Have you ever stopped and thought what beautiful colors aged cheese has? No, neither have I. That often. But when I saw Creeny, a raw milk sheep cheese handmade in Corleggy, Co. Cavan, I thought it was a lovely nutty beige. And I don’t like the color beige so that says a lot. The bright lime green raffia ribbon adds such a cheerful and handcrafted touch to the packaging. Here are the pretty colors in a palette.
With such a great response to Best Baby Cardigans EVER: Part 1, I knew it was only a matter of time before Part 2 materialized so here it is.
Wee Óg or LB as I often refer to him in my blog posts and on Twitter is now six months old! On the six-month mark I went through his clothes to see what he had grown out of and, sadly, two of the hand knit cardigans and one hat are too small. But six months of wear is not bad for a baby! And that’s nearly daily wear. The Iceling Cardigan, pictured in this post, is ideal for adding garter stitch (ahem, EASY) rows to the length and the knitter (super fabulous knitwear designer Carol Feller) gave me a ball of the same wool so it will match.
Hello Baby Hat by Susan B. Anderson. Knitted by BonnyAlma.
Iceling Cardigan by Carol Feller. Knitted by Carol Feller.
One more cardigan, a few hats, and a vest to go so a Part 3 is coming soon with more adorable baby photos. In the meantime, I’d love to know what your favorite baby knits are.
Well, no watermelons in this post but definitely kumquats. But I can’t think of the word Kumquat without thinking of the word Watermelon because there was an adage my algebra teacher used to say all the time and it just stuck in my head. Not that I remember what it was about in the math sense, but I think it was along the lines of comparing apples to oranges. Anyway, I had seen Kumquats in California before but not since moving to Ireland (in 2008) so when we were on Ischia (an Italian island near Capri/Naples), I was delighted to see this little guy growing on the balcony where we were staying. Now I already loved pink and green or pink and orange together so when I was thrilled with this sight. I drank it in, then I aimed my camera.
It was only a matter of time. Yarn stashes grow as do little boys. LB is rolling himself over now so crawling is coming soon and no matter how safe my yarn storage may be from moths or dust, a crawling baby may crack the code. And for his safety as well as the yarn’s, I’ve taken on a massive destash project. My goal is to swap the yarns I had great intentions for but never got used for yarn I will use. But here’s the kicker, I want less! So, when I traded five skeins for two with Liz a few weeks ago, I was thrilled because I reclaimed some space and with enough of those trades, I can get from four yarn storage containers to TWO!
Want in on this campaign to give LB more crawling space? Take a peek at my Ravelry Stash and message me if something strikes your fancy and we’ll go from there. Here are the yarns I am most eager to trade away because, as multiples, they take up the most storing space:
And nearly three of these, I’ve used this yarn to make two cowls (Taffy Twist and Midwinter’s Night):
One in each color (pistachio and periwinkle):
Two in coral gables, one in granite:
Four or five of these. Washable! Great for kids apparel, like this jumper I made for my nephew:
Two and a half of these:
Four of these:
Nineteen of these:
My friend Máire is fabulous. She’s intelligent, beautiful and an amazing knitter. Also, when she reads this she will disagree with me because she’s also humble and too busy doing fab things to think about how fab she is. A friend like that deserves something special for her birthday so last year, I knit her a cowl with a thick-and-thin wool that has pinks and charcoals together in an elegant but wearable combination.
The yarn was an obvious choice because I had knitted a previous cowl with it and its consistency was lovely for warmth without bulk or weight. It took just two skeins of di.Vé Fiamma to make the cowl. Here’s how I did it.
I am absolutely in love with these colors together. It is a vibrant medley of everything an outdoor market is. A swirl of color and activity together with deliciousness. This photo was taken at a Parisian market three summers ago. Three summers?! No. Yes. Goodness. It has been too long since I’ve been to Paris.
There is no more exciting day than the arrival of a child in the family. There is all at once an unfamiliarity and a comfort when you first hold your new baby. The arrival of a child into this world can also be especially scary. Going into delivery, parents do not always know the outcome and everything is uncertain until you hold your child in your arms. For parents welcoming a premature infants, this is felt with greater intensity. How are her lungs? Will he weigh enough? Will I be able to hold her? It is never predictable so often these new citizens of the world arrive so early they have nothing to wear. Naked was fine in the warm womb of the mother, but in Ireland at any time of year it is chilly and without valuable layers of baby fat that are usually built up in the final weeks of pregnancy, premature newborns need properly fitting clothing more than they ever will. Hats are essential for keeping warmth in their bodies as are socks and cardigans. Really, anything! But clothing manufacturers do not produce such tiny sizes so this is when knitting transcends being a hobby and becomes that long strand of yarn binding us together as a community of people who care. Reach inside your knitting basket now and dig out your empathy because this is when it is needed.
