First sweater

Hi everyone, this is Faith from The Knitting Cook podcast. I'm 21-1/2 weeks pregnant with baby #3, due April 8th. I am an American living in Germany, and am hoping to find a midwife to deliver my baby at home. (The other two were born at my home in the States.)



So far, I've knit one item for the baby, and intend to work on more. We don't know if the baby is a boy or girl -- I love to save the surprise for the day of birth -- but since I have two boys already (and thus, only boy clothing), I knit this up just in case.

This is the Baby Surprise Sweater by Zimmerman, worked up in my own Merino handspun. For those of you who spin (or would like to be tempted to do so), you can check out details of how I spun this yarn here. I need to add buttons, but I'm waiting for the Perfect Ones to cross my path.

I've recently developed an obsession with the idea of undyed (or naturally dyed), natural and possibly organic fiber, so I hope to buy a carder and create some of my own blends to spin and knit up for this new little person in the months to come. Somehow, the idea of artificially or brightly colored clothing for the baby suddenly seems garish and horrible. I always get weird like this when pregnant, and it's always in a surprising and different direction. =)

I would highly recommend this pattern if for no other reason than that it's pretty fun to fold it up in the end. You do need to keep track of the rows, but it's not difficult at all. I did get kind of tired of the garter stitch, but it was over quickly, so it wasn't too bad. You can buy the stand-alone pattern at FoxyKnits for $6 (in case you don't wish to buy Zimmerman's book).

Baby Surprise Help - Gauge

I decided to make the baby surprise jacket with some Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn that I have in my stash. My question is for those of you that have made the jacket with sock yarn. I am getting 8 stitches to the inch on size one needles and I'm a little concerned it will be too small. Could you please share the gauge that you got with your yarn? I'm hoping to get it around newborn size - it's so soft, I'd like to take him home in it if possible.

I've only knit about an inch so I won't cry too hard if I have to rip it and start again on larger needles. =)

TIA - I'll really appreciate the info!
Toni

All set

This is a little different from the usual baby knitting that I see here, but I wanted to post them. I started the Greene Mountain Spinnery's pattern for a knitted Christmas stocking this time last year and I wanted to do Alex's first but we still hadn't decided on his name when I got the pattern so I started on a replacement for Dante. I had crocheted a stocking for him a few years back and really didn't like it. I used Lambs Pride worsted wool in a brick red for Dante's and Mediteranian Olive with Silver Sliver as the accent color. It took one skein of each and I just ran out of the silver but was able to make it work by knitting the baby's stocking a little shorter than his brother's.
Dante's stocking took a year because I was in the first trimester of my pregnancy and just too darn tired to work on it. But I finished Alex's in just about a week. It went really fast and I enjoyed. A little side note: I discovered that the stocking I knit turned out to be the perfect size for a knee high sock so I'm thinking about making a pair for myself. Anyway, the tops are hemed for re-enforcement so that they can be hanged and filled, and not stretch all out. I like 'em!

Socks That Rock But Not!

So, I decided to kill two knit a longs with one FO! I'm a member of the Rockin' Sock Club too and was inspired by MamaK's Koigu Baby Surprise to make one of my own out of Socks That Rock in the Fairgrounds colorway. This was the second skein that was sent to club members and I'm trying to knit them in the order I received them. The reason this skein sat around so long was that it wasn't very inspiring to me as socks but as a baby sweater I think it's adorable. More infomation about the sweater and booties at my blog.

technical intermission

Hiya, baby bumpers and baby knitters! I've seen some spamming going on in the comments. I'm trying to delete the comments when I see them, but could use your help too. If you find a spam comment, send me a quick email at alison at knitsmiths dot us and let me know the post where you found it. I'll take care of it! Thanks!

And now back to your knitting.....

The elves?

Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving I was in bed, sick, sleeping. Or at least I thought so. My family says that I was in bed knitting. Well, I can believe that, probably I was knitting in rare moments of lucidity.
So, Sunday morning I was all better, and this was besides my bed.
See? They said, you were knitting all the time.
A top down baby sweater in the round while sleeping? I can believe that.
An hat? Ok.
Toe-up basic socks? Possible.
Weaning in all ends? No way.

