EZ Shorties

Pattern: Baby Leggings from Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Patons Classic Merino in camel
Needles: US size 5 circs
Gauge: Between 5 and 5 1/5 stitches per inch

Unstretched measurements: 16" waist, 21" hip (widest part, at last increase), 20" rise. It fits my 14-month-old son perfectly (but with not a whole lot of room to grow, so it would probably fit a younger baby as well).

Mods: Increased the number of stitches set aside for the crotch to 14 front and back; 5 stitches just doesn't seem like enough for an active toddler. Also did just 7 rows of ribbing after dividing for the legs to make shorties instead of longies.

The rise is indeed long, as I've read elsewhere, but I decided to just knit the pattern as written (with the exception of the mods mentioned above) the first time just to see how it turns out. It's really not that long after blocking, and since I used merino, I know it'll shorten some with the felting from regular wear anyway, so I'll probably be thankful for the extra length down the road.

This was a fun and easy pattern, and it turned out really cute. So far I give it a thumbs up, but my little man hasn't worn it yet. I'm interested to see how it fits and behaves on a babe in action.

Superquick Baby Gift

One hank of Lorna's Laces Worsted, some leftover sock yarn to match and, voila':



ETA:
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Worsted is in Powder Blue, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Icehouse.
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple Baby Pullover #214 for the sweater, your basic stockinette pattern for sock and hat.



Lu

Baby socks

I just finished a pair of socks for myself, made from Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport ("Desert Bloom"), and had enough yarn left over to make a matching pair for the new baby.


How small are they? I took a picture of them next to the adult pair for scale:


These were a quick, addictive knit ... I think I've figured out what to do with all my leftover sock yarn!

Long time, no Sheldons

For a while I saw Sheldons all over the knitblog world! I never got around to making one, though. So here I go, now that the craze is over!

When my friend informed me that she did NOT want gifts of baby clothes for her twins (due in August) I decided I wasn't going to waste my time, or yarn, on hand-knit clothing she would never use. But I had to knit her something! So from the needles came a Sheldon:


He is knit from the recommended KnitPicks Shine Sport in colors Sky and River. I also used the recommended needle sizes of 3 dpns and 4 straights. Maintaining gauge for all of the separate pieces that had to fit together in the end was challenging, but overall, I'm pleased with the result.

Next I'll be working on his green clone for the other twin!

presenting...Jakob

Jakob

Born: May 17 2007, mid-morning
Weight: 8.0 lbs
Length: 20.5"

Our proudest FO ever. Birth story to come (soon) here.

Bye bye, wee pants

My little guy is 8 weeks old and outgrowing all of his wee newborn things. Wah. I should have knit more things in bigger sizes as well as the tiny ones, because i currently have no motivation to make anything that will be so rapidly outgrown. I'm sure it'll come back, but for now, I'm waving goodbye to all those tiny handknits.

on my blog you can see a finished crochet project. It's a crib sized blanket and will fit for a nice long time, thank you very much.

I think I need to go back to making toys for a while.

Finished Object!

Jonathan Robert Harper


9 pounds 11 ounces (ooops! correction: 8 pounds 11 ounces. yes, 9 pounds 11 ounces would have been a great big baby too big for all the handknits :) )


20.75 inches long


was born April 23rd, 2007 at 3:09 PM

I had just finished knitting the collar on my baby pea pod, no buttons yet; and I had almost finished seaming my Debbie Bliss ribbon edged cardigan, no collar or buttons yet, when he was born. The newborn size pea pod hat fit him for the 1st 2 weeks, but it's too small now. I'm glad I made the 6 mos size too! I'm just hoping the sweaters still fit this fall because it's hot in NC and we haven't had anywhere to go to show off the lovely handknits on the cool days. But that's okay. Maybe he'll have a baby born in the fall or winter someday himself and can use it for his own child. :)

I'll still post pictures as soon as I can take them.

Deborah in NC

More woollies for my boy

Here is my latest knit for Austy - a pair of knitted pants to wear to bed over his bulky cloth night nappy and keep him dry. The yarn is a minimally processed Western Australian wool that I hand dyed myself. At first I was worried that it wouldn't be soft enough but after a few washes (to stop the dye running) the wool has become a nice soft, sturdy knit that looks like it will wear well. The cuffs are a shepherd "Colour Me" 8ply, that is machine washable, and suprisingly soft with a little fuzz. I will certainly be buying more of it for Austy projects in the future.