Mandy Daly, Irish Premature Babies Family Liaison Manager, explained more about her work and the current needs for the charity. Irish Premature Babies is Ireland’s only charity that supports families in Ireland with premature babies. Did you know that each year over 4,500 babies are born pre-term and many require very long hospital stays and suffer lifelong complications as a result of their early arrivals? Mary said, “One of the objectives of our charity is to raise public awareness of premature birth and to this end we arrange several public events every November 17th to celebrate World Prematurity Awareness Day. This year we are participating in a Global Initiative on November 17th and we are hoping to turn many landmark buildings in Ireland purple (the worldwide colour of premature birth) as well as engaging in a photography project where we plan to photograph baby socks on a clothes line in front of famous landmarks in Ireland. As one in ten babies is born prematurely world wide the clothes lines will have nine pairs of normal baby socks and one pair of purple premature baby socks in the middle. The idea behind the clothes line is to demonstrate the difference in size between a normal full term baby and a pre-term baby (many of whom weigh as little as 1 lb).”
So unless you have a building to bathe in purple light, I bet you’re wondering how you can help. Glad you asked! You as a knitter can donate premature clothing to the various neo-natal units countrywide who desperately require knitted hats, socks, cardigans etc for the pre-term babies. It is very difficult and expensive to purchase clothing for premature babies because of their size. So, will you participate in the Purple and White Knitting initiative?
All you need to do it knit up a pair of socks/booties or a cardigan or a hat in a tiny size (I’ve included links to patterns) then in advance of Nov 17th, Mandy Daly and her team from Irish Premature Babies will collect knitted items of clothing for the units and to distribute them on Nov 17th.
When my son was born, we anticipated a big baby like I was but he was very tiny (except his huge feet). He was swimming in the newborn clothing we had for him and even the premature-sized diapers we could find in Ireland were big on him (we had to fold them over). It was difficult to see him looking so small and vulnerable in the gigantic clothing. Once we were able to find a few things that fit (and thanks to some quick hat knitting by my friend Máire), I felt more relaxed with his size. I know it was just visual since he was still tiny but if that comfort can be given to other parents of babies who were born too early to pile on the cushy baby fat then we should do what we can to make that happen! Let’s comfort parents and keep premature babies warm, Ireland!!
If you have specific questions regarding this or want to do a group effort in your community, Mandy Daly can be reached regarding this at this email address: mandy daly yahoo co.uk or ring her at: 087-689 6287.
Here are some patterns. Some are premature or early baby sized while others can be easily adapted for smaller sizing. And don’t say you have too much going on because tiny baby clothes make for quick knitting projects!
Iceling Cardigan by Carol Feller (shown above) is a favorite of mine because the shawl collar keeps baby’s neck warm and the garter stitch cuffs can be rolled back when baby is tiny which gives it longer use. My son wore his Iceling Cardigan from birth through six months.
Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker – I’ve not knitted this but Missy has.
Premature Baby Bootees by Shepherd Yarns
Premature Baby’s Cardigan, Hat and Bootees by Lorna Hanson
Double knit V-neck raglan premature baby cardigan by Wye Needlecraft
Hat for premature babies by Ann Baker
Knitting Pattern No. 10 Premature Baby Onsie by Lynne Christie
Premature Baby Socks by Naturally Yarns
Premature/Low Birth Weight Baby Body Warmer by Doris Lord
Heather Premature Baby Jacket by Denny Kelly
Little Miracle – premature cardigan by Anne Småbrekke
Cabled Preemie Hat by Marie Wright
Michelle’s Preemie-Newborn Booties and Hat by Michelle Howard
Preemie Hats for Charity by Carissa Browning
Simple Tiny Angel by Christine M Woolley
4ply V-Neck Raglan Cardigan by Wye Needlecraft
Olivia Preemie Booties by Jessie Driscoll
Design 6, Baby’s Raglan Sleeved Cardigan with Round Neck, Hat and Bootees by Patons UK
Bootees and Mittens by Stylecraft
Baby’s Beanie Hat by Erika Knight (shown below) from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies (available from Amazon.com & Amazon.co.uk) – This is the hat my LB wore in the hospital ward and for the first days at home. It was roomy on him but the Sirdar Crofter DK was a great choice for weight and stretch factor. NOTE: Ribbed bottom is better than rolled brim because it rests flat against the baby’s head when sleeping instead of a lumpy feeling from the rolled edge.
