Introducing Flora, Future Needleworker (I hope)

I'm finally getting around to posting after the delivery of our little girl. We didn't know what her gender was going to be, and everyone was telling me it was going to be a boy, so when they pulled her out and said she was a girl, I was in shock. I have since started thinking of all of the clothes, dolls, etc, that I will be able to make for her and that we will be able to make together.
She will be 6 weeks old tomorrow and has red hair just like her brother, father and mom.
In this picture, taken today, she is wearing the baby surprise jacket I made for her.
I've really enjoyed seeing the projects everyone has been making for babies here. It has given me many good ideas!
(Now if I could only get some sleep and some time to make them!)
Ann

Presenting the rosebud hat from Itty Bitty Hats in the 1-2 year size.
I used knitpicks wool of the andes and shine worsted and a variety of leftover yarn for all the flower colors. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Rugby Romper

It took a bit of searching but I finally found the perfect buttons for the shockingly bright baby romper I've been knitting for our first grandchild, due March 11.



I found cute little floral buttons in exactly the right colors in the beading department of Micheals. It did require that I rip out and reknit the buttonhole band with larger buttonholes, but it was worth it. Ironically they are now the size they were supposed to be in the first place. I had purposely knit the holes smaller as I usually prefer a smaller button and a YO, K2tog buttonhole.



This is my version of the "Rugby Romper" a free pattern from the Lion Brand website. I knit the smallest (6 month) size and substituted "Patons Astra" for the "Lion Brand Baby Soft". I used nearly 2 - 50 g balls of black as the main color and 1 ball of each of the contrasting colors: Hot Blue, Electric Blue, Hot Green, and Hot Pink.

Alterations: Between each band of bright color I added a 2 row garter stitch stripe of black to make the colors "pop". I used six buttons instead of eight and knit the sleeves from the top down, I cast on the leg cuffs with tubular cast on and I bound off the remaining ribbing edges in tubular bind off.

Marlene: aka Wovenflame, aka GRANDMA!

Wear Test: Garnstudio Karisma

While I've been quite fond of Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Shine Sport in terms of how they've held up to frequent washings, Garnstudio Karisma leaves much to be desired. Frankly, I've found little to like about this superwash yarn. Care instructions are machine wash cold and dry flat. I've only washed this sweater a handful of times and this is what it looks like today:


Very fuzzy with lots of pilling. I was so disappointed because this was one of my favorite baby sweaters. I'll have to make another one for next winter in a more durable yarn.

Next up: Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (and it's back too!)

Itty-Bitty Hats

Here are a couple of pictures from my recent test-driving of the Itty-Bitty Hats book. These are the Rainbow Marley and the Stripey Stocking Cap. I called my Rainbow Marley the "Un-Marley Rainbow Hat" because I opted out of the curly additions to the top (the technique and I didn't mesh). I'm still pretty happy with the result(s). This book has great ideas for variations on the basic baby hat!

Request

hi folks, pictureless today. this is really just a request for some really positive energy. the last few days have been rough ones and i need some prayers, to me it matters not what faith they generate from. i have had some issues with my pregnancy with my twin boys and now i have a body in protest. i will be heading to the hospital, where it is likely they will keep me for a bit. i ask that if you have prayers to spare, you send them my way to help keep these little guys in. i appreciate any and all, knowing the knit community, i have a feeling these boys will be receiving energy from all walks,stages and places of life that exist. maybe i will get some more posts in to update...let's hope i get the time i need to finish projects, etc. thanks folks....never have i felt as supported and included as i have since i started blogging

Rainbow Adult Socks, and 2 Pairs of Baby "Mini-Mes"

Rainbow Socks
Knit with size O needles
Trekking XXL superwash sock yarn
and
Wendy Knits' Free Toe-up Sock Pattern:

(Note: I'm in my eight month of pregnancy, or 7.5 months depending upon who you ask and how you count it, so, as with shaving my legs in the shower, a certain degree of "prenatal yoga" was a necessary prerequisite to obtaining these photos of my feet.)

My feet up on the "Birth Ball"
The "mini-me" baby socks I made with the same yarn, modeled on my pregnant belly ball, with the birth ball in the background:

I used the same pattern, but altered it to make it newborn size by cutting the stitch count, more or less, in half, while maintaining the mathmatical ratio, and shortened the length quite considerably.