The elves?

Lu

ETA: The yarns I used are both Lorna's Laces, Superwash Worsted in Berry and supersock Funky Stripes. The pattern for the sweater is Knitting Pure and Simple #214 , and I just made up the hat and the socks.

Not much knitting here, but...

I've been hunting everywhere for some Angora yarn to make some of the booties from LMKG. Anyone have an online source they like? It actually seems hard to find anything here that doesn't have a significant amount of either polyester or acrylic in it, so I'm feeling a little disheartened on the knitting front.

What I have been doing is sewing! Which isn't strictly on-topic, but if you want to see a furry fleece "sweater" in the 6-12 month size, there are pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39087606@N00/305698132/

Finishing Spree!

Since I found out that I'm having a boy, I've been completely unable to focus on Christmas knitting. I have cranked out a few baby sweaters over the last two weeks, though.

Two for my new little guy --



Pattern: Feb/Mar 1978 Mon Tricot
Yarn: Nashua Creative Focus Cotton



Pattern: Embroidered Raglan from Knitting for Two
Yarn: GGH Bali

One for a mystery baby --



Pattern: Classic Cashmere Sweater from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies
Yarn: Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece (what, expecting cashmere?)

This last sweater I knit before I was even pregnant with my now toddler. I was wanting babies, so I figured that knitting for them might help. :) I found this completely knitted in my yarn closet and decided to seam it up. Since it's the nine month size and closes with a bow, I think it looks a little too girly. Any opinions?

FOs abound!

Yay! I finished the little hat too...

Pinwheel Blanket Finished!

I completed number one of the many baby gifts I have to knit! Woohoo! This is the pinwheel blanket in DB cashmerino aran. More photos are on my blog. I'm almost done with the second baby knit too, the Anna Angel hat. I may just finish these projects by the end of the year! Then it's on to knitting for my own little bun in the oven... Have a great day!

Mommy snug in progress

Hello! I know some of you were knitting Mommy snugs from the last Interweave knits summer issue. Mine goes really slow, I just finished the front and it has taken 2 weeks. Here it is, pinned on my cami. I'm in love with it, the shape is perfect. Kate Gilbert is not only a great designer but also knows about pregnant women's bodies. I'm using Jaeger merino aran which is a problem because it is not exactly the suggested yarn for this model. But it was on sale at my LYS and it caught my attention because of its softness and the bright red color. To fix the gauge problem, I am knitting with #5 instead of #6 needles following the small size pattern instead of my size which is large. The result is fine and anyway I'll be using the sweater during the coldest months in Maine, so I made a wise decission.
Any comment?

Baby News

When I joined this group I was knitting for others, but it must be in the water. I am 9 weeks pregnant! I just bought some baby yarn for projects for my new little one, but I have a few others to finish up first.

Jackie

Baby Hats

My first post! I'm not expecting but have a few friends that are (and one posts here too LOL, so you won't be seeing her FO's here ;)

These are the Baby Hats in the One-Skein book!




Knitpicks Shine Worsted in Crocus! Very soft and washable yarn!

I'm loving all the ideas here! Nice knitted baby gifts here! :)

Given

With some yarn that was "given" to me in a swap I made this baby sweater for my husband's niece-to-be:



I made up the pattern in vertical garter stitch, body in on piece and I knit the sleeves separately and them attached them.

Angora booties

Here's a pair of booties I did this weekend. The pattern is out of Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and the yarn is 1 skein of Lorna's Laces Angel, which is angora and lambswool. They're a gift for some friends in the neighborhood due with their first boy (after 2 girls). They were so easy to make and ended up so incredibly cute that I might have to buy some more yarn to make my new niece Lucy a pair!

By the way, my Pea Pod sweater is done except for buttons. It's awfully cute, but I'm holding out on pictures until it's completely done.

