Knitted Sea Creatures

Here is a photo of the sea creatures (all invertebrates), that I knit for a friend's baby boy. I had intended to get them done before he was born, but I ended up getting them done by his 1st birthday. Considering the problems with the patterns, and the amount of un- and re-knitting I had to do, I think I did pretty darn well! I could add all the details about the designer, the yarn and needles, etc., but I frankly didn't jot enough down and would have to make up at least 1/2 of it.

Oh, and I did really get these done in February, so I'm pathetic, but not quite that pathetic.

I am Knitting!

OK, I am knitting, really. It just that it seems like I am also unknitting just as much as I'm knitting. I've been trying to make these cute little sea creatures for MONTHS, but the directions have so many (random) errors! I have to knit, recognize that there's something wrong, then unknit and do Math (for heaven's sake), then try again. That's all I'm going to say. I'm not going to blame the designer, nor am I going to curse.

Have a pleasant Sunday evening.

Preemie Cupcake Hat

I have made 3 hats for the preemie project so far. I haven't been following the guidelines very well--they mostly want pastels, which I find boooooring!

This is my favorite so far, and it is mostly complete. Even better--I wrote the pattern myself, which will be posted eventually.

I think this will look better with a small flower on top, but I don't have the right colors of scraps. It is made with cheap acrylic washable baby yarns, and I can probably make about 5-10 with 2 skeins of yarn.
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Preemie Baby Cupcake Hat Pattern
1 skein Caron Simply Soft, color bone for base
1 skein Bernat Baby Bouchle white for frosting (makes multiple preemie hats)
Size 5 needles

This pattern can be worked in the round with DPNS or on regular needles and seamed up the back.

Cast on 48 stitches
Rows 1-10 K2, P2 ribbing
Rows 11, 12, 13 Purl all stitches
Row 14 Knit all
Row 15 Purl all
Row 16 K2, k2 Together until end of row
Row 17 Purl all
Row 18 K2, k2 together until end of row
Row 19 Purl all
Row 20 K2 together until end of row
Row 21 Purl all
Row 22 Bind off the remaining stitches or pull the yarn through them all at once.

Sew seam if necessary. Add optional trim or appliques to the top of the cupcake.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby Girl Hat

Last weekend, I finished off another baby hat for (yet) another friend who's baby recently made her debut. I believe that I don't know anyone else who is currently expecting a baby, so this may be the last baby project post from me for a while.

I got the pattern at my LYS in a little kit, but the instructions don't say who designed it or anything, so I can't give her/him due credit for this easy, stylish little hat. The directions do give sizes up to Adult, so let me know if you want one!

Here is the girly version of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby Hat.

Pattern: Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby Hat
Yarn: Tweedy Cotton Classic 100% mercerized cotton #477
Plus some coordinating eyelash yarn that wasn't marked
Needles: US size 6, 16" circular
Began: June 16, 2007
Finished: June 17, 2007

Yarn for Baby Projects

Quite a while ago, WK asked me to post something on what types of yarn are good/recommended/better for projects for babies. I imagine that since I keep talking about the baby projects I've been working on this winter and spring, I may have given the impression that I know something about this. I didn't, I had a vague idea; now I've done some research and verified what my impression was. Whew, I was on the right track.

So I checked around the web, Googling various terms that seemed likely. Most of the results I found were for sales sites that have what is commonly called baby yarns in their inventory. That's fine, but not what I wanted. On Yahoo Answers, someone asked "Is Baby Yarn Really Necessary?" and received some interesting answers, not all of which I particularly agree with. However, most of the answers were fairly common-sense issues that are in the main repeated below.

I did find an excellent discussion in one of Knitty's featured articles, Babes in the Wools: Practical Tips on Knitting for Babies by Melissa Walters. Winter issue 03. She describes for the knitting non-parent what to think about when choosing yarns and accessories for a baby project, which happen to coincide with what I've been doing. Her main points of consideration that I find important include:

• Washability - Babies can be messy (top and bottom) use yarns that are easy for parents to clean. These include many man-made fibers and blends, but also include some very nice washable wools.
  
• I would add that the knitter also be concerned that the item is not easily felted. At some point, someone other than Mom or Dad will throw your gift into the washer and dryer.
  