(For example, in the adult version, the toe width is 15 stitches at the very top, half of the sock's circumference is twice that, 30 stitches, so the sock's body and ankle has a circumference of 60 stitches. Instead of being 60 stitches around, the baby socks are 32. Instead of casting on 30 stitches for the adult version, I cast on 16 stitches for the baby socks, made the toe width 1/2 that; 8 stitches, and the circumference 32.)

I'm making it sound way more complicated than it actually is.

I'm sure Wendy would describe my adaptation of her pattern better than I have. I have found her pattern directions to be very clear. Maybe I should email her what I did in case she wants to translate a pattern for baby toe-up socks better than I have. (As if she doesn't have enough to do with all the complicated projects she has going on at any given time. Have you seen how fast that woman whips out her knitting projects?! It's pretty impressive.)

But, in the meantime, that's how I made the baby "mini-me" socks, in case you want to make some of your own. They're fun. They take very little yarn to knit up and knit up very quickly.


And here's another pair I made with some left-over sparkly superwash sock yarn.

I don't remember who makes this yarn, I think it's Opal sock yarn, but that's just a guess. I had some leftover from a pair of socks I made over a year ago and didn't save the label. The yarn has glittery sparkly bits in it that are a little scratchy, but still pretty soft.

S is for Shedir

Another itty bitty hat, this time a baby shedir. This was an unexpectedly quick an rewarding knit and really not as tricky as it looks. I knit the baby version using Something for nothing's mods (the original knitty pattern is size for an ault noggin).



Mine is about 14 inches around unstretched so is too big for a newborn...probably more of a 3-6 month or 6-12 month size. Here's a close-up of the crown shaping. As Grover would say "is it not beautiful?"

I'm so smitten in fact that I immediately cast-on for another...this time on smaller needles to fit a newborn.

Hopefully!

More details on my blog.

Is she even still a baby?

Well, I still think she's a baby, but she seems like less of one every day! My Baby Girl is almost a year and a half now. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. Here's a sweater I just finished for her. It's the Wonderful Wallaby finished just in time to catch Winter. More info here.

Happy knitting,
Laura

Hello there

Hi, I'm new to the postings, though I've been lurking for a few months now. I have three wee ones, though at 6, my oldest boy (he's my monkey) isn't so wee any more. I've also got a 4.5 year old girl (she's my fairie), and a 10 month old girl (my peanut) - that would be my "baby" to be a part of here! I'm also in the midst of a baby boom, so most of my knitting is for friends and their babies - what a joy!

I regularly blog here and here.

So, to start us off, I thought I'd share one of my favorite simple knits - you've all made one, the "Children's Cotton Hats" from "Last-Minute Knitted Gifts." I love this pattern - I call it my movie hat, since I've made it so often I can knit one up during a movie. This one is going to my cousin's new son - a first boy for them!

Hope to be finding time to knit more and post more soon - it's good to be in such good company!

More Fruit Oriented Headwear

Good evening! New blogger here... I'm excited to be joining KBBB after lurking here for a couple months. I am a mom to an adorable (aren't they all?) 13 month-old girl & the expectant mom of a little boy to be sometime in mid-July. I'm basically a beginning knitter (I took it up while pregnant with my daughter but had about a year long hiatus until a couple weeks ago - the transition to mommyhood really got me) but I am very um, obsessed? No, let's use enthusiastic instead :)

Here is my latest FO: a Strawberry hat based on the Ann Norling Fruit Cap pattern:
More details can be found over at my blog. I'm thinking of doing a blueberry version for the next little one but I have so many other things already lined up in my head! SO frustrating, I need more time (or maybe less sleep?).

Looking forward to posting here and seeing all the fabulous project everyone creates, it is so inspiring... Hmmmmm. Maybe y'all could cut back on the fabulosity for a couple weeks or months, you know, just so I can catch up on my to do list a teeny bit without adding more to it?

Knitty's Katja

I started this little top yesterday, and it practically flew off my needles. When I first saw it in Knitty, I wasn't sure how I felt about it - too racy or too cute for words? I'm desperately trying to decrease my stash, and I ran across this pattern again yesterday in my search for the perfect pattern + stash yarn combo. I remembered that I had a small fortune invested in Lily Sugar N Cream dishcloth cotton (from my Mason-Dixon hysteria yarn buying), and the gauge was just right for this little top (Katja). It was such an easy knit! I knitted it in the smallest size and in the round to avoid having to seam up the back, and I only used one ball of the above mentioned yarn. I'm already playing around with a couple of ideas for modifications, including making it longer (to make it a dress) and figuring out a way to make the straps flatter and shorter (so I can criss-cross them in the back, then button them). I think it's pretty cute, and I would bet that it would be cutie-patootie over a onesie.

