Tag Archives: baby

What’s On Your Needles?

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It’s been a blue moon since I’ve checked in with you on what you guys are making, and I think it’s time for me to change that!

My friend Jenny just finished this darling little baby sweater!  (We picked out the buttons together when we visited Bainbridge Island last month.)  It’s a fantastic Halloween-y mix of purple green and black, with tiny silvery-gray mother-of-pearl buttons.image_medium2[1]Adorable, right?  I’m so glad Jenny sent me a picture of the finished project, because her visit to Seattle ended before she got to finish the sweater.

She used the Sunnyside pattern by Tanis Lavallee, which comes in two adorable versions-featuring cables and garter stitch or zig-zag lace and darling picot edging.

5617340260_185f264cd1_z[1]Too cute!

So, what are you working on?  I’d love to see!  And, if you want to send along photos, they might end up on the blog (with your permission, of course!)

 

Inspiration: Twin Trouble

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One of my dear friends just gave birth to not one, but two adorable little baby boys!  So, let’s all say a big warm welcome to the twins!  (And congratulations to their amazing (and probably exhausted) parents!)

In honor of the boys, let’s take a look at some double-trouble patterns!

This lovely afghan features entwined twin trees is so beautiful, a real heirloom in the making… but you’d have to make two, one for each of the boys… and that’s a lot of work.

Twin Trees Afghan by Shirley Rhyne

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These fraternal twin hats are completely darling!

Twin Baby Hats by Shayna Bright

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These sweaters are freaking fantastic!  Twin Power!

Twin Power Sweaters by Sarah E. White05.01_medium[1]Welcome to the world, baby boys!  I can’t wait to hang out with you and teach you how to knit (you know, once you master the language, sitting up, and all those little skills).

Pattern: Baby Weasley Sweater

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A new pattern!  And this one’s the perfect center of the venn diagram of knitting, cute things, and everything Harry Potter.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMrs. Weasley (my favorite character from the Harry Potter books)is known for showing her love for her children through her knitting.  So I can’t think of a better way to welcome a new baby to the world than with a personalized sweater based on Mrs. Weasley’s classic design.  This charming pullover sweater is knit at a slightly large gauge, so it works up in no time into a warm and cozy sweater.  Knit flat, with very simple shaping, the Baby Weasley Sweater is ideal for newer knitters.  And, the letter embellishment is added with the duplicate stitch after the sweater is finished (perfect if you don’t know the baby’s name until after they’re born).  The Baby Weasley Sweater will become a favorite of both the baby and their parents.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGet the pattern for free here!

Baby Weasley Sweater

Inspiration: Princess!

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There isn’t much reason for people (especially American people, like me) to care about the British royal family in the 21st century.  I mean, honestly, what do they do?  Not much.

Well, not much except have adorable babies that they dress up in the most amazing knitwear.

The Royal Family is at it again, with their brand-new (and so far unnamed) baby girl.  Look at her!  (And look at the Duchess… dang!  Can you believe she gave birth about 24 hours before these pictures were taken?  What a trooper.  I bet all she wants to do is go home and sleep for about a year.  And put on some PJ pants.)

Lindo__close_up_ka_3289646b[1]And, let’s take a closer look at the new princess’s knitwear (click on the photo for a larger view):

royal-baby-tele_3289946b[1]That bonnet!  That blanket!  So gorgeous.  (I probably wouldn’t wrap my newborn in a white, heirloom-quality shawl, but then again, I’m not a Duchess.  So.)

I love the bonnet.  It’s so simple and perfect.  Squishy garter stitch and tiny cables… Could it be more classic and adorable?

Silverfox Bonnet by Lisa Chemery

SilverfoxBonnet_main1_sm_medium[1]Lilacs for Lila by knittedblissJC

8931079780_5475beaff6_z[1]And that blanket!  Look closely, and you’ll see it’s knit from teeny-tiny lace-weight yarn.  It must have taken forever to make something that beautiful!  I love the stockinette body with the simple, geometric edging.  Very classy.  (Although, honestly, it’s something that should only be taken out for international press events.  You don’t want to have to scrub spit-up out of such fine wool.  That makes me sad just thinking about it.)