Kanoko Pants by Yumiko Sakurai (shown below) – the smallest size of these fit LB from birth through nine weeks (11 lbs). It can easily be made smaller though (we had to fold up the legs and cinch in the drawstring for the first month).
It’s not secret I love knitting with Cork-based hand-dyer Hedgehog Fibres and sometimes I just like looking at their colorways or petting a skein of their wool – or writing about it. So, when I had the chance recently to visit their new studio space, I was thrilled.
With the official opening in late November or December 2011 (can’t remember exactly as it was just after LB arrived on the scene and sleep depravation made the weeks run together), Hedgehog Fibres has increased its small batch production to include new colorways in addition to its always popular sock, lace, and fibre clubs. I was in the sock club last summer and it was so worth it and such fun. Like a woolly care package every month! Well, that’s exactly what it is. The space also allows the opportunity for visitors, on the spot purchases, and studio events and classes (like Carol Feller teaching short rows there earlier this month).
The studio visit was delightful and very relaxed. I was shown the upcoming sock club selection (and sworn to secrecy) and got to peek at the fibre bats being sent over to Fibre Space in Alexandria, Virginia (again, sworn to secrecy). But it was the shelves filled with vibrant and intricate colors that had me entranced. Here are some photos:
Check out Aroma (with the green) and Petal. LOVE these colors!
Lace weight beauties:
And the sock yarn of my dreams (Lagoon, Hunter, Spell, Pollen, Sour Cherry, Merlot,…)!
Of the sock yarn color ways on display that day, my two favorites are Merlot (a deep berry pink) and Pollen (a summer yellow). Here’s a close-up of the Pollen:
Upstairs from the dyeing studio space, inventory displays, drying racks, shipments ready to go, and tables for workshops or work, is the office space. A corner sofa takes center stage with small touches all around it and the wall of crisp white desks.
And LB couldn’t resist snuggling up with the inanimate studio mascot, a big stuffed animal hedgehog.
All-in-all, it was a great day.
With LB flying toward the age when he’ll be exploring the floors of our home, I’ve been interested in swapping or destashing yarn I won’t use and organizing the yarn I plan to use as well as securing the various sharp objects up and away from little hands. More about the sharp stuff for another post but so far swapping has been quite fun!
I traded five balls for two so already there is less yarn in our place! Yay! Though I am still looking for two of the balls because I organize my stash by fibre content, sequestering the 100% wool to a far away container since I’m allergic to it so it’s only used to knit gifts.
Here is what I traded away…
Hedgehog Fibres silk singles in Opalite:
and
Hedgehog Fibres silk singles in Swamp:
and
Di.Vé de Fiamma
It’s so pretty, let’s take another look:
And why not zoom in for a close-up:
You may recognize it from the Taffy Twist Cowl I designed/made. Oh, why not include a photo of that too:
And here is what I got in return…
Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock Yarn in Adara
and
Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock Yarn in Lady Slipper
Plus a couple patterns from my Ravelry Wish List.
Have you traded yarn lately? Or baseball cards? Or baseball players? Do tell!
Remember a couple weeks ago, I told you in a blog post about how I visited Fibre Space and am totally in love with the place? And how I want to organize my living room to look like their shop? Oh, that last part may have just been in a dream. Nevermind. Anyway, also in that post I mentioned and linked to the Fibre Space KAL of the Blackcurrant Shawl. My local knitting group (the Wednesday one) jumped at the chance to do the KAL too so we cast on a couple weeks ago. Initially, I was going to knit with two MadelineTosh sock yarns but after knitting a swatch, I realized two sock weight yarns would not give the Blackcurrant the drape I desire. So instead, I am knitting the pattern in one sock weight and one lace weight, both Hedgehog Fibres.
This is what my swatch looked like with those two weights paired:
We have a winner!
I love the variations in colors without having them be too overwhelming or wild. Here is a closer look at the yarns themselves pre-swatch:
Delicious, right? Have you ever changed your mind after knitting a swatch and decided on a different yarn entirely?
