Free Crochet Pattern~ Baby Cocoon with Cables {AKA Sleep Sack}

I've been amazed at how many were interested in the pattern for the Itty Bitty Bow Beanie!  I am still working on my skills at writing crochet patterns for others to follow, but I thought I would share this one I just came up with for a baby cocoon or as some may call it, a baby sleep sack.

The first thing I crocheted for my now 2 year old special blessing was a baby cocoon.  It was very simple with one stitch, a double crochet.  It was perfect for me as I was just regaining my skills in crochet.  And it was wonderful to be able to tuck her inside of to keep her tightly snuggled and warm.

I learned a few months ago that I am moving ahead, moving from mom to grandma here in a few more months.  Amazing!  So I'm working away on things for little babies again.  I decided to work on a crochet baby sleep sack that is relatively easy to crochet but has a nice pattern.  I'm always drawn to the cables I see in knit and try to do something similar with crochet.  I know it's possible, but still beyond my skills.  So here's what I came up with, inspired by a few of my favorite patterns I've used this year.  I wanted to make my own pattern to narrow the opening and have a gathered bottom.  I'm so pleased with the results.

The first inspiration piece is this ribbed hat which I have on my Etsy shop.  I love the chunky appearance that is achieved without using chunky yarn.  This inspired the pattern I use for the ribbed effect.  I just wanted a bit thicker one so it would look more like a cable.  The second pattern is one I've used for all the boys in my family but haven't made one to sell.  I liked how this pattern started with an opening that was then sewn closed.  The gathered closing was something a tad different than other sleep sacks I've seen.  I also found a helpful source in deciding how big to make the cocoon at Relief Share.  They have volunteers make baby cocoons to donate to their local hospital.  What a great idea!

The top edge has a stitch pattern that mimics slightly the ribbed effect and finishes the whole cocoon just the right way.  The pattern is for a cocoon that is about 18.5" long which should be great for an average newborn to use for a few months.  If you would like to make one a bit longer for a older baby, just add on another two inches before doing the top edge of the cocoon.

I'm so in love with this stitch and was just thrilled with how well it came out!  I'm working on a few different colors but really like it with earthy tones.  It seems kinds of Celtic to me.  I can't wait to tuck a little baby in one!

When my little one was born, I wrapped her in a flannel blanket then slid her into the cocoon.  Not necessary but it gave an added layer for warmth especially in cold months and climates.  Another bit of advice on using the cocoon.  If you fold or roll the top edge down about half way, slide it over the baby's feet, you can then just unfold up around the baby's arms. Leave the top folded down to where you want it to fit around the baby.

If you like this cocoon but do not think you have the time or skills, look at my Etsy shop, An Extra Blessing.  I use earnings from the shop to help pay for therapies for my sweet little Dianna who was born with Trisomy 21, Down syndrome.  If you do use the pattern for your own sales, please give a link back to me or my shop.  Blessings!

Crochet Pattern Baby Cocoon with Cables

H Hook
Lion Brand Heartland Yarn {or a soft acrylic WW4 yarn}

Stitches Used {US terms}

ch {chain}

sl st {slip stitch}

dc {double crochet}

fpdc {front post double crochet}

hdc {half double crochet}

hdc2tog {half double crochet 2 together}

sc {single crochet}

A note about the yarn.  I began working with a cotton and really did not like the stitch pattern.  The acrylic was much nicer.  Also, not all worsted weight 4 yarns are the same.  I really like the Heartland yarn as it seemed a bit weightier than say a Caron Simply Soft or baby yarns.  I have found that I do really like the feel and to work with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton.  It is soft and easy to slide the crochet hook.

Body

Ch 41; without twisting chain, join to first st w sl st {40 st}

R1: Ch 2 {counts as 1^st dc throughout pattern}, dc in same st and in ea st around; join w sl st to top of ch2 {40 st}

R2:  Ch 2, dc in same st; 2 dc in ea st around; join w sl st to top of ch2 {80 st}

R3:  Ch 2, dc in same st; fpdc in next 2 st; *dc in next 2 st; fpdc in next 2 st* around; join w sl st to top of ch2 {80 st, 40 dc, 40 fpdc}

R4:  Ch 2, dc in ea dc and fpdc in ea fpdc around;  join w sl st to top of ch2{80 st, 40 dc and 40 fpdc}

Repeat R4 until cocoon measures 17" from bottom to top.

