I don’t know about you, but I dislike color changes in crochet-in-the-round intensely. I just hate (a strong word, I know, but still) the way the new color “bites” into the old color making a jagged and obvious border. I just HAD to find a solution to the problem.

So I huffed, and I puffed and I… No, wait. There was no actual huffing or puffing, I set my mind and crochet hook to the task, and figured it out.

Somehow we’ve managed to dodge the bullet until now. But when we acquired a tablet, my kids discovered Angry Birds, and now they can often be found with their heads stuck in a small (that’s my phone) or medium (that’s the tablet) screen, playing until I’ve had enough-and-go-do-something-constructive-now-please.

We’ve got all the free and paid versions, and my son fell in love with the Ice Angry Bird in Angry Birds Space. So, being the drive for much of my craftiness, he asked for me to make him one. And, of course, I agreed.

Wahoooooo! Here we go!

When my sister was born I noticed that babies spend much more time playing with the tags on toys than with the actual toys. Even at that young age (this was 1998, and I was 16 at the time) I thought that there should be toys made entirely from tags! What a stroke of genius! Well, apparently it was a good idea, because somebody else thought of it, and tag blankets are now sold everywhere. I even got one from my mother when my own daughter was born.

But! I will not let such a small thing hinder my creative efforts! And when the chance came, I realized that tag blankets are a quick and easy baby gift, and – being handmade – much appreciated. I made a few from scrap fabric I had lying around before realizing I had lovely scraps left over from the soft baby blocks I shared with you last post, and that this would be a perfect use for them.

So, here we go.

I love precuts. They’re like getting a selection of chocolates, each one tasty on it’s own, but together – a celebration of sweets! And, unlike eating all those chocolates, precuts don’t have a single calorie in them. Obviously, precuts are more expensive per-yard, but I wouldn’t buy that many yards of fabric… Instead, I get a large selection of various fabrics and get to enjoy all of the patterns (and solids).

For this project I used a charm pack from the Moda Lollipop Collection (42 5” pieces), I got it from Fabric.com, but it’s been a while and I’m not sure if it’s still available.

You’ll need 36 pieces for making 6 blocks, but don’t throw away the scraps! We’ll be using them for part 2 of this project – a matching tag blanket. We’ll also use 4 more pieces for the back of the tag blanket, but that’s not strictly necessary, you can use other fabric if you like (I often use minky).

Aren’t those colors great?

So, let’s get started!

I sometimes think that having a crafty mom makes children spoiled. They can imagine pretty much anything, and I can make it happen, even if it can’t be bought. On the other hand, being able to see the process and the effort which goes into making something might have a counteracting positive effect. I do feel that they appreciate hand made gifts more than store bought items. But that might just be wishful thinking. What do you think?

Yes, I realize that it’s 2013. However, this hat was made for my boy in September, I was just busy with the blog redesign and didn’t have time to post about it. I was sure I would be finished by November, but, well, that didn’t happen. So even though it’s 2013 now it wasn’t back then, and 2013 will have it’s own winter hats post (or, more likely, posts).

My little girl is still young enough that I get to decide which hat to make (it was the rainbow hat this year), but my son decides for himself what he wants, and it’s up to me to make it happen.

So, shark it is. I call it “Jump the Shark” because my geeky side thinks it’s funny. But I think it’s cute even if you don’t get the reference. What do you think?

I used a mix of techniques I used in previous tutorials, but for your ease I’m copy-pasting all the instructions.

The third and last tutorial in my rainbow giveaway series is my take on a short row crochet slipper sock. Personally, I don’t knit or crochet socks for daily wear (inside shoes), it seems like a lot of work for something no one is going to see and will probably not be as comfortable as a simple store bought socks… So, I make slipper socks for hanging around the house instead.

But first, drum roll please:

And the winners are…

Maayanf gets the yarn.

Lilyrose gets the hat.

Sarit gets the scarf.

Last, but not least – Susan gets the socks.

[If you want to see how the winners were chosen, click here. Sarit got two results from the random number generator, so I chose the next result as the 4th winner. The winners will be contacted by email soon to get their mailing address. If for some reason, they do not respond within a week, their prize will go to the next in the sequence.]

The second tutorial in my rainbow giveaway series is my version of the granny rainbow hat.

I was originally inspired by this rainbow beany by revving it up (I do my best to give credit where it’s due), but when I made one for my daughter, it came out a little bit lumpy. I guess it’s a gauge thing. She wears it anyway.

I was set on having a rainbow hat in the series, so I decided to put some work in and figure out instructions that worked for me. There was some undo-redo, but in the end I came up with a very simple pattern that starts round and stays round, which makes me sooooo happy. I guess it’s an OCD thing.

By the way, if you haven’t entered the giveaway yet – there’s still time! For details click here. It’s open until February 28th, and you can win this hat or enough yarn to make it (and more).

The first tutorial in my rainbow giveaway series is this colorful and warm scarf. This project is easy to make, and requires only one type of stitch and a lot of weaving in. But the result is entirely worth it. At least, that’s how I feel.

By the way, if you haven’t entered the giveaway yet – there’s still time! For details click here. It’s open until February 28th, and you can win this item or enough yarn to make it (and more).

For the past 6 or so months, I’ve been working on a new brand and a redesign for my blog. I am now finally and officially done! So, to celebrate, I’m having a

rainbow giveaway

• One crochet rainbow granny hat (to fit an adult)
• One crochet rainbow cluster stitch scarf
• One pair of crochet rainbow socks (European size 39-41, US 9-10)
• And one set of 8 balls of yarn, enough to make all three projects!

This Giveaway Is Now Closed