Lacy Crochet Summer Baby Gift Set

My cousin is expecting a baby girl next month. What a perfect excuse for me to crochet something lacy, pink, and embellished with satin ribbon! I combined three free crochet patterns to make a lacy hat, diaper cover, and booties set for the sweet summer baby.

 
I found all three patterns on Ravelry.com. If you are new to crochet, then I would definitely suggest signing up on Ravelry. It's free, and it's a wonderful resource for finding great patterns! It's also a pretty convenient means of organizing and keeping track of your projects. 

Pattern Links

• Lacy's Hat by AG Handmades (free)
• Princess Diaper Cover by The Lovely Crow (free)
• Basic Baby Booties by Susie J Crochet (free)

Supplies

• Yarn
• Comfy Sport from KnitPicks
• white (it's more of an ivory or antique white than pure white)
• 75% pima cotton, 25% acrylic
• 2 balls (I used less than 1.5 balls)
• Shine Sport from KnitPicks
• blush 
• 60% pima cotton, 40% modal
• 1 ball (I used less than half a ball)

• Hooks 
• 5.00 mm (hat and diaper cover body)
• 3.50 mm (diaper cover edging and booties)

• Embellishments

• Pink ribbon from Jo-Ann
• 3/8 in x 18 ft spool (only $1 with a coupon!)  

The comfy sport yarn is the same yarn I used to crochet my son's baptism outfit. This yarn is so soft! It is also lightweight (sport weight category #2), mostly cotton, and perfect for warmer, summer weather. The other reason I chose this yarn is because I had two balls leftover from the previous project and I am currently on a self-imposed ban from buying more yarn. This is also why I used the pink shine sport yarn. The shine sport is the same weight and more-or-less the same material (60% cotton rather than 75%). It is true to its name (it's shiny), but I think it complements the soft antique white.

Modifications

Lacy's Hat 
(finished dimensions: width = 6 inches, length = 5 inches)

This pattern was written for worsted weight yarn. In order to compensate for the fact that I was using sport weight yarn, I followed the 3-6  month pattern and used a 5.00 mm hook, with the goal of the final dimensions matching a newborn size. The smallest head the hat should fit is 12 inches around, but the pattern has a lot of stretch potential, so I'm hoping that it grows with the baby for at least a few months. I replaced the crocheted bow from the pattern with pink ribbon.

Princess Diaper Cover 
(finished dimensions: waist width = 7 inches, length = 6 inches)

Here is yet another Lovely Crow pattern. (What can I say? I'm a fan.) This is another great pattern with lots of close-up pictures. What makes this Lovely Crow pattern extra special is that it is FREE on Ravelry. This pattern was also written for worsted weight yarn, so I simply followed the 3-6 month instructions with the idea that it would fit a newborn using sport weight yarn. This is one of the reasons I greatly appreciate patterns that include multiple sizes! Rather than adding an elastic band, I used a ribbon to tie the waist.

Note: This pattern includes an excellent pictorial tutorial on how to do an invisible join when finishing off (I used it in every piece of this set).

Basic Baby Booties 
(finished dimensions: sole length = 3 inches)

This is a great beginner pattern. I found it very easy to follow. My booties ended up half an inch shorter than they were supposed to be, but hopefully they will still fit a newborn (I should have checked my gauge first and used a larger hook). Since the pattern was written for lightweight yarn, I did not alter it, at least not for sizing purposes. I made the soles (first three rows) pink. I wanted to add a ribbon, so I replaced the last row with double crochet stitches in a pattern that looks similar to what was used in the other two pieces.

Here's what I did (see Quick Reference Guide for abbreviations):

• Modified Row 8: 
• Switch to pink (pull a loop of pink yarn through on the sl st at the end of row 7)
• Ch3, dc in same space, (skip next stitch, 2dc in next stitch) x 10, fasten off, skip last stitch and join to top of ch3 using invisible join
• There will be 11 dc groups and 11 spaces in this row (22 st)

I threaded the ribbon through the spaces and tied a bow in the front. I think the ribbon turned out to be a bit too wide for the booties, but I kept it to ensure that the set matched.