Pea pod set #2

Hi, all. I just finished my second pea pod set (this one is a sample for my LYS).
The yarn is Punta del Este's Mericash (80/20 merino/cashmere) - a lovely semisolid. I love the little hat. I keep on having trouble with the armholes, I keep making them too small and end up trying to ease too much fabric in too small a space. If I do this pattern again, I'll just pick up stitches from the armholes for the sleeves.

-Connie

sock yarn seeks sweater pattern

My sock yarn stash has gone pink! It's hard to admit, but I don't need that many pairs of pink socks.



All this pink sock yarn would be great on a little baby girl though. And since wee one on the way won't have fifty pairs of feet, I'm thinking sweaters.

Soooo, I'm on the hunt for little baby sweater patterns that I can make with about 400 meters of fingering weight yarn. I'm not really in love with the sweater patterns that are specifically written for sock yarn (like "the" Opal baby sweater). I may make one of those, but I'm really looking for pretty, simply constructed sweaters that would be fabulous in a lovely variegated yarn (more like the garter stitch baby sweater I knit for wee one or MamaK's beautiful Koigu Baby Surprise Sweater).

Any suggestions??

--Alison

It's a boy!

Hello! My name is Toni and I am 22 weeks pregnant with our first child. We found out on Tuesday that we are having a boy! I have an ultrasound pic up on my blog if anyone is interested is seeing him =)

I haven't done alot of baby knitting so far - not knowing the sex was making me very indecisive. =) I am working on the Prepster sweater from The Yarn Girls Guide to Kid Knits. I decided not to use the Noro Kureyon called for in the pattern. It didn't seem like a soft enough choice to me. Instead I am using Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in red. I took this pic a while ago, but at least you can see the yarn I am using:

The front, back and one arm is complete now. I just need to buckle down and finish arm #2!

I still haven't decided on my next project yet. There are so many patterns so, I'm all ears if anyone would like to tell me their favorite pattern for baby boys -whether it be from a book, magazine or the web. I'm doing the Prepster in a larger size - 1yr- so I'd like my next project to be in a newborn size. If you have any opinions to share, you can email me at toniATwilwaDOTnet or leave a comment here of course!

Since I am a dyer and a spinner as well as a knitter and crocheter, I'm thinking about doing some dyeing with wiltons or koolaid and spinning up yarn for a sweater or hat. I really like MamaK's Baby Surprise Jacket so I might try that in the handspun (if I can manage to spin a fingering weight yarn!).

You are all doing such beautiful work - you keep me inspired.
Toni

Flying geeze on the way

I've started a baby blanket based on the "flying geeze"-pattern from Mason Dixon Kniting. So far I've made 6 geeze-strips out of the 12 I'll need. Then I'll have to make 4 large solid-coloured blocks and 8 small solid-coloured ones. I haven't made up my mind as to which two colours I should use, but since the ultrasound predicted a girl I'm leaning towards the purple for the large blocks and pink for the small ones. Any opinions on this are welcome!

Wee Little Vest

This is the Cable Tank Top from the book Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss. I used 2+ skeins of Baby Cashmerino. This is one of my favorite yarns to use for babies, the other being Dale Baby Ull. This little vest is for me although I'm not expecting but I would like to be soonish! There is more information on my blog.

More Lil' Knits

I've been busy knitting lots of stuff for all the babies being born! This little vest from Rowan Babies went to my cousin and his wife last week. They had baby Kenny on October 24th! It's a great project for using up leftovers!



This project left my arms on Saturday and went to Johanna's little tapole. I loved knitting this project and it came out so cute in the end! The pattern is from Dale of Norway book 164!

A Crochet Blanket and some tiny socks

Hello, this is my first post! I am a UK knitter/crocheter re-learnt her childhood knitting skills when her friends started to have children about 2.5 years ago. I don't have any of my own as yet; but I now have 4 children between 2.5 and 1 month to knit for; with another one due in Feb.
The sun came out in the UK on Sunday so I finally got to take a picture of the finished blanket for my friends baby, born about a month ago. Here it is in it's full glory.

