Using a Baby Pod Crochet Pattern to Make A Teddy Sleeping Bag

I'm always looking for new bags baskets and cradles to put teddy bears in. This is one of my recent finds and I love it!

The Baby Pod Photo Prop Crochet Pattern is a great pattern to make as a papoose/pod for a newborn baby. It is easy and quick to make and would be a great find for anyone wanting to make a quick and welcome present for a new mum.

As pattern designer Lorene says on the Ravelry pattern page: "This quick and easy to make baby pod is great for boys or girls. It is super soft and durable and can be used over many times."
And after making this pattern, she's certainly convinced me. I'm certainly keeping it by for future makes for relatives.

However, as I was interested in making a sleeping bag which was suitable for a 10 inch long teddy bear, I had to alter the pattern just a little 🧸.

Making the pattern fit a teddy bear was surprisingly easy.
The original pattern is designed to be made up with super bulky yarn, so just going down in yarn size will make it smaller.

I tried the pattern two ways.

First, I used double-strand, double knit yarn with a 5mm hook to make the pattern, but ended up with a sleeping bag to fit a teddy bear which is 4.5 inches high.
Luckily, I have some fluffy teddy bears of this length and it fits one of them very well 😀.

Then, I went up to a 6mm crochet hook and (still using double-strand, double knit yarn) added a couple of stitches to the pattern and then followed the pattern as usual.
And this made a lovely sleeping bag with a fair bit of room for a 10 inch long teddy bear.

I've now made several 'teddy sleeping bags' from this lovely pattern. Some for our Etsy shop; others for Christmas Fairs, and of course others for Christmas presents for family and friends.

There are a small number of patterns that I use again and again. This is definitely going to be one of them.

If you want to make a sleeping bag for a doll or soft toy or you are looking for a go-to pattern for a baby papoose, I highly recommend this pattern. Below are the links to help you:

These are the links to make either a papoose/pod for a baby or a sleeping bag for a toy:

This is the link to the Ravelry page to download a pdf pattern free of adverts and at a very reasonable price to cover Lorene's website costs:
Baby Pod Photo Prop by Lorene Haythorn Eppolite- Cre8tion Crochet

Here is the link to Lorene Haythorn Eppolite's Ravelry designer page where you can find this and other patterns:
Lorene Haythorn Eppolite

And a link to the Cre8tion Crochet website where you can find lots of unique crochet patterns:
Cre8tion Crochet

This is a link to the free version of the pattern on the Cre8tion Crochet website:
Baby Pod Photo Prop

And here is the link to my Ravelry project page for this pattern:
Baby Pod Photo Prop For A Toy

Hope that all helps.
Have fun making your own crochet baby pod (or teddy sleeping bag 🧸 ).

Making Ombre Crochet Coasters

A great, quick, easy and effective crochet coaster pattern.

The post below is about three new sets of coasters I have made for Christmas markets and for presents.

Having made several sets of Citrus Coasters in a variety of colours, I decided to try another quick and easy coaster pattern.

These are made with the Ombre Crocheted Coasters pattern by Marinke Slump.

The Ombre idea is quite effective. In the original design, Marinke makes a set of 5 coasters. the main colour is the same, but the decoration goes through an ombre of shades to make a colourful and pleasing set of individual but matching coasters.

But I wanted to make coasters in contrasting colours using two yarn colours.

So I made one set in light grey, with a Bordeaux decoration and one set in Bordeaux with a light grey decoration.

I then discovered that a mix of these would also make a nice set, so I had 3 designs - one set of 6 in grey with bordeaux, one set of 6 in bordeaux with grey and one set of 6 with 3 grey with bordeaux trim and 3 in bordeaux with grey trim.

And then repeated them all again for my Etsy store!

Then, after finishing these, my granddaughter asked me to make her a set of coasters for her Uni digs... but she wanted a set in shades of heather....

So, there is now another set of 4 Ombre coasters in Heather, with a lilac and white trim. And she liked them thank goodness 😀.

All of the coasters are made in Drops Muskat, which is cotton thread in a DK weight, which I find ideal for making coasters. It is strong and firm, which is what you need for a coaster, and it's good to work with.

