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.

Nothing Much...

...has been done in the way of knitting. Summer heat has decided to linger on so knitting with sweaty hands is not much appealing. However, I have managed to do two rather small projects. First one was a little baby vest. No pattern, just an old, winged design.

And second was a pair of baby pants. It is a quick and easy DROPS pattern that I have knit before.

I wove in several rows of elastic thread to the waist ribbing to ensure that the pants stay on. These complete the baby set I knit earlier.

It is about time the recipient of all these baby knits was revealed. We are expecting a addition to our family in winter, inshaAllah. Being a winter baby, it will need a lot of warm clothing, so stay tuned for more baby projects in the coming months. 

Baby Surprise Jacket III : Jewel Tones

Last week, I finally got down to the long-procrastinated task of cleaning my craft closet. It was really a mess, especially since the older kids have recently gained access to my paper supplies and scissors. But most of the mess was my own and it took me a while to put everything to order. I got two bags full of leftover yarns with the clean-up and decided to use up some of it before starting anything else. What is better than a Baby Surprise Jacket for small amount of leftover yarns. I have already made two such jackets in the past. (Blogged here and here).

For this one, I used the warmer colors and it turned out far better than I had hoped. It is a good size too, with 4 mm needles and DK weight yarns. I keep forget how knitting stripes with so many colors means frequently tangled balls and a lot of weaving of ends when the knitting is done. But it was so worth it for the final cardigan and some extra space in my closet.

 

 Then of course, I had to knit a matching hat too. I have a feeling, it is a bit smallish and not very anatomically fitting, but the pattern was easy and it got done in a day.

Complete Set

 So I managed to overlook the color and texture difference between the two balls of yarn and used the remaining yarn to knit the matching bonnet ...

 ...and a pair of booties to accompany the cabled bay jacket.

 

I am glad that I did it because a complete set looks far cuter and is way more useful than a lone cardigan.

Cabled Baby Jacket

 

This one turned out far better then my last baby cardigan. But then, I have always had good experience with DROPS patterns, even though the instructions can be a little tricky and hard to understand. This was a joy to knit and so cute to boot. However I got unlucky with the yarn as the second ball of yarn turned out to be a shade different in color and also texture. You can pick out the difference if you look closely at the collar. That put quite a damper on my knitting spirits and I am now debating if I should continue with the matching bonnet.

Feather And Fan Baby Sweater And Bonnet

Eid festivities being over, I am back with a couple of little projects as promised. I knit a little baby sweater with feather and fan pattern and then knit a bonnet to match. Knitting for babies has to be the easiest kind but my skills must be a bit rusted because I had a hard time finding right enough patterns for this yarn. And even though the finished objects are nice, they haven't turned out as good as I had hoped.
  The cardigan is a Lion Brand pattern. The neckline is a bit awkward, but the rest is simple enough. The bonnet pattern was a pleasure to knit, even though I changed the lace pattern to be identical to the cardigan.
  Next up is going to be another baby set, inshaAllah. Much nicer, I hope.

Anemone Wrist Warmers

I made these for a friend a couple of months ago. They were a fast, fun project, even with beads, the pattern being clear and easy. I procrastinated with the actual mailing of the gift, but now that she has received it, I get to blog about it.