Innovative Designs for Yarnivores
Our FREE D Fence Football Christmas Ornament was featured on Mel’s Daisy Patch. Gee, thanks Mel!
American Football Season is here…let’s get ready to rumble with the D Fence Ornament and other fun stuff Mel found! Football Whoopie Pie anyone?!
Head over to our Free crochet patterns page (or visit our shop) to download the Free D Fence pattern.
Instantly download our most popular patterns on Etsy at:
www.YarnovationsShop.Etsy.com
Li’l Slugger Newborn Crochet Photo Prop
Ball Cap, Baseball Mitt, Catcher’s Mitt, and Bib
Birds of a Feather: 9 Birds from Granny Squares
Cardinal, Sunflower Chicken, Turkey, Robin and more
Basket Collection: 6 Styles, Sewing Pattern
Chevron, Strips, Quadrants and more
This hard hat photo shoot was a lot of fun. The crochet mining set is a great way to capture young people in fun photos. Caves, mining museums or themed playgrounds provide great backdrops to the crochet mining set. We took some friends to Whit’s End in Colorado Springs for some fun and photos.
Hard Hat Photo Shoot – Playtime Unfolds
Let’s watch their playtime in action.
Here the guys are pointing out their next site to be hit with dynamite.
The twins are discussing the plan the boys have come up with.
As they travel through the tunnels to setup, the boys are thankful for the lights on their hard hats.
Cover your ears, it’s time to blast the dynamite!
We’re happy to report that there were no injuries during the mining excursion. Everyone had a blast.
Hard Hat Photo Shoot – The Ensemble
The crochet pattern for the Hard Hat and Mining Set is available in the store. It comes with directions to make the hard hat, blasting box, dynamite and dynamite storage box (not pictured).
Hard Hat and Mining Set pattern on Etsy.
The shirts the kids were wearing are available on Etsy at Chic Couture Boutique. Check out the Chevron tie t-shirt for the guys and the heart t-shirt for the girls.
Thanks Chic couture Boutique for joining us on this explosively fun adventure.
A recent baby photo shoot featured our Aviator Hat. Traci Locke sent us this adorable photo taken in a plane museum in Phoenix, AZ.
This little guy is ready to take to the skies in this Aviator Hat with scarf flying in the wind! “Hey little guy, be sure to put your goggles on before you take off!”
Thanks, Traci! We love this photo.
You can learn more about Locke Photography on Traci’s facebook page.
Want to make the Aviator Hat for your own photo shoot? The Aviator Set, including the hat, goggles and scarf is available in our store.
Aviator Set pattern on Etsy.
Create your own jungle with this fun crochet monkey, banana, and palm tree pattern.
Perfect for a jungle themed nursery, a Hawaiian luau party, a tropical paradise or a desert oasis. Kids will enjoy feeding the monkey bananas while adults will be impressed with the your large scale crochet project, the palm tree(s).
Mix and match the parts and pieces and colors to best meet your needs. Whether you’re looking only for a furry monkey, a sweet snack or a tall bit of shade, this pattern has it all.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Crochet Techniques: Crochet in the round, crochet in front and back loop, crochet increase and decrease, loop stitch, crocodile stitch
Crochet Monkey, Banana and Palm Tree Pattern: THE MONKEY
Our crochet monkey was crocheted with copper Fun Fur which resembles an orangutan (tailless) or Golden Langur (with tail). Mix and match the colors to create your favorite monkey.
Monkeys have many different characteristics. Some have more hair than others. Some have tails. This pattern includes instructions for these optional features.
This crochet pattern includes hands and feet that grip. That’s right. We’ve crocheted pipe-cleaners (fuzzy sticks) into the hands which allows them to grab hold of things…like a banana. Super fun! (Edges of fuzzy sticks can be sharp – do not use in toys for babies or small children).
The monkey has knee and elbow joints, too, making it more fun to play.
Measures: 14″ tall x 4.5″ wide x 4.75″ thick.
Crochet Monkey, Banana and Palm Tree Pattern: THE BANANA
Yum. Crochet bananas for your furry little monkey and make playtime deliciously fun. They are easy and quick to make, so why not crochet a bunch?
The edible portion is crocheted in the round, but the peel is crocheted back and forth to simulate the ridges that bananas have.
These fit perfectly into the hands and feet of the crocheted monkey.
Measures: 4″ long x 3.5″ around.
Crochet Monkey, Banana and Palm Tree Pattern: THE PALM TREE
Let your monkey swing from the trees with this larger than life crochet project. The palm tree is perfect for decorating the corner of a room or on the patio for a theme’d party.
