Super Squishy Crochet Bear

My daughter saw a crochet bear made with Bernat Baby Blanket Yarn at a craft show that she loved. When I spotted the yarn on sale on Black Friday, I thought now was the time to give the bear a try. I could not find a pattern with this kind of yarn that I liked, so I sat down and started experimenting. 

I love how this crochet bear turned out! I'm thinking I'll have to make another bear because my kids have been trying to work out how to share custody of him. This post is for inspiration only, I don't have plans to post a pattern. Check out more of my crochet projects here!

Note to readers:
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for all the lovely comments that have been left about my bear. Tons of people here on this post and through private messages have expressed an interest in the pattern, which I take as an amazing compliment. Unfortunately, as I've replied to such requests, a pattern is not available.

You might be interested in these projects on Ravelry.

I've never advertised anywhere that this pattern was available free or otherwise. If you've seen that somewhere, it was not posted by me. If you see my photo of this bear saying there is a pattern available, it's not my pattern.  I don't even have this pattern typed up on my computer, I scribbled it in my notebook as I made it up. If it is posted somewhere that a pattern for this specific bear is being offered, a simple heads up so I could notify the poster of their mistake would be appreciated. Thank You!

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DIY Photo Blocks

Everyone, especially grandparents, LOVE photo gifts all year long! I've seen where you can order these online but if you've got a little time to spare, you can make these photo blocks yourself!

Have you ever walked around the craft store and were struck with inspiration? You get home and go online only to find someone else already came up with this? Yeah, so apparently I didn't invent these DIY photo blocks. What the heck, I'll share it anyway. It's a good reminder to get those photos out of your camera, phone and computers!

You need:

Wood Block(Michael's $4.69, don't forget to look for coupons!)

Photos

Mod Podge

Scissors or paper trimmer

Foam brush

These blocks are about 3 ½ squares so 4x6 photos will need to be trimmed. Take the time to make sure photos are cut evenly. The fastest way I found was to make a square template. I cut my photos slightly smaller than the square. Before I stuck on photos, I painted the corners of the cube black. Since there will be no photo on the bottom I painted that black as well.

Using a foam brush, I applied a thin layer of Mod Podge to one side of block. Carefully position the photo onto the block and press down. Repeat for all sides and allow to dry. You'll probably have to wait for a couple sides to dry before you can do the other sides. You don't want the Mod Podge to smudge or photos to move before they are dry. 

Use a white pen or paint to write a message or the year on the bottom of the block. After the first layer of Mod Podge dries, do another layer of Mod Podge on top of the photos on all sides. Allow block to dry thoroughly before handling.

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My Crochet Gifts 2015

So I said this year I wasn't going to get carried away with crochet gifts. They take forever and to be honest, I'm not always sure how appreciated they are. Of course everyone says thank you with a smile but are they just being polite? Do people really want my homemade stuff? Cut to November and I have a list of holiday requests! The holidays are usually when I get the most creative and try new patterns I've never attempted. The extreme time crunch certainly adds to the excitement as well! As always, I will include the pattern sources. That way, if you see something you like, you can make your own. Here we go...

Sea Flower Shawl- Rustic Modern Crochet by Yumiko Alexander

Ninja Turtle Hat- Jaime George

Fox Scarf(paid pattern)- We-R-Soto Design
I altered the pattern a bit to make this one child size.

Stampy Hat- See my blog post for chart

Toothless, How To Train Your Dragon- Nichole's Nerdy Knots
See more of my photos of this project which was actually for a birthday present but is so close to Christmas I'm gonna list it anyway!

Ballerina Elephant, Edwards Menagerie
If you're curious how I added the tutu, see my notes in my Ravelry project page
This is my second Edwards Menagerie project. See my bunny here

V-Stitch Beanie- Over The Apple Tree free pattern

ZiggyZag Vixen Slouch- Faith Holbrook on Ravelry

This is my third year of crochet Christmas projects. Check out years past 2013 and 2014

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Crochet Like Crazy- Toothless

This time of year I'm always super busy because I make several of my holiday gifts. All my children's birthdays are also around this time. My daughter is crazy for the How To Train Your Dragon movie so I decided to crochet her Toothless for her birthday! This pattern is from Nichole's Nerdy Knots. She's in love with her new dragon!

**This pattern has been taken down from Ravelry but can still be found on Instructables

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Minecraft Stampylongnose Hat

If you have a kid who plays video games, you've probably heard of Minecraft. I got a Christmas request for a Stampy hat from my niece. As far as I can tell, there isn't a pattern for this. Mine was inspired by a photo that my niece sent me from a Google search.

This is NOT a detailed pattern and instructions because frankly, it was pretty tricky to figure out. I was more wrapped up in what I was doing than taking pictures and writing down details. Now that I'm done, I'm not interested in doing it again just for instructional purposes. Sorry, your on your own!

I will share my graph and what tips I can without confusing you too much. If you're an experienced crocheter, you can figure this out. The trickiest part is changing colors and adding on to the rows.

First of all, make an orange hat. I chose to do a basic double crochet earflap hat.

The Stampy face is worked with worsted weight yarn. White, dark grey, light grey, black, and green. In this graph image, the light grey on the outer edges is just dead space. The only place I used light grey yarn was for the nose(totally optional, you could just use the dark grey for the nose). This face is worked in HDC with a 4.25 mm hook.

Start at the bottom of the image. Ch 11 then starting in the second ch from hook, hdc across(10). At the end of each row, ch 1 and turn. Decide which side is the front and which is the back. You can stick in a stitch marker or a safety pin to mark which side is which.

In some places I carried the yarn if it made sense. Other places I cut and refastened. Take your time before you cut your yarn. Look to the next row and plan ahead. If you don't cut your yarn, be sure to pull your yarn you aren't using to the back side. This way it won't show when you pick it back up on the next row.

Everything is worked in hdc's except for the last dark grey sections of the outer eyebrows. I added that part after I was done. I worked two rows of 3 sc vertically along the edge of the white.

**If you make this hat to sell, please be courteous and give credit to me as the designer with a link back to me. Do not copy and post this pattern or claim it as your own. Do not try to sell this pattern. Do not re-publish photos as your own.

Ears
Make 4
use same size hook as hat
Ch 2
1. 2 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Ch 1 turn
2. 2 sc in each stitch. Ch 1 turn (4)
3. sc in each across, ch1 turn (4)
4. 2sc in first st, sc in next 2 st, 2 sc in last, ch1 turn (6)
5. sc in each across, ch1 turn (6)
6. 2sc in first st, sc in next 4, 2sc in last, ch1 turn. (8)
7. sc in each across (8)

Each ear is two pieces attached together with sc around top edges. Sew onto head with yarn needle.

Good luck to you!

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