We asked - You answered

Thank you!!!

We asked for donations in April for the Month of the Military Child, and you answered the call!

In April we received a record number of donations! We received gifts from long-time Marine Corps Kids supporters and from many first time donors.

Thank you all so much! I know that our military families appreciate the gifts that you all so lovingly made!

Our troops serve all year long. We at Marine Corps Kids will continue to support the families of our deployed troops and appreciate all of your donations and your continued support.

Baby Girl Blanket Set

I made this little blanket and cap set for Marine Corps Kids.

The hat is made with my Crazy Cute and Easy Baby Hat pattern. The blanket is a soft pink fleece that I edged with a single round of crazy-stitch.

Thank you Sharon!!

Today I received a package from Sharon in MA. In it were the two lovely pieces photographed above.

The little pink poncho is adorable, and will be a perfect spring jacket for some lucky baby girl!

The gold blanket is gorgeous! I have no idea what stitches Sharon used, but this photo does not do the blanket justice. It is stunning and incredibly soft and warm!

Thank you so much, Sharon! Your work is beautiful, and it is so nice of you to support our military families!

Beautiful Jewelry from Lynn

My dear friend Lynn from Iowa is a very talented jewelry designer. When I asked for donations for the Month of the Military Child, Lynn wanted to help, and while she has been knows to pick up a crochet hook, she chose to send some red, white and blue jewelry for the new moms and older military kids.

The photos above really do not do justice to the jewelry. The necklace is a beautiful red, white and blue bead flanked by crystal and silver beads. The two bracelets are trendy leather cord bracelets that can be worn by older girls and boys.

Thank you, Lynn! I know that our Military teens will love these beautiful pieces!!!

Thank you, Ladies from IAC!!!

I can't express my thanks to a wonderful group of co-workers from IAC in Kansas! These women are knitting and crocheting together, and continue to send the most wonderful gifts for Marine Corps Kids.

Thank you so very much to Judy, Glee, Donna, Debbie, Jessica, and Patsy for all your beautiful donations.

The images here are a few of the fabulous donations these ladies have sent - you can see them all in our Marine Corps Kids Photo Album (link to the right).

The assortment of booties were sent by Glee. The wash clothes were made by Patsy, Donna and Jessica. The pink blanket was made by Debbie. Judy made the teddy bears and the camo blanket and booties.

Ladies, your continued generosity and support are so appreciated! All of these lovely gifts will be sent to the families of our active troops.

Thank you, Barbara!!

Earlier this week I received these fabulous hats from Barbara from New Hampshire.

The photo shows how beautiful they are, but not how soft and comfortable they'll be for five lucky babies.

Barbara, your work is beautiful. I love the colors you chose!

Thank you so much for supporting our Military Families!

Crazy Cute and Easy Baby Cap - Original Pattern by Wormie

This cap was designed to coordinate with a blanket that I recently made using Crazy Stitch.

I love the Crazy Stitch. It’s a very simple sort of shell or cluster that creates an intricate, textured zigzag or herringbone pattern. It’s a great stitch for beginners. If you can chain, single crochet and double crochet, you have all the skills you need to make beautiful Crazy-Stitch projects!

This pattern uses Crazy-Stitch worked in rounds to create a very simple baby cap. If you’ve never done Crazy-Stitch, you should familiarize yourself with it before starting this cap - a great tutorial on crazy stitch can be found here.

Basically, the Crazy Stitch is a simple cluster or shell created by the following series of stitches:

SC-chain 2- DC all in the same stitch or space.

The “SC-Chain 2” at the start of each cluster creates a small loop. In each subsequent row or round, your clusters are worked in this loop. By working in the loop, you will create a gentle herringbone zigzag effect that will add intrigue and texture to the project. It’s deceptively simple, but I won’t tell if you don’t!

Patterns may call for a different number of DC stitches to be used in each Crazy Stitch. In this Crazy-Cute and Easy Baby Cap pattern, you will use 2 DC stitches per cluster in round 3 (abbreviated below as CS2), and 3DC stitches per cluster in all subsequent rounds (abbreviated below as CS3).

You will need:

Baby Weight Yarn (I used TLC Baby yarn but any baby or sport weight yarn will work)
G hook (4.5 mm)



Start by chaining 4 and joining to the first chain with a slip stitch to make a loop.


Round 1: Chain 3 (counts as first DC), 9 DC in loop, join w/ slip stitch (10 DC)


Round 2: Chain 3 (counts as first DC), DC in same stitch, do 2 DC in each remaining stitch from round 1. Join w/ slip stitch (20 DC).


Round 3: Turn work. Chain 3 (counts as first DC), 2 DC in next stitch, **1 DC in next stitch, 2 DC in next stitch** – continue pattern around. Join w/ slip stitch. Chain 1 (30 DC)


Round 4: Turn work. Chain 3, 2-DCs in same stitch, skip the next stitch, **CS2 in next stitch. Skip the next stitch ** Continue this pattern around. Join w/ slip stitch in the loop of the first Crazy Stitch (CS). Chain 1 (15 CS2)


Round 5: Turn work. CS3 all the way around (remember to always work in the loops of the CS from round 4). Join w/ slip stitch to first sc-chain 2 space. Chain 1. (15 CS3)


Round 6-9: Repeat round 5.


Round 10: Turn work. CS3 all the way around. Join w/ slip stitch to first sc-chain2 space, and end off. Weave in the tail of your yarn.


You’re done!
The Crazy stitch creates a very pretty scalloped edge on the cap.
If you like you can embellish the crown by adding a pom-pom, spiral squiggle or small flower to the top.

This is an original copyrighted pattern.
I am offering it for free, but ask that if you use it you will donate a completed cap to Marine Corps Kids at:

Marine Corps Kids
2532 N Skyline Drive
Bloomington, IN 47404

(please check our site for address updates - our address will change in the summer of '08)

You may use this pattern for charity and personal use. Please do not sell it, distribute it or posted on the web. You may link to this pattern at this site.

Thank you.

Thank you, Karen!

Today I received two cuddly fleece blankets and an adorable fleece tote bag from Karen I. from Wisconsin.

These donations are wonderful! I'll be sending them to the new moms soon!

Thank you so much for your continued support!!!

Thank you Judy T!

In the last year Judy T. from Pennsylvania has continually delighted and inspired me with her beautiful donations to Operation Marine Corps Kids. Judy has sent many packages for the kids including adorable stuffed toys, cute bibs and beautiful sweaters and dresses.

This week I received another box of donations from Judy, and I think she has outdone herself! In addition to her lovely crocheted items, Judy has sent some adorable plastic canvas toys and decorative pieces.

I know that the new moms will be delighted to receive these gifts!

Thank you, Judy, for your continued support of Marine Corps Kids!!!

Hats from Georgia

Many thanks to the wonderful ladies in Georgia who donated these darling caps for the kids!!!

I was just delighted to receive a box from my friend Marlene! It containing thirty-three adorable baby hats and a few pairs of booties and mitts that were made by the members of a church group in Georgia.

April is the Month of the Military Child, and I'm so thrilled to be able to send these lovely gifts along with our other recent donations to the families of our service men and women.

We are trying to send a record number of donations for the kids this month. If you would like to be part of our April drive to honor our military families and children, please send your donations to:

Operation Marine Corps Kids
2532 N. Skyline Drive
Bloomington, IN 47404