The design for these coasters is super easy - a circle made with rows of double crochet (US) stitches, finished with a shell design.
I actually increased the size of my crochet hook (from 3mm to 3.5mm) for the shell part, so that it did not curl.

One thing I will say though is that the decorative trim - surface slip stitches in the 2nd colour - does need attention at the back of the coaster.
I carefully wound the ends of my slip stitch yarn through the beginning of the row (this is circular). However, I found that, to get a neater look (especially when using cotton which I find is more difficult to mask ends), I used enough yarn to take the end all around, so that the back of the coaster was even.
This is just an idea. You may find that the back of your coasters is neater than mine without any extra work 😀.

This is very much a go-to coaster pattern. So I definitely recommend it if you need to make something quickly for a gift.
You can ring the changes with colours and trimming and make something quite unique.

Here are the links to help you with these lovely easy crochet coasters:

Make a Set of Five Ombre Crocheted Coasters

Ravelry page for Ombre Crochet Coasters (provides link to the pattern and to projects and further ideas/colours)
Ombre Crocheted Coasters

Marinke Slump Designer Page on Ravelry (with coasters and more of Marinka's patterns)

My Ravelry Project pages for the original Ombre Coasters I made:

Ombre Crocheted Coasters sets

Ombre Crocheted Coasters in Heather

Enjoy making your Ombre Crochet Coasters! 😀

Making the Mosaic Purses Pattern

Effective and enjoyable mosaic crochet in an easy and useful design.

I am always looking for a new 'take' on crochet, which is why I have always been interested in mosaic crochet.

Mosaic crochet looks intricate, but, in the hands of a good designer, it can be relatively easy to accomplish.

That's why I was intrigued when Icelandic crochet designer, Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir, introduced us to her Havana Afghan CAL last year.

I was eager to start the CAL, so decided to purchase another of Tinna's patterns, Mosaic Purses.

The Mosaic purses pattern is great. It is well-explained, with written instructions and a diagram (which is explained also). there are two different designs to work with.

The pattern can be completed all in one, because it begins with the zip and works down - so no sewing in the zip at the end, which is great.

And I was eager to start making purses. But I didn't have a suitable zip....

So, I decided to adapt the pattern. I had plenty of buttons of all shapes, sizes and colours, so why not give a button-down purse a go?

I worked bottom to top and then continued with a flap with a button loop.
And then I decided to add more decoration :)

I added tassels to the base of the button and was pleased with the result.

At that point I decided to make some more like this - for markets and fairs and for Christmas presents.
And they all went.

So, this year I have made a few more mosaic purses.

One day I will get around to making the original design with a zip, but for now, tassels on buttons it is 😀.

I highly recommend this lovely pattern!

Here are the links for you to try this pattern out yourself:

Mosaic Purses by Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir

Tinna Thórudóttir Thorvaldsdóttir Designer page with patterns

And my project notes on Ravelry:
Mosaic Purse with Tassel

Have fun making mosaic purses 😀.

Unfinished Ultraviolet of Change

My Ultraviolet of Change Crochet Project So Far...

I usually like to post only finished crochet projects here, but nevertheless, I want to share my favourite project with you, even though it is only about three quarters of the way through.

This is my unfinished version of the Ultraviolet of Change - pattern designed by Frank O'Randle.

And I'm posting it here with pictures from start to....getting close to finish 😀, because I like it so much.

As you can see in the first picture in this post, even though there are quite a few rows to go, this project still covers a small double bed, so it's going to be pretty big!

I'm also posting this now, because there is no way I can sit down and finish this project until after I have finished making enough items for my Christmas Fairs and then family and friend's Christmas presents... and then taken a crochet break, lol!
But I still want to share it 😊.

This project remains near the beginning of my Ravelry Projects Page to remind me to finish it.
But it is also there because it is something I can do to relax - it's for me (and also for my hubby who is an aging hippy and loves it) and I can take my time with it.

Frank O'Randle makes some pretty unusual and highly creative crochet patterns.
Some are quite complicated: others not so much.