Top Edge

R1: Ch 2, *hdc in ea dc; hdc2tog in fpdc* around {60 hdc}; join with sl st to top of ch 2

R2: Ch 1, sc in back loop only each hdc around; join with sl st to top of ch 1

R3: Ch 2, hdc in ea st around thru both loops; join with sl st to top of ch 2

R4: Ch1, sc in back loop only each hdc around; join with sl st to top of ch 1

Fasten off.

Finishing

At the bottom of cocoon {the beginning of the work}, use the beginning tail of yarn to whip stitch around opening.  Slowly pull tight to close cocoon.   Stitch thru the closed bottom a couple of times to secure.  Weave in all ends.

Pictorial Explanation of Gathering the Bottom with Whip Stitch~

Thread needle with finishing tail.

Working with right side out, skip a stitch and insert needle under the next chain stitch.

Continue skipping and inserting needle, making the whip stitch around the bottom of the sleep sack.

Once you've stitched around the bottom, begin to pull the yarn to gather the bottom together.

Pull tightly.  The yarn will hold strong, but there will be a small hole.  Thread the needle through the hole to the inside of the sack and turn inside out.

Pull yarn tight and cross over hole.  Stitch the hole closed.  Tie off and weave in loose yarn.

Cranberry Pistachio Snack Mix

Need a small gift for someone such as a teacher or teacher's helper, or a neighbor?  Here's a sweet and salty holiday snack mix that you can make today.  It's simple.  It's tasty. It's gluten free!
teacher gifts, neighbors, church friends, anyone you may need a small gift for

All you need is a something to package it in.  I suggest mason jars to show of the contents with its festive colors {red cranberries and green pistachios}.  A jar can quickly be dressed up with a cupcake liner on top.  I always have a few leftover after baking.  You can even add a tag with an ingredients list to clarify for allergens.  If you want to avoid nut allergies, just leave the pistachios out; it will still be a sweet treat from your home.

Cranberry Pistachio Snack Mix
1/4 c white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c butter, melted
6 c Chex cereal {recommend rice}
3/4 c dried cranberries
3/4 c shelled pistachios

Whisk or shake together sugar and cinnamon.  Pour cereal into a large bowl.  Pour half of the butter over the cereal; toss.  Pour remaining butter and stir well to coat cereal.  Sprinkle with half the sugar and cinnamon mix and stir; repeat with remaining sugar mix.  Toss in cranberries and pistachios; toss to combine.  Store in airtight container.  Makes 4 pint size mason jar gifts.

Free Crochet Pattern~ Itty Bitty Bow Beanie

I really never expected to be away from blogging for so long.  After my baby girl was born, I knew it would be a while before I got back into blogging but really did not see it taking over a year and a half to get a couple of posts in.

I feel like I'm almost ready to start doing some fun things around my house again and even have the energy to share some of those things with you.  Before I get to those, I'd like to share with you a crochet pattern I wrote MYSELF.  Emphasis on myself because I have been crocheting my short fingers away the past 2+ years and have both loved and hated many patterns.  I realize that I am not always the greatest pattern reader and therefore assume I won't be the greatest pattern writer.

Anyway, here is my first pattern~ Itty Bitty Bow Beanie.  I made this for my little girl, who is petite for her age, thus the small size.  I found a picture tutorial for crocheting a bow but the added notes were in French.  Being too lazy to translate, I just decided what I thought should be going on and it worked for me.  If you have trouble with this pattern, let me remind you it is FREE!  And, you can ask questions.  If you are completely lost but love the hat, just buy one from my Etsy shop, An Extra Blessing!  This would make a wonderful Christmas gift for a special baby girl.

Itty Bitty Bow Beanie

3 Month Size {Should fit 0~6 month range}*

H Hook

Caron Simply Soft Yarns {or similar yarn}
All terms are US.

R1:  In magic ring, ch 1; 12 sc in ring {12 st}

R2:  Join with sl st to top of first sc {not ch}; ch 1; *sc and dc in ea st* around {24 st}

R3:  Join with sl st to top of first sc; ch 2; *dc in first st, sc in next st* around {24 st}

**R4: Join with sl st to top of first dc; ch 1; *sc in first dc; 2 dc in next sc* around {36 st}

R5:  Join with sl st to top of first sc; ch 2; *2 dc in first sc; 1 sc in ea next dc* repeat pattern around {48 st}

R6:  Join with sl st to top of first dc; ch 1; *sc and 2 dc in first st; skip two st; repeat pattern around, joining with a slip st to top of the first sc {48 st}

R7:  Join with sl st to top of first sc; ch 1; *sc and 2 dc in first st; skip two st; repeat pattern around, joining with a slip st to top of the first sc {48 st}
R8~12: Repeat round 7.
R13: Repeat round 6 up to the last 2 dc. HDC in last 2 dc then sl st to first sc in previous round.