Tutorial Links

Here are some tutorial links for the techniques I used to make the lacy crochet summer baby gift set:

• Edging rules-of-thumb
• How to make an invisible join
• How to heat seal the edge of a ribbon (use with caution)
• How to change colors in the round (video)
• Note: Usually when I change colors, I just crochet over the loose ends to avoid having to weave them in later. However, with the lacy hat pattern, I found that the yarn shows up in the spaces when I do this. Therefore, for the hat and the last row on the booties, I left all of the loose ends and wove them into the first shell stitch cluster. It was a lot of weaving, but I think it turned out cleaner looking. I did something similar for the diaper cover, but in hindsight, realized that I should have just woven the ends into the areas that were going to be covered by the edging.

I can't wait for my cousin to see this pretty gift set! 

Are you crocheting a gift for a summer baby this year?

Crochet Baby Boy Baptism Outfit

I am so happy that I learned to crochet in time to make my young son's baptism outfit. When I originally started this project, I only intended to make a bonnet and booties, but after finishing the adorable bonnet, I was inspired to crochet the entire outfit. My inspiration was based on the following:

• The colors of every item should match. Incidentally, all whites are not created equal, so the only way to ensure that everything matched perfectly was to make each piece using the same yarn.

• Every piece should fit my son well
• My son was already in size 12-24 months and it was a bit more difficult to find an outfit in his size.
• Even if I found something in his size, there was no guarantee it would fit. I wanted something that I could tailor make to fit him perfectly. 

•  The outfit would be a family heirloom
• Baptism outfits are one of the few clothing items that become automatic family heirlooms. I was enchanted by the idea that my son could look at this outfit when he's older and say, "My mom made this!"

Thus began my search for the perfect baptism outfit pattern. It needed to be something within my skill level that I could complete in a reasonable amount of time. Most of the crochet patterns listed as "baptism" or "Christening" outfits that I found were written for sizes too small for my son. Additionally, although I found many cute dresses in his size that could pass as baptism outfits, it was challenging to find the perfect outfit for a baby boy. This meant I'd have to be a bit creative in assembling the perfect baptism outfit for my son.
 

I ended up combining four separate patterns to make my baby boy's baptism outfit.

Pattern Links:

• Baptism Bonnet by Pretty Prudent (free pattern)
• Ribbed Peasant Top by Holland Designs (on Etsy for $5.50)
• Pants ("Longies") by Look at What I Made (free pattern)
• Little Mister Loafers by The Lovely Crow (on Etsy for $5.95) 

Supplies: 

Yarn 

• I made the entire outfit using Comfy Sport yarn (#2 weight) from KnitPicks (white, SKU: 24794). I absolutely love this 75% pima cotton / 25% acrylic yarn. It is very soft and high quality. The only caveat is that it is not a pure snow white like the picture and description suggest. It looks more like a light ivory, antique white, or off-white. But it is so beautiful. I actually prefer this color over stark white. I used about seven balls (218 yards/50 grams per ball) for the entire outfit (size 12-24 months). Final measurements of the pieces are included below for reference (apparently my baby had a stocky square body shape).

Hooks

• 3.5 mm (aka "E") for peasant top and booties
• 4.5 mm for pants
• 5.5 mm (aka "I") for bonnet

Embellishments

The color of the ribbon and buttons matched the yarn perfectly. 

• Antique white ribbon (1/4 in x 18 ft spool - I had extra leftover)
• I used the same satiny ribbon in every piece except the booties. It was the perfect color to match the yarn, and was the perfect embellishment to make this outfit special. I made sure to heat seal the edges to prevent fraying.
• Two antique white shank buttons for booties (11 mm).

Modifications:

Bonnet

Final measurements: top of crown to bottom = 8 in
The only modification I made to this pattern was using a sport weight (#2) yarn, rather than the worsted weight suggested in the pattern.

