Cuddly Caterpillar

It is time to start prepping summer and fall birthday gifts. This is for a fall birthday present so it probably could have waited, but while I was looking at doll clothes I saw this guy and he made it to the fall birthday list and then to the top of the must make list. He will be accompanied by a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar as I like to match books and toys when I can.

As I mentioned before I was looking through Crochet World's Best Animals, Toys, and Dolls for 18" doll patterns. While I have a print copy of the magazine I picked up a digital copy at e-pattern central recently so I could easily print the patterns I wanted and store them in my pattern binders. They have a variety of sales, some better than others. I had held off buying this until I got it for $1.99. At that point the ease of printing was too hard to resist. Sadly, I often misplace my magazines so that was also an incentive. I know where to find it when I want it. For those of you interested in the pattern you can find the e magazine here. Patience is a virtue when it comes to getting the best price on their patterns. They almost always hit that $1.99 spot if you can hold out long enough.

While this pattern does call for cotton yarn and an f hook I am still trying to use up yarn on hand. I had cotton for the head and the first body section. The grey is the AC Moore sport yarn I've been using up. The Red is Red Heart Sport. The blue was the most challenging because I only had light weight darker blues on hand. So I used a Bernat worsted turquoise with a D hook to make the circle.

Note for myself if I make this again I would seriously consider not closing the circles for the body and instead changing colors and continuing the increases and decreases as one joined piece to avoid sewing the caterpillar's body together. There is no way to avoid sewing the head, but decreasing the need to sew the body together would be a plus.

Three Little Pigs Finger Puppets

The Three Little Pigs was my literary theme for that summer bday I keep writing about. I'd made these finger puppets before and they had been a hit so I decided to try them out again. This time I added a bag as I've learned small things get lost easily.

I've been making this pattern for several years and sadly, it no longer appears to be available for purchase. You can find the listing on Ravelry here. I give you that information so you can contact the designer and find out if she'd be willing to sell the pattern again.

Dog and Bed Playset

This is another summer birthday gift I never got around to posting. This was the perfect gift for a little one who loves animals. I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it online. The extras really make this a wonderful play set. You can purchase the pattern here.

One thing I've tried to do as a kindness to parents when I make gifts with lots of pieces is to add a bag even if one isn't included in the project. Some people use them, some don't but it does make it easier to transport the pieces around the house or to travel with them. It also helps just to keep the pieces together and keep them from getting lost.

Pig and her Pancake

Laura Numeroff's If You Give series have been huge hits in various branches of my family for many years. I was looking to make something for a summer birthday coming up and I turned first to If You Give a Pig a Pancake which I'd had success with completing an ami from previously.

The pattern is a free one but from a blogger who has since deleted her blog. It reappeared at one point but has since been deleted again. It is available here but there is no way of knowing how long it will stay available, so if you think at some point you might wish to make the pattern my suggestion is download it and print or save it as it could disappear permanently at any time.

When possible I love giving toys inspired by books as I think it creates even more interest for children in reading. This one is a quick and easy project.

Now for my notes to myself. I used a g hook instead of the e for the body of the pig. I didn't find it necessary to use the smaller hook. I also used some peach yarn similar to Caron Simply soft for the pig. I know it isn't Caron but it has that feel. I ended up using a c hook to get the sweater to fit and I used Knit Picks cotton yarn. It was just too big when I attempted to use worsted weight yarn. The pancake worked up well with worsted weight yarn and a g hook.

Mary Maxim's Car Blanket

I originally made this as a Christmas gift, but I decided that due to circumstances it is going to be a birthday gift instead.

This was made using a Mary Maxim kit found here. My major disappointment with this kit was it came with Red Heart sport yarn instead of Mary Maxim yarn. I realize it made the kit price cheaper, but I'd rather have paid more and gotten a less scratchy yarn.

The pattern worked up quickly and it is a cute blanket for a little one. I did choose to change the pattern of the cars. I wanted more variety, so I didn't follow the pattern which suggested mostly VW bug type cars. I liked the different cars on the road. I plan to make more of these in the future.