Some Baby Things

My dear friend Lisa had a little girl back in February, and I was only a little late in getting these baby things out to her in Colorado.

I absolutely adore this baby blanket pattern, and I'm sure I will be using it again. It works for both boys and girls, looks good with variegated yarn, and doesn't need to be blocked (usually an issue for me because I often use an acrylic-blend yarn). It's crocheted and the pattern is easily memorized after the first few rows. It's a free pattern from Bernat--you have to sign up for membership to their website but that is also free.

Pattern: From the Middle Baby Blanket by Bernat Design Studio
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Ombres and Prints, three skeins Tiptoe through the Tulips (pink, green, white, purple) (I bought four skeins just to be sure but didn't open the last one)
Hook size: 4.0 mm G
Modifications: Since I was using slightly lighter weight yarn than the pattern called for, I dropped from a size H hook to a size G

I had some yarn left over from the blanket so I made this matching hat:

Pattern: Swirl Hat by Mandie Harrington (another great free patten)
Yarn: Bernat Softee Baby Ombres and Prints, less than one skein Tiptoe through the Tulips (pink, green, white, purple)
Needles: US Size 3
Modifications: None--I love this pattern because it has lots of stretch for baby heads, since size and shape can vary widely!


One of my favorite uses for leftover sock yarn is baby booties, and I love making Mary Jane style booties for little girls.

Pattern: Fleegle's Seamless Saartje Booties (another free pattern)
Yarn: A small amount of leftover sock yarn from the stash (I think this is from Online Yarns)
Needles: US Size 1
Modifications: None

This baby lives in Colorado, so I figured another pair of booties would be needed. These were made with leftover yarn from the sweater I made her.

Pattern: Angora Baby Booties by Joelle Hoverson, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (one of my favorite knitting books)
Yarn: A small amount of Cascade Yarns Cherub Collection DK in lavender (this is a great, soft acrylic yarn, but I think they might have looked slightly better in fuzzy angora yarn)
Needles: US 5
Modifications: None


   The mittens were made with leftover sock yarn from socks I made for Jack. I also figured that a baby in Colorado would need a something to keep her hands warm :)  Infant mittens are especially easy because there aren't thumbs to knit--babies don't really need to use their thumbs outside in winter.

Pattern: Infant Mittens by Kris Percival, from the Knitting To Go Deck
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock Yarn (leftover from socks for Jack) in purple, and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in cream, small amounts of each from the stash
Needles: US Sizes 1 and 2
Modifications: The directions call for US Sizes 0 and 2, but US Size 0 for the ribbing seemed a little too small to me, so I used US Size 1 instead.

I looked long and hard for a sweater. It seems like it's been awhile since I had a little girl to knit for, so I wanted something just right. It's tricky with some of the baby patterns because they have ribbons or other embellishments (choking hazard) or I don't think they're practical for dressing a baby (I try to avoid tiny necklines and pullovers without buttons at the shoulders). I finally found this great pattern in the book Vintage Baby Knits:

Not too fussy, cardigan style with just two buttons, (which I think makes dressing and undressing easier), simple but pretty.

Pattern: Louise Cardigan by Kristin Rengren, from Vintage Baby Knits
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cherub Collection DK, 3 skeins in lavender
Needles: US Size 3
Modifications: I used a US Size 6 needle to bind off the picot edge at the neckline, which gave it plenty of stretch.

  So, dear little one, even though it is now June and you are getting bigger everyday, I hope you enjoyed your hand-knitted items (I have some photographic proof that you did). Each item was made with love and good thoughts for the exciting years ahead of you and your parents.

Winter Wardrobe: Bandana Cowl

I love just about every pattern that The Purl Bee posts, but some of them just grab me and demand to be made immediately. The Bandana Cowl was one of those patterns.



The short rows are a little tricky, but not too bad.



Pattern: Bandana Cowl from The Purl Bee
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, 1 skein in Faded Quilt
Needles: Size 10 (the pattern calls for size 10.5, but they also used a bulky yarn; I'm happy with the gauge and drape I got with a size 10, but it did turn out very slightly smaller than The Purl Bee's version)
Modifications: Other than going down a little on the needle size, none



I considered this part of my winter wardrobe because I finished it in January, but I think it will work very well through spring and fall. We are still having cool mornings and evenings here in New Hampshire, and it's perfect for warding off the chill.