Sorry that the picture isn't of better quality; I'm having a hard time getting a good shot today! I have just loved seeing everyone else's posts! Please keep knitting and posting!

Sean's Apple Hat

I made my 8 week old son this apple hat. The pattern is from here. I made it in the 1 year size, so that it fits him in the fall/winter of 2007. It kind of fits his head now, but it's way too big. I tried to photograph him in it - but he was sleeping, and I think I was bugging him, so he wasn't really impressed with me putting a warm wool hat on his head in the house! It's a REALLY fast knit - and I really enjoyed making this hat! I recommend it for your own child or for a gift! And it's super cute! (I also decided that I only wanted 1 leaf on the hat instead of 2 for my son's hat, so that's the only altering I did to the pattern.

I blog here.

Pants and more

Hi, i initially published this at my blog then found this site and joined. I hope all is well in the land of baby bumpers and I am glad to have a new forum for sharing baby knits. I've seen some great stuff already scrolling through previous posts.


i love these pants. they are too darn cute. i knitted the first pair (the darker of the two) months ago, i fell in love with the picture in the book last minute knitted gifts. i placed the second unwashed pair at its side to illustrate that denim yarn really does shrink in length, not really in width. the dark washed pair faded very little, but feels sturdy and durable, ready to take on the rigors of a rolling baby boy. it is a fun and quick pattern that literally flies of the needles. i did not modify the pattern, but used the magic loop method throughout in order to keep the stitches even with little pulling. i have rarely used multiple needles to knit smaller items, i just seem to lose stitches at the needle junctures.
yesterday was a beautiful day, just a bit crisp and cool with plenty of sunshine liberally dousing my lounge chair. i heave-ho'd myself out onto the lounger for a morning knit session while my mama gardened and meesh chased random airborne items, everything from busy bees to my mom's lavender clippings. i brought the print o' waves piece out with me and knit a bit of sunshine into its panel. in the previous post i abbr. the wip to read pow which seems kinda wrong so i will muster up a different moniker, one not so, um, disturbing.

i love this piece and find knitting it to be soothing and enjoyable. the lace has a good balance of repetition to variation of stitches and, once established, requires little reference to pattern. for those of you out there that think lace too challenging, i highly recommend you rethink your position. the first lace i tackled was at the hem of this piece. i remember staring at the pattern wondering what i was supposed to do. but once you cast on, away you go. lace reveals itself and takes a different type of patience. there is a great beginner project in LMKG (yes, my latest obsession but not my last). it is a pretty and quick piece to get one comfortable with the concept of yo (yarn overs) and decreases, which is really what lace is all about. also check out this tutorial by eunny (i miss eunny, does anyone know if she is out there?). i really recommend it for those of you that want or need a bit of meditation time in life, that is what it has developed into for me.

onto another subject, i had a bit of a discussion/rumination regarding whether i would be including the beans in my posting after their delivery. it did take a little bit of consideration, but i know how much i love to view the blogs from mommies that have their beautiful little ones sporting their handknits or the ones that post those moments of magic, and i decided i want to be a part of them. for the most part, knitting blogs seems like a fairly insulated society and a really appreciative one at that. we are lucky enough to receive a routine 4D ultrasound every four weeks to track the development of the beans. our most recent was about two weeks ago and we met our little boys for the first time. it is amazing (and a little weird) that we can now watch their world inside the womb, meeting them before they ever come breathe our air. here is a little collage of some ultrasound pictures, i love looking at them. it is amazing the fierce rush of maternal feelings that hit when i see them. They have already received their first mama instructions consisting of a firm "babies, stay in!", wish us luck in this endeavor. and thanks to all those who have sent their well wishes our way, we love and cherish them.

Baby cable twist socks

Remember the happy green socks I knit a few weeks ago to wear for my lemon's birth? Well it turns out I had *exactly* enough yarn left over to knit a teeny tiny baby version of the same pattern for my little guy...

Aren't they so cute? I just hope they fit him. It would be great to both get to wear them on his birthday. Wouldn't it make for a great photo op if they did?

Blogged about in greater detail here and here.

Cheers!

Watermelon Baby Blanket

Last week I decided to cast on a pattern I've wanted to try for years now: the Pinwheel Baby Blanket. I've been trying desperately to knit up some of the yarn in my ridiculous stash, so this seemed like a perfect match! I'm thrilled with the way it turned out.

