Baby net cocoon

Today’s random project of the day is extra random, because I’m just winging it. See I was all set to make a hat for Wiggle, alternating in pink and off white. I got approximately this far,

Color alternating baby beanie hat.

before I realized that if I wanted the hat to fit her for newborn photos, I should probably wait until she’s here and finish it then. I don’t want to make it too big or too small. So I’ve shelved that project for now. The pattern however, can be found here. There is also a YouTube video available for this pattern.

In the meantime, I thought about working on the dark faery costume for Wiggle’s first Halloween, but that’s something I don’t want to be in the middle of when labor starts. Instead, I was wasting time on Facebook where I came across this adorable photograph that was taken by my friend the awesome and talented Shallyse at Shadeleaf Studios. (Photo to be added later once permission is obtained.) I loved this baby net cocoon, and since the person who made it didn’t have any available in her etsy store (though she has a lot of cute things here), I thought I’d try to figure out how to make one on my own.

Abbreviations
MC = Magic Circle
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
TC = Treble Crochet
CH = Chain
ST = Stitch

This was the pattern I made up first:

Round 1: CH 1, 20 SC in your magic circle or chain. 

Round 2: CH 1, 2 SC in each ST around.(40 SC total)

Round 3: CH 3, DC in each ST around. (40 DC total)

This is how it turned out:

First attempt to make a baby net cocoon without a pattern.

Ultimately I decided that this one wasn’t working out and I had started it way too big, so I pulled it apart and started over.

Round 1: CH 1, 10 SC in your magic circle or chain. Join. 

Round 2: CH 1, 2 SC in each ST around (20 SC total) Join. 

Round 3: CH 3, DC in each ST around. (20 DC total) Join. 

Round 4: CH 3, 2 DC in each ST around. (40 DC total). Join. 

Round 5: CH 3, DC in each ST around. (40 DC total)

And that’s about as far as I got before I decided I didn’t like where it was going now either. It looked like this:

Second attempt to make a baby net cocoon without a pattern.

So I tore it apart and tried again.

Round 1: CH 1, 6 SC in your magic circle or chain. 

Round 2: CH 3, DC in each ST around. (6 DC total) Join. 

Round 3: CH 3, 2 DC in each ST around (12 DC total) Join. 

Round 4: CH 3, *1 DC in each of the next 2 ST's, 2 DC in the next St, repeat from *, you will be increase every 3 stitches. (27 DC total) Join.
Round 5: CH 3, DC in each ST. (27 DC total) Join.
Round 6: CH 4, TC in each ST. (27 TC total) Join.

At this point I decided this looked more like a baby hat than a cocoon. And I honestly wasn’t sure if it was big enough at the bottom to continue trying to make a cocoon, or if it was big enough to become a hat either.

Pictured next to my scissors to show scale.

Photographed close up to show stitch detailing.

So while I debate making it a real hat, or taking it apart, I thought I'd post this to show you what I've been up to today. Let me know what you think. 

All of these have been worked using a size K crochet hook using two strands of yarn: Bernat Baby Coordinates in sherbet and Caron Simply Soft in off white.