WIP: Sweater for a special baby

My cousin and his wife are expecting their first baby in a few months. I am putting together a little layette using Patons Grace in cotton for the warm southern autumn. I am repeating the garter stitich kimono sweater and the two needle booties in the Spearmint Ombre and the matching soft green. I have a few other pieces planned for the layette that I will post as I begin working on them.

Finished Project: Patchwork Baby Blanket and Matching Caps

This little patchwork baby blanket was knit in rows to make it modular and easy to carry along. I used the Vannna's Choice acrylic yarns to make it washable and in colors to match the nursery. I joined the rows with a single row of a contrasting color to add a little funky texture and finished it off with a crochet edge for polish. The little caps were competed as a request of the new mom so the little one would would look really sweet for outings.

Finished Project: Blue Striped Baby Booties

These little gems were a breeze to knit up using a pattern for Two Needle Baby Booties by Carole Barenys that can be found at knittingonthenet.com. They were fast and easy and would be a great pattern for someone jumping off the cliff to try reading a pattern or doing a first pair of socks. I apologize for the quality of the picture. I had gifted them to the intended new mom before I realized none of my pictures turned out.

Finished Project: Bamboo Baby Sweater

The Baboo Baby Sweater is finally finished! I knitted up a baby cap with the remainder of the yarn. The rosettes are attached with a separate strand of yarn that can be easily snipped and pulled out to remove the rosettes should the baby be a boy.

Next project to finish: a whole passel of mice!

Works In Progress: Bamboo baby sweater and a mouse

I have nearly finished a baby sweater knitted in Yummy, color Celestial, a soft luscious bamboo yarn. I chose the garter stitch wrap sweater from "Simple Knits for Cherished Babies." I am working on a cap and socks to match. I am madly knitting the set as it is due for a raffle later this week. My department at work is sponsoring a team for Habitat for Humanity. There are several expectant moms in the department and I was hoping an heirloom baby set would generate a lot of raffle ticket sales.

I am gradually overcoming my fear of patterns. This is a new pattern for me and the piece was unrecognizable until I was halfway through the pattern. It is knit in one piece from back to front with two side seams. I have had few problems with the pattern and will likely repeat it. It makes a sweet and simple sweater that will be easy to knit and easy for the baby to wear. I am using bamboo yarn for the set as the baby who receives it will likely be a warm-weather baby. And I just wanted to try that bamboo yarn!

The bamboo yarn feels like cotton, acts like cotton, but has a beautiful sheen. It does have a loose twist though which made me have to slow down a bit so I would not split the yarn.

Below is a toy mouse being made of wool for felting. This pattern is from other Simple Knits book. I am making a basketful of these. I need one for Sophie, my mother's new Shitzhu puppy, a couple for my cat critters, and want to finish three for a "Three Blind Mice" set for the raffle. These mice are cute and fast to knit up. They are great for babies, toddlers, cats and, if you leave off the tail, dogs. The one in the picture is for a cat as it has an extra long tail.

Finished Projects: Baby Cap and dishcloths

Soft green cotton yarn knitted up beautifully in this little baby cap set aside for a baby gift later in the year.

The remainder of the soft green yarn was knitted in the dishcloth below, pictured with the one I pictured in an earlier post as a work in progress. Neither are blocked here as I will likely just put them in the kitchen drawer for use.

Found Items for Notions: Yarn Guide from scrap plastic canvas

I am often frustrated by different yarns in my knitting bag tangling or dropping down in the bag getting lost. I solved the problem by using a scrap of plastic canvas. I cut several square holes and bound the holes with scrap yarn to keep the edges of the canvas from damaging my project yarn. I then pin the guide with safety pins into whatever bag I am using for my knitting. I then string each yarn through one of the holes. If one of the yarns is not currently attached to a project, I weave the end back and forth through the weave of the plastic canvas or just loosely tie it to keep it from falling down into the bag. The guide keeps the yarn from tangling and makes things a little more efficient.