the blue blog archives: last minute knitted baby gifts

Years of complaining that I don't have any friends with babies to knit for, and now this year it looks like I'll have a half-dozen baby knits to make! For the first two, I've picked out patterns from Last Minute Knitted Gifts (a book that I both love and hate - more to come on my trials with another of its patterns later this week!).

After making a pair of those super cute angora booties for the store this summer, I've been waiting for an opportunity to make a pair for someone. When my mom mentioned that a colleague of hers is having a baby, I offered to knit a pair for her. I looked at a lot of the mega-fluffy, mega-pricey angoras, but ended up choosing Louisa Harding's Kimono Angora for the lovely variegated colors.

It's still plenty fluffy and super soft, and as angora goes, it's a steal. Even Clara likes it! I may make a matching hat as well, if the angora doesn't end up tickling my nose too much.

One baby is already here and so I'm getting started on her present first. She'll be getting the baby placket-neck pullover from Last Minuted Knitted Gifts in some salmon- colored Cotton Spotlight I got at a Wild & Wooly sale a while back. I picked out the yarn for myself, but I haven't used it in a year and a half, so it's fair game. I'm using stash - woo hoo!

posted by alison at 10:01 am | in the babies are coming, the babies are coming

Comments

I have a love hate relationship with that book as well. I love the patterns, hate the errors. My LYS just got the Louisa Harding yarns in so I can't wait to see how they knit up.

Posted by: MommyknitsJen at January 23, 2006 10:28 AM

those booties are cute cute. I have some twins to knit for. I really wanted to make those booties, but found I'm really sensitvie to angora so I need to find a substitute.

Posted by: erin at January 23, 2006 10:40 AM

I have seen this book a few times and still don't have a set opinion about it. Can't wait to hear more about your views on it though. :)

Posted by: ~Jo~ at January 23, 2006 10:42 AM

oh, I love that sweater! looks great so far. :)

Posted by: jess at January 23, 2006 10:46 AM

Too too cute!! And I'm so excited to see someone else as excited about Knitty Gritty as I am. I'm intimidated by a lot of the projects, mostly because I just learned to knit in Oct/Nov of last year. The idea of joining a KnitAlong rocks. :) Socks don't seem too threatening.... *gulp*

Posted by: Rachel at January 23, 2006 10:56 AM

Angora tickles my nose too -- not sure if I could ever work with it. I love the little booties though. That baby sweater pattern is one I've been considering for a while, but with all the Christmas knitting I never got around to it. Might have to now that I'm looking at it again!

Posted by: Faith Fiberflash at January 23, 2006 10:57 AM

Those are going to be gorgeous booties! That sweater is just flying along.

Posted by: Chris at January 23, 2006 10:58 AM

I love this book too--but I do not yet hate it.

I sense foreshadowing here......does this mean the ribby for your spouse is not working so well? Noooooooooooooo................

Those booties sure are fab--I have a load of baby gifts to make too. That pattern is definitly in the running now....

Posted by: suzanne at January 23, 2006 11:27 AM

I'm curious how the baby-sweater goes for you. My future sister-in-law gave birth yesterday and I'm thinking of making that for the little pea.

Posted by: Megann at January 23, 2006 11:39 AM

I am finding myself in the same "everyone's having a baby" boat! I just bought Zoe Mellor's 50 Baby Bootees book and can't wait to get going. *As it happens, I, too bought some Louisa Harding yarn yesterday (the Kashmir Aran Merino/Microfiber/Cashmere blend)--but it's for a hat. :) Yay for quick(er) baby knits!

Posted by: Amanda at January 23, 2006 11:47 AM

I made a pair of those booties this weekend as well--and with stash yarn! They are UBER cute. Wish I had access to the new angora but then I'd probably not be so good about using the stash, eh? I'm using the 70/30 angora/wool blends that come in much larger balls than in the pattern so supposedly should be able to get 3 pairs out of 1 ball.

Posted by: Daphne at January 23, 2006 11:59 AM

ARGH!! That baby sweater gave me fits. I knit it last summer, as a less experienced knitter, and it was a mess! I thought I had really screwed things up, only to find a page of errata on the Purl website.
Having properly finished it, I must say it looked great and it was great to knit. I just wish I hadn't had to frog half of it. Although it did help me overcome my fear of frogging, so maybe it was meant to be.

Posted by: Wendy at January 23, 2006 12:01 PM

My later printing of the book has been corrected, or at least has the same directions that are on the errata web page. But I still haven't knit anything from it and, frankly, the number of corrections makes me wonder what problems have not yet been reported!

Posted by: janna at January 23, 2006 12:38 PM

The booties and the sweater both look great! I've been searching around for a bootie pattern that would work well with some leftover DK weight stuff I have. Nice meeting you yesterday!

Posted by: Sneaksleep at January 23, 2006 1:23 PM

Cute!!

Posted by: Samantha at January 23, 2006 2:24 PM

i'm knitting the pulli as well for a friend's son. it is so cute!! are you doing buttons on the placket? i'm considering making an i-cord tie instead.

Posted by: jennifer at January 23, 2006 4:20 PM

I'm also knitting for loads of babes - some born & others coming soon. I like the Debbie Bliss books, 50 baby bootees by Zoe Mellor & have just ordered Rowan Babies. I love your bootees!

Posted by: blueadt at January 23, 2006 5:30 PM

Aww, those angora booties are so sweet! I'm working on a blanket and it's sucking the life out of me - the things we do for wee ones.

Posted by: anne at January 23, 2006 6:11 PM

I love the placket neck pullover. I did one too and was lucky enough to find the errata before I started! It was fun, and pretty darn easy. :)

Your is looking very sweet...

Posted by: Carry at January 23, 2006 6:35 PM

Out of curiousity, did you end up with sizeable holes where you pick up the stitches for the ankle? Every time I've made them (three pairs so far) I've ended up with unattractive holes. Any suggestions?

Posted by: Erica at January 23, 2006 10:46 PM

I had issues with that sweater too. Drove me nuts. Thank heavens for the internet! Didn't like the buttons on the placket, so I put snaps on instead, which seemed far easier for dressing the baby (that, and I got the placket in the wrong place....) ~x~

Posted by: Jane in London at January 24, 2006 5:28 AM

I am glad you said something about corrections for this pattern, I am knitting it myself, and I had no idea there were problems with it. I have been knitting for awhile, but I guess not enough to know when there were mistakes. Thanks.

Posted by: stephanie at January 25, 2006 12:36 PM

Those booties look very cute. When I knit my first, I had the same problem as Erica with one unsightly hole per side (I just added a tacking stitch after finishing). What gives? Also - I had never knitted two sides at once (k1, s1) and the foot of my booties seems to have more "ladder" showing than yours. Is my tension too much/too little? I just thought it was supposed to look like that until I saw yours. One last question - when I bound off it made the top extremely unflexible (it's found a happy home with my daughter's baby doll) - what type of bind off did you use? Thanks for sharing your beautiful work!

Posted by: Anne Margaret at January 26, 2006 8:57 AM