(printer-friendly
directions -- pattern only ) (printer-friendly
directions -- pattern only )
I
tried to make the "sling" listed at http://www.kanggah.com/cheap/sling.html --
unfortunately, the pattern currently posted online is actually for a big hobo
bag. I wrote to its author, Maka, and she said that she had in fact modified
that pattern to make a baby sling, but the modifications were not included
on that page. Here's
how mine turned out.
Needless to say, I unravelled the whole thing and used the yarn for a different
kind of bag. (Additionally, a bag-type sling can be dangerous for babies -- please
read about positional asphyxia, which is a true risk any time a baby's chin is
forced forward onto her chest.)
However, I still wanted a crocheted pouch; the idea seemed sound, and I liked the notion of a sling I could shape as I made it -- I love my ring
slings, don't
get me wrong, but crochet offers a lot more in the way of shaping. So I just
sort of made this up as I went along. I made the pouch part nice and curved,
to conform to the baby's body, and while I decreased the width of the strap from the pouch to the shoulder, I then increased at the shoulder itself, to ensure
that it cups the shoulder joint instead of riding up on your neck.
The carrier is appropriate for a baby who is comfortable in a hip carry -- s/he should have excellent head control. It is *not* appropriate for newborns and small infants under 4 months old. No carrier of this type should be used with babies who can't hold up their heads.
You don't have to be an expert crocheter to do this -- the Maka sling was the first thing I ever crocheted. I learned from the book "I can't believe I'm crocheting" which I picked up at JoAnn Fabrics, but there are good directions on the web, too. I'm writing this pattern out in English instead of crochet shorthand for now, but may translate it in the near future.
As always, please let me know if you have questions about the pattern. General crochet questions are best answered by Google, however, as I am a novice myself!
Also, if you intend to make these to sell, please be very careful! Because the pouch is not adjustable, it is not a one-size-fits-all carrier. It really needs to be made to size, or altered so that it's adjustable. A too-big pouch is uncomfortable and unsafe, while a too-small one is just useless. If you're making pouches using this method that you intend to sell despite my pleas, please at least include a link back to these instructions in your sales page.
I can't offer a knitted version of this pouch right now, because I'm a very novice knitter, and have no idea how to go about building a knitted one! If my skills ever increase, I will certainly give it a go, but despite several requests, there's just no way I can do it with my current knowledge base. If anyone out there would like to take it on, I would be more than happy to host your directions!
This pattern is copyright to me (Jan Andrea) and is NOT for resale under ANY circumstances!
I'm going to assume you've learned the basic stitches from a book, a friend or relative, or an online guide. Remember, if it doesn't look right, you can unravel it and start over. I restarted the Maka sling at least three times, until I figured out what I was doing wrong. Also, these directions are open to much interpretation. A pouch sling needs to fit just right, or it's very uncomfortable. Therefore, the number of rows that would fit *me* may be very different from what will fit *you*. Also, I included a shaped shoulder "pad", which you can make smaller, wider, or leave it out entirely. Finally, make sure you try on the sling by holding it up to yourself as you crochet. You can unravel if it's too big, but it's frustrating to do so (all that work lost...)
Note: all stitches are worked in the space between double crochets, instead of within the previous row's dc. This is contrary to what most instructions will show, and was the cause of two of my unravellings the first time I tried a crocheted pouch.
Beginning ring : chain (ch) 4 stitches (st), then join with slipstitch to form a circle.
Row 1: Ch 3 st (counts as first double crochet (dc)), then make 11 double crochets in the ring (that is, when you're pulling the yarn through, instead of going through a stitch in the chain, you go through the hole in the middle). Join to the first dc with a slipstitch (sl). 12 total stitches.
Row 2: Ch 3 st (counts as first dc, and will for the rest of the pattern), turn, make one dc in that space, then make 2 dcs in each space, for 24 total stitches. (In other words, make 2 dcs in every space besides the first.) Join to first dc with sl.
Row 3: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in that space, make a single dc in the next space, two in the one after that. Continue around doing one dc and then two, for a total of 36 stitches. (In other words, make 2 dcs in every other space.) Join to first dc with sl.
Row 4: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in that space, make 1 dc in each of the next two spaces, then two in the one after that. Continue around doing one, one, and two dcs, for a total of 48 stitches. (Make 2 dcs in every third space.) Join to first dc with sl.
Row 5: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in that space, make one dc in each of the next 3 spaces, then make two in the fourth (2 dcs in every 4th space.) Join to first dc with sl. 60 total stitches.
Row 6: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in that space, make one dc in each of the next 4 spaces, then make two in the fifth (2 dcs in every 5th space). Join to first dc with sl. 72 total stitches.
Row 7: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in the NEXT space, and work evenly -- dc in every space, no doubles. Join to first dc with sl. 72 total stitches.
Row 8: Ch 3 st, turn, dc in the next space, and work evenly as above. Join to first dc with sl. 72 total stitches. ( these repeats give the pouch its shaping.)
