Hurray for Baby Knits

It’s been a while since our circle of friends has welcomed a baby into the mix, but there’s another on the way, so I was delighted to delve into my list of favorite baby knits to find the right one to cast on for.

I settled on the Little Coffee Bean Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith. It is a classic raglan cardigan, and I feel that any baby deserves such a staple knit in their wardrobe. Yes he’ll grow out of it quickly, yes, it’ll be drooled on, but let’s be honest, is there anything cuter than a baby dressed in hand-knits?

My choice of color was dictated by the mom’s preference and once again, it’s a classic, a beautiful blue for a long awaited baby boy. I’ve been looking forward to this knit, as it should whip up quickly, and I need a satisfying knit at the moment. I’ve been working away on a design of my own for a bit, and it’s proven to be quite the exercise in patience, so a straight-forward, uncomplicated knitting experience is just what I need right now.

I have made a slight modification to the pattern in that instead of making it in plain stockinette I chose to add a bit of texture to the cardigan. I am using the twisted purl stitch to accomplish that. Easy enough I thought to myself, right? Well, as it turns out any "little" change can have a big impact. Yes, it looks lovely, however it turns out that this stitch pattern does not exactly work in the round. That stumped me for a moment, but then to my relief I remembered this genius post by Karen Templer , which saved my project for a reason not even mentioned in her list of benefits!

I am well on my way to finish this cardigan, just one time for the baby's imminent arrival! 

via Instagram

Gift Knitting - Cable Cardigans

 I’ve been knitting a lot of things in duplicates lately. As everyone knows when you have 2 children you cannot get just one of anything, that’s playing with fire. So if I knit for friends’ kids or my nieces, it all has to be double. Which makes it feel like there is little progress on my projects, and I find that truly frustrating. Couple that with the fact that it feels like my list of bookmarked patterns is only growing, and I am a very aggravated knitter. However, nothing satisfies an irritated knitter more than FO’s . I am happy to be able to wrap up these adorable cardigans and send them on their way to Austria. But not before I tell you a little bit about them. This pattern really is at the top of my list of favourite kids knits. I already know I will be knitting it a third (sigh) time for my own little girl. 

I love the fact that the pattern is written for a variety of sizes, and because it calls for an Aran weight yarn it is a relatively quick knit.  The cabled yoke gives it some texture and adds a lovely intricate detail to a relatively straight-forward knit. I chose to knit the body a little longer than it calls for and  the hems on the sleeves long enough so that they can be folded over, this way the cardigan can be grown into and be worn for a little longer. There is enough ease built into the chest sizes to allow for that (I hope).

I tried two different types of yarn to make these and I am happy that both yarns seem to work for this pattern. The Luxury Collection Lima Tinto yarn is 100% wool with a fuzzy texture that should keep the wearer warm and cozy. It knits up great at the required gauge. The striped colorway adds an element of playfulness to the cardigan which I particularly like (pictures of that version are on my Ravelry page ). My second choice was the Berocco Vintage yarn, as it is for a 3 year old and will probably get dirty a little faster and I think that the washability of the Berocco is essential in this case. I found it to also be a suitable yarn for this pattern, though the gauge was a bit off, I chose to knit a larger size in the smaller gauge, because I felt otherwise the fabric was not turning out properly, and it worked out beautifully (if you are interested, the project details are on ravelry here).

I cannot wait to see them worn, used and loved and I wish I could be present when they are unwrapped for the first time.

Inspired by Art

What I have noticed is, that in order to be perfectly happy with a knit, I seem to have to knit it twice, maybe even three times. I guess the perfectionist in me has a hard time feeling satisfied. Then again, isn’t that the very definition of a perfectionist?

Perhaps I need to learn to love, maybe even embrace, the imperfections that come with hand-made items. That is a long term goal for sure…Letting go is not something that comes easily to me. Still, improving on a knit must surely be a good thing. I have a great example. Only a few weeks ago, I knit my first version of Ruffaluffagus. While the result is adorable (blogged about it here), as soon as it was blocked and photographed I already had a mental checklist of changes put together. And since I have a niece the same size as my daughter, and it was all fresh in my mind, I immediately cast on for another one.

My improvements you ask? Here's a really brief summary. I cast on more stitches, to give it more of a tunic/dress shape, instead of the ruffles, I chose a simple lace pattern called "The Cluster stitch". To avoid my previous issue of the neck-opening being too tight, I started the back split earlier, and last but not least, I decided to make it a long sleeve top, simply to be able to prolong the wear. I am delighted with the end result. I cannot wait to see my niece wearing it.

