Operation: Christmas Sweater

Today, less than 2 weeks until Christmas, I decided that Baby E absolutely must have a handknit sweater for Christmas. I want this to be a tradition: a handknit sweater each Christmas. And when we have another kid, they can match!

I've recruited Rose into this crazy endeavor. We're going to have a 2-person knit-along! 

My mission: turn this pile of beautiful yarn...

Malabrigo Merino Worsted in "Frost Gray"

... Into a cute little sweater adorned with owls. I knew that if this crazy mission would be doable, worsted weight yarn would be a must. Back in my pre-baby days, I could have probably whipped out this sweater in 2 days. But now, knitting moments are few. 

Wish me luck!

FO: baby jeans

Pattern: Blu from knitty (ravelry)

Yarn: Rowan Denim

One year ago today, I found out I was pregnant and the first thing I wanted to make was these little baby jeans. The knitting was super quick, but I procrastinated doing the finishing on these for a few months. All the finishing on these was really fiddly, and I'm not pleased with how it turned out. I made these once before, for a kid who is now 6, and I guess I forgot how annoying it was in the intervening time. 

I added short rows to the bum area to make extra diaper room--and so glad I did! I made the 6-12 mo size, but Baby E fit them at 2.5 months. :-/

FO: bonnet and booties

Pattern: Bonnet by Elizabeth Zimmerman (ravelry project page)

Yarn: Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool in "tangled up in blue"

A few weeks ago, I picked up a skein of Spincycle Yarn. I love their gradual color shifts. The label said sport/heavy fingering, and after a little search on ravelry I settled on this bonnet by Elizabeth Zimmerman. A clever pattern as usual from her. 

A couple of notes: I worked the back of the bonnet in the round, alternating knit and purl rounds. For the ties, I crocheted a chain the appropriate length then worked one row of slip stitches and used the starting and ending yarn tails to secure the tie to the bonnet. I'm really pleased with this method of doing the ties; it was much faster than working i-cord (for me) and the resulting ties seem seem perfect for tying under a wee chin--not too bulky. 

This bonnet is just a tad big for Baby E, and she has a big head. I think it'll last us through the season just fine. Maybe I'll make her one with heavier yarn next year. 

Pattern: Bootees by Elizabeth Zimmerman (ravelry project page)

Yarn: Spincycle Yarn Dyed in the Wool in "tangled up in blue"

Decided to make these booties which were on the same page as the bonnet pattern. They were quick and easy, though beginner knitters may have trouble with the pattern as it seems targeted at more experienced knitters. There are parts of the pattern where the instructions are a bit vague. These barely fit Baby E. I have not yet made the ties called for in the pattern, and haven't tested out how well they stay on. 

I really liked this yarn--great to work with. I have a skein of their worsted in my stash and I'll definitely be looking for more at upcoming craft fairs. 

Nap-time holiday craft: photo ornaments

Trying to think of use for the crumby photo prints from the two groove books I got before canceling my subscription, I glanced at my Christmas tree and decided it could use some baby pictures. 

While fantasizing about having a circle cutter, I traced the inside circumference of a roll of masking tape (about 3") with a sharpie onto the photos then cut them out quickly (read: a bit sloppily). I affixed two photos back-to-back using double stick tape; planned to use a glue stick but I couldn't find one and didn't want to wake the baby by rustling through my craft stuff too much. Anyways, the double stick tape seems to do the job fine. 

For hanging, I tried 1/8" ribbon and baker's twine. I like the look of the ribbon better, personally, so I'll be using that for the rest of mine. I'll be mailing some of these out to family, so that their trees can have Baby E's face. These would also make cute decorations on wrapped gifts. 

FO: Whole Cloth Quilt

Way back when, I planned to blog the process of this project... Oops! When I found out I was pregnant I pulled this quilt out of hibernation and finished it off.

I still think that the whole cloth quilt is a great idea, though I would pick a print with fewer short lines to quilt. I'm also thinking this would be a great technique for practicing my free motion quilting skills. If I ever pull out my sewing machine, I'll give it a try!

For now, I'll just keep playing with this little lady and hoping she starts napping better someday. 

Baby Items

My first sewing-for-baby project was this nightgown from an old tshirt. I used the pattern from this website. 

Took me longer to put together the pattern pieces than to actually see the gown, and so I planned on making a few more, but never did. Baby E wore this one time; it was a little short for her. I'll definitely keep this pattern in mind for gift sewing. 

Next up in sewing-for-baby: flannel blankets. Used the tutorial found here and flannel from Joanns. These were super easy, and we've been using them all the time. The flannel is nicely absorbant of baby drool--these are great for tummy time. If you can buy the flannel during a sale, these could be a very inexpensive but useful gift. 

Newborn baby pants were next up. Used this pattern and Hawaiian print fabric leftover from when I made pj pants for the family 3 years ago. Baby E never actually wore any of these! I made one more pair out of an old shirt that she wore once, but I dress her mostly in one-piece footie outfits (so much easier). These were fun to make, and turned out cute, but just not useful for us. 

FO: Round Blanket

Pattern: Round or Pinwheel Blanket (ravelry project page)

Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic in "dark jade" and "linen white"

Like the last project, another throwback baby blanket worked in the round knit for a friend--this one for my dear friend Miko's 3rd son who was born in February. This pattern was really easy, and I love the result--simple and clean looking. 

For the edge, I worked about 6 rows of seed stitch in green then a couple rows in white, then did an attached I-cord bind off. 

I'm not usually a big fan of knitting with cotton, but this yarn is the exception. And it washes well, so a natural choice for baby items.