Knitting: baby booties

While I'm still trying to finish the epic afghan, I took time to quickly whip up this little treasure:

how cute are these??? they take no time at all, and the end result is soooo lovely!!

Using Regia Aquarius Color 6 ply yarn and 4.5mm needles, I followed the Eco baby booties pattern to the letter.  It knits flat and is then assembled.  In half an hour I got one bootie ready and was able to see how it looks like finished (nothing worse if the end result is not what one expects...)

Anyhoo, this will be my friend Patricia's first grandchild and I just wanted to offer a little something to celebrate this addition to her family. I believe these little booties fit the bill perfectly!

Now, do I knit them in another colour as well?

Update 17.01.2015: welcome to the world little Mattis!

Knitting: Knit-a-long progress

Once upon a time (in May), there was a knit-a-long organised by Rowan that offered 8 different patterns for 20x20cm squares.  These  were meant to be knitted one pattern per week, and so have a finished blanket within 2 months' time.

Fast forward ... six months:  after a (small) hiatus, in order to knit/sew/cross-stitch other projects, I'm in the final laps of this - my first - knitalong!

I've managed to finish the first two patterns and I'm happy to report that they are all nice and pinned, slightly sprayed with water to highlight the pattern, waiting to be assembled:

Does this mean I may actually have the blanket ready by Christmas???

Knitting: baby blanket

There is nothing better than to handcraft a present for a new life.  I was moved when my friend Jessi asked me to make a blanket for her first baby and I wanted to make this a special one.

After several patterns, she and her husband chose the Daisy pattern, which in the beginning slightly disappointed me:  I thought it was way too easy, and wouldn't show off my craftsmanship!

Was I wrong... This pattern is fairly difficult to learn - but at least once learned, it's easy to memorise and I did not even need to keep track of my knitting.  I just stopped at 70 cm and started the edging.

But starting from the beginning:  as the sex of the baby was not known (it's a boy!), I went with trusted colour green.  But not just any green:  groovy green if you please!  The yarn is Baby Bamboo from Sirdar and I really loved the fact it's 80% bamboo -- so soft, and so right for a newborn!

I slightly changed the pattern (as I always do) and cast on 204 stitches, working with 4.0mm bamboo needles.  The blanket was my true companion many evenings in front of the TV, in the early hours of the day when I couldn't sleep, and even traveled with me abroad and kept me sane after long days of meetings...

But even in my wildest dreams I couldn't imagine it would turn out this beautiful.  I'm really pleased with the result and it made me embrace all those little presents that make a new addition in life so much more comfortable - welcome to the world baby John!