Here's a quick overview of the details: I used Caron Simply Soft yarn and US size 8 needles. I started off without the idea to make the blanket resemble a big slice of watermelon, but the idea hit my pretty quickly after I casted on (the pink color is called Watermelon). I knew that I had just the right shades of green for the rind. I just love stash-busting! The finished blanket has 55 stitches in each section (for a total of 550 stitches), and I used the dark green to crochet one round of single crochet and three rounds of half double crochet for the rind. I needed the weight of the crochet to keep the stockinette from rolling. I started the blanket on double point needles and progressed to a 16" circular, then to a 29" circular, and finally to a 32" circular. I didn't want to buy a longer circular, so I took it as a cosmic sign to stop increasing when I thought there was no way I could jam any more stitches on the needle. The whole project took me about a week, and the finished blanket is about 40-42 inches in diameter. It's bigger than most baby blankets, but I figure that a little too big is better than a little too small.

Here are some tips about starting the Pinwheel Baby Blanket - it can be pretty tricky. There is also a link on that page to an Excel spreadsheet that can be used to predict your diameter as you go. You just have to put in your gauge in stitches per inch and how many stitches you have per section. I thought it was really handy while I was knitting. It's hard to tell what you've got while it's still on the needles.

This was such a fun project, and I plan to knit it again in the future. I'd love to experiment with different colors and striping, maybe even some intarsia.

Jimmy's Baby Gift Sweater

Sweater for my niece, pattern from Jimmy Bean's Wool, yarn Tess' Yarn Superwash Merino.

Tiny Finishes

When things are little - is that all that it takes to make them cute?

I finished up two tiny things this weekend... first is yet another pair of Angora booties from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (which I won't show here, as it's my 4th pair, but you can see them on my blog). But I also found a great toe up baby sock pattern, and made a little test pair out of leftover Sundra yarn:



These are a quick knit if you are a sock knitter - and a cute way to use up leftover sock yarn!

Wear Test; Knit Picks Shine Sport

Those of you who read my blog while I was nesting in the last weeks of my pregnancy this summer heard a lot of gushing about Knit Picks Shine:

"It's so soft!"

"So easy to work with!"

"Produces such nice stitch definition."

"Amazingly enough, for a cotton yarn, it doesn't suck!"

The latter, in my opinion, was the highest praise. I always be a woolaholic. I know I'm in good company, right?

So how did Shine stand up to six glorious months of baby wear? Not too bad, all things considered (which means, "Not too bad given it's so cheap.")

Here is a striped baby tank top. Proportionally speaking, it seems wider now than it did when I made it. Granted, I have a skinny kid so everything looks wide on her. It's possible that it shrunk up a little - I can't say for certain. This tank hasn't seen as much wear as the next sweater so it's still in pretty good shape.

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Pattern: Baby Tank from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits Book
Needles: US 4

Now this argyle sweater has seen a lot of wear. And machine washing and drying, as the label professes is possible. Yes, I threw it in the washer in spite of the delicate shell buttons. They haven't broken yet... The sweater looks great from a distance. Even in this photo you can't see the problem.

A fine halo :Yarn: Knit Picks Shine
Pattern: Argyle Cardigan in Debbie Bliss' Special Knits
Needles: US 4

I imagine that's the 50% modal giving off the fuzz but what do I know? It just doesn't look quite as crisp as it did six months ago. Is this a bit picky? Perhaps, but if I spend hours knitting it, I don't want the sweater to go all Holy on me in six months. This won't keep me from buying more Shine because you all know I'm cheap; however, I won't gush as much about it in the future. I promise!

baby Gator

Here are the first baby socks I have made for our little girl due in May. I actually completed these at Christmas time (and have complete several other things since then), just haven't done much blogging lately.

These are her Florida Gator socks, in honor of our 2 National Championships this year!

More pictures to come soon...several other projects on the needles :)

Sharon

Surprise!

I am finally back - the old blogger did not like me at all. Here is the first of two project I have completed while away: the famous EZ Baby Surprise Jacket in Lorna's Laces Sport, and no, 3 oz of sport weight yarn are not enough and I had to buy a second skein.

While I think it is very fun to see the jacket emerge from this weird object I was knitting, I did not enjoy making it. Garter stitch is the knitting equivalent of a lobotomy, and I do not like the look of it. And I hate to count stitches, and the instructions are all in the form "when you have ### stitches do this or that." But all considered, a very cool project.

