I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a year! The last post to date is April 15th, two days before I went into labor with my daughter...last year! Eeek! Where did the time go? It's crazy to me that I haven't posted in so long, and the reason I haven't posted is because I had a baby, and therefore no time to knit.
That's starting to change. I recently picked up my needles again, and am working on small projects. A good friend of mine just announced she's pregnant with her second, so let the baby knitting begin! Baby knitting is my favorite. The projects are small quick enough that you can knit a lot of different things in a small windows of time and feel really accomplished.
While I like knitting for fun. I also have a few real custom orders come into the shop in the last few days and I'm really excited to take those on. So I'll be busy with my needles when the baby goes to bed.
Here's some pics of the most recent baby hat I made - another sweet pea hat! Gender neutral this time since baby's gender is yet to be revealed ;)
...There was a Baby Blanket. This baby blanket was knitted for a very special baby.
Her mommy was selected as one of the very first ravelers on Ravelry to test out the pattern for designer Caitlyn French, long before it was reviewed and added to the site's database.
We're talking pattern instructions sketched out in pencil, sent via PDF. Fabulous.
Designer Caitlyn French knit the actual blanket for the ABC TV series "Once Upon a Time". Fans of the show will recognize it as Emma's blanket. However I added a pink ribbon in lieu of the purple one ;)
For materials, I used: Needle US 15 - 10.0 mm
In my test knit, I made some variations to the pattern. Instead of picking up the stitches and knitting on each side for the fan and feather, I used a circular and joined in the round to do so. I added some yo's at the corners to eliminate the edge curl so that it would lay flat when blocked.
Using circulars was much faster in my opinion. The only thing to remember is that if you do opt to do the edging in the round, you'll need to remember to knit row 2 instead of purling :)
The pillow in this picture was embroidered by Marquita Zimmern, my MIL. :) I love to photograph the two together, they look good as a duo!
I saw this yarn in Walmart, and at $2/skein, I wanted to try it out. It's bulky, squishy, and has that soft and cozy feeling - pefect for a baby as it is machine washable and dryable.
So that I didn't have to dream up a pattern, or go searching for one that would work with this yarn, I decided to use the pattern that was suggested on the inner yarn label which is the Bernat Corner to Corner Seed Stitch Blanket. (If anyone's interested, this pattern is free and can be found in Ravelry's database - here's the link).
I wanted a pattern that was really easy and sort of monotonous, meaning, I wouldn't have to look up any pattern definitions or learn new stitches. I just wanted to work with the yarn to get a feel for it without having to dedicate much concentration.
I got exactly what I wished for, a really BORING pattern! You can't get more boring than this. I actually messed up the pattern a few times as a result. Seed stitch is boring in general if you have to do a lot of it, so it really shouldn't have surprised me.
For materials, I used:
The pattern calls for about 6 skeins of yarn, and I purchased 6, but honestly, there's absolutely no need to buy this much. 4 1/2 skeins worked fine for me, and I had a completed blanket.
Would I knit this again? Nope. I'm not in love with the
pattern, the way the colors knitted up together, or the quality of the blanket in general. I think the seed stitch makes the blanket look messy and unfinished in a way. I absolutley wouldn't knit this as a gift. What I might do is use the basic concept, and instead of knitting seed stitch, I might knit the blanket using stockinette stitch - if I had to knit this again. That might look cleaner.
Anyways...when it comes down to it, it's a baby blanket. It's knit to serve a function. If it's warm and comfy, a baby will like it, regardless of stitch or color. Good thing babies aren't as picky or meticulous as me!!
Update 8/20/13: Charlotte loves this blanket. I like to place it on the couch, and she falls asleep on it after drinking her milk. She likes to run her fingers around and touch the soft yarn! Here's a pic:
