Free Crochet Pattern: Stroller Pouch

Since I had my babies, pretty much every year one of my New Year's Resolutions is to exercise more regularly and maybe shed a few of these leftover pounds.  Now that my olders are in school, I can take the babe out during the day for a walk or a run.  But my jogging stroller didn't come with a parent tray, and though the underneath storage is great, I really need some things close while I am running.  So this is what I came up with.  This button-on stroller pocket works great to store my phone, iPod, my keys or garage clicker, some chapstick, whatever I need to be close at hand.

It will probably wobble as you go, but probably won't tip over.  Just in case, though, don't store anything in there that could hurt your kid if it fell out!

If you are making this for your own stroller, measure the distance between the handles.  If it's shorter than mine, you will need to make your starting chain shorter.  Also, if you want to carry a larger phone or a water bottle, add rows to make the pocket deeper.

Join me, and let's keep our stuff close by while we chew up a few miles!

Free Pattern: Tiny Basket

This little basket is about 3" in diameter on the inside, perfect for tiny things like buttons or change.  I made it as a laundry basket for my makeup remover pads.  It's just a little bigger than they are, so they stack up in there just right.  And unlike the lingerie bag I was using, it stands up and looks cute on my counter.

Filled with a week's worth of makeup remover pads, this would be a perfect stocking-stuffer for a teenager or an adult!

Free Pattern: Kiddie Sunglasses Necklace

These are for my girlies, who love to wear their sunglasses when the sun is "shiny" in their eyes, but who frequently toss them onto the floor of the van.  Where they step on them.

I am going to share the method I used to DIY the section that attaches to the glasses.  There is a much easier way to do it - you can just buy a couple of crimp beads in the jewelry making section of the craft store and sl st the yarn to one side of each one.  But I wanted to come up with a way to do it for someone like me who thinks of it and wants to do it without a trip to the craft store first.

Free Pattern: Wave Stitch Dishcloth Size 3 Thread

This is a small dishcloth, about 5" by 5", made using only one ball of size 3 thread.  The idea of the wave stitch is to sc in every dc, to dc in every sc, and to hdc in every hdc.  It makes a nice texture.

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: Travel Wipes Cover

This pattern is a crochet cover for a Huggies travel-size box of wipes.  Paired with a paci pouch, it would be a wonderful baby shower gift!  A little more trouble than the usual glue fabric and ribbon method, but I've always liked the Huggies box better than the Pampers one.

Make sure you leave the top open with the button closures, so you can get the cover off to refill the box with wipes. 

This is the thick-and-thin pattern.  Stay tuned for the all double crochet pattern to match the other paci pouch.

Free Pattern: Pacifier Pouch

It's so hard to keep track of pacifiers, but babies always seem to need a fresh one!  This pouch is a handy way to keep track of them.  It works up fast, and it would be a great addition to a baby shower gift, especially paired with a wipes case cover.  Below are crochet patterns for the 2-color and the 1-color versions.

Free Pattern: Camera Lens Cozy

While I was on vacation this week, I made a lens cozy for my dad's zoom lens.  A camera lens cozy or sleeve can protect your lens from scratches or bumps without having to buy a padded camera bag.  The cozy should be snug, so this pattern will easily adjust for whatever size lens you have.  This lens cozy is for a Nikon.

Free Pattern: Size 3 Thread Washcloth Close Scallop Stitch Small

This is my favorite washcloth.  It fits right over my hand, stretches, scrubs up tough junk, and dries pretty fast.  The larger size, better for big spills, is found here.  This stitch pattern is from The Crochet Bible.

Free Pattern: Plarn Wet Swimsuit Pouch

Wet swimsuits are annoying, especially when you have to stick them back in a bag full of other things, like dry diapers and snacks.  This plarn pouch keeps the wet suits from soaking the other things in the bag, but it breathes, so that the suits won't get stinky quite so fast if you forget to take them out!
This is the first plarn project I've finished.   Plarn is pretty tough to work with, so make sure you give your wrists plenty of breaks!

