My dear friend Erin has a brand new niece! I picked up some sweetgeorgia Superwash Merino in Savory (a nice, vibrant colour for a baby, I think) and knit up a cardi and hat set for little Madeline. The cardi is Debbie Bliss‘ Ribbed Baby Jacket and the hat is my go-to pattern for baby hats – the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch ‘N Bitch.
I had a serious cute attack last weekend at Mokuba, where I picked up the pink ribbon for this cape. There were so many sweet, frilly options! Now that I’ve finally settled on the finishing touches, I’m ready to wrap this up and send it on its way to my friend Kozue and her baby girl Kaede in Kanagawa.
I used Mission Falls 136 Merino, a nice Canadian option, since Kozue and I met while she was studying in Vancouver and Canada has been close to her heart ever since. Her daughter’s name is actually Japanese for maple.
The pattern is another great one from Kristen Rengren’s Vintage Baby Knits. I can hardly wait to see photos of Kaede in the cape – this has to be one of my favourite baby knits so far!
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Have you heard of Magpie Patterns? I came across this great collection of knitting, sewing, crochet and embroidery patterns through their blog, Crafty Bird. They’re based in Portland, Oregon (as so many good things are!) and some patterns are printed and mailed, and others are downloads. I really enjoyed browsing Magpie’s collection of handpicked designs. Some designers I knew, but more were new to me! Here are just a few.
Kalea and Malia by Kids Tricots (Images courtesy Kids Tricots)
Kids Tricots is the work of French knit designer Muriel Agator (Ravelry link). Magpie carries six of her English patterns. These are some seriously cute kids’ knits. I’m glad my friends are giving me plenty of little people to knit for!
Hooded Cardigan and Floral Wrap by She's Crafty Handknits (Images courtesy She's Crafty Handknits)
New Zealand-based Hadley Fierlinger (Ravelry link) is the designer behind She’s Crafty Handknits. More adorable knits for little people! Hadley designs beautiful baby knits and is the author of Vintage Knits for Modern Babies. One of my absolute favourites has to be the Floral Wrap (above right). The next baby girl in my life will definitely be getting one!
Pasha and Elizabeth by Jane Richmond Designs (Images courtesy Jane Richmond)
Canadian designer Jane Richmond has designed some perfect slouchy hats and chunky scarves. I have a skein of Burly Spun that has her Autumn toque written all over it. Jane also has some really cute, and seamless (hurrah), baby patterns as well.
These little moccasins are technically not my first project of 2010. I think I finished them on Christmas Day after my sister learned that one of her friends had given birth to a baby girl named Olivia. We both got knitting straight away: my sister on one of my favourite baby hats, Cisco; and I on these Baby Mocs by Whitney Van Nes and a pair of Yumiko Sakurai’s Kanoko Pants (Ravelry link). I didn’t get a shot of the pants before my sister packed them so I’ll have to share a photo once Olivia is big enough to model them!
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I’m a big fan of Kristen Rengren’s Vintage Baby Knits. These slippers are my second project from the book, and I loved making them just as much as the first. The pattern is also available as a free download from Melanie Falick Books, along with others from STC Craft books that would make great holiday projects.
I’m particularly aware of my unwieldy stash at the moment, so I resolved not to buy any new yarn for this project. I decided on Mirasol’s Cotanani – the one ball I had ended up being just enough. It’s a nice yarn to work with – the merino blended in makes for a much softer cotton yarn!
I made a couple of modifications to the pattern: I made I-cords for the ankle straps, instead of garter stitch bands; and I made the ears a little bit smaller (CO 5 sts rather than 9), since I used a heavier weight yarn than called for.
How about you, any stash-busting projects to recommend?
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Photo courtesy of Melissa Hames Duarte
First off, how cute is Petra? Here she is, at six weeks old, modelling Cisco. You may not recognize the hat – it was originally modelled by a ball of yarn and a vase!
Seeing how much cuter the hat looked on a real little person made me think about a more appropriate model for my latest baby knit, the Stella Pixie Hat by Kristen Rengren (available in Vintage Baby Knits and as a free download from STC Craft). I don’t have any baby-sized softies around – my knit animals are too small and Huggy Jesus’ head is too flat.
Chris suggested a small-scale sculpture by Florence Wyle – The Harvester. The perfect size, it turns out. It’s one of the four sculptures in the Loring/Wyle Parkette in Toronto.
You can see the Young Girl, also by Wyle, in the background of this photo. There are busts of Loring and Wyle, each sculpted by the other, at the far end of the parkette. I would have liked to get some photos of them as well but a man was recovering from a hard night on a nearby bench. I thought it best to keep the visit short.
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Happy Canada Day! The only connection this post has to my country’s birthday is the yarn used for this project. Mission Falls is 100% Canadian!
A Baby Yoda Sweater knit for Oliver, a new BC baby. Mission Falls 1824 Cotton makes this perfect for a coastal summer and autumn – lightweight and soft. I knit this in pieces and then assembled according to the pattern. If you have a deep hatred of sewing up (perfectly understandable!), there are seamless versions on Ravelry that are knit from the top down.
I love the texture of this yarn. There’s something pebbly about it. This was my first Mission Falls project but it won’t be the last! I bought enough yarn for another Yoda in a different colourway. When it comes to yarn, decision making is not my strong point.
I loved making this lace bonnet and I’m definitely smitten with the end result! Two different versions of the pattern are available: the Victorian Baby Bonnet in Larissa and Martin John Brown’s book Knitalong; and the Juniper Bonnet as a free download on Larissa’s blog. I ended up mashing up both patterns and doing nine repeats of the feather and fan stitch pattern instead of 10.
This isn’t the first time I’ve used Misti Alpaca handpainted Suri & Silk. I had just enough left over from Two Tiny Knits and Sweet Baby Cap for this lacy little number. I picked up the ribbon at Mokuba on Queen Street West. Up until this weekend I’d never been inside but had heard tales from Jane as to their many beautiful ribbons. I settled on this simple but pretty cotton ribbon.
This hat makes a really sweet baby gift, with the added bonus of being a quick, one-piece knit. It took just shy of one ball of Diamond Bamboo Cotton yarn. I used the pattern Cisco by the Berroco Design Team, with some modifications. I knit the whole hat in garter stitch (rather than stockinette in parts), worked I-cords for the ties and used one solid colour rather than the stripe pattern given.
The ears are a playful feature of this little hat. I used to think dressing children up as animals was cruel. I’ve changed my mind. It’s ridiculously cute.
I used up the last of my Misti Alpaca handpainted suri and silk for this lovely knit from Ysolda Teague’s Whimsical Little Knits collection. The Tiny Shoes are tiny indeed. I think this Mary Jane style will be very cute on. There is something so satisfying about making such small, sweet shoes.
I finished them off with mother of pearl buttons from Etsy. Every time I knit with this yarn I love it more. Baby alpaca suri and silk!!! It’s absolutely beautiful.
My original intention was to give this elephant away. I don’t think I can do it. It’s just too cute. It’s knit from Ysolda’s Elijah pattern and is worked in one piece by picking up stitches for his (or her) appendages. I think this elephant is definitely a Peanut. It has been suggested before, for Big Teddy Bear, but it’s sticking this time!
Peanut’s eyes are embroidered French knots. This video tutorial was really helpful – I haven’t done much embroidery so I needed the guidance. As it turns out, French knots are easy!