Very Hungry Caterpillar Costume

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 I had so much fun making my daughter's No-sew Cup Cake Halloween costume last year that I knew I wanted to make my kids costumes again this year. (And I couldn't have been more excited that this year I got to make 2 costumes for my kid(s) plural! :) When it came to the baby's costume, I knew I wanted something super easy to wear and not fussy at all. Well, awhile back I pinned the perfect option! A Very Hungry Caterpillar, as inspired by Sweet Love Creates, found here. Can you find the "pin-spiration?"

Here was the visual I was working with...

While their set is absolutely perfect, it did not fit my budget for costumes, which I have decided should always stay under $20.00. So, I decided to put my crocheting skills to good use and make my own. It is nowhere near as perfect as theirs, but it should do just fine!

I started by picking out some of my favorite soft yarn from a local fabric store. I chose a heavier blend that I knew would keep the baby warm if Halloween turned into a cooler night.  The turquoise was the closest thing I could find to book image with some color variation. All of the greens were just too solid or too thin of a yarn to give me just what I want. I guess the turquoise is just my creative licensing at work!

Since the baby won't be more than a month old on the occasion, I decided to stick with making just a little hat and sack to put the baby in. The sack is nice and tight, like a swaddling blanket, so hopefully the baby will be nice and cozy! I like how the turquoise yarn created its own color bands around the sack. I didn't have to do a thing to make that happen, and it was fabulous.

I wish I could give a state of the art tutorial on how to crochet, but I am just not that adept with my crocheting skills! You can find all of the basics of the stitch here, a simple tutorial I used to refresh some of my skills too. To make the sack and the hat, I followed similar steps to the ones found in this tutorial as well. To make the sack, just make a really long hat!

 

I'll confess that for the eyes, I just made a long first crochet stitch and hot-glued it into a circle, lime green on the inside and yellow on the outside. For the nose and antennae, I just crocheted a couple of lines and pulled the stitch through the hat to secure them into place.

We were very pleased with the result. I finished the costume in all of two evenings at home, probably under 5 hours all together. The baby will be able to wear his own comfy clothes and we can just wrap him up in his little sack like a warm blanket! The hat will be sure to keep him warm on a cold night too! Now, I just hope when he comes he is standard infant size so it will fit just right. Fingers crossed!

What costumes are you working on this fall? I'd love to see what you have in mind!
Happy Wednesday!