Oh Baby! Crochet part two

Today I went up to Accrington with Rachael (Artyarn) as she is still teaching people how to crochet. As the stall that we sit on is right opposite Habiknit I was in there again buying a couple of balls of wool. I swear that I cannot pass a wool shop without buying something! I will show you a photo of what I bought and a couple more roses that I crocheted towards the Accrington project tomorrow but for today I will just show you some more of the photos from the Oh Baby! Crochet book. There are still a few projects that I haven't photographed so it is a book full of ideas.

The Pig Security blanket by Helen Heaverin is a sweet little toy with a little blankie fastened to the body. I know that some babies gain great comfort from snuggling next to one of these.

The Little Lamb set by Dorothy Worrell has a lot of embroidered detail on the pram blanket and the pillow. I do love the little sheep toy although I am not a toy crocheter in general.

The Baby Blocks afghan and pillow set by Glenda Winkelman is very sweet but is also similar to a pattern that I have in another book. Very delicately coloured granny squares do make a pretty afghan.

There are a couple more afghan patterns in the book that I haven't photographed but the blue Tiny Balloons and the pink Rosebuds afghan sets by Mary Ann Sipes
are very pretty especially with their matching hats and bootees.

The green Shell and Popcorn papoose set by Frances Hughes and the blue Shell stitch papoose by Sue Childress are very pretty but not something that I would make for a baby unless I was specially requested.

The Toy Cat and Toy Dog by Michele Wilcox are very sweet but I am not a lover of making toys as I always seem to get the stuffing wrong or the embroidery. I would rather crochet a garment any day.

There is also a Baby's First Book by Glenda Winkleman which I haven't photographed. It has crocheted pages but all the words and the pictures in the book are cross stitched on. I am hopeless at anything like that so it's not a pattern for me.

The pink Baby Cloche by Nancy Nehring is a small beanie that looks very much like knitted ribbing. I would imagine that it would look OK for a boy in a different colour.

There are three headbands in the book by Frances Hughes. I chose the white one as I thought that it would make a great christening headband. Sorry that the photo isn't very clear but I think that you can still see most of it. The other two headbands feature crochet flowers or crocheted bows.

The Slippers by Sue Childress remind me of Christmas. There is also a pair of Mary Jane Slippers by Frances Hughes and lacy sock trims for store bought socks by Norma Gale.

The Sweetie Pie baby doll is by Kathleen Stuart. Once again I can admire it but I won't be making it no matter how sweet it is. Mine would look like something from the Omen.

The Nursery Choo Choo by Donna Collinsworth is shown as ornamental with baby toiletries in it but I presume that a baby could play with it. Not something that I would make as I really do not like all of the fiddly bits that go with crocheting toys.

I am tired today after the last two days going here and there. I have thoroughly enjoyed my outings though. They help to stimulate my mind. When I came home I then went up to Tesco on Pearl to get a bit of shopping so I have had another busy day.

Oh Baby! Crochet

These are some of the projects from the Oh Baby! Crochet book that I bought from Amazon the other day. I will have some more photos for the blog tomorrow as there are lots of things in the book. I find it to be very girlish even though some of the things are marked as for a boy.

The Frilly Dress by Diane Simpson is my favourite of the book. I do wish that people who I know had baby girls and the ones who I know who do have girls liked to dress them up in frilly dresses and not jeans and a T shirt.

The Hooded Baby Gown by Joyce Nordstrom is what I used to call a sleeping bag. I found them to be very useful as when my son was a baby we didn't have central heating and it got very cold at night. I had a couple of sleeping bags but in quilted nylon which was all the rage at the time. It was a very cold winter when Ian was born and he constantly kicked off his blankets so sleeping in a bag was the best alternative.

The Little Man Christening Set by Sue Childrens is not something that I would have put my son in. The jacket and hat maybe when he was a newborn but certainly not the lacy shorts and overlarge bootees.

The Bonnet by Sue Childrens has a little pair of Mary Jane shoes and that would make a nice set for a baby girl's christening.