It’s the details in the crochet that make this palm tree so adorable. The loop stitch grass, crocodile stitch top and fun yarn make this very realistic. And the pieces that help it all take shape (drain pipe, christmas tree stand and floral foam) are easy to find.
Measures: 8.5′ tall x 4′ wide. Can be made shorter or taller as needed.
Crochet Monkey, Banana and Palm Tree Pattern: Now Available
It’s a Jungle crochet pattern is now available!
It’s a Jungle crochet pattern on Etsy.
Create your own oasis. Buy It’s a Jungle today in the store.
Newborns can “get in the game” with this adorable little baseball crochet hat, mitts and bib outfit! They’re never too young to show team spirit. It’s perfect for little boys and little girls. All baseball fans are going to want to add this to their child’s collection.
Whether you’re seeing the game live or going to a party, your little one is sure to steal the show sporting these accessories.
Skill Level: Easy
Crochet Techniques: Crochet in the round, crochet in the front and back loop, front and back post crochet.
Size: Newborn (Make items smaller or larger by changing the hook size.)
Baseball Crochet Hat
With ears tucked in or untucked, this crochet baseball hat will make your newborn look super cute. Swap out the colors to match your teams colors. We went patriotic with blue and red.
Our cap says “Baby”, but you can personalize your cap by stitching your baby’s name or team chant.
Measured flat: 7 1/4″ x 5. Add brim which measures 1 3/4 x 5.
Baseball Crochet Mitts
Wrap those little hands in some fun crochet baseball mitts. No game is complete without a baseball and catcher’s mitt! With these, your newborn is ready to play ball, too. These mitts fit both right handed and left handed players!
The cuffs are designed to stretch. And, with the elastic sewn inside, they stay snuggly in place no matter how wiggly your newborn is.
Measured flat: Baseball – 2 3/4″ x 3 1/2″
Measured flat: Catcher’s Mitt – 3 1/2″ x 4″
Baseball Diamond Crochet Bib
Your little one can run the bases on this crochet baseball diamond bib. It’s a great accessory for meal time or game time.
The baseball diamond is crocheted separately and sewn to the bib (as is the baseball appliqué). The bib is adjustable with a sewn on button and crocheted button holes.
Measures: 6 1/2″ x 3 1/2″
Get your newborn in the game. Order this “Li’l Slugger” Outfit today.
Li’l Slugger Outfit pattern on Etsy.
We’re happy to announce the newest member to the Yarnovations family, crochet style! Yarnovator (and husband) welcomed the arrival of their baby boy in May 2012. Naturally, no big event like this would be complete without a little bit of crochet.
What better way to announce the arrival of a baby or share some big news with your neighborhood than with crocheted pillar cozies! You can custom make cozies to fit any pillar size and announce most any occasion in letters or appliqués.
Utilizing the two pillars in front of her house, Yarnovator used classic colors and large bold letters. These cozies vividly proclaim the arrival of Yarnovator’s newborn son. Here’s how she did it.
The “It’s a” cozy was done in short rows alternating single, half double, and double crochet. The letters were crocheted separately and sewn on.
The “Boy” balloons were crocheted separately in the round using half double crochets. To help the balloons hold their shape, the circles were sewn onto plastic canvas. Like the “It’s a” cozy, the letters were crocheted separately and sewn on. Because the balloons do not wrap around the pillar, separate short cozies were crocheted that match the pillar color. The balloons were then sewn to the cozies at the desired height.
All told, this is a fun, simple and informative project.
Congratulations, Yarnovator. Welcome, baby!
PS: Newborn Baseball Set coming soon!
How to Make an Abacus with Yarn – Great Craft for Kids
An abacus is a great way to make all kinds of calculations. Below we’ll show you how to make an abacus with yarn that’s perfect for kids of all ages. This arts and crafts project has two great math lessons – measurement and addition with an abacus. The colors on this abacus make it versatile. Teach numbers with two decimals such as currency or ignore the colors and teach whole numbers up to the 100,000’s.
We’ve also decorated ours and given it the title, “Count your Blessings.” This abacus can now be used to teach a character building lesson on the value of thankfulness. Psalm 103 would be a great Bible passage to illustrate thankfulness.
Psalm 103:2 says, “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
How to Make an Abacus with Yarn – Features and Supplies List
Don’t let the simple style of this abacus fool you. This little abacus has a lot of great features:
We mentioned that the supplies are minimal and cheap. Check around your house for the following:
How to Make an Abacus with Yarn – Lesson One: Working with Inches
If your kids need practice using a standard ruler, this is a great project (or you can trace and use this Abacus template).
