Linda's Crafty Chronicles

Volume 1, Issue 6 - July 2000

In this issue:

Thank you
Baby Showers
Baby Candle
Baby Items to Crochet or Knit
2 Free Patterns
Suggestions
Next Month

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you to all the people that sent me good wishes for my son and daughter in law's baby. As of today, she hasn't had the baby yet and is getting very tired while my son is becoming a nervous wreck. Thank you for being patient with me and this issue. You were a big help.

Linda Bohrn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Shower Sites

As you can tell from this newsletter, I have a grandson on the way so I'm devoting this issue to babies. There are a lot of great baby shower sites on the internet. There are a few that want to sell you something, but the biggest share are out there to help you wether it is a baby, bridal or some other type of party. The best thing to do is go to a search engine and type in baby shower and the links will flow. My favorite was:

Baby Shower Central


I used a lot of ideas from this site. There were 72 games to choose from. My favorite gift/prize was the baby candle below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Candle:

Take a clean baby food jar. Place a votive candle inside. I painted the lid blue for a boy baby shower. Put the lid on and used the rub on glass etchings to decorate. I then added a blue bow with the following poem printed on a blank business card:

Here is a candle for you to light,
Once the stork has made it's flight.
The flame will glow to celebrate
Baby 's arrival date.

I used the name Baby Bohrn because they haven't decided between the two names selected yet.

If the candle is too wide, use a sharp knife and trim around the top edge until it fits in the jar. I used the size Gerber 2's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baby Items to Crochet or Knit

There are many sites out there with patterns for baby items to knit or crochet. One thing to remember is to keep the item soft. Wool may not be a good choice for some babies. Also there are yarns that feel fine to us and may be rough on a baby's tender skin. A good thing would be the 100% cotton yarn. It is soft when washed, is warm and is natural so most babies won't be allergic to it. If the mother or father is allergic to wool or acrylic there is a good chance that the baby will be also so keep that in mind.

If you want something small, simple and quick for a baby nothing beats booties, bibs or teddy bears. I like to knit diaper changing pads with 100% cotton yarn. To make it fast, just knit the body using a knitting machine and crochet a beautiful edging around the pad. This also works for baby afghans and gives you a chance to practice that new edging you have been wanting to try without getting worn out by knitting the body of the afghan.

Here are a few links to sites that have free baby patterns and blanket edging patterns that I have used:

Crochet for Babies Links

- Stargazer's
B is for Baby - at the C is for Crochet Site
About.com Baby Knitting Patterns
Wool Works Patterns - Knitting for Babies and Children

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 Free Patterns

This months free patterns are for a knit baby sweater that zips up the back and crochet baby booties that fit newborns.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Suggestions

If you have any suggestion for information you would like to see in this newsletter, please email me at smile@idsely.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next Month

More new patterns and some ideas to help get the children ready to go back to school.
If you have any suggestions feel free to email me since this newsletter is about crafts also.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Linda Bohrn
Linda's Lists
smile@idsely.com