R14:  With second color, ch 1 and sc in ea st around; join to ch 1 with sl st.

R15:  Ch 1, sc in ea st around.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

For Bow~

In magic ring, ch 4; 3 trc; ch 4; sc in ring; ch 4; 3 trc; ch 4; sl st in ring.

Ch 8; hdc in 2 ch from hook; hdc in next 3 st; sc in remaining; sl st in ring; repeat.

Pull magic ring closed; turn bow to wrong side; use beginning tail to wrap bow; cut leaving a long tail.

Tie the two tails of yarn into a knot on back side (right side) of bow; trim shorter tail.  Use long tail to sew bow onto hat brim.

*Note about Size ~
Quite sorry I've not been keeping up the blog and getting more specific instructions for increasing the size.  Here is a link to the Ravelry project page for this hat.  There are some who have increased the size simply by using a larger hook or by doing one more row of increase {which I know is more difficult mathematically}.  Have a look and I hope to one day get a larger pattern written up!

Ravelry Itty Bitty Project Page

**Update~ 
For those having trouble at rows 4 and/or 5, here is an explanation that some found helpful.  For more helpful tips, read through some of the comments below those post, too.
"With row 4 you are getting the 36 count right? Once row 4 is completed, you should have a pattern of 1 sc, 2 dc repeating. So, when you work row 5 you are working *2 dc into sc, 1 sc in dc, 1 sc in dc* for a 4 stitch pattern.

Maybe check and see if you were doing what Brooke said she was doing. In row 5 instead of the *2 dc, 1 sc, 1 sc* she was working 2 dc, 1 sc, 2 dc, 1 sc, . . . so she was getting more increase. "

As I said, this is my first written pattern for others.  I write my work for myself and know how many stitches I should use for a certain hat size.  So here goes my first gauge explanation as well.

Gauge ~ 24 st x 10 rows = 6" x 4"
To work gauge, using H Hook

Ch 26; sc in 3^rd ch from hook and in ea remaining st across{24 st}.

R1: Ch 1, turn; *{sc,2dc} in first st, skip 2 st* repeat to end; sc in last st.

R2: Ch 1, turn; *{sc, 2dc} in sc, skip 2 dc* repeat to end; skip last 2 dc and sc in last sc.

Repeat row 2 nine more times.

Ch 1, turn, sc in ea st across to complete swatch.

6" {24 st} x 4" {10 rows of shell + 2 rows sc}

Nesting

Lately I have been depleted of most of my energy due to a little one that should be arriving within the next couple of weeks. Mostly my daily routine consists of short periods of normal activity {laundry, picking up after my toddler and reading the same book to him over and over and over} alternated with longer periods of sitting with my feet up. These times of rest have not been completely unproductive. Not only are they allowing me to have ankles for part of the day, I've taken a refresher course in crocheting.

Refresher course is not completely accurate seeing as I learned to crochet when I was about eight years old and haven't really crocheted since then. Thanks to Pinterest {Am I wrong in assuming you've heard of it?}, I came across http://www.craftyminx.com/crochet-school/ on Craftyminx's site as well as a few crochet patterns.

The Crochet School is well organized and, for any other visual learners out there, she has all of her lessons in video {for both right and left handed}. I did not watch every single video before I began my first real crocheting project in quite some years. Instead, I worked through a pattern for this baby hat. Whenever I was a bit confused, I referred to the applicable Crochet School lesson for the instruction I was working through. After the hat was complete {after my second attempt; I didn't like the first one}, I used this pattern for the flower and added it on. The hat was done in a short part of the day.

I was quite pleased with my little hat for my baby girl. I've packed it {along with a cute outfit of course} so she can wear it home from the hospital. I made a couple of the hats actually, but I am in love with these colors~ turquoise and coral. One of the nicer things about this hat is it can be made with a finer yarn so that it is fine to wear in the summer ; with all of the spaces, it is rather airy.

Hopefully soon I'll have a picture of my little one modeling this hat, as I feel I have gone into full swing nesting {making hats, blankets, reorganizing the kitchen and family room}.  I'm also hoping to get up a tutorial for the taggie blanket there in the background {it was so simple but fun to make}.  And if you are interested in seeing what else I have found on Pinterest or added to my boards, hop over and look at my pins.

Vanilla and Cinnamon Candied Nuts

Have you ever seen, or better yet, smelled those vanilla, candy coated nuts that are sold at fairs or amusement parks? My nose has a keen sense for them. I will often overlook the ridiculous price and purchase a small pouch of them to snack on. Not only satisfying to a sweet tooth, they are filling so you don't need much of them.