Showing some Pink love...

Hi everybody just wanted to show you all some progress on the pink front. Hope that you all enjoy these lovely little things. This is a picture of a sweet little hat that I made for our future daughter who we expect to be here in august. I live in Germany so it does get cold here sooner then my home state of California, and some pink little socks to match her hat. I used some left over yarn from this project for my niece. I embroidered a little daisy on the front the hat for a little girly flare. I got the template for the daisy here. Also in this picture there is some Yarntini socks Knit in the "Pure Knits" colorway, leftovers from these sock that I made for myself...matching mom and daughter socks, I still need to finish the match for my pair. Chibi in picture to show scale. And in the next picture there is half of the layout for her quilt that I have started to sew up I can't wait to get that done I think that it is going to be so lovely when it is finished. I am using Heather Bailey's material "fresh cut" I love every single square. Hope that all of you are enjoying your new bundles of joy and those of you that are still pregnant like myself I hope that you are enjoying your growing bellies. Happy knitting.

I Heart My Hearts And Stars Blanket

After a very long wait, my nephew has arrived. Six months ago I set out to do what any good auntie would do: make a baby blanket.

Hearts And Stars Blanket from Zoe Mellor's Adorable Knits For Tots
Yarn Misti Alpaca Worsted in Pumpkin (about 5 hanks, I think...)
NeedleU.S. 6 (again, I think... memory fading)
Mods Gauge, since the pattern calls for a DK cotton. Because of that I did five rows of pattern repeats rather than seven. Since the pattern is intended as a family blanket, not crib blanket, I think I would have modified the size even if it knit up in the recommended gauge.

So, there you have it. My amazing mother-in-law made this same blanket for the baby of a family friend a couple of years ago and I noticed that she paused when I told her I was planning it for the baby and that I'd already dove into it. She later confessed that it was a very long knit. I'm glad I went for a bigger gauge and less repeats, because as fun as the bumpy purled hearts and stars were, this was a looooooong one. I worked on it fairly regularly and it ended up being about five months of knitting. But I think it looks great. The yarn is like butter -- it's so soft and beautiful. I just hope that the baby isn't a particularly messy little thing, otherwise my sister-in-law is going to have to rename me "your Auntie who seems to think that it's okay to knit a hand-wash-only blanket for an infant." But, I just couldn't resist the yarn and I've successfully convinced myself that as a heirloom item, handwash yarn is okay.


Loads of more info and pictures (and auntie love) over at my blog.

Vine Lace Baby Hat

This hat is made from the same skein of Koigu yarn used to make the booties previously posted here and at my blog here (also shown above). I got the pattern from here. It looked to be about half the size before blocking, which had me a little concerned, but after soaking in 'Soak' wash and simply patting into shape between layers on a tea towel, it 'shaped up' beautifully! I think there's still enough yarn left to make an 'umbilical cord hat' ... bonus!

Child's Placket Neck Sweater

I'm due at the beginning of June, and I'm counting down the days. This is my fourth child (third boy), but I haven't done much baby knitting before--I always waited until they were older, the idea being that they could wear the stuff longer. I knit for friends' infants instead. But with this one I decided that was silly, and I've discovered that I really love knitting the tiny clothes for my own wee one to come.

Vital Stats

Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash (color?)

Needles: Size 7 Denise Interchangables and bamboo double points

Pattern: Child's Placket Neck Sweater, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
(correct PDF pattern HERE)

Gauge: 5.25 sts per inch (made it a little bigger than I intended--hopefully it will fit this winter)

More on my blog HERE, where I've decided to post once a day every day until the little man is born.

Lacy Bonnet

I made this second Lacy Bonnet from Erika Knight's Knitting for Two awhile ago, but only put the bows on this morning. Should have done this weeks ago, as my little Cashew has almost grown out of it already!

8 weeks old and smiling! Must be the hat...

A charming hat and pattern. If I did it again I would try to make the hat bigger and place the bows more forward.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Baby Shower Gifts Galore

I finally have some finished objects that I can share again. I've been knitting up a storm lately, but most of it has been for gifts, so I've been sitting on the pictures until the gifts were given.



