Knitting For Baby

I did a lot of yarncrafting while I was expecting my youngest baby.  You could say that the 2010/2011 winter was a blur of yarn…as a matter of fact, I don’t really remember much else of the midpoint of that pregnancy other than being very cold and having aching fingers from the amount of yarn that I tamed.

I did a touch of crochet, but mostly I was focused on knitting for this little one.  I knit many wool soakers, sweaters, and longies for the little girl who was growing away in my belly.  Silly me, I decided to do several of the soaker in a true newborn size, and my dear daughter was born at 8lbs 6 oz.  Beyond that, we spent a week in the NICU (where she put on weight and grew longer) so by the time we got home she had already outgrown some of the cloth diapering woolies.  Luckily I had made many, many things for me sweet girl to wear.

 We brought her home in a pair of wool longies knit from the Wooly Wonderpants pattern in a three ply yarn made by PureWool in the Diante colorway.  The side snap shirt, incidentally, was low-water immersion dyed.

This top was knit using Sandy’s Palette Merino Sox and a vintage baby vest pattern by Sirdar.  I also knit another from the same pattern using a beautiful reddish pink shade of vintage S.R. Kertzer baby camel hair yarn.

Another favorite was the Emma Tunic by Jennifer Alexander using some leftover Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton! Complete with a button picked out by the baby’s big sister.

I made plenty of other items for when she was older, but there really is something special about the newborn knits, isn’t there?  They are just so tiny and sweet, and a reminder of the anticipation of a new family member.

Oh, Baby!

My sister and her husband are having their first baby this summer. All crafters know that such an occasion calls for some serious action – in the form of handmade gifts.
They are going to cloth diaper the baby, (yay!) so I’ve knit a couple of wool soakers for use as covers. Now, before you look at the pictures, I want to stress the fact that I am not a proficient knitter. My knitting is merely passable, at best.

I added the words to these two little tops using a printable iron-on transfer. One says ‘el jefe’, which means ‘the boss’ and the other says ‘guapo’ which means ‘handsome’. My brother in law is from Mexico with permanent residency status, and is about to gain full citizenship, which is very exciting!

I love making baby things in colors that aren’t typically baby. I couldn’t resist putting the boyish blues and grays together and softening it up with the cream.

For the soakers, I used the Snapdragon Soaker pattern by Heather Eccles, and the blanket is Lyn's Round Ripple Baby Afghan by Lyn.

Another Hat

I couldn't resist the lure of the Nashua Ecologie Cotton that I've had squirreled away for a year. I had to make something pretty with it! So I crocheted up this sweet little baby hat. It's sized to fit 3-6 months, and has the most precious flower with a faux pearl button right in the center! I used a textured stitch pattern to make it a bit more feminine, and a crab stitch (reverse single crochet) edging to give it that polished look. I really love how classy and simple this hat looks!

It almost makes me want to have another baby girl. Almost.
I think instead of having baby #5, though, I'll just have to order more of this gorgeous yarn and make a couple for my two older daughters. I may try it in one of the other colors...I love how this one crocheted up with a very faint marbling, and I'd love to see what the other colors do!

Bitty Baby Hat

I took a break from making play food for an evening, and made this precious little hat. It's for a sweet mama who is expecting a very special girl in a few months. I made it with cotton yarn from my own pattern.