Ultraviolet of Change is roughly in the middle, and probably nearer to the easy end of the list than to the difficult end, but the design makes it look more complicated than it actually is (and that's another reason why I love it 😊 ).

Frank's patterns do not come with lots of pictures, and you will be expected to know basic crochet stitches (or Google them if you don't), but the written patterns are detailed and, if followed correctly, you should be able to read them with no major problems.
Plus, with every pattern, Frank always posts his own project pages on Ravelry, which contain pictures and more notes if you need them.

And also for those working on Frank's crochet patterns, there is a Ravelry group (Made of Change) and a Facebook Group - Made of Change CAL (the latter run by admirers rather than just by Frank), and these groups offer lots of help to anyone who gets stuck, or just wants to compare projects.

I highly recommend Frank O'Randle's patterns, and once I've finished my Ultraviolet of Change, I'll add another post (about that, and about which pattern I'm making next - I still fancy making the original Rings of Change - the pattern that started things off).

These are links to help you if you want to look more at this pattern, or at other patterns by Frank:

Ultraviolet of Change Pattern

Frank O'Randle Designs on Ravelry

And my Ultraviolet of Change project notes (not updated for a while I'm afraid...):
Silvi's Ultraviolet of Change

Enjoy! 😀

Making Coasters in Overlay Crochet

I have already posted about some of the crochet coasters I have made, but I think that these Overlay Crochet Coasters are pretty unique!

The pattern, Coaster in Overlay Crochet, is designed by CAROcreated Design and her work really is something special!

CAROcreated design has some lovely crochet patterns for Dolls, for Amigurumi birds and animals, and for all sort of beautiful overlay crochet designs for mandalas, coasters, pin cushions, cases and more.

She really is a creative designer and her patterns produce incredible results.

As I was looking for crochet coasters patterns, I chose this design (my choice was helped because my hubby liked it too - he said the design looked celtic and that these coasters we were keeping for ourselves! 😀

What I will say though, is that overlay crochet, especially when the design has a pattern which changes geometric shapes, does need your full focus.

You will see from my project notes, that I didn't concentrate enough when making the first coaster and made a few mistakes when I really should have known better!

My excuse is that by the time I was making these, I had made a number of easier coasters and had forgotten that overlay crochet needs concentration.

The second coaster worked out fine though (and as these coasters are for us, it's all okay anyway 😀).

I had chosen to make these coasters in Drops Safran cotton yarn because it is sport weight which matches the pattern choice, but I found that the finished coasters, even though they were thicker than usual (as overlay crochet tends to be), were still a little 'soft' to use as coasters to take mugs filled with hot drinks.
So I decided to make a backing for them in single crochet and using one of the yarn colours used in the main pattern.

I put the pattern I used for the backing circle on my project page - the increases used match the increases as they take place in the overlay crochet pattern.
However, since I made that coaster backing, I have made a whole load more large circles, and if making the backing pattern now, I might be tempted to change it so that the circle didn't have 'pointy' bits.

If you read my post/pattern/tutorial on Elephant Sun Dog called Making a Crochet Circle - Troubleshooters Guide you'll see how I would deal with the 'pointy' problem now.

However.... with the backing for this particular coaster, the 'pointy' bits on the coaster backing were absolutely fine, because they matched the picots on the front section and the fact that they matched showed me that I'd got the size and match correct. So it's all good 😊.

The backing did a great job in giving me two good size, ornate but strong and substantial coasters which serve their purpose very well.

So, I now have two coasters in overlay crochet - one for me and one for hubby.
I may make some more once the Christmas rush is over, because I do like this pattern and it gives you some nice, intricate-looking coasters which will be the envy of your friends :)

And, when I purchased the overlay crochet coasters pattern, I bought the ebook which has two more lovely overlay crochet patterns to make. So I'm sure you will read more about this in the coming year 😊.

Here are the links all in one place which may help you with this pattern:

Coaster in Overlay Crochet by CAROcreated design

CAROcreated design (for her other patterns as well as this one)

My project page for this pattern:
Coaster in Overlay Crochet - Silvi3

And if you sometimes have trouble with crochet circles:
Making a Crochet Circle - Troubleshooters Guide

Have fun 😀