Freebie Friday!

It was a long week, so lets wrap it up with a giveaway! 
I made this cute set so its unisex . . . . the flower is on a button and comes right off so it can be a boy hat.  SUper bright and fun, this will chase the winter blahs off mighty quick.  ;)  Its a 2T/3T set and the hat could probably fit a smaller 4 year old as well. 

HOW TO WIN - be sure to comment for EACH entry!
1.  Leave a comment.  Please include a way to contact you (email, twitter, heck, I can even text ya!  LOL!) 
2.  Share my link to the giveaway with your friends on your personal or business page on Facebook. 
3.  Share this giveaway on Twitter
4.  Share this giveaway on Google+

Winner will be drawn tomorrow at 10 am MDT. 
If you live outside the US/Canada, you'll need to pay $4 shipping. 
Thanks! 

A Custom Order - Dress, Hats, Hair Accessories!

Jennifer of Doodle Bug Boutique (you can find her store on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Doodle-Bug-boutique-and-more/122572481103173 ) Fell in love with a hat and a dress and combined them to have me make this fun toddler dress!
Here's the hat she ordered to match.
And these are the matching hair elastics on toddler-sized elastics.

A toddler size rose head band to match that dress!

And boys deserve great crochet too! A hat for her son.

Thanks so much Jennifer! I hope you AND the kids love it!

Toddler Dress - Custom Order for Jennifer!

To be perfectly honest, this dress made me a little nervous, but the customer really LOVED this verigated yarn, so I made it for her and it turned out really cute!
This toddler dress is a 2T and features button straps (three button holes make them adjustable), a large rose embellishment, wide waistband, and fan stitch-edged skirt.

Here's the lace-up back (which also allows for flexible sizing).

Thanks, Jennifer for pushing my color sense in such a fun direction!

Starfish on the Beach!

When I made my first starfish hat, I really thought it was a risk. My hubby thought it looked weird. But it has been my most popular hat! Even overshadowing the ladybug hat! Here are a couple off-Etsy hats I've completed . . . .

This first one is for my friend at http://lilikin14.etsy.com in a 12 to 18 month size.

She request the "top secret" buttons. :) (I've had to remove them from hats for children under 3 years due to federal regulations . . . if you get buttons on a hat for your tot, just be sure to check for loose ones before handing the hat over. My son wears his button hat a lot and we've yet to loose a button!)

This one is for my cutie pie nephew. I made it for his first birthday, which is actually this weekend, but since they were on vacation at the beach last week, he got it early. :)

I can do any color of starfish. So far the most popular are the red and orange. I've done a purple one as well (you waterfront folks know that purple ones are actually pretty common!)

Patriotic Finds - Weekend Wonder

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3997676&id=191942987248Hello! So sorry I missed doing Weekend Wonder last week . . . . my sweet, sweet customers have been keeping my mind of pregnancy aches and pains with lots of pretty custom orders! Today I am not featuring just one shop. The 4th of July is a big holiday at our house, and I
m not sure how much blogging I'll be doing end of June, so I wanted to show off some patriotic favorites now! Memorial Day is coming, after all!

First up, this gorgeous headband OR necklace (you can wear it either way!) by Creations by Eileen:
http://creationsbyeileen.etsy.com
My favorite thing about this piece is the cute little stars! http://www.etsy.com/listing/46461310/patriotic-red-white-and-blue-wire

Next up is a fellow Utah Etsy Team member - this is GORGEOUS hand-crafted fine jewelry. Not just pretty jewelry, the real stuff!
http://galleonsgold.etsy.com
Beautiful gold eagles on earrings and a gorgeous necklace!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/43914316/eagle-dangling-earring-with-necklace-set

Next is a super patriotic set by Claire's Bowtique!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3997676&id=191942987248#!/pages/Allegan-MI/Claires-Bowtique/191942987248
Cute headband, sweet top, fun flip flops and a fluffy tutu! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3997676&id=191942987248

These sweet booties are from a fellow Etsy Fiber Arts Team (FAST) member!
http://ohbabydotcom.etsy.com

I love the little star button! http://www.etsy.com/listing/46260640/yankee-doodle-dandy-cotton-baby-booties

Ok, the last one is mine. :)

http://moandozzy.etsy.com

Patriotic hat for a baby girl! The toddler boy version will be coming up later this week! http://www.etsy.com/listing/45346793/crochet-flower-sun-hat-for-baby-girl

Enjoy your patriotic holidays!

Custom Sun Hats

My friend from Claire's Bowtique has 3 fun boys and one sweet baby girl, so she ordered these sun hats to help keep them cool and shady this summer! Each hat is 100% cotton with the exception of the red starfish on each starfish hat. The acrylic yarn makes a much more interesting starfish for some reason. :)


Ladybug sun hat sized for 9 - 15 months.

Starfish sun hat for 12-24 months.