And how about this colour combination? My mind immediately went to Monet’s works when I saw it. His series of Water-lilies paintings especially. 

And who does not love projects that only use one skein of yarn?

TTTKAL 2015, a project accomplished

You are going to get a kick out of this one. As I mentioned previously, I decided sort of last minute to join into Shannon's TTTKAL 2015. I have a ridiculously busy schedule these days, so I only committed to a little top for my daughter. Surely I thought, I could do this!

And I am proud to say that I did. Finish in time, blocked and ends woven in. I managed to snap a few shots while my little one was napping, and I made the deadline! Ok, the extended one, but a deadline nevertheless.

I have to say that I am proud of the ever-growing collection of handknits she has. (And at the same time I feel terrible that I have not knit anything for my son in....a while.)

The discussion on the thread today turned to heirlooms, and loving grandmothers knitting and sewing away. It seems most of us have fond memories of just that. I wish I had a photo of my grandmother knitting, but alas there are none. Still, knitting will forever be linked with her, and that is so immensely special to me.

But I digress. Back to my Ruffaluffagus. Once the photos were snapped, I was ready to have her wear it for Father's day this weekend. I thought I'd just try it on, to make sure it was perfect. I had measured after all, but it's always good to double-check. I have had my experiences with measuring. 

You may have guessed it by now....it does not fit! It seems that once I added the collar everything tightened. I can fix it of course, and I will, but it's one of those moments when you let out a well-deserved swear-word.

TTTKAL 2015, Here We Go Again

Isn’t it funny how certain events are hard to resist? I am proud to say that I have been joining Shannon’s KAL’s from the beginning, I have missed only one I think. So when she announced the start of this year’s TTTKAL, even though I hesitated at first, I signed up anyway. 

How can you go wrong with a KAL whose first rule is to “have fun”? There is no pressure, you do not have to finish, just cast on and do your best, you can knit an adult size piece or a child’s top, the possibilities are endless. Honestly the hardest part is to keep up with the chatter on the Ravelry thread.

Now, as I have limited knitting time these days…we have way too many after school activities, and yes, I realize I have no one to blame by myself…but nonetheless, limited knitting time lead to me choosing a baby-sized knitting pattern to join the TTTKAL. I am making Ruffaluffagus for my daughter in Koigu KPPPM. I adore the color scheme of this yarn, and so far it’s great to knit with. And the pattern is adorable ... it's the ruffles .... I believe!

Now all I have to do is book some time each evening to try and catch up on the Ravelry thread!

A favorite toy, another try

It's always been important to me that I teach my children a love of reading. Books are such a special way to learn about the world, but also escape. My kids' library is quite extensive, and we keep adding to it. It's fun to research books, and watch them get lost in the stories.

One of my favourite childhood reads  is "The Velveteen Rabbit". It's such a heartwarming, charming story. At the moment, Aidan is in superhero mode, so this particular story does not appeal to him too much, but I am hoping that maybe when Sienna is older she will learn to love it also.

In the meantime, as sort of a preparation, I thought I'd give her something to love, cuddle and play with. When I first started getting serious about my knitting, one of the projects I attempted, was a bear for Aidan. It was certainly ambitious at that time, and the result was a toy resembling a pig more then a bear. (you can read all about it here).

But that was a few years ago. I felt ready to give it another try. A little stuffed animal for Sienna. Are you familiar with the "Bunny girl in a dotty dress" pattern by Julie Williams? It's absolutely adorable.

It is a very clear pattern, with lots of photographs to clarify the instructions. If you are not a fan of seaming however, stay away, because the majority of your time will be spent doing just that. But it will be worth it in the end! 

Now I only hope that she will be loved and squeezed but those chubby adorable fingers, and that she'll be a constant and cherished companion.

Now...for names....any suggestions?

Ravelry page

SSKAL 2014 - A fail and a success

I have a confession to make...It seems I am addicted to baby-knits. I can't stop casting on, researching, planning. I've got it bad!

My latest favourite? Cascade by Raya Budrevich. I mean look at those pretty leaves! Who could resist tat? Certainly not me.

Since my own Summer Sweater KAL project ended in a frogged pile of yarn, I searched for solace in a quick project. And Cascade was the perfect pick-me-up. I whipped it up in 2 days. It took me longer to weave in ends, choose buttons, block and photograph it!

