Free Pattern: Princess Tiara - Toddler/Youth

This year, for #1's fourth birthday, I wanted to make a more delicate crown with some sparkly pink yarn I knew she would love.  This one in sport yarn is super cute, but my yarn is worsted weight.  So I came up with this.  She was such an adorable birthday princess.  :)

Free Pattern: Soccer Ball

 

This is a small soccer ball, about 3" across.  I decided not to do the official hexagon-pentagon soccer ball pattern so that I could finish faster.  (But it would be super easy to use this pattern to make the hex-pent ball, just do 6 sc in the first round for the hexagons and follow the pattern from there, with the additional stitches in each round.  Make 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons. Surround the pentagons with hexagons.  It will turn out bigger.)

Free Pattern: Crayon Pouch

When my three-year-old #1 girl colors, she sometimes finishes by throwing on the floor whichever crayons she hadn't dropped.  I wanted a crayon holder to keep the crayons together, giving her options without letting her make a mess.

There are so many ways to make crayon holders - I have seen great ideas all over the place!  I decided on a small, non folding or rolling one, so that she can access them easily all by herself.  I attached each crayon to the pouch with a string.  When the crayon breaks or runs out, I can untie the string and replace it with a new one.

Free Pattern: Bear Boo-Boo Buddy Ice Pack Cover

When I made the original boo-boo buddies for my girls, I thought little animals would be cute, but I hadn't gotten around to revisiting the pattern - until now!  It took only a few simple additions to the original pattern to make a bear boo-boo buddy.  

Free Pattern: Doll Blanket with Special Stitch

This little blanket is a perfect size to cover up or wrap up a girl's baby dolls.  My girls' medium sized doll has a 12" head circumference.  I used a stitch that I accidentally made up while I was learning to crochet.  Even now that I know how to make all the stitches correctly, I go back to this one sometimes when my eyes get tired of straight rows of double crochets, or my hands get tired of long stints of single crochets.  It's easy stitch that creates an interesting texture.

Free Pattern: Toddler Jump Rope

Even though her motor skills aren't there yet, my #1 loves to "jump rope."  She has been using my yarn, the cord from the vacuum - anything she can find - and whipping it around while jumping up and down.  I wanted to get her a jump rope, but I was afraid that the plastic handles would do some damage, with all the whipping.  So, the crochet jump rope was born.

This was made to be a non-functioning toddler toy.  You would have to use a weighted material (thick nylon cord, perhaps?) if you wanted to be able to actually use this as a jump rope.

Saftey Warning - this toy poses a strangulation hazard.  Never leave child unattended with this toy.

Craft Tutorial: Button Rattle Baby Toy

 When my #1 got interested in my keys, I made my first version of this, with a rattling whistle, a jingle bell and beads of different shapes and sizes.  With similar appeal to (but less germs than) my keys, this was my substitute.  

Also, #1 didn't get her fine motor skills as fast as some babies, so it was hard for her to hold many rattles.  This toy is much lighter than many store-bought toys, and the string construction makes it easy for babies like her, with less-developed fine motor skills, to grasp.  It was her favorite toy for a couple of months - one of my proudest crafting moments.  :)

Free Pattern: Fishing Game Kid's Toy

This was a Christmas present for our little friend Jack.  It turned out to be somewhat more involved than I thought it would be, but it turned out even better than I'd imagined!  It's fun to "fish" the fish, and it can be used to help teach colors and counting.  The storage bag flattens out into a play surface.

Free Pattern: Kid-Sized Potholder

My #1 got a play kitchen for her birthday.  Her pan set came with a potholder, but she doesn't have the coordination to pinch the square of fabric around the pan.  I barely do!  So I thought she needed a potholder like mine, with a pocket for her hand.

I saved this from my project graveyard (the bag where I put things I've lost interest in or couldn't figure out.) It started out as a burp cloth, when my #2 was on the way.  When I didn't finish it before she was born, it got stashed.  I was looking for this yarn for the potholder, and I realized that what I had already crocheted of the burp cloth was the exact thing I needed.  The body of the pattern is, therefore, Christina Budd's copyrighted burp cloth pattern.

Free Pattern: Kid's Crown

I made this crown for my #1's birthday. She's a two-year-old princess now!

Newborn size here.
12-month size here.

Free Pattern: Jingle Ring Toy

My #2 is at the toy stage now, so I made some Loop Toys, but mine turned out too big for tiny hands. This is my modification.