Amalthea by Anne Hanson

Amalthea164_72dpi_medium[1]Christening Shawl L252 (My Weekly) by Gladys Amedro

2417516836_27d245680e_z[1]All the best to the new baby princess!  And, Kate- go home, put on your sweat pants, and eat some ice cream!  You earned it!

Prince George

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Oh my goodness, have you guys seen Prince George’s adorable little Christmas sweater?  It’s freaking too cute to handle.   Look at those chubby cheeks (and Christmas shorts?  The British are odd). (Thanks to my friend Jenny for sending me his picture!)

_79710177_princegeorge2[1]Apparently you can’t buy the the royal sweater vest, but we’re knitters.  We don’t need to buy sweaters like common folks (or like the Duchess of Cambridge).  Let’s take a look at the sweater originally from Cath Kidston.

sweater16n-3-web[1]It’s pretty simple,  right?  Just a standard stockinette sweater vest with teeny tiny palace guards on the bottom. If you wanted to make one, just start with a simple vest pattern in navy blue:

Baby’s Banded Sweater Vest by Lisa K. Ross

DSC_0055__2__medium2[1]And work the little palace guards along the bottom.  You could work them with intarsia, or if you wanted to make it even easier on yourself, why not use the duplicate stitch?

I’ve even worked up some palace guard charts, as a Christmas present for you!  (Click the picture for a larger version

Prince George Sweater ChartNow you can make a sweater for your little prince, too!

Pattern Spotlight: Baby Louis

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I don’t know about you, but when I make a stuffed animal or baby doll, I like the final product to look as if it wants to steal my soul.  There’s no better present for your kid to open on Christmas Morning than a doll that a possibly (definitely) possessed newborn-sized, anatomically accurate baby doll.

(My husband is creeped out by all dolls-or at least most.  He freaks out when he goes through the old boxes of stuff in our basement and he comes across my old American Girl doll, so I can only imagine how much he will like this one.  Sorry, Tristan! I hope you weren’t planning on sleeping tonight!)

Anyway, meet Louis, the crocheted baby doll that was weirdly popular on Ravelry this week.

louis_medium2[1]He has eyes that open and close, and a mouth that you can put a pacifier in.  (Which is touted as a selling point, for some reason.  I think it just makes him creepier.  Think about crocheting a mouth separately and then sewing it into the face…)

start_medium2[1]Sure, this doll is firmly in the Uncanny Valley, and is definitely going to tell your kid to murder you in your sleep, but I have to hand it to the lady (or gent) who designed him.  From a technical engineering standpoint, he’s pretty impressive.  To crochet a doll that human-like is pretty crazy.  So, hats off to them.

But, while the designer was asking if they could design a nearly-human baby doll, perhaps they should have asked if they should.

(No.  They should not have.)

Inspiration: Babies!

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My friends just had their first baby girl on Saturday!  I’m so happy for them, and I can’t wait to meet little (actually, she’s almost 10 pounds, so she’s not so little) Naomi.

Naomi’s hobbies include sleeping, eating, and pooping.  She enjoys spending time with her family, and is looking forward to when she can sit up on her own.  Her long-term goals include learning to walk, and learning how to read.

Naomi is currently exploring her career options.  Of course, a proper command of English is a required for most of these career paths, but she figures she’ll have that sorted out within a year or two.

Naomi is considering a career in aviation (as soon as her legs are long enough to reach the pedals, of course).

Aviatrix hat by Justine Turner

12_11_19_9653_edited-1_medium2[1]Birds are a lifelong passion of Naomi’s, so she’s been seriously thinking about following a career in ornithology.  (Of course, a lifelong passion is only a few days long right now, but still.)

owlet by Kate Davies

doris2_medium2[1]And, once she gets a handle on the whole “standing up” thing, Naomi is looking forward to pursuing track and field.  She expects to qualify for the 2032 Olympics.

Crochet Baby Converse by Suzanne Resaul

shoes_005_medium2[1]Congratulations to Naomi on being born!  I’m so excited to see what amazing things you do!

