Just Flying By

Okay...tomorrow is June 1st and why is this year going by so fast? Before you know it there will be all those summer sales in the stores before summer ever gets going. Where I live it never feels like "summer" weather until August.

I am still making the baby things but after the blanket is finished I am movin' on to other things. I actually started an intarsia project but I will save that for another post.

This sweet little jacket is called Helena. It is a free pattern from knitty. I finished it a couple of weeks ago. Now it is all boxed up and ready to be sent away.

The yarn is Baby Bunny from Plymouth. A nice combination of Pima cotton, modal and angora. I changed a few things on the pattern to suit my taste and to cover up a boo-boo.

I made the lace skirt one less repeat long. I wanted it to look more like a sweater than a long coat. I changed the edging around the neck and front to match the transition between the skirt and the bodice and I changed the closure.

Ah, the closure. The pattern called for 2 sets of ties on the bodice. I decided early on I wanted to do a button and button loop closure. Well, after I did that I couldn't get it to close very well without it gapping. I accidentally cut live yarn when I tried to remove the button. The button on the left is placed over the hole that ended up. I picked up 3 stitches on the opposite side and did I-cord for about 4 inches and ended it with a leaf. The leaf pattern is from Nicky Epstein's book of felted flowers. On the left side is a button loop to complete the closure and another button added to balance the entire look. I think it works but will it work when there is a squirming 1 year old wearing it???

And THE BUNNY

I had just enough yarn left over to make this sweet adorable bunny. The amazing thing is the bunny is constructed out of one knitted square and then sewn into a bunny shape. The ears are made separately and attached.

Now back to the baby blanket!

Now I Know My ABC's

I am knitting a very special baby blanket for my niece's new baby girl. It is from this book by Debbie Bliss. I have a couple of other Debbie Bliss baby books with nice patterns but this book has some really special, heirloom quality knits in it.

The pattern I have selected is called The Alphabet Blanket.

It is the kind of pattern that you first look at and get totally overwhelmed by the complexity of the charts. Four full pages of charts can look very skeery.

Now that I am about a third of the way into the pattern, it really is very easy, but you have to be really mindful - no wine, no new movies (they require you to watch) and it really is helpful if no one is around to distract you and mess up your counting. And if everything goes according to this plan, no ripping out mistakes, I should have this finished by the end of the month.

I am knitting it with Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in neutral soft white. There is a triangle edging that goes around all the edges that I have decided not to knit. It is just too fussy and really a pain in the ass to knit....easy decision there. After it gets its border and blocked...it will be quite lovely!

Katherine's Dress

The sweet pink dress for Katherine is ready to be sent away.

This is really the first "baby" thing I have ever knit. I am going to hold onto this through the weekend, just to keep looking and touching it, then it will be packaged up and sent to my niece, Katherine's mama-to-be.

The pattern states it is for a 3 month old. I guess I don't know baby sizes very well, cause this one looks a lot larger to me. I guess that is a good thing since babies grow fast. The booties on the other hand are really small and will probably only fit the first few weeks after being born.

Check out these cute little buttons! The perfect finishing touch.

I am on the hunt for more baby things to knit. Thinking of an heirloom blanket!

Pretty In Pink

A sweet pair of mary jane booties for Katherine. Katherine is my niece's baby. She is due to arrive July 24th. The size of these booties is s.m.a.l.l. and I mean small. Katherine will be able to wear them about a week if we are lucky - after that I guess they can be put on a doll. The pattern was so easy and the results are fantastic.

I found the pattern through Ravelry which had a link to this website. The pattern is well written and knits up fast. There is a bit of seaming involved but not too much. I made the first one and fell in love with it...I guess too much. I was making the second one for the right foot but didn't realize until all the way to sewing on the button - I MADE THE SAME FOOT! Just a minor setback. They are finished and ready to be boxed up and sent away.

The yarn I used is Baby Bamboo made by Sirdar Snuggly. This yarn is so soft and lovely to knit with I can't wait to purchase more. The color range is nice too.

A separate post for the sweet little dress shown in the upper corner of the picture.