Baby Love

I haven't had a reason to knit baby things in quite a while. That's all changed, though, thanks to my niece Anna. She's expecting a baby boy next month.

I suspect he will be a warm and always-cozy baby, since on our side of the family he has a grandmother and three aunts (grand-aunts? great-aunts?) who knit, crochet, and weave. Here's one ensemble the most stylish newborn in Chicago will be wearing this spring:


Hat Pattern: Cosset, by Jenny Raymond
Yarn: On-Line Supersocke 100, Vital Color, color #1206
Needles: 2.50mm and 2.25mm dpns

Bolero Pattern: Baby Bolero by Leigh Radford, from her book One Skein
Yarn: Berroco Remix in Buttercup
Needles: US6 and US5

Socks Pattern: improvised, based on Classic Socks for the Family by Melinda Goodfellow, Yankee Knitter Designs #29
Yarn: On-Line Supersocke 100, Vital Color, color #1206
Needles: 2.25mm dpns









I love wee baby socks! How quickly they knit up! The way they coordinate with the color of the bolero was really just a happy accident, because I bought the Remix long before I bought the sock yarn. I was browsing the closeout yarns in the WEBS warehouse and noticed this On-Line Supersocke color. The bits of butterscotch in it caught my eye and reminded me of the Remix. Into my basket it leapt.

This was my first time using Berroco's Remix yarn. It has a rustic look that struck me as a good match for the bolero's simple design, and its fiber content of cotton, acrylic, nylon, silk, and linen seemed just right for a spring garment. Another plus: it's machine washable.

I wouldn't be surprised if this baby gets his share of blue things, so I made him a second hat, with stripes of blue ...


Pattern: Lucia’s Organic Beanie, by Mel Clark, a free pattern from Slip Slip Knit
Yarn: Classic Elite Cotton Bamboo (white) and Louet Merlin (blue)
Needles: US3 and US4 dpns



This beanie is a quick and easy knit, and a great project for stash yarn. I knit most of it while while riding the stationary bike--it really only requires close attention when you are joining the new color for the stripes. I knit the beanie pretty much as written, except I made it a little smaller by casting on 66 stitches instead of 72.

For the bolero, I made quite a few modifications. If you're interested in the details, check out my Ravelry project page.

Off-topic news (off the topic of baby knits, not off the topic of knitting): Jared Flood has just begun what promises to be a really interesting series on how his Shelter yarn is made. As a painter, I was fascinated by today's post about color blending.