Pattern: Made from 2 different squares from 200 Crochet Blocks with a single and double crochet border.
Yarn: Jaeger Aqua Cotton in 316 - Ruby, 331 Marigold, 330 Daffodil,303 Herb, 317 Blue agate and Comfrey (which is discontinued)
Started: Mid September 2006
Finished: 10th November 2006.
The cotton isn't anywhere near as soft as the Baby Cashmerino that I used for this blanket, but I think it works really well with the crochet squares and the colours are bright and rainbow like, just as I wanted them to be. Fingers crossed it is a success. Now I have 3 months until the next baby is due, I should get cracking really!
And so I don't upset people (as this IS meant to be a knitting blog!) here are some socks I made for the same baby when she was newborn (in fact 3 weeks premature)

A very simple k2p1 rib over 30 stitches, top down on 2mm needles in a tiny bit of left over Regia sock wool.

A blanket for the Dutchicans

The totals were posted for what Kristi received from the Warm Up the Dutchicans campaign last Tuesday. While they received a lot, I noticed there was only one blanket made for the two boys to share. Now every baby should have their own handmade blanket, so I whipped up one. The blanket is just a giant granny square with a single crochet edging. It won't get there before the boys are born Thursday, but it should be waiting for them when they come home from the NICU.


-Christina

Stripy Luka

This is the Luka sweater from Rowan Junior, in Rowan Wool Cotton. Its funny yarn, isn't it? I didn't particularly enjoy working with it, but it looks very good when it's done, lies very evenly and has a nice weight. It comes in a wonderful selection of colours and I had fun choosing a lot of blues and some contrast.

The neckline should be crew or turtle, but Calum doesn't like tight necks so I did a low neck that just rolled a little. I matched the stripes for the front and back, and where the sleeves joined the yoke, but did different stripes on the sleeves. I put more bright green stripes on the right sleeve, so that he can put it on the right way round easily.

I couldn't weave the ends in as I went because the cotton in the yarn made that too bulky and there was show-through so it had to be done as a separate task at the end, and I'm afraid that about half-way through, which took weeks, I cracked and just cut all the rest of the ends off. Since he'll likely grow out of it before it falls apart, I thought it was better to finish it and give it to him, than try to make it perfect. Sue me. The next time I make a stripy sweater, I'll do it in wool so that the ends can be dealt with as I go along. Knitting is a learning thing.

Pictures of the still unfinished Pea Pod

Here's the unblocked version...I'll have to block it this week (maybe tomorrow night). I haven't found buttons yet for it. I think I'm going to frog the blanket I started, and just make another sweater. I haven't decided yet what I should do for the second sweater, although I think a cable instead of the leaf pattern in a cardigan style. The hat and booties will be started this week.

circle of friends

I just have to show you how wonderful our Circle of Friends baby blanket (for fellow baby bumper, Johanna, who's due in December) came out!



Baby tadpole likes it!



I really recommend this project to any group of knitters wanting to make a special gift for a pregnant friend. It was so easy to knit, even for 15 different knitters with differing skill levels and differing gauges! And it was also easy to seam, since it's knit in strips instead of individual squares. The way the colors come together to form the diagonal bands is very dramatic and is more than enough to camouflage any imperfections that arise from having "too many cooks" (or knitters in this case) working on the project.

More pictures and info about the project on my blog here!

--Alison

Battenburg cardi

This is the little Bow Tied Bolero from Debbie Bliss's Special Knits, knitted in Rowan's Cotton Glacé. I had already done one in pink and thought I would give myself a bit of variety the second time round, so I did it in stripes. The colours are delicious and it was like knitting a Battenburg Cake. I had to juggle the stripes a little in order to get my yarn changes at the seam ends, but I don't think it shows.

Pink hoodie

This is the Hooded Sweater from Debbie Bliss's Special Knits, made up in Lorna's Laces Worsted in Iris Garden. The yarn is heaven to knit with, and I justified the apparent extravagance because it's so washable and can even be tumble-dried. Cara (whom you have seen already, wearing her crown) had a hat made from this yarn (in Bittersweet) when she was a tiny baby so I knew it would be soft on her skin.