• Safety - Consider the pattern of the garment and little fingers and toes, will they snag? You may want to avoid the laciest of patterns so that little fingers and toes don't get caught in the pattern.
  
• Using buttons? make sure to attach them securely. MW gives excellent advice and instructions on attaching buttons for baby items in this article. Remember, after 4 months or so, the infant will be putting things in their mouth and yanking on loose bits like buttons.

• Sizing - Babies grow fast, plan ahead and try for easy on and off.
• If you are not sure if the garment you are considering will be easy for a new parent to negotiate with a wriggly little one, seriously consider making a blanket or hat. Alternatively, you could discuss your concerns with someone who is more recently (or just more) experienced in wriggly babies.
  
• It's easy to pick out some cute sweater or outfit and then get bogged down in life until after the baby has out-grown the size you started. There's no good way to avoid this unless you have some way of avoiding the everyday complications of life. Or start the moment you hear there's a baby on the way and hope you've given yourself enough time.
  
• The baby could show up early! I have been trying to get my baby gifts done in time to give them as shower presents, but even this is not always enough. I learned how to make a baby hat in about 4 hours, which means I should be able to whip one up quickly if I have to, and then go back to the planned-on baby item. Bibs work well for this last-minute need, too.
  

Her other main points are:

• Color Selection
• I know you both already know this, but I'm saying it anyhow. There are more than two colors for babies. Pink and/or Blue are only options. I like to try to find out what the nursery is going to look like and coordinate with that, but sometimes I just pick out cool yarn and hope the new parents like it.
  
• Alternatives to Sweaters
• Knitting for a Baby Who has Parents that Knit
  

I would add to MWs list:

• Might the baby have allergies?
  
• One of the respondents (crochetwithdee) to the question on Yahoo Answer brought up the very good point that babies have very sensitive skin and may have allergies to wool. Some organizations that accept donations of handmade baby articles only accept things made in acrylic or cotton.
• You will probably want to make sure that the parents aren't allergic or have sensitivity to whatever you are knitting with, too.
  
• Comfort and softness for baby and parents.
• Everyone likes to feel soft, cozy things around them, right?
• Weight of garment, babies feel hot, too.
• If you are knitting a sweater for a newborn who is expected in July or August, make sure it can be worn in the cooler months or is light weight.

Make sure to give the label from the yarn (with care instructions) with your gift. This might be good advice for any handmade gift, not just baby knits.

Another Sock Project - Finished!

I finished the baby socks tonight. I don't have a suitably-sized model on which to show off my knitting (unlike some co-bloggers!), so I stuffed these with a tissue each so they'd stand up and look nicer. I need to make things for people who live in the same house so I can have models for my stuff! Who knew?

Anyhow, it took me longer than I anticipated because I didn't knit everyday since my last post. So I suppose they took about the same number of hours I expected them to, but it took me more days to get those hours in. These are the first pair of socks I have knitted any kind of a pattern into, and I think they came out pretty well. They have a very nicely even scalloped edge at the top, which I like.

I enjoyed making them and have learned that knitting socks (or probably anything else) with a pattern/lace doesn't seem to have to be as terrifying as I initially thought it would be. I took one photo of the cute little socks with a quarter, so you can get an idea of the scale.

I do have some pretty darn crooked size 1 double-pointed-needles to show for my work, though. Since this is the first project I've used them on, I fear for their lives. I do tend to make even the sturdiest looking embroidery needles curve, but somehow I didn't expect it from bamboo. Do you both end up with curvy needles? Am I just being obsessive about tension, perhaps I need to relax in order to save my poor needles?

Last Night's Project

Last night I took a break from the BBBB to whip up a baby hat for a completely different baby. I took about 4 hours (give or take) and knit this hat up. It is called a Fuzzy Wuzzy Baby hat and I knit most of it on a 16" size 6 circular needle, but used dpn at the end for the last decreases. I cast on 72 stitches and used both the variegated and eyelash novelty yarn for the first 4 rows. I have it displayed here on a vase, but it doesn't do it justice. I have enough yarn left over to make a matching pair of infant socks! I am going to make another set for another baby boy who is also on his way this spring. Is everyone experiencing a baby boom in their areas?

Just so you know, I did intend to post this last night, but after the knitting binge, I ran out of steam to get the camera out and write this up. I got done just before midnight, so I decided that I could post this "first thing this morning." I realize it's afternoon now ... :)