E's Sunday Swing Coat Revisited

Hey, y'all!

Remember E's Sunday Swing Coat?  I'm happy to report that the birthday girl herself recently posed for a special photo shoot.

Check out those eyes!  Oh, yeah...and the coat.

 

'Til next time,
OCB

E's Sunday Swing Coat

Hey, y'all!

My super-sweet little goddaughter recently turned one, and we had a fabulous time at her birthday party.  I wrestled with myself about what to make her...she has so many toys to play with, and I really wanted to do something special.

Enter the Sunday Swing Coat from the March/April 2013 issue of Crochet Today.  It's a super-cute little number that works up quickly.  I finished the whole thing in two evenings after work.

Here's my version of the coat, worked in Red Heart Fiesta yarn.

I absolutely love Crochet Today.  Out of the three major US crochet periodicals, it is far and away the most relevant to younger crochet artists who like to add a modern twist to their work.  I'd totally recommend it to any of you who are considering a print subscription.

And here's hopin' my sis-in-law sees this post and remembers to take a pic of lovely E wearing her Swing Coat.  With her permission, I'd love to share that with all of you.  ;)


'Til next time,
OCB

Olivia's Baby Gifts

One of my good pals at work is about to become a grandmother.  She recently commissioned my services to make an oversized baby blanket, and the shower was this past weekend. 

When I realized the amount of yarn I had left over after the blanket was done, I decided to contribute a couple of gifts of my own as well.

The blanket measures 48" by 48" and the dress is sized or a newborn baby girl.

Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern on the blankie and the dress.

I love working with this stitch, and I think I'll be making something for myself using it soon.  The fabric is so soft and cozy.

Olivia's one-of-a-kind dress.

The granny-to-be saw the dress and blankie, and apologetically asked if I might be able to make a headband to go with it.  Giggling, I told her that I had already started the process...it just wasn't done yet. 

I'm hoping to see a picture or two of the little one with her new loot when she sees fit to join us.  With her family's permission, of course, I'll try to post at least one here for all to see.

Variation on the "Little Angel"

When coming up with the pattern for my Little Angel dress, I wondered what it would look like as a top for an older child.

Not a bad idea, if I do say so myself.  The Princess loves this top with all its textures and holes that are the perfect size for poking with her grubby little grabbers.

Crocheting for a Cause: Little Angel Dress

I'm not sure if y'all are aware of this or not, but I work in a hospital.  This information will become very useful in just a minute...stick with me.

One day during the summer, one of the chaplains came to me with a request.  Some women at a local senior center knit and crochet buntings and clothing for the infants who pass away in our OB/neonatal wards, and the yarn is getting expensive. 

From my office, I publish a classified listing of sorts, comprised of ads placed by hospital and health system employees.  It's kind of like Craig's List, but without the creeps.

This chaplain asked me if I thought we could put a wanted ad in this listing, and - of course - I said yes.  I also mentioned that I crochet and asked what kinds of items our pastoral care team is looking for.

I found out that the senior center ladies have been making primarily buntings for the departed preemies, but there has been a lack in newborn sized outfits.

You see, part of the grieving process at our hospital includes dressing the new baby and spending time with him or her before having to say a final goodbye.  The outfits are then given to the parents as a keepsake...a small token of their baby that they can take home with them.  Our pastoral care team tries very hard to make sure that each of the outfits is special, and they prefer to have them hand-made.

The problem with this is that if the outfits were to be purchased directly from crafters on Etsy or through another avenue, the cost would be extremely prohibitive.

So I asked if I could help.  Chaplain D was so excited, tears popped into her eyes.  Since this summer, my mom and I have been crocheting newborn outfits and donating them to pastoral care whenever we can.  Mom's making little boy outfits that are absolutely adorable, and I've come up with one dress so far.

I'm calling it the "Little Angel."

This photo shows the first three I donated to our hospital's pastoral care team this summer.  I'm playing around with my methods a bit, trying out sleeves and more length...hoping to come up with something that would be suitable as a christening gown.

If any of you are interested in crocheting or knitting for charity, I'd like to suggest contacting your local hospital to find out if their pastoral care team is in need of anything.  In addition to this particular situation, cancer caps and prayer shawls are donated on a daily basis at the hospital where I work, and I know the recipients appreciate every last one of them. 

You may also want to find out if your local hospital, senior center or church takes yarn donations for projects like these.  This is a great way to clear up some room in your stash, and you'd be helping someone else in the process. 

To date, I've collected over one thousand skeins of yarn for the ladies at the senior center...and I'm looking forward to graduation so I can spend some more time with my hook in hand.

The Princess's Pink Top

Just a little somethin' I've been tinkering around with lately...

She likes to poke all the little holes with her fingers...this shirt is a stimmy wonderland.  ;)