Pattern: Baby Bib O Love from Mason Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Sugar and Cream cotton, cream
Needles: US size 4 (two sizes down from pattern recommendation)
Modifications: knit one long strap that buttons at the front




Patterns: Easy Baby Cardigan (pdf) and North Country Cotton Baby Socks (pdf)
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Shadows, dark moss (it's actually a slightly darker green than the photos show--poor lighting for photography here lately). I'm not crazy about acrylic and usually avoid it, but I just loved this color! I think it will be great whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
Needles: US size 7 circs for the sweater; US size 3 DPNs for the socks
Mods: None for the socks (except using a smaller needle size). For the sweater, I knit buttonholes into the edging on the front and sewed on buttons instead of doing ties as the pattern instructs. I also used a provisional cast on for the top of the hood and came back and kitchener grafted the hood together instead of seaming the top. (I would knit both of these patterns again. Love 'em!)
Other comments: The socks seem to run very large. I knit the baby size on size 3 needles (two sizes smaller than recommended), and they still fit my 13-month old son. The sweater should fit around 6-9 months, just in time for cooler weather next fall/winter. Perhaps the baby will have large feet. :-) I figure that even if the socks don't fit at the same time as the sweater, they'll still be cute to wear with another outfit somewhere down the line.

Just in Time for Mother's Day

Our baby boy; bundle of joy:

Born on Monday, May 7th, at 11:02 pm weighing 7 lbs 6 oz and measuring 20 inches long.

More info., and more pictures to follow, posted on my blog.

First post and baby washcloth

Hi! Delurking for my first post... I've really enjoyed looking at all the cute stuff other people are making. This is the first thing I've made for my little bun - it's not clothes or toys, but I thought that cotton chenille washcloths would be so soft for baby baths, so I tried it out. I like it and have yarn to make another one for her in a minty green. I have bigger plans than washcloths but am waiting for summer when I have more time and no classes to teach. :)


More details on my blog: Froggin' Knit Up

Vanessa

Here's my finished Bunny hat, from the ever-popular Itty Bitty Hats book...

More on my blog--

And my own bunny wearing it!

Baby Capris

After what seemed like way too long, I finally finished a pair of capris for my daughter. I like everything about them, except I want a different drawstring for the waistband. They're great for wearing under dresses:











And don't worry, she's normally strapped into her chair--she's just not for this pic :)
-Bridget

very special baby stuff

I finally finished the entrelac blankie! Here it is all washed and dried:

Project Specs:
Pattern: none. Just regular entrelac 10 sts wide per square and kept going until I felt it was square.
Yarn: Patons Decor in Rich Country Blue and Winter White
Needles: 5.5mm
Cast On to Bind Off: December 29 2006 - May 7 2007
Notes: I was going to knit a garter border but realized last minute that I didn't have enough 5.5mm needles to make it all the way around so I used the same size crochet hook and just did 2 or 3 rows of single crochet around, putting 3 sts in each corner st to ease better around the corners.
Would I knit this again: yes, its fast, easy and mindless knitting

This is the Baby Einstein I knit up. I love how rustic it came out! I still need to wash it, as I only sewed the buttons on yesterday.

Project Specs:
Pattern: Sally Melville's Einstein Coat, Baby Einstein version, 6-9 month size from The Knit Stitch
Yarn: SandesGarn Smart (as per the pattern)
Needles: 4mm
Cast On to Bind Off: April 16-23 2007
Notes: I was a little disappointed with one part of the pattern. I don't know if there was a mistake in my book, but for the body of the sweater, the pattern has you work X width around, then work the top halfs, from one edge right to the other. That's fine...except that the pattern doesn't add any room for overlap. What I mean is, once the sweater is folded in half to become a coat, there is no overlap for the button band. One side has button holes, the other side gets the buttons, but the edges meet perfectly. So when I tug one side over by about an inch to pull the button holes over the other edge to close the buttons, the neck and shoulders and sleeves get pulled out of place. I don't know if I'm explaining this right, but it isn't right. So since I could never have the coat close up to the top button anyways due to this error and how crappy it looks if buttoned all the way, I chose to sew down the top two sides as lapels instead. The yarn is scratchy enough that I don't need to worry about the baby wearing it alone and having a cold neck, there will always be at least a tshirt underneath. Since there is no finishing on the neck itself (in the pattern) I like the "finished" look my variation gives.

