Basic Newborn Bear Hat Pattern

Ok, so y’all know I haven’t been knitting all that long, so this maybe is not the most original pattern ever. It is pretty much the basic formula for a knit newborn beanie, just with little crocheted bear ears added to the top. I am writing this here more for my own future reference than that I think it will add anything to the knitting world. 😉 I am going to start offering this style of hat as a made to order item at Lemon Lane Organics, so I don’t want to forget what I did to create this adorable little hat. And now, you can make some, too!
Also, I knit a fairly tight gauge but forgot to measure the gauge on the prototypes before putting that in the pattern. Next time I make one I will add that information. Just know you may need to go down a needle size to get an average newborn size hat

Basic Newborn Hat Knitting Pattern (with crocheted bear ears)

Materials: DK to light worsted weight yarn – less than 50 grams (I used O-Wool Balance)
US size 6/4.00mm knitting needles (either a long circular for magic loop or DPNs)
Crochet hook size E/4-3.50mm or F/5-3.75mm
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends and sewing on ears

Hat:
Cast on 64 stitches, using desired method. I like a long tail cast on for this. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist work.

Work 6 rounds of K2P2 ribbing.

Work stockinette stitch for 3.75 to 4 inches.

Begin crown decreases as follows:
Knit 6, k2tog around.
Knit next round.
Knit 5, k2tog around.
Knit next round.
Knit 4, k2tog around.
Knit next round.
Knit 3, k2tog around.
Knit next round.
Knit 2, k2tog around.
Knit next round.
Knit 1, k2tog around
K2tog around.
Cut yarn and thread yarn tail through live stitches on the needles and cinch up to close the top of the hat. Weave in ends.


Ears: make two
You want the ears to be a pretty tight fabric without big holes, so use whatever size hook you need to achieve that look.
Row 1: Ch 7, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 4 ch, 3 sc in last ch, turning to work along bottom of foundation ch, sc 5 along bottom of foundation ch, ch 1, turn.
Row 2: Sc in each st of row, ch 1, turn.
Row 3: Sc 5, 2 sc in next st, sc, 2 sc in next st, sc 5, ch 1, turn.
Row 4: Sc 7, 2 sc in next st, sc 7. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing onto hat. Stitch onto top of hat, placing as desired, and weave in ends. (I placed mine about 5-6 rounds from the top of the hat.)

If you want a little bigger ear, just sc evenly one more row before fastening off.

You could also make this hat larger by casting on more stitches in multiples of 4 (I think? I’m still not too good at this knitting math stuff!) and making the stockinette section longer before decreasing for the crown. Enjoy! 🙂

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The Little Prince

Seems I took an unintentional vacation from blogging for the last month! Sorry about that! Summer has been busy around here, but in a good way. We’ve been having lots of fun camping, visiting family, playing the backyard and the kiddie pool….all the stuff that you are supposed to do in the summer!

I have been making a lot of new items for Lemon Lane Organics, too, but I was getting sort of bored with making the same old patterns over and over. Finally, after hours of browsing patterns and tinkering with different ideas, inspiration struck! Crowns! Baby crowns, toddler crowns, maybe even a crown for the grown ups… I have noticed that people are using these itty bitty crowns for newborn photos, and they look oh-so-darling! But who says the bigger kiddos can’t join in on the fun?! Why, here is my dashing little prince in his royal robe…

I have had such fun coming up with this simple crown design that I will be working up a pattern with sizes from newborn on up to adult in the next week. Then you crocheters out there can make something fancy for the little fairy princess or charming prince in your life! And if you don’t crochet, no worries… Because I am listing finished crowns in my shop right now! See?

Silver for the newborn prince…

And coral for a baby princess…

Have a royally wonderful day, my friends!

UPDATE: The Little Prince (or Princess) crown crochet pattern is now published and available for instant download on Etsy or Ravelry! 🙂

New FOs and a Giveaway!

I have so many exciting things to share today! Where to begin? First off, let’s take a look at some projects that I have finished recently…

Remember the wool yarn I dyed for a soaker for Little J? Well, here is the finished soaker on its intended recipient!

I’m afraid he does not like wearing it as well as I had hoped, but I think it turned out nicely. The only real problem is that the legs ended up a bit tight for his little thighs. I tried my best to get a stretchy ribbed bind off, but apparently I need lots more practice!

Here is a new little newsboy cap that I have listed in my shop now, this time for a toddler girl! I love how the little tiny flower and leaf embellishment add just the right amount of femininity to this style of hat. I want to make more in girly colors, but I haven’t any more yarn that will fit the bill just now.

I also have a brand new type of handcrafted item available at Lemon Lane now! Organic baby quilts! Ok, so I only have one listed right now, but plans are in the works for more once I have the funds to buy more organic fabric…it isn’t cheap! Here is a peak at this fun, foxy baby quilt. Like it?