Free Pattern: Size 3 Thread Washcloth Close Scallop Stitch Large

I find washcloths made with regular cotton yarn too thick; they don't dry fast enough for me.  I prefer to use two strands of size 3 cotton thread together, which I think moves better and dries faster.  This stitch pattern makes a bumpy, absorbent cloth.

The finished cloth is a large one - about 12 by 12.  Because crochet thread is not made to be dried, it will shrink quite a bit in the dryer.  But don't be afraid to dry it - it still looks and works great!  This big cloth is great for spills and cleanup.  Find the smaller size here.

Supplies:
Two balls size 3 cotton thread (here I used Royale Natural)
Size 5mm (H/8) hook

Abbreviations:
Ch: chain
Dc: double crochet
Sc: single crochet

Instructions:
With two strands of thread held together, ch 49.
Row 1: 2 dc in 4th ch from hook.  *Skip 2 ch, 4 dc in next ch.  Skip 2 ch, sc in next ch.  Repeat from * to end.
Row 2-27 (or until about square): Ch 3, turn.  2 dc in sc.  *Sc in the space between the 2nd and 3rd dcs (see picture below).  4 dc in next sc.  Repeat from *, sc in ch 3 sp.

Notes:
Don't measure for size until after the second row.
On your first few rows, double check to make sure your 4 dcs are in the sc, not in the last dc of the cluster.  It's an easy mistake to make.

©2011 Alli Hyer, all rights reserved.  You may sell items you make with this crochet pattern, but if you sell them online, you must link to this crochet pattern.  You may not sell this crochet pattern or claim it as your own.  You may publish or post a link to this crochet pattern, but you may not publish or post this crochet pattern in whole or in part.

Free Pattern: Baby Washcloths

I learned this stitch pattern  from The Crochet Stitch Bible.  So gentle and soft, this beautiful baby washcloth is perfect for the newest addition in your life.

It measures almost square - about 7" by 6.5"

Free Pattern: Makeup Remover Pads

I've been making a zillion of these lately.  I ran out of cotton pads for my makeup remover and toner, and I had a bunch of cotton yarn, so I thought I'd save a tree (or some cotton plants) and make some re-useables.

These would also be a great gift, paired with some pretty soap or a few washcloths.

Free Pattern: Boo-Boo Buddy Ice Pack Cover

When my #1 gets a bump, she likes a little baggie of ice.  It always has to have a towel, though.  Kitchen towels are hard for a two-year-old to keep around a baggie of ice, so I came up with these cuties to hold her little ice packs.  This would also be good for kids who like to take the ice out of the bag and scatter it.

Free Pattern: Washcloth or Dishcloth-Size 3 Thread

My mom goes through more dishcloths and dishtowels than anyone I know!  Because I knew she'd use it so much, I wanted to make her a special one for Christmas.  I'd made a dishcloth with cotton yarn before, but it turned out too clunky for me.  By using two strands of size 3 cotton thread, it worked up just as fast as yarn, but it is much more flexible and absorbent, and it dries quicker than if I'd used cotton yarn.  I definitely won't go back!

Free Pattern: Diaper Stacker

About once a week, two-year-old #1 pulls the stack of diapers off her dresser and scatter them all over the room.  Since her little sister inherited the diaper stacker, I decided to make one matching her decor, to hang out of her reach.  This would also be adorable to match a nursery or crib set.

This is the biggest project I've done in awhile.  The instructions might be a little complicated, when sewing the pleats and moving up to the decorative top, but it's really a simple concept.  If you think of a better way to do it or explain it, please leave a comment!

Free Pattern: Toy Leash

After a recent three-hour wait in a public place, during which time I baby-wiped #2's toys a zillion times, I made this to keep her toys from falling on the ground.  This is a good alternative to using play links, as they can be clunky or too heavy for the baby to play with the toy.

User assumes all risk.  Use only under direct adult supervision.  Never leave child alone with toy leash.  Please use common sense and keep your baby safe from strangulation!

Free Pattern: Magnetic Pen Holder

This is intended to keep a pen on the fridge, or other magnetic surface, so that it doesn't run away, like my pens always seem to do.  The stars hold the pen up out of the reach of little mischievous hands!