May Brings Cables

May is finally here, well.. maybe it is almost over, but one thing is certain May has brought Cables to my shop!

There are SO many great Cable Hats and Headbands in my shop READY TO SHIP! Check out my shop section READY TO SHIP here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TCTbaby?section_id=10964224

But don't worry if you can't find what you are looking for! Any of these hats can be made again and again in whatever size, or color you need!

Plus they are made with 100% cotton so they will be cooler than my usual hats and oh so very soft on baby's skin!

And you GOTTA love the headbands! So adorable and perfect for spring/summer! They are just the right size to stay put and still add that bit of accessory to your baby's wardrobe (and at $15.00 each they are a steal!)

Don't forget to check them out!:http://www.etsy.com/shop/TCTbaby?section_id=10964224

Dinosaurs ROAR

My dino hat is now available as a Crochet Pattern!

If you crochet this is great news! The pattern comes with instructions for 4 sizes: 0-3m, 3-6m, 6-12m and Toddler 1-3years. The hat and spikes are detailed in this written pattern. A wonderful hat for those little boys that just LOVE the dinosaurs!

You can find it here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/96830888/crochet-pattern-dinosaur-baby-hat-pdf
For just $3.50 it is so worth it to make for all those little baby boys about to be in your life!

Find other patterns from me here: www.thecraftytortoise.com

Dr.Seuss Inspires!

So The Lorax came out and I happen to LOVE Dr. Seuss. I remember watching The Lorax when it was an old animated movie. (probably one of my favorites) I am always inspired by the crazy and wild that the Dr.Seuss name brings. It is always creative and inspiring.

I recently bought some homespun and tried my hand at dying yarn. It turned out great! A wonderful colorway of Moss green, Rusty red and Turquoise. I didn't have enough for an entire hat, but the lime green I paired it with really brings out the color. Pair that with a great Dr. Seuss inspired design and a wonderful wooden button and this hat came together GREAT!

A few new items have shown up in my shop lately! www.thecraftytortoise.com

One is my new One Of A Kind (OOAK) Baby Bonnets! These are perfect for Photo Shoots and will still keep your baby warm after the shoot! I just LOVED the first one I made (pictured above) and NKS Photography was sweet enough to buy and photograph it! There is another available in my shop www.thecraftytortoise.com called ORCHID. I am working on many more too... so stay tuned!

I have found another great item to grace the shelves of The Crafty Tortoise: Baby. My Loopy Flower Headbands are a must for those newborn photographs. They are a steal at 12 dollars a piece and will keep fitting all the way up to Child size (4-10)! What an awesome way to show growth than with the same headband on your newborn and then again on her 1st birthday... and for many, many years to come!

These are made of a handspun art yarn so each one is a little unique!

I just love creating and love seeing my items in action!

I learned to KNIT

So I took up knitting recently again... for the 7th or 8th time. I bought larger needles (11/8mm) and decided to give it a try. I was very worried as before I had not been able to make anything more than a skinny scarf... and even then it took me about 5 years to complete it! Well... I gave it my all... and just kept telling myself "If I can crochet... I can Knit". And LOOK! It worked! I finally got my act together and created a few hats! I started with a pixie bonnet... I wanted to do something basic and pixie bonnets are pretty easy to make. After I completed that (imagine me Jumping up and down on my couch) I took a jab at another style that I had been idolizing and created this Short Elf Hat! 

I have found knitting to be a new passion for me! It has been a new challenge that apparently I needed! I think I have told you before that I am about sick of animal hats. They are wonderful, cute and adorable, but I needed something more creative. I wanted to work more with my mind and experiment more with handspun yarns and textures. This has been a great journey for me and I really have been enjoying it. 

I encourage everyone who crochets to pick up some needles and vice versa. It is a great challenge and if you are up for it you can figure it out! (it may just take a few tries)

YOSPUN = awesome yarn

I just HAD to tell you about YOSPUN! An etsy shop that I had the honor of purchasing from and making this hat:

It is SO awesome! I Loved the SUPER BULKY handspun I grabbed from her shop and just knew I had to make something adorable! I have already sold out of this hat! It was only up for a month!

I really cannot wait to add more Limited Items like this to my shop where I only make about 3-4. It is so cool thinking that there are a few people out there with an original hat that cannot be recreated! It is like Art on babies heads!

I am saving up so I can purchase more from YOSPUN! There are just so many cool yarns in her shop that it is hard to choose which I want next!

Take a look at her shop and order before I do!

Custom Color Giraffe Hat

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner! For about as long as I have been doing Giraffe hats (over a year can you believe it!) I have been doing pink ones for friends of mine who really wanted something more feminine for their expecting baby girls. I had never thought about putting pink giraffe hats in my shop until a friend of mine nearly insisted!

She was so insistent that I was convinced that if she wanted them so did others! Finally after I received a professional photo of one of my pink giraffe hats I finally listed them!

HERE IS THE LINK

Not only can you buy a pink giraffe hat, but you can buy one of any color you would like! All my colors are listed and you just pick 2 of your favorites!

Check it out!

What is color would your giraffe hat be?