Once upon a time, I decided to crochet a seal. When I was about to finish said seal, it became apparent that I don't actually know what a seal looks like without a reference picture. But the little seal was just so cute that I couldn't resist sharing the pattern with you all anyway. So now we can all make anatomically-incorrect seals together! And, to make it even better, I decided to make mine a Christmas seal by dressing it up with a cute red and green winter outfit. But why stop there? Change up the colors and it's totally a Hanukkah seal! Or make it extra sparkly and it's a New Year's seal! Or make it pink and it's a Valentine's seal! Seals for all occasions!!! Okay, so maybe I'm getting a bit carried away...but if being excited about holiday seals is wrong, then I don't want to be right. 

No, you're not having deja-vu. You have seen this hat before. (Mostly.) Last October I posted patterns for both a crocheted Cabled Crown Beanie and a knitted Cabled Crown Beanie. But I was never quite happy with how the knit version worked out. I've since learned that when adapting a crochet pattern into a knit pattern, it needs a little bit of a different approach; the stitches behave differently. So I decided to revisit the knit version and I'm happy to announce that the new and improved version is now ready! 

After I finished making my Bean Stitch Cowl, I found myself with some extra yarn left over. It wasn't enough for a giant project, but it looked like the perfect amount for a hat. So why not design a matching beanie? I'm so glad that I went for it, because I love how this hat turned out. With squishy stitches and a double brim, this hat is extra cozy and perfect for the cold weather.

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted anything in a while. Morning sickness + 2 high energy kids = way too exhausted to do anything, let along blog. But I'm finally starting to feel better and I'm BACK! I'm still not feeling 100% and things are kinda of crazy around here these days, so bear with me if I'm slow at answering your questions, etc, but things are definitely looking up. So let's kick things off with a simple textured cowl pattern! 

Looking for another project to use your C2C Moss Stitch skills? Well, look no further! I've got the perfect simple pattern for you. It's so simple, in fact, that it's more of a concept than a rigid pattern, meaning that you can personalize the sizing to your heart's content. With summer winding down and fall weather approaching, you definitely need to give this lovely cowl pattern a try. 

More often that not, my kids do not enjoy cleaning up their toys (shocking, I know). But I have found that turning it into a game will win over even the crankiest toddler. One of our favorite games is pretending that toy bags/containers are hungry monsters. A fine tradition inherited from my father, who was the master of the toy monster game. When the bag for our magnet blocks got completely destroyed, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the toy monster game to a new level with a lovable yet hungry crocheted monster. So this pattern is basically a crochet project AND a parenting hack, all in one. Score.