The Boy's Striped hat and Sweater by Dianne Stein is a nice pattern for a girl but I certainly wouldn't make it for a boy. That pattern is too feminine and I would definitely never use a pinky lilac on a boy.

The Girls Striped Hat and sweater is also by Dianne Stein. I do like that hat and the stripey pattern on the jacket but I would alter the collar as it looks a bit large and off the shoulder for a baby.

The Baby Delight set by Darla Sims has granny squares to form the yoke and one for the back of the bonnet. Quite a pretty jacket but I would replace the ties on the jacket with buttons.

The Baby Biker Bibs by Paula Gron are a novelty item but I would have to alter the ties as they seem to be placed too close together to fit around a baby's neck.

The Overall Bib by Lucille LaFlamme is not an all in one but simply a front that has straps around the back of the legs to keep it in place. Pretty but I don't think that it would have much of a practical purpose as the crochet would not absorb much in the way of dribbles and food spills.

The Duck Hooded Towel and Bath Mitt by Helen Heaverin is very cute but I would think that it had more use as a wrap to keep baby warm in after a bath rather than a towel to absorb water.

The Bear Diaper Cover and Cap by Michelle Wilcox may be useful for the Mum's who use the cloth diapers but it doesn't appear to have any back rise shaping to accommodate the thickness of a diaper at the back. I suppose that they could be worn over a disposable with a T shirt to look cute. Not one for me though.

The Baby Hat by Nancy Nehring is similar to a pattern that I already have. I would not make this as I find it too difficult to crochet with loopy, lumpy, textured wool and unless the hat had got a border of this then it would look very plain. A bit strange though having nothing to fasten the hat with. Most babies would have that off their head and on the floor in two seconds flat!

There are a lot of accesories and baby afghans still to show. I haven't taken photos of some of the items as like the crocheted baby book they heavily feature cross stitch for the details and I am no good at things like that. To me it is more like an embroidery project than a crochet one. They do give detailed diagrams though if embroidery is your thing.

The bottom photo is just some freeform crochet that I have made to go with the roses for Artyarn's project in Accrington. The idea is freeform and just let your imagination wander. One of mine looks like a green loopy fir cone and the other something that is a cross between the Clangers and a disco ball! The yellow loopy one reminds me of a dandelion but with sea weed tendrils.

I got a phone call today from my friend Sue. We are off wool browsing to a mill tomorrow. My bank card will be taking another bashing. I have a good excuse for stash enhancing as I might not be out and about for a while after the op. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. Internet shopping is not quite the same as seeing wool in the ball and skein and being able to feel it's texture.

Talking about the hospital my heart nearly stopped today when I got a call from the surgeon's secretary. She is usually the bearer of bad news so when she started the conversation with - "We have just got the results on your pre op tests" my mind was preparing for bad news. However she said I haven't got time to send a letter to you telling you where to report and what time to check in so can you phone me on Monday to confirm all of the details. I am not getting too excited yet as things can change over a weekend and an emergency can take my allocated bed. I hope that you are all keeping thoe fingers crossed as am I.

My long crochet jacket for myself is still progressing slowly and is about 16" long now and I am almost at the waist decreases. I had a break making the roses and the freeform so it's time now to try and get a bit more done.

I still have a lot of housework to do before Tuesday. I know that things like floor mopping will take a back seat after my op so I at least want things to be as clean as I can make them before I go in. Today I cleaned the bathroom and put the washed shower curtain and bath mats back. I cleaned the front room but that still leaves this room and the kitchen which is a day of a job. I will leave the bedding and bedroom until Monday when I might just pack my case ready for the hospital. I never got as far as packing it the last two times so maybe it will bring me luck if I do pack it up.

My niece has just text me to say that she can do my hair roots on Saturday but I am already going out so she will come on Sunday. It will be more awkward to do them after the op when I can't bend my knee for a little while because of all the dressings.

As I have the second half of the book photos to show you tomorrow I might make you wait to see any wool purchases that I buy tomorrow. Is that mean of me? Hee Hee