With the launch of Knitamus (go check it out!) now behind me, it's time to catch up on the blogging a little!
I'm also expecting my third child in a few weeks and this poor unnamed baby has no finished knits of his own yet, although there are plenty of hand-me-downs waiting for him (and it will be July, so woolens aren't immediately required...) The real irony is, I've been knitting for babies, just not my baby!
First up, I made a set of three Milo vests (pattern by Georgie Hallam) for a friend expecting her second boy — a newborn size and a three month size (but you can see from how I wrote the tags that I wasn't quite sure of the final result!) for the baby and a three year old size for the big brother to match. This was also an exercise in stash-busting, using maybe two balls of the extra 6 I had left from a poorly calculated adult sweater two years ago (I'm pretty sure it's Galway worsted?). I have a serious problem with overbuying yarn when I'm not sure how much I'll need. And I'm never sure how much I'll need.
I modified the pattern for gauge (the yarn was bigger than called for) using my Knittrick app, which sure does come in handy for knitting from stash. I'm pretty hopeless at getting exact gauge anyway, but random stash yarn makes it near impossible! The pattern is easy, fun, and quick.
And I just mailed a lovely squishy soft red bonnet to a friend for her first baby. The pattern is Little Heaume by Solenn Couix-Loarer and I was trying to get yarn that I wouldn't have to change the gauge for, but failed! (I think this is a Cascade bulky superwash. I have all the ball bands, I just have a hard time finding them when I need them...) Back to Knittrick. Problem: my gauge wasn't super far off and the proportion of my row gauge to my stitch gauge was off, which, if you've read the Knitphisticate Guide to Gauge (available as a free download if you sign up for my mailing list), you'll know is a bad idea! So, it's a big hat (like, two-year-old sized). And one that isn't quite faithful to the shaping in the pattern, though it's still pretty cute. I do really love the pattern. It's fun and easy to knit and looks very cute on a baby's head! I have more yarn and will probably make another in a smaller size for my baby to wear this winter, now that I understand the pattern better.
Finally, it's not knitting, but the Teeny Baby doll I made this weekend for my daughter is too adorable not to share! I got the kit from A Child's Dream Come True and it came together nicely and quickly, although making the head is always kind of a pain with these dolls! I just noticed they sell pre-made heads, which I would definitely consider, even more so for a bigger doll...
She loves the new doll, especially that it has a sling. She came down to breakfast wearing it and wore it to preschool, too. Even my 1st grade son wore it for a bit yesterday and has asked for his own, saying he definitely didn't want one when he first saw me making it! (We dug out the bigger baby doll I made him when we were expecting his sister, but he wants one of these "cute" ones, with a sling. His baby doll was well-loved for years, and looks it. Curiously, his name was "Baby Doll" and my daughter has named this one "Baby Doll", too. Their other favorite stuffies have usually had names like "Sheep" and "Frog". I guess I have very literal children?)