I fear that I may not have done quite such a nice job of this quilt as the ones that were made when I wasn’t pregnant. But it’s done, and it’s sweet and cuddly. Which comes as some relief given the months it took me to find some flannel to back it with. Though that flannel came in the form of a rather pricey doona cover that I had to butcher in the process. The backing is a better colour match than it looks in the photos, the velour cord does weird things in the light and is very hard to photograph.

Pattern: None really, just a corner to corner garter stitch square with crochet shell edging.
Yarn: Heirloom Easy Care 5 ply in shade 779
Needles: umm? they were Addis…

So Dolly’s blanket has been done for a while now, since the week before Easter in fact. I finished in on a plane trip to one of the nicest weddings I have ever attended (other than my own of course). Apparently plastic hooks are unthreatening enough to be tolerated on Australian planes, even after numerous fairly thorough examinations by stewards wanting to clarify if I had anything so dangerous as knitting needles on board. Trying to find a day that with sunshine and no Isabelle so I could get a photo proved somewhat more challenging than crocheting on a plane…

You may recall that this blanket was supposed to be a Stonington Shetland Shawl but I decided the yarn wasn’t nice enough, even after lanolising, and abandoned that plan. I made a funny discovery not long after completing it as a dolly blanket. The lanolin I used to lanolise it - was in fact lip balm. Oops. Never the less, I still feel the yarn is better suited to dolls than babies. I hope Isabelle likes it and treats it better than the last dolly blanket I knit her.

Pattern: Shedir - Knitty Fall 2004 Surprise, modified to fit a baby.
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in shade 460
Needles: 3.25mm Addi Natura circ and Addi Bamboo DPNs

It has to be said - this pattern is awesome. I may have a worrying tendency to knit the same thing again and again, but 5 times is pushing the limits even for me - this pattern is worth it! It also has to be said that I would rather knit it on a circular than DPNs any day. Circular needles are my friend, next time I break one and decide it doesn’t need replacing can somebody please thump me? And while I am getting excited about patterns and needles - I think I am in love with Rowan Calmer, well certainly for baby hats. I was worried the white was a bit too nothing and yet this is my favourite Shedir so far! Could I be more chipper today?

The next mini flower hat is well underway and I am fabric shopping for quilt backings today…

Pattern: no pattern, just some strange guestimations based on gauge and other baby hat patterns.
Yarn: Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran in Quartz, Alabaster and Ricepaper
Needles: Addi 4.5mm circular and some bamboo 4.5mm DPNs

Pattern: Loosely based on the Debbie Bliss Simple Hat, at a finer gauge, in the round, with a moss stitch band.
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton in “Elf”
Needles: Addi Natura 3.25mm DPNs and circ

Pattern: Yvonne’s Double Flower Cloth with some significant mods to make it a newborn baby sized hat
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in “Powder Puff”
Needles: Addi Natura 3.25mm DPNs and circ

Nothing like three simple baby hats to make a girl feel productive! So that was supposed to be it, all my gift/baby knitting done… two quilts to go. But it’s never that simple is it? I realised a) that I had forgotten somebody and b) that I could not possibly part with either the pink baby Shedir or the mini flower hat. I confess I am finding it hard to come to terms with giving away baby knitting at the moment - but there are so many long awaited babies arriving that it has to be done! Thus two more hats got added to the list. I rushed out yesterday afternoon and bought another ball of Rowan Calmer - here comes another baby Shedir and then another mini flower hat. And then the gift knitting really is done!

It was a cunning plan to turn a double flower wash cloth into a single flower baby hat that hinged on ending up with ten stitches per section. Eleven at most. I have twelve and I am honestly not sure quite how I miscalculated. My brain, it’s turning to mush. At least the flower’s pretty.

The problem is that last time I had twelve stitches per section it came out big enough for a 4 yr old, well nearly. I did actually rip that first flower hat back and reknit it with fourteen stitches per section. Now here I am with twelve again and I am a little puzzled, because really it looks like twelve stitches per section will be barely enough. Either my gauge has changed a lot or my eyes are deceiving me and it’s anyone’s guess which is more likely…

Pattern: Yvonne’s Double Flower Cloth with some mods to make it a hat
Yarn: Rowan Calmer in “Powder Puff”
Needles: Addi Natura 3.25mm DPNs and circ

The first flower hat is done. I have to say I am pretty disturbed that my 4yr old’s head is quite this large. Perhaps that is just because I am busy thinking about the next head and feeling very grateful that it won’t be that big when it comes out!

I used a picot cast off, which I am reasonably happy with. I am hoping it will look better, not worse, after a wash.

Three baby hats and two quilts to go….

That would be my enormous belly protruding into the bottom of the frame of the fourth photo. Standing on a chair to take today’s photos was hard enough that I am not going to do it again any time soon, instead we will have to make do with the belly interference.

The green cardi is ready to block! Though I am a little worried about the shape it has come out, specifically the shape of the neck and upper shoulders, I am thrilled with the speed, simplicity and minimal finishing involved in this top down business. I mean really, it rocks. It was also a great for my momentum not starting and finishing 5 individual pieces, anything that invites a pause in production is a bad thing at the moment. Progress photos of it’s speedy growth below (the colour of the photos with a black background is most accurate, the brown background photos were taken inside at night).

The buttons will have to wait until the baby is born and reveals it’s gender… In the mean time any votes for a matching hat? Another baby Shedir or the old favourite simple hat with moss stitch trim?