Starfish sun hat for 4 - 6 years

Starfish sun hat for 6-8 years.

All three little boy sun hats lined up. So fun!
Thanks for having me make these for your adorable family!
Be sure to visit Claire's Bowtique on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Allegan-MI/Claires-Bowtique/191942987248 ! There are fun hair bows, flip flops, tutus, shirts, onsies, and more! Amiee can even customize an item to match your favorite hat from my shop . . . she's very talented!

Crochet Dress and Slippers

Once again, I am a lucky little crafter and have gotten to fill a super fun request! Do you remember that pretty lavender and pink sweater and hat I got to make for Amiee of Claire's Bowtique and tutubugs? Well, she asked me to make a dress and slippers that her cute little one could wear with the sweater. Here's what I came up with -
Isn't that fun? I made it super adjustable - the shoulder straps can be pretty much any length she needs.

I liked this little pink and lavender stripe along the top of the bodice and around the waist.

The skirt is a series of shells with the same shell stitch at the bottom of the dress that is featured in the sweater.

Here's the back of the dress.

To make the bodice adjustable - and super cute- it laces down the back with a lavender ribbon.

The slippers are basically the same as the baby booties I make, but with a larger hook and an extra row.

Thanks so much, Amiee for having me make this! You can visit Amiee's Etsy shop here: http://tutbugs.etsy.com and for amazing deals and custom orders, her Facebook fanpage here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Allegan-MI/Claires-Bowtique/191942987248?ref=ts

Custom Sweater Set

I am one lucky crafter! A sweet fellow Etsian asked me to make a sweater set for her one year old, similar to the one in my shop. We choose a pink and lavender theme with white accents. It turned out so precious!
The set includes a matching sweater and hat with a rose that can button onto either piece. I really like the fan stitch I use in the girl version of the sweater.

The back of the sweater . . .

The sweater with the rose on it from the front . . .

And the cute hat with the rose on it!

Thanks for having me make this! I really enjoyed doing it and can't wait for it to get to you! Be sure to check out HER cute shop at http://tutubugs.etsy.com .

Pattern for my Striped Baby and Toddler Cardigans

I just wanted to share the pattern I re-did for my boy's sweaters! Hope you have fun trying it out! If you find mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks!

Striped Crochet Baby or Toddler Cardigan

This is a raglan sweater that you work from the top down.

Materials: 2 (3) balls (180 yrds ea) of A, 1 ball of yarn B (I used a baby yarn - labeled 3. I think you could use something heavier or lighter. I'd just go down or up a hook size.)
Hook: F
Sizes: 3-9 months, 9-18 mo (in parentheses), 18- 24 months (in parentheses)
Dc decrease: YO, pullup a loop, draw through 2 loops, YO, draw up a loop in the next st, YO, draw through 2 loops, YO, draw through all three loops.
Gauge: 4 dc = 1”

Yoke:
1. With A, ch 45 (45, 51), turn.
Dc in 3rd ch from hook and next 4 (4, 5) ch, [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next chain [corner made], dc in next 7 (7, 8) ch, corner in next ch, dc in next 13 (13, 15) ch, corner in next ch, dc in next 7 (7, 8) ch, corner in next ch, dc in next 6 (6, 7) ch.
2. Ch 2 [always counts as dc], turn. *Dc in next dc and all dc’s to corner chs. 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc in corner space.* Repeat between * 3 times more, dc in each dc to end of row. Draw B through last 2 loops of the last dc. Stop here for 3-9 month size.
For 9-18 mo size, repeat 2 once morebefore changing color. For 24 month size - Repeat step 2 twice more before changing color.
3. With B, ch 1, turn. Sc in first dc, ch 1, *[skip 1 dc, sc in next dc, ch 1] to corner space, ch 3, sc in next dc, ch 1.* Repeat between * 3 times more. [Skip next dc, sc in next dc, ch 1] to last dc. Sc in last dc. Fasten off B, do not turn.
4. Return to beginning of row just completed. Join A with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, sc in first sc. *[sc in ch 1 space, ch 1] to corner, [2 sc, ch 1, 2 sc] in 3 ch corner space, ch 1.* Repeat between * 3 times more. [sc in ch 1 space, ch 1] to end of row. Fasten off A, do not turn.
5. Return to beginning of row just completed. Join B with sl st to first sc. Ch 1, sc in first sc. *[ch 1, sc in ch 1 space] to corner, sc in first sc of corner, ch 3, sc in last sc of corner.* Repeat between * 3 times more. [ch 1, sc in ch 1 space] to end of row. Fasten off B, do not turn.
6. Return to beginning of row just completed. Join A with sl st to first sc, ch 2 [counts as dc]. *Dc in each ch 1 space and sc to corner 3 ch space. [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in corner space.* Repeat between * 3 times more. Dc in each ch 1 space and sc to end of row.
7. Ch 2, turn. Dc in each dc, [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in each 2 ch corner space to end of row.
Repeat rows 3 through 6.