I cannot wait for Sienna to fit into it. I think this is a cardigan that will be knitted in several sized to accompany her through childhood!

Baby's Closet- Korrigan Cardi

Time to look at another baby cardigan. This one was also knit while spending time in the NICU. 

Staying true to my style, I chose Korrigan, a pretty, elegant cardigan with a little girly detail, in this case these adorable cables. It's the first time I have used Shibui yarn, and I have to say it's been added to my ever-growing list of favourite yarns. The colour is absolutely stunning , and the yarn itself has amazing stitch definition. The result is really lovely as you can see.

Embracing your Heritage

In my last blog post, I shared a glimpse of my childhood, and this stroll down memory lane sparked some ideas. It's funny how that happens.

In looking at old photos I came across pictures of us wearing traditional Romanian folk costumes. We all had at least a dress or a top growing up. I realized that I never appreciated their beauty when I was younger, but I now see how intricately beautiful and special they are. These costumes are world famous for their embroidery patterns. 

It came to me that these embroidery patterns would look great as knitting patterns as well. So I started sketching out a few possibilities, and I really like the result.

You may have noticed that I have had baby on the brain for months now, but at the same time knitting, so it was only natural that at one point the two would intersect. 

My daughter is at the wonderful age when she is starting to notice things around her. She is especially fascinated by high contrasts, like black and white images. So it dawned on me....I could knit up something for her featuring these Romanian inspired images.

I am not sure what to call the end result. I suppose you can call them a crib mobile?
I attached them to the inside of the bumper and I have to say, Sienna loves looking at them.

Bonus....it helped me practice my stranded knitting!

Maile baby cardigan

My mind is flooded lately with ideas. Crafty ideas that involve knits, sewing, all kinds of projects. Oh the things I could accomplish if only I could get enough sleep! Granted, the reason I do not sleep much is cute, but I feel I have to mobilize. I will continue making plans and lists, and try and accomplish what is on them. Wish me luck, as this would mean that I can actually come back here more often and  talk about them!

I only have a few minutes, but today it is time to talk knits again! I realized recently that I never finished introducing my baby knits! I wrote about the Puerperium, and baby S. has been wearing it  quite a bit, so it's time to take a look at Maile. I had some leftover yarn from this project, that I thought would be perfect for a a baby cardigan. 

Maile is a cute little girly pattern, just up my alley with clean lines and a little embellishment. Overall the pattern is good, but I had an extremely hard time with the joining of the sleeves. If you are emotionally prepared for it, or find a simpler way to do it, you will enjoy this pattern.

Be careful what you wish for

Seven years ago, when I found out that I was pregnant with a boy, I felt a bit of panic. I grew up surrounded by girls, in a family where we had only a couple of boy cousins. I wondered, would I know what to do with a boy? How to play with him? How to relate to him and find common ground?

He is now six years old, and I have come a long way. Cars, trains, sports, hockey, I've learned about them all, alongside my son. True, I am still amazed at the level of energy, and I still have a hard time understanding how play-fighting is fun, but I can honestly say that I no longer have those worries about forming a bond. We are close, very close.

So you would think that I would have felt relief finding out that I was having a girl this time around, right? WRONG! Girls are complex and sensitive, and I started thinking of the importance of teaching them self-respect, and giving them confidence, showing them how to stand up for themselves. 

Of course these are all true for boys as well, but for whatever reason they never came to mind when I had Aidan.

And then I started worrying that I am already subjecting my children to a double-standard, when they are only this young. You can tell, I am sure that I have been driving myself mad!

In speaking to other moms though, I have come to realize that I am maybe over thinking the situation. The most important thing is to lead by example, pay attention, and also let their personality develop, as a lot depends on that as well.

So I have made the conscious decision to trust my motherly instincts and believe that I will know the right thing to do. The power of positive thinking, right? 

As if to reinforce this idea, a few weeks ago, I came across and advertisement for Dove, that to me, said it all. I decided to recreate it as a poster in Sienna's room.

It's quite a simple message, but I love it! If anyone else is interested in having it, click here for the JPEG version, and here for the PDF.


 

Never enough baby knits

Hi, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's day celebration. We had a beautiful day, a full house, lots of laughter and squealing children. I was planning a quick little post, but time just got away from me.

So I am back today to show off another adorable baby knit. I started this pattern while recovering from giving birth in the hospital. A dear friend of mine sent me this yarn from Berlin, and I wanted to make something special with it for my little one. 