Lu

Fancy Pants

I knit this pair of longies for my baby girl. I used my own pattern and used almost an entire skein of Malabrigo. They're super soft, but they're starting to get kind of pilly. I'm convinced now that every baby needs a pair of knitted pants. Best part: they double as a diaper cover.

It's been a while... life with 2 kids is really busy... but I had to show off this baby and this hat. The hat is made with Alpaca Silk-- not the most practical baby yarn, but I figure that gravity generally keeps her spit-up off her head, so it won't need to be washed too often. No pattern-- I kind of made it up as I went along.

Regarding more practical baby yarns-- she has been wearing a sweater that I knit with Valley Yarns Longmeadow. It's a cotton microfiber blend, so not too heavy, very soft to the touch, but still keeps her warm. We've machine washed & dried it several times in the last week (this kid spits up a LOT), and it has kept its shape, with no fuzzing or pilling or anything. I would definitely use this for baby projects again.



Keep knitting!

the time has come

Nope, no baby yet, but Blogger has decided that it's time for me and the blogs I host to switch to the new Blogger. This blog has been switched over to the new Blogger, so you might have difficulty posting until you switch over to the new Blogger as well. If you've had problems in the past joining this blog because you were already on the new Blogger, let me know - maybe things will work now that this blog has been updated.


The switch should be pretty simple. Contact Blogger if you have problems (because I have no idea what's really going on with this whole updating thing!). I'm happy to resend invites to join if anyone needs one after the switch.

Wishing you continued happy baby knitting and baby knit posting!
--Alison

If you have the time...

HAH, right? I know how it is to be a new mom. No time to yourself, let alone to knit something for someone else. But I have to try. This is Random Acts of Kindness Week and I've posted details on my blog about a nice thing you could do that might only take one evening and would warm a family's heart, and one girl's head. Thanks for looking.

No knitting but some baby-related sewing

While there's not much knitting getting done here, I have made a little progress on a project that's been sitting around for a few months. We use cloth diapers. Lots of cloth diapers. Mostly Bum Genius with Chinese pre-folds inside.
When I was pregnant, I made about 200 flannel wipes by sewing two 9"x9" squares of flannel together. The wipes were by far the most useful thing I made in preparation for baby Beatrix.
When Beatrix was a few weeks old, I realized that we could certainly use more wipes (you can never have too many). And they make great gifts. Unfortunately, they're only quick to make if you make a ton at once. Otherwise, they're fairly labor intensive. At the time, I bought more fabric, cut the squares out, matched fronts and backs up, and sewed. I never got around to turning them right-side out, ironing them, and topstitching them closed. Yes, I realize I could cut a few of those steps out if I had a serger but I don't have one and I'm not sure I'm willing to spend the money on one. So, to make a long story short, I turned them out and ironed them. I'll stitch another day and maybe we'll have more wipes before Beatrix leaves for college.

Don't you just love the colors?
I know, I know. Their intended purpose is to wipe a baby's butt. You needn't remind me. I still think they're cute.

Presenting one of the simple stockinette roll brim caps from Itty Bitty Hats
Yarn: Knitpicks superwash swish in ballerina and Wool of the Andes chocolate and pink tulle
Size 7 bamboo circulars and DPNs

I think the tulle makes the hat! My daughter got quite a kick out of playing with the extra tulle too.

And many attempts later, I think I figured out how to do the decreases with the DPNs. More or less!

--L

a little hat for a little boy

I knit a little hat for my son. If anyone is looking for a quick practical knit for a little one, Ann Budd's chapter on hats (in A Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns) is the best! I had a random ball of Cashmerino and 4 hours later, my son had a cozy hat!

It's just a hat, but if you are interested in the story behind it, etcetera, go here.

Turtle parade!

As mentioned in my latest podcast...

It's a little group of Sheldons!

My 3-year-old, Sparky, picked out the color combinations for the blue and green ones, and then I worked up a girly one, just in case Baby #3 happens to be a girl. Also, I just adore pink and red together. Can't help myself.

The 1-1/2 year old (Max) thinks that the turtles are all well and good, but my older fellow (Sparky) adores them and can be found running around with all three at any given moment.

More details at my blog here, along with notes that you might want to know if you're going to work up this project yourself.

Oh, also, I really appreciated the Baby Wear Test that Elinor just posted here. Very helpful, since I'm always wondering how things will wash and wear with all the abuse they will surely get. If anyone else has any examples of other yarn and knits, that would be wonderful!