So now for some more exciting news! This week I noticed that I now have over 150 Facebook fans! May also happens to be my birth month, and since I always like to do something special for my birthday, I decided now is the perfect time for a giveaway! What will it be, you ask? How about a
$25 Gift Certificate to Lemon Lane Organics! This is my biggest giveaway prize ever, so I hope you will enter and enjoy playing along! I am hosting this giveaway via Rafflecopter on my Facebook page, head on over and like my page for a chance to win! The gift certificate will be good toward any in stock, ready to ship item in my shop, but not on custom order items. I am opening this one up to all you lovely people worldwide, not just in the US, so let’s get started, shall we!? 🙂

Little Dude’s Easter Duds

Happy Easter, dear readers! I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in a while, and especially regret not having prepared a proper Easter post…. But we have been busy around Lemon Lane this week, and this morning it all culminated in a wonderful worship service at our lovely church, celebrating Christ’s glorious resurrection! 🙂 I am so thankful for the freedom I have because He paid the penalty for my wrongs and made a way for me to be right with God. And knowing that He conquered death and is alive and coming back one day soon….ah, what wondrous thoughts!

So, this is the first year that I thought about Easter weekend far enough in advance to plan a special little outfit for my special little man to wear to church! And I would be remiss not to share my successes with you. I decided to make a spring vest with matching hat and bow tie for Little J, so I found some inexpensive plaid cotton at Walmart that just happened to coordinate nicely with some scraps I had here at home. I drafted a pattern from another of J’s vests and cut out enough of each color fabric to make a fully reversible design. Then I found this great tutorial from Schwin and Schwin that I followed for the construction of the vest. I forgot to find matching buttons, though, and had to call upon my sweet sewing friend Lori to rescue me from my buttonless state! She has her own custom sewing business, so I knew she would have a nice stash of buttons I could sift through!

After I finished that, I found this chocolate brown cotton yarn for the hat and tie. I really wanted a nice grass green, but couldn’t find anything but lime green cotton at Joann’s…and since I had a 50% off coupon that was where I wanted to shop! 😉 Anyway, the brown will go with more outfits, I guess, so it worked out fine. After I whipped up the hat and tie, J was ready to try the whole ensemble out, and he was really so happy in it all that he didn’t want to take it of! I will definitely sew for such a grateful recipient again!

He was not in such a happy mood on this lovely Easter morning…must have gotten up too early or something…. So I did not have the most cooperative model to work with for this pictures, but you get the idea, anyway. He got so many compliments at church this morning, even if he didn’t appreciate them. It made me one proud mama!

Oh, I almost forgot to show the other side of the vest! I don’t have a picture of J wearing it that way, so this quick picture will have to do. I loved the argyle design idea from Schwin and Schwin so much that I just had to duplicate it. Cute stuff, if I do say so myself! 😉

Show and Tell

I have a bunch of random things to post about today, so I figured the title “show and tell” was appropriate!

First off, my finished “Campout Mitts” turned out quite nicely, although I was obviously knitting a wee bit more tightly on the second one because it turned out a hair smaller than the first. My bind off was not as stretchy, either, so it is a little harder to get on. Oh well….I still think they look good for a beginner! (Wonder how long I can use that “beginner” status as an excuse!)

Second, I have now added all my for sale crochet pattern to my Craftsy store, as well as having them available on Ravelry and Etsy (not sure how much longer they will be on Etsy, though, as I am having trouble keeping up that shop…) So, if you like instant download capabilities, but you are not on Ravelry, this is a great way to purchase PDF patterns! 🙂

Third, I just finished listing these two adorable little hat and loafer sets today. I keep thinking these would be perfect for twin boys, especially for newborn photos. Don’t you agree?!
Sage Green Organic Newsboy Cap and Loafers

Grass Green Organic Newsboy Cap and Loafers

I guess that is about all I have time for at the moment! By the way, just a reminder that I have a coupon code active right now at Lemon Lane Organics. Get 20% off any order with coupon code “HAPPYEASTER” at checkout!

It’s Giveaway Time Again!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I just reached the 100 Fan mark on my new Facebook page, so I decided now would be a great time to have a giveaway!

Anyway, if you want to enter, there is a long list of ways to enter at the end of this post. Just remember when you leave your comments that I will need a way to contact you in case you are the winner! Otherwise, I will have to choose someone else!

So, what can I win, you ask? Well, I decided to give you some choices! Most of the items I make for Lemon Lane Organics are for babies and toddlers, but I know that not everyone has a baby in their lives… So I wanted to include an option for the person that really doesn’t need any baby accessories. Here are the items the lucky winner can choose from, all made by me! 🙂

Organic cotton flower facial rounds: these are a cuter version of the popular reusable cotton facial rounds that I’ve seen around Etsy and other places online. Why use a plain old circle to clean your face when you could use a fun, bright flower?!

Pink and white flower headband: this will fit babies all the way to adults! The flower is made from lovely blend of organic cotton and organic alpaca fibers. The three strand headband is crocheted from super soft blend of organic cotton and organic wool.

