Pepita

I started this pair of baby overalls in order to use up some odd balls of fingering weight. I thought it would be a quick knit, but I must be overconfident of my knitting speed because it took me almost a month to get done. The facts that I got lesser time to knit this month due to the new baby and all, and that I found this pattern a bore, did not help with the progress.

I drew a heart motif over a grid and knit a row of these across the chest. The rest of the onesie was done in 2(red): 3(orange) stripes. It was a bit tricky, as the start of the round shifts at waist and then again on starting the legs. I opted out of knitting the feet as I could not be sure of having enough yarn. So, I am glad to finally have it off the needles.

I am not sure how it has turned out, though the crotch and butt shaping seem odd to me. Just happy it is finished.

Basket Bag

Now that I find hard to come by some free time, crochet has renewed charm for me. A crochet project gets done so much faster. Like this bag which took me only two days to crochet and another to line and sew on the handles. This bag uses crochet in worsted acrylic yarn worked around a jute rope. I love the texture of jute and am a huge admirer of basket bags. So I am quite happy with this one and it will probably be one of those of my handmade bags which actually get used. (Yes, I have a number of rarely used bags, either because they are impractical, don't match anything in my wardrobe or because I no longer fancy them).

Lace Cardigan

I started this cardigan about two months back. I wanted to take this DROPS pattern and make it my daughter's size (5-6 years). So I worked out the maths, knit the body and the sleeves up to the armholes, then chickened out at the idea of set-in sleeves and decided to do raglan sleeves instead. Also, I opted for a round neckline and in the end, I ran out of pink yarn, so had to improvise and do a lace portion in orange color.

All in all, if was an interesting project and turned out OK. The cardigan is a bit large for my not-yet-five year old, but she will grow into it, inshaAllah. My only concern is that the sleeves might be disproportionately longer. Or not. The yarns are Mondial Delicata Baby (pink), Knit Picks Palette (orange) and some KoolAid dyed wool, leftover from my tangled yoke cardigan.

Odds and Ends

Thank you all so much for the well wishes and warm welcome for our baby. I am happy to report that she is two weeks old now, MashsaAllah. Her jaundice is almost gone and her feeding and sleeping pattern much improved. Her most endearing action is the spontaneous smile she likes to bestow upon her admirers from time to time. I could not resist a picture of her tiny feet.

Somewhat related are the little projects I did right before she arrived. I knit a pair of tube socks.

And a pair of Stay-on Baby Booties. I love the pattern and how these turned out.

And a pair of Saartje Bootees.

Needless to say, all these pairs are too large just now. Which is just fine as it is too hot to wear these right now anyway.
Also I used some leftover cotton yarn to make this headband for my kindergartener.

Also, I just finished a cardigan for my elder daughter. It is soaking right now. Hopefully I will have pictures soon.

She's here

Our baby girl was born on Friday at 7 a.m. by c-section. She is three weeks early as I developed hypertension out of blue, about two weeks back. She is tiny, at birth weight 2.8 kg, and for the last couple of days, has had us worried with deepening jaundice and a touch of fever. But hopefully, she is getting better now, inshaAllah. As for me, I must be recovering well as I have a sudden urge to cast on some new baby project.

Taking a Break

As the third trimester advances, I find myself slowing down considerably. I can not find much stamina or interest for my craft projects. Just want to put up my hugely edematous feet and rest. Consequently, I probably would not have anything worthwhile to show here on the blog. So, if you find me absent from this blog during the coming few weeks, you can assume that a nap holds more charm than my yarns and needles for the time being. Best wishes to all!

Month Of Sewing: Winding Up

My Month of Sewing ended yesterday. Even though I did not sew up all the stuff on my list, I got most of it. So all in all, it was very productive. For this last post, I just have a few pictures to share of some odd projects I did.
First up is this baby seat cover.

 The second project is a mere prototype. I wanted to try out a fabric covered basket with recycled cardboard walls, that was both collapsible and washable. I used some leftover fabric scraps and it turned out amazingly OK in the first attempt. I am so tempted to make some more, but my husband, probably relieved that the cardboard boxes I was hoarding, had served their purpose, threw out the rest. So, I need to get some more before I can attempt another.

The third one is a simple drawstring bag sewn in a rush, to hold my socks and other small articles of clothing. I have already done a couple of these for the kids and find them a great help in keeping the closets tidy.