Row 9: Ch 3 st, dc in that space, make one dc in each of the next 5 spaces, then two dcs in the 6th. (2 dcs in every 6th stitch.) Join to first dc with sl. 84 total stitches.
Row 10: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, and work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 84 total stitches.
Row 11: Ch 3 st, dc in the same space, make one dc in each of the next 5 spaces, then two dcs in the 6th (2 dcs in every 6th stitch). Join to first dc with sl. 96 total stitches.
Row 12: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, and work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 96 total stitches.
Row 13: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 96 stitches.
Row 14: Ch 3 st, dc in the same space, one dc in each of the next 8 spaces, then two dcs in the 9th. (2 dcs in every 9th stitch.) Join to first dc with sl. Roughly 104 stitches (I lost count! Luckily it's not that important...)
Row 15: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 104ish stitches.
Row 16: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 104ish stitches.
Row 17: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no
doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 104ish stitches.
Row 18: Ch 3 st, dc in the same space, one dc in each of the next 8 spaces, then two dcs in the 9th. (2 dcs in every 9th stitch.) Join to first dc with sl. Roughly 112 stitches (?).
Row 19: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 112ish stitches.
Row 20: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 112ish stitches.
Row 21: Ch 3 st, dc in the next space, work evenly (dc in every space, no doubles). Join to first dc with sl. 112ish stitches.
Note: if the pouch appears to be too small or too large, add or remove rows to your liking. Eyeball it as you go, using the baby for reference, if applicable :)
I made this all one piece instead of two joined at the shoulder. This does mean that it decreases from the pouch up to the shoulder, then increases some, then decreases, then increases again. If you wanted to, you could stop at the shoulder, end off the yarn, and start again from the other side of the pouch portion, working up to the shoulder to join it (as in the Maka pattern). Personally, I prefer the look of the single piece, plus it's one less place I have to slipstitch.
the strap length will vary depending on your size. I would suggest, ra ther than counting rows, just holding the carrier up to you as you crochet. Keep in mind that your work will stretch ra ther a lot -- the first time you put the carrier on, it should be *very* tight, since your baby's weight will stretch it immediately.
To make the strap, I started at the point where the body had left off, and made 30 stitches. For the next row, I decreased at the first and last stitch, for 28 stitches. Then 26 in the row after that, 24, 22, and on down until I got to 12. Then I made a number of rows 12 stitches wide, until I was about up to my armpit when I "tried on" the pouch, holding the beginning ring at waist-level on my side.
At
that point, I started increasing in the *middle* of each row. That gives the
shoulder its shape, seen at right (click to enlarge). Once I had about 24 stitches
across in the shoulder, I made a few plain rows (no increasing), and then started
to decrease, also in the middle of each row. That made the shoulder cup-shaped,
so it stays in place ra ther than riding up towards my neck.
However, in making it cup-shaped and then decreasing the width, I think I put the baby's weight *all* on my shoulder, instead of spreading it out across my back -- I had decreased to 12 stitches on the back strap, then increased again at the edges (not in the middle)as I approached the final length and the back edge of the pouch. I plan to try it again with the decrease/increase in front, but then keep increasing after it goes over my shoulder, so that the back strap is much wider than the front. I would suggest trying the same thing yourself, unless you plan to wear this pouch only for short periods.
Caren, a visitor to the site, suggested these directions for the strap:
(Optional: slip stitch 13. This puts the "seam" where the rows join on the
side of the pouch, ra ther than off center.)
Row 1: Ch 3, Do NOT turn, Dc 29 in spaces below.
Row 2: Ch 3, turn, work decrease in next two spaces, dc in next 25 spaces, work
decrease in last 2 spaces.
Row 3: Ch 3, turn, work decrease in next 2 spaces, dc in next 23 spaces, work
decrease in last 2 spaces."
And so on until you define a row of 12 stitches total, then repeat until
about up to your armpit when you "try on" the pouch, holding the beginning ring
at waist-level on your side. Then
you can restart your count for the "shoulder" section of the
sling:
Shoulder row 1: Ch 3, turn, dc in next 4 spaces, increase in next two spaces,
dc in 5 remaining spaces.
Row 2: Ch 3, turn, dc in next 5 spaces, increase in next 2 spaces, dc in 6 remaining
spaces.
And so on until the shoulder is complete (I kept increasing until it was 30 stiches
wide) and then give one row of plain old 30 dc across, and repeat until
desired length is acheived.
Evie adds: I crochet a lot and had an idea for your crocheted hip sling. Have you tried "Felting" it? If you crochet it [with wool yarn -- this does not work with cotton or other fibers] about 1 1/2 to 2 times bigger then just wash in washing machine on HOT wash, HOT rinse, it will shrink down and be really strong. It would be more appropriate for winter slings though. Felting is super strong, afterwards you can actually cut it without it unraveling.
Did you use this pattern and like it? Please link back to me from your site or blog! (This is not an invitation to copy the file to your site, nor does it imply that the file is freeware. I invite links, but as I do make changes to the files on my site from time to time -- and often they are important ones -- I do not wish them copied to other sites.)
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