Preemie items; off they go...

I have been busy knitting bootees and mittens for PreemiesUK. The pattern is a really basic one which is on their website somewhere. Each item weighs about 5g, so it's a great way to use up leftover yarn. I usually prefer to knit bigger items such as blankets and hats, but they are currently snowed under with them and have specifically requested bootees and mittens.

They have also requested items that could be sold at an Easter craft fair, so I threw in a bunny blanket and a couple of trinket bags that I knitted years ago.

Daylight is stronger today, so the yellow colour is showing up better than in my last blog post. I really loathe any shade of yellow. After knitting the bootees I had to force myself to sew them up just so that I could post them off. To prove that my heart was not in the sewing, I actually managed to sew across the top of one of the bootees. Duh! Luckily I was able to undo it. Phew! I wonder what daft mistakes other people have made...

A pretty bonnet and bootees set...

Having previously knitted some very plain patterns from The Big Book of Baby Knitting* by Mary Healey, I felt the need to immerse myself in some pretty knitting. So I made this lovely bonnet and bootees set in 4ply yarn. 

I started with the bonnet and very soon had a love/hate relationship with the pattern.  It was an 8 rows repeat, only two of which were remotely tricky.  But I must have made every mistake possible, usually forgetting to pass a slip stitch over.  I even did this more than once on the same row at least twice!

I love the way the bonnet looks.  It is actually a simple pattern even though I managed to make very heavy weather of it.  I was really glad when it was finished but I continued with my original plan to make the bootees. They are mostly stocking stitch with just a couple of pattern repeats near the cuff.

When I added the ribbon to the bonnet, I cut little v shapes from the ends.  This was how my hair ribbons looked when I was a child.  I had completely forgotten that piece of useless information until I made this bonnet.

These should fit a baby aged about 3 months.  I have put them away for the next family baby.  That is two sets that I now have in reserve.  Amazingly, the hat used only 22g of yarn and the pair of bootess used only 13g.  I would knit this pattern again at some time in the future even though it gave me some problems!

* the term "baby knitting" make me think of someone knitting a baby.  I just can't get that image out of my head.  I tell a lie...another image has just taken over the silly slot. This time it is of a baby holding knitting needles and a ball of wool.  I think I need a lie-down.

A baby hat and bootees set...

I was recently lucky enough to buy a copy of The Big Book of Baby Knitting by Mary Healey.  It was going for only 50p in my local charity shop.  Most of my patterns come free from library books or the Internet.  But this appealed to me because it was published in 1974 and has some really vintage patterns.  Were people still knitting swimming costumes for their children in 1974?  I don't think so; but this book also has lots of really practical and pretty patterns.

I started with two practical patterns....a baby hat that keeps the ears warm and bootees that look like they might actually stay on.  The only change I made to the hat pattern was to knit it in the round.  I always try to avoid seams on hats, especially baby hats.  The bootees are the first I have ever knitted.  I found the p2tog tbl stitch on the instep really fiddly to knit.  A voice in my head told me that there must be an alternative stitch.  Well, there doesn't seem to be; but there is an easier way of doing the p2tog tbl.  Here are the very clear instructions that I found on the Lily Go blog.

The knitting world has really moved on since 1974.  This book has no "knit in the round" patterns, uses different abbreviations for stitches, and has only one size for each pattern.  Luckily the booties and hat should fit a baby aged 3 months. So I am putting them together and calling them a set.  They will be saved until one of my many nieces and nephews (or daughter) have a baby.

In keeping with the vintage pattern, I used some vintage yarn.  It is Family Choice DK by Wendy and there is no barcode on the label.  I always take that to mean it is very old.  (There is no barcode on me either, so I can confirm that theory!)

I have already made a start on one of the prettier patterns, though it is taking longer as it calls for 4 ply yarn.  So I hope nobody is holding their breath waiting for a photo!