Sleeves: (Do both alike.)
Fold yoke in half the long way (ends to long back) with right sides facing. Corner spaces should match – these are the armpits! Join A with slip st through both corner ch 2 spaces.
1. Ch 2, dc in corner space. Dc in each dc around sleeve to where you started. 2 dc in the corner space. Join with a sl stitch to 2nd ch.
2. Ch 2, turn. Dc in next dc, dc decrease across next next 2 dc, dc in each dc to last 4 dc, dc decrease across next 2 dc, dc in each of last 2 dc. Join with sl stitch to first dc.
Repeat row 2 6 (8, 10) times. Ch 2, turn. Dc in ea dc around. Repeat until the sleeve measures 7” (8.5", 10"). Fasten off.

Body:
With right side facing you and the cardigan upside down, join A to the top of first dc on the left front.
1. Ch 2, dc in each dc to corner at underarm. 2 dc in corner space, skip sleeve stitches, 2 dc in next corner space, dc in each dc to corner at underarm. 2 dc in corner space, skip sleeve stitches, 2 dc in next corner space, dc in each dc to end of row.
For 9 month size, ch 2, turn, and dc in each dc around. For 24 month size, ch 2, turn and dc in ea dc twice around.
2. Ch 1, turn. Sc in first dc, *ch 2, skip 2 dc, sc in next dc* to end of row.
3. Ch 2, turn. Dc in first sc. 3 dc in each ch 2 space across row. Dc in last sc, drawing other yarn color through last 2 loops.
Repeat rows 2 and 3, alternating A and B until the piece measures 7” (10”) from underarm.

Front Borders:
*NOTE: There will button holes on both the right and left side of the piece. This allows for either boy or girl placement and makes it really easy to tell where to place the buttons!
With right side facing, join B with sl stitch to top right of neck. Ch 1, sc in same place and down front edge, working 1 sc under bar of each dc and end of each sc row. Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc to end of row. Ch 1, turn. Sc in first 2 sc, *ch 2, skip next 2 sc, sc in next 6 sc*. Repeat between * 3 (4) times. Sc to end of row. Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc, 2 sc in each ch 2 space to end of row. Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc to end of row. Fasten off.
Do the left side the same way, but don’t fasten off!

Neck Border:
Ch 1, turn and sc in each stitch across the front border, around the neck, and across the other front border. Ch 1, turn, and sc in each sc around. Fasten off.
Sleeve Borders:
Join B with a sl stitch to the top of last dc on the sleeve. Looking at the inside of the sleeve, sc in each dc around. Join to first sc with a sl stitch. Ch 1, turn. Sc in each sc around. Join to first sc with sl stitch. Fasten off. Repeat on other sleeve.

Buttons:
I used 1” buttons on my sweaters and found they were a good size.

Custom Hats - For Twins!

I LOVE doing custom orders . . . filling my shop with items - especially hats - can be a gamble. What if the people that love the strawberry hat wish it were infant sized?!? My friend from http://www.adorablebabyclothing.com/ ordered these cute sun hats for some very special twins she knows. And it just so happens, they're the same age as my Marshall! I even convinced him to model them - sorry the pictures are a bit dark. We just had to click as fast as possible. :)

They look funny with a Tyrannosaurus shirt.

Here are the pair in ivory. They remind me of antique hats I saw in an antique store YEARS ago.

These are the more colorful pair. I call them the garden party hats - such delicate spring colors.

And here they all are!

So, if you are ever looking for something custom, don't hesitate to let me know! You can contact me via Etsy, the comments on this post, or email moandozzy@yahoo.com Thanks!

Underground Crochet - a project NOT headed to Etsy!

Here they are! The sweaters I made for my baby boys! This one is Marshall's. It is a 2T size. I like that you don't have to stitch the pieces together - no scratchy seams!

These are the pictures I like best - the big brother and baby brother sweaters together!
I made Malcom's sweater a 3-6 month size. The arms may be a little long (Marshall has monkey arms like grandpa!), but it looks really cute with the sleeves cuffed, so I don't mind that.

Malcom's baby boy sweater. I made it a 3-6 month size because I'm due in June and summers are too hot for sweaters in Utah. Hopefully I sized everything so the boys can wear their sweaters together in October/November. :)

As I've mentioned before, I used a pattern I found for free from Bunny Hop yarn - but the pattern was pretty bad. Lots of mistakes and if I'd followed it, I would have gotten some strange pieces! If you want the pattern, let me know. I'll write you a revised version. I'm considering adding a few patterns to my Etsy shop and this would be good practice! I'm also considering messing with the pattern some more (so as not to cause copyright issues and increase the cuteness) and listing a couple in the shop. Do you think people would like it? I have some girl yarn that would be cute and the other baby I'm making one for is a boy! Thanks for taking a look! I'll post pictures of my monsters in them in the fall!