I don’t know about you, but all of a sudden I’m hearing about a lot of ladies expecting babies. We are also having quite a few customers come into the shop inquiring about baby patterns and yarns. Three of my closest friends are going to be grandmas in the next 6 months! With all these babies on the way what are some sweet knitting projects to give as gifts? Time and cost are on my mind yet I want them to be special. The nice thing about making baby clothes and blankets is that they are small so the projects come together quickly and the quantity of yarn needed can be minimal. You might even have something in your stash that you can use.
Jen already has some great ideas at A Little Knitty including the “Sail Away Blanket”, which I have made several times, and a cute little shawl collar baby cardigan, “Oscar“, that is truly adorable (and it comes in lots of sizes!).
In my search I found this cute free baby sweater on Ravelry called, “Fuss Free Baby Cardigan” by Louise Tilbrook Designs. I love that it calls for small quantities of yarn for the stripes. Let your imagination go wild as you think of different color schemes that are in-line with the nursery colors or the mom-to-be’s preferences. I’m using one yarn from my stash and paring it with some Ella Rae Cozy Alpaca that is machine washable. It is buttery soft and comes in some nice shades. Check it out in the store next time you visit.
I also want to do a shout out for a great tool I’ve recently starting using. It’s the Knitting Barber Cords and it comes in a variety of colors. What is a Knitting Barber, you ask? It is three flexible plastic cords, 60” and 2- 30” in a convenient little tin that you use for holding stitches aside on your project. For example, instead of putting your sleeves on waste yarn you connect your needle to the cord and slide your stitches onto it. It is flexible and the stitches grip to the cord so it’s impossible to lose any while you are working on the body of your sweater. Notice on my baby sweater how short my are. I cut them smaller so they don’t get in my way. The bright color is also a benefit so it stands out next to my yarn color and doesn’t hide stitches. The shop has a variety of colors.
Well, back to finishing up the sleeves on my baby sweater and adding on the buttons. Hope these ideas inspire you next time you hear about a little one on the way.
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