazy.blogspot.com/2014/04/finally-friday-link-long-theme-friends.html

Link-a-Long Badge Code

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.gocrochetcrazy.blogspot.com/" title="Join the fun at the Go Crochet Crazy Link-a-Long"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgON7_npX8dFVejgXScxQbKAzp0NrIuga_qhLp1PZf5Cjf0aPbc4Kh-P8AjA7hyphenhyphentngP7KW4PZheoU48dpA9wJYiNtgTcW89FYjYUGT0W8Rl1T5_90HR2HW5JnhBALLm3uhJhtBb6-Xm0uUi/s1600/Link-a-Long+Badge.jpg" alt="I joined the fun at the Go Crochet Crazy Link-a-Long" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

An InLinkz Link-up

This Weekend I'm Linking Up With:

Crochet Addict UK "I've Made Friday"  
Create with Joy Friendship Friday 
Natasha in Oz Say G'Day Saturday
Beauty Observed Link Party 
Annemarie's Haakblog Link Party 

Free Crochet Bird Pattern & a Crochet Car Seat Toy

Six little birdies came out one day,

flapping their wings and ready to play.

Off they went, toward the sky so blue,

ready to spend the day with you.

I've been indulging in some "happy projects" lately. Recovering from the dreary, gray weather we've had here the past week (and missing my family back in the US, if I'm honest) has led me to turn to my yarn for some uplifting activities and diversion from stress. 

This week, while taking a break from my Cath Kidston-inspired giant granny afghan (which is now the size of a lapghan...pictures soon, I promise!), I got the hair-brained idea to make one of those dangly sort of toys moms string from their baby's car seat, bouncy seat, or crib. Since my girls both have two-month-old babies, I asked them what such a toy is called. Neither really seemed to have an exciting-sounding name. Apparently, they're referred to as car seat toys, take alongs or tag alongs. 

But even without a fun-sounding name, it certainly was fun to come up with ideas for the car seat toy I made. I've been anxious to show you the pictures, so here they are!

And the Big Reveal!....

After crocheting the stars, the granny diamonds with tassels and the crochet birds, I simply crocheted a chain of about 32 inches long. Then I attached the danglers by little, mini chains, leaving plenty of room on the ends for the toy to be tied to a car seat or crib. For those who don't have any babies in their life, I think this would also make a lovely springtime bunting to cheer up a room a bit after a long, dreary winter.

I have a free pattern for the crochet birds, which I'll post below. But first I have to give kudos to my dear blog friend, Rain, who posted the star pattern on her blog here. Why reinvent the wheel? Rain did such a wonderful job with her star pattern, I decided to use it. For this car seat toy, I modified by doing only two rounds for the star, instead of three.

The diamond shapes are just two-round granny squares edged with a single crochet and finished with a tassel on the bottom. I enjoyed making these and the stars because they were both so simple, but happy-looking.

Finally, I needed one more dangler for each car seat toy and wanted something that said "spring" but not "Easter". I enjoy listening to the birds singing outside, and it was their lovely songs one evening that inspired me to come up with a simple crochet bird pattern that could be used for a variety of projects. 

Crochet Bird by Go Crochet Crazy

Supplies

Cotton yarn, perfect scrapbuster
Hook size H 5mm

Bird's Head & Body

Ch 4, join with a slipstitch (or use Magic Ring)

Round 1: Ch 2 (counts as first HDC). 14 more HDC into ring (15 sts) Join last stitch to top of first stitch with a slipstitch.

Round 2: Ch 1 (counts as first SC). Into the same stitch, crochet [1 HDC, 5 DC, 1 HDC, 1 SC] to make the bird's head. *Continue with same yarn or fasten off and switch to complementary color.* SC in each of next 10 stitches (around the bird's belly).  Into the next stitch, work [HDC, ch 1, DC, ch 1, HDC] to make the bird's tail. SC once in each of next 2 stitches. Then slipstitch into the next stitch to complete the bird's back. SC once in each of the next 8 stitches to outline the head. Slipstitch into the next stitch, then join the last stitch with the first with a slipstitch.

Fasten off, weave in ends.

Bird's Beak

Join yellow yarn at 1 stitch above the base of your bird’s head. Ch 3, then slipstitch into the stitch below (the stitch at the base).

Fasten off, weave in ends. Use wet blocking to get a nice point on your bird's beak.

Bird's Feet

Count six stitches from the bottom of the beak to the belly. Attach yellow yarn into the 6th stitch with a slipstitch. *Ch 3, HDC into the 2nd stitch. Slipstitch into the first stitch*. Slipstitch into the 7th stitch from the bottom of the beak to form the next foot. Repeat from * to *. Fasten off and weave in end.
(You can also make the bird without feet if you don't want dangly things hanging from the belly. For a baby, I like the dangle. For my own project, I'd probably leave the feet off.)

Bird's Eye

With black or white yarn and a big yarn needle, sew an X onto your bird’s face for an eye.

Tweet, tweet...aren't we sweet?

This crochet bird pattern and the whole car seat toy thingie might have actually been TOO FUN to make. But, then again, I don't think there's ever such a thing as too much fun. 

What fun creations have you made on a whim, or to fight the doldrums or escape stress? Creativity is such a wonderful thing. Not only for the pretty and functional things it brings forth into the world, but for the wonderful, happy feelings it gives each of us.

This Week I'm Linking Up With:

Memories by the Mile Treasure Box Tuesday
Kathe with an E You're Gonna Love it Tuesday
VMG206 Brag About it Tuesday Link Party 
Oombawka Design Weekly Link Party
Small Things Yarn Along Wednesday
Crochet Addict UK What Are You Doing Wednesday?
Easy Life Meal and Party Planning Four Seasons Blog Hop
Krafty Inspiration Thursday Link Party 
I Gotta Create Wildly Original Link Party 
Sincerely, Paula No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Be a Crafter xD Crafting Along Link Party 
Interior Frugalista DIY Sunday Showcase