Thursday, October 3, 2013

Crochet Newborn Pants

Featured At:
    Sewlicious

As we mentioned yesterday, Huckleberry Love has begun offering sidebar advertising for other blogs and Etsy shops for a very affordable price! Pop on over to our PR page to find out more! We can't wait to promote YOU! :)

Well, fall has officially arrived so my need to make cozy warm crochet goodies is at an all time high. It is hard to convince myself to make baby hats and scarves while the temperatures are sitting in the 100's. So now that the temps have dipped a bit, I am back to my addicted ways. ;)


Recently, at one of my craft shows, I had a wonderful lady ask me to make her a couple of hats for her soon to be born baby boy. About a week later, she called me up and asked me if I could make a pair of newborn pants to match one of the hats I had made. I have to admit, my panic button went off as I've never attempted to make a piece of clothing before! But, after a bit of pattern research I was excited to take on a new challenge! I also found out that the new style/trend for newborn photo shoots in 2013 are a cute pair of cuddly crochet or knit pants. Well, I guess you learn something new everyday. ;)

Because this was my first pair of pants, I wasn't 100% comfortable creating the pattern myself, so I used this great pattern by Mamma That Makes as my inspiration. One thing that I loved about her pattern was that she started the waist with a foundation double crochet. (If you've never used this stitch before here is a great tutorial on the foundation double crochet) It is a stitch I have never even heard of before but I love it! It makes it so that the first round of your crochet can have some stretch. As many of you crocheters know, crocheting into a chain doesn't allow for very much give and can sometimes be very tedious. I'm pretty sure that from now on instead of chaining and then crocheting into my chain I will be using foundation crochet stitches instead! Love it. :) This was a really great pattern, but I did decide to make a few changes to make it my own.

Can't Get Started Without:
~4 ply worsted weight yarn (I used I Love This Yarn Super Soft in Sea Blue, Ivory & Coffee)
~5.5 mm crochet hook
~3.5 mm crochet hook
~tapestry needle

To begin, I chose to make three rounds of alternating FPDC/BPDC instead of two to make the waist band thicker and to give more room in the pant from the waist to the crotch point.


I also decided that at the beginning of each new round I wasn't going to ch3 as directed and then join at the end. Every time I attempt to do this I end up with big gaping holes that just look messy, so I instead chose to just make a continual round. It requires a bit more paying attention to your stitch count, but for me, the finished product is a million times better!


I was also concerned about the length of the pants after I had completed my 5 rounds for the leg (as called for in the pattern). They seemed really short to me so I decided to do a little research. First, I went and got some info on average newborn measurements and then I did what I considered the most obvious thing, measured them up against a pair of newborn pants that I had on hand.


I realized then that my pants were WAAY to short so added another 5 rounds to the leg length. Once they lined up to the newborn pants I had on hand I new they were perfect!!

I really enjoyed making these newborn crochet pants. They were actually a lot easier then I expected and the finished product is to. die. for!! I honestly cannot wait to make another pair. My next pair will definitely be for a baby girl though, think pink and frilly! :)

Here is the matching hat to these super cute crochet pants!

Have you ever made a pair of crochet pants before? If not, would you give these ones a shot? I suggest you do, they are really not as difficult as you might expect!


*If you love these pants (or this hat) and are not a crocheter, come and check out my Etsy shop Eimajinations where you can order your very own. :) *



17 comments:

  1. These are adorable! Thank you for linking up this week at Sewlicious Home Decor! :)

    Marti

    ReplyDelete
  2. These pants are too cute! I love the color!

    Navy Wifey Peters @ Submarine Sunday Link Party

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations! You've been featured this week! Thank you for participating at Sewlicious Home Decor....http://sewlicioushomedecor.com/saturday-show-licious-home-decor-53/. :)

    Marti

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for sharing at our TGIF Link Party at A Peek Into My Paradise! Congratulations! Your post will be featured at the TGIF Link Party this week and will be pinned to the TGIF Party Board! I can't wait to see what you link up this week!
    Cathy @ http://apeekintomyparadise.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  5. I understand the FDC pattern, but don't get how to add a second and third round since the stitch builds upon itself. . with regular double crochet you catch the stitch below. . but the FDC doesn't seem to work this way? Is there a way to explain this? Thank you! Love your pants!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Stephisue
      I only have a suggestion for you since I haven't used the FDC yet, but I might assume that it is just the foundation(first row) that uses that stitch. Might you just continue with dc after the foundation row? Just a thought since you were waiting for a response and haven't had one yet so I put my 2 cents in.
      Hope it helps

      Delete
    2. I'm so sorry!! I can't believe I never saw this comment!!! You are correct juicyfruitgirl, once you have your foundation row, you can just continue with a normal double crochet. The foundation double crochet stitch is only used once at the beginning of the pants. :) When I made these pants however, I crocheted FPDC and BPDC into my foundation stitch to create the ribbing on the waist line. :)

      Delete
  6. Hi there Where can I find the pattern for the hat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually didn't write a pattern for the hat. Kind of just whipped it up off the top of my head. I may attempt to write one up in the future though, :)

      Delete
  7. Hello! Thanks for sharing your pattern. Could you help me understand what HPDC is? TIA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Catherine, thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I definitely did not mean to write HPDC but instead to write 'alternating FPDC (front post double crochet)/BPDC (back post double crochet)'. Sorry about that and hope this helps! :)

      Delete
    2. Thanks! No problem! I appreciate the clarification!

      Delete