I like knitting brightly coloured clothing for babies and I think this yarn is truly excellent for baby clothing. It is Aire Valley DK, a 75% British wool, 25% nylon blend from West Yorkshire Spinners, soft, washable and excellent value; I could see myself using this for many more baby knits in the future. The pattern is the classic Baby Surprise Jacket by British born, American ground breaking knitter Elizabeth Zimmermann. As you knit the jacket looks nothing like a garment, but a neat piece of folding and two short seams later it has magically transformed itself, the closest knitting gets to origami. This yarn is just right for showing off the mitres in the pattern - Elizabeth Zimmermann adored mitred corners - and it has made a cosy, colourful jacket, without being utterly overwhelming (to me anyhow).
To go with the jacket I made the matching bootees and bonnet, which are less startlingly made but still fun knits, I will be interested to see how well the bootees fit and crucially stay on because that seems to be the crux of the matter with baby footwear. I would recommend these patterns, the jacket is available as a separate pattern from School House Press and in the UK from the Knitting Parlour and Knit'n'Caboodle does kits. All three patterns appear in her book The Opinionated Knitter, well worth the price, like all her books it is an enjoyable read in its own right as well as containing lots of useful information and great patterns. School House Press have recently brought out a more detailed version of the pattern too, for those who find the original writing style a little short on detail.
Now I want to knit another, there's something curiously moreish about garter stitch in brightly coloured wool.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteYour baby gift set turned out nicely :)
I was hoping you could help me understand the bootie pattern; it says to keep decreases "in line" until ends are used up and then to "knit up 12 sts off each end piece." What exactly does this mean?