Baby stuff!

I have always liked making things for babies, probably at least in part because of how quickly they work up. Instant gratification! So of course it's even more fun to make things for my own babies.

So first, a hat and mittens:

 The hat is this pattern here, and the pattern for the mittens is here. I especially love baby mittens - no thumbs! They can be made really quickly. I will definitely do that again as a baby gift!

The second hat is a little simpler, but I was afraid after I knit the first one that it might not stay on a baby's head very well - no ribbing at the bottom! Of course, I haven't actually put it on a baby yet, so who knows :)  The pattern for this hat is here.

And, in the process, stash busting! So, a sweater to match.

I keep coming back to this pattern by Jennifer Hoel because it is SO SIMPLE and there is basically no finishing - my favorite kind of sweater!

I think now I need to choose another color for the rest of my baby knits, though. Getting a little sick of that yarn. 28 weeks now - getting closer and closer!

A few spare minutes

When I finished this sweater, it just needed a little hat to go with it.

My little friend here agrees, although I am not sure exactly what he is yet. Lion? Giraffe? Sweater stealer?
In any case, he doesn't get to keep the sweater. I hope to donate it somewhere locally here in Middlebury!

In other news, I'm linked up!







There are lots of fun projects, so check them out!

Goal #2: Use what you've got!

Goal number one, if you recall, was to give to charity.

I've made some progress on this one. At the end of the month, I will send a donation of hand-knitted baby caps to Knitting and Giving, who will distribute them to families in need. I like to think of these cute little caps keeping heads warm!
Given the ridiculous amounts of snow we've gotten this winter, I think these will be particularly helpful. I didn't bother taking pictures of the duplicates, but I've got 7 done to date. Not bad for the busiest month of my year!My favorites are these cute little cabled ones. They were sort of an improvised pattern, but I'm quite pleased with the result.

That takes me to Goal #2: Use what you've got!.
I've mentioned before that Keith and I live in a very small condo. So, the overflowing bins of fiber and fabric are getting a little overwhelming. These little hats are a great way to use up bits of leftover yarn.

I've also been working on some odds and ends for some friends having babies this spring - all from things I had around the house!
I used this tutorial for the bib, although I ended up improvising a bit with the edging. The author of the tutorial described using a zigzag stitch on the bias tape, but I couldn't get it to catch the front and the back evenly, so I went for a more time-consuming method and attached the bias tape the same way you would attach a quilt binding. Still, given the trial-and-error, the whole thing probably only took an hour. Then, I used an old towel to make a matching burp cloth. Perfect!

And today's project: a great scrap-buster for a Valentine's gift for hubby. I was inspired by my friend Carole Ann's beautiful quilt here, which directed me to this method for making improvised quilt blocks. I had also been thinking of making one of these, which led me to combine all these ideas.
Keith carries around an old composition notebook everywhere, so I thought I would fancy it up a bit. It's not perfect - I definitely learned from the process and when I do this again I will make some changes. But I think it's a cool combination of ideas anyway :)

Also in the works: a non-goal-related project, which is neither for charity nor makes use of my stash. But, I'm going to give this a try anyway.