A very popular baby cardigan on Ravelry is Puerperium (how DO you pronounce it?). It is written for a very small size, so it was perfect for my tiny 2lbs, 10oz baby. 

Well perfectly small for her to grow into anyway, as it still is a little big on her now, and she is 3 times as big.

It is a very fast and straightforward pattern. I enjoyed making it, and really like the way it turned out, but my absolute favourite part of this cardigan......the buttons! Aren't they adorable? Ever since I saw them in my friend's yarn shop, I planned on knitting a cardigan to fit them. I mean owls! You can never have enough owls!

The beautiful weather has finally arrived here in Montreal and I am planning on spending as much time outdoors as I can. What about you??

Stripes make me happy

It has been a tough winter, so I guess it is no shock that one of the first things I wanted to knit for my little one, was a cozy blanket, something to cuddle her in. I wanted to make an heirloom piece, that she would be able to use throughout her childhood, but then tuck away, to give to her own children one day.

But how to choose? There are so many beautiful patterns out there. I had to find a way to narrow it down. I wondered, should I go with a more intricate pattern, or something simple? To me, in order to show off an interesting pattern or stitch you are better served with a solid colour yarn, whereas if you want to play with colour you are better served by a plain stockinette or garter stitch, maybe even cables. Once I looked at it this way, I decided that I wanted a colourful blanket.

I had always admired these blankets by the Purl Bee, so I started researching yarn and colourways. I can tell you, I splurged....BIG TIME. Six skeins of Madeline Tosh Merino DK will set you back a bit. None of my LYS carry the colours I was looking for, so I had to take a chance and order based on how they looked on my computer's screen. I was a little nervous opening the package, but once opened I absolutely loved my choices. The colours are incredibly bright and intense, and the yarn itself, oh, so soft. The colours I chose are Calligraphy, Fragrant and Candlewick.

I cast on 140 stitches and off I went. I needed a mindless project like this, while I sat in the NICU waiting for my little munchkin to grow and get healthy.You would not believe how many moms and nurses approached me to ask, and talk about my knitting. I became known as the "knitting mom", and they would come and check in on my progress. Many stopped to chat about their own crafting (mis)adventures, and to say that they would love to learn, or re-start, knitting themselves. 

I am always amazed at how this craft can so easily bring people together. It speaks to a side of us that is open, kind and loving. Being able to connect over knitting, changed my relationship with them, it made it more open and, well...kind. Once again, proof that knitting brings people together. I am sure I have recruited some new knitters.

I finished the blanket a few nights before she came home. It gives me such joy to cuddle her in it now, and to think of what the future may hold for this little, and incredibly strong (and cute!) baby.

New life

When I last updated this blog I had promised myself that I would not let too much time pass before updating it again. Alas, I have broken my promise again. As much as I wanted to keep it, life, once again, got in the way.

Let's recap. The holidays were busy, but great, our biggest challenge this year being the weather. The bitter cold started much earlier this year, so we were unable to do some of our traditional outings. The Christmas market is no fun at -20 degrees or closer, neither is a walk around town to admire Christmas decorations. We will make up for it next year. This lack of outings and dreary weather have also resulted in very few photos being taken.  Thank you polar vortex!

I certainly have some serious catching up to do.

And just as I thought that I'd get a fresh start in 2014, my baby daughter decided to make her appearance 3 months early! I spent my days by her side, at first struggling to keep positive, then cautiously optimistic as she started improving. We worked hard to keep a routine going, mostly for my son, but also for ourselves, to help us keep our sanity.

It has been an emotional roller-coaster, having felt panic, paralyzing worry, guilt, helplessness, but also euphoria and happiness. 

Through it all, one thing has helped me cope, and that is the wonderfully calming effect of my knitting needles. Well, ok, to be honest also the occasional glass of wine and massive amounts of chocolate.

She has now been home for 2 weeks and a new stage has begun. A new routine, getting to know each other and lots of cuddling. 

For today I wanted to share a glimpse of my precious baby girl. 

Soon, I will share some finished FO's.

A good excuse

It’s been a while! 

I am sure some of you may have been wondering what has happened to my blog? Well I am here to tell you that I am ready to revive it (cue the applause)! Slowly to be sure, but my blogging and knitting mojo are coming back.  

