Baby Knits

My nephew, Tim, and his wife, Michelle, are expecting their first child in October. When Michelle emailed me that they were expecting, I was thrilled. This is the first child in the family that lives somewhere where hand-knits are needed for more than a couple days a year, i.e. when you throw the kids in the car for a day in the snow. The rest of the family lives in the central valley of California, where Tule fog can settle in for months of cat-paw gray, not with the bone chilling cold that rain and snow bring to Maryland and Oregon. For years I have had pent-up baby knitting energy (especially little girl baby knitting) so, even though we don't know if a girl or boy is coming, I am defiantly leaning my knitting choices towards a baby girl.

The joys of baby knitting are many... small projects, fast knitting, fun colors and, as long as you don't make something too tiny, projects guaranteed to fit the child eventually. First on the list is a Vintage Baby Cardigan in Zinnia Sock. With just a touch of pink in the midst of yellow, orange, green and red, it will work for either a boy or a girl as long as you choose your buttons carefully.

Add frogs, not flowers, or maybe an i-cord inchworm crawling along the bottom edge, and you have a boy-friendly knit. You can make it simple, or even embellish it with all sorts of ribbons and buttons. Since I am closing in on finishing my Vintage Baby Cardigan before I see Michelle and Tim on Sunday, it time to run over to the Button Emporium for a treasure hunt. I will be sewing in the ends on my red-eye flight tonight. (You might just see me at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival!)

After all these years of admiring baby patterns wistfully, I have a whole list of projects for TMB (Tim+Michelle= Baby). Jared Flood's Girasole in Butter Staccato for a Christening blanket, our Baby Leggings, the pullover from Shibui Baby, and maybe even the Shibui Baby Romper in Cranberry Sock for Christmas. I shall leave booties to other knitters, since they drive me to distraction, and wait to see about the little girl dresses until we have confirmation.

But that must wait until later.  I have to run and catch my flight now, in order to see all y'all at the MS&WF this weekend!  Until next time, ponder those baby knits.