Adorable Amelia Crochet Gifts and Crafts
When I was a little girl I loved doing different craft projects. My mom was always trying to find new ones that would keep my interest for a long period of time and would keep me quiet and sitting still instead of running around the neighborhood. I loved coloring (and still do!) and got very good at making barrettes for my hair and loved building things out of popsicle sticks, as long as it didn’t require me to sit still for a long period of time and could be fully completed quite quickly. I lost interest rather fast, and had a closet full of half finished art projects that I got bored with before finishing.
I did my fair share of plastic canvas crafts (it was the 80’s after all) and once I was ‘old enough’ my mom gave me a needle and showed me how to cross stitch. I really liked that because I could put it down easily when I got bored with it and start back up at a later point without a problem. One of my first (and only completed) cross stitch projects was a heart-shaped watermelon pillow. I had to finish this rather quickly as I needed a project for school, and this happened to fit the criteria.
My whole crafting world changed one day when I was about 7 or 8 years old when a friend at school gave me a ‘collar’ she made for one of my Pound Puppies. It looked like the yarn was braided but with only one strand. I showed my mom when I got home about how awesome it was that this girl could do that, and demanded my mom find out how and teach me. Fortunately my mom knew how to crochet quite well and my learning began. I made quite a few half-finished projects over those first few months. There were a handful of blankets that weren’t even big enough for my American Girl dolls, and a very uneven scarf that, though finished, was too ugly to put on display. I got bored with this craft project too, and soon the crochet hooks and yarn went back into the closet with the rest of the abandoned projects.
How to Crochet
Many years later I picked up my yarn and hooks again, this time with a friend. We were determined to have a booth at a neighborhood craft fair selling hand painted Christmas ornaments and ‘snowflakes’ for the tree. My crochet skills were somewhat rusty, and she was just learning but we were able to crank them out quite quickly. I realized I enjoyed crocheting immensely at this time and started making little projects for my dolls like scarves and blankets. I wasn’t very good at doing anything but a basic chain stitch and single crochet but my skills would develop quickly from here. My crocheting led to my mother picking up hers again and together we went out and bought fun new yarn and a couple of books showing us how to make different stitches.
Since that time I have made dozens of items, and finished most of them. I am a master at warm winter scarves with cute little hats to match. I also have a collection of crocheted bags and purses, some from patterns and others from my imagination. I started a blanket in 2001 and finally finished it eight years later. I would put it off for years at a time then start working on it again for a month or so. Now that it’s done it is the warmest blanket in our home and the one that is fought over the most. My American Girl dolls have always been my favorite subjects in which to create for. The smaller patterns are faster to make and keep my interest until the end…usually. Big projects take me a long time to finish.
Crochet
Now that I have my daughter, my Adorable Amelia, I have a new favorite person to crochet for. She has several blankets that were made before she was born and a small collection of hats too. I have a couple of other items I plan on making her in the future (a sweater, a stuffed bunny, some more hats) but my absolute favorite are the headbands. She was born with a full head of thick dark hair, which has since lightened some (but not fallen out at all! ) and just looks perfect with the headbands and roses.
Big flowers are ‘in’ right now for babies, and while those are cute on occasion, like for pictures and special occasions, the little roses are ideal for every day wear. These are super fast and easy to make, and by using craft thread or crochet thread there are so many different colors to choose from! Amelia currently has about two dozen different roses and about a dozen or so different colored headbands. By putting the roses on little clips it is so simple to mix and match them to coordinate with any of her outfits. I don’t think there is a single one (and she has a LOT of clothes thanks to friends and family members) that she doesn’t have a rose to go with.
The clips don’t have to be attached to just headbands either. This past Halloween she went as a little kitty cat (she was only three months old) but since I didn’t want to hear the annoying “is it a boy or girl?” question over and over I took one of her roses (a raspberry pink one) and clipped it to the cat’s ear. Instant girlification! They will also look cute on one of the many hats her Grammy has knitted for her once it gets colder here. I’m thinking of attaching them to her onesies for the springtime for another look and have some patterns in the works for bigger versions so I can wear matching ones.
The very best part about these versatile little crochet roses is that when she gets older and her hair gets longer they transform seamlessly into hair clips. I keep my rose supplies in my purse (or diaper bag) at all times so I can crank out one or two whenever I find the time. They are always at my fingertips when I’m relaxing and watching television, and I’m showing my niece how to make them too! I can’t wait until Amelia is old enough to learn how to crochet so I can teach her all of the wonderful things I have learned. In the meantime, I look forward to creating more and more wonderful products for my Adorable Amelia.
