Delving into Baby Bunting ... Not Rabbit Skin Here

My mother recently asked me if I could make a baby sleep sack for a cousin and another for the grandchild of a family friend. As many of my projects have started, I did a bit of research and went, "Sure, I can make that!" While the newer ones sometimes call them sleep sacks, sack sleepers, or baby sleeping bags, the older name that I am familar with is baby bunting. Remember the old nursery song? No rabbit skin used herre, but the principle is the same. You want to make a piece that you can wrap your baby up snug and tight to fight the fall and winter chill while simultaneously creating a secure and comforting confinement.

First Pattern in the Bunting Wars

There are many different patterns out there both sewing and knitting and crocheting. Just google baby sack or baby sleep sack and you will find all variations listed. For my first one, I chose to go with Simplicity 2165 sewing pattern. It seemed to be the easiest design inspired more by the way you swaddle a baby in a blanket than by the more common jumper style sleep sack. It's the image in the top left hand corner of the pattern front to the left of this paragraph. This pattern also includes two styles of diaper covers, a changing pad that folds into a bag, a doll, and a nursing cover.

I chose to make this the simple way. I found some lightweight fleece receiving blankets at a local store for $1 each. I used two yellow and blue plaid blankets to make the outside and two solid, powder blue blankets for the inside. There are only two pieces to this pattern: the t-shaped back piece and the oval piece that makes up the lower front section. I made a really simple matching hat with some of the left over material (hat found on the Butterick pattern mentioned below). I would still have enough material left over to make a couple of more hats or matching mittens and booties as well.

McCalls 4236 Sewing Pattern

The next version I plan to make will be using  McCalls 4236 sewing pattern. I will be making option A, which is the long sleeve sleep sack with the fold over hand covers (middle picture on the right hand side of the pattern front to the right of this paragraph). It takes a little more skill because it involves setting sleeves and putting in a zipper. It shouldn't be too difficult though. I think I will end up using a little heavier fleece on this one because it is only one layer instead of two like the previous one. I think it would be really cute to either use a fun printed fleece or use a solid and then embroider a design on one side of the chest like they show on the main picture of the pattern front.This same pattern also features a pleated and non pleated version of a sleeveless sleep sack as well as a hat, two different jumpsuits, and a receiving blanket.

Butterick 5583 Sewing Pattern

The third and last version that I would like to make uses Butterick 5583 sewing pattern. This one is similar to the McCalls pattern, but it offers a couple of slight variations. One is almost identical to the previous one except it has fitted cuffs at the neck and wrists (think sweat shirt style). It also has another option that leaves the bottom open like a  night gown and has a drawstring to draw it closed at the feet. I really like the drawstring option because then it would allow you to change the baby without completely undressing him or her. Another reason why I really like this pattern is that it offers so many other items all in one pattern package. It has patterns for hats, receiving blankets, mittens, booties, aprons, diaper covers (which I plan on converting to a cloth diaper), the ever popular feetie pajamas, and a cardigan style shirt.

Below are pictures of the baby bunting that I have completed so far. This is the first one described above. I will continue to post pictures of the others as I make them.

Viking - Paloosa

My lovely Valkyrie wife Stephanie modeling the first Viking hat.

So ... my latest project, or as it turns out projects, has been making crocheted Viking hats. What started as me thinking I really want a more realistic looking Viking hat for days when I'm not wearing my Jayne Cobb hat, has turned me into a Viking hat producing madwoman!

The first one that I made was pretty simple. I made the beanie portion in Caron Simply Soft light gray yarn paired with Simply Soft pale yellow for the horns. I trimmed out the edge of the horns with variegated cream/brown/gray fun fur. The edge of the beanie has bobble spaced all the way around to resemble rivets. The line of rivets is bordered by two cables to make it appear as if this section is raised. On later ones, I also did a vertical cable to mimic the center seam on a metal helmet. 

Here is a picture of the horn before I attached it to the hat.

Here is an up close picture of the riveted edging along the cap.

Since I finished that first one, I've been playing with other variations in the same basic style. My first variation was doing top portion of the hat in a different color and then trimming it out in the silver to make it resemble the leather helmets with the metal band around the edge. 

I have done a few different colors so far. I did a dark purple one made from Red Heart Eco yarn and trimmed it out in the same Simple Soft gray. I've also used a Simply Soft brown for another and added ear flaps to it. I even made a red one with black edging and horns trimmed in black fun fur for my best man as part of his thank you gift for being in our wedding. I wish I had a picture of it. I think his and the brown one below are my favorites so far.

Now as Halloween and then Christmas approaches, I think I have 10 or so hats to make for family members and friends. By New Year, there will be a Viking invasion of the Southeast US!

Crocheted and Knitted Cloche Hats

Lately I've been working on some crocheted cloche hats. I had previously made a knit one using Deborah Norville Serenity Chunky Weight Yarn in Pink Candy. It was my first knitted hat. I took the patter for the Jayne Hat from the show Firefly and instead of adding the earflaps, I added a little ruffle along the bottom edge of the hat. I also added a three tier Irish Rose with a wooden button sewn in as the center of the flower. I thought it turned out pretty cute, especially for my first knitted hat. Since I had some yarn left over, I also made a matching neck warmer / collar. Here are pictures of both of those.

In the last two weeks or so I've been trying my hand at a crocheted version of a cloche style sun bonnet. I was working using a child's pattern and sized it up for an adult. The first one that I made turned out HUGE! It was really big even for my large noggin, and I was using a size F needle. Take a look if you don't believe me ...

See, I told you ... HUGE! It's still usable as a sunbonnet, but it wasn't quite the sophisticated yet simple 1920s/1930s look that I was going for.  So, for the second one, I moved down to an E size needle and changed from the Red Heart Sport yarn to the Caron Simply Soft Eco yarn in Soft Taupe. This worked out much much better. I made a similar Irish Rose to accent this hat as well just to add a little feminine touch.  Here's a picture of it. Way better than the first try. I will definitely stick with this yarn and size hook for future hats of this style