Crochet Pattern - LOOP Baby Toy

Now that my littlest is almost four months old, I've been working on some fun, grabby baby toys. This is a cute one that I'm calling "loop". I've sold a handful in the shop. They are super-easy to make, so I've decided to post a little tutorial so you can make them for the little one's in your life. Enjoy!
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"LOOP" - A Baby Rattle Grab Toy
by Amy Herbst

MATERIALS NEEDED:
-3.25 mm crochet hook
-Worsted weight yarn of your choice (here I've used Patons Classic Wool)
-1 or 2 small jingle bells (they just need to be small enough to fit in the large tube)
-Stuffing material

INSTRUCTIONS:
- Starting with the first small outer ring, chain 6.
- Slip stitch in the first chain you made to form a ring.
Stuff the tube lightly as you work
- Make 1 single crochet in each single crochet around until you have a little tube measuring 6 inches long.

-Bring the two ends of your 6" tube together to form a ring, stitch closed.
Repeat above instructions to make a total of two small rings.

For the large inner ring:
- Chain 12 (or 14, depending on your tension)--you want it to be nice and tight
- Slip stitch in the first chain you made to form a ring.
Stuff the tube firmly as you work, adding in a small jingle bell or two
- Make 1 single crochet in each single crochet (changing colors as desired) until you have a tube measuring 10.5 inches long.

- Slide the two small rings onto the large tube.
- Bring the ends of the large tube together to form a ring and stitch closed.

TA-DA! Easy-peasy. You just made a "Loop" baby toy!

Arggh!

So last night I sat down to crochet a little peppermint-striped Holiday monkey (in the shop today). Once I saw how the wide red and white stripes looked I thought.. "hmm,... sailor monkey?..." and then, of course, he just had to have an eyepatch! ;P

If you have my monkey + bear crochet pattern and you want to make a pirate version (and who wouldn't?), here's what I did:

Crocheted eyepatch to fit Lil' Monkey or Bitty Bear:
Using 3.50mm hook, with black yarn, chain 4
Row 1: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 3 across
Row 2: Turn, skip first st, sc in next 2 sts
Row 3: Turn, skip first st, sc in next st. Bind off, leaving a length of yarn for sewing eypatch onto face.

Sew on eyepatch at the point in the pattern when you are sewing/embroidering the rest of the face/features.

Pirate monkey! :-)

Cuppy Cakes!

With a one-year-old, my husband and I are finding that everything we say lately ends in a "y" or "ie" (doggie, birdie, fishy, blankie...etc.) hence the term "cuppy cakes"... It just sounds CUTE doesn't it? :)

And they ARE (cute, that is)! This is a little wool cupcake ornament I made as a thank-you gift for my neighbors.

If you do a Google search for "crochet cupcake pattern" you'll find quite a few different patterns. For mine, I just used the same basic formula that I came up with for the little gingerbread house and added frosting instead of a roof.
I used a 3.50mm hook and only increased rounds to a max of 30 stitches for the base and the frosting. You could probably do the same with any of the free cupcake patterns out there to make a mini ornament size like mine. :-)

Hope you're all having a great week!

FINALLY...A New Pattern AND My First Giveaway!

I've been trying to find time to work on this crochet pattern for awhile now... well, It's FINALLY in my shop today! Now you can crochet your own Lil' Monkey and Bitty Bear rattle toys. They work up quickly (really!) and are easy enough for a beginner (and hey, I'm always here to help!) These would make supercute stocking stuffers for the little ones in your life.

AND, as a thank you to my blog readers...my first giveaway..YAY!
To the first 3 folks who comment, I'll send you your choice of the monkey or the bear pattern FREE. Just let me know in the comments below!

Happy crocheting! :-)

Addicted... ?

I think I might be addicted to crochet...

A little wool gingerbread house for the tree! Pattern from my imagination. I can invision a whole wooly gingerbread village, can't you?.... (gee, I guess I'd better get to work!)

OH! Also, a new monkey rattle in the shop today! :)

I just couldn't resist ...

A new pair of studio slippers! (Nick and Nora, $12.99 at Target. -- Ginny I thought of you when I spotted these :))

AND, while on the subject of monkies.... I had a request this week for a mini monkey baby rattle. Because of the whole 'new to crochet' thing I struggled with it a bit but finally got him to turn out right (I think). Isn't he cute?!
Hope you are all having a wonderful and productive week!

The lineup...

If you've wondered why I haven't listed any new sewn items in my shop lately... well... it's because I am currently addicted to amigurumi! I know I'll have to put down the crochet hook and get back to sewing soon, but I mean, look how CUTE!

These are all for my little guy. He seems especially fond of the bunny and the frog,... but the lion is my favorite. :)
I bought yarn for the little lion (Patons Shetland Chunky), but the others were all made from leftovers. There is something so satisfying about making something so cute with materials I have on hand.

The patterns are, of course, from Ana Paula's shop on Etsy. They are pretty easy to make and totally addicting (I couldn't resist buying the Pajama Bear pattern over the weekend)! I'm starting to understand how it works and am hoping to make some of my own original crocheted toys sometime soon. Otherwise, I'm planning to get back to the sewing machine next week when we return from our trip to Chicago... stay tuned! :)

More free patterns.....

Here's a great link to more FREE amigurumi patterns on the Web. (Mainly crochet patterns but a few knit as well) :)

Smiffy

Well, here he is! My first Amigurumi (and my first crochet project!). I used some scraps of Lion's "WoolEase" yarn (I like the yarn but had a TERRIBLE time with splitting) and a bit of hand-spun blue wool for his little sweater.
I think he turned out supercute. :-) Thanks SO MUCH to Ana Paula for posting this free pattern on her blog!