I like to make theses candied nuts to garnish salads for a sweet surprising crunch. After candying the nuts, lightly chop and toss on salad. They pare nicely with a balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese. A contrast of sweet and sour.

As we have been making gifts for teachers, I needed a small gift for a teacher who eats gluten-free. With all the vanilla and cinnamon we've used lately and a bag of almonds from Costco hardly used, I knew what to make. Pecans are popular and candy well, but I am not a fan of pecans {unless they are in a Honey Crunch Pecan Pie}. Try candying your favorite nut or a mix.

An added bonus of making these as a gift for someone is the aroma which will fill your home. It's pure vanilla heaven. Oh, and there will probably be a few bits of nuts leftover that won't quite fit the container you fill for gifting. Those are a fringe benefit, too.


Vanilla and Cinnamon Candied Nuts
2 c nuts of choice
3/4 c white sugar
1/3 c water
2 tsp vanilla**
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F. Place nuts on cookie sheet. Toast for 10-15 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice to stir. Alternately, in a frying pan without any oil, cook nuts over medium-high heat until browned.

Combine sugar, water, vanilla and cinnamon in deep saucepan. Heat to a boil. Add toasted nuts and stir, continuing to cook until water has evaporated and nuts are coated in a sticky syrup {10 minutes over medium~high heat}.  Remove from heat and spread on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or foil to cool.

 *Update~ Some seem to have trouble getting the sugar to crystallize. {And many have left helpful comments with times and other tips.}
You must continue to stir and cook the nuts in the sugary syrup until it is ALL gone,  just candied nuts. {The picture below is just before crystallizing; syrup is bubbly but almost gone.}
This happens after about 10 minutes from adding the nuts to the boiling syrup while continuing to cook over medium~high heat, though it may take 15 minutes or more.  
The nuts will be difficult to stir because of the lack of liquid and the sticky coating, but it will not be burnt.  
REMOVE the pan from the heat before they burn once the liquid is gone, and spread them out to cool and harden.
This has been an easy process for me so I hope that it works for you! 

Here's a note from Jill {see her full comment below}~
"Just made these and I actually set a timer to see how long it took to crystallize. Mine only took 6 minutes. I don't know if its because I cooked them a little too high or if its because I'm 5200 feet above sea level. Either way they turned out pretty well."



Tips and Tricks~
*Double the recipe to have some on hand for holiday guests.
*Store nuts in air tight container for snacking or tossing in a salad.
*Use different spices. Perhaps cocoa and chili powder for a spicy blend.
*Soak pan for an hour to make clean~up easy.

**If making gluten~free, make certain vanilla is gluten~free.

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Browned Butter Toffee Cookies

One of my favorite cookies to bake and eat during holidays is toffee cookies. The crunch from the toffee and the soft chewy cookie are a great marriage of texture and flavor, a bit of contrast and a bit of similarity. Melting the butter and browning it instead of using softened butter gives the cookie a different flavor and makes this cookie something new. They are quick to put together and quick to bake.

Make some to put a little love in someones lunch or tie together for a tiny, sweet gift.



Browned Butter Toffee Bit Cookies
1 c unsalted butter
2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
3 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 8 oz pkg Heath Toffee Bits

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. After butter has melted, stir frequently to keep from burning but continue to heat for about 5 minutes, until butter turns golden-brown. Remove from heat and set aside to cool some.

Combine brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Add browned butter and whisk to combine. When butter~sugar mixture is not hot, add eggs. Whisk well.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cream of tartar. Add to butter~sugar mixture and stir well. Stir in toffee bits.

Drop by tablespoons full onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for at least 1 minute before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container to keep texture.




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Single Serve Coffee Bags

I don't often get a chance to enjoy regular coffee and I am about the only one who requests decaf it seems. I was thrilled when I found the single serve coffee bags at the grocery. What a wonderful idea, freshly brewed coffee that's single serve and without a special coffee maker. They are even portable. Genius!

The down side of the single serve coffee bags is the cost. For about the same price as a bag of coffee beans you get 19 cups of coffee. I discovered you can buy empty tea bags to fill with tea leaves. Why not ground coffee?



Why make single serve coffee bags?
*quicker than brewing a whole pot
*enjoy fresh coffee all day long with regular or decaf
*nice gift, share favorite coffee with freinds



How to Make Single Serve Coffee Bags
Purchase empty tea bags. I found these press and brew bags. They are simple to use, once filled, just seal with an hot iron by pressing for about five seconds. You could check with your local health food store or tea shop.