Draw lines, punch holes and cut out rectangles.
Decorate cardboard if desired. We glued decorative paper on the front and back.
This is what your abacus will look like after following steps 8-10.
At this point, the beads can float between the top and bottom section. The next step will lock them in their appropriate sections.
Beads become trapped when second strand is woven on the opposite side.
Decorate a bit more if desired. We added our title and some numbers to ours at this point. Now the abacus is ready to use!
How to Make an Abacus with Yarn – What Each Row Represents
Now that we’ve learned how to make an abacus, let’s take a look at what the different colors and columns of beads mean.
Side view of finished abacus
Using the Colors
If you attribute value to the colors, then the abacus has four whole numbers (the blue beads on the left) followed by two decimal places (the red on the right). From left to right you have: Thousands, Hundreds, Tens and Ones in blue. Then Tenths and Hundredths in red.
Ignoring the Colors
If you ignore the fact that the beads have color, then you have six columns of whole numbers. From right to left you have: Ones, Tens, Hundreds, Thousands, Ten Thousands, Hundred Thousands.
How to Make an Abacus with Yarn – How to Count and Add
We could write pages and pages of content on how to understand and add with an abacus. Instead, we recommend that you watch this great video tutorial.
Deborah’s (Yarnovator) 5th grade class thought these homemade abaci were amazing. Yes, the abacus is amazing. Yes, she’s a great teacher for giving them each their own abacus. Want to be your kids’ hero? Give it a try. Your kids are going to love them and they’ll think you’re amazing, too!
Starry Night Yarn Craft for Kids
My sister and I are considering teaching a break-out session for a small group of kids and naturally we are discussing yarn crafts. Is there any other other type of craft? Not in our humble opinions.
There will be four one-hour sessions…which isn’t a lot of time. So we have decided that crochet is out. We are considering other crafts using yarn. The first and most interesting possibility we discussed was recreating Starry Night in yarn.
Read further for:
Starry Night Yarn Craft for Kids – Coloring Page
The coloring page makes a great backdrop for creating your own Starry Night in yarn. We did a Google Search focused on images of Starry Night coloring pages. We used a page from SuperColoring.com. Feel free to browse the internet for one that inspires you.
Starry Night Yarn Craft for Kids – Our Inspiration
This project was inspired by a very talented gal by the name of Regina. You must check out the work she has done with kids. Unfortunately she doesn’t appear to be updating her site. But we can still be inspired by her previous work!
Starry Night Yarn Craft for Kids – Some Tips and Thoughts
I spoke with Deborah and asked her for her thoughts. Here are a few:
So, after completing the prototype Deborah decided that this project won’t make it into the breakout session. I guess it’s back to the drawing board…so to speak.
National Crochet Month 2012 – Postcard
To celebrate National Crochet Month 2012 we have designed a FREE crochet postcard! This March, we’re letting the world know that we love yarn. We’re surprising friends and family with hand crocheted mail….delivered by the United States Post Office! Want to join us?
National Crochet Month 2012 – FREE Patterns
National Crochet Month 2012 is a great time to consider projects that use up our stash. This FREE pattern will do just that. And it’s a good excuse for using wild colors and crazy materials!
This FREE pattern includes the “I [Heart] Yarn” postcard and an extra Bonus: Mickey Mouse Ears! Mickey is sure to bring smiles to many faces. It will look fun in traditional colors as well as wild and crazy ones!
I [Heart] Yarn pattern:
BONUS: Mickey Mouse Ears pattern:
National Crochet Month 2012 – Multi-Purpose Postcards
National Crochet Month 2012 is a great time to spread the word about our love of the hobby. These postcards can be used for more than just postcards by the recipient. These make great decorations for a craft room (bulletin board). They can also be used as coasters and are a great size for coffee mugs. Or how about using this as a granny square in a larger project?
But perhaps the best and most novel idea would be to reuse it as…a postcard! By simply removing the cardboard piece and attaching a new cardboard piece, this can be reused again as a postcard! I’ve seen crafters reuse greeting cards before, but never like this!
National Crochet Month 2012 – Join Us
Free Patterns Page: Download the pattern from the FREE Crochet Patterns page.
Store: Add the Postcard Free to your cart in the Store.
All patterns are written in US terms.
*****9/15/23 Great news! We are moving our store to Etsy. Some of our links will redirect you there for your convenience.
Dana (left) with Deborah (right) and her two boys. 