Would I knit this again: probably since the knitting was fun and easy, but I would check for a pattern correction or create an amendment myself first.

I originally referred to this set as the "Clown" cardigan and hat set since that is the name of the yarn called for in the pattern, but I have sinced changed that to the "Ice Cream" cardi and hat set ('cus of the colors) so if you look for it in my sidebar, look under Ice Cream.

Project Specs:
Pattern: Clown Cardigan and Hat from a Marks & Kattens pamphlet, 9mo size
Yarn: Regia Canadian Color sock yarn color 4733 (I think its "Ottawa")
Needles: 2.5 and 3mm
Cast On to Bind Off: November 20 2006 - April 11 2007
Notes: I turned it inside out while knitting so I had to adapt the shaping to be on purl side instead of the knit side. I like it better that way, but 90% of those who see it think it's inside out and prefer the knit side as the outside. Since the button band is picked up and knit on afterwards, thus leaving a seam, plus mattress stitch also leaves a seam, it is not reversable. Still, I don't care. I like the way it looks. And I LOVE the hat.
Would I knit this again: Yes. For my child I'd knit the hat again. I'd knit the cardigan for a gift but in a different colorway.

Last, but not least, I bring you a very special finished object and I believe that until the little one is born it is my favorite FO of all time.

Let me present to you...

Yannick's blankie.

Yes, this is the blanket that my husband Yannick knit for our baby. Sit down if you need to. I'll wait.

For those of you that don't know the story, about 3 or 4 years ago Yannick's anniversary gift to me was that he would learn how to knit and make me something. After a bit of swatching he realized how much he hated knitting and had possibly bit off more than he could chew. Still, he took me to the yarn store to find something for the project. I let him pick the yarn since it would be flowing through his hands, and after some trial and error he settled on bamboo needles that allowed the slippery yarn to slide without being too fast. He practiced his knits and purls on some waste yarn, then we had to decide what the project would be. I had originally asked for a little "blankie" for myself, something small to have with me for when he couldn't be there. Once we saw how much he didn't enjoy knitting and how uncomfortable he was at it (even though his stitches looked beautiful) I offered to give him some chunky yarn and big knits, and said I'd be just as thrilled with a scarf. He refused. He wanted to prove he could "do it".

We decided on a basketweave pattern with a stockinette stitch center. He cast on himself, and got started. He used stitch markers for the first 20 rows or so, but found they got in his way and made messier gaps between the knit/purl transitions, so he abandoned them. He also abandoned the knitting many times over the years. We fought often about how he seemed to have forgotten my anniversary gift. Sometimes he'd work on it...most of the time he'd forget. Once in a while he'd come to the knitting meetups with me and work on a few rows, but then he'd get to talking and it would hang in his hands, untouched.

Then we found out we were pregnant. It wasn't hard to decide that this blankie should be for the baby, not for me. I threatened that I would keep my legs crossed and not let the baby out until the blanket was done. He'd work on it for a while, then a month or so would go by without any progress. He learned how to read his stitches and became such a perfectionist that he'd often call me over to fix a non-existant mistake. Over the last few weeks he got a burst of energy when he realized how close he was to finishing, then last week he did it.

He finished the blankie. On Monday morning I taught him how to bind off so I could wash it with the next load of baby clothes. He did it all: cast on, knit, purl, basketweave, stocking stitch, stitch markers, no stitch markers, bind off. He even refused to use the larger needle trick to make sure his bind off wasn't too tight- he didn't want tricks. He wanted to do it right like everyone else, so he went slow and made sure he didn't pull the yarn. The only thing I did for him was weave in the ends.

Project Specs:
Pattern: none. We made up a repeat of basketweave with a stockinette stitch center.
Yarn: King Cole's Soft as Silk DK (I think it's now discontinued)
Needles: 4.5mm
Cast On to Bind Off: A long time.

Photos of all this and more at my blog.

First post and Baby Socks

I just finished up a wee pair for the new little one (on the way). They are from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits for Beginners. I figured it would be a quick and easy way to use up some leftovers as well as start my baby knits. I think they will be a little big for a newborn, but they will make nice warm feet in the depths of winter. I used Snuggly DK in color 358.