Grind your coffee of choice. Fill each tea bag with 2-3 teaspoons of coffee grinds.



I made an assembly line and placed the filled bags in a basket to keep until I was ready to seal.



Place bags in an airtight container. Self sealing canning jars are perfect. Add a label with brewing instructions. I like my coffee bags steeped for 3 1/2 minutes. I am certain it differs by brand and flavor. You may want test yours and give instructions to your liking. Include a jar of creamers and sugars. And a pack of stirrers.




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Cookie Cutter Pancakes

It does not take much to make a day festive. Just a few cookie cutters and some pancake batter helped us to get in the holiday mood. I saw some cute pancake molds at Williams-Sonoma. I also saw the lack of money in my wallet. So I pulled out our cookie cutters, whipped up a batch of our favorite pancakes {recipe below} and heated up the griddle.

How to use your cookie cutters for pancakes.
*Heat your griddle or frying pan to about 325F. Place cookie cutters on hot griddle. Do not use plastic cookie cutters! {That should have been a no-brainer, right?} Only metal against the hot surface.


*Spray generously with nonstick spray, trying to get any curves and corners on the inside of the cookie cutter. Spoon batter into cookie cutter; it will spread to fill the shape.


*Allow pancake to cook, with mold in place, until nice and bubbly on top. Gently remove mold using a set of tongues {the metal cookie cutters will be hot}, then flip the pancake to finish cooking.


*Serve with powdered sugar, butter and syrup and some ice cold milk. :~)



Favorite Pancake Batter
1 1/2 c whole milk
1/4 c white vinegar
2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

Place milk in a large bowl. Add vinegar and let sit for a few minutes to 'sour'. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Whisk to combine. Add eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla to soured milk; whisk well. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture and whisk to combine.

Makes about 8 servings.

A Few Tips:
*The batter may be thinned slightly by adding a few tablespoons of water.

*Evaporated milk may be substituted for the whole milk; this works beautifully.

*Alternately, buttermilk may be substituted for the milk and vinegar.

*Combine all of the dry ingredients in a jar. Use a pretty ribbon to tie a card of instructions with a list of the wet ingredients and add a cookie cutter for a nice gift.

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How to Make Crispy Pickles

The easiest way to make a sandwich exponentially better is to add toppings. And the best toppings are fresh with some tangy zip, like pickles. Potbelly Sandwich Works has fabulous pickles. Whenever I get toppings on my sandwich from there, I always ask for lots of pickles. They are very thin with just a bit of sour taste and slightly crispy.




Wanting to duplicate the taste and texture, I did some research on how to make pickles. Did you know that there are two basic ways of making pickles, only one of which involves using vinegar? I thought the pickling process of cucumbers always used vinegar but I was wrong. Another way to make crispy pickles is to ferment them. Yes, fermenting, which is simply placing spices and cucumbers in a brine, then letting them sit and ferment.

After reading about fermented pickles I realized that this was probably the taste I was looking for. But, I am a coward and really did not want to eat fermented food {unless it was in the form of a drink}. Also the instructions for these indicated that one may need to scrape mold off of the top of the brine. I am not into eating moldy food. So I combined the methods and came up with delicious, crispy, tangy pickles in 2 days! Want to know how? Read on.





Tasty Quick Sandwich Pickles
4 medium thin skinned or young cucumbers
6 cups water
1 cup white distilled vinegar
1/3 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoon dried dill weed
2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 bay leaves
2 16 ounce canning jars, sterilized

1. Rinse cucumbers and place in ice water for 2-6 hours. Replace ice as needed to keep cold. I read that this really helps to make crisp pickles. These were crisp, believe me.

2. Place water, vinegar and salt in pan. Bring to a boil. While water is heating, slice cucumbers. I love thin sliced and just pile them on sandwiches, but choose your thickness. Place half of the cucumber slices in each jar. To sanitize the jars, simply wash them in the dishwasher or in very hot water.

3. Pour the boiling brine over the sliced cucumbers. Evenly divide the dill, peppercorns, garlic, mustard seeds and bay leaves between the two jars of sliced cucumbers and brine. Secure the lids. Keep jars in refrigerator for at least two days before enjoying. Actually, my husband starting eating these the same day and loved them. I waited two days and they were fantastic!




These would probably be even better with fresh spices and herbs, but I had to use what I could find. I had a pickle craving and used what there was.

If you used whole cucumbers, you would want them to pickle a few days longer to soak up the flavor.

There are many different recipes for pickling spices, this is just what I came up with and thought it tasted great.