Note: top of head is on the left (the ribbon frames the face)

Peasant Top

Final measurements: neckline to bottom of shirt = 9 in, bottom border 1.5 in (total length = 10.5 in), width at waist = 12 in, arm width = 4 in, arm length = 5 in 

The piece that really made the outfit was the top. It's a peasant top that has a combination of simplicity and embellishments to be perfect for a little boy's baptism. I tailored it to fit my son, which was easy because the pattern is based on measurements. The only "modification" was a mistake I made on the edging. 

 

My mistake was that I crocheted the edging on the wrong side (the side farthest away from me when crocheting in the round). Consequently, the beautiful part that was supposed to be facing the outside ended up on the inside. I could have just turned the top inside out, but I didn't want the seams to show, so I just kept it the "wrong" way, which was still quite beautiful. I included seven rows of edging, partly to add some length because my original measurement only went to my son's waist and I should have made it a bit longer. I added a row of edging to the arms to match.
 

Edging on arm

Tip: when crocheting in the round, make sure that the side you are working on is closest to you to ensure that the right side of the stitch is facing out. This is particularly an issue when joining yarn to add edging or start a second leg in the pants (I also made this mistake in the pants and had to redo a huge section).

I used ribbon to cinch the top. My son had very pudgy arms, so I had to make the top wide enough to accommodate them. Consequently, due to the pattern design, I had to cinch the top quite a bit to fit him. It was a bit bulky around his shoulders, but was still absolutely adorable. However, if I make this top again, I will err on the side of snug-fitting arms rather than adding rows for "moving room."

Pants

Final measurements: waist = 11.5 in, inseam = 6 in, length including waistband = 13 in, waistband width = 1 in

I followed the 18-24 months longies pattern, but tailored it to match my son's measurements, substituted half double crochet (hdc) in place of single crochet, and used a different pattern for the waistband. I chose this pants pattern because it includes an extra space between the legs (the "gusset"), which is a great feature to allow for more movement.

I made the waistband following this ribbed boot cuffs pattern at Inspired Nest. I followed the pattern up through the foundation row, which is the connection between the ribbed waistband and the rest of the piece. After the foundation row, I continued with the longies pattern for the rest of the pants. Once the legs were approximately ankle length, I finished by adding a single row of the same edging from the peasant top at the bottom of the pant legs.

I made these pants using a 4.5 mm hook in order to allow for stretching, in addition to getting it done more quickly. The finished piece was a bit too stretchy. I would probably use a smaller hook next time I crochet these pants.

Booties

Final measurements: sole length = 5 in
I searched far and wide for baptism booties, and finally decided to use the beautiful pattern I already had (see last week's post for more pictures of these adorable loafers). This was a decision based partly on saving time and money. If I had more time to try a new pattern, then I may have used this pattern, which is a perfect match to the ribbed peasant top. In the end, I was happy with the way the booties turned out. 

Since I was using sport weight yarn and the pattern was written for worsted weight, I had to modify the pattern slightly to fit my son's foot. He was already wearing the 6-12 months size (largest size provided in the pattern), so I increased the size by adding stitches to the main pattern. See my Tips and Techniques page for a description of how I did this.

In addition to adding stitches to increase the size, I added one extra row at the top and a wide strap (2 hdc rows) to try to help the booties stay on better. In the end, they were a bit too small (I underestimated the necessary size increase and didn't have time to start over). The smallness made them fall off more easily, despite the addition of the strap, but they stayed on long enough for cute photos. 

Look how perfectly the button matches the yarn!

In the end, I had a beautiful crocheted baptism outfit for my son. The top took by far the longest time to make (several weekends). The bonnet and booties only took a few hours total, and I finished the pants in a single weekend. Although the outfit was only worn once, it was well worth the time to make this special family heirloom.

This would have been a much faster project if it had been for a newborn baby. If you are planning to crochet your child's baptism outfit, what size will you make?