Pattern: Buggerloo by Crystal Shadrick    

Pattern: Heirloom Cables Baby Cardigan by Lion Brand Yarn    

Filed under: Baby Items, Cardigans, Cotton Ease, FOs, Knitting for Others by Lynette

Pattern: Modified Drops Eyelet Baby Cardigan by Jennifer Little
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy Mill End

Monica: Someone at work had a baby a few months ago and I was really excited to make a baby sweater because they knit up so quickly. I had one more skein of the peachy smooshy mill end yarn so I found a free pattern on Ravelry that was perfect for it.

It is an easy pattern and I modified the top lace pattern so it looks different from the pattern. I also made her a quilt to go with the sweater.

That was an easy quilt to make because it was a cheater print – a piece of fabric that already looked like quilt blocks.

I did more work making the backing:

I love speedy projects. Now I have to wait for Mom to come back from maternity leave before I can give her the presents.

Filed under: Baby Items, Cardigans, Monica, quilts by Monica

Pattern:  Woobie Baby Bunny by Kris Carlson  
Yarn:      Patons Grace in Green, Lavender and Grey
Needles:  Knitpicks Size 4

Lynette: Last month, I had the opportunity to test knit this cute project for a local Raveler.   We’ve never met, but we know the same friends and have been to the same LYS.   While knitting the bunny at Panera one night, our common knitter friends recognized the pattern and asked if I was knitting for Kris.  What a small world!

This project had so many fun and new techniques that it wasn’t boring at all.  It started at the widest point slowly decreasing to create the picot edge.  Next came more decreasing until there were just enough stitches to start the head.

This was the most fun part.  With the short rows, it was so cool seeing the face develop even without the embroidery.  Once the ears were finished, the only thing left was to add the embroidery.  Oy!  After trial and error, I think I have a pleasant looking bunny face that any baby would like.  I found the perfect recipient, and then I found the perfect gift to go with the bunny blanket – The Velveteen Rabbit.  Hopefully the recipient will love this blankie as much as the little boy in the story.

Filed under: Baby Items, FOs, Knitting for Others, Lynette by Lynette

Pattern:  Pinwheel Sweater (child version) by Shelly Mackie  
Yarn:       Dream in Color Classy

Lynette: One of my friends in my Panera group suggested we all knit the Pinwheel Sweater for early spring.  At first I decided I didn’t want to join because I knew I wouldn’t wear it.  Later I decided I’d join only if I knit the child size.   My next decision was to pick the yarn.  Originally I thought I would knit it in shades of pink, but I remembered my DIC Tulip Kit that I hadn’t knit yet.

Once I cast on for this sweater, all my other projects went to the UFO pile for a while.  It was an unputdownable project (not a word-I know).  I kept telling my knit buds that this is definitely a potato chip project.  I couldn’t stop knitting it.

Within a day or so, I was already separating the sleeves and that’s when I ran into my first issue.  I had problems with the provisional cast-on.  With the help of other Ravelers, I decided to knit an afterthought sleeve instead which worked much better.  The other issue I had was that I’d never knit an i-cord bind-off.  Thanks to this video on youtube.com, I was able to finish the cardigan.  I added a button hole during the bind-off which will be used later as she grows.  Once the sweater was complete, I decided to add i-cord ties to fasten at the neck.

“Oh pey” was her reaction.  I translated this to mean “oh pretty”.  And oh, I can’t wait to watch her grow in this.

Filed under: Baby Items, FOs, Knit-Alongs, Oak Lawn SnB, Sweaters by Lynette

Pattern: Betty Lou Cardigan from Vintage Baby Knits
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy

Monica: I saw this baby sweater in person at a festival last year and thought it was so cute I couldn’t wait to find a baby to make it for. So when someone at work had a baby girl I cast on for this sweater and happily knit away.

I kept knitting even though I saw that weird bias happening with the lace pattern. I was very hopeful that it would block out. And it did. For the most part.

Except for the bottom left front. I had to wet it twice and stretch the crap out of it because it was very curly. So now I’m worried that if the sweater is re-washed it will need to be stretched again? Should I just put it in the donation bin?

Filed under: Baby Items, FOs by Monica

Monica: These are the last 2 hats I made for Warm Up America.

I tried to make them in colors that were less girly.

I used the chart for the waves from this pattern. I started on row 9.

We are having a heat wave now so all that snow I posted about should be mostly melted next week. It’s early though so I’m sure we have plenty of time to get more snow.

Filed under: Baby Items, Charity Project, FOs, Hats by Monica

Monica: Someone at work is collecting hats for Warm Up America so this past weekend I got a little carried away and made some hats. I used Wool Ease for these hats that were left over from another project. I used the pattern that was on their site and the finished measurements were 10″ which I thought was small but I made them anyway. At least they are stretchy.

I used the chart for the hearts from this pattern. I love this hat pattern and want to make it for myself.

Stripes- 3 rows of each color.

And finally dots. I used the chart for the dots from a free pattern on this website. (You can download the pattern from a link on the right side of her main page.)

So those are the hats for girls. I made a few in boy colors too. I’ll post those soon.

Time to brace myself for a really cold day tomorrow. I just hope my car starts!

Filed under: Baby Items, Charity Project, FOs by Monica

Pattern:  Button-flower Cloche by Jennifer Little  
Yarn:       Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solids
Needle:  Size 7s

Meet the newest member of my family.   I’ve been knitting a few items for her for the upcoming cold weather.  I was shopping with my daughter a few weeks ago, and we saw the cutest cardigans at Target.  My daughter looked at me and asked why doesn’t Baby A have any new cardis.    I hadn’t knit for her since Easter.  Well, um…I guess I had to rectify that.    This hat actually is supposed to match the cardigan below, but my daughter asked me to add pink to it as well.

The pattern originally calls for size 3 needle, but since I wanted to knit a 12-mos size, I increased the needle size to 7s.

Pattern:   Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys  
Yarn:        Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice Solids
Needle:   Size 8s

I also upsized this pattern too.  The largest size in the pattern is 0-3 months, but I upsized the needles here as well, and the outcome was just as I’d hoped.  I believe it’s at least 12-mos maybe larger.  She’ll wear this cardigan well throughout the winter.

For the sleeves, I used the Concentric Stripes Cardigan.  It follows the same top-down process until you get to the first sleeve then you knit it flat and crochet the seam.  The last crochet loop gets put back on the needle and you knit to the next sleeve.  After the sleeves and knit and seamed, you continue to knit the body of the cardi.

I love Ravelry and their expansive database of amazing patterns.  I’ve queued quite a few more projects to knit for this little one for years to come.

Filed under: Baby Items, Cardigans, FOs, Hats, Sweaters by Lynette

My friend finished Big Red and made him much much better.

Have a great weekend!!

Filed under: Baby Items by Monica

Meet Big Red – he’s supposed to be a lobster. This is what he is supposed to look like. Everything was going well until I had to sew the head to the body and then it went downhill from there.

So Red (which still needs eyeballs) looks like he turned his head because he heard something. Or he needs a spine adjustment.

I made it for a friend of mine whose having a baby shower for her daughter soon so I had a deadline to finish it last night. Unfortunately I had to give it to my friend that way but she said she’d fix it. Hopefully I’ll get a picture of it when it’s fixed. It’s a really cute lobster! Honest!

Filed under: Baby Items by Monica