Fast Easy Crochet Baby Gift

I didn’t feel like making yet another knitted baby blanket and as I had determined that this was going to be the year I taught myself how to crochet something other than the monster blanket that I first started working on years ago (and will be working on until the day I die) so I came up with this cutie pie as a solution to the latest bun in a friend’s oven.

This is my first time ever doing a granny square.  I LOVE IT! So fast!  I can see now why my mom makes all of our blankets out of this stitch even though toes poke through.  I also made my first ball…not so awesome.  The technique itself wasn’t hard but I had awful yarn.  I was accustomed to purchasing yarn with knitting in mind not crocheting.  Word to the wise – make sure your yarn has very clear, even edges if you are going to attempt a ball.  This bad boy took years off of my life. (Damn soft glittery nubbles…)

Here is a good tutorial for granny squares.

Here is a good tutorial for making balls.

I knew the square was going to be the body and the ball was going to be a head but I thought at first I was making a little bear until I looked at it again and went “Duh Nikki, yellow is for ducks.”  Then a friend clapped and said webbed feet and it was all over.

You’re going to think I am daft but here was my first plan for the bill. I was going to start with a long row, decreasing each row until I had a triangle then immediately begin increasing until I had a matching triangle connected to the other side by the tip.  THEN I was going to fold this over and sew the to sides together.  As I was planning this rocket science a friend in my knitting group managed not to roll her eyes as she politely suggested that I make a square and fold it in half…ummm, yeah, why don’ t I just do that.

So I made three squares, a larger one for the bill and two littler ones for the webbed feet.  I folded the mouth in half and sewed in in place on the then deflated head and sewed the feet on at an angle.  I tried to give him a smile…but it sort of just looks like he has to poo.  Oh well.  Two little black yarn eyes later and all he needed was some stuffing and his head sewn on.

I have never stuffed a baby toy before and a girl who has apparently done this several times suggested that I put all the the poly-fil inside pantyhose in the ball so little baby fingers don’t pinch it out through holes.  I have to say – great idea!  So now the head is stuffed and sewn on and my little constipated duckling is on his way to a new home.  I hope he makes a little baby happy.  Goodbye little quaky!