Friday, March 6, 2015

Crocheted Cuddle Cocoon for a Newborn


     I crocheted this wee cuddle cocoon for a our grand baby, due any day now. We are beyond thrilled to be expecting this precious child and will head up to Georgia soon after her birth. Her California grandma is already there to be with our daughter-in-law and son for a few weeks.
   
     Since we had a number of hand made blankets and a quilt to share from when our each of our sons was born, I hunted for a simple pattern other than a blanket. As she grows, I may work on sweaters for upcoming winters, but this little outfit brought swaddling clothes to mind and seemed perfect for her first month or so while the weather can still be


quite chilly in the Atlanta area. The design is one of five in a book called Cuddle Cocoons by Sandy Powers, available at Jo Ann stores or from this web site. Powers has written at least one other book of cuddle cocoon designs. All are adorable.

     The baby's mom and I both enjoy a slight departure from tradition in baby colors (like pink for girls), but I still wanted to keep the colors and textures soft for this outfit. The aqua yarn called to both of us right away, and the grey seemed a nice complement and more practical than pure white for the trim. The aqua yarn we loved was perfect for a different design in the book, but our daughter-in-law liked this tasseled outfit best. Since this pattern was written for a thinner yarn, I needed to make adjustments in the instructions. Good thing it's a simple sack shape--after a bit of a challenge in the shaping of the gradual increases, it was a straight shot to the top.

     I was excited to send this gift recently, and they were thrilled to receive it and love the design and colors. What a joyful time!

Question of the day: Do you enjoy sewing, knitting, crocheting, or similar creative pursuits? Isn't it wonderful that some young people still take up these crafts? 

7 comments:

  1. These are so precious for the baby!!! I am presently in the Atlanta area (Kennesaw) visiting family. It was 77 when we arrived on Wednesday and was 25 this morning...definitely cooler than I wanted lol

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  2. Congratulations on your soon to arrive grandbaby, Mary! I just had a new grandson on 3/5 (pics on my blog) myself and just finished knitting a blanket for him. My daughter wanted a handmade blanket so I bit the bullet and dove in. I'm not the best knitter and as a perfectionist this is a bitter pill to swallow! LoL I posted a pic of the blanket on the prior post.

    I do like the creative pursuits you've mentioned but once I start getting frustrated or sore hands or it isn't moving along fast enough, I get impatient and eventually lose the joy of it. I love when I see any young people working on what seems to be lost arts.

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  3. Joan, that's exactly the sort of up and down March weather we had when we lived in the Atlanta area. Hope you had a good visit. Thanks for your response to the baby outfit.

    Thank you for your congratulations, Sherry--it's so fun to see the pics on your blog of your new grandson and the adorable blanket. I also appreciate your thoughts on the day's question; I can always count on you for an insightful, well-considered, response. Not to mention your fun sense of humor!

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  4. Congratulations on your new grandbaby. That will be hear in a fews weeks. I am going to have a great niece in june. And my other niece is going to have her baby at the end of june. They want to know. What the baby is going to be yet. How is your husband doing. Yall are my adopted family. Yall will always be like my adopted family forever. I pray for you and your husband all the time. I hope you both have a great week. I love you both very much.

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  5. Thank you for your kind thoughts, Anon.

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  6. Ah, very sweet. Clever idea, too. Looking forward to more news about the baby. :)

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  7. Yes, Jo, I very much liked the idea and the design, too. We just returned from a wonderful visit with our new grand-daughter and her beloved parents--so much to be thankful for! Great to hear from you.

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