Knitting for Babies

There’s a lot of baby knitting going on at my house right now.  No, I’m not pregnant, I just happen to know a lot of women who have recently given birth.  Around here, babies tend to come in groups of three. 

The hat above is the Sweet Norwegian Baby Cap, this is my third time knitting this cap.  It’s made out of sock yarn and goes incredibly fast.  Plus, the little points over the ears and forehead help to keep baby warm.  The booties are from Knitting for Baby and are also a favorite of mine.  I’ve knit so many of these booties that I pretty much can knit them without reading the pattern.  I believe they’re called the Stay On Baby Booties, and they really do stay on.  They look a little like Moon Boots at first because the sides are so high, but when you think about how round a newborn’s foot is, it makes a lot of sense. 

Yarn:  Aslan Trends, Santa Fe – colorway 1324.  Machine wash in cold (but if your name is Darla, tell your hubby to hand wash in cold because we’ve been through this before).  One skein makes both the booties and the hat. 

Modifications:  The only modification was to the strings on the cap.  I find I-cord insanely boring, so I cast on stitches and then bind off in the next row.  It works just fine for me and is less boring. 

This little hat is to use up some leftover yarn that I had in my stash.  It’s headed to SMDC’s Birthcenter to warm the head of some little newborn. 

Pattern:  Thorpe.  I’ve been dying to try this pattern since Halloween when a group of trick-or-treaters came to my door decked out in Thorpe’s.  I recognized the hats as being most likely handknit and then searched out the pattern.  It’s easily done in a variety of sizes. This is worsted weight yarn on size 6 needles. 

Yarn:  Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton.  I bought this at Yarn Harbor probably 2 years ago with baby knits in mind.  The only bummer to this gorgeous yarn is that it’s hand wash only.  I think this is due to the way the yarn is plyed.  Cotton has very short fibers so it generally is spun very tightly and then either cable plied or you’ll see lots of plies together.  This is a two ply yarn and frankly, I’m a bit worried as to how it will wear.  For newborn items, since they won’t be worn for long, I’m not going to worry too much. 

Modifications:  The only modification I made was leaving out the ties.  Mostly because it’s being donated to the hospital and I know people get a little worried about strings and babies.  Heck, I get worried about strings and babies.  My husband likes this hat so much that he requested one in his size.