Lookie, lookie, the wee pearl shrug (from Vintage Baby Knits) is starting to look shruggy! A few dozen rounds of broken rib on the sides and that funny little hourglass piece I started with has magically transformed into a half-finished shrug. I am so loving how this tiny thing is constructed - too cool!

drop stitch sleeves and border still to come!

I can't get over how texturally and technically complex, yet adorably small, it is. There is so much fun knitting in this teensy little project.

"How many nights will I be able to keep myself from starting" the vintage baby knits baby shrug?

Let's find out: one, two, three...

Thrrrreeee.

click for a trip down memory lane!

Wise old owl. He knows just how to make you feel better about not being able to wait. And I certainly couldn't wait any longer to get started on this sweet baby shrug. Isn't the first piece really cool?! The construction of the shrug is so neat. The center back is this hourglass shape, then sides will be knit off of each side of that circularly and then sleeves and an edging will be added to those.

 
from Vintage Baby Knits

And the stitch patterns are charming. This first piece was done in a broken rib. After all the brioche stitch of my alchemy scarf, I found the broken rib so refreshing. And it looks lovely in the tiny gauge. The sleeves and edging will be done with elongated yarnovers and should be lots of fun as well. I am loving the Koigu too. Its twisted texture and pale, slightly uneven color really look vintage to me. I hope you like it so far, Robin!

I've spent another couple of nights with my alchemy scarf (info here) and new things are happening. I was worried it might repeat itself, but this second section looks quite different from the first.

click to see the whole scarf now

It's gotten so boring though that I spent the previous night's knitting time dreaming of starting a new project. So I dashed out with wee one yesterday to pick out some yarn for the baby shrug I want to make from Vintage Baby Knits for Robin (the winner of my vintage baby knits contest!)

I wonder how many nights I'll be able to keep myself from starting this one.

Welcome to the latest stop on the Vintage Baby Knits whistlestop blog tour! (with two giveaways, so keep reading...)

I am pleased to present to you Kristen Rengren's beautiful book chock full of classy baby knits with the signature look and stylish details of knits from the first half of the twentieth century.

Jackie Cabled Cardigan set

Rather than construct new patterns with a vintage feel, Kristen has collected and studied hundreds of genuine vintage patterns, selected 40 of these and updated them for knitting in modern yarns with modern techniques. If you've ever examined a vintage knitting pattern, you know that it's not as easy as simply taking said pattern to your lys, picking out yarn and needles and starting to knit. Needle sizes were different, yarn types had all sorts of strange designations and most patterns included no schematics whatsoever. Kristen has done all the hard work for us, translating a bevy of delightful patterns for modern knitters. There are dozens of darling sweaters and cardigans, several constructed in one piece (like the blue cardigan above) or from the top down (like the sweater on the cover). And all of them, including those with more traditional or complicated construction, have excellent and thorough diagrams.

 
Pearl Shrug

This adorable shrug - the first pattern in the book and a stunning example of the quality of all of these patterns - has such a unique construction, I was overcome with the desire to make it just after looking at the schematics! (Seriously, I really want to make one of these! Since my little one is too big for these patterns - most go to 12 or 24 months - I guess I'll have to make one to give away. If you'd like me to knit one for a little baby girl in your life, leave a comment and let me know. I'll pick one name and make the Pearl Shrug just for you! UPDATE: The contest is closed and a winner has already been chosen.)

The smaller and simpler patterns are just as compelling, including soakers, blankets, hats and three perfectly vintage stuffed animals.

 
Pixie Hat, Rupert the Lion & Elmer the Elephant

Kristen has masterfully given these old patterns new life, making them appealing to a modern audience by presenting them in contemporary yarns (the Pixie Hat above, for example, was knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Socks that Rock!) and in contemporary knitting parlance, but always keeping the true vintage style. She has resisted the urge to change the gauge or details too much. The patterns are still knit a fine gauge with traditional motifs and pattern stitches and therefore, still convey all the delicacy, elegance and charm of vintage style.

Liza Sideways Sacque

Wanna win a free copy of Vintage Baby Knits?! Click here for info on how to enter the contest being run by STC Craft. You can also peek at a gallery of many more of these gorgeous projects and even download a free pattern from the book! And be sure to check out the whole blog tour for some funny interviews, insider info on knitting for the book and much more still to come! (Next stop: Handmade News tomorrow!) You can also visit Kristen's blog for a whole series of articles on knitting vintage.

(A question to the brilliant folks at STC Craft who followed up Melanie Falick's lovely Weekend Knitting with Heather Ross' fabulous Weekend Sewing: can we hope for a Vintage Baby Sewing book sometime in the future? Pretty please?)

UPDATE: Congratulations to Robin, who left the lucky 14th comment and is the winner of a handknit Pearl Shrug. If you see this, Robin, send me an email and we'll talk yarns! Thanks to everyone who played along!