Rose Prem Gown

Good morning all and welcome to the first post for 2018, which also happens to be the first pattern for 2018 too!!

The break over the last month has been much welcome, but I have to say, also a little... boring! I barely even touched a crochet hook for over a month! So not like me at ALL!

But that's all good, because I'm refreshed, and raring to get on with this year!

I have some pretty big blog changes coming this year. One of which is a more frequent posting schedule! That's right, I've committed to a schedule and will do my up most to stick to it!

So, what does 2018 bring blog wise? Lots! Preemie, newborn, blanket and toy patterns will feature this year as far as crochet goes! Not to forget the September Itty Bitty Giant Hat Drive again this year (want to make an early start? Knock yourself out!) I'll also be introducing some more craft posts and lots more sharing. Most of you know that I'm a crafty kinda gal. The kind that crafts till her fingers fall off, then glue guns those suckers back on and crafts some more! I want to share more of that with you all. So you can expect to see more digital scrap kits, some felt board templates, oodles of toddler/kid themed downloadable content and crafts and also Christmas and Halloween crafts... ALL. YEAR. LONG! Yes, I love decorating for both so much that I thought we'd get a jump start and begin this month.

So as you can see, biiiiiiiiiiiig changes! I'm also working on more pattern translations, international organisations to pair up with for the hat drive (if you own/run one, please email me!!), and to finally make the leap across to YouTube, which is something I've been working towards for so long now!

Hold on to your hats lovelies, 2018, I'm coming!

Rose Prem Gown

Sized To Fit:
36 Weeks Gestation

You Will Need:
4.5mm hook
DK/8ply/Light Worsted weight yarn in main and contrasting colours. You will need less than 25g of the contrasting colour.


1: Ch30, dc in the 3rd ch from hook, 2dc in the next ch, *dc in the next ch, 2dc in the next ch* Repeat across (42)

2: Ch2, turn, *dc in the first 2 stitches, 2dc in the next stitch* Repeat across (56)

3: Ch2, turn, *dc in the first 3 stitches, 2dc in the next stitch* Repeat across (70)

4: Ch2, turn, *dc in the first 4 stitches, 2dc in the next stitch* Repeat across (84)

5: Ch2, turn, dc in the first 11 stitches, skip the next 19 stitches, dc in the next 24 stitches, skip the next 19 stitches, dc in the last 11 stitches. (46) Armholes Made

6: Ch2, turn, hdc in each stitch across (46)

7: Ch1, turn, in the first stitch (slst, ch3, 2dc), shell made *skip 2 stitches, (slst, ch3, 2dc) in the next stitch*, repeat across, sc in the last stitch.

8. Ch1, turn, (slst, ch3, 2dc) in the first sc, *in the ch3 space of the next shell (slst, ch3, 2dc)*, repeat across, when you reach the last shell, sc in the ch3 space.

9-14: Repeat row 8.

Change to contrasting colour

15-16: Repeat row 8

Change to main colour

17: Repeat row 8

Change to contrasting Colour

18-19: Repeat row 8

Change to main colour

20: Repeat row 8

Do not end off main colour, ch2, then word hdc's evenly up the side to the neckline. End off.

Reattach yarn to the other corner, ch2, and hdc evenly up the remaining side to the neckline. (If you are adding buttons instead of tied, this is where you need to make some button holes. You can easily do this by chaining 2, and skipping a stitch in the place you wish for a button to be)

End off and weave in all tails.

To make ties for the back, attach yarn in the place you want the tie to be and chain 28. Repeat for all remaining ties. OR if using buttons, sew them into place.

Sleeves

1: Reattach main colour to the bottom of any armhole and ch2, hdc evenly around the armhole for 24 stitches, join to the first hdc.

2: Ch2, hdc in each stitch around, join to the first hdc. End off main colour.

3: Attach contrasting colour to any stitch on the arm hole with a slst, ch1, dc into the same stitch, *skip the next stitch, (slst, ch1, dc)* into the next stitch, repeat around, joining with a slst. End off and weave in all tails.

Repeat 1-3 for the second arm hole.

Attach any decorations you like, and you are done!

Finished Measurements, laid flat, with back ties tied.
Sleeve Edge: 10cm across opening
Chest: 16cm across
Neckline to Hem: 32cm
Sleeve edge to Sleeve edge: 21cm

2017 Itty Bitty Giant Hat Drive Tally

Good evening all!!!!

Wow what a busy month it's been! Finishing ends, adding buttons, posting parcels! Then BAM along comes Halloween and I get totally creatively snowed under! I've also added some photos below of my hats, and all the patterns from this year!

Nevermind! Today I'm here to give you the tally for the 2017 Itty Bitty Giant Hat Drive, for the number of hats that have been received throughout October by Chance's Clothes Project.

Are you ready? Set?

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!!!

The tally is2979 HATS!!!

Oh! My! WORD! Lovelies, I just can't even. I have goosebumps! Honestly! Two thousand, nine hundred and seventy nine hats! Let me break that down a bit. At 3 hats per pack, that is enough hats for 993 packs. WOW! Gals, have you got any idea just how incredible that is? That's insane right there!

You guys pulled together and did something completely mind boggling AMAZING this year and I can not thank you enough! I'm sitting here looking at these number, while Im typing, with tears in my eyes. What an honour you have all done. What an amazing display of support and understanding and caring. There will be hundreds of families, that will now, because of YOU have something size appropriate for their angel. Hundreds of families that will know they are not alone. That will know someone out there cares.

You guys hit it out of the ballpark, and I am so proud of each and every one of you who joined in. Thankyou, from the bottom of my heart.

Something neat we've been doing for the last few years is a map that logs the postcodes parcels come from, it's actually pretty cool to see. If you'd like to check it out, you can do so here: World Map

Also, please remember that this tally was for hats donated to CCP only. They are whom I work with each year in Australia as the beneficiaries of the hat drive. There are most likely many THOUSANDS more hats that have been donated worldwide as a part of the IBGHD that I don't know about, and that is even more incredible!!

So, where to from here?

Every year it does get harder to come up with more designs, it's much more challenging. But, I have never let a little challenge stand in the way! So yes, we will absolutely be back again next September! Whether I have 30 completely new patterns, or a mix of new and old, who knows. But we have almost a whole year to plan and prep!



There is one more thing I'd like to talk about before we finish up here this evening. As I said, within Australia hats get sent to CCP. A lot of people would love to have somewhere international to post to as well. So... if you run an organisation that makes baby bereavement packs that are given to families for free in another country, and you would like to get involved for next years hat drive, PLEASE email me! (If your a member but don't actually own/run it, please pass the info on to those who do) I'm looking for 1, maybe 2 (depending on country size and location) organisations per country. So that we can start thinking about taking this global. Groups that get accepted will need to do a few things to join in (Like sharing the pattern posts on social media daily, and keeping a tally of the hats they receive for the drive, and possibly helping with pattern translation into other languages, but I may also beable to help there too) but I think overall it would be pretty incredible to see tallies from around the globe, a map with all the countries on it, and grass roots organisations in other parts of the world benefiting large scale because of the hat drive. So hit me up if you want to talk logistics for 2018! If we can hit almost 3000 in just Australia, Imagine what we can do globally!!!!!!