A close up of the short row shaping at the back:



This was a nice quick project that was easy but still kept my interest with the shaping. Though it looks slightly grey in these pictures, it's really a lovely light blue that goes with most of my wardrobe. I love Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter yarn. It is soft and lightweight, and the colors are full of subtle tweedy changes--so beautiful.

Brattleboro Hat

In between two snowstorms, I finished my Brattleboro hat.


The construction is interesting--first you knit the lower band, then you block it to relax the ribbing. Then you pick up and knit around the top of the band (which I dreaded, but it turned out fine), knit fewer rows than you think you need, decrease at four points around the crown, and then pick up and knit the short button band. I was worried the decreases would look funny, but I think they look fine:



Brattleboro Hat from New England Knits
One skein of hand-dyed, handspun yarn from Woolly Beers Yarn, purchased on last fall's Wool Arts Tour
Size 8 US needles
No modifications




I mostly enjoy winter (yes, even at this point in February), but I'm looking forward to spring, too. Especially getting my garden started again. I miss the smell of dirt.

A Bit of Mending

I love my thrummed mittens (first shown in this post from nearly four years ago). I live in New Hampshire, and our winters are cold and snowy. I occasionally get annoyed, but for the most part I love it. Or I love the part where I curl up on the couch in front of the pellet stove with a pile of wool on my lap and knit.


These mittens are great, because when I do have to brave the elements they keep my hands toasty. After several years of use they are perfectly fitted to my hands. The only issue was that the wool in the tips of the mitts and thumbs was thin, partly because of how the pattern was written (no more thrums are added after the decreases begin) and partly because the wool felted to other areas.


What's a thrifty New Englander to do? Add more wool, of course.



I turned the mittens inside out, and using both a darning needle and a crochet hook, I added extra thrums. I used some scraps of wool from my spinning stash.



I just wove the pieces in and out of the bare spots of fabric, being careful to keep everything on the inside so the odd colored scraps wouldn't show through on the right side.



I'm very happy I took 20 minutes to sit down and do this--my mittens are much warmer, and I found a great use for my scrap wool.

Happy with my Hap Blanket

I have been slowly knitting my way through Ysolda Teague's wonderful Whimsical Little Knits (and Whimsical Little Knits 2). I bought the yarn for the Hap Blanket at this year's New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival, the grey from a local farm and the red from one of my favorite yarn companies.



With its garter stitch center and easily memorized edging pattern, this was a great project to leave in my knitting basket for months on end.



Hap Blanket by Ysolda Teague (Ravelry link)
Yarn: Riverslea Farm rustic spun yarn (grey), 2 skeins, and Green Mountain Spinnery New Mexico Organic in Red, 1 skein
Needles: US Size 10 circular needle



If you look at the original Hap Blanket and then mine, you may notice that there aren't as many purl rows in my edging. Ysolda had posted errata to the pattern (found here) but I didn't think to check it beforehand. Also, I used a size 10 needle instead of the recommended 11. I started with the 11 but it was looking too loose. I wanted to use 10.5 needles but I couldn't find one long enough in my stash, so I just went with the 10s. This made it slightly smaller than the pattern specified.


At first these little changes bothered me. I put off blocking the blanket for awhile, not sure if I should frog it and redo the whole thing or just let it be. I think it's important to know what kind of knitter you are, and whether you can put up with mistakes (or "design elements," as some people prefer to call them) or whether it will drive you nuts. I often fall into the latter category.



This time I decided that this is what knitting, and making things in general, is about. Even when I fall in love with a picture, I have to make things in my own way, with the materials available to me or the ones I would like to use. So when I do make something, and it doesn't look exactly like the picture, that's just because I've made it my own.

I'm very happy to now have a warm woollen lap Hap blanket for these cold winter evenings. I hope you are also staying warm and busy with knitting these cold days and nights!