Pattern Spotlight: Saartje’s Bootees

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A quick post today about a lovely quick pattern: Saartje’s Bootees.

This pattern for the most adorable pair of baby bootees is available for free through Ravelry and through Saartje’s website (on the right side of the page).

These tiny bootees are the perfect quick project for when the weather is too hot for anything mentally taxing or large and woolen.  These bootees are worked on two needles, with only a few dozen yards of sock yarn and knit up in only a couple hours.  (If you want to make slightly larger bootees, break out larger needles and thicker wool.)

You could knit them to match a favorite outfit, or a new hand-knit sweater.  Or, go crazy and knit a whole rainbow of bootees.

4378860925_ae64bf0fb0_m[1]In two-tone neutrals, these bootees are perfect for a classy little gentleman.

5734631958_4d97759e70_m[1]And, they are a great excuse to buy those adorable novelty buttons you’ve had your eye on for months.

ldb_small[1]Knit up a whole herd of bootees to keep in your “just-in-case” gift box.  Throw a pair in with a pack of onesies and a card for a perfect gift for any new parent.

Pattern Spotlight: Baby Sophisticate

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A few years ago, it seemed like everyone I knew was getting married (including me, so I don’t really have any room to complain).  For some reason I decided that the perfect wedding gift was a hand knit or crocheted blanket.  I soon began to hate that decision.  When you have one wedding a year, it’s fine.  However, when you start having three weddings every month, that’s a lot of late nights.

Now, as the song goes, first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…  a whole passel of babies (what’s a group of babies called?  A herd? A pod?  A holler?).

But this time, I am being smart about what hand knits I give out.  Babies get sweaters. Not great big blankets.  Maybe a little stuffed animal or a matching pair of bootees, if I’m feeling generous.  I’m a big fan of EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket, but sometimes knitting even a tiny sweater in sock yarn is more than I’m up for.  When I learned that a friend was expecting twins, and invited me to a baby shower in a week, I knew that even I couldn’t bang out two BSJ’s in time.

I went to Ravelry and started poking around for an alternative, and I found the perfect baby sweater.  It’s the Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down.  It’s a free download and comes in two sizes, 0-3 months and 6-12 months.  It’s knit up on size 8 needles and Aran yarn (although I used worsted, which worked fine). OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s an absolutely adorable pattern.  It’s well-written and easy to follow.  The garter-stitch shawl collar makes the sweater look fancy, but it’s completely easy to do.  And, since it’s knit at a larger gauge, I managed to knit up two sweaters in about a week.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASo, if you have a skein or two of something superwash, and you know of someone (or six people) in the family way, keep the Baby Sophisticate in mind.

Inspiration: Spring!

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It’s official!  As of last Thursday, it’s spring!  And here in the PNW, it’s just gorgeous!  (Sorry to those of you in the Great White North still dealing with snow and cold.  You might want to skip this post.  I don’t want to make you jealous.)

The flowers here are just starting to bloom and we’re getting some beautiful warm spring days.  I’m having a great time exploring our new garden (we moved to a new house in the fall) and finding gorgeous spring flowers as they make their appearance.

In honor of these flowers, I thought we could do some spring flower-inspired knitting.

Tiny little snowdrops were the first to bloom:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERASnowdrop Beret by Marya Speton

3440218173_2e11349f2c_z[1]Hellebore are subtle and gorgeous.  They remind me of an old, overgrown forest.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA151-30 Hellebore – Jacket in seed st in Andes and Fabel by DROPS design

30-2_medium2[1]We have a handful of daffodils just starting to open:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERADaffodil by Martin Storey

Daffodil_back_medium2[1]And camellia bushes are covered with fluffy, cheerful flowers:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERACamellia by Meg Myers

6305-cover_medium2[1]Our cherry tree (which I’m sure I will be cursing come fall when I have to clean up all the dropped cherries) is just beautiful and smells even better.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABaby Cherry Blossom by Sarah Franklin

sweater_baby_cherry_blossom_medium[1]What’s spring look like in your neck of the woods?