Love you more than a bus: February 2013

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Angel Baby Bonnet Pattern

Angel Baby Bonnet Crochet Pattern

Medium size

This size pattern should fit about a 20 week baby. It matches well with our medium sized crochet outfit.

I use Caron Simply Soft yarn and an F hook. If you use the thinner sport weight yarn it will be the tiny size to match the tiny size outfit. Bonnets of any size I'm sure would be appreciated.

I can typically finish a bonnet in about 10 minutes.

With yarn we try to avoid greens, yellows, all bright colors, and variegated yarn. For more information click HERE.

Ch 2

Row 1 - 8 hdc in the first chain - slip stitch to join
Row 2 - 2 hdc in each stitch - total of 16 - slip stitch to join
Row 3 - hdc in each stitch - do not join - you won't join any more - chain 2 and turn instead
Row 4 - hdc in each stitch - chain 2 turn
Row 5 - hdc in each stitch - chain 2 for a boy bonnet (w/o ruffles) - chain 1 for a girl bonnet (w/ ruffles) - turn
Row 6 - boy or unruffled - 1 hdc, 2 hdc next stitch, repeat all the way around - end with a 1 hdc - even if you have to do 2 singles in a row.

Row 6 - girl or ruffled - slip stitch, 3 sc next stitch, repeat all the way around - end with a slip stitch - even if you need to do 2 in a row.

Tie off and add a ribbon or piece of yarn for a tie. I try to slip it in and out of the stitches in row 5.

Pictures and pattern repeated below

Ch 2

Row 1 - 8 hdc in the first chain - slip stitch to join

Row 2 - 2 hdc in each stitch - total of 16 - slip stitch to join

Row 3 - hdc in each stitch - do not join - you won't join any more - chain 2 and turn instead

Row 4 - hdc in each stitch - chain 2 turn

Notice how you're creating a kind of V shape - that's where the neck will be. It might feel weird - but it works.

Row 5 - hdc in each stitch - chain 2 for a boy bonnet (w/o ruffles) - chain 1 for a girl bonnet (w/ ruffles) - turn

Row 6 - boy or unruffled - 1 hdc, 2 hdc next stitch, repeat all the way around - end with a 1 hdc - even if you have to do 2 singles in a row.

Row 6 - girl or ruffled - slip stitch, 3 sc next stitch, repeat all the way around - end with a slip stitch - even if you need to do 2 in a row.

With the girl bonnet you need to make sure not to have it inside out. The ruffles should kind of be bumpy out towards the back and more scalloped side on the inside.

Here is the bonnet inside out - with the bumpier side of the ruffles on the inside.

Here is the bonnet right side out with the scalloped side on the inside.

Tie off and add a ribbon or piece of yarn for a tie. I try to slip it in and out of the stitches in row 5.

Bonnets from the side

Bonnets lying flat on the back part

For more angel baby info and crochet patterns (including best yarn types and colors) click HERE

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Just Because

Because today is Valentine's Day I was thinking about the pictures from our first date (a dance in high school) and I realized the only picture I had on the computer was minuscule and I really wanted to get a bigger one. So I started hunting through boxes to find dance pictures - to no avail. I couldn't find them. Then I remembered where Sam keeps some of his special things - and I looked in his box and found all his dance pictures - and on top of the stack were the pictures from our first date.

It made my day.

So I scanned them and edited them and put the one of just the two of us in a frame with a bunch of other pictures of our family.

Now it feels like Valentine's Day.

2004 Sadie Hawkins Dance

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Bobble Blanket

Angel Baby Bobble (Popcorn) Blanket

All you need to know for this blanket is a popcorn or bobble stitch.

What you're going to do is 1 sc, 1 triple crochet (tc), and then you repeat that all the way across - make sure to start and end your rows with a sc. After the first row you will need to have 2 sc at the beginning and the end of each row. That will make your edges nice and even.

This is a perfect blanket to use for the angel babies because there are no holes for tiny fingers and toes to get caught in.

Caron Simply Soft yarn
F hook
Size: 10"X10" for 16 week size, 12"X12" for 20 week size - can be made any length, really. I make the chain as long as I want then for rows just keep going until I have a square size.

For more angel baby info and crochet patterns (including best yarn types and colors) click HERE

The tricky part of this blanket is the first row. You'll want to use a no chain foundation - then do a sc, tc, sc, tc, until you have enough length. If you're doing angel blankets aim for 10 inches or more.

