About a month ago, I received an email from a friend of mine who recently had a baby. She asked if I would be interested in seeing if I could make her a nursing necklace. In case you didn't know (because I had no idea before she emailed me), a nursing necklace is a long, chunky necklace made with wood beads and cotton yarn. (It can be made with plastic or other materials too, but the wooden ones are what my friend wanted.)
The point is for the baby to have something to play with while he or she is nursing. The colors and shapes are good for stimulation, and it's sturdy enough for the baby to suck or pull on without breaking. Also, you can just hand-wash the necklace in warm water if it gets goopy from baby drool.
I did some research via the Googles and am super freaking proud of myself of figuring out how to make one of these necklaces! I used this website as the template to crochet around the wooden beads, and I found the wooden beads at Hobby Lobby for about $2.00 each. (I think for a packet of 5.)
I don't even have a baby, and I kind of want one.
A necklace, not a baby.
Just to clarify.
Although I do want a baby at some point, so forget everything I just said.
You can customize the necklace basically any way you want with different colors, sizes of beads, and even crocheted flowers or leaves, although that's a little too advanced for me right now. I'm not planning on opening up a shop any time soon, but I do think this would make a creative, homemade baby shower gift.
Too bad I don't have any pregnant friends right now.
HA. That was obviously a joke. I'm pretty sure all my friends are pregnant right now.
Have you heard of or seen a necklace like this before?