Minion Hat

These days, my toddler is quite fond of minions (of the Despicable Me animated movies). At some movement of overwhelming maternal affection, I promised her a minion hat a couple of weeks ago. So this had to be the project marking my post-partum recovery. I used this pattern for the basic hat pattern (it is an awesome pattern by the way, and I was much tempted to cast-on an actual fair-isle version) and improvised with all the minion components. I am happy to have fulfilled my promised and my daughter is happy to have a "min" hat, which she would much rather hold and look at, than put on her head...
  

Introducing...

...our newest family member. Our daughter was born on December 20, via c-section, alhamdolillah. We both are home now and getting a much needed rest.

Around The House Cardigan

Someone gave me some old yarn recycled from an old sweater, a while back. Since it was a color most often by me in sweaters, I used it to knit a cardigan for myself to wear around the house. The yarn is somewhere between sports and DK weight. After figuring out the needle size and gauge, I knit a top-down cardigan using contiguous method for shoulders and set-in sleeves.I incorporated a cable for the saddle shoulder.

 Even though I was a bit uncertain about the fit, seeing how I was winging the whole process, it turned out fabulously well, at the first go. Even though it is my third contiguous project, I still get thrilled by how this method makes wonderfully seamless sweaters.  

I used cable charts from this pattern. In the end, the yarn ran a bit short so I ended up with a slightly cropped cardigan and three-quarter sleeves.

 

Little Blossom Cardigan

 

I got the buttons and finished up the intarsia sweater. I had to make something for my toddler as she was keenly waiting for something to fit her, trying on all the little baby projects while I worked on them, recently. So I promised her a sweater with flowers. It took care of my need for some color work too, as well as using up some of the leftover yarns. I made a few changes to the pattern, omitting the side slits, doing garter rib instead of seed stitch and added a crochet trim around the collar cuffs and bottom. I knit the 3-4 year size, so it is a bit large on her for now. However she is quite happy with it, flowers, pockets and all.

Intarsia Preview

I did start a little intarsia project to appease the unusual craving I had for some more color work. It is a cardigan for my toddler. It is nearly done, however, I still have to find the right buttons for it. So it will be a few more days before I have a FO photo. Here I leave you with a small preview:

Initially, I was planning a hat to go with it but all this color work has apparently taken care of my craving rather too well. And I can not wait to get it finished and start something new and different.

Fair Isle Baby Set

 

 This baby set winds up my baby knitting, unless I decide to knit a random vest or two. I took my time with knitting this set but still it got done pretty fast. The jacket, cap and socks are one DROPS pattern and the pants are another DROPS pattern. I have knit the later twice before, in fact the last baby pants were also made in this pattern.

The yarn is all our local acrylic in DK weight and I love how it is far softer than the usual stuff, and has a nice variegation to it.

This little fair Isle project has put me in the mood for some more colorwork and I am contemplating an intarsia project next.

Sewing: Baby Snugglers

 On a related note, I did some more baby projects, only these are sewing rather than knitting projects. I sewed a couple of baby snugglers using this excellent free pattern. Even though the practicality of these is yet to be tested, in my opinion, these look to be a far superior option to the swaddling wrap that keeps coming loose every so often.

I used the same print for both layers of each snuggler. Both fabrics are flannel. It was a bit tricky to get all the pattern pieces taped together, but the pattern itself was a breeze to sew. Each snuggler got done in under an hour.
In knitting news, I have a baby sock on the needles right now. Hope to have a finished baby set soon.