Bloomsbury Baby Sweater + Bobble Bonnet

Hmmm.  Maybe it's time I finished this post… This sweater and bonnet were a 1st birthday present from my niece last October!  It was a while ago, but I do remember really enjoying making the sweater.  In worsted weight yarn it knit up really fast.  I think this pattern looks cute on babies, but even better on older girls.  I'd definitely like to make another.  Pattern / Yarn







Leftover yarn (I had just barely enough!):



Why are bobbles so adorable on babies?  This bonnet turned out super-cute.  I used silk-alpaca yarn so it's soft and luxurious.  For such a little knit, it took a bit longer because of the bigger bobbles.  It would be fun to make another version with smaller bumps like the subtle ones on the Diode Hat.  (Bonnet pattern).

Raglan Openwork Baby Cardigan

Here's a little cardigan I knit for my niece Esmé. The pattern is from a vintage 1968 book (the same one I used for this sweater & hat). The yarn is wonderful alpaca from Nordic Mart (on sale right now!). This was my third sweater and I think it turned out pretty well, though I can see room for improvement, so I better keep practicing! The openwork stripes add a nice bit of prettiness to an otherwise plain sweater and I like how the front button bands are folded over. It seems a tad short and wide, but we'll see come spring!

outfit for a new niece

it's taken me a little while to post this, but here's a cute clothing kit i sent along when our niece esmé was born (in late october!).  the cardigan and knit hat i'm quite proud of.  for these i used patterns from a vintage knitting book (1968) and this alpaca yarn.  i love the little raglan cables and turned up cuffs.  i was a little nervous to knit the hat because the bumpy texture required dropping/unravelling stitches, but it was actually pretty easy once i got the hang of it.  i definitely gained some knitting confidence making these!







i used this pattern for the long sleeve tee.  the poofy pants are a combo of this simplicity pattern (too complicated) and the bloomer pattern in made by hand (not complicated enough).  i love the way these pretty fabrics look together.


this vintage knitting book has some pretty crazy stuffed animals propping up the sweaters.  who decided this bunny needed makeup?

little knits

a couple of hand knits for a new niece or nephew...  this was my first sweater and it turned out better than i'd expected!  i used this free pattern which was pretty easy to follow.  the wool yarn is from nordic mart.  it's super-wash, which i thought sounded like a good idea, but then i realized how easy it is to hand-wash a little sweater in the sink...  plus i started reading lots of scary stories about items knit with super-wash yarn expanding in the washing machine. anyway, this little sweater success has me wanting to knit more small things!  (oh, and the pretty yellow buttons are vintage).

also, i just had to make the mini-blanket with a dog head.  it's from this free pattern, made with leftover cotton yarn.  i changed up the striping from the original pattern so there wouldn't be so many ends to weave in.  something fun for little hands to grab on to!










(also on ravelry).