Because of the lack of schematics in the book, I was working in the dark again about the size. I shortened the body, which turned out to be a mistake because the hood pulls it back and shortens the front, but this looks quite cute so it doesn't matter too much. I shortened the sleeves, which turned out be a good idea. I also made the sleeves straight rather than tapered, which makes them easier to roll up at feeding time.

The hood is an interesting construction, and I like the shaping at the front vee. There is a seam down the centre of the hood and since it was going to be very visible, I decided to make a feature of it and did a three-needle cast off instead of a seam. This gives a nice chunky appearance.

A super fast and easy knit, which I will probably do again when she's a bit bigger.

Quickening is my fave...

I just started feeling my baby move this week, and I remember that is what I love most about being pregnant! Awesome! For those of you working on the Pea Pod sweater, how quick of a knit is it truly? I'd love to make it for my nephew but time is limited... I'm still working on the pinwheel baby blanket and angel hat for some friends. Check out my blog for progress and join the babyguess contest!!

Birthday Knitting

This month for me is a month of Birthday's. Sam is one on the 24th, I can't believe it has nearly been a year. Mark, my partner is 26 on the 27th, so I have been busy knitting toddler sweaters and other things.
Above we have a toddler sock, a sweater knit in one piece, and another sweater knit in 10ply German wool I got on sale. The sweater in the middle is knit in one piece, the pattern is from a book called Impact Moda number 7, Quick Easy baby knits. Yes, it was quick and easy. The blue/green sweater I started when I was pregnant with Sam and I have just sewn it up. They are both made in 18month-2 size and they fit him now, my boy is tall just like me and his Dad.

Helen

Hat, Take 2

I love knitting hats. I had done this sweater a while back, and always intended to make a hat to match. I started the hat without calculating size... then realized that the hat was turning out to be a much larger size than the sweater. Since I had enough yarn, I finished the big hat... and then went on to knit a more appropriately-sized little hat. As Goldilocks said, this one is just right! I think I'm going to keep this set for our baby-to-be (2 weeks!!! Ack!!!) and give the larger hat away (My 3 year old won't wear it-- he apparently doesn't like orange this week, and it's a little small anyway). He's been bugging me for a purple & black hat-- I was hoping he'd change his mind on the colors, but he hasn't-- so I think I'm stuck. Yuck.

Another helping of peas, please...

I am also making the Kate Gilbert's Pea Pod sweater, but in purple:



The pattern has been really easy to follow. I started last Wednesday night in the car in the rain on our way to Florida. The yarn is the recommended Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere from my stash. I know that the color is not a traditional baby color, but a)I like purple, b)I like non-traditional baby colors, and c)I didn't have to buy any yarn. I figure I can find some cute leggings to pair with it.

I'm headed off to Sleeve Island this afternoon and hope to return at the end of the weekend with a finished cardi.

(Geez - after previewing this post, I noticed what bad shape that coffee table is in! Egads! Good thing it's normally covered up with crap!)

Pea pods everywhere!

I'm done with the pea pod cardigan in Jaeger Merino for my friend. I like the finished product very much. The one complaint I have is the drop shoulder sleeves, but I guess it's a common sleeve for baby sweaters.

And here's a picture of...yes, another pea pod! This one is in Punta Del Este's Mericash - a luscious merino/cashmere blend from a new south american yarn company. It's a single ply yarn and very very soft. Plus the color is gorgeous. Like another well known south american company, punta del este kettle dye their yarn. This cardi will go to my LYS as a sample.

Connie

30 weeks...70 days left to go!

Apparently blogger doesn't like me right now! I just finished the Easy baby cardigan from knitting pure and simple and two baby top knot hats from String's and things (look in the sidebar) I tried to post about it here, but blogger wants to put the pictures in wherever. You can read about it more on my blog here.
Also, I bought some baby pattern books and 2 skeins of Beehive baby yarn (I fear the possibility that this yarn is older than I am!) I'm fighting off startitus here!