And finally, a cute little bow tie for dapper little gentlemen! This is not the actual tie that I will be giving away but it will look just like it, only in a lighter blue. I haven’t had time to finish it yet, but rest assured I will get in done in time for the winner to choose! 🙂

Ok, so now that you know what you can win, here are the ways to enter! For each entry you will need to leave a separate comment telling me how you entered. The more ways you enter, the more chances you have to win! 🙂

1. “Like”Lemon Lane Designs on Facebook. (Please let me know what your Facebook name is so I can verify this entry!)
2. Add Lemon Lane Organics to your favorite shops on Etsy. (Please leave your Etsy username in the comments so I can verify your entry!)
3. Share about this giveaway on Facebook! (Again, I will need to know your Facebook name.)
4. Add one of the items from Lemon Lane Organics to your Etsy favorites. (Again, please let me know your username. You can come back and do this one again every day of the giveaway, by the way!)
5. Pin an item from Lemon Lane Organics to your public Pinterest boards. (Please leave either a link to your pin or your name on Pinterest so I can verify your entry.)
6. Follow the Just Down Lemon Lane blog, either by email or RSS feed. (Buttons in the right hand column ——–> )
7. Join my mailing list. (Don’t worry….I won’t fill you inbox with unwanted emails. I send out newsletters monthly, at most!)

Another year comes to an end

 

Seems like I’m still getting used to 2012, and now it is just hours from being 2013! Oh well…it has been a year of many ups and downs for me, and I am looking forward to more ups than downs in the coming year!

We had a good Christmas holiday visiting family. Little J was especially thrilled with all the lights and decorations. We had to take down our tree a bit early so that the cats would not destroy it while we were away for Christmas, and he still talks about it every day. I think he misses it! We had a big snowstorm here Christmas night, and our house got about 14 inches! That is a lot for Southern Illinois! A couple of days later we got 6-8 more inches, so we had quite the winter wonderland outside then! Just beautiful…

Little J doesn’t really like the snow so much, though. I think it we hadn’t had quite so much he might have enjoyed playing in it, but since he is so short he can’t walk in it. And his mittens kept falling off so his hands got cold and wet very quickly. So we decided to just come in and enjoy looking at the snow from the comfort of the indoors.

I didn’t spend much time crocheting while we were away, but I did manage to get this darling little set made and listed just a few days ago. It sold so quickly that I didn’t even have time to blog about it! I decided to go ahead and relist it as a made to order item, and I hope to get more orders for these little sets this year! It seems that my boys crochet hats and sets have been quite popular, so I will be focussing on expanding that section of my shop more in 2013.

Baby Newsboy Cap and Bow Tie 

Well, I wish I had more time and brain power to write, but Little J is calling to my from the other room. I think he wants me to play peek a boo with him while he pops in and out of a big box. :p It’s the little things that make a toddler’s day!

Happy New Year to you all!

My little newsie

Just had to share some pics of my little man modeling a new hat for Lemon Lane Organics!  Is he not the cutest!?

New patterns coming soon!

Down here on Lemon Lane I’ve been busy testing some new patterns, one of my own and one from another talented designer! It has been fun to get to try out someone else’s design and give feedback, and it is always beneficial for me to get feedback and editing on my own patterns!

Here is a pic of the little leg warmers I am having tested right now…

And here are the adorable Snuggly Baby Boots I just finished testing for Rebecca of PatternMa on Etsy!

Both patterns are still being edited, but I will be sure to come back and update with links when they become available!

Update: My crochet leg warmer pattern is now available for purchase on
Etsy and Ravelry!

ETA: Rebecca has just released the pattern for the ugg-inspired baby boots in her Etsy shop and on Ravelry.

Knitting envy

Oh dear, I think I am going to have to give knitting another go in the very near future. I have been content for a long time with simply improving my crocheting skills and trying new patterns and techniques, as well as improvising my own designs. However, I have recently been trying crochet techniques that are what I now call “gateway stitches” because they are similar to knitting in some way and are making me wish yet again that I could find knitting enjoyable. Plus, now that I am not spending time on Facebook, I have had more time to browse patterns on Ravelry for inspiration, and who wouldn’t want to try their hand at making some of these beautiful things?

Or maybe one of these from some talented Etsians?

The crochet techniques that got me started thinking about knitting again are broomstick lace and Tunisian entrelac crochet. Both of these used to intimidate me, quite frankly, but now that I know how to do them, they really aren’t so difficult as I once thought. I don’t plan on designing any patterns using either technique just yet, but maybe sometime I will! And now that I have a big fat pair of knitting needles (to use for the broomstick lace), perhaps I can use some chunky yarn and make something quick and easy to start with… If you are interested in learning either Tunisian entrelac crochet or broomstick lace, here are a couple of video links that I found helpful to get started!

Entrelac crochet blanket, part 1
Broomstick lace scarf

Have fun!