If you've never done a no chain foundation - the basic idea is that you'll do your regular stitch along with an extra chain before you start your stitch. It takes a little getting used to - but this will help your blanket lay flat by the time you're done. If you just do a regular chain it will be too tight. So here's how it works. I'm sure you could also find youtube videos that would show this - but here are some pictures. This is specifically for this pattern. You can also do this no chain foundation with lots of other patterns - mostly I've seen it used with double crochet stitches instead of a sc and a tc - but I think you can get the idea from this.

Row 1: Chain 3

now you're going to go in the first chain 1. You're going to do a sc but first you want to do a chain. To make the chain you're going to pull the yarn though that first chain 1 (kind of like a slip stitch - but not though both loops)

Now do your sc

First through one loop (can you see the chain now?)

Then through the other loop

Now you'll do a triple crochet. Wrap the yarn around your hook twice.

Now go into the chain you made for the last stitch:

Pull yarn though one loop (the chain)

Now start doing your tc

yarn through one loop

Then two

Then two more

Then both that are left

Now this should push your crocheting so that it looks uneven. That's ok - because that is what will make the popcorn stitch. Now do another sc using the same no chain method as above - you'll make the 'chain' in the chain of the last stitch.

Now you'll just vary sc and tc the rest of the way. All of your tc should kind of squish down to make them about the same height as the sc stitches. They'll poke out to one side - have them all go out the same way- though you can push them the other way if you try. But you'll want them all on the same side on one row.

Then do another tc with no chain - and just keep repeating a sc and a tc without the chain until you get your desired length. Make sure to end with a sc

Chain 1 - turn
Row 2 - sc in first sc, sc in first tc, *tc in next sc, sc in next tc, * Repeat * to *. All of your tc or bauble stitches should poke out the opposite way from the row before. End on a sc in the first sc of the previous row. Make sure to start and end each row with a sc stitch or you'll end up with a mess.

And that's all there is to the blanket.

Here are a couple I've done:

Full sized baby blanket

For these stripes I did 5 rows cream, 5 rows purple, 5 rows cream, 10 rows pink - then repeated - ending with cream. Sc around the edge and then a shell stitch to make a ruffle.

close up of the baubles:

Angel baby blanket - plain color - sc around the edge with cream and then a crab stitch.

Full sized baby blanket. Same stripe pattern as the one above - but different colors - sc around the edge.

For more angel baby info and crochet patterns (including best yarn types and colors) click HERE

Friday, February 1, 2013

January Update

How did I get so behind on the blog? I don't know. Maybe it seems like I'm not doing much besides angel baby things - oh wait - that has been taking up a lot of time this past month. I'll admit - I'm loving it. I get a little chill of excitement every time I see something someone else made from my patterns - especially people I don't know. Seriously - it makes me so excited. I've seen some darling things recently too.

I also got my portfolio submitted for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. One of my top goals for 2013 is to be a certified photographer with that organization. I'm already making great progress on that goal - by the end of January I've already purchased a new flash for my camera, practiced with it, photographed a wedding with it, done several photo shoots with it, and my portfolio has been sent in. It's like being half way there. The only trouble will come if my portfolio is rejected and I have to start over. Hope I won't lose desire if that happens. I gotta get this done! I've been trying to do this for months.

I'm also trying to make progress learning to drive stick shift. I can get all the way to Sam's work now (7.5 miles) and back and do just fine. I attempted the freeway yesterday. It was rather terrifying. It might be a little while before I make it very far on the freeway. But I'm making progress. I'm still careful to avoid poor roads and crazy traffic. But I'm learning!

I recently got called to teach Relief Society on the 4th Sunday. It's kind of scary to me - they need lots more great teaching than Primary kids do. The lesson for February is on a talk from Conference that I quoted when I spoke in church a couple months back about trials. I keep wondering if I'm supposed to share something I cut out of my talk before...and it kind of freaks me out. Not sure I can share such personal things...it just feels weird. But now I'm on my third chance to share with this ward - seems like maybe I should listen to that.

Sam's been busy doing Elder's Quorum stuff. He generally has meetings on Tuesday nights and goes visiting with either the president or other counselor almost one night a week. Not including Saturday morning service projects. He's liking it though. He's getting to meet so many people. He's loving his job too. He's been doing a weight loss challenge at work and he's doing great! He's been going to the gym too which is just a new strange thing for us.

We still haven't heard back on the house. It's taking forever - but we just keep reminding ourselves that it gives us more time to save up a down payment. We're still really excited about that place.