Baby Ian says, help my mom decide what to knit. She needs something quick and easy for me to wear.:o)

Baby placket sweater and a bonnet started

This is my version of the baby placket sweater from LMKG. It's a little wonky as the placket is off to one sideand the fair-isle-y bits are only on one sleeve (I got lazy)



I also started a baby bonnet for a friend's newborn baby girl.



I should have a picture of the finished item by tonight or tomorrow. It's an easy pattern, but I made some changes, and I'm now wondering whether I will regret it.

celia

Not happy with the results

No, I'm not referring to the election.

I was looking at the baby cardigan I started in CottonTots, and decided it wasn't turning out the way I wanted it. I was thinking about doing Mommy & Son socks in it, but went ahead and started the cardigan over again. Any comments about it? I think it would be cute to have matching socks.

The baby blanket for the woman at work is also stalled. Updates here.

18 weeks and finally posting!

Hello! I'm Brynne, 18 weeks pregnant with number two and waiting the last two weeks before my 20 week ultrasound to start the baby knitting in earnest. While I'm waiting, I'm knitting a Mommy Snug from the Summer 2006 IK. It's almost done, but first I had to finish a shop sample I was knitting. Here's Glee from Zephyr Style, totally not how the designers intended it to look.



It bounced right back into shape when I took it off, thank goodness! I'm loving all of the baby knits I've been seeing here and I can't wait until I know who I'm knitting for! If you'd care to venture a guess, I'm having a boy or girl contest, so come on over!

one vs. two

Baby belly at week 22:



And for comparison, here's how I looked at week 22 when I was pregnant with the twins:



What a difference one less baby makes, huh?!

--Alison

Let's try this again...

Hi everyone! This is the third time I've posted, cause for some reason my posts aren't appearing... I just joined this blog since I've been knitting many baby gifts since the summer and am now expecting my second in April! Lots of baby knits abound! Right now I'm working on a blanket that is taking forever and the lace knit hat pictured above. More on my blog.

Greetings from Canada!

I came across this knit-along last week and just had to join. I have a bubbly 16 month old son named Julian and am expecting my second child, another bouncing boy, on March 19th. Here he is sucking on his thumb during my first ultrasound last week:


That means I’m halfway through this pregnancy and am just a little freaked out at how quickly this one seems to be progressing. It actually just occurred to me that his birth is just four months away… and we’ve done nothing to prepare!

Of course, this being our second (and our second boy to boot) means that we pretty much already have everything we need, but we still need to set up a nursery (i.e. kick my husband out of his ‘home office’ since we need the space for our little guy) and of course knit, knit, knit ;0)

I just ordered yarn for 3 baby projects and will start knitting as soon as they arrive (in the next week or so).

I’m planning to knit the classic cashmere sweater and leggings from Erika Knight’s “Simple Knits for Cherished Babies” out of Dale Baby Ull. I’ve never used this yarn before but my web search revealed that it would be a good (machine washable) substitute for the recommended Jaeger Cashmere which has been discontinued. I’ve also read that Filatura 501 would be a good sub as well but couldn’t find a source for it in Canada.

I’m also planning on knitting the ballerina top from Debbie Bliss’ “Quick Baby Knits” which despite its name isn’t all that girly. I’ll be knitting it out of Elann’s Devon Virgin Wool. And finally, I’ll be trying out Elann’s Baby Bashmere on a Phildar ribbed raglan pattern. Can’t wait!

In the meantime, you can check out all the knits I made for my toddler when he was a baby at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annypurls78/sets/72057594092703311/

You can also find my blog at:
http://www.annypurls.blogspot.com/

Cheers!
A.

a last minute knitted gift

A friend of mine had a baby last month and I needed to get something knitted rather quickly, so I went to my copy of Last Minute Knitted Gifts...errata and all. I just happened to have a skein of Mission Falls 1824 Cotton (which I think is a really nice cotton to knit with, in case you were wondering):


I used Alison's corrections after realizing that there was something wrong with the eyelets to feed the i-cord through, and I was just too lazy to do the figuring myself; but, having worked that out it was a very fun, quick knit (5 hours, max) and I think it will be really cute on the baby it was knitted for!