What happened you ask? I’ve had a few months of rest, a time that was  sorely needed, due to the fact that I am expecting my second child! The first trimester was a blur, mainly because I could barely keep my eyes open, I felt so tired. But as I said, I am slowly feeling human again, and I have picked up the needles again, have started looking into patterns, I mean there is baby-knitting to be done! And I do have some projects that I can update everyone on, there are things that were finished a while back that I never got a chance to photograph or blog about! 

But tell me, what are your favorite knit baby-items, patterns, projects? Any suggestions? Ideas? I am curious to know what everyone suggests.

Via Pinterest

Nola Jane - A Sweet little Baby Sweater

Spring has finally arrived. The temperatures have been reaching the double-digits, and the snow has melted away. The birds are chirping and you can almost see the buds forming on the branches. 

Spring has arrived, and at the same time a few babies are making their debut within my circle of friends. I already introduced you to the adorable baby kimono I knitted for my niece, and now I would like to show off another baby gift.

I chose to knit the Nola Jane pattern, which I glimpsed a while back in Petite Purls Magazine. You'll have to agree with me that it’s such a cute sweater, perfect for a baby girl.

It’s a fast knit, with adorable elements thank make knitting it interesting, such as the folded hem and the crochet ruffle. The folded hem I might use myself for other projects, and the crochet ruffle, took a few attempts, but it worked out. If I were to re-knit this, I would space the purl rows a bit further apart, or maybe only make 4 rows, as I find it a little busy with the ruffles. 

But it still looks cute, I mean......newborn baby girls….you can never have enough ruffles!

I cannot wait to gift this little sweater, I am sure it’ll be loved and appreciated.

Onesie Decorating Baby-Shower

I promised you a post about our baby-shower activity, and I am staying true to my word.

In planning the party, I was looking for something different that we could do. For the first shower we did the traditional games, and while that was fun, I knew that doing the same thing a second time around would probably elicit eye-rolls, or at least yawns.

So in researching ideas, I got to talking with one of my friends. She is a kindred spirit, a fellow crafter. She is the proud owner of a brand new Etsy shop, Lulu Belle Baby. She makes the most adorable applique onesies, you must check out her shop. 

Another thing that she puts together, are onesie decorating kits for parties such as baby showers. This is a custom package, that she tailors to the theme of the party.

How does it work? What do you actually get?

Enough fabric pieces to easily decorate about 15 onesies

Embellishments such as buttons, ribbons, pom-poms

Web fusing (it's what makes your design stick to the onesie)

Tons of templates and ideas for decorating

And of course instructions.

I bought the onesies, ( I suggest you get several sizes) and I had some fabric pens on hand as well. You need some other tools such as fabric scissors, whole punch, needle and thread, and you need an iron to actually iron on the applique’s.

We took our time paging though the examples and ideas provided, and some of us used the templates, others decided to let their imagination flow, and the result was adorable!!! My sister absolutely loves each and every creation, and we are actually planning to make some more with the leftover fabric. Everyone had a great time decorating the onesies, and I was so happy to have found an activity that everyone enjoyed, and that resulted in some wonderful keepsakes for my sister.

Now, I cannot wait to meet the new little one and see how these will look on her. I can also say that the toddlers in the house got jealous and requested some embellished t-shirts of their own, and it was so much fun that I just may have to oblige.

If any of you out there are interested in something like this, I warmly recommend you check out Lulu Belle Baby, she will create a wonderful package for you and you will have a blast!

"Mommy to Bee" Party

This weekend we celebrated the impending arrival of my sister's second baby. It was a wonderful celebration, the house filled with friends, happy to see each other and  to be able to catch up. 

We had good food, good humor and good company.

I have written before about my uncle's beekeeping hobby, and what a big part of my childhood it was. My sister was my uncle's biggest helper, she was always by his side, asking to understand what he was doing and to help. Needless to say that just like me she has a soft-spot for honey and bees.

So of course, our theme for this party was....you guesses it! Bees!! As in "Mother to Bee" or "Baby to Bee". 

I had a lot of fun putting together decorations and researching ideas for the party. I chose a happy, yellow theme, with flowers and happily buzzing bees (not real ones of course). I set up an improvised photo-booth, for us to make silly faces, we had outfits for my sister, her daughter and the new baby, created by a very talented friend of hers, an adorable diaper cake and tons of gifts. Since this is an incredibly talented bunch of ladies, another friend made this incredible bee-hive cake which tasted as good as it looked.

In my house , no celebration is complete without a hand-knit gift, so I made this for the new baby.

Next post I have to tell you about our activity, it was the most fun thing I have done in a long time.