Heigh-ho Cherry-O

I finished another hat and bootee set:

hat pattern: Cherry-O! from Itty Bitty Hats
yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton (#310 "Shell", #215 "Rosso" & # $219 "Gooseberry")
bootees from Fiber Trends ("Baby Basics")

"OOOOO!" Young'un said when he saw the finished product. "My baby sister is going to love that!"

Sorry, big guy, these are a gift for someone else's baby. But I suspect that our baby will have her own cherry hat and shoes eventually.

Christine's Booties

These are so tiny, they almost look like they'd fit a doll! Perfect for a newborn. For pattern link and modification details, check out my blog here.

New Wooly Britches for My Little Dude

With warm weather coming, my little guy needs some new soakers, since the soakers I knit him for last summer are now too small. Here's the first of (I hope) six:



Pattern: Curly Purly Soaker (Love it! Wish I hadn't waited till now to try it! This is quite possibly the perfect soaker pattern.)
Needles: US size 3, 5, and 7 circs
Yarn: Peace Fleece, sheplova mushroom
Mods: Added one extra short row an inch below the pleated section.

Fait Accompli!

This afternoon I finally completed the baby blanket I have been working on lo' these many months.

This is the Ruffled Ridges Baby Blanket pattern by Fiber Trends. The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Hand Dyed Cotton in Indigo. All the other details and another picture over at my blog as usual. I am very pleased with the blanket and I am so relieved to be done with the project. It was my oldest UFO and having it hanging over my head was killing me.

Now I can move on to new baby projects... ten weeks to go, time to kick the baby knits into high gear.

I recently finished the Baby Yoda Sweater from Dogs Steal Yarn. I used Plymouth Sunsette yarn.



You can see photos of my favorite knitwear model on my blog.

Like peanutes

These cotton hats are like peanuts, you cannot stop at one!



Lu
off to look for more yarn in her stash

Late Arrival

Two weeks and 3 days late our little one joined the family. She is absolutely gorgeous, and I can hardly bear to put her down. I had no idea how fascinated I could be by such a little creature. I'm completely smitten. Thus far, I've FINALLY finished the American/Dutch flag blanket. Photo to come eventually. And a very dear friend knitted this beautiful Debbie Bliss dress for the baby. Her craftsmanship is unbelievable - I should really also post a photo of the inside so that you can see. Amazingly, I had knit a hat for the little one in the identical yarn! She's certainly a lucky little baby.

Are toddler knits allowed?

My "baby" is certainly growing up fast - he's now 17 months so I don't know if my latest FO qualifies as a baby knit, but here it is anyway!


I knitted this little hat from 10 ply (worsted weight) 100% superwash wool, so it's soft against his gorgeously smooth baby skin but nice and warm too. I handyed it myself using vinegar and food colour, my first try at making brown in a colourway.


More photos and free pattern at my blog.

Why a Cute Ribbon Tie Isn't Such a Great Idea for a Baby Sweater

Do you think it would look strange if I turned the tie around to the back of the tank? *sigh*
-Elinor

Baby sets are finished and gifted!

Two little twinnies, currently known as Twin A and Twin B (due in June), will be going home from the hospital wearing..... these!

Two newborn hats and bootie sets made from Patons Dreamtime Baby wool hand dyed with aeroplane jelly - my first ever hand dyes. The twins' mum liked them so much that she packed them straight into the hospital bag as a part of the twins' going home outfits, so as you can probably tell, I am thrilled! Her older daughters loved them too and were trying to dress their "babies" with them. I did have a slight panic attack as Austy and I posted them on Saturday and I thought they'd be there by Wednesday at the latest, but perhaps the QLD posties are a little slower than they are here. They only arrived today. But phew, they got there safe and sound.

More at my blog: www.joystitch.blogspot.com

Happiness is ....

a finished Bunny Hat (known in our house as "the hat of unbearable cuteness") and matching bootees:

patterns: Bunny Tail hat from Itty Bitty Hats
bootees from Fiber Trends ("Baby Basics")
yarn: Rowan Cashsoft Baby DK (color #800, "Snowman")

These are going to be a gift, but you can bet that I'll be making a similar set for our babe-to-be!