Caleb has been singing like crazy lately. I've got some clips I want to put together so I can share his singing. He's almost always singing something. Zip-a-dee-do-dah is one of his current favorites. We have to sing it when we zip up his coat. Yesterday I was trying to explain trumpet mutes and how they change the sound and ended up looking up a youtube video about trumpet mutes. I was the coolest mom in the world! The look on Caleb's face was priceless. I had no idea that trumpet mutes were so cool or exciting. He loves leading the music too. He's been saying "When I get older I wanna be da drum major." I know you're probably thinking we've warped him. And maybe we have. But I have tried to introduce him to other things too - music is just his first love.

Sam's been taking Caleb swimming every couple of days. It has been so good for Caleb! He's always been a little nervous in water. But Sam is incredibly patient and can convince Caleb to do just about anything. He's now floating with his little arm floaty things and can sometimes put his face in the water.

Caleb loves to play pretend. He often talks to his toys, gives them names, and has them do lots of different things. He also has lots of pretend friends who show up. The other day he said, "Look Mom! All of the new sunbeams! They are coming to Primary cause they are new sunbeams!" He was so proud. Hopefully it will work on Sunday when we take him to church. He always does great till we drop him off in the Primary room. I'm sure he'll get the hang of Sunbeams - but we have had a couple rough Sundays.

He's been loving that I have a new flash - and asking me to take pictures of him. He is such a funny squirt.

Emmett is into everything these days. He loves to climb on things and he has no fear of falling. He falls and has bumps, bruises, and scratches fairly often. He's been getting stuck a lot more lately too. He keeps sticking his legs out through the bars of his crib during the night and getting stuck. It's so hard because he's so big you'd think he wouldn't fit - but he does - just barely.

He has grown to absolutely love his blanket. Actually it was a blanket given to us for Caleb - who used it - but never really loved it. Emmett loves it and carries it around and stuffs it in his mouth many times a day. He loves to snuggle but only when he doesn't get distracted by something that he feels he has to run off to inspect. He hasn't quite got the hang of running yet - but I can tell he's trying. He walks EVERYWHERE and he's really, really sturdy. He's also still kind of small for his age so he seems too little to be walking that well. It's kind of funny to watch other people's reactions.

He's talking more and more though lately he just likes screaming. His newest words are "go" "no" "Cay-ah!" (Caleb) "Grah ma" and "cracker." He babbles ALL the time like he's talking and loves it when we babble back to him or pretend to have a conversation with him. He's also learning that it's fun to make people laugh. He's learned to make faces and then crack up when it makes someone else laugh.

He's back to not sleeping through the night very regularly again. Ever since his ear infections at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. I wish I could figure out how to get him to sleep through the night longer than a couple weeks at a time - his longest record was for 3 weeks after he turned 1. He loves his bottles and hates that ~~his new year's resolution~~ my new year's resolution for him is to get off of bottles. He's got 7 teeth now and it makes me laugh to see his lopsided smile.

We made a trip up to Idaho last weekend for Ben and Jeff's first time through the temple and speaking in church. They leave for their missions next Wednesday - Feb 6. Ben's going to Dallas, Texas and Jeff is going to San Bernadino, California. My little brother, Devan, got his mission call last week. He's heading to New York, New York South mission - which includes Bermuda oddly enough. My grandpa and his wife are going to be heading to Guam on a mission in March - so we will have lots of fun writing to missionaries!

Our trip to Idaho was great. Utah has had a horrible inversion - enough that they want to make it a state of emergency and they're telling people not to go out unless you have to. The air is so smoggy and yucky. I couldn't believe how excited we were to see clear Idaho air when we went over Malad pass. I told Sam I felt like we were tourists coming just for the wide open spaces and clean air - lol.

Our trip home from Idaho was scary - the roads were the second to the worst we've ever seen. Almost enough to stop - but when you're only 20 miles from home it seems silly to stop for the night.

All in all - we are doing well and not even minding all the snow. We've got about 18 inches right now and we are loving that it melts off here and we know spring will come some day! It's such a different winter than an Idaho winter.

And I haven't posted new pages in a while - so here are some that I've done recently or that have been released recently. They really do tell lots of stories about what we're doing. So they're probably even a better update than the blog - though they do get different updates - so who knows? Oh well - hopefully my boys will be able to look back on these and know that I love them and that we have some fantastic times together.

Ring Around the Rosie (Everyday by DDD)