Oh Baby Girl

I've been knitting, knitting, knitting for a baby girl due in December. Some things have worked out well, and others have ended up in the frog pond never to be mentioned again. So far its 4 to 5 (4 completed successfully and 5 frogged).

The first is from the lovely pattern Autumn Leaves, easy to knit and fast. I used Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted in the Coral colourway, and followed the pattern exactly. Blocking makes a big difference to the finished look of this baby sweater, especially because of the lace yoke.



I thought the shape looked like a butterfly's wings, so chose this button:



Next, I made a little bassinet blanket, or stroller robe from the Purl Bee's enticing pattern, Chevron Baby Blanket:



I got a bag of mini-balls of worsted weight wool - Pick Up Sticks Small Balls Yarn Candy - from KPixie.com and one bag was just enough for this tiny blanket. It turned out a lot smaller than it looks in the pattern photo, and I can't tell if it's the perspective in which they took the photo, or if I somehow missed a crucial point. In any case, I'm happy with my result and it's the perfect newborn bassinet size, or to use with the carseat. I'll probably use this pattern again as the baby grows.

I embroidered a rose on it to brighten up the baby's room. I createded this free-style, just sketching the flower hastily on a scrap of paper to get the shape of the petals right before I started in.



The last baby item that's ready to show is my Oh Baby Girl Dress:



This is my own design and I can't wait to write it up and post it in my Ravelry pages. I used Bebe Lang washable wool - very thin and soft - and it was wonderful. My friend Nad in Germany gave me two bundles of this when the little guy was born so I don't know if it's available in the US. I'd love to find more though. Its fabulous to knit with and comes in a clever little bag that threads the yarn through while you're knitting - no tangles! I'm using the leftovers to make a tiny pair of stockings to match the dress.



The final item just off the needles is another variation of the Baby Sophisticate sweater that I've adapted so many times before. This is currently blocking, so you'll see it in a future post!